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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Interview with Australian Foreign Minister; Jet Collision Kills Two over Iraq; Tony Blair Wins Third Term

Aired May 05, 2005 - 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.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the polls close in Britain in one minute. And television networks there will then immediately release their first exit poll results. We'll go straight to London.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Election day, they've cast their ballots in Britain. Can Tony Blair overcome the anger over Iraq and make history?

Improvised explosive devices not in Baghdad, but in midtown Manhattan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so loud that it woke me up out of a sound sleep. And my first thought was it was an explosion in the street.

BLITZER: Who's behind the blast?

Runaway bride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She knows that she has caused a lot of problems and cost people time and money.

BLITZER: Can she make it up to her hometown?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday May 5, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We begin with the balloting in Britain, and the future of Prime Minister Tony Blair. The polls have just closed. Let's go to straight Britain's independent television news and Jonathan Dimbleby and Alistair Stewart for their first projections.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Blair has won a third term, but with a sharply reduced majority of 66. If our exit poll, carried out by MORI and NOP for ITV News and the BBC is correct, it remains a remarkable achievement, making the prime minister the first ever Labour leader to win three elections in a row.

But that's far from the whole story. Let's look at the details now. If our prediction is correct, it would mean Labour would have 356 seats in the House of Commons, that's 47 fewer than in 2001. The Torreys would get 209 seats, 44 more than last time. And the Liberal Democrats are on course for 53 seats, that's two more.

In our poll, 37 percent said they voted Labour, 33 percent said they voted Conservative exactly the same as in 2001, 22 percent said they voted Liberal Democrat. The other parties got 8 percent, including 2 percent for the SMP and 1 percent for the (INAUDIBLE).

As we said, if the exit poll is right, Labour would have a majority of 66. Now, that's a reduction of 94 seats in the Commons.

As always, elections are decided though, in marginal seats. But -- and it's a big but tonight -- it is very difficult to measure what has happened in the marginals this time round. A few votes, one way or the other, can make a huge difference to the size of that majority, which means it could easily go up or even down as the night goes on.

By the way, the poll was compiled by questioning nearly 20,000 people as they left the polling booths today.

Now let me introduce you to a key member of our team.

BLITZER: So, there you have it. British television, ITN, projecting re-election for Tony Blair as the prime minister of Britain, albeit with a much smaller majority in the British Parliament than he has had in recent years.

Bill Schneider usually picks apart the polls and the voting patterns in this country telling us what it all means. Right now our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in London. His job, though, remains very much the same.

Bill, tell us what it all means.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well Wolf, I just spoke to Robin Oakley, my counterpart, our European political analyst, not ten minutes ago. And I said what kind of majority would Blair have to have in order to be reassured that he had a comfortable vote of confidence? And Robin told me he needs at least a majority of 70 seats. Well, you just heard ITN's projection that he has -- they're projecting a majority of only 66.

This will be seen -- while it is a third term victory for Blair, and that should not be understated; no Labour leader has ever gotten three terms in a row. A majority of 66 means means there will be pressure on him. It will be seen as a rebuke, mostly because of the Iraq war issue. And a lot of members of his party are unhappy with him, and he'll be under some pressure.

He said this is the last election he'll fight. He'll be under some pressure within the next year or two to step down in favor of Gordon Brown, who is widely expected to succeed him as the Labour Party leader.

BLITZER: Bill, let's just remind our viewers what we're talking about. In the British Parliament, there are 646 electoral seats. Right now Tony Blair's party, the Labour Party, has a majority of 161 seats. 66, the projection we just heard from ITN. That is a significant, significant reduction.

So the bottom line is he presumably, if these exit polls -- and let's remind our viewers these are exit polls. If these exit polls are right, he will be reelected, but his political standing in the Parliament will be reduced.

SCHNEIDER: It will be reduced. And keep this in mind, there are about 15 members of his own party who are very critical of Mr. Blair. They've been critical of him particularly on the Iraq war. I traveled through a constituency here in London with a left-wing member of the Labour Party, who was running on a platform that, if you voted for this man, Mr. Corbin, he would stand up to Tony Blair over Iraq and over any other foreign adventures that Mr. Blair might want to undertake with President Bush.

In other words, he's a Blair critic in the Labour Party. There are about 50 such critics in the Labour Party. Which means, if he has a majority of only 66, as now projected, then his critics will have a lot of power. And they could try to unseat him and turn over power to a different leader sometime pretty soon.

BLITZER: Let's also remind our viewers these are exit polls. These are not the hard numbers. The actual ballots that have been counted, that is now only going to begin. We'll be checking back with you, Bill Schneider, throughout this hour, once the real numbers come in. If there's any changes in those exit poll predictions, we'll get back to you right away.

But based on these initial exit polls, as reported by ITN, Independent Television Network in Britain, Tony Blair will be reelected, albeit with a smaller majority in the House of Commons.

Let's more on to other news we're watching. Iraq's new cabinet held its first meeting today and discussed how to counter a sharp rise in violence. At the same time, insurgents unleashed a new wave of attacks aimed mostly at those that would keep Iraq safe, the country's new security forces. An attack on a police recruiting center yesterday killed 60 people. Today another recruiting station was bombed.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This time the Iraqi military says they saw the suicide bomber walking up to the recruits, so they shot him. But he was still able to blow himself up, killing at least 13 Iraqis at the Baghdad recruiting center, wounding 20 more.

In an exclusive interview, the deputy chief of staff of Iraq's armed forces told CNN that he thinks these are desperate acts. LT. GEN. NAISER ABADI, IRAQI ARMY DEP. CHIEF OF STAFF: They're just trying to bring the attention -- get the attention of the media that they're winning. And I don't think they are.

CHILCOTE: Iraq's security forces, he says, are steadily growing, undeterred by the attacks.

(on camera): Statistically, though, has been there been a drop because of the attacks?

ABADI: Never, no. On the contrary, we don't have enough facilities to accommodate all these people because you have to man them, train them, equip them and we can't take all of them.

CHILCOTE (voice-over): Iraq's forces are also coming online on the battlefield, slowly taking up responsibility from coalition troops. The general believes their nemesis, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, is on the defensive. It could take time to catch him.

ABADI: He's cunning, and he's had a lot of experience in eluding people. And I think he's doing a good job, but he can do it for some time, but not for all the time. I think sooner or later we're going to catch him. He's bound to make a mistake, and information will come to us.

CHILCOTE (on camera): He says information came just last week that Zarqawi may be holed up in a hospital in the western city of Ramadi. U.S. and Iraqi forces moved in, but they didn't find him. But the general says information is still coming in, and it's only a matter of time before they catch him.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Military investigators have determined that a U.S. Marine corporal acted in self defense when he shot three wounded unarmed insurgents during last year's battle of Fallujah. The incident was captured on videotape by an embedded American reporter and shown around the world.

The Marines said in a statement that the action was consistent with the standard rules of engagement, and that the corporal had reason to believe the insurgents were a threat.

Collision over the skies of Iraq. The Pentagon releases the names of the two marine pilots killed this week, both from the USS Carl Vinson, that's the aircraft carrier I recently visited.

Coming up, we'll hear from some of the other fighter pilots I spoke with.

Also ahead: New York blast, windows shattered, and people on alert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard an enormous boom, explosion. To me, it was an explosion and woke me up. Sorry, actually it woke me up out of the bed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Surveillance video could hold the key to figuring out who planted the explosives in New York.

Trying to make amends: The so-called runaway bride finally shares her side of the story.

And the little girl known only as precious doe, four years after her headless body was found, police say they now know this young victim's name and who killed her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In our "Security Watch," two explosions outside a New York City office building housing the British Consulate, less than a mile from the United Nations. CNN's Jason Carroll has been covering this story. He's joining us live with details. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, at this point the building has reopened, but investigators still don't know who did this or why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): One of these security cameras captured an image which may help investigators find out who was behind two explosive devices that went off outside this Manhattan office building early Thursday. One police source says the cameras are so precise a license plate can be read two blocks away. Police say they have a very good image.

COMMISSIONER RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE: A review of the videotapes from security cameras in the vicinity of the bombing this morning shows a number of pedestrians nearby before the blast. The video also shows a cyclist riding northbound on Third Avenue after the blast. A taxicab is also seen on the video, passing in front of the location just as the explosion occurs.

CARROLL: The explosion caused minimal damage, shattering a ground floor window of the building, home to the British Consulate, other diplomatic offices and several businesses. The blast was small, but still jarring enough to shake the nerves of those close enough to hear it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Woke me up out of the bed. I was worried for a second. I said, oh, man, there's a bomb on the street, and my first thought was, maybe I'm dreaming.

CARROLL: Inside this concrete planter in front of the building, investigators found the source of the blast, the two improvised explosives. Police say the devices were relatively unsophisticated and looked like toy grenades packed with black powder and a fuse.

KELLY: We believe these to be two novelty-type grenades.

QUESTION: What do you mean by that?

KELLY: Like, World War II-type. In other words, the type that people may have on their desk.

QUESTION: Were they real or fake?

KELLY: No, they were, as we say, novelty. We believe they were fake grenades, not active hand-grenades.

CARROLL: New York City's mayor cautions against drawing early conclusions about a possible connection between the explosion and elections, which took place in the United Kingdom Thursday.

KELLY: There is, at the moment, nobody claiming credit for this. There are no -- there were no calls saying, why the explosion, who the target was. We do not know the motivation.

CARROLL: The British consul general says, at this point he does not believe the consulate was connected to the blast. He says, by Thursday evening, it will be business as usual for consulate employees.

PHILIP THOMAS, BRITISH CONSUL-GENERAL: This is election day in Britain, so they need to get on with their work. We have a party here this evening to follow the results of the election, and we'll want to carry on with that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): One of the security tapes appears to show the explosive device being thrown and then landing in the planter, although it's unclear if it was thrown by a pedestrian or by someone in a passing car. What is clear at this point, no motive, no eyewitnesses. Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll be watching. Jason Carroll, thanks very much for that report.

The explosions do underscore what New Yorkers learned so brutally on 9/11: their city is a prime target for terrorists. Our Mary Snow is joining us now with that part of the story from New York. Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, security was stepped up at several sites around the city, including the United Nations. And, as for New Yorkers, many will tell you that they have just gotten used to the threat of terrorism in their daily lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): New Yorkers who've grown accustomed to tight security after 9/11 took news of this morning's explosions in stride.

JAMES BUCKNAM, KROLL: There's no such thing as safe in this world anymore, but you've got to go on with your life, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the security in New York is as good as it can be anywhere. Nothing is ever 100 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reading the paper just now, and they were talking about how they stopped designs on the new building, the Freedom Tower, because of the security problems and you're just wondering, going around, are we really safe? Has 9/11 really done anything to protect us?

SNOW: Wednesday, it was announced the Freedom Tower, slated to be built at the World Trade Center site, has to be redesigned. Besides structural issues, New York's police department had serious security concerns. Officials say the structure was too close to a multi-lane highway adjacent to the site. Protecting buildings from car or truck bombs has become a reality in the post-9/11 world. That's one of the reasons behind these heavy concrete planters, like the kind outside the building where the small blast occurred this morning. This time, though, one may have been used as a container for the explosive devices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what it points out is the need to couple these barricades with physical presence of people, security guards and the like, or clearly operational cameras in the vicinity monitoring movements of people.

SNOW: Another change since 9/11 is the response to these kinds of incidents.

GEORGE BAURIES, CRITERION STRATEGIES: Before 9/11, they probably would not even be considering the concept of weapons of mass destruction. You wouldn't be doing any initial indicators of chemical weapons.

SNOW: Former FBI agent George Bauries says another example is analyzing various theories.

BAURIES: Was it a test of first responders of a potential run for, say, what they call an RDD, a radioactive dispersal device?

SNOW: There's no evidence supporting that theory, but it's part of normal operating procedure to consider different scenarios.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And one security specialist we spoke with said, in this kind of environment, law enforcement officials can't afford not to exhaust all kinds of possibilities. Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, reporting for us in New York. Mary, thanks.

And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

When we come back, the runaway bride issues an apology through her pastor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sorry for the troubles I caused, and I offer my deep and sincere apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Will she pay back the money spent on her search?

Case solved? After more than four years, police identify the young girl known as Precious Doe and her killer.

Also, a young beauty student facing life in a foreign prison for a crime she insists she didn't commit. Will the Australian government get involved in her case? I'll ask the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington. He's joining us. That's coming up this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

An apology and a partial explanation from Jennifer Wilbanks, the so-called runaway bride whose disappearance last week sparked a massive search. Just a little over an hour ago, Wilbanks' pastor read a statement from her. The first time we've heard her version of what happened.

CNN's Carol Lin is in Gainesville, Georgia. She's joining us now with details -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the statement begins -- and this was a statement that apparently Jennifer Wilbanks had worked on all night long -- she said, at this time, I cannot fully explain what happened to me last week. That she had a host of compelling issues.

The man reading the statement to reporters, Dr. Tom Smiley, also continued with this interesting bit of information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. THOMAS SMILEY, LAKEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH: "Please may I assure you that my running away had nothing to do with cold feet nor was it ever about leaving John. Those who know me know how excited I've been and how excited I was about the spectacular wedding we planned and how I could not wait to be called Mrs. John Mason.

In my mind it was never about timing, however unfortunate. I was simply running away from myself and from certain fears controlling my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Dr. Smiley would not go into the details of what those fears are or the nature of the treatment that she is receiving, only that she is receiving professional treatment that it is on an outpatient and voluntary basis, Wolf, that she and her fiance John Mason consider that the wedding is postponed.

He also indicated that whatever this treatment is, that it physically prevents her from making a public appearance and may also prevent her from immediately dealing with any possibility of any criminal charges, which has not been determined yet by the district attorney out there in Duluth.

But Wolf, there may be a deal set up with the city of Duluth to compensate them for some $60,000 in the cost of searching for this young woman. It may involve some community service, Wolf. That much we know.

BLITZER: All right. Carol Lin on the scene for us. Thank you, Carol, very much.

Another story we've been watching all day. That young victim of a horrible crime is nameless no more. Four years after her body was found, police have now identified her and arrested her mother. Here's CNN Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The announcement was made late this morning here in Kansas city, Missouri. After four long years, the people of Kansas city now know the name of the girl that they adopted as Precious Doe. Her name is Erica Green. And her mother, Michelle Johnson, has been arrested by Kansas City police in Oklahoma, confessing to this horrific crime.

The mother telling police that she and her husband -- her then husband, decapitated this child after the husband had kicked the child and it was unresponsive for two days. They disposed of the body, putting her head in one spot, her body in a dumpster.

It was finally a tip that came in from a newspaper ad placed by an activist in Kansas City who just would not let this case die, a member of the Precious Doe Committee. That tip called into police just this week, led to the arrests in Oklahoma and a resolution in a four-year-long case that has plagued Kansas City.

In Kansas City, Drew Griffin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank very much, Drew.

Just ahead, a projected winner in the British election. We'll have details.

Plus, another U.S. ally on the spot. Is a hostage situation giving Australia any second thoughts about keeping its troops in Iraq? I'll ask the foreign minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington.

The Pentagon names two fighter pilots killed over Iraq. I was aboard their aircraft carrier recently. We'll hear from some of the other pilots I spoke with.

Back country controversy, the Bush administration wants to put roads in remote forest lands. Will the states throw up road blocks? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. An Australian man held hostage in Iraq. What steps will his government take to win his release? I'll ask the Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington.

First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

British television is projecting that Tony Blair has won an historic third term as prime minister. But the projections indicate that Mr. Blair's Labour Party will have a sharply reduced 66-seat majority in parliament, not necessarily good news for the prime minister.

Going down in defeat, the Conservative Party, led by Michael Howard, who ran a hard-hitting campaign aimed at making the election a referendum on Mr. Blair's domestic policies and the Iraq war. Still not a huge victory for Tony Blair.

President Bush is moving to open up 58 1/2 million acres of remote national forest lands to road building, logging and other commercial ventures. The land involved is mainly in Alaska and the western states. Environmentalists insist the plan threatens the protection of the nation's most pristine lands. Governors now have 18 months to respond.

The vast area was put off limits to development by former president Bill Clinton just days before he left office in 2001.

The man accused of the Atlanta Courthouse shooting has been indicted. Brian Nichols was charged by a grand jury meeting in the same courthouse where he allegedly shot and killed a judge, a court and a deputy on March 11.

Iran now says it's still not giving up on negotiations with the European Union on its controversial nuclear enrichment program. That's the word from the Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi who spoke today with our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. Richard is standing by. He's joining us now live from the U.N. -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi said he'd like to see talks continue with the European Union, as long as they're going to produce some tangible results. Iran suspended production on nuclear fuel work in an agreement with European Union nations. But Iran is frustrated. And the foreign minister said that during the General Assembly speech, when he said Iran is determined to start enrichment, though he said it's all for peaceful purposes. The foreign minister met today with Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussed the situation. The foreign minister said that he and the other Iranian negotiators are under some pressure regarding these talks because presidential elections are coming up next month in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMAL KHARAZZI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Intensive pressure, not only in media, but in the parliament, in public opinion, very heavy pressure on Iran. How long do we want to wait? How long do we want to engage in negotiations? Negotiations are good provided it will take you to somewhere tangible. And this is the reality that we are facing. And whomever would be in the office as the new president certainly cannot ignore this national pride of Iranians who have been able to develop this domestic technology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The foreign minister again declined to give me a timetable when his country may restart nuclear fuel work. The foreign minister leaves the country tomorrow. A lot of diplomats here are upset that Secretary of State Rice did not come to give a high-profile shine to the U.S. delegation here. The International Atomic Energy Agency, concerned about how much Iran is cooperating. Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth at the U.N. for us. Thank you, Richard.

Australia has been in the news often this past week because of two very compelling stories which we've been telling you about. Australian Douglas Wood is being held hostage in Iraq. The 63-year- old Wood was seen in a video released Sunday pleading with U.S., British and Australian leaders to pull their troops out of Iraq.

And yesterday we told you about Schapelle Corby, an Australian beauty school student arrested in Indonesia only last October. She's accused of trying to smuggle marijuana into that country. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, maybe even the death sentence against her.

Earlier here in Washington today, I spoke about both stories and more with the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Foreign Minister, welcome to Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's a pleasure.

BLITZER: Let's talk about U.S.-Australian relations in the context of Iraq. There's a lot of opposition inside Australia to what your government has done -- committed itself to support the U.S.-led operation in Iraq.

DOWNER: There was a lot of opposition to us participating in the initial overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. I think the view of Australians, though, now is that, having done that, we need to see the job through.

BLITZER: Is this a big issue in Australia right now?

DOWNER: It's been a big issue. It's perhaps a smaller issue now. We just sent an additional group of troops, 450 troops, into Iraq recently, and there's been some controversy about that. But, no, frankly, I think people now see it as important we make the new democratic regime in Iraq work. And, I'm sure --

BLITZER: So there's no kind of recriminations, anger, as there is, let's say, in Britain, where Tony Blair has been facing a lot of opposition for the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, some of the original justification for starting the war?

DOWNER: I wouldn't say there's none. I mean, there are obviously people who hold strong views in both directions about those issues. But, you know, you can debate history, but you also have to deal with the present and the future. And I think people do look to the future, and they look to us succeeding and helping to deliver democracy and freedom to Iraq. I mean, there's another way of looking at this debate. The alternative, which is just to cut and run from Iraq and to leave it as a haven for terrorists would be simply a catastrophe. People know that. People understand that.

So they know it's tough there, but they know we're gradually making progress. They can see with the elections things are heading in the right direction. And there's a long way to go.

BLITZER: So you're basically upbeat. There is one Australian who is being held hostage, Douglas Wood, an elderly man, sick. There's been enormous pressure, I guess. It's a heart-wrenching story when you see that videotape that was released. Will your government succumb to that kind of pressure?

DOWNER: Well, you can't ever do that? You can't pay ransom or have your foreign policy changed by insurgents taking your citizens hostage.

WALLACE: So no concessions to the hostage-takers in order to win his freedom?

DOWNER: No, we won't do that. We've spoken with the family about this issue. We've made it clear publicly that we won't do that. But I tell you what we are. We're determined to try to save him. He's 63 years old. He's had a heart attack. He has in the past. He has a weak heart. He has significant health problems. He has been on a substantial amount of medication, which is, of course, back in his apartment. So we're very worried about his health, you know, regardless of what the terrorists do to him.

DOWNER: Minister, do you know if he's being held by a politically inspired organization or simply by some bunch of thugs who want to make money and, in effect, sell him?

DOWNER: Well, the impression we get at the moment is that the people who are holding him are holding him for political purposes, that he's not being held just in order to raise money. That's the impression we get.

BLITZER: Some allies have paid to get hostages out -- widely reported stories that Italy, for example, paid millions of dollars to get their hostage, that journalist, released. You're familiar with that history there.

DOWNER: Well, I'm familiar with allegations they did, and their government, I think, has denied it. Anyway, that's a matter for them. But our view is that if you pay to get a hostage released, then others will be taken hostage. Why not? People will take others hostage in order to get more money.

BLITZER: So in your meetings with the vice president, the secretary of State, other top Bush administration officials, your basic message is, Australia is in for this the entire ride.

DOWNER: Yeah. Australia is there to make sure the job is properly done. We're not casual part-time allies. We signed up to work with the United States to get rid of Saddam Hussein and to help deliver freedom and democracy to the people of Iraq, and we are determined to see it through.

I mean, I can absolutely assure you that in Australia, we don't want to be defeated by a bunch of insurgents, the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and terrorists coming across the border, you know, al Qaeda-style terrorists. Australia would never want to be defeated by people like that, I can assure you. No, no, we'll see it through.

BLITZER: There's been a heart-wrenching story involving this 27- year-old Australian woman Schapelle Corby, who's being held on charges she tried to smuggle in marijuana into Bali, into Indonesia -- or out of Bali. What do you make of this story, because it's really caused a lot of anguish inside Australia. Her allegation is that the marijuana was planted. She knew nothing about this.

DOWNER: No, it has. It's been a very high-profile issue in Australia. She's 27, as you say. She's a young woman. She was arrested at Bali airport, where they found four kilograms of marijuana in her surf board bag. And obviously, in any country, if you're found with that in your bag, you're going to be arrested.

BLITZER: She says somebody planted it unbeknownst to her.

DOWNER: Right. Right. Well, you know, that is a case that her defense have been putting to the court, and the prosecution have put their case, and it's still before the court. We'll have to see what the court decides.

BLITZER: This is potentially a death sentence in Indonesia, as you well know.

DOWNER: Yeah. In the case of Australia, we don't support the death penalty, so we always go to the relevant government and ask that the death penalty not be applied. Now, in this case, we made it clear to the Indonesian government that if she's convicted -- she hasn't been convicted yet -- but if she is convicted, we don't want the death sentence to be applied. And the prosecution haven't asked for the death sentence. The prosecution have asked for life imprisonment.

BLITZER: A lot of Australians go on their vacations, their holidays to Bali, go to Indonesia, even though there was that horrible terrorist attack there a couple years ago and many Australians were killed. Has this put a damper on Australian-Indonesian relations and the willingness of Australians to go spend money in Indonesia?

DOWNER: Well, not really. I mean, we actually had nine Australians arrested just a couple of weeks ago, allegedly for trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali into Australia. They were arrested in Bali.

BLITZER: But that was a different kind of case. They had the heroin strapped to their bodies.

DOWNER: Allegedly.

BLITZER: Allegedly according to the press reports that I've seen. This woman didn't have the marijuana strapped to her body.

DOWNER: She had it in her bag.

BLITZER: She had it in her suitcase, yes.

DOWNER: And she admitted it was her bag.

BLITZER: Right.

DOWNER: But, you know, who put it there and how it got there, that's a matter for the court.

But, I mean, my point is that obviously the vast majority of Australians fortunately wouldn't even contemplate smuggling drugs in one direction or another. And they would obviously work on the assumption that people wouldn't be planting stuff in their luggage.

So -- and I think you're still seeing a good flow of tourists going to Bali. I think the bigger issue, though is the one you mentioned, is the fear of terrorism. Eighty-eight Australians were killed in October 2002 in a nightclub, or two nightclubs in Bali. And so there is concern about that. But the Indonesians have been robust in recent times in rounding up the terrorists, and we've been working with them, as the Americans have been as well, so we're working on the counterterrorism issue, and Australians, as a result, have started to go back to Bali.

BLITZER: Foreign Minister Downer, welcome to Washington. Thanks very much.

DOWNER: It's always good to be in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: I spoke with the foreign minister earlier today. Let's move on now and take a closer look at some other stories making headlines around the world. Sirens wailed for two minutes throughout Israel as the country remembered the 6 million Jews killed in the holocaust. Israelis stopped whatever they were doing and stood silent, while traffic came to a stand-still. This year's annual event marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the defeat of Germany in World War II.

In other events, remembering Holocaust victims, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon joined thousands at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He told the crowd that, as millions of Jews were led to their deaths, the world remained silent. After the Auschwitz event, thousands of people took part in the "March of the Living" ceremony by walking two miles from Auschwitz to the Birkenau death camp.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And when we come back, the ultimate sacrifice. Two American pilots from the USS Carl Vinson, killed over Iraq. I'll share my conversations with some of their colleagues.

Also, the first defense witness takes the stand in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial.

Plus, Viagra and the mob. Details of new allegations against three medical doctors, now facing charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Defense Department has released the names of those two U.S. Marine pilots who died when their F-18 jet fighters apparently collided over Iraq this week. The pilots are 30-year-old Captain Kelly Hinz of Woodbury, Minnesota, and 42-year-old Major John Spahr of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They had flown their planes from the aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, on duty in the Persian Gulf.

When I first learned of that a few days ago, I was jolted because only a month earlier I had spent time aboard the Carl Vinson. I didn't meet those two pilots who died, but I did meet several others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Their mission is incredibly dangerous, even under the best of circumstances. These are the Navy and Marine Corps top guns, the pilots who take off from and return to these giant aircraft carriers. Simply put, these aviators are the best of the best.

I'm on board the aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson. We're here in the Persian Gulf. These planes behind us, they have two missions: combat support in Iraq -- these pilots are flying over Iraq all the time; also, what's called maritime security in the Persian Gulf, protect the shipping lanes, especially the oil shipping lanes. I met with several pilots after they had just returned from a mission over Iraq. Their nature is to play down the dangers.

So, how do you feel doing this, flying over Baghdad? Because, potentially, you're in harm's way. You're in a war zone.

LT. IAN PADDOCK, U.S. NAVY: Well, we're not nearly as threatened as the guys are on the ground. So, we're kind of just there to support them.

BLITZER: So, you're not scared?

PADDOCK: I don't know if I'd go and say that we're scared. Yes, there's definitely some apprehension and more tension than in a normal training mission, but it's not like -- it's not like the guys saw in the earlier phases of this conflict.

BLITZER: The carrier-based aviators usually don't land in Iraq. Usually, but not always. Lieutenant Commander Chris Ford had to make a quick refueling stop during this most recent mission.

LT. CMDR. CHRIS FORD, U.S. NAVY: We only do it when we need to. Usually get fuel or some other -- or for some other reason. Normally, we try to do all our refueling in the air.

BLITZER: So, how do you feel flying over Iraq?

FORD: The mission that we're doing? Supporting the guys on the ground, that ones that are doing all the hard work, and we're just there to help them.

BLITZER: This is Lieutenant Commander Ron Candiloro's fourth tour of duty in the region. He insists things are getting a little better.

LT. CMDR. RON CANDILORO, U.S. NAVY: I would say they're not as dangerous, in the sense there's not as much of a threat out there as there was, especially when Iraqi Freedom started back in '03.

BLITZER: Because they had surface-air capability?

CANDILORO: Yes, sir. They still have the capability out there. We're never going to underestimate that. But, based on the training that we received and the intelligence we get, we've minimized it to the point where we feel fairly secure in places we're flying and the altitude's flying and the tactics we've trained to, so that we're pretty sure we're going to come back. But if it came down to it, whatever it takes to help the guys on the ground. I mean, that's what we're here for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): Pretty sure they're going to come back, but as we learned this past week, unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Coming up at the top of the hour, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou standing by with a preview. Lou?

LOU DOBBS, HOST "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you very much. At 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll be reporting on Tony Blair's historic election victory in Britain. We'll be going live to London for the very latest results and analysis.

Also, two bomb explosions outside the British Consulate in New York City today; new fears, tonight, about the terrorist threat to this country.

And the Army's recruiting slump: the U.S. Army misses its recruiting target for a third straight month. What is happening and why? Can the Army meet its commitments in the global war on terror? We'll have that story and a great deal more coming up at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Lou, thanks very much. We'll be watching.

When we come back, a new chapter begins in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial as the defense puts its first witness on the stand. We'll go live out to the courthouse.

Plus -- mixing with the mafia? Charges that some medical doctors have supplied drugs like Viagra to the Gambino crime family. We're standing by for details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One day after prosecutors rested their case in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial, the defense quickly went on the attack today, and the judge was just as quick in denying a defense motion. CNN's Rusty Dornin is standing by live outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it really started off with sort of a mini-closing argument by both sides. The defense trying to get the judge to dismiss the charges, claiming there just wasn't enough evidence. It was impassioned arguments by both sides that went on for over two and a half hours. In the end, the judge said motion denied, and call your witnesses.

The defense wasted no time in calling their two witnesses that they feel is going to the heart of this matter, and that is the two witnesses saying absolutely not, no, never, to the question did Michael Jackson ever molest you or touch you in any way that was inappropriate? The two young men who had visited Neverland extensively when they were in their childhood in the late '80s and early '90s stayed at Neverland many times, so they slept with Michael Jackson, but that he never touched them.

Now, one of them is on the stand now, will be coming back tomorrow morning. We're expecting to hear from both of their mothers and sisters to come to the stand and also say they never saw any inappropriate behavior. Macaulay Culkin, also, the child actor, is expected to testify sometime next week and give similar testimony -- Wolf. BLITZER: All right. Rusty Dornin, this first full day of the defense taking the stand. Thanks very much.

The mob and Viagra. Three prominent doctors charged with providing drugs like Viagra to the Mafia. We'll tell you what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This week in history, in 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to reach outer space.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to ever become prime minister of England.

And in 1994, South Africa elected its first black president, as Nelson Mandela came to power.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Three doctors in the New York City area are accused of getting favors from organized crime figures in exchange for prescription drugs. CNN's Chris Huntington has details of this unusual case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. attorney in New York is accusing thoracic surgeon Arlen Fleisher, cardiologist George Shapiro and neurologist Stephen Klass with illegally supplying large amounts of prescription drugs, notably Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and even Vioxx and Celebrex to reputed members of the Gambino organized crime family for more than two years, primarily through this man, Gregory DePalma, who the feds say was an acting capo in the Gambino family.

DePalma was one of 31 alleged Gambino associates arrested in March, the result of a major undercover sting operation by the FBI. The case against the doctors unexpectedly popped up from information gathered through wire taps as well as an undercover agent and a confidential source put in place for that bigger case against the Gambinos.

In one allegedly intercepted conversation included in the criminal complaint, DePalma says to Dr. Shapiro, quote, "You've been giving out Viagra and Levitra to my friends that come there. You save me any Viagras?" To which Shapiro allegedly responded, "I have a lot for you."

Shapiro's attorney tells CNN, "Dr. Shapiro treated DePalma for a cardiac condition since the late 1990s. Whatever medication he gave DePalma was in accordance with their relationship as doctor and patient. Dr. Shapiro never did anything illegal or unethical.

Dr. Fleisher's attorney tells CNN, "My client performed surgery on DePalma. This is a case of the government sensationalizing a common practice between a doctor and a patient."

Dr. Klass' attorney says his client is innocent.

Federal prosecutors allege that in return for providing prescription drugs, sometimes by the boxload to DePalma and his crew, the doctors were given discounts on home renovations and auto repair from Gambino-controlled companies, and even access to DePalma's table at the exclusive Rao's Italian restaurant in Harlem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON: DePalma is in federal custody right now awaiting trial. The three doctors are each out on $50,000 bail, but face up to 10 years in prison each if convicted of illegally distributing prescription drugs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Chris Huntington reporting. Thanks very much.

I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now, Lou standing by in New York with this -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Thank you, Wolf, have a pleasant evening.

END

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 May 5, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the polls close in Britain in one minute. And television networks there will then immediately release their first exit poll results. We'll go straight to London.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Election day, they've cast their ballots in Britain. Can Tony Blair overcome the anger over Iraq and make history?

Improvised explosive devices not in Baghdad, but in midtown Manhattan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so loud that it woke me up out of a sound sleep. And my first thought was it was an explosion in the street.

BLITZER: Who's behind the blast?

Runaway bride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She knows that she has caused a lot of problems and cost people time and money.

BLITZER: Can she make it up to her hometown?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday May 5, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We begin with the balloting in Britain, and the future of Prime Minister Tony Blair. The polls have just closed. Let's go to straight Britain's independent television news and Jonathan Dimbleby and Alistair Stewart for their first projections.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Blair has won a third term, but with a sharply reduced majority of 66. If our exit poll, carried out by MORI and NOP for ITV News and the BBC is correct, it remains a remarkable achievement, making the prime minister the first ever Labour leader to win three elections in a row.

But that's far from the whole story. Let's look at the details now. If our prediction is correct, it would mean Labour would have 356 seats in the House of Commons, that's 47 fewer than in 2001. The Torreys would get 209 seats, 44 more than last time. And the Liberal Democrats are on course for 53 seats, that's two more.

In our poll, 37 percent said they voted Labour, 33 percent said they voted Conservative exactly the same as in 2001, 22 percent said they voted Liberal Democrat. The other parties got 8 percent, including 2 percent for the SMP and 1 percent for the (INAUDIBLE).

As we said, if the exit poll is right, Labour would have a majority of 66. Now, that's a reduction of 94 seats in the Commons.

As always, elections are decided though, in marginal seats. But -- and it's a big but tonight -- it is very difficult to measure what has happened in the marginals this time round. A few votes, one way or the other, can make a huge difference to the size of that majority, which means it could easily go up or even down as the night goes on.

By the way, the poll was compiled by questioning nearly 20,000 people as they left the polling booths today.

Now let me introduce you to a key member of our team.

BLITZER: So, there you have it. British television, ITN, projecting re-election for Tony Blair as the prime minister of Britain, albeit with a much smaller majority in the British Parliament than he has had in recent years.

Bill Schneider usually picks apart the polls and the voting patterns in this country telling us what it all means. Right now our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in London. His job, though, remains very much the same.

Bill, tell us what it all means.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well Wolf, I just spoke to Robin Oakley, my counterpart, our European political analyst, not ten minutes ago. And I said what kind of majority would Blair have to have in order to be reassured that he had a comfortable vote of confidence? And Robin told me he needs at least a majority of 70 seats. Well, you just heard ITN's projection that he has -- they're projecting a majority of only 66.

This will be seen -- while it is a third term victory for Blair, and that should not be understated; no Labour leader has ever gotten three terms in a row. A majority of 66 means means there will be pressure on him. It will be seen as a rebuke, mostly because of the Iraq war issue. And a lot of members of his party are unhappy with him, and he'll be under some pressure.

He said this is the last election he'll fight. He'll be under some pressure within the next year or two to step down in favor of Gordon Brown, who is widely expected to succeed him as the Labour Party leader.

BLITZER: Bill, let's just remind our viewers what we're talking about. In the British Parliament, there are 646 electoral seats. Right now Tony Blair's party, the Labour Party, has a majority of 161 seats. 66, the projection we just heard from ITN. That is a significant, significant reduction.

So the bottom line is he presumably, if these exit polls -- and let's remind our viewers these are exit polls. If these exit polls are right, he will be reelected, but his political standing in the Parliament will be reduced.

SCHNEIDER: It will be reduced. And keep this in mind, there are about 15 members of his own party who are very critical of Mr. Blair. They've been critical of him particularly on the Iraq war. I traveled through a constituency here in London with a left-wing member of the Labour Party, who was running on a platform that, if you voted for this man, Mr. Corbin, he would stand up to Tony Blair over Iraq and over any other foreign adventures that Mr. Blair might want to undertake with President Bush.

In other words, he's a Blair critic in the Labour Party. There are about 50 such critics in the Labour Party. Which means, if he has a majority of only 66, as now projected, then his critics will have a lot of power. And they could try to unseat him and turn over power to a different leader sometime pretty soon.

BLITZER: Let's also remind our viewers these are exit polls. These are not the hard numbers. The actual ballots that have been counted, that is now only going to begin. We'll be checking back with you, Bill Schneider, throughout this hour, once the real numbers come in. If there's any changes in those exit poll predictions, we'll get back to you right away.

But based on these initial exit polls, as reported by ITN, Independent Television Network in Britain, Tony Blair will be reelected, albeit with a smaller majority in the House of Commons.

Let's more on to other news we're watching. Iraq's new cabinet held its first meeting today and discussed how to counter a sharp rise in violence. At the same time, insurgents unleashed a new wave of attacks aimed mostly at those that would keep Iraq safe, the country's new security forces. An attack on a police recruiting center yesterday killed 60 people. Today another recruiting station was bombed.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This time the Iraqi military says they saw the suicide bomber walking up to the recruits, so they shot him. But he was still able to blow himself up, killing at least 13 Iraqis at the Baghdad recruiting center, wounding 20 more.

In an exclusive interview, the deputy chief of staff of Iraq's armed forces told CNN that he thinks these are desperate acts. LT. GEN. NAISER ABADI, IRAQI ARMY DEP. CHIEF OF STAFF: They're just trying to bring the attention -- get the attention of the media that they're winning. And I don't think they are.

CHILCOTE: Iraq's security forces, he says, are steadily growing, undeterred by the attacks.

(on camera): Statistically, though, has been there been a drop because of the attacks?

ABADI: Never, no. On the contrary, we don't have enough facilities to accommodate all these people because you have to man them, train them, equip them and we can't take all of them.

CHILCOTE (voice-over): Iraq's forces are also coming online on the battlefield, slowly taking up responsibility from coalition troops. The general believes their nemesis, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, is on the defensive. It could take time to catch him.

ABADI: He's cunning, and he's had a lot of experience in eluding people. And I think he's doing a good job, but he can do it for some time, but not for all the time. I think sooner or later we're going to catch him. He's bound to make a mistake, and information will come to us.

CHILCOTE (on camera): He says information came just last week that Zarqawi may be holed up in a hospital in the western city of Ramadi. U.S. and Iraqi forces moved in, but they didn't find him. But the general says information is still coming in, and it's only a matter of time before they catch him.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Military investigators have determined that a U.S. Marine corporal acted in self defense when he shot three wounded unarmed insurgents during last year's battle of Fallujah. The incident was captured on videotape by an embedded American reporter and shown around the world.

The Marines said in a statement that the action was consistent with the standard rules of engagement, and that the corporal had reason to believe the insurgents were a threat.

Collision over the skies of Iraq. The Pentagon releases the names of the two marine pilots killed this week, both from the USS Carl Vinson, that's the aircraft carrier I recently visited.

Coming up, we'll hear from some of the other fighter pilots I spoke with.

Also ahead: New York blast, windows shattered, and people on alert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard an enormous boom, explosion. To me, it was an explosion and woke me up. Sorry, actually it woke me up out of the bed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Surveillance video could hold the key to figuring out who planted the explosives in New York.

Trying to make amends: The so-called runaway bride finally shares her side of the story.

And the little girl known only as precious doe, four years after her headless body was found, police say they now know this young victim's name and who killed her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In our "Security Watch," two explosions outside a New York City office building housing the British Consulate, less than a mile from the United Nations. CNN's Jason Carroll has been covering this story. He's joining us live with details. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, at this point the building has reopened, but investigators still don't know who did this or why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): One of these security cameras captured an image which may help investigators find out who was behind two explosive devices that went off outside this Manhattan office building early Thursday. One police source says the cameras are so precise a license plate can be read two blocks away. Police say they have a very good image.

COMMISSIONER RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE: A review of the videotapes from security cameras in the vicinity of the bombing this morning shows a number of pedestrians nearby before the blast. The video also shows a cyclist riding northbound on Third Avenue after the blast. A taxicab is also seen on the video, passing in front of the location just as the explosion occurs.

CARROLL: The explosion caused minimal damage, shattering a ground floor window of the building, home to the British Consulate, other diplomatic offices and several businesses. The blast was small, but still jarring enough to shake the nerves of those close enough to hear it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Woke me up out of the bed. I was worried for a second. I said, oh, man, there's a bomb on the street, and my first thought was, maybe I'm dreaming.

CARROLL: Inside this concrete planter in front of the building, investigators found the source of the blast, the two improvised explosives. Police say the devices were relatively unsophisticated and looked like toy grenades packed with black powder and a fuse.

KELLY: We believe these to be two novelty-type grenades.

QUESTION: What do you mean by that?

KELLY: Like, World War II-type. In other words, the type that people may have on their desk.

QUESTION: Were they real or fake?

KELLY: No, they were, as we say, novelty. We believe they were fake grenades, not active hand-grenades.

CARROLL: New York City's mayor cautions against drawing early conclusions about a possible connection between the explosion and elections, which took place in the United Kingdom Thursday.

KELLY: There is, at the moment, nobody claiming credit for this. There are no -- there were no calls saying, why the explosion, who the target was. We do not know the motivation.

CARROLL: The British consul general says, at this point he does not believe the consulate was connected to the blast. He says, by Thursday evening, it will be business as usual for consulate employees.

PHILIP THOMAS, BRITISH CONSUL-GENERAL: This is election day in Britain, so they need to get on with their work. We have a party here this evening to follow the results of the election, and we'll want to carry on with that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): One of the security tapes appears to show the explosive device being thrown and then landing in the planter, although it's unclear if it was thrown by a pedestrian or by someone in a passing car. What is clear at this point, no motive, no eyewitnesses. Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll be watching. Jason Carroll, thanks very much for that report.

The explosions do underscore what New Yorkers learned so brutally on 9/11: their city is a prime target for terrorists. Our Mary Snow is joining us now with that part of the story from New York. Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, security was stepped up at several sites around the city, including the United Nations. And, as for New Yorkers, many will tell you that they have just gotten used to the threat of terrorism in their daily lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): New Yorkers who've grown accustomed to tight security after 9/11 took news of this morning's explosions in stride.

JAMES BUCKNAM, KROLL: There's no such thing as safe in this world anymore, but you've got to go on with your life, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the security in New York is as good as it can be anywhere. Nothing is ever 100 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reading the paper just now, and they were talking about how they stopped designs on the new building, the Freedom Tower, because of the security problems and you're just wondering, going around, are we really safe? Has 9/11 really done anything to protect us?

SNOW: Wednesday, it was announced the Freedom Tower, slated to be built at the World Trade Center site, has to be redesigned. Besides structural issues, New York's police department had serious security concerns. Officials say the structure was too close to a multi-lane highway adjacent to the site. Protecting buildings from car or truck bombs has become a reality in the post-9/11 world. That's one of the reasons behind these heavy concrete planters, like the kind outside the building where the small blast occurred this morning. This time, though, one may have been used as a container for the explosive devices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what it points out is the need to couple these barricades with physical presence of people, security guards and the like, or clearly operational cameras in the vicinity monitoring movements of people.

SNOW: Another change since 9/11 is the response to these kinds of incidents.

GEORGE BAURIES, CRITERION STRATEGIES: Before 9/11, they probably would not even be considering the concept of weapons of mass destruction. You wouldn't be doing any initial indicators of chemical weapons.

SNOW: Former FBI agent George Bauries says another example is analyzing various theories.

BAURIES: Was it a test of first responders of a potential run for, say, what they call an RDD, a radioactive dispersal device?

SNOW: There's no evidence supporting that theory, but it's part of normal operating procedure to consider different scenarios.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And one security specialist we spoke with said, in this kind of environment, law enforcement officials can't afford not to exhaust all kinds of possibilities. Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, reporting for us in New York. Mary, thanks.

And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

When we come back, the runaway bride issues an apology through her pastor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sorry for the troubles I caused, and I offer my deep and sincere apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Will she pay back the money spent on her search?

Case solved? After more than four years, police identify the young girl known as Precious Doe and her killer.

Also, a young beauty student facing life in a foreign prison for a crime she insists she didn't commit. Will the Australian government get involved in her case? I'll ask the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington. He's joining us. That's coming up this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

An apology and a partial explanation from Jennifer Wilbanks, the so-called runaway bride whose disappearance last week sparked a massive search. Just a little over an hour ago, Wilbanks' pastor read a statement from her. The first time we've heard her version of what happened.

CNN's Carol Lin is in Gainesville, Georgia. She's joining us now with details -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the statement begins -- and this was a statement that apparently Jennifer Wilbanks had worked on all night long -- she said, at this time, I cannot fully explain what happened to me last week. That she had a host of compelling issues.

The man reading the statement to reporters, Dr. Tom Smiley, also continued with this interesting bit of information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. THOMAS SMILEY, LAKEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH: "Please may I assure you that my running away had nothing to do with cold feet nor was it ever about leaving John. Those who know me know how excited I've been and how excited I was about the spectacular wedding we planned and how I could not wait to be called Mrs. John Mason.

In my mind it was never about timing, however unfortunate. I was simply running away from myself and from certain fears controlling my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Dr. Smiley would not go into the details of what those fears are or the nature of the treatment that she is receiving, only that she is receiving professional treatment that it is on an outpatient and voluntary basis, Wolf, that she and her fiance John Mason consider that the wedding is postponed.

He also indicated that whatever this treatment is, that it physically prevents her from making a public appearance and may also prevent her from immediately dealing with any possibility of any criminal charges, which has not been determined yet by the district attorney out there in Duluth.

But Wolf, there may be a deal set up with the city of Duluth to compensate them for some $60,000 in the cost of searching for this young woman. It may involve some community service, Wolf. That much we know.

BLITZER: All right. Carol Lin on the scene for us. Thank you, Carol, very much.

Another story we've been watching all day. That young victim of a horrible crime is nameless no more. Four years after her body was found, police have now identified her and arrested her mother. Here's CNN Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The announcement was made late this morning here in Kansas city, Missouri. After four long years, the people of Kansas city now know the name of the girl that they adopted as Precious Doe. Her name is Erica Green. And her mother, Michelle Johnson, has been arrested by Kansas City police in Oklahoma, confessing to this horrific crime.

The mother telling police that she and her husband -- her then husband, decapitated this child after the husband had kicked the child and it was unresponsive for two days. They disposed of the body, putting her head in one spot, her body in a dumpster.

It was finally a tip that came in from a newspaper ad placed by an activist in Kansas City who just would not let this case die, a member of the Precious Doe Committee. That tip called into police just this week, led to the arrests in Oklahoma and a resolution in a four-year-long case that has plagued Kansas City.

In Kansas City, Drew Griffin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank very much, Drew.

Just ahead, a projected winner in the British election. We'll have details.

Plus, another U.S. ally on the spot. Is a hostage situation giving Australia any second thoughts about keeping its troops in Iraq? I'll ask the foreign minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington.

The Pentagon names two fighter pilots killed over Iraq. I was aboard their aircraft carrier recently. We'll hear from some of the other pilots I spoke with.

Back country controversy, the Bush administration wants to put roads in remote forest lands. Will the states throw up road blocks? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. An Australian man held hostage in Iraq. What steps will his government take to win his release? I'll ask the Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer. He's here in Washington.

First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

British television is projecting that Tony Blair has won an historic third term as prime minister. But the projections indicate that Mr. Blair's Labour Party will have a sharply reduced 66-seat majority in parliament, not necessarily good news for the prime minister.

Going down in defeat, the Conservative Party, led by Michael Howard, who ran a hard-hitting campaign aimed at making the election a referendum on Mr. Blair's domestic policies and the Iraq war. Still not a huge victory for Tony Blair.

President Bush is moving to open up 58 1/2 million acres of remote national forest lands to road building, logging and other commercial ventures. The land involved is mainly in Alaska and the western states. Environmentalists insist the plan threatens the protection of the nation's most pristine lands. Governors now have 18 months to respond.

The vast area was put off limits to development by former president Bill Clinton just days before he left office in 2001.

The man accused of the Atlanta Courthouse shooting has been indicted. Brian Nichols was charged by a grand jury meeting in the same courthouse where he allegedly shot and killed a judge, a court and a deputy on March 11.

Iran now says it's still not giving up on negotiations with the European Union on its controversial nuclear enrichment program. That's the word from the Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi who spoke today with our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. Richard is standing by. He's joining us now live from the U.N. -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi said he'd like to see talks continue with the European Union, as long as they're going to produce some tangible results. Iran suspended production on nuclear fuel work in an agreement with European Union nations. But Iran is frustrated. And the foreign minister said that during the General Assembly speech, when he said Iran is determined to start enrichment, though he said it's all for peaceful purposes. The foreign minister met today with Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussed the situation. The foreign minister said that he and the other Iranian negotiators are under some pressure regarding these talks because presidential elections are coming up next month in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMAL KHARAZZI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Intensive pressure, not only in media, but in the parliament, in public opinion, very heavy pressure on Iran. How long do we want to wait? How long do we want to engage in negotiations? Negotiations are good provided it will take you to somewhere tangible. And this is the reality that we are facing. And whomever would be in the office as the new president certainly cannot ignore this national pride of Iranians who have been able to develop this domestic technology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The foreign minister again declined to give me a timetable when his country may restart nuclear fuel work. The foreign minister leaves the country tomorrow. A lot of diplomats here are upset that Secretary of State Rice did not come to give a high-profile shine to the U.S. delegation here. The International Atomic Energy Agency, concerned about how much Iran is cooperating. Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth at the U.N. for us. Thank you, Richard.

Australia has been in the news often this past week because of two very compelling stories which we've been telling you about. Australian Douglas Wood is being held hostage in Iraq. The 63-year- old Wood was seen in a video released Sunday pleading with U.S., British and Australian leaders to pull their troops out of Iraq.

And yesterday we told you about Schapelle Corby, an Australian beauty school student arrested in Indonesia only last October. She's accused of trying to smuggle marijuana into that country. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, maybe even the death sentence against her.

Earlier here in Washington today, I spoke about both stories and more with the Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Foreign Minister, welcome to Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's a pleasure.

BLITZER: Let's talk about U.S.-Australian relations in the context of Iraq. There's a lot of opposition inside Australia to what your government has done -- committed itself to support the U.S.-led operation in Iraq.

DOWNER: There was a lot of opposition to us participating in the initial overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. I think the view of Australians, though, now is that, having done that, we need to see the job through.

BLITZER: Is this a big issue in Australia right now?

DOWNER: It's been a big issue. It's perhaps a smaller issue now. We just sent an additional group of troops, 450 troops, into Iraq recently, and there's been some controversy about that. But, no, frankly, I think people now see it as important we make the new democratic regime in Iraq work. And, I'm sure --

BLITZER: So there's no kind of recriminations, anger, as there is, let's say, in Britain, where Tony Blair has been facing a lot of opposition for the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, some of the original justification for starting the war?

DOWNER: I wouldn't say there's none. I mean, there are obviously people who hold strong views in both directions about those issues. But, you know, you can debate history, but you also have to deal with the present and the future. And I think people do look to the future, and they look to us succeeding and helping to deliver democracy and freedom to Iraq. I mean, there's another way of looking at this debate. The alternative, which is just to cut and run from Iraq and to leave it as a haven for terrorists would be simply a catastrophe. People know that. People understand that.

So they know it's tough there, but they know we're gradually making progress. They can see with the elections things are heading in the right direction. And there's a long way to go.

BLITZER: So you're basically upbeat. There is one Australian who is being held hostage, Douglas Wood, an elderly man, sick. There's been enormous pressure, I guess. It's a heart-wrenching story when you see that videotape that was released. Will your government succumb to that kind of pressure?

DOWNER: Well, you can't ever do that? You can't pay ransom or have your foreign policy changed by insurgents taking your citizens hostage.

WALLACE: So no concessions to the hostage-takers in order to win his freedom?

DOWNER: No, we won't do that. We've spoken with the family about this issue. We've made it clear publicly that we won't do that. But I tell you what we are. We're determined to try to save him. He's 63 years old. He's had a heart attack. He has in the past. He has a weak heart. He has significant health problems. He has been on a substantial amount of medication, which is, of course, back in his apartment. So we're very worried about his health, you know, regardless of what the terrorists do to him.

DOWNER: Minister, do you know if he's being held by a politically inspired organization or simply by some bunch of thugs who want to make money and, in effect, sell him?

DOWNER: Well, the impression we get at the moment is that the people who are holding him are holding him for political purposes, that he's not being held just in order to raise money. That's the impression we get.

BLITZER: Some allies have paid to get hostages out -- widely reported stories that Italy, for example, paid millions of dollars to get their hostage, that journalist, released. You're familiar with that history there.

DOWNER: Well, I'm familiar with allegations they did, and their government, I think, has denied it. Anyway, that's a matter for them. But our view is that if you pay to get a hostage released, then others will be taken hostage. Why not? People will take others hostage in order to get more money.

BLITZER: So in your meetings with the vice president, the secretary of State, other top Bush administration officials, your basic message is, Australia is in for this the entire ride.

DOWNER: Yeah. Australia is there to make sure the job is properly done. We're not casual part-time allies. We signed up to work with the United States to get rid of Saddam Hussein and to help deliver freedom and democracy to the people of Iraq, and we are determined to see it through.

I mean, I can absolutely assure you that in Australia, we don't want to be defeated by a bunch of insurgents, the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and terrorists coming across the border, you know, al Qaeda-style terrorists. Australia would never want to be defeated by people like that, I can assure you. No, no, we'll see it through.

BLITZER: There's been a heart-wrenching story involving this 27- year-old Australian woman Schapelle Corby, who's being held on charges she tried to smuggle in marijuana into Bali, into Indonesia -- or out of Bali. What do you make of this story, because it's really caused a lot of anguish inside Australia. Her allegation is that the marijuana was planted. She knew nothing about this.

DOWNER: No, it has. It's been a very high-profile issue in Australia. She's 27, as you say. She's a young woman. She was arrested at Bali airport, where they found four kilograms of marijuana in her surf board bag. And obviously, in any country, if you're found with that in your bag, you're going to be arrested.

BLITZER: She says somebody planted it unbeknownst to her.

DOWNER: Right. Right. Well, you know, that is a case that her defense have been putting to the court, and the prosecution have put their case, and it's still before the court. We'll have to see what the court decides.

BLITZER: This is potentially a death sentence in Indonesia, as you well know.

DOWNER: Yeah. In the case of Australia, we don't support the death penalty, so we always go to the relevant government and ask that the death penalty not be applied. Now, in this case, we made it clear to the Indonesian government that if she's convicted -- she hasn't been convicted yet -- but if she is convicted, we don't want the death sentence to be applied. And the prosecution haven't asked for the death sentence. The prosecution have asked for life imprisonment.

BLITZER: A lot of Australians go on their vacations, their holidays to Bali, go to Indonesia, even though there was that horrible terrorist attack there a couple years ago and many Australians were killed. Has this put a damper on Australian-Indonesian relations and the willingness of Australians to go spend money in Indonesia?

DOWNER: Well, not really. I mean, we actually had nine Australians arrested just a couple of weeks ago, allegedly for trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali into Australia. They were arrested in Bali.

BLITZER: But that was a different kind of case. They had the heroin strapped to their bodies.

DOWNER: Allegedly.

BLITZER: Allegedly according to the press reports that I've seen. This woman didn't have the marijuana strapped to her body.

DOWNER: She had it in her bag.

BLITZER: She had it in her suitcase, yes.

DOWNER: And she admitted it was her bag.

BLITZER: Right.

DOWNER: But, you know, who put it there and how it got there, that's a matter for the court.

But, I mean, my point is that obviously the vast majority of Australians fortunately wouldn't even contemplate smuggling drugs in one direction or another. And they would obviously work on the assumption that people wouldn't be planting stuff in their luggage.

So -- and I think you're still seeing a good flow of tourists going to Bali. I think the bigger issue, though is the one you mentioned, is the fear of terrorism. Eighty-eight Australians were killed in October 2002 in a nightclub, or two nightclubs in Bali. And so there is concern about that. But the Indonesians have been robust in recent times in rounding up the terrorists, and we've been working with them, as the Americans have been as well, so we're working on the counterterrorism issue, and Australians, as a result, have started to go back to Bali.

BLITZER: Foreign Minister Downer, welcome to Washington. Thanks very much.

DOWNER: It's always good to be in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: I spoke with the foreign minister earlier today. Let's move on now and take a closer look at some other stories making headlines around the world. Sirens wailed for two minutes throughout Israel as the country remembered the 6 million Jews killed in the holocaust. Israelis stopped whatever they were doing and stood silent, while traffic came to a stand-still. This year's annual event marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the defeat of Germany in World War II.

In other events, remembering Holocaust victims, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon joined thousands at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He told the crowd that, as millions of Jews were led to their deaths, the world remained silent. After the Auschwitz event, thousands of people took part in the "March of the Living" ceremony by walking two miles from Auschwitz to the Birkenau death camp.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And when we come back, the ultimate sacrifice. Two American pilots from the USS Carl Vinson, killed over Iraq. I'll share my conversations with some of their colleagues.

Also, the first defense witness takes the stand in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial.

Plus, Viagra and the mob. Details of new allegations against three medical doctors, now facing charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Defense Department has released the names of those two U.S. Marine pilots who died when their F-18 jet fighters apparently collided over Iraq this week. The pilots are 30-year-old Captain Kelly Hinz of Woodbury, Minnesota, and 42-year-old Major John Spahr of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. They had flown their planes from the aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, on duty in the Persian Gulf.

When I first learned of that a few days ago, I was jolted because only a month earlier I had spent time aboard the Carl Vinson. I didn't meet those two pilots who died, but I did meet several others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Their mission is incredibly dangerous, even under the best of circumstances. These are the Navy and Marine Corps top guns, the pilots who take off from and return to these giant aircraft carriers. Simply put, these aviators are the best of the best.

I'm on board the aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson. We're here in the Persian Gulf. These planes behind us, they have two missions: combat support in Iraq -- these pilots are flying over Iraq all the time; also, what's called maritime security in the Persian Gulf, protect the shipping lanes, especially the oil shipping lanes. I met with several pilots after they had just returned from a mission over Iraq. Their nature is to play down the dangers.

So, how do you feel doing this, flying over Baghdad? Because, potentially, you're in harm's way. You're in a war zone.

LT. IAN PADDOCK, U.S. NAVY: Well, we're not nearly as threatened as the guys are on the ground. So, we're kind of just there to support them.

BLITZER: So, you're not scared?

PADDOCK: I don't know if I'd go and say that we're scared. Yes, there's definitely some apprehension and more tension than in a normal training mission, but it's not like -- it's not like the guys saw in the earlier phases of this conflict.

BLITZER: The carrier-based aviators usually don't land in Iraq. Usually, but not always. Lieutenant Commander Chris Ford had to make a quick refueling stop during this most recent mission.

LT. CMDR. CHRIS FORD, U.S. NAVY: We only do it when we need to. Usually get fuel or some other -- or for some other reason. Normally, we try to do all our refueling in the air.

BLITZER: So, how do you feel flying over Iraq?

FORD: The mission that we're doing? Supporting the guys on the ground, that ones that are doing all the hard work, and we're just there to help them.

BLITZER: This is Lieutenant Commander Ron Candiloro's fourth tour of duty in the region. He insists things are getting a little better.

LT. CMDR. RON CANDILORO, U.S. NAVY: I would say they're not as dangerous, in the sense there's not as much of a threat out there as there was, especially when Iraqi Freedom started back in '03.

BLITZER: Because they had surface-air capability?

CANDILORO: Yes, sir. They still have the capability out there. We're never going to underestimate that. But, based on the training that we received and the intelligence we get, we've minimized it to the point where we feel fairly secure in places we're flying and the altitude's flying and the tactics we've trained to, so that we're pretty sure we're going to come back. But if it came down to it, whatever it takes to help the guys on the ground. I mean, that's what we're here for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): Pretty sure they're going to come back, but as we learned this past week, unfortunately, that's not always the case.

Coming up at the top of the hour, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou standing by with a preview. Lou?

LOU DOBBS, HOST "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you very much. At 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll be reporting on Tony Blair's historic election victory in Britain. We'll be going live to London for the very latest results and analysis.

Also, two bomb explosions outside the British Consulate in New York City today; new fears, tonight, about the terrorist threat to this country.

And the Army's recruiting slump: the U.S. Army misses its recruiting target for a third straight month. What is happening and why? Can the Army meet its commitments in the global war on terror? We'll have that story and a great deal more coming up at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Lou, thanks very much. We'll be watching.

When we come back, a new chapter begins in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial as the defense puts its first witness on the stand. We'll go live out to the courthouse.

Plus -- mixing with the mafia? Charges that some medical doctors have supplied drugs like Viagra to the Gambino crime family. We're standing by for details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One day after prosecutors rested their case in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial, the defense quickly went on the attack today, and the judge was just as quick in denying a defense motion. CNN's Rusty Dornin is standing by live outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it really started off with sort of a mini-closing argument by both sides. The defense trying to get the judge to dismiss the charges, claiming there just wasn't enough evidence. It was impassioned arguments by both sides that went on for over two and a half hours. In the end, the judge said motion denied, and call your witnesses.

The defense wasted no time in calling their two witnesses that they feel is going to the heart of this matter, and that is the two witnesses saying absolutely not, no, never, to the question did Michael Jackson ever molest you or touch you in any way that was inappropriate? The two young men who had visited Neverland extensively when they were in their childhood in the late '80s and early '90s stayed at Neverland many times, so they slept with Michael Jackson, but that he never touched them.

Now, one of them is on the stand now, will be coming back tomorrow morning. We're expecting to hear from both of their mothers and sisters to come to the stand and also say they never saw any inappropriate behavior. Macaulay Culkin, also, the child actor, is expected to testify sometime next week and give similar testimony -- Wolf. BLITZER: All right. Rusty Dornin, this first full day of the defense taking the stand. Thanks very much.

The mob and Viagra. Three prominent doctors charged with providing drugs like Viagra to the Mafia. We'll tell you what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This week in history, in 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to reach outer space.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to ever become prime minister of England.

And in 1994, South Africa elected its first black president, as Nelson Mandela came to power.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Three doctors in the New York City area are accused of getting favors from organized crime figures in exchange for prescription drugs. CNN's Chris Huntington has details of this unusual case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. attorney in New York is accusing thoracic surgeon Arlen Fleisher, cardiologist George Shapiro and neurologist Stephen Klass with illegally supplying large amounts of prescription drugs, notably Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and even Vioxx and Celebrex to reputed members of the Gambino organized crime family for more than two years, primarily through this man, Gregory DePalma, who the feds say was an acting capo in the Gambino family.

DePalma was one of 31 alleged Gambino associates arrested in March, the result of a major undercover sting operation by the FBI. The case against the doctors unexpectedly popped up from information gathered through wire taps as well as an undercover agent and a confidential source put in place for that bigger case against the Gambinos.

In one allegedly intercepted conversation included in the criminal complaint, DePalma says to Dr. Shapiro, quote, "You've been giving out Viagra and Levitra to my friends that come there. You save me any Viagras?" To which Shapiro allegedly responded, "I have a lot for you."

Shapiro's attorney tells CNN, "Dr. Shapiro treated DePalma for a cardiac condition since the late 1990s. Whatever medication he gave DePalma was in accordance with their relationship as doctor and patient. Dr. Shapiro never did anything illegal or unethical.

Dr. Fleisher's attorney tells CNN, "My client performed surgery on DePalma. This is a case of the government sensationalizing a common practice between a doctor and a patient."

Dr. Klass' attorney says his client is innocent.

Federal prosecutors allege that in return for providing prescription drugs, sometimes by the boxload to DePalma and his crew, the doctors were given discounts on home renovations and auto repair from Gambino-controlled companies, and even access to DePalma's table at the exclusive Rao's Italian restaurant in Harlem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON: DePalma is in federal custody right now awaiting trial. The three doctors are each out on $50,000 bail, but face up to 10 years in prison each if convicted of illegally distributing prescription drugs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Chris Huntington reporting. Thanks very much.

I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now, Lou standing by in New York with this -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Thank you, Wolf, have a pleasant evening.

END

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