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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Medical Marijuana Case; Insurgent Bunker Found; North Korea to Test Nuke?; Middle East Turmoil; Missing in Aruba; Al-Arian Case to Begin

Aired June 06, 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 HOST: Happening now, a huge insurgent hideout -- the size of nine, yes nine, football fields. And it's all underground. We have new pictures of an extraordinary discovery inside Iraq.
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Medical marijuana: In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Courts says no more.

Terror trial: Was a Florida professor secretly plotting suicide attacks in the Middle East?

Missing teen: Thousands join the search for a straight-A student who vanished after a nightclub visit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is someone who -- if she wasn't going to be at bible study, would call before, say she couldn't...

BLITZER: Do weekend arrests hold the key to the mystery?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, June 6, 2005.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us.

In a ruling that directly affects many thousands of people in almost a dozen states, the United States Supreme Court is just saying no to medical marijuana. In a 6-3 decision, the justices have ruled the federal prohibitions trump state laws that allow chronically ill people to grow and use marijuana under doctor's orders.

The case was brought to the court on behalf of two seriously ill California women who were arrested for growing marijuana. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens noted that their arrests were valid under the 1970 Federal Controlled Substances Act, quote, "even as applied to the troubling facts of this case."

Justices Rehnquist and O'Connor, both of whom have had cancer, dissented, along with Justice Thomas. O'Connor wrote, and I'm quoting now, "This overreaching stifles an expressed choice by some states concerned for the lives and liberties of their people to regulate medical marijuana directly."

The ruling affects nine states that have medical marijuana laws, and Arizona which allows medical marijuana use but has no formal program in place.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is here. She's following this story. She has more on what it all means -- Kimberly?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it always seems that California is front and center when it comes to these iconoclastic cases. And this is certainly no different.

Today, the high court ruled only on the power of the federal government to enforce anti-drug laws, saying essentially federal law trumps state law. But for some sick patients who need the drug to survive, they say the issue is far from extinguished.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OSIAS (voice-over): Cancer patient Angel Raich says for her marijuana is nothing short of a miracle.

ANGEL RAICH, MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER: We're ill. We're not trying to be disobedient. We're just using this medicine because it's what's saving our lives.

OSIAS: The 39-year-old mother of two suffers from an inoperable brain tumor, has chronic wasting disease, and just learned she has pre-cervical cancer, as well. Raich says, despite loving food, she can't eat without inducement from marijuana. Her pain, she says, is so intolerable she has to light up several times a day to combat it.

RAICH: And I cannot use synthetic drugs. I cannot take narcotics and opiates like everybody else.

OSIAS: Currently, California and nine other states allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Arizona has a similar law, but no formal program is in place yet.

Despite this ruling, some patients in these states remain undeterred, saying it's not a question of commerce but of individual due process. Some legal experts agree. The question now is how far the administration is willing to continue its anti-drug stance.

PROF. LAWRENCE GOSTIN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: They're certainly free to bring these cases back to the Supreme Court. But the court won't hear this, if ever, for quite some time.

OSIAS: The Justice Department says it's pleased with the ruling. However, they had no comment on plans or policies relating to future prosecutions for use of medical marijuana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OSIAS: Anti-drug activists say marijuana has never been scientifically proven to have any medical value whatsoever. They also say it is a gateway drug and a slippery slope to other, more serious illegal substances.

BLITZER: So now, Kimberly, if it's going to be changed, if medical marijuana is going to be allowed, the United States Congress is going to have to pass legislation. The president's going to have to sign that into law. That's basically the major recourse that supporters of medical marijuana have.

OSIAS: That's exactly right. And actually, Angel Raich says she will be here. They will continue to fight this mid-month to Congress.

BLITZER: We will continue to watch this story for our viewers.

Kimberly Osias reporting for us, thanks very much.

In another U.S. Supreme Court decision worth noting today, the court ruled that even foreign flag cruise ships have to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act if they want to operate in United States waters. The ruling allows disabled Americans to sue foreign flag cruise lines for failing to provide reasonable access, but it does not set any specific guidelines. It also suggested that some ships could win exemptions under certain circumstances. Most U.S.- based cruise ships sail under foreign flags.

It was the size of nine football fields, a massive bunker complex hidden in an old rock quarry. Inside, large stores of weapons and supplies, and comfortable living quarters, apparently for Iraqi insurgents. Now it's all been blown up.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston has the story from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The series of underground bunkers discovered by the U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces are now destroyed. It was part of the ongoing anti-insurgency operation in Anbar province, a center of the Sunni Arab resistance.

Now, the Marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered this elaborate series of bunkers with large doors of heavy weapons, including rockets and mortars, ammunition and supplies. It was located in the town of Karma, not far from the troubled city of Fallujah.

The bunker was actually found on Thursday, one of a dozen weapons caches uncovered in the area in recent days. No insurgents were actually in the compound at the time. But it was likely, according to Marines, used recently, because there was fresh food in a kitchen.

It had a fairly comfortable layout, with a furnished living quarters, two showers, and a functioning air conditioner. The bunkers were built into an old rock quarry and totaled roughly a half a million square feet, making it, according to the Marine spokesman, one of the largest underground insurgent hideouts discovered in at least the last year.

Now, it's not clear whether the compound dated back to the era of Saddam Hussein or whether it was recently constructed by the insurgents. But again, that bunker has now been destroyed.

Jennifer Eccleston, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: As concerns persist that North Korea may be preparing to test a nuclear weapon, United States and North Korean officials met face-to-face today.

Let's go live to our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, lead U.S. negotiator Joe DiTrani met with North Korean diplomats today in New York, almost a month after DiTrani last met with them in New York to urge them to return to what's known as the six-party talks.

Now, it is unclear -- neither side is saying whether North Korea is now ready to return to these talks after an absence of almost one year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (on-screen): Without tipping her hand, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CNN the next round of talks with North Korea can only happen if other U.S. allies join in.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that this is the best way to make certain that North Korea gets a consistent and coherent message from all of the members of the neighborhood, that their nuclear weapons program simply has to go.

KOPPEL: But what's the message North Korea wants to send? Veteran North Korea watcher and former U.S. negotiator Jack Pritchard says often it's a mixed message.

CHARLES PRITCHARD, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: You're listening to some very tough message that they have to say. And you find yourself almost believing what they have to say. And then, boom, they change their mind, and they're prepared to deal on a subject.

WENDY SHERMAN, FMR. STATE DEPARTMENT COUNSELOR: There's usually a point in every negotiation where someone's going to stomp out of the room and throw a tantrum. They're going to declare the negotiations over. And so, you have to understand when it's a fake, when it's the real thing, to see everyone in this stadium dressed up...

KOPPEL: It's all history now, but Wendy Sherman was there for what looked like the real thing, in October 2000, when her boss, then- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, visited North Korea and met its leader Kim Jong Il, the highest-ranking U.S. official to do so in almost 50 years.

SHERMAN: So these are people who have no connection to the outside world, so of course they see the world through very strange focus. KOPPEL: A focus centered around a cult of personality surrounding North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his late father, Kim Il Sung, dating back to the Korean War. Their primary goal? The regime's survival.

SHERMAN: The North Koreans are playing a very weak hand very well. And so Kim Jong Il looks to change the leverage in a situation to get the advantage, to have people play on his rules, not our rules.

KOPPEL: Pritchard says North Koreans also like to control the pace of talks.

PRITCHARD: In the normal course of dealing with the North Koreans, you know, there's always been this, you know, one step forward, one step backwards.

KOPPEL: Sherman says North Koreans are masters at brinksmanship, and are also immensively tough and stubborn negotiators. As proof, she says, her colleagues coined a rather colorful nickname for one long-time U.S. negotiator.

SHERMAN: We used to call Ambassador Kartman "Iron Butt" because he could sit for as long as they could sit and stare across the table and wait for the first blink.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: It's been almost one year since the United States sat down with North Korea, Russia and other Asian allies to try to negotiate a peaceful end to North Korea's nuclear program. It's just the latest chapter, Wolf, in a saga that's lasted about a decade, full of highs and lows for the United States -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, reporting for us on a very important story. Andrea, thank you very much.

Raw emotion: A day of celebration for Israelis. A day of anger for Palestinians. And it all leads to some violence at a disputed holy site. We'll have details.

Missing in Aruba: After two arrests, what are authorities doing now to try to find an 18-year-old Alabama student? We'll go live to the island of Aruba for the latest.

Dog mauling: A child's death prompts new calls for action against dogs described as vicious. Will San Francisco officials ban pit bulls? The city's mayor gets involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He was forced to pull out of Lebanon. He's accused of backing international terrorism. And he's facing demands for reform. But Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, stood firm today at his ruling party congress. Our senior international correspondent, Brent Sadler, reports from Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, takes a bow center-stage in Damascus. Popular among his ruling Baath party elite, unpopular with dissidents at home and critics abroad, led by the United States.

But President Assad told delegates to ignore outside pressure in drafting reforms, warning that foreign-inspired political change in the region is an assault on Arab identity.

PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (via translator): This leads in the end to the cultural, political, and moral collapse of the Arab individual and his ultimate defeat even without a fight.

SADLER: Arabs, he urged, should rally as one.

ASSAD: We must face this situation with greater awareness, responsibility and defiance.

SADLER: U.S. officials warn that Syria is not immune to democratic changes taking shape in the region, the same officials whose policy helped topple Iraq's ruling Baathists, Syria's one-time ideological twin.

But Syria, say officials here, is not Iraq, and President Assad is no Saddam Hussein. And neighboring Iraq, they complain, is but the latest American action to undermine Arab identity and unity.

BOUTHAIN SHABAAN, BAATH CONGRESS SPOKESWOMAN: The U.S. policy in the region for the last few years, in my opinion, has been targeting this Arab identity by trying to turn the Arab world into ethnicities, religions and small groups. Do we want to be Sunni, and Shiite, and the Christian, or do we want to be Arabs?

SADLER: President Assad is signaling much hope for economic and political reforms at home, but Syria's international relations, especially with the U.S., may be set in stone.

JOSHUA LANDIS, AUTHOR, SYRIACOMMENT.COM: Syria is not changing direction in any dramatic way. He said we're sticking by Arab and Arabism, and we're sticking by our steadfast position against foreign conspiracies. He's not going to fall in line with George Bush.

SADLER: Refusing to jettison, it seems, policies that Syria's long-lasting regime has lived and ruled by.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There was joy and rage in Jerusalem today. As Israelis observed a controversial anniversary, Palestinians protested. Police used stun grenades to disperse stone-throwers at the disputed site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

CNN's John Vause has our story from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Israelis, a day of celebration to mark the unification of their eternal capital after Arab East Jerusalem was taken from Jordan during the Six-Day War, the same way during which Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

But now, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the Jewish settlers and troops in Gaza will go, the land handed over to the Palestinians. The many celebrating in Jerusalem's old city, like Abraham Steiner (ph) and his family, it's an ominous sign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that there's a clear connection between Jerusalem and Gaza. And if you give something there, you can give it here.

VAUSE: For many Palestinians, this is a day of anger. There were clashes with police and soldiers as they protested 38 years of Israeli occupation, including stone throwing at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem. Like many others, Mohammed Abu Grab (ph), born and bred in the Old City, says there will never be peace until East Jerusalem is the capital of a Palestinian state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our life, Jerusalem. We have holy places here. We have (INAUDIBLE) my father, all of the people here. Jerusalem is life.

VAUSE: Time and time again, Ariel Sharon has said Jerusalem is nonnegotiable.

ARIEL SHARON, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (via translator): It will be ours forever and ever, and we will not give it to strangers.

VAUSE: But those opposed to the Gaza evacuation say the prime minister also promised never to give up the settlements.

(on-screen): For now, the final status of Jerusalem isn't even being negotiated. The U.S.-backed roadmap to peace has been stalled for the last two years. And this is a stark reminder of just how far apart the Israelis and Palestinians are from achieving a lasting peace.

John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Missing teen mystery: FBI dive teams are now involved in the search for the Alabama student, Natalee Holloway, who disappeared on a trip to Aruba. We'll go live to the island.

Did Timothy McVeigh really act alone or was there are wider conspiracy behind the Oklahoma City bombing? A former FBI agent specializing in counterterrorism shares his theories. He's got some new ones. Deliberating the case against Michael Jackson, is the pressure getting to the pop star and his family? We'll go live to the courthouse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Many of Aruba's government employees are now helping in the search for Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teenager who hasn't been seen since last Monday. And despite two arrests in the case, the girl's fate remains unclear.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is joining us now live from Palm Beach on the island of Aruba with the latest information we have. Karl, what is that information?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, senior police officials have been telling me that the interrogation of the two men that are in custody has been going on for much of the day. So far, those men have proved very uncooperative, they say, also they say that's to be expected at this stage of the case.

But the bottom line is, they have no further clues as to the possible whereabouts of Natalee Holloway. Now, earlier in the day, we also sat down and spoke to Natalee Holloway's stepfather, Jug Twitty. And he said that the family still firmly believed that Natalee was alive and just said how far they were prepared to go to try and bring Natalee home safe and well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY, STEPFATHER OF MISSING GIRL: I hope, I pray to God that she walks through that door or that we find her somewhere. I don't care if she's, you know, in a crack house somewhere and she's been drugged up for, you know, seven days or whatever. We can work with that. We can fix her. We can do whatever to get her back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: And not only are the search-and-rescue teams backed by Dutch marines and those FBI agents spearheading these searches, but also there's been a big response from volunteer workers and today, as you mentioned, government employees who were given a half day off to help out in the search -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Any indication, Karl, that the police are ready to make any more announcements or give us more information about these two men who have been arrested?

PENHAUL: Certainly, no indication of that. The interrogations, as I say, are still going on. And under Dutch law, which the island is ruled by, the authorities have 48 hours to question these men. And then either tomorrow or the following day, and the timing is a little unclear as yet, they will then have to be brought back before the prosecutor, and the prosecutor will decide whether there is evidence and whether they keep them in custody for the further eight days and continue those interrogations -- Wolf? BLITZER: I assume the government in Aruba is deeply worried about tourism, which is so much of the economy of that small island. You've been speaking with officials and with tourists. Any indication that this is having an effect?

PENHAUL: There is an indication that, certainly, the concern about the possible effect is having a deep impact here. As you say, one-third of Aruba's national income comes from tourism. Half a million tourists per year come from the United States.

And there does appear, behind the scenes, to have been some political infighting. Some of the government ministers have been trying to pressure the police and their investigative authorities to make some quick arrests. And the police have been standing firm and saying, "No, you have got to give us time to carry out further investigations and full investigations." So there is the sign there of political wranglings there, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Karl Penhaul will stay in Aruba on the scene for us and bring us additional information as its made available. Karl, thanks very much for that report.

There has been a resolution in another case of a missing student, that of Brandi Stahr. The Texas A&M student simply vanished in 1998, prompting a massive but fruitless search. Recently, a telephone tip led police to this Sam's Club in Florence, Kentucky, where now-27- year-old Brandi Stahr was working under her own name. She told police she had been hiding from her family for almost seven years because of a fight with her mother.

One of the nation's highest-profile terror trials since 9/11 is now underway. Why prosecutors believe a Florida professor may have been funneling money to Palestinian Islamic jihad. We'll have details.

Plus, a deadly dog attack. Three days after a boy was mauled to death by his pit bulls, a city weighs in whether to enact new regulations on pet owners.

And later, crash impact. How your passenger car fares when hit by an SUV or pickup truck. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In our CNN "Security Watch," a former university professor went on trial in Florida today accused of being a leader of deadly terror groups which has carried out numerous suicide bombings in the Middle East. It's a controversial case based on ten years of wire taps.

CNN's Brian Todd joining us now live with more -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a vital case for many different reasons. It's a big test for the Patriot Act, but also touches on recent legal debates over intelligence sharing and free speech. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A man used to being in public must now travel behind tinted windows, his attorney taken aback by all of security.

WILLIAM MOFFITT, SAMI AL-ARIAN'S ATTORNEY: I'm overwhelmed.

TODD: This is the man behind the windows, a bespectacled former engineer professor named Sami al-Arian. For years, while teaching at the University of South Florida near Tampa, he also ran a think-tank and an Islamic charity. He's posed with President Bush and visited the White House. Now, he's at the center of a high-profile terrorism case.

SAMI AL-ARIAN, DEFENDANT: It's all about politics. It's all about politics.

TODD: Al-Arian and three others face more than 50 federal charges, including providing material to support a terrorist organization, conspiracy, and racketeering. They were indicted in 2003.

JOHN ASHCROFT, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We make no distinction between those who carry out terrorist attacks, and those who knowingly finance manage, or supervise terrorist organizations.

TODD: Prosecutors say al-Arian used his charity and think-tank as fronts to funnel money to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department, blamed for more than 100 deaths in Israel, including Americans.

Al-Arian was interviewed by CNN in August of 2002 during the investigation.

AL-ARIAN: I don't support suicide bombings, I don't support the targeting of any civilian of any nationality, background or religion.

I'm deeply against it.

TODD: But the government says it has evidence amounting to thousands of hours of intercepted phone calls involving Al-Arian, and hundreds of faxes gathered over a decade by U.S. law enforcement.

That kind of evidence became admissible for criminal trial when the Patriot Act was passed. This case will test how far the government can go to monitor potential suspects, and how far the individual can go in matters of free speech -- like this speech years ago by Al-Arian:

AL-ARIAN: "Jihad is our path, victory to Islam! Death to Israel and victory to Islam! Revolution, revolution until victory! Rolling, rolling to Jerusalem!"

I've explained this over and over again.

I am a pro-Palestinian person. I don't wish death to any people.

TODD: Al-Arian's contention that he's being prosecuted for unpopular views -- the government's counter of extensive terrorist ties backed up by controversial new laws -- expected to come out in a Tampa courthouse for about six months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: CNN tried to contact Al-Arian's attorney, William Moffit, this afternoon. Perhaps because of court proceedings, he did not return our calls.

Al-Arian and his co-defendants could face life in prison if they're convicted.

Five other men have been indicted in this case but are not in custody -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd with the latest on that.

We will be watching this trial over the next several months.

Thanks, Brian, very much.

Also in our CNN "Security Watch" -- ten years after the Oklahoma City bombing, four years after convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed, some people still doubt McVeigh necessarily acted alone.

Mike German was an FBI agent, specializing in counter-terrorism, between 1988 and 2004. He is now a senior fellow with GlobalSecurity.org.

He is here in our studios.

Mike, you think that it's possible that this was not necessarily a lone-wolf operating -- Timothy McVeigh -- but he had co- conspirators?

MIKE GERMAN, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, I think there's a misunderstanding over what the term lone-wolf extremist is.

And, basically it's a technique -- it's a technique that they have actually written manuals on -- in how to commit your acts of terrorism so that those acts do not bring criminal liability to the groups themselves.

BLITZER:: When you say they, specifically which groups are you talking about?

GERMAN: Well, pretty much all of them. I mean, the material -- the difficulty with a clandestine organization is that they try to hide who they are.

So they release material over the Internet; They publish a tremendous amount of literature. Pretty much all of the known white supremacists and militia-type groups have access to these materials.

BLITZER: And you point out -- and you wrote a long piece in "The Washington Post" yesterday about this -- that Timothy McVeigh did have a long history with some of these white supremacists militia kinds of Aryan groups, if you will.

GERMAN: Well, I'm no expert on Timothy McVeigh, and I did work on that investigation, but clearly in media reports there have been connections between Tim McVeigh and the Turner Diaries, which was written by the leader of a white supremacist group; and linkages to other militia-type organizations and white supremacist groups in Oklahoma and Missouri; and, you know, you don't find these groups by accident.

I think just the fact -- this is like an underground community, and they function as a community.

And when somebody travels from one city to another, they have connections to get into a meeting. I mean, I'm sure you would not be able to fine the nearest militia meeting in D.C., but, you know, somehow Tim McVeigh was able to link up with these like-minded people throughout his travels.

BLITZER: But is the implication that they influenced him, they educated him, if you want to use that word, they controlled him, or they specifically said, "You know what, go out on your own and kill these people?"

GERMAN: Well specifically in their manuals, where they talk about lone-wolf extremism, what they say is, you know, before you commit an act, separate yourself from the group, you know, resign if you have been a member.

Select just a few trusted associates or, even better, act completely on your own and then go out and commit your act of violence.

BLITZER: So, this has all sort of been planned -- not only with these racist groups; these white, Aryan groups, -- the militia, if you want to call them that, but in more traditional terrorist groups -- Islamist groups, or whatever, that you have researched as well.

GERMAN: Right, absolutely. They're -- I mean all terrorist groups ultimately have to become clandestine organizations, and in order to survive they have to operate in secret.

And, you know, whether your ideology is racist, or Islamist, or eco-rights, you know, your function is going to be to commit your act of violence without being caught.

BLITZER: But the bottom line is you support this consideration that Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California is now putting forward to have hearings on whether or not Timothy McVeigh acted alone?

GERMAN: Sure, I think that the most important thing is to get all the information out there.

So, number one, so that we know that all the conspirators who are involved are punished.

But number two, so that we can prevent further acts of terrorism by knowing who the groups are, and who was involved, and keeping an eye on what they're planning in the future.

BLITZER: Congressman -- excuse me, Mike German, a former FBI agent who's studied this for a long time -- appreciate your thoughts very much.

If our viewers want to know more of what you have to say they can read the article in yesterday's "Washington Post."

Go to WashingtonPost.com.

Appreciate it, very much.

GERMAN: Thank you, very much, Wolf.

BLITZER: And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Courthouse drama: while Michael Jackson awaits a verdict at home, his father shows up demanding to know where the King of Pop is.

We'll go live to the courthouse.

And the Supreme Court hands the Bush administration a huge ruling in the use of medical marijuana.

That's our top story and our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is standing by to weigh in.

Also, an actor allegedly acts up. Why officers moved in on the Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe.

We'll tell you what the latest is.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: After two hours of deliberations on Friday, the jury in the Michael Jackson trial held its first full day of deliberations today. CNN's Ted Rowlands standing outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California with what happened or didn't happen today. Ted, what is the latest?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they don't know what happened in the jury room, only that they have not come up with a verdict. Jurors left here just a few minutes ago. They arrived this morning in vans. They're parking at a spot outside the courthouse and being brought in in vans. This was the first day of deliberations. They asked one question about an hour and a half into it. We don't know what that question was.

But the end of the day has come and there is no verdict.

Outside the courthouse, it was a bit chaotic. Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, showed up, and walked through the fans that were gathered outside the courthouse, walked all the way up to sheriff deputies and said, where is my son? The deputy said, we don't know where your son is. We later heard an explanation from Jesse Jackson that Joe Jackson thought that somehow Michael Jackson was here because he was not in a group of cars that left Neverland. A bizarre moment indeed outside the courthouse here.

Over the weekend, Michael Jackson sought medical treatment at a local hospital near his home for a reoccurring back problem. The spokesperson said that the back has been worse as of late because of all the stress waiting for this jury's decision -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ted, what is the relationship between Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Michael Jackson?

ROWLANDS: Jesse Jackson says he met with Michael last night, and he's his friend and adviser, spiritual adviser. Not necessarily his lawyer. He says he's been offering him support, but it's unclear really how long this friendship has been around and -- but according to Jesse Jackson, he's spending time with Michael Jackson during this trying time at Neverland Ranch.

BLITZER: All right, Ted Rowlands with the latest. We'll continue to watch this jury. Thanks very much, Ted, for that.

Let's get some more now from our senior legal analyst, Jeff Toobin. He's in our New York bureau.

What's the rule of thumb? What do they teach you in law school? The longer a jury debates, is it good or bad for the defendant?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think it depends on the kind of case. This is a complicated case. There are conspiracy charges, child molestation, providing alcohol to a minor. If the jury were to come back very quickly, today, tomorrow, that would be good for Jackson, I think it's safe to say, because it means that they didn't need to go through all the evidence; they simply were throwing the whole thing out.

As it gets longer, it means that the jury is meticulously working its way through the evidence, and it suggests -- doesn't guarantee, but it suggests -- they're taking the charges seriously and maybe heading towards a conviction.

BLITZER: But if it goes on and on and on, it also suggests it could be a hung jury.

TOOBIN: That's when you start to get past a week into two weeks, but we are a long way from that.

BLITZER: All right, let's talk about the U.S. Supreme Court. You're writing a book on the U.S. Supreme Court. A decision today on medical marijuana. This is a landmark decision. What does it mean, really?

TOOBIN: Well, I think this one has very practical significance for a lot of people. This means that states cannot make medical marijuana legal. This is clearly, according to six justices, a majority of the Supreme Court, a federal matter, so the 10 states that have tried to allow medical marijuana patients to get it legally, they can't do it. This is a matter for Congress to change. If Congress is going to change the laws, that's the only way the Supreme Court will allow the laws to be changed.

BLITZER: It sort of was surprising that they really felt the federal government trumps the states. For all the state's rights activists, I was a little surprised by that 6-3 split.

TOOBIN: Well, and it was a very unusual split when you think about it. The three dissenting justices, the ones in effect advocating medical marijuana, were three of the most conservative justices on the court. the chief justice, Chief Justice Rehnquist, Justice O'Connor and Justice Thomas. They are usually in the pro-law enforcement, anti-drug camp, but they feel very strongly about state's rights too, and so they view this -- they view this as a state's rights case, not a drug case. But six justices, the majority, said, no, this is about the federal government being in charge of the drug war; the states essentially can't trump what the federal government does.

BLITZER: A very interesting case, with a lot of practical import for a lot of people out there. Appreciate it very much, Jeff Toobin, out in New York for us. Appreciate it.

TOOBIN: OK, Wolf.

BLITZER: In other legal news, Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe was arraigned today after being arrested at a New York City hotel. Crowe was escorted into court wearing handcuffs. He's charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon -- the weapon being a telephone he allegedly threw in a hotel worker's face. His publicist says Crowe lost his temper because his phone wouldn't work, but denies that Crowe assaulted anyone. Quote: "Crowe was released on his own recognizance pending a September 14th court appearance."

Coming up at the top of the hour, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou standing by in New York with a little preview -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you. At 6:00 p.m. Eastern, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tonight is facing rising criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. We will be reporting on his outspoken attacks on Republicans and his disappointing fund-raising for Democrats.

Also, we'll have a special report tonight on escalating racial violence in our nation's high schools, high schools that are already overcrowded; many failing under the rate of runaway illegal immigration. We'll have that story, and a debate on the conflicted science of global warming. Some scientists predict a global catastrophe; others say it's all merely nature at work. My guests tonight are two of the world's leading authorities. All of that and more. We hope you'll join us at the top of the hour for that and the day's news.

Now, back to you, Wolf.

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

When we come back, a fatal dog mauling prompting new calls for regulations on one specific breed of dogs. Can a major city ban pitbulls?

And later, how your automobile rates in the latest run of crash tests. You'll want to see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A deadly attack in San Francisco is leading to new calls for regulations on pitbulls, as one family struggles to cope with the loss of their child and their pets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Maureen Faibish only wanted to share memories of her son as she talked to reporters for the first time since his death.

MAUREEN FAIBISH, MOTHER: The reason I want to put these pictures out is because I want everyone to know that life is so short, and to really just appreciate your kids while they're here, and just spend as much time as you can with them.

BLITZER: Faibish was the one who found her son Nicholas on Friday, returning home from a shopping trip to discover the 12-year- old boy inside their home, mauled to death by one or both of the family's two pitbulls.

Police say Nicholas suffered wounds to his face and scalp, and that there were signs he put up what one officer called "one hell of a fight."

Neighbors recall hearing the commotion Friday afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just heard the mother crying for help and to get them away. She wanted to get the -- I'm assuming she wanted to get the dogs away from the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police were trying to get into the apartment. The mother was screaming, and I guess one of the pitbulls was there. I'm not sure if it was Rex or Ella, but they had to shoot the pitbull.

BLITZER: It was in fact Ella who was shot. The other dog seen here, Rex, was found in the backyard and taken away by animal control officials.

It's not the first such tragedy in San Francisco. In 2001, Diane Whipple was mauled to death in the hallway of her apartment building by two presa canario dogs who had a history of viciousness. The dogs' owners both were charged and convicted in the death. But that case involved a little-known breed.

The death of Nicholas Faibish has reignited calls for regulations on pitbulls, including from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. But a spokesman concedes, California law prohibits banning specific breeds. Still, he says Newsom wants to see what can be done to prevent similar tragedies.

Maureen Faibish didn't want to talk about the attack, but did share some of her feelings.

FAIBISH: I don't want people to make this a dog thing. It was an accident. It was something that happened, and I think God has a plan for everybody, and it was time for Nicky to go. And, you know, I have a lot of guilt, but you know, I have to -- I have to realize that this is -- he was destined to go at this time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Animal experts say a combination of factors may have led to the attack. The family was in the process of moving, and that may have stressed the animals. Also, neither of the dogs was fixed, and the female was in heat. A rosary for Nicholas Faibish is scheduled for tomorrow. The funeral still pending.

Side impact crash tests. How several popular cars rate in the real world when struck by an SUV. We'll have a report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tiananmen Square, April 1989. It began peacefully. Beijing University students mourning the death of a former government leader who supported the student movement for democracy, but the students' memorial turned into a people's protest that lasted nearly six weeks.

Wang Dan was one of the student leaders.

WANG DAN: I saw the power of the people in that moment. It's a really big power of the people. And that's the first time in the history of the government (ph) of China that people demonstrated without allowance from the government.

ZAHN: The Chinese government imposed martial law at the end of May, but the protests continued until troops moved in on June 4th. It still isn't known how many people were jailed, injured, or killed.

WANG: For those people who died, I really feel deep sorrow for them, because I was the leader, I led them to go to the square.

ZAHN: Wang Dan was imprisoned twice for his actions, and eventually released into exile to the U.S.. He's published 17 books and is studying for his Ph.D. at Harvard.

WANG: If I have (INAUDIBLE), of course I would still be involved in political activities or other activities to try to promote human rights and democracy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: If your car doesn't have side impact airbags, you may want to think about making a change. Here's CNN's Julie Vallese.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Audi's A4 with standard size airbags and the Chevrolet Malibu tested with optional side airbags at GM's request have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest honor of best pick in its latest round of side impact crash tests.

ADRIAN LUND, COO, IIHS: With the improved side airbag system that's available on the Malibu, it shows that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get good side impact protection.

VALLESE: Volvo's S-60 earned the institute's second highest rating of acceptable. The Suzuki Verona and the Nissan Maxima were rated marginal.

LUND: We think if the structure had held up better to give the side impact airbags more room to protect you, that they would have had better ratings.

VALLESE: In a written response, Suzuki said its Verona is safe, but it is studying the IIHS crash tests and exploring strategies to reduce occupant injuries. Nissan said all of its vehicles meet and outperform the government safety regulations, and that it will continue to work with the institute to better understand how this test relates to real-world situations.

(on camera): The institute rates vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal and poor. While none of the vehicles in this round tested poor, seven vehicles from the current model year have failed in previous tests.

(voice-over): Two had side impact airbags.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And to see how your car rates, go to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Web site, www.iihs.org. Go to the vehicle's rating area and just put in your make and model and you'll get the results.

This just in to CNN. The Associated Press reporting that a New York state board has rejected plans for a $2 billion stadium in New York City. The proposed stadium was a centerpiece for the city's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

That's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now; Lou standing by in New York -- Lou.

DOBBS: Thanks, Wolf.

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 June 6, 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 HOST: Happening now, a huge insurgent hideout -- the size of nine, yes nine, football fields. And it's all underground. We have new pictures of an extraordinary discovery inside Iraq.
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Medical marijuana: In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Courts says no more.

Terror trial: Was a Florida professor secretly plotting suicide attacks in the Middle East?

Missing teen: Thousands join the search for a straight-A student who vanished after a nightclub visit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is someone who -- if she wasn't going to be at bible study, would call before, say she couldn't...

BLITZER: Do weekend arrests hold the key to the mystery?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, June 6, 2005.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us.

In a ruling that directly affects many thousands of people in almost a dozen states, the United States Supreme Court is just saying no to medical marijuana. In a 6-3 decision, the justices have ruled the federal prohibitions trump state laws that allow chronically ill people to grow and use marijuana under doctor's orders.

The case was brought to the court on behalf of two seriously ill California women who were arrested for growing marijuana. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens noted that their arrests were valid under the 1970 Federal Controlled Substances Act, quote, "even as applied to the troubling facts of this case."

Justices Rehnquist and O'Connor, both of whom have had cancer, dissented, along with Justice Thomas. O'Connor wrote, and I'm quoting now, "This overreaching stifles an expressed choice by some states concerned for the lives and liberties of their people to regulate medical marijuana directly."

The ruling affects nine states that have medical marijuana laws, and Arizona which allows medical marijuana use but has no formal program in place.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is here. She's following this story. She has more on what it all means -- Kimberly?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it always seems that California is front and center when it comes to these iconoclastic cases. And this is certainly no different.

Today, the high court ruled only on the power of the federal government to enforce anti-drug laws, saying essentially federal law trumps state law. But for some sick patients who need the drug to survive, they say the issue is far from extinguished.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OSIAS (voice-over): Cancer patient Angel Raich says for her marijuana is nothing short of a miracle.

ANGEL RAICH, MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER: We're ill. We're not trying to be disobedient. We're just using this medicine because it's what's saving our lives.

OSIAS: The 39-year-old mother of two suffers from an inoperable brain tumor, has chronic wasting disease, and just learned she has pre-cervical cancer, as well. Raich says, despite loving food, she can't eat without inducement from marijuana. Her pain, she says, is so intolerable she has to light up several times a day to combat it.

RAICH: And I cannot use synthetic drugs. I cannot take narcotics and opiates like everybody else.

OSIAS: Currently, California and nine other states allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Arizona has a similar law, but no formal program is in place yet.

Despite this ruling, some patients in these states remain undeterred, saying it's not a question of commerce but of individual due process. Some legal experts agree. The question now is how far the administration is willing to continue its anti-drug stance.

PROF. LAWRENCE GOSTIN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: They're certainly free to bring these cases back to the Supreme Court. But the court won't hear this, if ever, for quite some time.

OSIAS: The Justice Department says it's pleased with the ruling. However, they had no comment on plans or policies relating to future prosecutions for use of medical marijuana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OSIAS: Anti-drug activists say marijuana has never been scientifically proven to have any medical value whatsoever. They also say it is a gateway drug and a slippery slope to other, more serious illegal substances.

BLITZER: So now, Kimberly, if it's going to be changed, if medical marijuana is going to be allowed, the United States Congress is going to have to pass legislation. The president's going to have to sign that into law. That's basically the major recourse that supporters of medical marijuana have.

OSIAS: That's exactly right. And actually, Angel Raich says she will be here. They will continue to fight this mid-month to Congress.

BLITZER: We will continue to watch this story for our viewers.

Kimberly Osias reporting for us, thanks very much.

In another U.S. Supreme Court decision worth noting today, the court ruled that even foreign flag cruise ships have to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act if they want to operate in United States waters. The ruling allows disabled Americans to sue foreign flag cruise lines for failing to provide reasonable access, but it does not set any specific guidelines. It also suggested that some ships could win exemptions under certain circumstances. Most U.S.- based cruise ships sail under foreign flags.

It was the size of nine football fields, a massive bunker complex hidden in an old rock quarry. Inside, large stores of weapons and supplies, and comfortable living quarters, apparently for Iraqi insurgents. Now it's all been blown up.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston has the story from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The series of underground bunkers discovered by the U.S. Marines and Iraqi forces are now destroyed. It was part of the ongoing anti-insurgency operation in Anbar province, a center of the Sunni Arab resistance.

Now, the Marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered this elaborate series of bunkers with large doors of heavy weapons, including rockets and mortars, ammunition and supplies. It was located in the town of Karma, not far from the troubled city of Fallujah.

The bunker was actually found on Thursday, one of a dozen weapons caches uncovered in the area in recent days. No insurgents were actually in the compound at the time. But it was likely, according to Marines, used recently, because there was fresh food in a kitchen.

It had a fairly comfortable layout, with a furnished living quarters, two showers, and a functioning air conditioner. The bunkers were built into an old rock quarry and totaled roughly a half a million square feet, making it, according to the Marine spokesman, one of the largest underground insurgent hideouts discovered in at least the last year.

Now, it's not clear whether the compound dated back to the era of Saddam Hussein or whether it was recently constructed by the insurgents. But again, that bunker has now been destroyed.

Jennifer Eccleston, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: As concerns persist that North Korea may be preparing to test a nuclear weapon, United States and North Korean officials met face-to-face today.

Let's go live to our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, lead U.S. negotiator Joe DiTrani met with North Korean diplomats today in New York, almost a month after DiTrani last met with them in New York to urge them to return to what's known as the six-party talks.

Now, it is unclear -- neither side is saying whether North Korea is now ready to return to these talks after an absence of almost one year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (on-screen): Without tipping her hand, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CNN the next round of talks with North Korea can only happen if other U.S. allies join in.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that this is the best way to make certain that North Korea gets a consistent and coherent message from all of the members of the neighborhood, that their nuclear weapons program simply has to go.

KOPPEL: But what's the message North Korea wants to send? Veteran North Korea watcher and former U.S. negotiator Jack Pritchard says often it's a mixed message.

CHARLES PRITCHARD, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: You're listening to some very tough message that they have to say. And you find yourself almost believing what they have to say. And then, boom, they change their mind, and they're prepared to deal on a subject.

WENDY SHERMAN, FMR. STATE DEPARTMENT COUNSELOR: There's usually a point in every negotiation where someone's going to stomp out of the room and throw a tantrum. They're going to declare the negotiations over. And so, you have to understand when it's a fake, when it's the real thing, to see everyone in this stadium dressed up...

KOPPEL: It's all history now, but Wendy Sherman was there for what looked like the real thing, in October 2000, when her boss, then- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, visited North Korea and met its leader Kim Jong Il, the highest-ranking U.S. official to do so in almost 50 years.

SHERMAN: So these are people who have no connection to the outside world, so of course they see the world through very strange focus. KOPPEL: A focus centered around a cult of personality surrounding North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his late father, Kim Il Sung, dating back to the Korean War. Their primary goal? The regime's survival.

SHERMAN: The North Koreans are playing a very weak hand very well. And so Kim Jong Il looks to change the leverage in a situation to get the advantage, to have people play on his rules, not our rules.

KOPPEL: Pritchard says North Koreans also like to control the pace of talks.

PRITCHARD: In the normal course of dealing with the North Koreans, you know, there's always been this, you know, one step forward, one step backwards.

KOPPEL: Sherman says North Koreans are masters at brinksmanship, and are also immensively tough and stubborn negotiators. As proof, she says, her colleagues coined a rather colorful nickname for one long-time U.S. negotiator.

SHERMAN: We used to call Ambassador Kartman "Iron Butt" because he could sit for as long as they could sit and stare across the table and wait for the first blink.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: It's been almost one year since the United States sat down with North Korea, Russia and other Asian allies to try to negotiate a peaceful end to North Korea's nuclear program. It's just the latest chapter, Wolf, in a saga that's lasted about a decade, full of highs and lows for the United States -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, reporting for us on a very important story. Andrea, thank you very much.

Raw emotion: A day of celebration for Israelis. A day of anger for Palestinians. And it all leads to some violence at a disputed holy site. We'll have details.

Missing in Aruba: After two arrests, what are authorities doing now to try to find an 18-year-old Alabama student? We'll go live to the island of Aruba for the latest.

Dog mauling: A child's death prompts new calls for action against dogs described as vicious. Will San Francisco officials ban pit bulls? The city's mayor gets involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He was forced to pull out of Lebanon. He's accused of backing international terrorism. And he's facing demands for reform. But Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, stood firm today at his ruling party congress. Our senior international correspondent, Brent Sadler, reports from Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, takes a bow center-stage in Damascus. Popular among his ruling Baath party elite, unpopular with dissidents at home and critics abroad, led by the United States.

But President Assad told delegates to ignore outside pressure in drafting reforms, warning that foreign-inspired political change in the region is an assault on Arab identity.

PRESIDENT BASHAR ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (via translator): This leads in the end to the cultural, political, and moral collapse of the Arab individual and his ultimate defeat even without a fight.

SADLER: Arabs, he urged, should rally as one.

ASSAD: We must face this situation with greater awareness, responsibility and defiance.

SADLER: U.S. officials warn that Syria is not immune to democratic changes taking shape in the region, the same officials whose policy helped topple Iraq's ruling Baathists, Syria's one-time ideological twin.

But Syria, say officials here, is not Iraq, and President Assad is no Saddam Hussein. And neighboring Iraq, they complain, is but the latest American action to undermine Arab identity and unity.

BOUTHAIN SHABAAN, BAATH CONGRESS SPOKESWOMAN: The U.S. policy in the region for the last few years, in my opinion, has been targeting this Arab identity by trying to turn the Arab world into ethnicities, religions and small groups. Do we want to be Sunni, and Shiite, and the Christian, or do we want to be Arabs?

SADLER: President Assad is signaling much hope for economic and political reforms at home, but Syria's international relations, especially with the U.S., may be set in stone.

JOSHUA LANDIS, AUTHOR, SYRIACOMMENT.COM: Syria is not changing direction in any dramatic way. He said we're sticking by Arab and Arabism, and we're sticking by our steadfast position against foreign conspiracies. He's not going to fall in line with George Bush.

SADLER: Refusing to jettison, it seems, policies that Syria's long-lasting regime has lived and ruled by.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There was joy and rage in Jerusalem today. As Israelis observed a controversial anniversary, Palestinians protested. Police used stun grenades to disperse stone-throwers at the disputed site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

CNN's John Vause has our story from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Israelis, a day of celebration to mark the unification of their eternal capital after Arab East Jerusalem was taken from Jordan during the Six-Day War, the same way during which Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

But now, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the Jewish settlers and troops in Gaza will go, the land handed over to the Palestinians. The many celebrating in Jerusalem's old city, like Abraham Steiner (ph) and his family, it's an ominous sign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that there's a clear connection between Jerusalem and Gaza. And if you give something there, you can give it here.

VAUSE: For many Palestinians, this is a day of anger. There were clashes with police and soldiers as they protested 38 years of Israeli occupation, including stone throwing at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem. Like many others, Mohammed Abu Grab (ph), born and bred in the Old City, says there will never be peace until East Jerusalem is the capital of a Palestinian state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our life, Jerusalem. We have holy places here. We have (INAUDIBLE) my father, all of the people here. Jerusalem is life.

VAUSE: Time and time again, Ariel Sharon has said Jerusalem is nonnegotiable.

ARIEL SHARON, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (via translator): It will be ours forever and ever, and we will not give it to strangers.

VAUSE: But those opposed to the Gaza evacuation say the prime minister also promised never to give up the settlements.

(on-screen): For now, the final status of Jerusalem isn't even being negotiated. The U.S.-backed roadmap to peace has been stalled for the last two years. And this is a stark reminder of just how far apart the Israelis and Palestinians are from achieving a lasting peace.

John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Missing teen mystery: FBI dive teams are now involved in the search for the Alabama student, Natalee Holloway, who disappeared on a trip to Aruba. We'll go live to the island.

Did Timothy McVeigh really act alone or was there are wider conspiracy behind the Oklahoma City bombing? A former FBI agent specializing in counterterrorism shares his theories. He's got some new ones. Deliberating the case against Michael Jackson, is the pressure getting to the pop star and his family? We'll go live to the courthouse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Many of Aruba's government employees are now helping in the search for Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teenager who hasn't been seen since last Monday. And despite two arrests in the case, the girl's fate remains unclear.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is joining us now live from Palm Beach on the island of Aruba with the latest information we have. Karl, what is that information?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, senior police officials have been telling me that the interrogation of the two men that are in custody has been going on for much of the day. So far, those men have proved very uncooperative, they say, also they say that's to be expected at this stage of the case.

But the bottom line is, they have no further clues as to the possible whereabouts of Natalee Holloway. Now, earlier in the day, we also sat down and spoke to Natalee Holloway's stepfather, Jug Twitty. And he said that the family still firmly believed that Natalee was alive and just said how far they were prepared to go to try and bring Natalee home safe and well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE "JUG" TWITTY, STEPFATHER OF MISSING GIRL: I hope, I pray to God that she walks through that door or that we find her somewhere. I don't care if she's, you know, in a crack house somewhere and she's been drugged up for, you know, seven days or whatever. We can work with that. We can fix her. We can do whatever to get her back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: And not only are the search-and-rescue teams backed by Dutch marines and those FBI agents spearheading these searches, but also there's been a big response from volunteer workers and today, as you mentioned, government employees who were given a half day off to help out in the search -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Any indication, Karl, that the police are ready to make any more announcements or give us more information about these two men who have been arrested?

PENHAUL: Certainly, no indication of that. The interrogations, as I say, are still going on. And under Dutch law, which the island is ruled by, the authorities have 48 hours to question these men. And then either tomorrow or the following day, and the timing is a little unclear as yet, they will then have to be brought back before the prosecutor, and the prosecutor will decide whether there is evidence and whether they keep them in custody for the further eight days and continue those interrogations -- Wolf? BLITZER: I assume the government in Aruba is deeply worried about tourism, which is so much of the economy of that small island. You've been speaking with officials and with tourists. Any indication that this is having an effect?

PENHAUL: There is an indication that, certainly, the concern about the possible effect is having a deep impact here. As you say, one-third of Aruba's national income comes from tourism. Half a million tourists per year come from the United States.

And there does appear, behind the scenes, to have been some political infighting. Some of the government ministers have been trying to pressure the police and their investigative authorities to make some quick arrests. And the police have been standing firm and saying, "No, you have got to give us time to carry out further investigations and full investigations." So there is the sign there of political wranglings there, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Karl Penhaul will stay in Aruba on the scene for us and bring us additional information as its made available. Karl, thanks very much for that report.

There has been a resolution in another case of a missing student, that of Brandi Stahr. The Texas A&M student simply vanished in 1998, prompting a massive but fruitless search. Recently, a telephone tip led police to this Sam's Club in Florence, Kentucky, where now-27- year-old Brandi Stahr was working under her own name. She told police she had been hiding from her family for almost seven years because of a fight with her mother.

One of the nation's highest-profile terror trials since 9/11 is now underway. Why prosecutors believe a Florida professor may have been funneling money to Palestinian Islamic jihad. We'll have details.

Plus, a deadly dog attack. Three days after a boy was mauled to death by his pit bulls, a city weighs in whether to enact new regulations on pet owners.

And later, crash impact. How your passenger car fares when hit by an SUV or pickup truck. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In our CNN "Security Watch," a former university professor went on trial in Florida today accused of being a leader of deadly terror groups which has carried out numerous suicide bombings in the Middle East. It's a controversial case based on ten years of wire taps.

CNN's Brian Todd joining us now live with more -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a vital case for many different reasons. It's a big test for the Patriot Act, but also touches on recent legal debates over intelligence sharing and free speech. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A man used to being in public must now travel behind tinted windows, his attorney taken aback by all of security.

WILLIAM MOFFITT, SAMI AL-ARIAN'S ATTORNEY: I'm overwhelmed.

TODD: This is the man behind the windows, a bespectacled former engineer professor named Sami al-Arian. For years, while teaching at the University of South Florida near Tampa, he also ran a think-tank and an Islamic charity. He's posed with President Bush and visited the White House. Now, he's at the center of a high-profile terrorism case.

SAMI AL-ARIAN, DEFENDANT: It's all about politics. It's all about politics.

TODD: Al-Arian and three others face more than 50 federal charges, including providing material to support a terrorist organization, conspiracy, and racketeering. They were indicted in 2003.

JOHN ASHCROFT, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We make no distinction between those who carry out terrorist attacks, and those who knowingly finance manage, or supervise terrorist organizations.

TODD: Prosecutors say al-Arian used his charity and think-tank as fronts to funnel money to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department, blamed for more than 100 deaths in Israel, including Americans.

Al-Arian was interviewed by CNN in August of 2002 during the investigation.

AL-ARIAN: I don't support suicide bombings, I don't support the targeting of any civilian of any nationality, background or religion.

I'm deeply against it.

TODD: But the government says it has evidence amounting to thousands of hours of intercepted phone calls involving Al-Arian, and hundreds of faxes gathered over a decade by U.S. law enforcement.

That kind of evidence became admissible for criminal trial when the Patriot Act was passed. This case will test how far the government can go to monitor potential suspects, and how far the individual can go in matters of free speech -- like this speech years ago by Al-Arian:

AL-ARIAN: "Jihad is our path, victory to Islam! Death to Israel and victory to Islam! Revolution, revolution until victory! Rolling, rolling to Jerusalem!"

I've explained this over and over again.

I am a pro-Palestinian person. I don't wish death to any people.

TODD: Al-Arian's contention that he's being prosecuted for unpopular views -- the government's counter of extensive terrorist ties backed up by controversial new laws -- expected to come out in a Tampa courthouse for about six months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: CNN tried to contact Al-Arian's attorney, William Moffit, this afternoon. Perhaps because of court proceedings, he did not return our calls.

Al-Arian and his co-defendants could face life in prison if they're convicted.

Five other men have been indicted in this case but are not in custody -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd with the latest on that.

We will be watching this trial over the next several months.

Thanks, Brian, very much.

Also in our CNN "Security Watch" -- ten years after the Oklahoma City bombing, four years after convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed, some people still doubt McVeigh necessarily acted alone.

Mike German was an FBI agent, specializing in counter-terrorism, between 1988 and 2004. He is now a senior fellow with GlobalSecurity.org.

He is here in our studios.

Mike, you think that it's possible that this was not necessarily a lone-wolf operating -- Timothy McVeigh -- but he had co- conspirators?

MIKE GERMAN, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, I think there's a misunderstanding over what the term lone-wolf extremist is.

And, basically it's a technique -- it's a technique that they have actually written manuals on -- in how to commit your acts of terrorism so that those acts do not bring criminal liability to the groups themselves.

BLITZER:: When you say they, specifically which groups are you talking about?

GERMAN: Well, pretty much all of them. I mean, the material -- the difficulty with a clandestine organization is that they try to hide who they are.

So they release material over the Internet; They publish a tremendous amount of literature. Pretty much all of the known white supremacists and militia-type groups have access to these materials.

BLITZER: And you point out -- and you wrote a long piece in "The Washington Post" yesterday about this -- that Timothy McVeigh did have a long history with some of these white supremacists militia kinds of Aryan groups, if you will.

GERMAN: Well, I'm no expert on Timothy McVeigh, and I did work on that investigation, but clearly in media reports there have been connections between Tim McVeigh and the Turner Diaries, which was written by the leader of a white supremacist group; and linkages to other militia-type organizations and white supremacist groups in Oklahoma and Missouri; and, you know, you don't find these groups by accident.

I think just the fact -- this is like an underground community, and they function as a community.

And when somebody travels from one city to another, they have connections to get into a meeting. I mean, I'm sure you would not be able to fine the nearest militia meeting in D.C., but, you know, somehow Tim McVeigh was able to link up with these like-minded people throughout his travels.

BLITZER: But is the implication that they influenced him, they educated him, if you want to use that word, they controlled him, or they specifically said, "You know what, go out on your own and kill these people?"

GERMAN: Well specifically in their manuals, where they talk about lone-wolf extremism, what they say is, you know, before you commit an act, separate yourself from the group, you know, resign if you have been a member.

Select just a few trusted associates or, even better, act completely on your own and then go out and commit your act of violence.

BLITZER: So, this has all sort of been planned -- not only with these racist groups; these white, Aryan groups, -- the militia, if you want to call them that, but in more traditional terrorist groups -- Islamist groups, or whatever, that you have researched as well.

GERMAN: Right, absolutely. They're -- I mean all terrorist groups ultimately have to become clandestine organizations, and in order to survive they have to operate in secret.

And, you know, whether your ideology is racist, or Islamist, or eco-rights, you know, your function is going to be to commit your act of violence without being caught.

BLITZER: But the bottom line is you support this consideration that Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California is now putting forward to have hearings on whether or not Timothy McVeigh acted alone?

GERMAN: Sure, I think that the most important thing is to get all the information out there.

So, number one, so that we know that all the conspirators who are involved are punished.

But number two, so that we can prevent further acts of terrorism by knowing who the groups are, and who was involved, and keeping an eye on what they're planning in the future.

BLITZER: Congressman -- excuse me, Mike German, a former FBI agent who's studied this for a long time -- appreciate your thoughts very much.

If our viewers want to know more of what you have to say they can read the article in yesterday's "Washington Post."

Go to WashingtonPost.com.

Appreciate it, very much.

GERMAN: Thank you, very much, Wolf.

BLITZER: And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Courthouse drama: while Michael Jackson awaits a verdict at home, his father shows up demanding to know where the King of Pop is.

We'll go live to the courthouse.

And the Supreme Court hands the Bush administration a huge ruling in the use of medical marijuana.

That's our top story and our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is standing by to weigh in.

Also, an actor allegedly acts up. Why officers moved in on the Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe.

We'll tell you what the latest is.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: After two hours of deliberations on Friday, the jury in the Michael Jackson trial held its first full day of deliberations today. CNN's Ted Rowlands standing outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California with what happened or didn't happen today. Ted, what is the latest?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they don't know what happened in the jury room, only that they have not come up with a verdict. Jurors left here just a few minutes ago. They arrived this morning in vans. They're parking at a spot outside the courthouse and being brought in in vans. This was the first day of deliberations. They asked one question about an hour and a half into it. We don't know what that question was.

But the end of the day has come and there is no verdict.

Outside the courthouse, it was a bit chaotic. Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, showed up, and walked through the fans that were gathered outside the courthouse, walked all the way up to sheriff deputies and said, where is my son? The deputy said, we don't know where your son is. We later heard an explanation from Jesse Jackson that Joe Jackson thought that somehow Michael Jackson was here because he was not in a group of cars that left Neverland. A bizarre moment indeed outside the courthouse here.

Over the weekend, Michael Jackson sought medical treatment at a local hospital near his home for a reoccurring back problem. The spokesperson said that the back has been worse as of late because of all the stress waiting for this jury's decision -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ted, what is the relationship between Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Michael Jackson?

ROWLANDS: Jesse Jackson says he met with Michael last night, and he's his friend and adviser, spiritual adviser. Not necessarily his lawyer. He says he's been offering him support, but it's unclear really how long this friendship has been around and -- but according to Jesse Jackson, he's spending time with Michael Jackson during this trying time at Neverland Ranch.

BLITZER: All right, Ted Rowlands with the latest. We'll continue to watch this jury. Thanks very much, Ted, for that.

Let's get some more now from our senior legal analyst, Jeff Toobin. He's in our New York bureau.

What's the rule of thumb? What do they teach you in law school? The longer a jury debates, is it good or bad for the defendant?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think it depends on the kind of case. This is a complicated case. There are conspiracy charges, child molestation, providing alcohol to a minor. If the jury were to come back very quickly, today, tomorrow, that would be good for Jackson, I think it's safe to say, because it means that they didn't need to go through all the evidence; they simply were throwing the whole thing out.

As it gets longer, it means that the jury is meticulously working its way through the evidence, and it suggests -- doesn't guarantee, but it suggests -- they're taking the charges seriously and maybe heading towards a conviction.

BLITZER: But if it goes on and on and on, it also suggests it could be a hung jury.

TOOBIN: That's when you start to get past a week into two weeks, but we are a long way from that.

BLITZER: All right, let's talk about the U.S. Supreme Court. You're writing a book on the U.S. Supreme Court. A decision today on medical marijuana. This is a landmark decision. What does it mean, really?

TOOBIN: Well, I think this one has very practical significance for a lot of people. This means that states cannot make medical marijuana legal. This is clearly, according to six justices, a majority of the Supreme Court, a federal matter, so the 10 states that have tried to allow medical marijuana patients to get it legally, they can't do it. This is a matter for Congress to change. If Congress is going to change the laws, that's the only way the Supreme Court will allow the laws to be changed.

BLITZER: It sort of was surprising that they really felt the federal government trumps the states. For all the state's rights activists, I was a little surprised by that 6-3 split.

TOOBIN: Well, and it was a very unusual split when you think about it. The three dissenting justices, the ones in effect advocating medical marijuana, were three of the most conservative justices on the court. the chief justice, Chief Justice Rehnquist, Justice O'Connor and Justice Thomas. They are usually in the pro-law enforcement, anti-drug camp, but they feel very strongly about state's rights too, and so they view this -- they view this as a state's rights case, not a drug case. But six justices, the majority, said, no, this is about the federal government being in charge of the drug war; the states essentially can't trump what the federal government does.

BLITZER: A very interesting case, with a lot of practical import for a lot of people out there. Appreciate it very much, Jeff Toobin, out in New York for us. Appreciate it.

TOOBIN: OK, Wolf.

BLITZER: In other legal news, Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe was arraigned today after being arrested at a New York City hotel. Crowe was escorted into court wearing handcuffs. He's charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon -- the weapon being a telephone he allegedly threw in a hotel worker's face. His publicist says Crowe lost his temper because his phone wouldn't work, but denies that Crowe assaulted anyone. Quote: "Crowe was released on his own recognizance pending a September 14th court appearance."

Coming up at the top of the hour, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou standing by in New York with a little preview -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you. At 6:00 p.m. Eastern, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tonight is facing rising criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. We will be reporting on his outspoken attacks on Republicans and his disappointing fund-raising for Democrats.

Also, we'll have a special report tonight on escalating racial violence in our nation's high schools, high schools that are already overcrowded; many failing under the rate of runaway illegal immigration. We'll have that story, and a debate on the conflicted science of global warming. Some scientists predict a global catastrophe; others say it's all merely nature at work. My guests tonight are two of the world's leading authorities. All of that and more. We hope you'll join us at the top of the hour for that and the day's news.

Now, back to you, Wolf.

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

When we come back, a fatal dog mauling prompting new calls for regulations on one specific breed of dogs. Can a major city ban pitbulls?

And later, how your automobile rates in the latest run of crash tests. You'll want to see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A deadly attack in San Francisco is leading to new calls for regulations on pitbulls, as one family struggles to cope with the loss of their child and their pets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Maureen Faibish only wanted to share memories of her son as she talked to reporters for the first time since his death.

MAUREEN FAIBISH, MOTHER: The reason I want to put these pictures out is because I want everyone to know that life is so short, and to really just appreciate your kids while they're here, and just spend as much time as you can with them.

BLITZER: Faibish was the one who found her son Nicholas on Friday, returning home from a shopping trip to discover the 12-year- old boy inside their home, mauled to death by one or both of the family's two pitbulls.

Police say Nicholas suffered wounds to his face and scalp, and that there were signs he put up what one officer called "one hell of a fight."

Neighbors recall hearing the commotion Friday afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just heard the mother crying for help and to get them away. She wanted to get the -- I'm assuming she wanted to get the dogs away from the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police were trying to get into the apartment. The mother was screaming, and I guess one of the pitbulls was there. I'm not sure if it was Rex or Ella, but they had to shoot the pitbull.

BLITZER: It was in fact Ella who was shot. The other dog seen here, Rex, was found in the backyard and taken away by animal control officials.

It's not the first such tragedy in San Francisco. In 2001, Diane Whipple was mauled to death in the hallway of her apartment building by two presa canario dogs who had a history of viciousness. The dogs' owners both were charged and convicted in the death. But that case involved a little-known breed.

The death of Nicholas Faibish has reignited calls for regulations on pitbulls, including from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. But a spokesman concedes, California law prohibits banning specific breeds. Still, he says Newsom wants to see what can be done to prevent similar tragedies.

Maureen Faibish didn't want to talk about the attack, but did share some of her feelings.

FAIBISH: I don't want people to make this a dog thing. It was an accident. It was something that happened, and I think God has a plan for everybody, and it was time for Nicky to go. And, you know, I have a lot of guilt, but you know, I have to -- I have to realize that this is -- he was destined to go at this time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Animal experts say a combination of factors may have led to the attack. The family was in the process of moving, and that may have stressed the animals. Also, neither of the dogs was fixed, and the female was in heat. A rosary for Nicholas Faibish is scheduled for tomorrow. The funeral still pending.

Side impact crash tests. How several popular cars rate in the real world when struck by an SUV. We'll have a report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tiananmen Square, April 1989. It began peacefully. Beijing University students mourning the death of a former government leader who supported the student movement for democracy, but the students' memorial turned into a people's protest that lasted nearly six weeks.

Wang Dan was one of the student leaders.

WANG DAN: I saw the power of the people in that moment. It's a really big power of the people. And that's the first time in the history of the government (ph) of China that people demonstrated without allowance from the government.

ZAHN: The Chinese government imposed martial law at the end of May, but the protests continued until troops moved in on June 4th. It still isn't known how many people were jailed, injured, or killed.

WANG: For those people who died, I really feel deep sorrow for them, because I was the leader, I led them to go to the square.

ZAHN: Wang Dan was imprisoned twice for his actions, and eventually released into exile to the U.S.. He's published 17 books and is studying for his Ph.D. at Harvard.

WANG: If I have (INAUDIBLE), of course I would still be involved in political activities or other activities to try to promote human rights and democracy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: If your car doesn't have side impact airbags, you may want to think about making a change. Here's CNN's Julie Vallese.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Audi's A4 with standard size airbags and the Chevrolet Malibu tested with optional side airbags at GM's request have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest honor of best pick in its latest round of side impact crash tests.

ADRIAN LUND, COO, IIHS: With the improved side airbag system that's available on the Malibu, it shows that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get good side impact protection.

VALLESE: Volvo's S-60 earned the institute's second highest rating of acceptable. The Suzuki Verona and the Nissan Maxima were rated marginal.

LUND: We think if the structure had held up better to give the side impact airbags more room to protect you, that they would have had better ratings.

VALLESE: In a written response, Suzuki said its Verona is safe, but it is studying the IIHS crash tests and exploring strategies to reduce occupant injuries. Nissan said all of its vehicles meet and outperform the government safety regulations, and that it will continue to work with the institute to better understand how this test relates to real-world situations.

(on camera): The institute rates vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal and poor. While none of the vehicles in this round tested poor, seven vehicles from the current model year have failed in previous tests.

(voice-over): Two had side impact airbags.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And to see how your car rates, go to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Web site, www.iihs.org. Go to the vehicle's rating area and just put in your make and model and you'll get the results.

This just in to CNN. The Associated Press reporting that a New York state board has rejected plans for a $2 billion stadium in New York City. The proposed stadium was a centerpiece for the city's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

That's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now; Lou standing by in New York -- Lou.

DOBBS: Thanks, Wolf.

END

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