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News Headlines : 4/9/2003
U.S.: Saddam No Longer Controls Baghdad
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar - Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government is no longer in control of Baghdad, but coalition forces are planning for resistance in other cities, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday.
"The capital city is now one of those areas that has been added to the list of where the regime does not have control," said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks.
However, Brooks said that Saddam loyalists were holding out in the north, including Saddam's hometown of Tikrit and still posed a threat, including the possible use of weapons of mass destruction
"Today the regime is in disarray and much of Iraq is free from years of oppression," Brooks said.
He said the coalition was planning for possible resistance in other cities. U.S. troops have tried to block the roads from Baghdad to Tikrit to stop Iraqi leaders from fleeing there.
A mix of Republican Guards and militia fighters were also holding out in the oil centers of Mosul and Kirkuk, he said.
"We certainly are focused on Tikrit," Brooks said at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar "I'm not going to predispose to say when will go in.
"There is still work to be done."
Noting scenes of celebration in the Iraqi capital, Brooks said there were still some "engagements" in the center of the city around bridges.
"We're not finding hostile behavior from the population," he said. "We believe the population recognizes that the end is near (for Saddam's government)."
In the north, Special Operations troops and Kurdish soldiers seized a small town approximately 15 miles north of Mosul and captured 200 fighters, Brooks said.
He said there was also attacks on Iraqi positions 20 miles south of Irbil, and that special operations forces supported by aircraft destroyed tanks and cargo trucks there.
In all, coalition forces have taken more than 7,000 Iraqi prisoners of war, he said.
Street celebrations erupted Wednesday in Baghdad, especially in Shiite Muslim neighborhoods, after fighting subsided overnight. People ripped down pictures of President Saddam Hussein and looted government buildings of furniture and appliances.
"With every day that passes we break more of the grip of the regime," Brooks said.
U.S. officials warned there was still resistance from Saddam's forces, even in some pockets of the capital city.
Brooks said the First Marine Expeditionary Force moved across the Diala River into the southeast corner of Baghdad. Troops also advanced along the west edge of the river into the northeast corner of Baghdad to block roads leading out of the city.
"There are still many days of perhaps fierce fighting to follow," said Capt. Frank Thorp, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, adding that U.S. forces in the heart of Baghdad are still running into "sporadic but fierce firefights."
He said there were several areas of Iraq where coalition ground troops have yet to arrive, specifically mentioning Tikrit, where the Air Force, Navy, Marines as well as British aircraft were conducting strikes against military targets on Wednesday.
"So it's not over," Thorp said. "We're seeing good signs here, but I would definitely stay on the cautious side and say we still have more to come."
Thorp called the open celebrations a sign that the end of the regime was near.
"These are great visuals. They've been the objective of what this operation is all about," he said, adding that U.S. civil affairs troops were in Baghdad and other cities to help Iraqis move away from lawlessness and re-establish civil order.
But U.S. forces were still running into Republican Guard fighters in Baghdad.
"It's still a combat situation. We have to stay on our toes," Thorp said.
Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a British spokesman at Sayliyah, said TV footage of people in Basra showed they were "celebrating liberation" from Saddam's regime.
Lockwood said British troops have contacted local figures and tribal leaders in Basra to deal with looting and preserve property. He said the British have an obligation under international law to stop the looting.
British troops were in close contact with local leaders but would not reinstall the same leadership that was in place under Saddam, Lockwood said.
"We have asked them (the people of Basra) to chose their own leadership that will take them to the future," he said.
As looting swept through the capital, Brooks said the U.S. troops would eventually move to restore order.
However, he said expected much of the unrest to die down naturally as the euphoria of the regime's collapse wore off.
"We believe that this will settle down in due time. It has already begun to settle down in Basra," he said.
"Some of this occurs as a result of a vacuum that is created in the interim period between the departure of the regime, or the perception of the departure of the regime, and the establishment of conditions that move on a path of normalcy," he said.
Judge Seeks Compromise in Tobacco Suit
CHICAGO - A judge who had ordered Philip Morris USA to pay a $12 billion bond before it appeals a court loss said a compromise may be reached that would allow the tobacco giant to continue doling out billions of dollars into state coffers.
Madison County Judge Nicholas Byron on Tuesday ordered lawyers for Philip Morris and the plaintiffs, who won a lawsuit over the firm's so-called light cigarettes, to reach a compromise on the bond.
"I see some possibilities for resolving this matter," Byron said, before asking reporters to leave the courtroom. "What will be reached will be reached on a consensual basis."
Lawyers for Philip Morris were joined by attorneys general from 37 states and U.S. territories in urging that Byron reduce the bond, saying the original amount would leave nothing for the twice-yearly payouts the states have grown to depend on since the 1998 national tobacco settlement.
Some cash-strapped states have already spent their share of the $2.6 billion that the firm is supposed to distribute April 15 as part of the settlement.
The uncertainty is already disrupting state budgets. New York, Virginia and California, for example, have postponed plans to sell bonds backed by money from the tobacco settlement.
Dozens of smaller programs across the country will be in trouble, too.
Kentucky uses settlement money to diversify its tobacco-based agricultural economy, while Kansas puts the money into an education trust fund. Indiana earmarks the money for children's health insurance, prescription drugs for poor seniors and anti-smoking programs.
Vermont has already spent the $13 million it expects from Philip Morris on Medicaid services and tobacco and substance abuse programs. And Washington has spent its anticipated $53 million on health insurance for children, immunization programs and other public health needs.
The financial pinch was triggered after Byron awarded $10.1 billion in the class-action lawsuit alleging Philip Morris misled smokers into believing "light" cigarettes are less harmful.
The judge ruled that Philip Morris must post a $12 billion bond before it can appeal the judgment — equal to the amount of the award plus $2 billion in legal fees.
The cigarette maker wants the bond lowered to between $1.2 and $1.5 billion.
"Philip Morris USA's net worth is south of $12 billion," said William Ohlemeyer, Philip Morris vice president and general counsel. "We only have so much money. If the judge requires us to put it all in Madison County, we wouldn't have enough to make the master settlement agreement payment."
Wall Street analysts say Philip Morris isn't blowing smoke about its inability to pay.
"I do not believe Philip Morris USA has the ability to post the bond of $12 billion," said Martin Feldman of Merrill Lynch. He suggested bankruptcy was a "real option" unless the bond is reduced.
If Philip Morris falls short, states may have to cut health programs deeply, cut other programs or raise taxes — not a popular option during an economic downturn.
"The impact is pretty critical," said Lee Dixon, director of health policy for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "It's kind of like a paycheck you were expecting that you don't get from an employer. You're expecting that money, and you have bills to pay." Anti-smoking activists scoff at the notion that Philip Morris can't afford to pay both the states and the appeal bond.
"What Philip Morris wants the states to do is to panic because of their current budget situation," said Bill Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Philip Morris has attempted to manufacture a crisis with its claims of bankruptcy."
But Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire, who negotiated the national settlement, is convinced the crisis is real. With no end in sight to tobacco companies' legal woes, Gregoire said states should get used to fighting for their tobacco payments.
"I don't think this is by any stretch of the imagination the end," Gregoire said.
On Tuesday, another judge issued a 10-day restraining order barring Illinois from collecting its share of the $10.1 billion judgment — $3.6 billion in punitive damages — because it is already getting billions from the national settlement. A hearing is planned.
Singapore Woman Linked to 100 SARS Cases
SINGAPORE - Esther Mok went to Hong Kong to shop but came home carrying a deadly flu-like virus that has since spread to more than 100 people in Singapore and killed both of her parents and her pastor. Miraculously, she has survived.
Mok, a 26-year-old former flight attendant, was one of three original cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, to emerge in Singapore early last month.
Mok was very sick — and very contagious — when admitted to a Singapore hospital on March 1, but doctors had no idea that she was suffering from the strange form of pneumonia that had already killed dozens in China.
She had regular visits from her family and members of her church — all oblivious to the fact that they were exposing themselves to SARS.
Her father, mother and pastor have since died of SARS. Her uncle is in intensive care battling the illness. Mok's grandmother and brother are also sick but in stable condition.
In fact, all but a handful of the 118 reported cases in Singapore have been traced to Mok, and health officials have dubbed her a SARS "super spreader."
Two other Singaporean women also traveled to Hong Kong in February and developed SARS after exposure to a Chinese doctor, Liu Jianjun, while staying at the Metropole Hotel. They have not infected others, the health ministry said.
"Esther Mok infected the whole lot of us," health minister Lim Hng Kiang said at a recent press conference.
Two other so-called super spreaders, Canadian Kwan Siu-Chiu and American Chinese businessman Johnny Chen, fell ill after a stay at the Metropole hotel and have helped spread the illness around the world. Unlike Mok, both died.
"We don't know why some people are able to spread it so easily and some don't," said Chew Suok Kai, health ministry's director of epidemiology and disease control.
Experts from Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control will be in Singapore later this week to further analyze data from SARS patients here in a bid to find out how the "super spreader" phenomenon works, Chew said.
"There are so many things we want to know about this disease but don't know yet. One of the key things we are working on is how the super-spreader spreads," said Chew.
Mok herself has recovered and could be released from a hospital, but authorities are reluctant to let her go, fearing the media frenzy that is likely to greet her.
Like "Typhoid" Mary Mallon, who famously infected dozens of people in the New York area in the early 1900s and was forced by the government to live alone on an island, Mok is living her own modern-day exile in a hospital room networked with televisions and telephones.
Mok's quarantine prevented her from attending the memorial services of her parents, Joseph and Helen, but she has not been alone. Mok's sister, Rebekah, has taken a leave of absence to be with her, said Pastor Humphrey Choe of the family's church, the Faith Assemblies of God.
"We are all praying for her and for everyone involved," said Choe, adding that the church has rallied around Mok.
Since this island nation of 4 million people first reported its SARS outbreak a month ago, it has quarantined about 1,000 people, ordering them to stay home for 10 days or risk prosecution. Nine people have died and 118 have been reported to have the illness.
"I feel sorry for her but you might wonder whether Singapore would be so badly affected had she not been in the wrong place at the wrong time," said deliveryman Gary Sivalingam.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, has killed over 100 and sickened over 2,600 worldwide, mostly in Asia.
Entertainment News; 4/9/2003
Method Man Has His Eyes Set On Tamyra Gray
Method Man says it won't be long before he and Redman start working together again, but first, the Ticallion Stallion wants to get in the studio with Tamyra Gray.
Don't expect the former "American Idol" finalist to appear on Meth's upcoming Tical 0: The Prequel later this year, though — Meth is joining the cast of "Boston Public" for a couple of episodes, where he'll have his eyes set on Gray's abused high school student character Aisha.
"I play a record producer who's trying to sign [Tamyra]," Meth said a couple of weeks ago in New York. He was readying himself to begin filming on the series a few days later. "They say I have a reputation for sleeping with young girls."
Meth will play an even less reputable character when he joins the ensemble cast of HBO's crime drama "The Wire" this summer.
"My character's name is Cheese," Meth said. "The name speaks for itself, he's about his cheese. He's a street aficionado. He's underneath the man. It's a dope character, he's about his paper. I'm not in any scenes with the original cast members right now. They're in one part of Baltimore, I'm on the other side. But I did get to meet Sonja Sohn."
Although Tical is loving the opportunities he's getting as a thespian, the wordsmith admits that not every role is for him.
"I take this acting thing as serious as I can take it, being an MC," he said. "Anything they put in front of me that I think I can handle, I'mma take it. I'm not gonna play a character I can't identify with. I'm never going to have to play a gay dude or take my clothes off on camera. I ain't stepping outside my range. A lot of times us as [rappers] want to do these movies so bad — I ain't got nothing against it — but a lot of times y'all taking these parts and y'all not holding it down. That's why people like Sam Jackson [have criticism]. When Will Smith [started acting], nobody was saying nothing. Even to a certain extent when LL was doing it, nobody was saying nothing. I guess it's all about paying dues and actually respecting this art form."
Meth's upcoming roles aren't going to be limited to the small screen. He's continuing to swing his Wu-Tang sword all over Hollywood. He'll appear as Anthony Anderson's wayward cousin this fall in the comedy "My Baby's Mama" with Eddie Griffin and Michael Imperioli of "The Sopranos," and there's talk of his entire musical Clan appearing in "Scary Movie 3." Ghostface Killah has already inked his deal.
Meanwhile, Method Man and Redman are going to begin their next buddy picture in June — they'll play two federal agents in Universal's "DEA."
"They're putting some money into this one," Meth said with a smile. "It's more than $12 million. That's how much they paid for the last one and it made $33 million. Woooo!"
The "last one" he was referring to is 2001's collegiate comedy "How High." And when Meth says "last one," he really means it.
"Will there be a 'How High Part 2'? No," he scoffed. "We got so much flack over the first one 'cause it was a drug movie. I don't need the headache."
Meth and Red's collaboration will be spilling over from the movie studio to the recording studio. The artist also known as Johnny Blaze said once he and his homie finish their respective solo albums (see "Method Man Hopes To Team Up With ODB On New LP; Records Again With M.J.B."), which are both due later this year, they'll once again make an LP together. They already have a title in mind, too: B.A.S.I.C., an acronym for Bricks and Staten Island Connected.
For a full-length feature on Method Man, check out "Method Man: From Fronts To Furs."
—Shaheem Reid
Wayne Wonder Turns A Sad Day Into Success; Now There's No Letting Go
NEW YORK — Wayne Wonder isn't complaining about how long it's taken for him to achieve some measure of recognition by the masses; he's just happy to be here.
"I just write a song and hope that everyone can appreciate it, no matter what color or what class," Wonder, 30, said recently while visiting Manhattan.
Wonder's songwriting, producing and smooth serenading have made him a staple in clubs for almost a year and have kept him on the Billboard chart for the past 14 weeks. His hit "No Letting Go" has bubbled from an underground sensation to crossover success.
"It's just a personal experience," he said. "I wrote this song [about a girl] without calling her name in the song because she always said to me, 'You are always [calling] these other girls' names.' I said, 'I don’t have to call your name, I'll just write a song and you can appreciate it.' Everybody loves it, which is surprising to me. When I'm writing, I don’t think [about whether the song] will be a big hit."
The sexy swivels of Wayne's curvaceous backup dancers and Little X shot-calling on set have helped the video for "No Letting Go," the first release off of Wayne's No Holding Back, become an airwave favorite as well.
"Well, the video, it took us 24 hours [to shoot]," he said about the production, which took place in December in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. "It was raining in the morning and the shoot was supposed to start at like 6:30 a.m. and it never really got started until about maybe 8 o'clock. God was on our side. We prayed on the rain, and the sunshine came out. X is so down-to-earth, and he just lets you feel a comfort level in what you're doing. The video, to me, was a success; the dances, everyone enjoying themselves on the stage, there was no bad vibe."
Although his spokesperson said that Wayne's probable second single will be "Glad You Came My Way," the singer's vibe has him leaning toward "Friend Like Me."
"My choice of single is 'Friend Like Me' [because] it's real and personal for me," Wonder explained. "It's about [how] I met this girl and the vibe was so right. When I was leaving, she said she wanted me to pinky promise to always keep in touch with her. 'All she needs is just a friend like me/ All she needs is a good friend.' "
Wonder, who was born Von Wayne Charles in Buff Bay, Jamaica, cultivated his craft by working with such good friends as famed reggae producer David Kelly in the late '80s and throughout the '90s. Together Wayne and Kelly churned out hits in Jamaica like "I'm Only Human" and the dancehall classic "Saddest Day."
"Saddest Day" became Wayne's first big conduit to the U.S. when he sang on Foxy Brown's remake on her Broken Silence LP in 2001. Luck followed Wayne when his friend Joel Chin, who is in A&R at VP Records, signed him last winter. VP, which also had another hot commodity on its hands at the time with Sean Paul, was in the process of inking a deal with Atlantic, giving the label an option to release certain artists via joint venture. VP and Atlantic became partners in January, and Wayne's No Holding Back dropped in March.
"[It's called] No Holding Back because I finally got the opportunity to just express myself," Wonder explained. "My own creative freedom of doing this writing, producing, co-producing, arranging, so it's no holding back. I'm just going to give it to you all."
—Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Jermaine Linton
50 CENT DRIVES "HYBRID"
TO STORES

Interscope to Ship 1 Million Units of New Breed
50 Cent is one busy mofo. On the heels of the expected announcement that the hip-hop phenomenon has been given his own Interscope imprint, G-Unit Records, comes some more surprising news.
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope is shipping more than 1 million units of a "hybrid" release, hot on the heels of the now-quadruple-platinum Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Described by the label as a "true multimedia experience," the package, titled The New Breed and streeting April 15, includes a DVD containing two hours of material, accompanied by a CD featuring three unreleased tracks. The release comes in a standard CD jewel box and will be stocked in the music sections, not the DVD sections, of retailers. The New Breed will be tracked on the HITS Top 50 Albums sales chart.
Says Interscope sales and marketing ruler Steve Berman: "In today’s incredibly tough environment of selling music, we feel it’s extremely important to support the art and the creative vision of Dre, Eminem, Paul Rosenberg and 50 in what we believe will be the frontier of a new art form. We don’t want to pigeonhole this new release. That’s why we’re putting it in the brilliant box and marketing it in the music section. Is it a CD with a DVD attached? Is it a DVD with a CD added on? We don’t care. It’s a new piece of entertainment art from 50 Cent."
More than 70 minutes of previously unreleased material are on the DVD, including an exclusive video for the song "Heat," an interview with Tony Yayo of the group G-Unit from Riker’s Island and live footage featuring 50 Cent and Eminem. Also included are the clips for "Wanksta" and "In Da Club."
Meanwhile, the first release on G-Unit will be from the group G-Unit—Yayo, Lloyd Banks and Sha Money XL. The album is expected to come out by the end of the year.
Said 50: "Me and G-Unit are bringing it in 2003. First, I drop my album and people pay attention. Now that I got their attention, I’m gonna drop the next shit on them…the G-Unit shit, both the label and the group. The New Breed brings it all together. It’s like an extension of the mix tape for me—hitting people with something you won’t find anywhere else. I’m not leveling the competition, I’m destroying it."
Said IGA Chairman Jimmy Iovine: "When you have an artist like 50 Cent, you want to be in business with him on every level: movies, video games, wherever he wants to go. He has the kind of vision and work ethic that lets you know from the outset, he’s going to win. We’re looking forward to the same type of artistic quality and commercial success from G-Unit that we’ve had with both Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment."
Side Note: Speaking of 50 Cent, stop the damn rumors. Like Missy says, it's gossip folks.
Suspects Brought To Trial IN Actor Merlin Santana's Shooting
Los Angeles (AP) - Two men accused of killing Merlin Santana are going to stand trial for the death of the actor who starred in "The Steve Harvey Show."
A judge in Los Angeles has ruled Damien Andre Gates and Brandon Douglas Bynes must stand trial for Santana's death.
Merlin Santana was shot to death early on the morning of November ninth, while sitting in the passenger seat of a car parked in South Los Angeles. He was 26.
Gates and Bynes are also charged in the attempted murder of a man who was with Santana when he was shot to death in a car.
If convicted of all charges, the two men face 25 years to life in prison. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl arrested shortly after Santana's shooting faces the same charges. She is awaiting a hearing in juvenile court to determine if she will stand trial as an adult.
Police suspect she was the driver of the getaway car.
Santana was best known for his role as Romeo Santana on "The Steve Harvey Show." He also appeared in the Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro movie "Showtime."

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