CNN360: June 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

CAPITAL CULTURE: Protecting images of Obama's kids

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer

NEW YORK – President Barack Obama's face brightened as he looked up and saw his 8-year-old daughter Sasha on the White House's Truman Balcony. He gave an exaggerated wave, she waved back and photographers captured a rare, unscripted moment.

It seemed innocent enough, yet White House officials asked news organizations not to distribute the image.

Weeks later, when Obama took his daughters for ice cream the Saturday before Father's Day, photographers were permitted to provide family friendly pictures to cable news networks and newspaper front pages. The popular Parade magazine put a candid shot of the First Family on its cover the same weekend, illustrating an article about fatherhood that the White House had suggested.

The two events reflect both the First Family's insistence on raising their young daughters away from the spotlight of the White House and their penchant for carefully using them to bolster the president's political image.

"He's going to try to have it both ways until and unless people start to question his value system and his sincerity in playing that role," said Gerald Shuster, a political communications expert at the University of Pittsburgh.

There haven't been children this young in the White House since the Kennedys nearly 50 years ago. Pictures of Caroline and John went hand-in-hand with the image of youthful vibrancy that administration was trying to project. There's a reason why politicians from the local dogcatcher to potential presidents like pictures of kids — the young, non-misbehaving kind. They're political gold.

Yet even during the Kennedy administration, first lady Jacqueline didn't like the children being photographed, and a picture taken outside the White House of Caroline and her pet pony infuriated the first couple, said Dennis Brack, former chief of the White House News Photographers Association.

Images are great when they can be controlled. And when it comes to the Obama kids, the White House can be very controlling.

Sasha and her 10-year-old sister Malia have been shielded carefully from the public, but they are by no means invisible.

"If the children are participating in official events with the president and first lady, then they're part of the first family," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "But when the children are alone, or when the president and first lady are in their roles strictly as mother and father, there should be a wide berth of privacy extended to the family."

Protecting the children in their new fishbowl life was a learning process for the Obamas. The girls answered questions, with their parents, during a soft "Access Hollywood" interview last summer. Obama later said he regretted setting that precedent, and they haven't been interviewed since. But the interview came just as Obama was kicking off his general election campaign and the girls no doubt helped cement in the public mind an image of Obama that campaign officials relished.

During NBC's recent "Inside the Obama White House," the family turned down the network's request to film the girls. NBC showed tape of Obama cheering on the sidelines at Sasha's soccer game; photographers complied with a request not to shoot her playing.

The administration asks that no pictures be taken at the White House of the girls unless they're at a public event; the residence and the outside grounds are off limits. Those were the boundaries they were trying to protect with the lawn and balcony photos.

The White House has made available a handful of images of the children online through its own photo service on the FlickR Web site, showing them playing on the new swing set, walking their dog Bo or giggling with dad. It's primarily an attempt to control paparazzi by eliminating their market, Gibbs said.

Gibbs adds an extra layer of control by posting only low-resolution pictures. So if a magazine or other publication wants to use a family photo, they'd have to specifically ask the White House for a better-quality version. Gibbs has refused some of those requests, in effect becoming an editor. The Parade magazine photos, for instance, were all provided by a White House photographer.

It illustrates the fine line politicians dance upon with families, said John Matviko, editor of "The American President in Popular Culture."

Matviko noted last summer how Republicans admonished reporters for prying into Bristol Palin's pregnancy while the family of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was prominently on display at the Republican convention. "Either the children are out of bounds, and you don't put them in the photo ops, or you don't complain when somebody wants to talk about them," he said.

There is some discontent among White House photographers about the administration's aggressiveness in putting out their own images while trying to restrict the work of professionals. In the case of the White House lawn photo, some organizations — including The Associated Press — refused the request not to use the picture of Obama's waving daughter.

News photographers may not be happy, but there's likely to be public sympathy for the Obamas' position. It seems the family is giving a lot of attention to how the kids are being raised, said Joe Kelly, co-founder of Dads and Daughters, an organization that promotes father-daughter relationships.

"There is a big demand," Kelly said. "People want to see pictures of the kids. Better to try to sate that demand in some measured way than to allow a horde of photographers to follow them wherever they go."

Iran declares election fight over, vote valid

By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER, Associated Press Writer Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Associated Press Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

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Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad celebrated Tuesday after Iran's highest electoral authority proclaimed the validity of its disputed election, paving the way for the incumbent to begin a second term despite claims of fraud.

Pro-Ahmadinejad newspapers announced the Guardian Council's approval in large type on their front pages. Newspapers backing his main reformist challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, mentioned the news in small references.

Mousavi has said Ahmadinejad stole re-election through fraud and demanded a new election. Western analysts have described Ahmadinejad's roughly 2-1 margin of victory as suspicious and improbable.

The decision ruling out the possibility of a new vote was expected after the country's supreme leader endorsed the vote on June 19. The government had delayed a formal declaration as Mousavi supporters flooded in the streets in protests that were put down through a show of force by riot police and pro-government militiamen.

Ahmad Mirzai, a 45-year-old worker at a private Tehran company, said the council's decision "was fair and based on reality. Iranians love Ahmadinejad and if he runs for another election, again, the result will be the same."

But a 35-year-old high-school teacher, Sahar, said she knew the council would approve the result.

"I am not convinced, she said. "Everybody who I knew voted for Mousavi. The council was not a fair judge."

In a sign that a political purge may be afoot in Iran's most important economic sector, the independent news agency Fararu reported that three senior officials from the oil ministry were leaving their jobs.

All three were prominent members of former president Mohammad Khatami's government, and considered allies of former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Both former presidents were considered to be backers of Mousavi's bid for the presidency

The Guardian Council, an electoral authority the opposition accuses of favoring Ahmadinejad, said Monday that it had found only "slight irregularities" after randomly selecting and recounting 10 percent of nearly 40 million ballots.

"From today on, the file on the presidential election has been closed," Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said on state-run Press TV.

Conservative Ayatollah Ahmed Jannati, who heads the Guardian Council, said that "meticulous and comprehensive examination" revealed only "slight irregularities that are common to any election and needless of attention," according to the state TV channel IRIB.

Mousavi has made few public appearances since then and said he would seek official approval for rallies.

The cleric-led government has said Ahmadinejad will be sworn in for a second term as early as July 26.

Asked if the United States would recognize Ahmadinejad as Iran's legitimate president, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said "We're going to take this a day at a time."

Monday's recount appeared to be an attempt to cultivate the image that Iran was seriously addressing fraud claims, while giving no ground in the clampdown on opposition.

Ahmadinejad would still have beat Mousavi if errors were found in nearly every one of the votes in the recount, according to the government.

"They have a huge credibility gap with their own people as to the election process. And I don't think that's going to disappear by any finding of a limited review of a relatively small number of ballots," Clinton told reporters in Washington.

Ahmadinejad also said he had ordered an investigation of the killing of a young woman on the fringes of a protest. Widely circulated video footage of Neda Agha Soltan bleeding to death on a Tehran street sparked outrage worldwide over authorities' harsh response to demonstrations.

Iran's leaders have been trying to blame the election unrest on foreign conspirators, a longtime staple of government rhetoric about internal dissent.

Ahmadinejad's Web site said Soltan was slain by "unknown agents and in a suspicious" way, convincing him that "enemies of the nation" were responsible.

An Iranian doctor who said he tried to save her told the BBC last week she apparently was shot by a member of the volunteer Basij militia. Protesters spotted an armed member of the militia on a motorcycle, and stopped and disarmed him, Dr. Arash Hejazi said.

Basij commander Hossein Taeb on Monday alleged that armed impostors were posing as militia members, Iran's state-run English-language satellite channel Press TV reported.

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Associated Press Writer Michael Weissenstein in Cairo contributed to this report.

Car bomb kills at least 15 people in Iraqi city

By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer Patrick Quinn, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD – Iraqi police say a car bomb has exploded in the northern city of Kirkuk, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens.

Tuesday's bombing comes as Iraqis celebrate what the government is calling National Sovereignty Day to mark the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities.

The U.S. military also says four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in Baghdad on Monday.

The two attacks are deadly reminders of the dangers still facing Iraq as Iraqi forces assume more responsibility for their own security.

Police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir says the explosives-laden car was parked near a crowded market in the ethnically tense city. He says at least 40 people were wounded in the attack.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat shortly before the American military completed a withdrawal from Iraq's cities, and the prime minister assured Iraqis that government forces taking control of urban areas on Tuesday were more than capable of protecting the country.

Nouri al-Maliki said in a televised address that "those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake."

The streets of Baghdad were relatively quiet, as the Iraqi government named June 30 National Sovereignty Day and declared it a public holiday.

In the walled-off Green Zone in central Baghdad, al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders appeared at a military parade to mark the day.

Iraqi infantry soldiers wearing khaki uniforms and policemen in blue uniforms marched in formation near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while Iraqi helicopters flew overhead. U.S.- and Russian-made tanks also drove by along with blue-and-white Iraqi Humvees.

The withdrawal that was completed on Monday was part of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact and marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. President Barack Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.

In the attack Monday against U.S. forces, the military said the four soldiers who were killed served with the Multi-National Division-Baghdad but did not provide further details pending notification of their families. It said they died as a "result of combat related injuries."

It was the deadliest attack against U.S. forces since May 21, when three soldiers were killed and nine others were wounded in a roadside bombing in southern Baghdad.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq said the latest deaths show militants remain a threat but said he was confident Iraqi security forces could face the challenge.

"It reminds me that there are still dangers out there. There are still people out there who do not want the government of Iraq to succeed. They do not want to see a democratic country move forward," Gen. Ray Odierno said Tuesday at a news conference.

He said many of the attacks in Baghdad were being carried out by militants being funded or trained by Iran, including powerful roadside bombs and rocket strikes against the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy.

But, he said, the number of such attacks was "significantly smaller" due to security measures making them more difficult to carry out.

"Iran is still supporting, funding and training surrogates who operate inside of Iraq. They have not stopped and I don't think they will stop," Odierno told reporters at Camp Victory, a U.S. military base on the western edge of Baghdad.

He also said that 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, although he declined to say how many would remain in cities as trainers and advisers.

"We will be here, we are not leaving," he said. "We'll continue to be in support of the Iraqi security forces to maintain and improve stability throughout the country and I feel confident that we'll be able to do that."

There was a significant spike in violence before the June 30 withdrawal. More than 250 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on June 20 that left 81 dead outside a mosque in northern Iraq and another in a Baghdad market on June 24 that killed 78. Al-Maliki has blamed the attacks on al-Qaida in Iraq and the remnants of Saddam Hussein's Baath party.

"I congratulate the Iraqi people on this day, June 30, when the U.S. forces have withdrawn from Iraq cities in accordance to the forces withdrawal agreement," al-Maliki said. "We consider this day as a national holiday and it is a joint achievement by all Iraqis."

President Jalal Talabani said the day could not have happened without the help of the United States, which invaded Iraq in 2003 and ousted Saddam, who was later convicted by an Iraqi court and executed in December 2006.

"While we celebrate this day, we express our thanks and gratitude to our friends in the coalition forces who faced risks and responsibilities and sustained casualties and damage," Talabani said.

Describing June 30 as a "glorious page" in Iraq's history he warned that "security will not be achieved completely without the proper political environment and without a real national unity and reconciliation."

The midnight handover to Iraqi forces filled many citizens with pride but also trepidation that government forces are not ready and that violence will rise. Shiites fear more bombings by Sunni militants; Sunnis fear that the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces will give them little protection.

If the Iraqis can hold down violence in the coming months, it will show the country is finally on the road to stability. If they fail, it will pose a challenge to Obama's pledge to end an unpopular war that has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Some U.S. troops will remain in the cities to train and advise Iraqi forces. U.S. combat troops will return to the cities only if asked. The U.S. military will continue combat operations in rural areas and near the border, but only with the Iraqi government's permission.

The U.S. has not said how many troops will be in the cities in advisory roles, but the vast majority of the U.S. forces remaining in the country will be in large bases scattered outside cities.

There have been some worries that the 650,000-member Iraqi military is not ready to maintain stability and deal with a stubborn insurgency.

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Associated Press Writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Kim Gamel contributed to this report from Baghdad.

Melissa Rycroft Is Engaged!

Us Magazine
Four months after she was dumped on national television, former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft is engaged!

Find out who else got engaged in 2009.

Rycroft's boyfriend, Tye Strickland proposed to the former Dancing With the Stars finalist in Dallas on Friday night.

The star announced her engagement on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday.

"Sometimes the stars align and the clouds part and everything works out the way it should," she said.

Rycroft also updated her Twitter page with the news: "Guess the secret's out...Thank you all so much for being so great and supportive!! We're soooo excited!"

The newly engaged couple first celebrated with their parents over dinner at Brio.

He had the proposal all planned out in advance and completely surprised her," a source tells Usmagazine.com. "The dinner was a surprise as well. She's so proud of him for being able to pull it off without anyone finding out!

They then continued the party with 20 friends at Cretia's restaurant that night, a staffer from the eatery tells Us.

"When they walked in, everybody stood up and clapped," the staffer says, adding that Rycroft looked "beaming happy."

According to the staffer, the 26-year-old Texas native and Strickland toasted with champagne and stayed until the restaurant closed at 2 a.m.

See what Melissa Rycroft and all the stars wore to the 2009 Us Weekly Hollywood party.

Rycroft and her insurance agent beau began quietly dating shortly after she was proposed to and then unceremoniously dumped six weeks later by Jason Mesnick in March.

"We've been really good friends, but the timing was never right," she told Us at the time. "With all this going on, he's my support system. It's funny how things happen."

Check out DWTS members' amazing makeovers.

Rycroft explained why they waited to announce their engagement.

"Sorry we kept it a secret for a few days," she wrote on her Facebook page. "We kind of thought there were more important things going on throughout the weekend, and it would be rude to make our announcement during all that."

No wedding date has been set.

"They just want to enjoy their engagement for awhile," the source tells Us. "She couldn't be more thrilled."

The engagement comes a week after Rycroft started her new job on ABC's Good Morning America. She will appear on the morning show eight to 10 times this summer.

This past spring, when the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader competed on DWTS (she came in third place behind champ Shawn Johnson and runner-up Gilles Marini), Strickland was a fixture in the live

Monday, June 29, 2009

Lawyer for Jackson Doc Says He's "Not a Suspect," Didn't Inject Drugs

E! Online

Hours after proclaiming Dr. Conrad Murray is nothing more than a witness to Michael Jackson's death, the physician's attorney is now insisting that the doctor did not give or prescribe the pop icon Demerol or Oxycontin.

The Los Angeles police were told that the music legend was given an injection of Demerol just an hour before his death. That led to speculation that Murray was somehow involved, as he was on the scene at the time of Jackson's death on Thursday.

But on Sunday, Murray's attorney, Edward M. Chernoff, said that any other drugs that were prescribed to the King of Pop were the result of a specific complaint.

The Houston lawyer also said that Murray found Jackson unconscious in his bedroom—he wasn't breathing and had a faint pulse. It was at that point that the cardiologist began to perform CPR. (The events were chillingly recorded in the 911 call.)

Police investigators met with Murray for about three hours Saturday night to review "inconsistencies" in his original testimony, per a police spokeswoman. The LAPD said Murray was "cooperative."

In a statement, Chernoff's law firm said, "Investigators have made it clear...that Dr. Murray is considered to be a witness to the events surrounding Michael Jackson's death, and he is not a suspect.

"Dr. Murray hired legal counsel to help guide him through the police investigation process. The law firm was hired to make sure the police investigation is conducted properly."

Murray, who was thrust into the spotlight when he wasn't immediately locatable after Jackson was pronounced dead, voluntarily submitted to the police interrogation, Chernoff said, answering "every and all questions" put to him Saturday.

Los Angeles police have confirmed they are conducting a routine investigation into Jackson's death. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play, according to the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

Murray, who was hired to accompany Jackson to London as his personal physician, was with the 50-year-old singer when he went into cardiac arrest at his rented Holmby Hills mansion. Murray and the paramedics who transported Jackson to UCLA Medical Center attempted CPR, but he never regained consciousness.

"Dr. Murray rode with Michael Jackson to the hospital and made frantic attempts to revive him along the way," Chernoff's firm said. "Dr. Murray considered himself to be a friend of Michael Jackson and he is very distraught over his death. He will continue to cooperate in every respect."

Court fight over Michael Jackson's children looms

Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, is taking care of the singer's three children and the family will go to court Monday in part to protect her rights to custody, the family's spokesman said.

Londell McMillan, the Jacksons' attorney, said the family hasn't heard from Deborah Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, about custody.

"I don't think there will be anybody who thinks that there is someone better" than Katherine Jackson to have custody, McMillan said Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "She is a very loving host of other grandchildren."

Jackson left behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7. The youngest son was born to a surrogate mother.

Given the secrecy surrounding Michael Jackson's children throughout his life, it's no surprise that there are lingering questions about who will care for them. What is almost certain is this: Their fate will be decided in a courtroom.

Experts say the person who has the strongest legal claim to Jackson's two oldest children is Rowe. As for the youngest child, Jackson's wishes will be more influential. It remains unclear who Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children. Those details — likely contained in the 50-year-old singer's will — have not been released.

Rowe's attorney, Marta Almli, wrote in a statement Saturday that "Ms. Rowe's only thoughts at this time have been regarding the devastating loss Michael's family has suffered. Ms. Rowe requests that Michael's family, and particularly the children, be spared such harmful, sensationalist speculation and that they be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace."

Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was the one who told the children their father had died.

"They knew when I came into the room," he said. "I'm sure they just saw it on my face. They said, `say it's not true,' and I just said, `I'm sorry.'"

Jackson never told his family who he had in place to handle his business affairs, a person close to the family told The Associated Press on Friday. The person, who requested anonymity because of the delicate nature of the situation, said they were told by the singer's phalanx of advisers that he likely had a will, but it may be many years old.

Prince Michael II's mother has never been identified, and while she may surface, it is likely that she signed away her rights, said Stacy Phillips, a Los Angeles divorce attorney who has represented numerous high-profile clients.

Jackson was by several accounts an attentive and loving father.

"He was a great father," said Raymone Bain, Jackson's former publicist and general manager. "Those kids knew three and four languages. Even the little one. They were well mannered and sweet. I can't imagine these children without him."

He was extremely protective of his children, who weren't often seen in public, and were photographed wearing veils, masks or other items covering their faces when they were.

Rowe, a former nurse for Jackson's dermatologist, married Jackson in 1996 but filed for divorce in 1999. She later gave up her custody rights to the children, but petitioned to have those rights restored in 2003 after Jackson was arrested on child molestation charges, and an appeals court sided with her.

Jackson and Rowe apparently agreed in 2006 regarding her rights, but the terms have never been disclosed. The couple's divorce case that was heard in Los Angeles Superior Court remains closed.

Phillips said if her parental rights remain intact, she's presumed to be first in line to receive custody of her two children. "That could still be contested," she added.

Rowe would have to undergo an evaluation by the court to determine if she's the best person to care for Jackson's children. So, too, would anyone else who applies to become the children's guardian — some of whom may have Jackson's blessing.

"If he did indicate a preference, that will be given great weight, but that will not be determinative," said Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred. "Children are not property, they cannot be willed to another person."

Allred agreed that Rowe has better legal standing than others who apply for custody of Jackson's eldest children. "She's definitely going to have an advantage."

But judges in California often take into account who is left in the children's lives with a strong bond, said Charlotte Goldberg, a family law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

"It's really a balance between continuity and stability and a biological relationship," Goldberg said.

A judge deciding the matter may even seek input in chambers from Jackson's children about who they feel comfortable with, she said.

But a court will also take into account with whom the children have a relationship bond, and that may not work in Rowe's favor. She wrote in a 2001 petition to sever her parental rights that she thought Jackson was doing a good parenting job.

"Michael has been a wonderful father to the children, and I do not wish to share any parenting responsibilities with Michael because he is doing so well without me," Rowe wrote. She also indicated in court filings during the 2006 custody struggle that she had not seen the children since 2005, shortly after his trial ended in acquittal on all charges and Jackson moved the children overseas.

It is unclear how often Rowe has seen the children since Jackson returned to the Los Angeles area in recent months to prepare for a 50-show concert engagement in London. It is also unclear what role the children's godfather, British child actor Mark Lester, may play in the proceedings.

Whoever wins custody of Jackson's children won't automatically gain control of their inheritance, Phillips said.

"For many people, the person or persons who are taking care of their kids are not necessarily taking care of their money," Phillips said. "There's a benefit to that — a sort of a check-and-balance."

Rowe, or whoever is designated the children's guardian, will receive payments based on Jackson's estate, Phillips said.

More clarity about the fate of Jackson's children will likely come once court proceedings start.

Phillips said the custody issue will now be handled by a probate court. If it is filed at Los Angeles' main downtown courthouse, Phillips said it will be handled by judges with significant family law experience.

Phillips said the looming custody fight could be unlike any other.

"In all the cases I've read all over the country," she said, "I've never seen a fact pattern like this."

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report

Iran recount seen as bid to placate opposition

By WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press Writer William J. Kole, Associated Press Writer

In an attempt to placate protesters, Iran conducted a partial recount Monday of votes cast in its disputed presidential election, and the hard-line president asked for an investigation into the shooting death of a young woman who has become a potent symbol of the opposition's struggle.

The regime's standoff with the West over its crackdown on demonstrators sharply escalated Sunday when Iran announced it had detained nine local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran. Both Britain and the European Union condemned what they called "harassment and intimidation."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said five of the Iranian embassy staffers had been released and the remaining four were being interrogated.

Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseini Ejehi claimed he had videotape showing some of the employees mingling with protesters, and said the fate of those who remain in custody now rests with the court system in a country where supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's word is law. State television said the cleric-controlled judiciary appointed a team "to help clarify the fate of the detainees."

But Qashqavi played down the dispute, saying officials were in written and verbal contact with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Iran had dismissed the idea of downgrading relations. Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats after accusing the country of meddling, and Britain responded in kind.

"Reduction of diplomatic ties is not on our agenda for any country, including Britain," Qashqavi said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meanwhile, asked a top judge Monday to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan, who became an icon of Iran's ragtag opposition after gruesome video of her bleeding to death on a Tehran street was circulated worldwide.

Ahmadinejad's Web site said Soltan was slain by "unknown agents and in a suspicious" way, convincing him that "enemies of the nation" were responsible.

The regime has implicated protesters and even foreign intelligence agents in Soltan's death. But an Iranian doctor who said he tried to save her told the BBC last week she apparently was shot by a member of the volunteer Basij militia. Protesters spotted an armed member of the militia on a motorcycle, and stopped and disarmed him, Dr. Arash Hejazi said.

Authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, most recently on Sunday, when riot police clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near the Ghoba Mosque in north Tehran. It was Iran's first major post-election unrest in four days.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that police used tear gas and clubs to break up the crowd, and said some demonstrators suffered broken bones. They alleged that security forces beat an elderly woman, prompting a screaming match with young demonstrators who then fought back.

The reports could not be independently verified because of tight restrictions imposed on journalists in Iran.

North Tehran is a base of support for opposition Mir Hossein Mousavi, who insists he — not Ahmadinejad — won the disputed June 12 election.

The Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, said it planned to complete the recount of a random 10 percent of ballots by the end of the day. Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said the recount was aimed at gaining "the confidence of the respectable supporters of candidates."

Yet it was unclear what purpose the recount would serve. Khamenei and the Council already have pronounced the results free of major fraud and insist that Ahmadinejad won by a landslide, and Mousavi has insisted the government nullify the results and hold a new vote — steps it flatly refuses to consider.

State TV said Mousavi representatives met with a Guardian Council election review panel, but it ended in a stalemate and officials decided to proceed with the recount.

Witnesses who spoke with the AP said they did not spot Mousavi at Sunday's rally. But one of his close assistants addressed the crowd through a loudspeaker and other opposition figures also appeared, including reformist presidential candidate Mahdi Karroubi.

Local news site Rooz Online said Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, were supposed to attend the protest — but when they couldn't reach the scene, Mousavi addressed supporters via a telephone held up to a megaphone, and spoke of "the importance of the people's vote and peace."

Sunday's clashes erupted at a rally that had been planned to coincide with a memorial held each year for Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, who came to be considered a martyr in the Islamic Republic after he was killed in a major anti-regime bombing in 1981.

Iranian authorities say 17 protesters and eight Basijis have been killed in two weeks of unrest, and that hundreds of people have been arrested.

Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Basij commander Hossein Taeb — whose militiamen have played a key role in the government's effort to quash protests — as saying that authorities arrested several people who dressed in police and Basiji uniforms and smashed car windows.

The Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights said its information suggests at least 2,000 arrests have been made — "not just (people) arrested and later released, but who are locked up in prison," the group's vice president, Abdol Karim Lahidji, told the AP.

He said his information came from members of human rights groups in Iran and other contacts inside the country.

Iran's increasingly acrimonious relations with the West complicated President Barack Obama's hopes of engaging the regime in dialogue over its nuclear program. Iran insists its program is peaceful and geared solely toward generating electricity; the U.S. and its allies contend that Tehran is covertly trying to build a nuclear weapon.

U.S. officials said Sunday that the administration remains open to discussions on Iran's nuclear ambitions despite questions about the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad.

"It's in the United States' national interest to make sure that we have employed all elements at our disposal, including diplomacy, to prevent Iran from achieving that nuclear capacity," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

But it won't be easy, said Reza Aslan, a renowned Middle East scholar and author.

"How is the administration going to have a conversation with Ahmadinejad when there is no sense of (his) legitimacy?" Aslan told the AP. "It will almost be impossible to sit down and talk."

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Kole reported from Cairo. Associated Press Writer Shaya Tayefe Mohajer in Cairo contributed to this report.

Court fight over Michael Jackson's children looms

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, is taking care of the singer's three children and the family will go to court Monday in part to protect her rights to custody, the family's spokesman said.