7/17 UPDATE:

The family of two American teenagers freed from a Pakistani madrassa have kept a low profile during the week since the boys returned home to Atlanta. But 17-year-old Noor Elahi Khan and his 16-year-old brother Mahboob are prominently featured in a new documentary about the Jamia Binoria madrassa and its alleged ties to radical Islamic groups.

Imran Raza, an American of Pakistani descent, produced and directed the film Karachi Kids. Click on the video to hear his comments.

The filmmaker interviewed the Khan brothers in 2005. At that time, they described routine beatings at the madrassa and said they wanted to go back to America, the country in which they were born.

Their story prompted U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) to personally lobby Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for the boys’ return.

But three years after that 2005 film interview, and four years after their father enrolled them in the school — allegedly against their will, the Khan brothers appear to have had a change of heart.

During the trip home, Raza said he asked Mahboob what he thought of the documentary and the 16-year-old replied, “I was very saddened because you were very mean to the madrassa.” Keep Reading …

TUESDAY 3:20 PM

John Wimunc and fellow Marine Kyle Alden displayed no emotion during their first appearance in court, as the judge read the charges against them, and the possible sentences associated with those charges.

If Alden is convicted of all charges against him, he could, in theory, face up to 49 years in consecutive prison sentences. If Wimunc is convicted of first degree murder, he could face the death penalty or life without parole.

After the hearing, Wimunc’s attorney D.W. Bray walked up to the TV cameras gathered outside the detention center and made this statement:

My cleint is presumed to be innocent. We have soldiers that are fighting across the world to preserve that right. We don’t want this case tried in the media. We want it to be tried in a court of law, not under accusations, but under admissible, certifiable evidence. And until then, please remember he is presumed to be innocent.”

The hearing location was moved to the Cumberland County Detention Center for logistical purposes. This is where both defendants are being held until their next scheduled court appearance on August 5.

Holley Wimunc

TUESDAY 9:30

Now that investigators have finished recovering, what they believe are, the charred remains of Ft. Bragg Army nurse Holley Wimunc from a shallow grave near Camp Lejeune, the focus of the murder investigation shifts back to Fayetteville, NC — about 90 miles away.

That’s where the victim’s husband, 23-year-old Marine Cpl. John Wimunc, is scheduled for his first court appearance along with a fellow Camp Lejeune Marine, 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden.

John Wimunc is charged with first degree murder in connection with his wife’s death. Alden is charged with being an accessory after the fact to first degree murder.

Both men also face arson charges in connection with Thursday’s fire at Holley Wimunc’s Fayetteville apartment — which investigators believe was set in an unsuccessful attempt to hide evidence.

Alden’s mother told the Associated Press her son’s only involvement was giving a friend a ride to Fayetteville. “He had no idea what was going on,” she said.

On Saturday, John Wimunc’s parents tried to defend their son against speculation of any involvement in his wife’s disappearance and disputed the domestic violence allegations Holley Wimunc made against him in May. But John Wimunc’s parents have not commented on the most recent developments in the case.

The two Marines are scheduled to appear in Cumberland County District Court at 2 PM Eastern Time. Keep Reading …

Jill interviews Christian Bale

At Monday’s premiere of The Dark Knight, I talked to Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, and Aaron Eckhart. The BLACK carpet (instead of the usual red) was absolutely packed with reporters and camera crews… and surrounded on every side by fans.

Everyone was talking about the late Heath Ledger, who played the Joker to Christian Bale’s Batman. This was Ledger’s last completed role.

Bale says he and Ledger both generally stayed “in character” while on set.

Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal both raved about Ledger’s performance. Oscar-winner Michael Caine told me he “absolutely” believes this role will earn Ledger an Oscar nomination. Gary Oldman says he thinks Ledger might even win the Oscar for this performance.

The stars were somber while discussing Ledger, but the evening also had a upbeat feel, as fans screamed for each actor. Maggie Gyllenhaal gushed, “it’s a really great movie” and promised the film more than lives up to all the hype.

I’ll be reporting on this story today on Fox News Channel, so tune in for more… and check back soon for Part 2 of our Dark Knight blog coverage!

Jill Dobson goes behind-the-scenes with Aerosmith on the new “Guitar Hero” game!

Watch the video below:

I’ve been inside the Celebrity Divorce Court everybody’s talking about. But I had no time to blog. I was too busy typing up some 30 pages of courtroom notes and beaming them back to my colleagues via blackberry. I had my wrists and thumbs on ice all weekend.

But the testimony was so juicy I couldn’t stop typing. It was like watching a Lifetime movie.
A legendary Supermodel marries a handsome cad who turns out to be no Superdad… Christie told of how she thought their life in the idyllic Hamptons was perfect, until the day a stranger shattered her world forever.

Moments after Christie delivered a commencement speech at Southampton High School on Long Island, NY, a man tapped her on the shoulder and whispered “Your b—— of a husband is having an affair with my step daughter. He won’t knock it off. She’s just 19 years old.”

Peter originally tried to deny it all to Christie, but finally ‘fessed up in both public and private. He was the first to take the stand. He told of how he first met and bedded the young Diana Bianchi… How he gave her a job doing odds and ends around his office. He paid her 20 grand for a summer’s worth of work, but would also leave extra cash for her in hiding places. When Diana took the stand, there was much hubbub amongst the press when we realized one of the former lovers was lying.

Keep Reading …

By David Mac Dougall & Marcia Biggs, Baghdad Bureau

We’ve got the perfect patriotic story running tonight on Special Report at 6pm eastern. More than 1,200 military men and women, choosing to re-enlist on Independence Day: and our Baghdad bureau cameras were there to capture the whole event.

It gets pretty crowded in the al-Faw Palace west of Baghdad… but somehow organizers found just enough space to squeeze everybody in. General David Petraeus, the senior US military commander in Iraq, acted as master of ceremonies - and he knows how to whip up his audience! General Petraeus called out to each of the branches of the armed forces, getting their members to shout back at him. I’d say the loudest yell came from the US Marines who were present, but that’s not a scientific measurement or anything!

The ceremony itself is a pretty solemn affair: the names of each American state are called out, and then General Petraeus and the assembled audience recited their oath of enlistment.

Afterward, there was cake (the military sure do love the combination of ceremonies and cake…) and more interestingly on a culinary level, real Chicago pizza - shipped to Iraq by a former US Air Force Sergeant who wanted to provide a true taste of America on July 4th (my friend Jeff Goldblatt in the Chicago bureau did a story about the pizza earlier this week as it left Illinois).

We got the chance to talk to a lot of the people who re-enlisted. It was fascinating to get a cross-section of people telling us their reasons for signing up. Some do it for the benefits, for the (often substantial) re-enlistment bonus, or for the education opportunities the military can provide them with. Other people have made the military their whole career, and this was the chance to stay in a job they love.

The most unique reason for re-enlisting came from Sgt William McEndree of the 74th Military Police Battalion. Seems like while he’s been in Iraq, his car burst into flames as his daughter was driving it. Sgt McEndree told us the $15,000 re-enlistment bonus he received would go towards buying a new car. No word on whether his daughter will still be allowed to drive it!

By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau

Me, producer Nicola and cameraman Delimir arrive at Camp Victory to shoot this story

Education about the heat here begins pre-deployment - with soldiers learning about the role fitness levels, hydration and nutrition can all play in staying healthy.

When they arrive in-country, each soldier will take a different amount of time to acclimatize (depending too, of course, on what time of year they arrive in Iraq). I talked with LTCDR Dennis Faix, one of the physicians at the TF-62 medical center at VBC.

He told me that heat is a constant challenge in Iraq. He said “It’s one of the few things, like malaria or typhoid that can take out an entire operational unit, and decrease their effectiveness very quickly”. LTCDR Faix is normally stationed in San Diego and tells me I’d enjoy the surfing there more than the desert sands of Iraq!

Getting my temperature taken by Dr Laurel before the experiment

Of course we weren’t hoping to find a soldier with a heat-related illness to prove our point. I’ve had heat stroke three times over the past five years in Iraq and wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But I did want to try and show how even a short exposure to the heat and sun here can affect the body: measuring vital statistics like heart rate, blood pressure and temperature before and after.

So I figured it was time to get dressed in 65lbs of extra gear, similar to what a combat medic might wear out on patrol (minus the gun of course, they tend not to let journalists carry those!)

I put on a helmet, backpack containing medical equipment, body armor and started walking about (under medical supervision of course, and with cameraman Delimir Babic filming every step).

Cameraman Delimir finds a space for the clip-on microphone

After 5 minutes I thought I was doing okay - sure, it was hot and I was sweating and the pack was heavy, but I felt not bad. After 10 minutes I was feeling the strain - out of breath (which had as much to do with my poor fitness levels as the sun!) sweating a lot and getting pins & needles in my fingers due to the weight of the backpack not being properly distributed.

I walked around for about 15 minutes, then decided to stop, figuring that was enough time to get some changes in physiology.

At the end of the experiment I was surprised my shirt wasn’t more sweat-soaked, until I remembered I’d bought some fancy hi-tech material that wicks away moisture, so not the best way to show how hot I was feeling. As expected however, my blood pressure had gone up, my heart rate was racing, and my body temperature went to 98.8 degrees (an increase of almost 3 degrees after just 15 minutes in the sun).

65lbs of extra gear, including a back-pack filled with medical equipment

Five minutes of walking, and already feeling the strain as the temperature rises

Finishing the experiment, I looked better than I felt!

Producer Nicola Sadler was there to take pictures and document the whole experiment for the blog (and laugh at me later, naturally). I’ve looked better, but you get the idea a) how out of shape I am and b) how hot it is out there for the military personnel who have to endure the heat and sun a lot longer than I did.

Afterwards, Dr Laurel notes the increased temperature, heart rate and blood pressure!

By Steve Harrigan
Click here for Steve Harrigan’s bio

I wanted to go to Colombia to see their army fight FARC terrorists. I thought it would be good video, jungle, and timely, since three FARC leaders were dead, Congress was debating aid to Colombia, and McCain was visiting.

I had a Colombian friend ask the Defense Ministry if I could go out with their troops. The answer I got was that it was quiet now, but that next week would be “muy muy interesante.”

I looked at those three words, “muy muy interasante.” I forwarded the note to the bureau chief. This could be enough to sell a trip to NY. But if it turned out to be nothing, you could look bad. It costs money to move crews and gear around.

“Muy muy interesante,” I said aloud.

The plan was to fly to Bogota, then a military helicopter south.

I have not been in a chopper for a while. This one looked familiar - so did the digi camo uniforms … all American made.

The Colombian side gunner yelled at me to fasten my belt. Helicopter guys often yell, so no offense was taken. It was a simple hook belt, not a triple belt like in a Black Hawk, plus it was daylight and no one was shooting.

I know I should make a list of travel gear. The item I forgot this time was earplugs. Had to ride with both fingers jammed in ears. That will make you remember your earplugs.

The gunner swung open the door so the cameraman Yo could take pictures of the jungle. The gust of air cooled off my wet back. We banked over a river and I grabbed the roof to hold on. There was just a belt between me and the river. The gunner and I smiled at each other. And I was the kid who was scared of The Flying Bobs.

Lunch with colonels. An hour of straining to understand Spanish. The meat was thin, the flip side covered with fat. I tried to separate the fat from the meat but could not with a butter knife. Would have been polite to eat it but I left it.

Boarding second helicopter looked at blackberry. Someone calling. Hostages freed. A moment of uncertainty. Gear already on helicopter, which was leaving. Did a phone report then flew, fingers again in ears.

Said we had to go where freed hostages were. Landed near where they were freed. But they had already left, back to capital.

Another helicopter, then fixed wing back to capital. Landed 7.50 pm. Did phoner from plane. I was the annoying guy.

Needed to find a room with a balcony. Needed to face East in order to get a signal to do a live shot. It was midnight. Ordered chicken lasagna.

Loaded gear into two tiny taxis. Tipped doorman 20 for lugging cases. Finance man Giglio will never believe this. Note to self: bring tens.

Set up two laptops on roof. Tried to follow step by step instructions. Gear is small, portable, fragile and fickle. No signal. Looked at watch. Amor stayed up late. Plus I had been plying him with Hess King Cones.

“Check the cable to the camera. Make sure it’s snug.”

Boom, picture. Diagnosis from far away, late at night.

Come back to roof four hours later. Used umbrellas to protect laptops from heat. The guys who design this stuff must be office guys.

Update 2:30pm - In case you’re wondering what goes into covering a trial like this, let me describe the scene here. FOX Entertainment Producer Extraordinaire Ashley Dvorkin is coordinating live shots from the satellite truck. We have 2 sat-truck operators, Chris and Mark. Cameraman Rich D’Elia is shooting all my reports. A cameraman known as “Hollywood” is shooting video of Brinkley and Cook whenever they exit the courtroom. Super-Producer Kathleen Foster is inside the courtroom, literally transcribing the entire court proceedings… on a blackberry. She has lightning-fast thumbs! And I’m running between the courtroom and my liveshot location. It takes a team!

Update 1pm - Cook just reacted to Brinkley’s testimony, telling reporters “Shrek was more believable.”

Update 11:45am - Christie Brinkley is testifying right now. She’s describing the day she learned of her husband’s infidelity. She told the court she called a friend and said, “I can’t believe it. Peter’s been cheating on me, and with a teenager.”

We’re on Long Island for Day Two of the Christie Brinkley vs. Peter Cook divorce/custody case. Last night we got back to Manhattan at midnight - and this morning we returned here at 6am. Believe me, we desperately needed coffee after that quick turnaround!

The good news is, we beat all the key players to the courtroom. We got video of Brinkley arriving at court - and her lawyer confirmed that she is planning to testify today

As Peter Cook entered court, he was peppered with questions from reporters. His response was to simply say, “I am a good father.”

I’ll be reporting live today on the British network Sky News; and various FOX local stations; as well as FOX News Channel. It’s shaping up to be a very busy day! In between live shots, I’ll be sure to update you on all the behind-the-scenes scoop from Long Island!

I haven’t been on a stakeout in a while. We’ll do it on occasion, waiting for someone to arrive or leave a location, efforting video and/or an interview with someone who doesn’t necessarily want to be on television.

It can be extremely boring, depending on how long it takes to get the shot.

Sometimes we sit in a vehicle and read the paper or listen to music. Sometimes it’s cold or rainy and we’re stuck outside.

Today was nice. I stood at the corner of 120th and Amsterdam on the edge of Columbia University’s campus under blue skies with the temperature in the mid to upper 70’s. My producer Ian Rafferty had to wait in the car since we were illegally parked next to a coned-off zone where they’re supposed to shoot an episode of “Law and Order”. My cameraman Paul Alvarez stood in front of the side door with a still photographer while I manned the corner about 20 yards away, keeping an eyeball on the front entrance, scanning back and forth in case our subject stepped out Paul’s way.

We were waiting for Dr. Madonna Constantine, a just-fired Columbia Teacher’s College professor who’s accused of plagiarizing the work of two students and a former colleague. She gained national attention during the investigation into her alleged misdeeds when a noose mysteriously appeared on her office door, leading to her claims the school was targeting her in some sort of racist witch hunt.

About an hour after we arrived outside her building I spotted her, dressed in black with a male escort, hurrying out the front door and towards a town car that was quickly u-turning to a stop in front of her building.

“There she is!” I yelled to Paul and jogged down the sidewalk towards her, microphone in hand. “Dr. Constantine!” I shouted. “Dr. Constantine!  Can we ask you a question?”. She ignored me and climbed into the backseat. Her escort followed and closed the door as we reached the car.

“Dr. Constantine?” I asked again. She never turned her head and the car sped off towards the light, where the still camera grabbed a shot.
She’s apparently headed to her lawyer’s office to discuss her next move.

We fed the video via our mac book pro and set up the streambox for a Studio B live shot.

I felt a bit like a paparazzi but my goal wasn’t profit or exploitation. I was trying to give her a chance to respond to the allegations against her. Maybe her lawyer will talk instead.