for sierra leone is sitting -- or the hague is sitting in -- the special court for sierra leone is meeting. >> charles taylor was the president of liberia. he is charged with waging war in neighboring sierra leone. no one disputes that rebel forces committed terrible atrocities there. the charges include murder, rape, slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers. many had their limbs hacked off by machetes or axes. question before the court was did charles taylor order those crimes -- the question before the court was, did charles taylor order those crimes? >> the judges say he is guilty of 80 -- guilty of aiding and abetting the crimes. the charges unanimously find you guilty of aiding and abetting. he supplied -- he was applied with diamonds from the mines. he gave the rebels arms and ammunitions, in the full knowledge they would commit crimes. in 2010, the super model naomi campbell said taylor had allegedly gifted -- charles taylor argued that, as a sitting head of state, he should be immune from prosecution. the court rejected the argument. the prosecutors see the judgment as a great step forward in their fight against the immunity that heads of states have often enjoyed. >>

prosecutors charged him with waging war in neighboring sierra leone. no one disputes that rebel forces committed terrible atrocities there. the charges include murder, rape, adoption, slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers. civilian populations were terrorized. many have their limbs hacked off by machete or axe. the question before the court was did charles taylor order those crimes. >> there is insufficient evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt -- >> he was cleared of directly ordering the atrocities. the judges asked him to stand here that he was guilty of aiding and abetting of 11 crimes in the indictment. >> we unanimously find you guilty of aiding and abetting -- >> the judges said rebel forces have supplied charles taylor with diamonds from the sierra leone-. in return, he give them arms and ammunitions in the full knowledge they would commit crimes against civilians. charles taylor argued the, as a sitting head of state when the indictment was issued, he should be immune from prosecution. the court rejected the argument. prosecutors

taylor guilty of fueling the war in neighboring sierra leone. 50,000 people died. mr. taylor will be sentenced next month. from the hague, our special correspondent starts our coverage. >> the special court for sierra leone is sitting in an open session in the case of the prosecution of charles taylor. >> it has been a landmark day in the international justice. charles taylor came to court knowing that he might go to prison for the rest of his life. he was the president of liberia. prosecutors charged him with waging war in neighboring sierra leone. no one disputes that rebel forces committed terrible atrocities there. the charges include murder, rape, adoption, slavery, and the recruitment of child soldiers. civilian populations were terrorized. many have their limbs hacked off by machete or axe. the question before the court was did charles taylor order those crimes. >> there is insufficient evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt -- >> he was cleared of directly ordering the atrocities. the judges asked him to stand here that he was guilty of aiding and abetting o

and supported rebel fighters as they slaughtered thousands of people in the civil war in neighboring sierra leone. >> the special court is sitting in an open session in the case against charles taylor. >> it has been a landmark day in international justice. charles taylor came to court knowing that he could well go to prison for the rest of his life. he was president of liberia. prosecutors have charged him with waging war in sierra leone. no one disputes the rebel forces committed terrible atrocities. the charges included murder, rape, abduction, the recruitment of child soldiers. many were terrorized. many had their limbs chopped off by machete or ax. did charles taylor order those crimes? >> there is insufficient evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt -- >> he was cleared of directly ordering the atrocities but if the he is still accused of aiding and abetting the crimes listed. >> you are found guilty for the 80 and abetting. >> the judge said that he sold the diamonds from the mines, in return he gave weapons and the full knowledge it would be used for crimes against civilians. he is the

prosecutors have charged him with waging war in neighboring sierra leone. no one disputes that rebel forces committed terrible atrocities there including abduction, rape, slavery and the recruitment of child soldiers. civilian populations were terrorized. many had their limbs hacked off by machete or ax. the question before the court was, did charles taylor order those crimes? >> there is sufficient evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt -- >> he was cleared of directly ordering the atrocities, but the judges decided he was guilty of aiding and abetting all the other crimes. >> we unanimously find you guilty of aiding and abetting. >> the judges said rebel forces were supplied with diamonds. charles taylor has argued that as a sitting head of state, he should be immune from prosecution. the court rejected that argument. the people of sierra leone see this in a great -- as a great step forward. >> it is a very important case for the people of sierra leone, who demanded that this court be created so they could have some measure of justice. it is a very im

abetted hundreds of thousand of these offenses over a three year war fought by his militias in neighboring sierra leone. charles taylor used diamond money to fund his proxy forces fighting in sierra leone. >> today is for the people of sierra leone who suffered horribly at the hands of charles taylor and his proxy forces. this judgment brings some measure of justice to the many thousands of victims who paid a terrible price for mr. taylor's crimes. >> reporter: that price still very obvious in sierra leone today and in the hague, too. violent militias run by heads of state. human rights groups have been quick today to say it's a huge message that nobody is now above the law. they're sincere but entirely wrong as defense counsel courtenay griffiths q.c. pointed out. >> have we forgotten nicaragua? have we forgotten el salvaldor? have we forgotten the mujahadeen in afghanistan? whether you're the president of the united states or the prime minister of britain, if you engage in such covert activities and crimes are committed, yes, haul them before an international court. >> reporter: but limited justice i

criminal court of providing weapons and supplies to rebel forces who committed atrocities in neighboring sierra leonea brutal 11-year conflict. prosecutors say taylor who studied economics at bentley college in massachusetts in the 1970s ordered child soldiers into battle and forced young girls into sexual slavery. it's the first time a head of state has been found guilty by an international court since the nuremberg naulzi trials after world war ii. if you want to learn more about him, read the "new york times," helene cooper has a family piece, today. >>> still ahead on "way too early," it was christmas for nfl freaks last night, and mel kieper jr. was sant clause. andrew luck finally got the colts jersey as the number one pick in the draft. who else went where? >>> plus an update on the story we told you about yesterday where a couple at a texas rangers game grabbed a ball thrown up into the stands and then didn't give it to the sobbing little dude sitting next to them. now they are the ones who want an apology. details and a check on weather when "way too early" comes back. >>> he is 75 years old

the charges taylor has been found guilty of stem from the civil war in neighboring sierra leone. ylor gave financial and logistical support to a group called the revolutionary united front, which aimed to overthrow the sierra leone government. ruf gangs terrorized the population. their leaders have been convicted of war crimes. charles taylor was finally arrested on the run in 2006. formerly one of west africa's most powerful men, he was taken away in handcuffs. his trial began a year later. >> this is a significant event for international criminal law here for the first time, we are seeing a trial against an african head of state, or, for that matter, any head of state that has been completed. it was not a given. heads of state enjoy diplomatic immunity, but that immunity was broken. so we see that even a head of state cannot be held accountable under international criminal law. >> so far, that has applied in particular to african heads of state. sudan's president has been indicted for war crimes by the international criminal court, as has libya's. while many welcome it, others f

former liberian president charles taylor is charged with sponsoring brutal rebel groups in neighboring sierra leon. >>> rights activists are having it their way at burgering king. the chain announced it's only going to use eggs from hens kept in cages. they will also only use pork products from uncaged pigs. >> also, 5,000 4 and 5-year- olds are sitting up several baltimore attractions today. it's the pre-k at play and gives youngsters an educational experience outside the classroom. places like camden yards and walters art museum. that's happening today. first round of the nfl draft begins today at radio city moussic hall in new york. this is where it's happening. andrew luck is expected to be the first pick going to indianapolis and the colts and baylor's robert griffin iii will likely be the second pick rather for the redskins. time now for check on the weather and lynette charles. >> it's wet out there right now megan but a break pretty soon and then we'll have some more pet weather moving in but check out the complex of thunderstorms diving down into tennessee right now. that is severe thunde

was president of liberia when he was accused of supporting rebel committing atrocity in neighboring sierra leone. carolyn johnson my co-anchors met some of the victims last year while on assignment. one had both arms amputated by rebel soldiers. tactic so wide spread it was a symbol of the civil war. all these people face amputation. thousands of survivors still live with the injuries as you can see. taylor also charged with trading weapons to the rebel in exchange for diamonds mined by slave labor which became known around the world as blood dmonds. taylor scheduled to be sentenced next month. >>> back here. treasury secretary geithner is heading to china for economic talk but first he stopped off at san francisco to explain the progress and the challenges facing the 2 nations. as carolyn tyler explains the global economy wasn't all as some people wanted to debate. [applause]. >>reporter: focus of treasury secretary speech was on the economic relationship between the u.s. and china. >> even though we compete in many areas our economic strength are largely complimentary. >>reporter: but the firs

taylor was found guilty of aiding rebels who carried out war crimes in neighboring sierra leon. sentencing is scheduled for next month. the court has no death penalty but taylor could spend the rest of his life in prison. i'll keep you posted on that. those are international headlines. >> very good. thank you. >>> still ahead from iran to the bay area, the cat now up for adoption and he's got quite a tail. >> rocking out. we take you inside the rehearsals for a big-time rock 'n' roll tribute here in the bay area. >> i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. the rain is pushing well off to the south and that sun is arriving for a lot of us here. we'll let you know how long it's going to last and when those 80-degree temperatures will come back in just a few minutes. what'll it be? i'll have blueberry pancakes. uh huh. actually, make that glazed pecans... ok. with chocolate... no... caramel sauce. whipped cream? uhhhhhhh, yeah... but on the side. introducing build your own pancakes. only at denny's. >> a cat found in iran stuck in a road is getting special treatment in

trial said taylor orchestrated one of the most brutal campaigns in africa, gave rebels in neighboring sierra leone, weapons in exchange for blood diamonds this is the first time since the nuremberg trials, that a leader has been found guilty in international criminal court. >>> young said he was told hiding hunter was the most important job even after edwards dropped out of the 2008 race because he was trying to be considered for vice president young testified edwards stopped returning his phone calls and he was growing tired of living with hunter and edward's child. >>> dc police searching for a suspect, accused of killing a man they believed was a tourist visiting from denver, 66-year- old gary dote rick was found dead tuesday on emmer son street northwest, authorities believe he was renting a basement apartment in the neighbourhood police thing some sort of weapon was used to kill him, they are offering a 25,000 dollars reward, for information, leading to an arrest. >>> to the campaign trail mitt romney picks up another endorsement more evidence he is becoming the official republican nominee fo

abetted hundreds of thousand of these offenses over a three year war fought by his militias in neighboring sierra leone. charles taylor used diamond money to fund his proxy forces fighting in sierra leone. >> today is for the people of sierra leone who suffered horribly at the hands of charles taylor and his proxy forces. this judgment brings some measure of justice to the many thousands of victims who paid a terrible price for mr. taylor's crimes. >> reporter: that price still very obvious in sierra leone today and in the hague, too. violent militias run by heads of state. human rights groups have been quick today to say it's a huge message that nobody is now above the law. they're sincere but entirely wrong as defense counsel courtenay griffiths q.c. pointed out. >> have we forgotten nicaragua? have we forgotten el salvaldor? have we forgotten the mujahadeen in afghanistan? whether you're the president of the united states or the prime minister of britain, if you engage in such covert activities and crimes are committed, yes, haul them before an international court. >> reporter: but limited justice i

in liberia, the conviction is also for a -- i should say the conviction is for crimes in neighboring sierra leones reported victims number in the hundreds of thousands, but one man's story shows how cruel and how evil taylor and the forces he aided could be. >> so they laid a hand on me and with my vea very new axe went t my left hand. so i begged them i said leave me alone. >> 2,000 interviewed, so many people including the man you just saw. so you were on the other side of the camera, and i was reading these rebels have said to their victims, you know, you want short sleeves or long sleeves and that would dictate whether their hands or fore arms would be chopped up. >> and people were lined up, forced to line up to have limbs amputated. and a lot of times they didn't have adults do this, because it was sickening to cut children's, babies' limbs off. they got children to do it and charles taylor. no, he wasn't there, and no, he wasn't in command, but what he did was he pushed all of this. charles taylor and the leader of the revolutionary united front that did all of the hand chopping in sierra

he stands accused of fueling war in the neighboring state of sierra leon in exchange for die madonnas. charges against him include terrorizing the civilian population and crimes against humanitarianty. a decade after the war ended, our competent allen little has been back to sierra leon to see how the country has recovered from mr. taylor's rule. >> a decade of war reduced sierra leone to the poverty it has not yet escaped. in the heart of free town, children scavenge in a rubbish dump for bits of plastic they might sell for pennies. this patch of land is still known as amputee camp, though the camp itself is long gone. in the 1990's it was home to a tent settlement of men, women and children who had their limbs severed by machete or ax. this was the signature atrocity of the rebel army known as revolutionary united front or i.u.f. >> chopped off my foot with an ax. not one blow. about five, six times. >> he said he had heard charles taylor on the radio threatening to make sierra leone taste the bitterness of war. >> this is my conviction that everything was his doing. >> charles tail

in the tribe of the former liberian president stands accused of stealing war in the neighboring state of sierra leone in exchange for diamonds, and it includes crimes against humanity. the decade after that war ended, our correspondent went back to sierra leone to see how the country has recovered from his rule. >> a decade of war reduced sierra leone to a poverty it has not yet escaped. children scavenge in a rummaged up. bids of plastic that they might sell for pennies. this patch of land is still known here. in the 1990's, it was home to a settlement of men, women, and children had had their limbs severed by machete or other. a rebel army, known as the >> date stepped on me and with an ax topped off. about five or six times. >> you says he had heard charles taylor on the radio threatening to make sierra leone taste the bitterness of war. >> it is my strong conviction. >> charles taylor has been on trial for the last four years, accused of funding and directing them. the indictment charges him with terrorizing civilians, unlawful killing, sexual violence, abductions, and the use of child soldiers.

neighboring liberia. in 2006, he was arrested and brought to the head to stand trial. he has always denied armin and supporting sierra leone rebels. >> i never, ever, at any time, knowingly assist in the invasion of sierra leone. >> the prosecution argued that he was intent on pillaging the diamond riches. >> it was alleged that she had received diamonds from mr. taylor after attending dinner hosted by nelson mandela in 1997. >> i had a knack of my door. i opened my door. two men were there and gave me a pouch and said a gift for you. >> she told the court she did not know where the small stones had come from. mr. taylor said it was a diabolical live. the defense team alleges that the case against the former liberian leader has been a political conspiracy by western nations, which want to prevent them returning to power in west africa. >> we segment that is to the shame of this prosecution that it has the smarts to the lofty ideals -- besmirched the lofty ideals of criminal law by turning this case into a 21st century form of neocolonialism. i am not apologizing for saying that. >> the verdict would be a critical moment. h

sierra leone. the former president of the neighboring country, liberia, was found guilty of crimes.r on our team. tell us what you are hearing from your home country of liberia. what is the reaction? >> this morning when the verdict came down, my phone started ringing like crazy right away, and, you know, a lot of excitement. you know, guilty, guilty, guilty, that's what people were saying. then i started getting text messages. you should see the sun, it's shining so bright. there's a rainbow around the town. liberian people were feeling this was a sign from god. i get to my daughter's facebook and there was a picture of the sun with this rainbow. this is actually on my daughter's blog. it was sent to her from an american in liberia, matt jones, so matt said we could use this picture. thank you, matt. but the thing is liberians love charles taylor, many still do. this is what people -- it seems crazy -- >> it does seem crazy. >> yeah, but he has so much support still. he's loved and hated in liberia today because people think, you know, this man was -- he won an election. he was alr

sierra leone. well, today the former president of neighboring liberia was found guilty of war crimes linked to blood own brenda bush is a member of my production team. she is from liberia, and she had to flee after the coup in 1980. well, i spoke with her earlier about the verdict against former president charles taylor. >> the rebels were known to have asked people, women, children, all, you want short sleeve or long sleeve? meaning we cut off your arm here for long sleeve, up here for short sleeve. and people had to say. children, babies, women, men, all of these people were, you know, so many sierra leonians were subjected to this sort of atrocity. >> i can see the emotion in your eyes just as you explain it and you describe it. and your daughter is back in liberia now. how has it changed? >> you know, my daughter blogged this today that -- she said all hail liberia heal. that was her blog. she talked about when the war ended, my father immediately sent all of us back to liberia. he wanted us to know this country. one year after the war ended, we were back there in liberia. i think there's so muc

neighbors, churches and local governments. >>> guilty, that's the verdict for former liberan president charles taylor. an international court said he helped sierra leones commit war crimes and he's set to be sentenced next month. >>> attorneys for john edwards are attacking the credibility of his former aide. andrew young is the star witness in the trial against edwards. he's accused of using political donations to cover up an affair. >>> political buzz is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. playing with us today, sirrious xm radio host and comedian and all-around pete guy, pete dominic and cnn contributor, will cain, another smart guy and chris moody, you too, from yahoo! news, he's in the middle. welcome to all of you. >> thank you. >> first question, cnn affiliate in seattle quotes a source who said secret service agents got wasted in el salvador ahead of president obama's visit there last year. they partied with strippers. they took the strippers to their hotel rooms and even said we do this all the time. don't worry about it. the secret service is offering no comment this morning