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Countdown to 'Countdown'

Simultaneous 'Countdown' of the top news stories exclusively  at Countdown.msnbc.com
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Gitmo Quran abuse — It is the equivalent of the old proverb about the lady and the tiger, adjusted for the age of terror.  Is the military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the best defense against the chances, however slim, of another 9/11?  Or is it "the greatest propaganda tool that exists for recruiting terrorists around the world?"  Our fifth story on the Countdown: group terror, group detention, and group newsleaking.  Since the , the debate has ramped up at both ends of the political spectrum.  Critics say all Gitmo is a lightning rod for Muslim dissention.  Yet, defenders insist the media is trying to rob the administration of one of its key defenses against terror.

Jackson verdict watch — Again it seems that the events in Santa Maria California can serve as comic relief to otherwise life and death crime news.  It's your entertainment and tax dollars in action: Day 567 of the Michael Jackson Investigations.  a little more than an hour into the process.  No word on what was asked or how it was answered.  But, the real excitement today came from outside the courtroom.  Reporters called the events, "” — not Jackson, but his father Joe causing the stir as he arrived at court demanding to see his son.  Michael Jackson was at Never-land.  Michael and Pap are very close.  Of course, there was another option.  Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.  Michael Jackson spent about five hours there yesterday for his recurring back problems.  This is the defendant's second trip to the hospital this week and his fourth over the 13 weeks of this trial.  At least he has his millions of fans to console him...Or not. The Jackson family hired three charter buses with 60 seats each to shuttle supporters from Los Angeles to the courthouse — only 6 people showed.

Little Leaguers getting surgery — Once upon a time, every kid in America knew that if you tried to make a baseball curve before your 13th birthday, the odds were pretty good that your arm would fall off.  We've lost a lot of anecdotal, hyperbolic knowledge that way.  And in this particular case, we've replaced it with something called "Little League Elbow."  As our correspondent Kerry Sanders reports, the advice may have been anecdotal and hyperbolic, but it was pretty good.  .

Runaway confessions — Was there a breaking point?  Maybe, it was when Wilbanks went to buy those gifts for the attendants and organizers on the Tuesday night before she exited, stage right.  She was disappointed by the selection at the store...And she knew she couldn't buy them gifts after the wedding, because she admitted, she is "so anal."  That, apparently, was the last crisis she faced before fleeing for New Mexico.  Today, the .