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U.S. Helicopter Downed Near Baghdad; White House Releases 8/6/01 PDB

Aired April 11, 2004 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead, an U.S. helicopter downed near Baghdad kills the crewmembers. Live with the latest.

Also, President Bush and 9/11, after release of the famous August 6 presidential daily briefing.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a million dollar wound. You know? Some of my buddies aren't around to read their citation. So, it's one medal I never wanted but I did get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A soldier's story, the wounds he suffered on and off the battlefield. Still, he wants to go back into battle.

But first, here's a look at the top stories.

A hot spot in Iraq cooled down for now. A cease-fire put in place in Fallujah just hours ago is holding. That's the word from U.S. Civilian Administrator Paul Bremer. Fallujah, west of Baghdad, has been a volatile city following more than a week of violence.

Along the U.S. border with Mexico, authorities do not expect to find any more survivors from a propane tank explosion. At least eight people were killed in yesterday's blast, in a town just across the border from Weslaco, Texas. The explosion leveled a restaurant and tortilla factory.

For the world's Christians, today is the holiest day on the calendar. At the Vatican, the leader of the world's Roman Catholics focused on global conflicts in his Easter message. Pope John Paul II says the culture of love can defeat terrorism and the logic of death and revenge in Iraq, the Middle East, and other troubled areas.

We begin with another turn for the worst in Iraq, the downing of an American attack helicopter. Coalition officials say the Apache was brought down by a surface-to-air missile west of Baghdad. Both crewmembers were killed. Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with the latest. Karl?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that Apache attack helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents this morning. A rapid deployment force was dispatched to the area but as General Kimmitt told us this afternoon's press briefing, both pilots were killed in that attack. The helicopter was taken down during fighting between coalition forces and Iraqi insurgents for control of the main highway that exits Baghdad to the west and leads all the way through to Jordan. According to coalition authorities, that major highway is still not under full coalition control.

A little further west of the point where the helicopter went down lies the city of Fallujah, a city of 300,000 people, and has been the scene of intense fighting between U.S. Marines and insurgent cells in the course of the last six days. Now, the last 48 hours, members of the Iraqi governing council have been trying to broker a cease-fire in the city and signs that tentative cease-fire has held for at least part of the day. That said, General Kimmitt has reported sporadic clashes between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents. And we do understand that in the course of the day, two marines have been wounded and one Iraqi insurgent may have been killed.

No real sign, though, that that cease-fire may be maintained long term. The Marines have said that they will not pull out from the city as the insurgents have demanded, and General Kimmitt has added to that the Marines will hold their position in case there is no political settlement and the Marine haves to storm Iraqi insurgent positions both on rooftops and other parts of the city.

Now, that, from a battle in progress, albeit under cease-fire at the moment, to battles that could take place later on in the week. I'm referring the cities of Karbala and Najaf, south of Baghdad. Those at the moment, according to General Kimmitt, are largely under control of a Muslim Shiite militia known as the Mahdi army. Those are controlled by a firebrand cleric, Muqtada al Sadr. And he's resisting an arrest warrant in connection with the murder of a rival cleric a year ago. And so far, the coalition authorities say they'll not allow him to continue in control of those cities, and that could announce some kind of conflict later in the week when a major religious festivity comes to an end. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Karl, let me ask you again about the cease holding in Fallujah. The citizens there in Baghdad, are any of them expressing any real encouragement because of this cease-fire?

PENHAUL: Not really. We haven't heard any real signs of encouragement. Certainly from the ordinary citizens of Baghdad, in the course of the last week, we have seen a large degree of solidarity both from Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims for the people of Fallujah. National and certain of the Arabic language media reporting a high number of civilian casualties in that city, and civilians in Baghdad have organized relief supplies, food and blankets for the civilians of Fallujah. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul from Baghdad, thanks very much for that update. The latest threat in the conflict in Iraq, hostage taking. It's growing concern for the U.S.-led coalition. Right now, the fate of a man identified as Thomas Hamill, from rural Mississippi, is unknown. He was videotaped in the back of a vehicle held by masked captors. A deadline set by Hamill's kidnappers has now passed.

And no word on the status of three Japanese civilian hostages, hours after al-Jazeera television reported the three would be released. Their kidnappers had threatened to kill them by today if Japan did not withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Back now to the troubled city of Fallujah. A cease-fire between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents seems to be holding, but what next for the U.S. coalition military strategy? Some ideas now, from CNN contributor Kelly McCann, former Marines Special Missions officer. Good to see you, Kelly.

KELLY MCCANN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So far, the coalition is glad to say that the cease- fire seems to be working. But your sources are telling you, apparently, that more U.S. Marines could be on the way to Fallujah. Is that right?

MCCANN: They're there. Obviously, when you fight the MEF, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, they're comprised of many battalions. Two have been engaging and two have been paying attention to support functions, et cetera. They've moved a third one now, so that they're in an advantage point to decisively engage, should they need to take the rest of Fallujah. Of course, the fourth battalion and support troops would be held in reserve and also help with marshaling, goods coming in and perhaps people evacuating the area.

So I think that they're hoping that diplomacy will end all the violence there. However, they are poised to take the rest of the city, if need be. Fred.

WHITFIELD: There have been lots of questions about the goal of the Marines in Fallujah. Is it to win the hearts and minds of the Fallujians there, or is it to try to weed out some of the insurgents, particularly after a week and a half of violence there?

MCCANN: Both. Initially in the deployment, they actually are wearing proprietary uniforms that look different from the Army troops. They went in with the combined action platoon mentality, which is kind of get into the community develop grassroots intelligence, so that they can run search and destroy missions very, very surgically. However, that was kind of trumped because of actions in Fallujah, so they went into the attack. And I would just remember what 1st Marine Division's motto is, which is best friend, worst enemy. It is a significant fighting force with an attitude, Fred.

WHITFIELD: What are your concerns, knowing, if the numbers are right, that there are an estimated 5,000 insurgents in Fallujah alone. Obviously, the Marines are outnumbered. MCCANN: The best indication of that is, they're not outnumbered. They have much better technical equipment; they have thermal imaging that can sense where people are. They own the air around Fallujah. It's really an asymmetrical battle. Mainly because the insurgents are not adhering to the law of land warfare and the rules of engagement, that's the only thing they can do against a numerically superior and more technically proficient armed force. The Marines are trained for this kind of thing, especially urban areas. And I think that, based on them entering into discussions, they sense that they're significantly vulnerable.

WHITFIELD: What's your understanding of the logic of the cease- fire, when particularly after the four American security contractors were killed. The coalition forces made it very clear they were intent on weeding out or finding those responsible and that, in part, justified the switch over between the Marines and the Army soldiers in Fallujah.

MCCANN: You do that with intelligence. Of course, now that they're on the ground, they're developing that intelligence as they walk the streets. They do patrols. They develop informants, et cetera. You don't do it, necessarily, by physically looking at everybody's face. And the other thing is, remember, warfare has diplomatic element. And what we're seeing is, they've shown prowess, and now they want to enter into diplomacy.

WHITFIELD: Kelly McCann, our military specialist, thanks very much.

MCCANN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: President Bush is spending the Easter with some of the troops here in the U.S. He's in Fort Hood, Texas, for a second straight Easter. This morning, the president made the short helicopter flight there from his Crawford, Texas, ranch. Mr. Bush attending Easter service, and then he'll meet with soldiers wounded in Iraq.

The presidential briefing at the center of controversy in the 9/11 probe is declassified. It discusses threats from Osama Bin Laden's terror network, but the White House says it did not give specific warnings of attacks inside the U.S. Suzanne Malveaux is live at the southwestern White House in Texas at Crawford. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. The president continues to face scrutiny over September 11. The commission asking to declassify that presidential daily brief. That's exactly what happened yesterday. The White House hoping to put this controversy behind them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Saturday, the White House declassified the president's top secret briefing he received at his Crawford ranch one month before the September 11 attacks. The August 6, 2001, presidential daily brief, entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," lays out the Al Qaeda leader's capability and determination to hit the United States. It warns the CIA and FBI were investigating a tip that a group of Bin Laden supporters were in the U.S. in May, just months before 9/11, and were planning attacks using explosives. It begins, "Bin Laden since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. After U.S. missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington. The Millennium plotting in Canada in 1999 may have been part of Bin Laden's first serious attempt to implement a terrorist strike in the U.S."

The brief emphasizes the Al Qaeda leader's resolve, recounting his 1998 attacks against U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that involved years of preparation. The brief says Bin Laden's followers are prevalent in the U.S. "Al Qaeda members, including some who are U.S. citizens, have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks." A source specifically mentions a Bin Laden cell in New York in 1998 that was recruiting young Muslim-Americans to carry out strikes.

The brief lays out Bin Laden's plots. An uncorroborated report that in 1998. "Bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft to win the release of his comrades in U.S. custody." Ongoing activity from the FBI of "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York."

The brief concludes that the FBI was conducting at least 70 investigations in 2001 regarding possible Al Qaeda cells operating in the U.S. A senior White House official says releasing the brief should clear up any myth that the president was warned of the 9/11 attacks, adding that there is nothing in the brief pertaining to the 9/11 plot. He said all threats were aggressively pursued.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: But some commissioners believe that the administration was given at least enough information about Bin Laden's intentions and capabilities to issue a warning to the public about the possibility of an attack. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Suzanne Malveaux.

The 9/11 panel continues its work this week. On Tuesday, testimony from former FBI Director Louis Freeh, Cofer Black, the former director of the CIA's counterterrorism center, and Attorney General John Ashcroft. On Wednesday, the directors of the FBI and the CIA, Robert Mueller and George Tenet will testify. It will be Tenet's second appearance in open session.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney will also appear before the 9/11 panel in private sometime soon. They will not be under oath.

Also, this week, President Bush meets with several world leaders. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and then he'll end the week meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Picking up the pieces in Mexico after a massive explosion. It looks doubtful rescuers will find any more survivors. A live report after a break.

Also, a brush fire threatens dozens of homes in south Florida.

And later, how sports announcer Pat Summerall is doing after liver transplant surgery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Just over the U.S. border in Mexico, a tragedy has shaken a Mexican town. The death toll from a propane tank explosion at least eight and authorities don't expect to find any more survivors. Alina Cho is with us now from Progreso, Texas, near the site of the disaster. Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning to you. The major development this hour is that the search for bodies has resumed. The search had been called off late last night due to the bad weather, but as you can see here, the weather has cleared and most of the rescuers have made their way across the bridge, across the border to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, the site of the explosion.

The damage is extensive. Covers an entire city block. Two buildings were leveled. Eight people killed at the very least. Twelve people injured, and as many as 15 people are still believed to be trapped.

Joining us now to talk a bit more about this is George Garrett; he is the emergency manager with the city of Weslaco, Texas, one of the many communities responding to this tragedy.

Mr. Garrett, we thank you for joining us. Tell us, you've been receiving a lot of calls from concerned family members and you wanted to give them some assurances.

GEORGE GARRETT, EMERGENCY MANAGER, WESLACO, TEXAS: Yes. We get a lot of winter tourists down here from the Midwest and from Canada. We want to assure everyone that has family in the valley right now, that right now we have absolutely no indication of any involvement with either American or Canadian citizens.

CHO: What is the very latest on the search?

GARRETT: We just resumed our search effort here about 45 minutes ago. We're slowly removing a lot of debris so that as we reduce the debris level, we might be able to find either survivors or additional victims in the debris.

CHO: Certainly it is very slow, tedious work as you have said. And you have also said that this could have been much worse if it had happened at a different time of day.

GARRETT: As I said, this is really a tourist attraction community, and had this happened yesterday at around noon, we could have seen death and injuries far exceeding several hundred people.

CHO: George Garrett, with the city of Weslaco, Texas, we thank you again for joining us today.

GARRETT: Thank you.

CHO: And just to recap, a propane tank explosion at a restaurant levels two buildings, killing at least eight people, just across the border here in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. That is the very latest at this hour. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Alina Cho, thanks very much.

Well, other stories making news across America now. In west Miami-Dade County, this brush fire came close to homes in the city of Doral, too close for some. 90 families had to be evacuated from the 200-acre blaze, but they're back home, apparently, this morning.

Some Rhode Island military families will spend Easter together after a long deployment to Iraq. More than 200 troops from two National Guard units returned yesterday to North Kingston. The governor, family members and friends greeted the troops.

And golfer Phil Mickelson has his eye on the green jacket. Play is underway this morning for the last round of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Mickelson is tied for the lead. He's been called the best golfer never to win a major.

And sportscaster and former pro football player Pat Summerall is recovering in a Jacksonville, Florida hospital this morning. He received a liver transplant yesterday. Summerall is listed in stable condition.

A Purple Heart winner gets hometown help from overcoming the wounds of war. And straight ahead, his story of survival and the unexpected twist on the road to recovery.

Also, coast-to-coast, the Easter weather word for your neck of the woods.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This Easter Sunday, lots of signs of spring. Our Rob Marciano is in the weather center. Happy Easter to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: At the bottom of the hour, now, CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," Howard Kurtz tells us what's coming up.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Coming up, Condoleezza Rice and the 9/11 commission. Did a desire for political theater drive the media's wall-to-wall coverage?

Television is taken in by a college student's phony abduction. Why do the networks keep hyping missing women cases?

And a cable channel apologizes for accusing a president of murder. That and more ahead, on "RELIABLE SOURCES."

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Howard.

A decorated war hero and the wounds he suffered both on and off the battlefield. Coming up, a story of courage and of a caring hometown.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Finally, a hero at war and a hero at home. An Army Ranger from Washington state took fire from the enemy and then was taken advantage of by someone he thought was a friend. What happened next took the soldier by surprise. Here's Bill Tucker.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He doesn't shoot basketball like a hero. But he does do a mean grill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the best, man.

TUCKER: Staff Sergeant Shelton is an Army Ranger. Last June, he was leading a 180-vehicle convoy just north of Baghdad.

STAFF SGT. CHRIS SHELTON, U.S. ARMY: As soon as I took that left, gunfire erupted from all around us. We were in a near ambush. I was hit in the shoulder. I felt my arm go numb a little bit. Tingling, a hot sensation in my shoulder. And I wasn't really worried about that. I was worried about getting out of there.

TUCKER: Chris' worst hit, though, wasn't on the battlefield. A soldier staying at Chris' apartment back at his home base in Italy stole Chris' identity and emptied his bank account of $13,000. The experience shocked Chris. What happened next has left him stunned. Back home in Washington state, after hearing of his story from Chris' mom, his hometown started a campaign. It took on a life of its own. And checks came pouring in from all over the world.

SHELTON: This is my time to thank them. You know? All those people that didn't leave a name or an address that I can thank. This is my time to say thank you and I really appreciate it. It's real nice.

TUCKER: As for being awarded the Purple Heart...

SHELTON: When I got pinned my Purple Heart, you know, what can I say about that? It's a million dollar wound. Some of my buddies aren't around to read their citation. So, it's one medal that I never wanted, but I did get.

TUCKER: Sergeant Shelton is eager to report back to his unit.

SHELTON: Might be a hard job sometimes but, you know, you get to lead men into combat.

TUCKER: Next year, he plans to reenlist. Bill Tucker, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY.

"RELIABLE SOURCES" is coming up next, on coverage of the Condoleezza Rice 9/11 testimony.

Then "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 11, 2004 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead, an U.S. helicopter downed near Baghdad kills the crewmembers. Live with the latest.

Also, President Bush and 9/11, after release of the famous August 6 presidential daily briefing.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a million dollar wound. You know? Some of my buddies aren't around to read their citation. So, it's one medal I never wanted but I did get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A soldier's story, the wounds he suffered on and off the battlefield. Still, he wants to go back into battle.

But first, here's a look at the top stories.

A hot spot in Iraq cooled down for now. A cease-fire put in place in Fallujah just hours ago is holding. That's the word from U.S. Civilian Administrator Paul Bremer. Fallujah, west of Baghdad, has been a volatile city following more than a week of violence.

Along the U.S. border with Mexico, authorities do not expect to find any more survivors from a propane tank explosion. At least eight people were killed in yesterday's blast, in a town just across the border from Weslaco, Texas. The explosion leveled a restaurant and tortilla factory.

For the world's Christians, today is the holiest day on the calendar. At the Vatican, the leader of the world's Roman Catholics focused on global conflicts in his Easter message. Pope John Paul II says the culture of love can defeat terrorism and the logic of death and revenge in Iraq, the Middle East, and other troubled areas.

We begin with another turn for the worst in Iraq, the downing of an American attack helicopter. Coalition officials say the Apache was brought down by a surface-to-air missile west of Baghdad. Both crewmembers were killed. Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with the latest. Karl?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that Apache attack helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents this morning. A rapid deployment force was dispatched to the area but as General Kimmitt told us this afternoon's press briefing, both pilots were killed in that attack. The helicopter was taken down during fighting between coalition forces and Iraqi insurgents for control of the main highway that exits Baghdad to the west and leads all the way through to Jordan. According to coalition authorities, that major highway is still not under full coalition control.

A little further west of the point where the helicopter went down lies the city of Fallujah, a city of 300,000 people, and has been the scene of intense fighting between U.S. Marines and insurgent cells in the course of the last six days. Now, the last 48 hours, members of the Iraqi governing council have been trying to broker a cease-fire in the city and signs that tentative cease-fire has held for at least part of the day. That said, General Kimmitt has reported sporadic clashes between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents. And we do understand that in the course of the day, two marines have been wounded and one Iraqi insurgent may have been killed.

No real sign, though, that that cease-fire may be maintained long term. The Marines have said that they will not pull out from the city as the insurgents have demanded, and General Kimmitt has added to that the Marines will hold their position in case there is no political settlement and the Marine haves to storm Iraqi insurgent positions both on rooftops and other parts of the city.

Now, that, from a battle in progress, albeit under cease-fire at the moment, to battles that could take place later on in the week. I'm referring the cities of Karbala and Najaf, south of Baghdad. Those at the moment, according to General Kimmitt, are largely under control of a Muslim Shiite militia known as the Mahdi army. Those are controlled by a firebrand cleric, Muqtada al Sadr. And he's resisting an arrest warrant in connection with the murder of a rival cleric a year ago. And so far, the coalition authorities say they'll not allow him to continue in control of those cities, and that could announce some kind of conflict later in the week when a major religious festivity comes to an end. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Karl, let me ask you again about the cease holding in Fallujah. The citizens there in Baghdad, are any of them expressing any real encouragement because of this cease-fire?

PENHAUL: Not really. We haven't heard any real signs of encouragement. Certainly from the ordinary citizens of Baghdad, in the course of the last week, we have seen a large degree of solidarity both from Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims for the people of Fallujah. National and certain of the Arabic language media reporting a high number of civilian casualties in that city, and civilians in Baghdad have organized relief supplies, food and blankets for the civilians of Fallujah. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul from Baghdad, thanks very much for that update. The latest threat in the conflict in Iraq, hostage taking. It's growing concern for the U.S.-led coalition. Right now, the fate of a man identified as Thomas Hamill, from rural Mississippi, is unknown. He was videotaped in the back of a vehicle held by masked captors. A deadline set by Hamill's kidnappers has now passed.

And no word on the status of three Japanese civilian hostages, hours after al-Jazeera television reported the three would be released. Their kidnappers had threatened to kill them by today if Japan did not withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Back now to the troubled city of Fallujah. A cease-fire between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents seems to be holding, but what next for the U.S. coalition military strategy? Some ideas now, from CNN contributor Kelly McCann, former Marines Special Missions officer. Good to see you, Kelly.

KELLY MCCANN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So far, the coalition is glad to say that the cease- fire seems to be working. But your sources are telling you, apparently, that more U.S. Marines could be on the way to Fallujah. Is that right?

MCCANN: They're there. Obviously, when you fight the MEF, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, they're comprised of many battalions. Two have been engaging and two have been paying attention to support functions, et cetera. They've moved a third one now, so that they're in an advantage point to decisively engage, should they need to take the rest of Fallujah. Of course, the fourth battalion and support troops would be held in reserve and also help with marshaling, goods coming in and perhaps people evacuating the area.

So I think that they're hoping that diplomacy will end all the violence there. However, they are poised to take the rest of the city, if need be. Fred.

WHITFIELD: There have been lots of questions about the goal of the Marines in Fallujah. Is it to win the hearts and minds of the Fallujians there, or is it to try to weed out some of the insurgents, particularly after a week and a half of violence there?

MCCANN: Both. Initially in the deployment, they actually are wearing proprietary uniforms that look different from the Army troops. They went in with the combined action platoon mentality, which is kind of get into the community develop grassroots intelligence, so that they can run search and destroy missions very, very surgically. However, that was kind of trumped because of actions in Fallujah, so they went into the attack. And I would just remember what 1st Marine Division's motto is, which is best friend, worst enemy. It is a significant fighting force with an attitude, Fred.

WHITFIELD: What are your concerns, knowing, if the numbers are right, that there are an estimated 5,000 insurgents in Fallujah alone. Obviously, the Marines are outnumbered. MCCANN: The best indication of that is, they're not outnumbered. They have much better technical equipment; they have thermal imaging that can sense where people are. They own the air around Fallujah. It's really an asymmetrical battle. Mainly because the insurgents are not adhering to the law of land warfare and the rules of engagement, that's the only thing they can do against a numerically superior and more technically proficient armed force. The Marines are trained for this kind of thing, especially urban areas. And I think that, based on them entering into discussions, they sense that they're significantly vulnerable.

WHITFIELD: What's your understanding of the logic of the cease- fire, when particularly after the four American security contractors were killed. The coalition forces made it very clear they were intent on weeding out or finding those responsible and that, in part, justified the switch over between the Marines and the Army soldiers in Fallujah.

MCCANN: You do that with intelligence. Of course, now that they're on the ground, they're developing that intelligence as they walk the streets. They do patrols. They develop informants, et cetera. You don't do it, necessarily, by physically looking at everybody's face. And the other thing is, remember, warfare has diplomatic element. And what we're seeing is, they've shown prowess, and now they want to enter into diplomacy.

WHITFIELD: Kelly McCann, our military specialist, thanks very much.

MCCANN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: President Bush is spending the Easter with some of the troops here in the U.S. He's in Fort Hood, Texas, for a second straight Easter. This morning, the president made the short helicopter flight there from his Crawford, Texas, ranch. Mr. Bush attending Easter service, and then he'll meet with soldiers wounded in Iraq.

The presidential briefing at the center of controversy in the 9/11 probe is declassified. It discusses threats from Osama Bin Laden's terror network, but the White House says it did not give specific warnings of attacks inside the U.S. Suzanne Malveaux is live at the southwestern White House in Texas at Crawford. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. The president continues to face scrutiny over September 11. The commission asking to declassify that presidential daily brief. That's exactly what happened yesterday. The White House hoping to put this controversy behind them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Saturday, the White House declassified the president's top secret briefing he received at his Crawford ranch one month before the September 11 attacks. The August 6, 2001, presidential daily brief, entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," lays out the Al Qaeda leader's capability and determination to hit the United States. It warns the CIA and FBI were investigating a tip that a group of Bin Laden supporters were in the U.S. in May, just months before 9/11, and were planning attacks using explosives. It begins, "Bin Laden since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. After U.S. missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington. The Millennium plotting in Canada in 1999 may have been part of Bin Laden's first serious attempt to implement a terrorist strike in the U.S."

The brief emphasizes the Al Qaeda leader's resolve, recounting his 1998 attacks against U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that involved years of preparation. The brief says Bin Laden's followers are prevalent in the U.S. "Al Qaeda members, including some who are U.S. citizens, have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks." A source specifically mentions a Bin Laden cell in New York in 1998 that was recruiting young Muslim-Americans to carry out strikes.

The brief lays out Bin Laden's plots. An uncorroborated report that in 1998. "Bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft to win the release of his comrades in U.S. custody." Ongoing activity from the FBI of "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York."

The brief concludes that the FBI was conducting at least 70 investigations in 2001 regarding possible Al Qaeda cells operating in the U.S. A senior White House official says releasing the brief should clear up any myth that the president was warned of the 9/11 attacks, adding that there is nothing in the brief pertaining to the 9/11 plot. He said all threats were aggressively pursued.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: But some commissioners believe that the administration was given at least enough information about Bin Laden's intentions and capabilities to issue a warning to the public about the possibility of an attack. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Suzanne Malveaux.

The 9/11 panel continues its work this week. On Tuesday, testimony from former FBI Director Louis Freeh, Cofer Black, the former director of the CIA's counterterrorism center, and Attorney General John Ashcroft. On Wednesday, the directors of the FBI and the CIA, Robert Mueller and George Tenet will testify. It will be Tenet's second appearance in open session.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney will also appear before the 9/11 panel in private sometime soon. They will not be under oath.

Also, this week, President Bush meets with several world leaders. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and then he'll end the week meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Picking up the pieces in Mexico after a massive explosion. It looks doubtful rescuers will find any more survivors. A live report after a break.

Also, a brush fire threatens dozens of homes in south Florida.

And later, how sports announcer Pat Summerall is doing after liver transplant surgery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Just over the U.S. border in Mexico, a tragedy has shaken a Mexican town. The death toll from a propane tank explosion at least eight and authorities don't expect to find any more survivors. Alina Cho is with us now from Progreso, Texas, near the site of the disaster. Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning to you. The major development this hour is that the search for bodies has resumed. The search had been called off late last night due to the bad weather, but as you can see here, the weather has cleared and most of the rescuers have made their way across the bridge, across the border to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, the site of the explosion.

The damage is extensive. Covers an entire city block. Two buildings were leveled. Eight people killed at the very least. Twelve people injured, and as many as 15 people are still believed to be trapped.

Joining us now to talk a bit more about this is George Garrett; he is the emergency manager with the city of Weslaco, Texas, one of the many communities responding to this tragedy.

Mr. Garrett, we thank you for joining us. Tell us, you've been receiving a lot of calls from concerned family members and you wanted to give them some assurances.

GEORGE GARRETT, EMERGENCY MANAGER, WESLACO, TEXAS: Yes. We get a lot of winter tourists down here from the Midwest and from Canada. We want to assure everyone that has family in the valley right now, that right now we have absolutely no indication of any involvement with either American or Canadian citizens.

CHO: What is the very latest on the search?

GARRETT: We just resumed our search effort here about 45 minutes ago. We're slowly removing a lot of debris so that as we reduce the debris level, we might be able to find either survivors or additional victims in the debris.

CHO: Certainly it is very slow, tedious work as you have said. And you have also said that this could have been much worse if it had happened at a different time of day.

GARRETT: As I said, this is really a tourist attraction community, and had this happened yesterday at around noon, we could have seen death and injuries far exceeding several hundred people.

CHO: George Garrett, with the city of Weslaco, Texas, we thank you again for joining us today.

GARRETT: Thank you.

CHO: And just to recap, a propane tank explosion at a restaurant levels two buildings, killing at least eight people, just across the border here in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. That is the very latest at this hour. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Alina Cho, thanks very much.

Well, other stories making news across America now. In west Miami-Dade County, this brush fire came close to homes in the city of Doral, too close for some. 90 families had to be evacuated from the 200-acre blaze, but they're back home, apparently, this morning.

Some Rhode Island military families will spend Easter together after a long deployment to Iraq. More than 200 troops from two National Guard units returned yesterday to North Kingston. The governor, family members and friends greeted the troops.

And golfer Phil Mickelson has his eye on the green jacket. Play is underway this morning for the last round of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Mickelson is tied for the lead. He's been called the best golfer never to win a major.

And sportscaster and former pro football player Pat Summerall is recovering in a Jacksonville, Florida hospital this morning. He received a liver transplant yesterday. Summerall is listed in stable condition.

A Purple Heart winner gets hometown help from overcoming the wounds of war. And straight ahead, his story of survival and the unexpected twist on the road to recovery.

Also, coast-to-coast, the Easter weather word for your neck of the woods.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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WHITFIELD: This Easter Sunday, lots of signs of spring. Our Rob Marciano is in the weather center. Happy Easter to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: At the bottom of the hour, now, CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES," Howard Kurtz tells us what's coming up.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Coming up, Condoleezza Rice and the 9/11 commission. Did a desire for political theater drive the media's wall-to-wall coverage?

Television is taken in by a college student's phony abduction. Why do the networks keep hyping missing women cases?

And a cable channel apologizes for accusing a president of murder. That and more ahead, on "RELIABLE SOURCES."

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Howard.

A decorated war hero and the wounds he suffered both on and off the battlefield. Coming up, a story of courage and of a caring hometown.

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WHITFIELD: Finally, a hero at war and a hero at home. An Army Ranger from Washington state took fire from the enemy and then was taken advantage of by someone he thought was a friend. What happened next took the soldier by surprise. Here's Bill Tucker.

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BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He doesn't shoot basketball like a hero. But he does do a mean grill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the best, man.

TUCKER: Staff Sergeant Shelton is an Army Ranger. Last June, he was leading a 180-vehicle convoy just north of Baghdad.

STAFF SGT. CHRIS SHELTON, U.S. ARMY: As soon as I took that left, gunfire erupted from all around us. We were in a near ambush. I was hit in the shoulder. I felt my arm go numb a little bit. Tingling, a hot sensation in my shoulder. And I wasn't really worried about that. I was worried about getting out of there.

TUCKER: Chris' worst hit, though, wasn't on the battlefield. A soldier staying at Chris' apartment back at his home base in Italy stole Chris' identity and emptied his bank account of $13,000. The experience shocked Chris. What happened next has left him stunned. Back home in Washington state, after hearing of his story from Chris' mom, his hometown started a campaign. It took on a life of its own. And checks came pouring in from all over the world.

SHELTON: This is my time to thank them. You know? All those people that didn't leave a name or an address that I can thank. This is my time to say thank you and I really appreciate it. It's real nice.

TUCKER: As for being awarded the Purple Heart...

SHELTON: When I got pinned my Purple Heart, you know, what can I say about that? It's a million dollar wound. Some of my buddies aren't around to read their citation. So, it's one medal that I never wanted, but I did get.

TUCKER: Sergeant Shelton is eager to report back to his unit.

SHELTON: Might be a hard job sometimes but, you know, you get to lead men into combat.

TUCKER: Next year, he plans to reenlist. Bill Tucker, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY.

"RELIABLE SOURCES" is coming up next, on coverage of the Condoleezza Rice 9/11 testimony.

Then "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER."

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