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CNN Live Today
Democratic Official Claims Kerry 'Has Made a Decision' for His V.P.; Woman Beats Hearing Loss with New Technology
Aired July 05, 2004 - 10:00 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.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I am Drew Griffin filling in for Daryn today. It's Monday, July 5, a holiday for many Americans. Let's check the news at this hour.
In the headlines, he has made his decision. He's just not telling anybody about it yet. A Democratic official says John Kerry has now picked a running mate. No word on when the presumptive Democratic nominee will reveal that choice. We'll have more on that in just a minute from Kelly Wallace.
The family of a captured U.S. Marine remains in seclusion in Utah waiting for news. An Islamic group claiming to hold Corporal Wassef Hassoun denies Web site reports that he has been killed. Hassoun worked as an Arabic translator in Iraq. He was last seen June 19.
Two wildfires on Arizona's Mount Graham are expected to merge in the next few days. The fires have moved very close now to dozens of cabins and an international observatory. Those buildings were evacuated Friday. The observatory houses a $120 million telescope, it is one of the most powerful in the world. Mount Graham is 110 miles east of Tucson.
And the future of Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial, up in the air. Judges in The Hague postponing today's opening of the defense case because of Milosevic's poor health. Prosecutors have asked judges to impose a defense lawyer on the former Yugoslav president. Judges are to rule tomorrow on how or whether the trial will resume.
We begin this hour with the presidential race. And a running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry. A party official tells CNN, Kerry has chosen his No. 2. But the all-important details, who and when under wraps.
Embroiled in speculation, national correspondent Kelly Wallace tells us what she knows -- Kelly
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Drew. Those are certainly the key questions. We can tell you that campaign officials are not confirming this report. This confirmation from a Democratic official that John Kerry has made up his mind. But this is what this official is telling CNN.
The official saying, "It's clear Kerry has made a decision and is committed to announcing it on his terms with discipline, more typically associated with Republican campaigns of yesteryear." This official saying, "that means obviously meaning a rapid turn-around."
Of course, the big question remains, who. Reporters were looking for all kinds of signs yesterday. And that's when John Kerry spent the day with Tom Vilsack of Iowa, the governor of Iowa. Vilsack is believed to be on John Kerry's short list. And neither Kerry nor Vilsack would take any questions. John Kerry for his part seemed to be enjoying the guessing game. Other names believed to be on John Kerry's short list include Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt. Who many believe John Kerry feels most comfortable with. And North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who many Democrats believe would do the most to energize the Kerry, campaign.
Something we do know, reading the tealeaves and talking to Democratic sources, John Kerry apparently has studied very closely past running mate decisions. And that he was very impressed by the president's decision to pick Dick Cheney back in 2000, that John Kerry apparently believes chemistry is most important. And that geography just doesn't matter that much at all.
Drew, all eyes will really be on Pittsburgh later today. John Kerry and his wife Teresa hosting a barbecue with politicians from Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, to see if the senator will reveal exactly what he's planning to do and when -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Kelly, it's a holiday, a somewhat slow news today. Any chance he would make the announcement today?
WALLACE: The sense we're getting is no. Aides we have been talking to over the past few days felt that today, because it is a holiday, as you said, and because it is a slow news day, and because so many families are out enjoying the long weekend, not necessarily paying attention to television or newspapers, they were hoping for kind of a bigger audience, so that the sense was as early as tomorrow, Tuesday. And sometime this week it's looking likely. But again, Drew, all bets are off. We just don't 100 percent know.
GRIFFIN: We'll continue paying attention to you, as you try to find this out for us, Kelly. Thanks a lot.
WALLACE: Sure.
GRIFFIN: Meanwhile, the Bush-Cheney team spent the holiday weekend on the campaign trail. Both men on the stump. Mr. Bush in West Virginia, using the patriotic backdrop to defend the war in Iraq. He says Americans are safer now that Saddam Hussein is in prison and as U.S. coalition troops hunt terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We must work to remove the conditions that give rise to terror in parts of the world like the Middle East: the poverty, the hopelessness, and the resentments that the terrorists exploit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: A day earlier, Vice President Dick Cheney also in West Virginia. He told crowds Saddam should be executed if convicted of genocide and other crimes. Cheney was concluding a bus tour through Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Cheney's office confirms now the vice president has dropped a personal physician from the vice president's medical team, because of drug abuse allegations. The "New Yorker" magazine is reporting in today's issue that Dr. Gary Malakoff has abused prescription narcotics for years, and has now been removed from his senior position at George Washington University Medical Center. Malakoff has frequently been quoted in the media attesting to the vice president's good health, despite four heart attacks since 1995.
An Iraqi government planned to grant amnesty to some insurgents is on hold. That offer was supposed to be announced today. The news conference canceled. The deal would apply to low-level insurgents, not hard-core criminals like these kidnappers that were threatening to behead a U.S. Marine. But many questions remain on who would be covered and who would not. Iraqi sources have told CNN amnesty could involve 5,000 supporters of Saddam Hussein's former regime who were, quote, "misled."
Now, it's not clear if it would cover Muqtada al Sadr, the Shiite Muslim cleric who is blamed for militia attacks on coalition forces, and Iraqi infrastructure.
In Iraq, authorities say two Iranian men have been arrested trying to detonate a car bomb. The case in the Talbiyah neighborhood marks the first arrests of non-Iraqi insurgents, and would seem to support Iraqi claims that foreign fighters are taking part in the wave of vehicle bombings.
Iraq's new chapter in history may well be written in oil, but the exports and the all-important revenues for rebuilding have suffered yet another strike. Saboteurs bombed part of a strategic oil pipeline that feeds oil from Iraq's southern oil fields to refineries in the northern parts of the country. The area's pipelines have been struck several times in recent weeks.
CNN's international correspondent Brent Sadler is in Baghdad with a closer look at this latest blow to the new government and its finances -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, this crippling of the pipeline that feeds Iraq's oil refineries is just one side of the problem. The biggest problem authorities face here on the ground is trying to maintain the flow of oil, so that Iraq can earn income from those exports. So there's a very big problem that they're trying to tackle right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER (voice-over): Giant ships fill their tanks with Iraqi crude oil, exporting up to 3 million worth of oil an hour, if all works well. But all is not well. Crude oozes from a gaping hole after recent attacks on strategic pipelines near Basra in southern Iraq, sapping oil revenues.
AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM PRESIDENT, IRAQ: Anyone involved in these attacks is nothing more than a traitor to the cause of Iraq's freedom and the freedom of its people.
SADLER: Oil protection is supposed to be a top priority, on land and at sea, since last year's invasion of Iraq. But Iraqi officials claim it's been hit and missed. Exposing a worrying shortfall in coalition planning.
JABBAR AL LEABY, DIRECTOR GENERAL: So they need security everywhere. And security in men, security in equipment, and security in every aspect.
SADLER (on camera): The vast and often remote network of pipelines is vulnerable to attack. No oil means no money to pay for the cost of war, reconstruction and recovery.
(voice-over): As recently as two months ago, would-be suicide bombers tried but failed to hit these vital offshore terminals, now guarded by a fleet of coalition warships. The U.S. soldiers help enforce a new exclusion zone, patrolled by the American and British Navies. Nothing is fool proof, though.
ADM. ALLAN WEST, BRITISH FIRST SEA LORD: Everything is always vulnerable, if you get the right thing at the right time and you're lucky. But they are now much harder to crack.
SADLER: But on land, where saboteurs are getting through, a 15,000-strong Iraqi protection force, privately trained, with coalition money, is paper-thin, with more than 7,000 miles of pipeline and 260 facilities to guard.
KEVIN THOMAS, OIL ADVISER, CPA SOUTH: Our patrols cannot only walk through, any determined enemy can monitor the patrol patterns and attack when the patrol has moved on.
SADLER: The oil network has so far been hit more than 130 times in the past seven months alone. Including a six-day shutdown of all crude exports in June, losing money, Iraq and its coalition allies can ill afford.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER: Well, that 15,000 strong oil protection forces is manned by Iraqis and is still getting up to speed. But without air surveillance and without high-tech security equipment, complain Iraqi officials, is not likely to combat or defeat these oil saboteurs -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Brent, I wanted to ask you about the idea of granting amnesty to low-level insurgents. And yesterday, in somewhat of a bombshell by the prime minister saying that that could include Muqtada al Sadr. Now, we are hearing that the news conference on that was canceled. SADLER: Yes, it was canceled several hours ago, postponed indefinitely. We don't know all the details behind it, but certainly a very hard deal to work out is going on behind the scenes. Not just as far as an amnesty pardon for insurgents, we're not quite sure who is going to be involved in that classification and whether or not Muqtada al Sadr will be involved. Although certainly negotiations are going on. But also a new Public Security Act, and the way that this new Iraqi government is going to try and defeat the No. 1 enemy here, that is, the continuing insurgency -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Brent Sadler live in Baghdad. Thank you.
Now stories making news around the rest of the world.
In Indonesia, election officials have ordered a recount in the country's first direct presidential contest. In a scenario reminiscent of the Florida election debacle four years ago, many Indonesian voters mistakenly punched more than one hole rendering the ballot invalid.
Taiwan reeling from its worst flooding in 25 years. The tropical storm has killed at least 21 people there, and left more than a dozen others missing, some stranded 10,000 villagers without fresh water or electricity.
An appeals court in South Africa has issued a ruling that allows Winnie Mandela to avoid a nearly four-year prison term. A court dismissed 25 counts of theft against the ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, but upheld 43 counts of fraud. Mandela says she will challenge the partial dismissal.
She lost her son in the Iraq War and now she's a character in the controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11." After the break, she tells us why she thinks the Bush administration got it wrong.
Plus, the cornerstone of rebirth at Ground Zero.
And still to come, the ever-evolving American vacation, why your office is slowly becoming the third wheel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Nearly three years after terrorists steered the hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center, New York has laid the cornerstone of the symbolic resurgent.
CNN's Alina Cho looks to the new Freedom Tower, a monument to what was lost and what was reborn on September 11.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What the curtain revealed was breathtaking, a 20-ton piece of New York granite, now the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower, the first and tallest building to be built at Ground Zero. MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBER, NEW YORK: Today, as we lay this cornerstone, we remember the liberties that are the bedrock of our nation. The foundation that can never be shaken by violence or hate.
CHO: Along with the music, there was symbolism this Fourth of July. The son of a Port Authority police officer who died on 9/11 read the Declaration of Independence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hold these truths to be self-evident.
CHO: The height of the Freedom Tower is symbolic; 1776 feet to mark the year America declared its independence, a spire that echoes the profile of the Statue of Liberty. All the vision of master planner Daniel Libeskind.
DANIEL LIBESKIND, WTC SITE MASTER PLANNER: One thinks of how incredible to redirect and rebuild New York, in a way that is inspiring and meaningful. And that is not just founded on height, but the liberties and freedoms that this country was founded on.
CHO: Families members who lost loved ones on 9/11 were on hand. John Foy lost his mother-in-law.
JOHN FOY, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: It feels good. This is like -- it's a closure and it's a new beginning.
CHO: Some touched the inscription. Others want construction to wait for a memorial to be built first, at what they regard as sacred ground.
WILLIAM HEALY, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: This is a gravesite. Today would have been much more appropriate had it been the cornerstone for the memorial.
CHO: A memorial will be built here. And is set to open around the same time as the tower.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: What our enemies sought to destroy: our democracy, our freedom, our way of life stands taller than ever before.
CHO (on camera): What is clear about this ceremony is that it marks the first step in rebuilding here at Ground Zero. What the final landscape will look like, or when that will happen is still an open question.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: The Bush administration has felt the celluloid sizzle of "Fahrenheit 9/11," a film that promotes a scathing portrayal of the administration's response to those terror attacks. While generally embraced by the left and derided by the right, it has drawn millions to the theater and set new records for a so-called documentary.
One of its central figures is this woman who lost her son in the Iraq War. And earlier on CNN, Lila Lipscomb spoke to Bill Hemmer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There's also a scene where you made a visit to the White House.
LILA LIMPSCOMB, MOTHER IN "FAHRENHEIT 9/11": Yes.
HEMMER: For our viewers, let's listen and watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush is a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he isn't. This is all staged.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he is. He is the butcher of Iraq. He is the butcher of Iraq.
LIPSCOMB: My son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where was he killed?
LIPSCOMB: You tell me. My son is not a stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where was he killed?
LIPSCOMB: He was killed in Karbala. April 2 is not a stage. My son is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Why did you feel it important to go to the White House?
LIPSCOMB: Because as a child, I was always raised that if you didn't find answers, then you went to the highest level to be able to find those answers. And to me, the highest level was the White House where the decision was made.
HEMMER: You describe yourself as a patriot, right?
LIPSCOMB: Mm-hmm. Exactly right.
HEMMER: It's my understanding that you still have an American flag...
LIPSCOMB: I still have my flag. Exactly right.
HEMMER: How do you then -- because you say you have supported the commander in chief in the past. How do you reconcile your feelings now, knowing your loss? And knowing that for so long you had supported the decision to go to war?
LIPSCOMB: I didn't support the decision to go to war. I supported that my commander in chief had made the proper decision. And what I've come to learn is, had we been told, as Americans, that the decision was that Saddam was an inhumane human being, and the things that he was doing were improper to humans, and had each of us, each of us, and the United Nations agreed with that, that would have been different to go to war under those terms. But that's not what we were told.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Lipscomb says her brother served in Vietnam and she initially resented those Iraqi protesters, fearing they were blaming the military personnel, as was the case 30 years ago. She says her attitude changed before her son's death and she began to see anti-war demonstrators as drawing attention to what she calls, "misguided administration policies."
Heading back to the war zone, soldiers ending their stateside leave to tell what it's like to say good-bye for a second time.
And up next, cutting the technological cord when you leave the office. How to prevent work from invading your vacation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We would usually be checking Wall Street right now, but U.S. financial markets are closed today. Part of a three day holiday weekend, banks, federal offices, post offices and lots of other businesses closed as well.
Former Enron chairman Ken Lay could be indicted as early as this week. But his attorney says rumors of this imminent indictment are just a ploy to get prosecutors to act. The Associated Press reports federal prosecutors may ask a Houston grand jury, hearing Enron testimony, to hand up the indictment. The charges against the ex- Enron boss are expected to include an attempt to hide the company's financial situation from investors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN LAY, FMR. ENRON CHAIRMAN: Obviously I wish what happened hadn't happened. But we can't redo history now. And the main thing that I've always prayed for from Day 1 is that all the truth comes out. And then let's get on with the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: And Ken Lay says he is innocent. His attorney says that Justice Department's Enron Task Force is determined to indict lay whether he's guilty or not.
When is a vacation not a vacation? When you're wired to work. Maggie Lake says it's happening more and more. But there are ways, she says, you can leave your job behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Feel the need to escape the daily grind? You're not alone. Travel bookings across the United States are on the rise. The Travel Industry Association of America said this summer will be the biggest one-year jump in leisure travel in the last four years.
(on camera): But getting away isn't easy. Whether you're in a coffee shop, at the airport, or at the beach, wireless technology has made it possible to log on and call in from almost anywhere.
(voice-over): And employers know that. Managers have come to rely on instant access as a way of squeezing more work out of a tight labor pool.
GIL GORDON, AUTHOR, "TURN IT OFF": I think the employers are demanding it, in many cases as an effect of all the downsizing. You know, there's less bench strength. There are fewer people to cover for those who are on vacation. In some cases it's perceived by the employer as a business necessity.
LAKE: A business tool for some. For others, being wired has turned into an addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My cell phone I use the second I leave the office, till the time I go to bed probably.
LAKE: Psychologists warn that tech overload can make workers burnt out and less productive. Therapists like Susan Battley say it's important to unplug when you go on vacation. If you do have to take your laptop or cell phone, set ground rules.
DR. SUSAN BATTLEY, INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGIST: If you do need to leave your contact information, then leave it with a reliable person, someone who will be a gatekeeper and only contact you if the situation is urgent. If you do need to touch base with the office, try to arrange a fixed time, so that it is convenient for you.
LAKE: Allowing time to decompress, whether it be a nap on the beach, a European vacation, or a picnic in the park will re-vitalize you, and help you cope with life's hectic pace.
Maggie Lake, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: A major prisoner swap between the U.S., Great Britain and Saudi Arabia may have happened. The White House response is next.
Plus, the body of a U.S. Marine brought home for burial in Mexico is met by armed and angry Mexican troops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Here are the headlines at this hour.
CNN has learned that presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry has decided on a running mate, but it is not clear when he will announce his selection. The top contenders thought to be North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt.
More violence today in Iraq. An Iraqi police official says six mortar rounds struck near a British military camp in central Basra, apparently missing their intended target but striking different houses. At least one Iraqi was killed, two others wounded. Roadside bomb attacks in Mosul and Baghdad have left 13 others injured.
Meanwhile, officials say insurgents detonated a homemade bomb on a strategic oil pipeline in northern Iraq. Oil industries say the attack has cut the country's exports by nearly one-half. Officials have relied on the nation's oil export revenues to help pay for rebuilding the country's infrastructure.
And in South Florida, police investigators say they just don't know why a man crashed his SUV into a crowded terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The driver, who suffered minor injuries, is identified as Alex Villa (ph), a former Olympic wrestler who defected from Cuba in 1997. He is held as the investigation there continues.
Just hours after "The New York Times" reported a secret prisoner swap between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Britain, a senior Saudi official dismisses the claim as "pure fantasy." One Democratic senator says, however, suspicions linger, as do concerns over the administration's ties to Saudi Arabia. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with a closer look at all of this -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Drew, this controversy all began with report from "The New York Times" that was citing anonymous sources saying that there was a secret prison swap that was going on here, both U.S. officials as well as Saudis denying this. One Saudi official going so far as to say that this is "pure fantasy." He says it is simply a case of connecting the dots that don't connect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Les Walker was held in Saudi Arabia for allegedly carrying out terrorist attacks there, but now he's a free man. The British citizen says he, along with six other Western prisoners, had been tortured by Saudi security officials into confessing to crimes they did not commit.
LES WALKER, FORMER PRISONER: We pleaded innocent until they tortured us or myself. They tortured me to confess to bombings.
MALVEAUX: Walker and the others were freed nearly a year ago, but the circumstances surrounding their release are raising questions now about a possible secret international prison swap. According to senior American and British officials cited in "The New York Times," the U.S., Britain and Saudi Arabia were involved in months of intense negotiations beginning in July of 2002 to win the detainees' release. The deal was last May the U.S. freed five Saudi detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, returning them to the Saudi government. Three months later, Saudi Arabia released the Western detainees.
Was it quid pro quo? British Embassy spokesman Steve Atkins said: "We were extremely relieved to win their release and get them out of Saudi Arabia. We worked ceaselessly for their return." But also said: "I am not able to comment further on any diplomatic discussions."
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack denied any trade, saying: "There is no recollection here of any linkage between these two actions." The Saudis release was, "part of the normal policy of transferring detainees from Guantanamo for prosecution or continued detention."
And while officials do not dispute the timeline of the detainees' release, some political analysts see the timing around the Iraq war as more than coincidence.
CHARLES KUPCHAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I think the Bush administration was hard pressed to put the coalition and to keep it together once the war was over. And the one thing that they could do to provide political payback was to facilitate a deal on these detainees, and Bush appears to have exercised that option.
MALVEAUX: Walker says he was never told of the circumstances of his release, but he had his suspicions.
WALKER: We were pawns in a big game. That was a fear once we were in prison and it's a thought that I have held since I came out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Drew, the big question here, the important question is whether or not those detainees -- transferring those Saudi detainees compromised in any way U.S. national security interests. The Saudi officials say those detainees who were transferred, that they were low-level criminals and that they were actually brought to Saudi jails -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Suzanne, this either did or did not happen. Is anybody trying to get to the very bottom of this officially in Washington?
MALVEAUX: Well, there have been some calls from one senator, Senator Schumer, raising questions about this. But there have been no calls for an investigation on this matter. That is because first, there is no evidence that any kind of international law was broken. And it really depends on who you talk to with this story. There are some who say that this is simply a part of diplomatic discussions, that it goes on all the time. There are others who say this is a deal, a trade of some sort.
So as of now, there doesn't seem to be any kind of call for an investigation. One really important point here, however, is people are asking whether or not this compromised national security in any way. And the Saudi officials say, look, these are low-level criminals that were transferred. They were brought back to Saudi soil. They're being held in Saudi jails as we speak. That there really is nothing that is untoward because of this exchange.
GRIFFIN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thank you.
A U.S. Marine who was killed in Iraq was returned to his hometown in Mexico. But a scuffle between U.S. and Mexican soldiers interrupted the funeral. Mexican soldiers carrying automatic weapons demanded that the U.S. Marine honor guard surrender their ceremonial replicas of rifles. Mexico forbids foreign troops from carrying firearms inside Mexico. The U.S. ambassador to Mexico issued an angry statement for Mexico's heavy-handed approach to that situation.
This holiday weekend celebrating patriotism and sacrifice also ushered in the end of a two-week leave for U.S. troops allowed to return home temporarily. They are the first Americans to return to an Iraq governed by Iraqis. The dangers they know all too well are largely undiminished after the handover.
CNN's David Mattingly explains that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next person.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been home for the shortest two weeks of their lives, but leave is over. For these soldiers, it's time for the long flight back - back to an Iraq that is now run by Iraqis.
TANYA SIMMONS, WIFE OF SOLDIER: Hopefully now it will take the emphasis off the American soldiers and put it back on the Iraqis.
MATTINGLY: Many of these soldiers watched the handover with their families on television, a reminder of the job waiting for them as they tried to lose themselves in the comforts of home.
(on camera): What do you expect to see when you get back?
(voice-over): They now return talking of mixed emotions, hopeful that the worst is over, mindful of possible dangers ahead.
SPEC. STEPEHN GRENOA, U.S. ARMY: Hopefully, they'll step up and start taking (UNINTELLIGIBLE) responsibility for their own country, their own people in their country.
SPEC. CHAD WEBSTER, U.S. ARMY: We've got to wait and see. I mean, we don't know what to expect going back. We don't know what the changes are going to be.
MATTINGLY (on camera): When these soldiers get back to Iraq, they'll be returning more experienced than last time. They're smarter, more seasoned.
But with that experience, they say, has come an important lesson: to always prepared for anything.
(voice-over): Daily episodes of violence since the handover drive the point home that the bloodshed they left behind will be waiting, a certainty that makes a new round of farewells tough for any soldier.
(on camera): Is it harder saying goodbye the second time than it was the first time?
SGT. BONNIE COLLINS, U.S. ARMY: Yes.
MATTINGLY: In what way?
COLLINS: Because I have to leave them a second time.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Sergeant Bonnie Collins holds her two young daughters closely, trying to make the most of their last hours together before mom goes back to Baghdad.
COLLINS: Getting through this, getting on the plane will be hard. But once it's done, it's done. I'll be OK.
MATTINGLY: A 14-hour flight that begins with heartache. Destination: the now familiar but dangerous nation of Iraq.
David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIRIFFIN: Let's look at other stories making news coast-to-coast this morning. A woman trapped in her car for two days was rescued by a man who heard her screaming. The woman's car had veered off an Alabama road and into Ravine. She is hospitalized in good condition.
One-armed bandits will be taking in loot all over Pennsylvania. Governor Ed Rendell plans to sign a bill today approving as many as 61,000 slot machines. Officials hoping to raise $1 billion a year to cut property taxes for homeowners.
And America is still fascinated with Ronald Reagan a month after the 40th president's death. The online auction site eBay has sold 780 pieces of Reagan funeral memorabilia for $66,000. The best-selling items have been from the National Cathedral service. In fact, one funeral program sold for more than $1500.
Embryonic stem cell research may have Congress playing "Let's Make a Deal" with the White house. Still to come, why an executive order limiting federal funding may be facing its final days.
And up next...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost took my breath away, like, how are they going to survive? How are they going to make it? And just emotionally how could they cope with all the changes that they were about to encounter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: From surviving a civil war to learning how to use electricity. This refugee family from Somalia is trying to realize their American dream.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: A beautiful sight in D.C. where heavy rain did not dampen spirits on the National Mall. The Capitol's annual Fourth of July fireworks show lit up a cloudy sky there. New York had firework fans' dream: 36,000 shells exploding in what was billed as the biggest pyrotechnic display in the nation. And other towns and cities across America held their own Independence Day displays as I'm sure you know.
Some people celebrated Independence Day by becoming Americans. More than 500 citizens sworn in during a ceremony in Seattle, ranging in age from a little 18-month-old from Guatemala to an 84-year-old from Vietnam. In the past year, more than 640,000 people have become brand-new U.S. citizens. And for many immigrants, the journey to America is a flight to freedom in more ways than one. Nearly 50,000 refugees will arrive in the U.S. this year, people who might be killed if they stayed in their homeland.
Carol Lin visited one family from Somalia who have had a real culture shock coming to the U.S
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): Halima Mukomas (ph) and her family arrived in Chicago, Illinois, on a frigid November day. Strangers a world away from the murderous Somali civil war that killed a half a million people so far.
Halima's husband, Maridi (ph), remembers 10 years ago when warring gangs opened fire in his village. His family scattered. His mother and seven siblings are still missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The war was very terrible.
LIN: He ended up in Kenya's Kokuma refugee camp. Another kind of hell on earth, where disease claimed so many lives. Seven years of paperwork, security checks, and interviews later. The United Nations told Maridi Mukomas that he, Halima, and their children could go to the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): God gave to me the blessing to come to America.
LIN: Photojournalist Denise McGill met the Mukomas in Kenya and documented the journey of these primitive Bantu tribes people into 21st century America.
DENISE MCGILL, PHOTOJOURNALIST: It just almost took my breath away, like how are they going to survive? How are they going to make it? And how just emotionally how could they cope with all the changes they - you know, that they were about to encounter.
LIN: Cars, lights, traffic? Virtually unheard of. They never had plumbing or used electricity. Church volunteers taught them how doorknobs work.
Shopping American style was overwhelming. That was seven months ago.
LIN (on camera): The picture and everything.
(voice-over): Now Maridi has a driver's license.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before, I was dreaming to drive...
LIN: Now the dream is alive. The Christian volunteers helping to settle this African-Muslim family have become a big part of their lives. And Mukomas children are already on the move, but World Relief counselor Issam Smer sees a rough road ahead.
ISSAM SMER, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLOR: There will be a lot of clashes, because we're talking about dating. We're talking about like a way they dress. Parents now are the one who depend on their children to translate for them.
LIN: And Halima and other Somali Bantu women are starting to assert their rights.
Halima tells me she wants a job. She also wants to drive a car.
(on camera): How do you feel about that? Driving a car? Working?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good.
LIN: It's good?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that is -- she's going to help me.
LIN (voice-over): Halima is pregnant. If she has a girl, I ask if she will let her daughter go to American parties and date.
"Yes," she tells me. She says her daughter can go wherever she wants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will decide when I get.
LIN (on camera): When you get a daughter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LIN: Yes.
(voice-over): Maridi Mukomas still gets some government refugee assistance, but his restaurant job pays most expenses. He hopes to buy a house one day. This, he says, is the American dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: And Carol Lin reports concerns about terrorism have made it more difficult for refugees to enter the U.S. legally. In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, the number of refugees has dropped by more than half.
Up next, ending the sound of silence. One ear completely deaf, this weekend that silent ear heard the sound of fireworks. How she did it and how it could help you if you are hearing impaired. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Senator Orrin Hatch says he hopes stem cell research supporters and the Bush administration will reach a compromise noting wide Senate support to ease the president's restrictive policy. Hatch tells CNN the Senate has now more than 60 votes needed to end a filibuster on legislation. President Bush signed an executive order three years ago that limited research funding to 78 embryonic stem cells then in existence. Hatch believes a compromise on easing that restriction would include moral and ethical standards that would be set by the National Institutes of Health.
Well, place a hand over one ear and listen to the changes in your hearing. Imagine going through life that way. Did you know every year 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with SSD, single-sided deafness. Nancy Bonnett had it, but she's now regained full hearing in both ears and she's here to tell her story.
Good morning to you, Nancy.
NANCY BONNETT, REGAINED HEARING FROM SINGLE-SIDED DEAFNESS: Good morning to you.
GRIFFIN: I was shocked, 60,000 people a year are diagnosed with this. What does it feel like, and how did you get it?
BONNETT: Well, I had no idea of the dramatic changes that would come with the single-sided deafness. I was diagnosed in May of 2002 with an acoustic neuroma, which is actually a benign brain tumor that arises from the hearing nerve, or the acoustic nerve. And as a result, I needed surgery. And due to the size of my tumor, I would lose my hearing in my right ear. My surgeon was fantastic and tried to prepare me for this. But I had no idea the dramatic changes that would occur in all aspects of my life.
GRIFFIN: Changes like?
BONNETT: Well, personally you can see from the tape that I'm the mother of three small children. And I think most would agree that raising three children is difficult enough with two ears. So trying to do that with one ear certainly lends itself to significant fear of when I miss a cry, if they needed something. Professionally, I'm a nurse. I'm a registered nurse, and I work as a clinical nurse specialist. So I do a lot of speaking and a lot of lecturing, which for a single-sided deaf patient is very difficult; because we lose what's referred to as localization, or the ability to know where the sound is coming from.
And socially, I lost all confidence. I didn't want to go to a crowded restaurant or to a party, anywhere where there would be a lot of background noise, because I couldn't filter out the noise and hear the person standing right in front of me.
GRIFFIN: It also makes it difficult to drive, I'm told?
BONNETT: Oh, definitely, definitely.
GRIFFIN: Now you got it from a surgery. Other people have gotten this from viral infections. How did you get over it, or what was the treatment that allowed you this weekend to listen to the fireworks and the symphony playing along, right?
BONNETT: Yes, it was tremendous. Basically I had -- there are options available for single-sided deafness. But the conventional hearing aid does not work for this type of deafness. So I had gone out and researched a new sound processor that I had heard was recently approved by the FDA known as a BAHA, or bone-anchored hearing device. And I think you're seeing a picture of that now. I was able to try a simulator and actually stand in a crowded conference hall which historically had been a poor hearing environment for me, and my husband stood at my bad ear and whispered to me. And I heard every word.
And I said to him, we need to get this. And I was able to find a surgeon within my home state who would implant the device in the health care system that I'm employed in. So everything seemed to work out. And then there was a three-month waiting period. The way it actually works is, a titanium screw is actually implanted into my skull. And I know that sounds weird, but it does work out OK.
GRIFFIN: Sounds painful.
BONNETT: It really was not. And there's a three-month waiting period as the bone then heals around the screw. We call that osteointegration. After the three-month waiting period, the sound processor is attached. And the sound comes in through the sound processor and uses the bone, or the skull, to conduct the sound, as a normal functioning ear would. So I hear slightly differently through my right ear, but the key word there is, I do hear.
GRIFFIN: And your message to people who are suffering through this and probably saying, oh, I just lost that ear, I'm just going to deal with it, is to get...
BONNETT: Oh, there are definitely options. There are options out there, as a patient with personal experience as well as a nurse, I'll tell you that you need to have a strong relationship, a close relationship with your primary medical doctor to discuss the options and to be able to filter through and decide what is the best way for you. For me, the BAHA has opened up doors that I thought were once closed after my surgery.
GRIFFIN: Nancy Bonnet, we thank you for joining us. And hearing us with both ears this morning.
BONNETT: Oh, it's great. Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Take care. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: Well, if your kids are in one of those rain zones and you're concerned about how much time they're spending inside playing video games. Watch this. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will show us some of the latest games that may actually give your kids a good workout.
And if want to travel like the rich and famous even though you're not, meet the man behind "Penny Pincher's Guide to Luxury Travel", the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
Here's the news at this hour. In Europe, the war crimes case against Slobodan Milosevic has been put on hold. Milosevic, acting as his own attorney, was expected to start his defense today at a U.N. tribunal at The Hague. Judges delayed the trial because there are concerns now about Milosevic's health. A ruling on how to proceed expected tomorrow.
In Africa, Winnie Madikizela Mandela, avoids jail time after an appeals court overturned (UNINTELLIGIBLE) charges against her. The court dismissed 25 counts of theft against the ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, but upheld 43 counts of fraud. Winnie Mandela says she will challenge the partial dismissal.
And amid fears of terror attacks, U.S. military families in Bahrain are ordered to leave that country within days. General John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, issued the formal order. It involves some 650 military dependents, but not troops. The Pentagon says it's not an evacuation but a temporary relocation.
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 July 5, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I am Drew Griffin filling in for Daryn today. It's Monday, July 5, a holiday for many Americans. Let's check the news at this hour.
In the headlines, he has made his decision. He's just not telling anybody about it yet. A Democratic official says John Kerry has now picked a running mate. No word on when the presumptive Democratic nominee will reveal that choice. We'll have more on that in just a minute from Kelly Wallace.
The family of a captured U.S. Marine remains in seclusion in Utah waiting for news. An Islamic group claiming to hold Corporal Wassef Hassoun denies Web site reports that he has been killed. Hassoun worked as an Arabic translator in Iraq. He was last seen June 19.
Two wildfires on Arizona's Mount Graham are expected to merge in the next few days. The fires have moved very close now to dozens of cabins and an international observatory. Those buildings were evacuated Friday. The observatory houses a $120 million telescope, it is one of the most powerful in the world. Mount Graham is 110 miles east of Tucson.
And the future of Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial, up in the air. Judges in The Hague postponing today's opening of the defense case because of Milosevic's poor health. Prosecutors have asked judges to impose a defense lawyer on the former Yugoslav president. Judges are to rule tomorrow on how or whether the trial will resume.
We begin this hour with the presidential race. And a running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry. A party official tells CNN, Kerry has chosen his No. 2. But the all-important details, who and when under wraps.
Embroiled in speculation, national correspondent Kelly Wallace tells us what she knows -- Kelly
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Drew. Those are certainly the key questions. We can tell you that campaign officials are not confirming this report. This confirmation from a Democratic official that John Kerry has made up his mind. But this is what this official is telling CNN.
The official saying, "It's clear Kerry has made a decision and is committed to announcing it on his terms with discipline, more typically associated with Republican campaigns of yesteryear." This official saying, "that means obviously meaning a rapid turn-around."
Of course, the big question remains, who. Reporters were looking for all kinds of signs yesterday. And that's when John Kerry spent the day with Tom Vilsack of Iowa, the governor of Iowa. Vilsack is believed to be on John Kerry's short list. And neither Kerry nor Vilsack would take any questions. John Kerry for his part seemed to be enjoying the guessing game. Other names believed to be on John Kerry's short list include Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt. Who many believe John Kerry feels most comfortable with. And North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who many Democrats believe would do the most to energize the Kerry, campaign.
Something we do know, reading the tealeaves and talking to Democratic sources, John Kerry apparently has studied very closely past running mate decisions. And that he was very impressed by the president's decision to pick Dick Cheney back in 2000, that John Kerry apparently believes chemistry is most important. And that geography just doesn't matter that much at all.
Drew, all eyes will really be on Pittsburgh later today. John Kerry and his wife Teresa hosting a barbecue with politicians from Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, to see if the senator will reveal exactly what he's planning to do and when -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Kelly, it's a holiday, a somewhat slow news today. Any chance he would make the announcement today?
WALLACE: The sense we're getting is no. Aides we have been talking to over the past few days felt that today, because it is a holiday, as you said, and because it is a slow news day, and because so many families are out enjoying the long weekend, not necessarily paying attention to television or newspapers, they were hoping for kind of a bigger audience, so that the sense was as early as tomorrow, Tuesday. And sometime this week it's looking likely. But again, Drew, all bets are off. We just don't 100 percent know.
GRIFFIN: We'll continue paying attention to you, as you try to find this out for us, Kelly. Thanks a lot.
WALLACE: Sure.
GRIFFIN: Meanwhile, the Bush-Cheney team spent the holiday weekend on the campaign trail. Both men on the stump. Mr. Bush in West Virginia, using the patriotic backdrop to defend the war in Iraq. He says Americans are safer now that Saddam Hussein is in prison and as U.S. coalition troops hunt terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We must work to remove the conditions that give rise to terror in parts of the world like the Middle East: the poverty, the hopelessness, and the resentments that the terrorists exploit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: A day earlier, Vice President Dick Cheney also in West Virginia. He told crowds Saddam should be executed if convicted of genocide and other crimes. Cheney was concluding a bus tour through Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Cheney's office confirms now the vice president has dropped a personal physician from the vice president's medical team, because of drug abuse allegations. The "New Yorker" magazine is reporting in today's issue that Dr. Gary Malakoff has abused prescription narcotics for years, and has now been removed from his senior position at George Washington University Medical Center. Malakoff has frequently been quoted in the media attesting to the vice president's good health, despite four heart attacks since 1995.
An Iraqi government planned to grant amnesty to some insurgents is on hold. That offer was supposed to be announced today. The news conference canceled. The deal would apply to low-level insurgents, not hard-core criminals like these kidnappers that were threatening to behead a U.S. Marine. But many questions remain on who would be covered and who would not. Iraqi sources have told CNN amnesty could involve 5,000 supporters of Saddam Hussein's former regime who were, quote, "misled."
Now, it's not clear if it would cover Muqtada al Sadr, the Shiite Muslim cleric who is blamed for militia attacks on coalition forces, and Iraqi infrastructure.
In Iraq, authorities say two Iranian men have been arrested trying to detonate a car bomb. The case in the Talbiyah neighborhood marks the first arrests of non-Iraqi insurgents, and would seem to support Iraqi claims that foreign fighters are taking part in the wave of vehicle bombings.
Iraq's new chapter in history may well be written in oil, but the exports and the all-important revenues for rebuilding have suffered yet another strike. Saboteurs bombed part of a strategic oil pipeline that feeds oil from Iraq's southern oil fields to refineries in the northern parts of the country. The area's pipelines have been struck several times in recent weeks.
CNN's international correspondent Brent Sadler is in Baghdad with a closer look at this latest blow to the new government and its finances -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN SENIOR INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, this crippling of the pipeline that feeds Iraq's oil refineries is just one side of the problem. The biggest problem authorities face here on the ground is trying to maintain the flow of oil, so that Iraq can earn income from those exports. So there's a very big problem that they're trying to tackle right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER (voice-over): Giant ships fill their tanks with Iraqi crude oil, exporting up to 3 million worth of oil an hour, if all works well. But all is not well. Crude oozes from a gaping hole after recent attacks on strategic pipelines near Basra in southern Iraq, sapping oil revenues.
AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM PRESIDENT, IRAQ: Anyone involved in these attacks is nothing more than a traitor to the cause of Iraq's freedom and the freedom of its people.
SADLER: Oil protection is supposed to be a top priority, on land and at sea, since last year's invasion of Iraq. But Iraqi officials claim it's been hit and missed. Exposing a worrying shortfall in coalition planning.
JABBAR AL LEABY, DIRECTOR GENERAL: So they need security everywhere. And security in men, security in equipment, and security in every aspect.
SADLER (on camera): The vast and often remote network of pipelines is vulnerable to attack. No oil means no money to pay for the cost of war, reconstruction and recovery.
(voice-over): As recently as two months ago, would-be suicide bombers tried but failed to hit these vital offshore terminals, now guarded by a fleet of coalition warships. The U.S. soldiers help enforce a new exclusion zone, patrolled by the American and British Navies. Nothing is fool proof, though.
ADM. ALLAN WEST, BRITISH FIRST SEA LORD: Everything is always vulnerable, if you get the right thing at the right time and you're lucky. But they are now much harder to crack.
SADLER: But on land, where saboteurs are getting through, a 15,000-strong Iraqi protection force, privately trained, with coalition money, is paper-thin, with more than 7,000 miles of pipeline and 260 facilities to guard.
KEVIN THOMAS, OIL ADVISER, CPA SOUTH: Our patrols cannot only walk through, any determined enemy can monitor the patrol patterns and attack when the patrol has moved on.
SADLER: The oil network has so far been hit more than 130 times in the past seven months alone. Including a six-day shutdown of all crude exports in June, losing money, Iraq and its coalition allies can ill afford.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER: Well, that 15,000 strong oil protection forces is manned by Iraqis and is still getting up to speed. But without air surveillance and without high-tech security equipment, complain Iraqi officials, is not likely to combat or defeat these oil saboteurs -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Brent, I wanted to ask you about the idea of granting amnesty to low-level insurgents. And yesterday, in somewhat of a bombshell by the prime minister saying that that could include Muqtada al Sadr. Now, we are hearing that the news conference on that was canceled. SADLER: Yes, it was canceled several hours ago, postponed indefinitely. We don't know all the details behind it, but certainly a very hard deal to work out is going on behind the scenes. Not just as far as an amnesty pardon for insurgents, we're not quite sure who is going to be involved in that classification and whether or not Muqtada al Sadr will be involved. Although certainly negotiations are going on. But also a new Public Security Act, and the way that this new Iraqi government is going to try and defeat the No. 1 enemy here, that is, the continuing insurgency -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Brent Sadler live in Baghdad. Thank you.
Now stories making news around the rest of the world.
In Indonesia, election officials have ordered a recount in the country's first direct presidential contest. In a scenario reminiscent of the Florida election debacle four years ago, many Indonesian voters mistakenly punched more than one hole rendering the ballot invalid.
Taiwan reeling from its worst flooding in 25 years. The tropical storm has killed at least 21 people there, and left more than a dozen others missing, some stranded 10,000 villagers without fresh water or electricity.
An appeals court in South Africa has issued a ruling that allows Winnie Mandela to avoid a nearly four-year prison term. A court dismissed 25 counts of theft against the ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, but upheld 43 counts of fraud. Mandela says she will challenge the partial dismissal.
She lost her son in the Iraq War and now she's a character in the controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11." After the break, she tells us why she thinks the Bush administration got it wrong.
Plus, the cornerstone of rebirth at Ground Zero.
And still to come, the ever-evolving American vacation, why your office is slowly becoming the third wheel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Nearly three years after terrorists steered the hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center, New York has laid the cornerstone of the symbolic resurgent.
CNN's Alina Cho looks to the new Freedom Tower, a monument to what was lost and what was reborn on September 11.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What the curtain revealed was breathtaking, a 20-ton piece of New York granite, now the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower, the first and tallest building to be built at Ground Zero. MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBER, NEW YORK: Today, as we lay this cornerstone, we remember the liberties that are the bedrock of our nation. The foundation that can never be shaken by violence or hate.
CHO: Along with the music, there was symbolism this Fourth of July. The son of a Port Authority police officer who died on 9/11 read the Declaration of Independence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hold these truths to be self-evident.
CHO: The height of the Freedom Tower is symbolic; 1776 feet to mark the year America declared its independence, a spire that echoes the profile of the Statue of Liberty. All the vision of master planner Daniel Libeskind.
DANIEL LIBESKIND, WTC SITE MASTER PLANNER: One thinks of how incredible to redirect and rebuild New York, in a way that is inspiring and meaningful. And that is not just founded on height, but the liberties and freedoms that this country was founded on.
CHO: Families members who lost loved ones on 9/11 were on hand. John Foy lost his mother-in-law.
JOHN FOY, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: It feels good. This is like -- it's a closure and it's a new beginning.
CHO: Some touched the inscription. Others want construction to wait for a memorial to be built first, at what they regard as sacred ground.
WILLIAM HEALY, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: This is a gravesite. Today would have been much more appropriate had it been the cornerstone for the memorial.
CHO: A memorial will be built here. And is set to open around the same time as the tower.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: What our enemies sought to destroy: our democracy, our freedom, our way of life stands taller than ever before.
CHO (on camera): What is clear about this ceremony is that it marks the first step in rebuilding here at Ground Zero. What the final landscape will look like, or when that will happen is still an open question.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: The Bush administration has felt the celluloid sizzle of "Fahrenheit 9/11," a film that promotes a scathing portrayal of the administration's response to those terror attacks. While generally embraced by the left and derided by the right, it has drawn millions to the theater and set new records for a so-called documentary.
One of its central figures is this woman who lost her son in the Iraq War. And earlier on CNN, Lila Lipscomb spoke to Bill Hemmer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There's also a scene where you made a visit to the White House.
LILA LIMPSCOMB, MOTHER IN "FAHRENHEIT 9/11": Yes.
HEMMER: For our viewers, let's listen and watch that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAHRENHEIT 9/11")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush is a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, he isn't. This is all staged.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he is. He is the butcher of Iraq. He is the butcher of Iraq.
LIPSCOMB: My son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where was he killed?
LIPSCOMB: You tell me. My son is not a stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where was he killed?
LIPSCOMB: He was killed in Karbala. April 2 is not a stage. My son is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Why did you feel it important to go to the White House?
LIPSCOMB: Because as a child, I was always raised that if you didn't find answers, then you went to the highest level to be able to find those answers. And to me, the highest level was the White House where the decision was made.
HEMMER: You describe yourself as a patriot, right?
LIPSCOMB: Mm-hmm. Exactly right.
HEMMER: It's my understanding that you still have an American flag...
LIPSCOMB: I still have my flag. Exactly right.
HEMMER: How do you then -- because you say you have supported the commander in chief in the past. How do you reconcile your feelings now, knowing your loss? And knowing that for so long you had supported the decision to go to war?
LIPSCOMB: I didn't support the decision to go to war. I supported that my commander in chief had made the proper decision. And what I've come to learn is, had we been told, as Americans, that the decision was that Saddam was an inhumane human being, and the things that he was doing were improper to humans, and had each of us, each of us, and the United Nations agreed with that, that would have been different to go to war under those terms. But that's not what we were told.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Lipscomb says her brother served in Vietnam and she initially resented those Iraqi protesters, fearing they were blaming the military personnel, as was the case 30 years ago. She says her attitude changed before her son's death and she began to see anti-war demonstrators as drawing attention to what she calls, "misguided administration policies."
Heading back to the war zone, soldiers ending their stateside leave to tell what it's like to say good-bye for a second time.
And up next, cutting the technological cord when you leave the office. How to prevent work from invading your vacation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We would usually be checking Wall Street right now, but U.S. financial markets are closed today. Part of a three day holiday weekend, banks, federal offices, post offices and lots of other businesses closed as well.
Former Enron chairman Ken Lay could be indicted as early as this week. But his attorney says rumors of this imminent indictment are just a ploy to get prosecutors to act. The Associated Press reports federal prosecutors may ask a Houston grand jury, hearing Enron testimony, to hand up the indictment. The charges against the ex- Enron boss are expected to include an attempt to hide the company's financial situation from investors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN LAY, FMR. ENRON CHAIRMAN: Obviously I wish what happened hadn't happened. But we can't redo history now. And the main thing that I've always prayed for from Day 1 is that all the truth comes out. And then let's get on with the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: And Ken Lay says he is innocent. His attorney says that Justice Department's Enron Task Force is determined to indict lay whether he's guilty or not.
When is a vacation not a vacation? When you're wired to work. Maggie Lake says it's happening more and more. But there are ways, she says, you can leave your job behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Feel the need to escape the daily grind? You're not alone. Travel bookings across the United States are on the rise. The Travel Industry Association of America said this summer will be the biggest one-year jump in leisure travel in the last four years.
(on camera): But getting away isn't easy. Whether you're in a coffee shop, at the airport, or at the beach, wireless technology has made it possible to log on and call in from almost anywhere.
(voice-over): And employers know that. Managers have come to rely on instant access as a way of squeezing more work out of a tight labor pool.
GIL GORDON, AUTHOR, "TURN IT OFF": I think the employers are demanding it, in many cases as an effect of all the downsizing. You know, there's less bench strength. There are fewer people to cover for those who are on vacation. In some cases it's perceived by the employer as a business necessity.
LAKE: A business tool for some. For others, being wired has turned into an addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My cell phone I use the second I leave the office, till the time I go to bed probably.
LAKE: Psychologists warn that tech overload can make workers burnt out and less productive. Therapists like Susan Battley say it's important to unplug when you go on vacation. If you do have to take your laptop or cell phone, set ground rules.
DR. SUSAN BATTLEY, INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGIST: If you do need to leave your contact information, then leave it with a reliable person, someone who will be a gatekeeper and only contact you if the situation is urgent. If you do need to touch base with the office, try to arrange a fixed time, so that it is convenient for you.
LAKE: Allowing time to decompress, whether it be a nap on the beach, a European vacation, or a picnic in the park will re-vitalize you, and help you cope with life's hectic pace.
Maggie Lake, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: A major prisoner swap between the U.S., Great Britain and Saudi Arabia may have happened. The White House response is next.
Plus, the body of a U.S. Marine brought home for burial in Mexico is met by armed and angry Mexican troops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Here are the headlines at this hour.
CNN has learned that presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry has decided on a running mate, but it is not clear when he will announce his selection. The top contenders thought to be North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt.
More violence today in Iraq. An Iraqi police official says six mortar rounds struck near a British military camp in central Basra, apparently missing their intended target but striking different houses. At least one Iraqi was killed, two others wounded. Roadside bomb attacks in Mosul and Baghdad have left 13 others injured.
Meanwhile, officials say insurgents detonated a homemade bomb on a strategic oil pipeline in northern Iraq. Oil industries say the attack has cut the country's exports by nearly one-half. Officials have relied on the nation's oil export revenues to help pay for rebuilding the country's infrastructure.
And in South Florida, police investigators say they just don't know why a man crashed his SUV into a crowded terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The driver, who suffered minor injuries, is identified as Alex Villa (ph), a former Olympic wrestler who defected from Cuba in 1997. He is held as the investigation there continues.
Just hours after "The New York Times" reported a secret prisoner swap between the United States, Saudi Arabia and Britain, a senior Saudi official dismisses the claim as "pure fantasy." One Democratic senator says, however, suspicions linger, as do concerns over the administration's ties to Saudi Arabia. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with a closer look at all of this -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Drew, this controversy all began with report from "The New York Times" that was citing anonymous sources saying that there was a secret prison swap that was going on here, both U.S. officials as well as Saudis denying this. One Saudi official going so far as to say that this is "pure fantasy." He says it is simply a case of connecting the dots that don't connect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Les Walker was held in Saudi Arabia for allegedly carrying out terrorist attacks there, but now he's a free man. The British citizen says he, along with six other Western prisoners, had been tortured by Saudi security officials into confessing to crimes they did not commit.
LES WALKER, FORMER PRISONER: We pleaded innocent until they tortured us or myself. They tortured me to confess to bombings.
MALVEAUX: Walker and the others were freed nearly a year ago, but the circumstances surrounding their release are raising questions now about a possible secret international prison swap. According to senior American and British officials cited in "The New York Times," the U.S., Britain and Saudi Arabia were involved in months of intense negotiations beginning in July of 2002 to win the detainees' release. The deal was last May the U.S. freed five Saudi detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, returning them to the Saudi government. Three months later, Saudi Arabia released the Western detainees.
Was it quid pro quo? British Embassy spokesman Steve Atkins said: "We were extremely relieved to win their release and get them out of Saudi Arabia. We worked ceaselessly for their return." But also said: "I am not able to comment further on any diplomatic discussions."
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack denied any trade, saying: "There is no recollection here of any linkage between these two actions." The Saudis release was, "part of the normal policy of transferring detainees from Guantanamo for prosecution or continued detention."
And while officials do not dispute the timeline of the detainees' release, some political analysts see the timing around the Iraq war as more than coincidence.
CHARLES KUPCHAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I think the Bush administration was hard pressed to put the coalition and to keep it together once the war was over. And the one thing that they could do to provide political payback was to facilitate a deal on these detainees, and Bush appears to have exercised that option.
MALVEAUX: Walker says he was never told of the circumstances of his release, but he had his suspicions.
WALKER: We were pawns in a big game. That was a fear once we were in prison and it's a thought that I have held since I came out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Drew, the big question here, the important question is whether or not those detainees -- transferring those Saudi detainees compromised in any way U.S. national security interests. The Saudi officials say those detainees who were transferred, that they were low-level criminals and that they were actually brought to Saudi jails -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Suzanne, this either did or did not happen. Is anybody trying to get to the very bottom of this officially in Washington?
MALVEAUX: Well, there have been some calls from one senator, Senator Schumer, raising questions about this. But there have been no calls for an investigation on this matter. That is because first, there is no evidence that any kind of international law was broken. And it really depends on who you talk to with this story. There are some who say that this is simply a part of diplomatic discussions, that it goes on all the time. There are others who say this is a deal, a trade of some sort.
So as of now, there doesn't seem to be any kind of call for an investigation. One really important point here, however, is people are asking whether or not this compromised national security in any way. And the Saudi officials say, look, these are low-level criminals that were transferred. They were brought back to Saudi soil. They're being held in Saudi jails as we speak. That there really is nothing that is untoward because of this exchange.
GRIFFIN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thank you.
A U.S. Marine who was killed in Iraq was returned to his hometown in Mexico. But a scuffle between U.S. and Mexican soldiers interrupted the funeral. Mexican soldiers carrying automatic weapons demanded that the U.S. Marine honor guard surrender their ceremonial replicas of rifles. Mexico forbids foreign troops from carrying firearms inside Mexico. The U.S. ambassador to Mexico issued an angry statement for Mexico's heavy-handed approach to that situation.
This holiday weekend celebrating patriotism and sacrifice also ushered in the end of a two-week leave for U.S. troops allowed to return home temporarily. They are the first Americans to return to an Iraq governed by Iraqis. The dangers they know all too well are largely undiminished after the handover.
CNN's David Mattingly explains that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next person.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been home for the shortest two weeks of their lives, but leave is over. For these soldiers, it's time for the long flight back - back to an Iraq that is now run by Iraqis.
TANYA SIMMONS, WIFE OF SOLDIER: Hopefully now it will take the emphasis off the American soldiers and put it back on the Iraqis.
MATTINGLY: Many of these soldiers watched the handover with their families on television, a reminder of the job waiting for them as they tried to lose themselves in the comforts of home.
(on camera): What do you expect to see when you get back?
(voice-over): They now return talking of mixed emotions, hopeful that the worst is over, mindful of possible dangers ahead.
SPEC. STEPEHN GRENOA, U.S. ARMY: Hopefully, they'll step up and start taking (UNINTELLIGIBLE) responsibility for their own country, their own people in their country.
SPEC. CHAD WEBSTER, U.S. ARMY: We've got to wait and see. I mean, we don't know what to expect going back. We don't know what the changes are going to be.
MATTINGLY (on camera): When these soldiers get back to Iraq, they'll be returning more experienced than last time. They're smarter, more seasoned.
But with that experience, they say, has come an important lesson: to always prepared for anything.
(voice-over): Daily episodes of violence since the handover drive the point home that the bloodshed they left behind will be waiting, a certainty that makes a new round of farewells tough for any soldier.
(on camera): Is it harder saying goodbye the second time than it was the first time?
SGT. BONNIE COLLINS, U.S. ARMY: Yes.
MATTINGLY: In what way?
COLLINS: Because I have to leave them a second time.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Sergeant Bonnie Collins holds her two young daughters closely, trying to make the most of their last hours together before mom goes back to Baghdad.
COLLINS: Getting through this, getting on the plane will be hard. But once it's done, it's done. I'll be OK.
MATTINGLY: A 14-hour flight that begins with heartache. Destination: the now familiar but dangerous nation of Iraq.
David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIRIFFIN: Let's look at other stories making news coast-to-coast this morning. A woman trapped in her car for two days was rescued by a man who heard her screaming. The woman's car had veered off an Alabama road and into Ravine. She is hospitalized in good condition.
One-armed bandits will be taking in loot all over Pennsylvania. Governor Ed Rendell plans to sign a bill today approving as many as 61,000 slot machines. Officials hoping to raise $1 billion a year to cut property taxes for homeowners.
And America is still fascinated with Ronald Reagan a month after the 40th president's death. The online auction site eBay has sold 780 pieces of Reagan funeral memorabilia for $66,000. The best-selling items have been from the National Cathedral service. In fact, one funeral program sold for more than $1500.
Embryonic stem cell research may have Congress playing "Let's Make a Deal" with the White house. Still to come, why an executive order limiting federal funding may be facing its final days.
And up next...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost took my breath away, like, how are they going to survive? How are they going to make it? And just emotionally how could they cope with all the changes that they were about to encounter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: From surviving a civil war to learning how to use electricity. This refugee family from Somalia is trying to realize their American dream.
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GRIFFIN: A beautiful sight in D.C. where heavy rain did not dampen spirits on the National Mall. The Capitol's annual Fourth of July fireworks show lit up a cloudy sky there. New York had firework fans' dream: 36,000 shells exploding in what was billed as the biggest pyrotechnic display in the nation. And other towns and cities across America held their own Independence Day displays as I'm sure you know.
Some people celebrated Independence Day by becoming Americans. More than 500 citizens sworn in during a ceremony in Seattle, ranging in age from a little 18-month-old from Guatemala to an 84-year-old from Vietnam. In the past year, more than 640,000 people have become brand-new U.S. citizens. And for many immigrants, the journey to America is a flight to freedom in more ways than one. Nearly 50,000 refugees will arrive in the U.S. this year, people who might be killed if they stayed in their homeland.
Carol Lin visited one family from Somalia who have had a real culture shock coming to the U.S
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): Halima Mukomas (ph) and her family arrived in Chicago, Illinois, on a frigid November day. Strangers a world away from the murderous Somali civil war that killed a half a million people so far.
Halima's husband, Maridi (ph), remembers 10 years ago when warring gangs opened fire in his village. His family scattered. His mother and seven siblings are still missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The war was very terrible.
LIN: He ended up in Kenya's Kokuma refugee camp. Another kind of hell on earth, where disease claimed so many lives. Seven years of paperwork, security checks, and interviews later. The United Nations told Maridi Mukomas that he, Halima, and their children could go to the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): God gave to me the blessing to come to America.
LIN: Photojournalist Denise McGill met the Mukomas in Kenya and documented the journey of these primitive Bantu tribes people into 21st century America.
DENISE MCGILL, PHOTOJOURNALIST: It just almost took my breath away, like how are they going to survive? How are they going to make it? And how just emotionally how could they cope with all the changes they - you know, that they were about to encounter.
LIN: Cars, lights, traffic? Virtually unheard of. They never had plumbing or used electricity. Church volunteers taught them how doorknobs work.
Shopping American style was overwhelming. That was seven months ago.
LIN (on camera): The picture and everything.
(voice-over): Now Maridi has a driver's license.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before, I was dreaming to drive...
LIN: Now the dream is alive. The Christian volunteers helping to settle this African-Muslim family have become a big part of their lives. And Mukomas children are already on the move, but World Relief counselor Issam Smer sees a rough road ahead.
ISSAM SMER, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLOR: There will be a lot of clashes, because we're talking about dating. We're talking about like a way they dress. Parents now are the one who depend on their children to translate for them.
LIN: And Halima and other Somali Bantu women are starting to assert their rights.
Halima tells me she wants a job. She also wants to drive a car.
(on camera): How do you feel about that? Driving a car? Working?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good.
LIN: It's good?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that is -- she's going to help me.
LIN (voice-over): Halima is pregnant. If she has a girl, I ask if she will let her daughter go to American parties and date.
"Yes," she tells me. She says her daughter can go wherever she wants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will decide when I get.
LIN (on camera): When you get a daughter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LIN: Yes.
(voice-over): Maridi Mukomas still gets some government refugee assistance, but his restaurant job pays most expenses. He hopes to buy a house one day. This, he says, is the American dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: And Carol Lin reports concerns about terrorism have made it more difficult for refugees to enter the U.S. legally. In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, the number of refugees has dropped by more than half.
Up next, ending the sound of silence. One ear completely deaf, this weekend that silent ear heard the sound of fireworks. How she did it and how it could help you if you are hearing impaired. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Senator Orrin Hatch says he hopes stem cell research supporters and the Bush administration will reach a compromise noting wide Senate support to ease the president's restrictive policy. Hatch tells CNN the Senate has now more than 60 votes needed to end a filibuster on legislation. President Bush signed an executive order three years ago that limited research funding to 78 embryonic stem cells then in existence. Hatch believes a compromise on easing that restriction would include moral and ethical standards that would be set by the National Institutes of Health.
Well, place a hand over one ear and listen to the changes in your hearing. Imagine going through life that way. Did you know every year 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with SSD, single-sided deafness. Nancy Bonnett had it, but she's now regained full hearing in both ears and she's here to tell her story.
Good morning to you, Nancy.
NANCY BONNETT, REGAINED HEARING FROM SINGLE-SIDED DEAFNESS: Good morning to you.
GRIFFIN: I was shocked, 60,000 people a year are diagnosed with this. What does it feel like, and how did you get it?
BONNETT: Well, I had no idea of the dramatic changes that would come with the single-sided deafness. I was diagnosed in May of 2002 with an acoustic neuroma, which is actually a benign brain tumor that arises from the hearing nerve, or the acoustic nerve. And as a result, I needed surgery. And due to the size of my tumor, I would lose my hearing in my right ear. My surgeon was fantastic and tried to prepare me for this. But I had no idea the dramatic changes that would occur in all aspects of my life.
GRIFFIN: Changes like?
BONNETT: Well, personally you can see from the tape that I'm the mother of three small children. And I think most would agree that raising three children is difficult enough with two ears. So trying to do that with one ear certainly lends itself to significant fear of when I miss a cry, if they needed something. Professionally, I'm a nurse. I'm a registered nurse, and I work as a clinical nurse specialist. So I do a lot of speaking and a lot of lecturing, which for a single-sided deaf patient is very difficult; because we lose what's referred to as localization, or the ability to know where the sound is coming from.
And socially, I lost all confidence. I didn't want to go to a crowded restaurant or to a party, anywhere where there would be a lot of background noise, because I couldn't filter out the noise and hear the person standing right in front of me.
GRIFFIN: It also makes it difficult to drive, I'm told?
BONNETT: Oh, definitely, definitely.
GRIFFIN: Now you got it from a surgery. Other people have gotten this from viral infections. How did you get over it, or what was the treatment that allowed you this weekend to listen to the fireworks and the symphony playing along, right?
BONNETT: Yes, it was tremendous. Basically I had -- there are options available for single-sided deafness. But the conventional hearing aid does not work for this type of deafness. So I had gone out and researched a new sound processor that I had heard was recently approved by the FDA known as a BAHA, or bone-anchored hearing device. And I think you're seeing a picture of that now. I was able to try a simulator and actually stand in a crowded conference hall which historically had been a poor hearing environment for me, and my husband stood at my bad ear and whispered to me. And I heard every word.
And I said to him, we need to get this. And I was able to find a surgeon within my home state who would implant the device in the health care system that I'm employed in. So everything seemed to work out. And then there was a three-month waiting period. The way it actually works is, a titanium screw is actually implanted into my skull. And I know that sounds weird, but it does work out OK.
GRIFFIN: Sounds painful.
BONNETT: It really was not. And there's a three-month waiting period as the bone then heals around the screw. We call that osteointegration. After the three-month waiting period, the sound processor is attached. And the sound comes in through the sound processor and uses the bone, or the skull, to conduct the sound, as a normal functioning ear would. So I hear slightly differently through my right ear, but the key word there is, I do hear.
GRIFFIN: And your message to people who are suffering through this and probably saying, oh, I just lost that ear, I'm just going to deal with it, is to get...
BONNETT: Oh, there are definitely options. There are options out there, as a patient with personal experience as well as a nurse, I'll tell you that you need to have a strong relationship, a close relationship with your primary medical doctor to discuss the options and to be able to filter through and decide what is the best way for you. For me, the BAHA has opened up doors that I thought were once closed after my surgery.
GRIFFIN: Nancy Bonnet, we thank you for joining us. And hearing us with both ears this morning.
BONNETT: Oh, it's great. Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Take care. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: Well, if your kids are in one of those rain zones and you're concerned about how much time they're spending inside playing video games. Watch this. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will show us some of the latest games that may actually give your kids a good workout.
And if want to travel like the rich and famous even though you're not, meet the man behind "Penny Pincher's Guide to Luxury Travel", the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
Here's the news at this hour. In Europe, the war crimes case against Slobodan Milosevic has been put on hold. Milosevic, acting as his own attorney, was expected to start his defense today at a U.N. tribunal at The Hague. Judges delayed the trial because there are concerns now about Milosevic's health. A ruling on how to proceed expected tomorrow.
In Africa, Winnie Madikizela Mandela, avoids jail time after an appeals court overturned (UNINTELLIGIBLE) charges against her. The court dismissed 25 counts of theft against the ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, but upheld 43 counts of fraud. Winnie Mandela says she will challenge the partial dismissal.
And amid fears of terror attacks, U.S. military families in Bahrain are ordered to leave that country within days. General John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, issued the formal order. It involves some 650 military dependents, but not troops. The Pentagon says it's not an evacuation but a temporary relocation.
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