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U.S. Military Experiments With 30,000-Pound Bomb; Wisconsin Trooper Saves Suicidal Woman; Accusations Against Fmr. Nat'l. Sec. Advisor Samuel Berger

Aired July 20, 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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And here's a look at happening right now in the news. We've learned within the past hour that the U.S. Army had shut down a section of a Maryland research lab because of a 2001 anthrax investigation. Law enforcement sources say the area has been closed. It's for infectious diseases, and it's a section at Fort Detrick.
Israeli helicopter missiles reportedly struck the home of a Palestinian militant in Gaza this morning. Reuters quoting Palestinian medics as saying that two people were wounded.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian political standoff continues. Yasser Arafat refusing to accept Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei resignation. Qorei says his resignation stands.

A vote at the U.N. is expected in just a few hours on Israel's West Bank barrier. The general assembly will vote on a resolution supporting the International Court of Justice's decision. The court ruling called for Israel to tear down the barrier. Israelis say it's needed for security. Palestinians call it a land grab.

Cooler temperatures and calmer winds this morning are giving firefighters in California a little bit of help. A nearly 6,000-acre fire in Los Angeles County is now about 45 percent contained. Some residents have been allowed to return home, but a mandatory evacuation order is still in effect for about 350 homes.

We are just a minute past 11 a.m. on the East coast, just past eight on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning, once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Up first on CNN, a former national security advisor under criminal investigation. He says, though, it was just a mistake.

Samuel Berger was President Clinton's national security advisor. He's accused of removing classified documents and notes from the National Archives. Berger says he inadvertently removed some documents while he was preparing to testify before the 9/11 commission.

He has released a statement where he says, "I deeply regret the sloppiness involved but had no intention of withholding documents from the commission and, to the contrary, to my knowledge every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced. We'll have more on the Berger investigation with our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin about 15 minutes past the hour.

Meanwhile, a key critic of U.S. intelligence on Iraq is speaking out today. Former Ambassador Joe Wilson questioned President Bush's claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa. The President made the statement in his 2003 state of the union speech.

Now a Senate intelligence report challenges Wilson's credibility. He says it's a partisan smear campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE WILSON, FMR. DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: This is designed to confuse people from the basic facts. And basic facts are two. One, the president spokesman, himself, acknowledged that the 16 words did not rise to the level of inclusion in the state of the union address. I did not to those words in the state of the union address.

And two, somebody close to president of the United States exposed my wife as a CIA operative. And that might may be a federal crime. And that's being investigated by a special counsel and by the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Wilson says that his wife's CIA's identity was leaked as retribution against him. That leak is under investigation.

President Bush says the U.S. is investigating whether Iran had a role in the September 11th attacks. The 9/11 commission found that some of the hijackers did path through Iran according to a "TIME" magazine report. Mr. Bush says the CIA has found no evidence of a direct connection between Iran and the terrorist attacks, but he accuses Iran of harboring suspected members of al Qaeda.

The U.S. Military is working to expand its arsenal by building a bigger bomb. The experimental 30,000-pound bomb would be aimed at destroying targets buried deep underground, beyond the reach of existing weapons.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with details on that. Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, so far it is just an idea on paper, but still it would be substantially larger, if it happened, than any weapon existing in the U.S. inventory -- 30,000 pound precision guided weapon.

It would be aimed at targets under ground-hardened bunkers, caves, that sort of thing -- dropped from a B-2 or B-52 bomber. They are asking the defense industry, the Air Force, to come up with ideas about how all of this might work.

Now this would be at least six times larger than the existing deep penetrator weapon. All they have right now really is a 5,000 pounder. It's not the same bomb you think you might have heard about during the Iraq war. Everybody remembers the MOAD. That was the so- called mother of all bombs. That was a 20,000 pounder.

But that was for above-ground targets. But after the war in Iraq, Air Force specialists went to Iraq. They looked at some of the targets they hit, those underground bunkers Saddam Hussein had. They found they weren't totally destroyed. It made them realize that they really need something much heavier.

But this would really be an engineering challenge if they can pull it off because when you think of it, a 30,000 pound on a B-2 bomber, well they'd have to put at least one on each side of the plane so the plane would be stable during takeoff; and then they would have to drop both of them because if you dropped 30,000 pounds off of just one side of the airplane, it would be a heck of a pinwheel that the airplane might dive into.

So, all of this a massive technical and engineering challenge. But they're asking the defense industry to look into it and see if it's possible -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Well as I can think of it, another engineering challenge would be a bomb so large that this doesn't go down and penetrate but doesn't take-out targets and potentially innocent civilians all around it as well.

STARR: Well, the idea is that it would -- that's a key issue. The idea is it would be precision, guided to its target by satellite coordinates. But it's quite different because it would be a penetrator.

So, it would have very heavy metal, a very heavy alloy, go deep under the ground into something that would be identified as a military target, and then have a special fuse so that it only explodes once it's deep underground. But still, that's another engineering challenge. So, again, a long way to go. But it's one of the ideas that they are working on now that the war Iraq is over and they see how the weapons worked there.

KAGAN: And is the military so open as to talk about potential targets in terms of countries?

STARR: Well, not openly but, quite clearly, specialists say that North Korea, indeed, would be a major concern. North Korea is known to have a number of underground bunkers, underground weapons sites, deep under the mountains and U.S. weapons can not penetrate at this point.

One interesting thing we learned, a marker of how concerned the U.S. is about being able to attack those North Korean targets if it came to that, if they ever had to do that, is in the opening days of the war in Iraq, the U.S. put about a dozen advanced missiles with a B-52 wing -- missiles that weren't yet in the U.S. inventory, but they were earmarked for extraordinary use to go against North Korea if the North Koreans had made any type of destabilizing move once the war with Iraq began.

Of course, none of that happened. But the fact that they put new weapons with those B-52 bombers, weapons that were not yet in a full inventory does indicate the level of concern they have about the capability to go after North Korean targets if it ever came to that -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

Well, let's get the latest from Iraq right now. It is the release of a Filipino hostage after two weeks of captivity. And the kidnappers of that man had demanded that the Philippines remove its forces from Iraq. That pullout was completed yesterday.

An Egyptian hostage has also been freed. The man was taken to the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad after the Saudi company he worked for pulled its workers out of Iraq.

Japan reportedly is the latest country to be warned about leaving the country. According to wire services, a militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi today issued an online threat of car bombs against Japanese troops. The statement warns, "Do what the Philippines have done."

Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun maintains he was abducted in Iraq. He made a brief statement from the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. That is where he is undergoing repatriation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CPL. WASSEF ALI HASSOUN, USMC: I did not desert my post. I was captured and held against my will by anti-coalition forces for 19 days.

This was a very difficult and challenging time for me. Since my release, I have been fully participating in the repatriation process. I thank everyone. I thank everyone who was looking for me and give thanks to God for everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Hassoun did not say how he made it from Iraq to Lebanon. A Marine Corps spokesman says the corporal wanted to make a public statement because he was concerned with some of the information that has been out there, according to the Marine Corps.

Well, a dramatic standoff comes to an even more dramatic end in South Carolina. Up next, a bulldozer and a police sharpshooter bring this to a crashing end -- literally. I'll show you the rest.

Also: Martha speaks. Her first and only live interview since being sentenced to prison. Hear for yourself what she has to say.

And he says it was all a mistake, but can questions really turn into criminal charges against a former national security advisor? We're taking a look when CNN LIVE TODAY returns. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A dramatic end to a hostage standoff in South Carolina. Construction equipment helped end this after 13 hours. A gunman had taken the owner of a store hostage. Police eventually shot him after they rammed the building.

The hostage, you're going to see here, she escaped to safety. The suspect survived and now faces charges of kidnapping and assault with intent to kill.

Well, an even more incredible video. This from a police trooper. It shows a high-speed chase in Wisconsin, ending with a dramatic split-second rescue. The state trooper somehow grabs the woman.

Watch her. She goes over the edge of this bridge. This was in Green Bay, an apparent suicide attempt. More police officers arrive moments later to help pull the woman to safety.

But Trooper Les Boldt is a man who made that daring life saving grab, and he joins us from Green Bay to describe the experience.

Trooper Boldt, good morning, and thanks for being with us.

LES BOLDT, WISCONSIN STATE TROOPER: Good morning.

KAGAN: First, let's talk about the high-speed chase that led to this. This is when you first get on to this situation?

BOLDT: Well, when I first noticed her she was at a high rate of speed. Most of the chase that you see on tape is me trying just to catch up to her. Actually, when I got behind her, whether she knew I was behind her or not didn't last that long before she actually pulled over on the top of the bridge.

KAGAN: And in terms of things not lasting that long, let's talk about -- she pulls over and she immediately goes over the side of the bridge. You did not have a lot of time to think about what you were going to do about that.

BOLDT: No, it was -- I saw her going around the front of her car. And it's like, she's going for the edge.

You know, it's either I don't go up to her thinking that she's going to go over the bridge, or I've got to get there before she gets there. So, I made the decision and, once I committed myself, I just kept going.

KAGAN: But the momentum of her going over, as we watch the videotape, it looks like you almost go with her.

BOLDT: I do -- my feet do slip a little bit and they slide back from the wall. Luckily, there was a bridge support that she kind of landed on which broke her fall a little bit and me having a hold of her arm. I was able to hold on to it when she hit the girder and then was able to pull back on her and get my balance again and pick her back up.

KAGAN: Did you have a moment where you thought, uh-oh, I'm going over, too? Or you didn't have time to think about that?

BOLDT: Well, when my feet first slipped, it was oh, get down lower, otherwise you're going to go with her.

KAGAN: You talked about the blue steel support, the bridge support that helped break her fall. What we can't tell from this video, though, this bridge, 200 feet over the Fox River.

BOLDT: Yes, it's approximately that high.

KAGAN: The height is incredible.

BOLDT: Yes. It's the highest bridge in Green Bay.

KAGAN: As you're grabbing her, she still didn't want to come back, did she?

BOLDT: No, no, she was pulling and pushing and she grabbed a support cable that was there with her left hand and was using that as leverage against me, pulling away from me. And I was pulling her, but luckily she -- her grip slipped first.

So, she came my direction, and I was able to get the momentum and pull her arm back over the cement barricade and wait for Sergeant Bill Morgan from the sheriff's department and Deputy Kevin Kanard (ph) get there and help me, assist. And we lifted her over the top the wall once they got there.

KAGAN: We've heard reports from family telling wire services that they believe this woman was suffering from postpartum depression. Did she say anything to you once you pulled her up, or what's the extent of her injuries from trying to jump?

BOLDT: She didn't say anything to me throughout my whole contact with her. The only thing I heard her say was when the paramedics got there, they asked her what hospital she wanted to go to. She responded to them, but she didn't say anything to us.

I don't know what her condition is right now. I know she had some scrapes and stuff from going over the wall. Other than that, I know she's in a hospital in the Green Bay area.

KAGAN: In a lot better condition.

BOLDT: Under observation and stuff.

KAGAN: In a lot better condition than had you not...

BOLDT: Yes. KAGAN: ... had you not grabbed her.

Trooper Boldt, they're calling you a hero. What do you think about that?

BOLDT: Well, that word kind of makes me kind of nervous. There's a lot of other law enforcement officers and other people out there that do the same thing I do. I get it on tape, which you know then it gets in the limelight. So, it's -- other people do the same type of things. It just doesn't always get into the limelight.

KAGAN: Well, as you said, we did get to see it in action, and we appreciate your efforts. We'll call you a hero. How about that? And I'm sure the woman's family really appreciate you and the other members of the police department there going above board.

BOLDT: Yes. I did talk to her sister this morning, and she did express deep appreciation for me this morning.

KAGAN: Well, that probably matters more than all the media attention on top of all that.

BOLDT: Yes.

KAGAN: Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures, appreciate it. And our best to the woman who clearly is getting some of the help that she needs.

BOLDT: Thank you.

KAGAN: Trooper Les Boldt from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Well, Martha Stewart says that she hasn't yet decided whether to go ahead and just serve her five-month prison sentence or fight. Stewart says that she could serve the time while she pursues her appeal or drop the appeal all together.

In her first live interview since her sentencing, she talked to CNN's Larry King about how people see her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART, MARTHA STEWART OMNIMEDIA: I've been perceived as arrogant. And my explanation was that, you know, I work really, really hard. I'm really hard on myself, Larry. You know that. You know how many hours a day I put in at the job.

LARRY KING, HOST, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE": You carry your own equipment.

STEWART: Whatever.

But I have sometimes probably forgotten -- I know I have -- forgotten to pat the back of someone or said thank you, you know, enough times or even maybe once sometimes. So I -- you know, I wish I were perfect. I wish I were just the, you know the nicest, nicest, nicest person on Earth. But I'm a businessperson in addition to a creator of domestic arts, and it's an odd combination.

No excuse -- but if I were a man, you know, no one would say I was arrogant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Stewart says she might yet write a book, a "how-to" book for people facing legal troubles like hers.

Other legal troubles, a former White House official is facing his own legal trouble this morning. Clinton National Security Advisor, Samuel Berger, is accused of removing classified documents from the National Archives. He says it was all a mistake.

CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins us to talk about the Berger investigation. Jeff, good morning.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn.

KAGAN: We have you on to talk about some strange stuff. This is right up there.

TOOBIN: Indeed.

KAGAN: So, Sandy Berger was asked to go look -- he was asked to go look at these archives in order to help the 9/11 commission know what the Clinton administration was planning in terms of previous terror threats?

TOOBIN: Right. And it's important to emphasize, he had every right to be looking at these documents. This wasn't some sneaking around that he was doing. This was essentially an extension of his official duties when he was national security advisor.

The key point here also is, you know, before we set up a lynch mob for Sandy Berger, the business of what is classified and what isn't, and what you're allowed to take and what you're not allowed to take, that is often very murky, especially when you're talking about taking notes on documents that are classified because not everything in a classified document is classified.

So, it's very likely, not for certain, but very likely this could all be a misunderstanding and Berger did nothing seriously wrong.

KAGAN: But he also -- somebody reported they saw him stuffing stuff in his clothes. I mean, if he didn't think he was doing it secretly. And he also talked about sloppiness, but he was the national security advisor. Certainly somebody under that kind of job would understand that there are certain protocol that you're supposed to follow.

TOOBIN: Well, let's take those two things separately. KAGAN: All right.

TOOBIN: I think you're absolutely right. If there is stuffing clothing into -- stuffing documents into clothing, that's a completely different scenario.

Again, not to be too much of a lawyer with you...

KAGAN: You can't help yourself.

TOOBIN: I know. But if he's just folding something and putting it in his jacket, I mean that is a perfectly ordinary thing for someone to do.

If he's taking documents and stuffing them in his socks obviously trying to avoid the scrutiny of security people, that's something else. And if he did that, he's in very big trouble.

You know, as for the potential for sloppiness, one of the things that you learn when you deal with classified documents a lot -- and I once had a job where I dealt with classified documents a lot -- is it becomes very routine and there is a certain sloppiness that, especially people who -- with a lot of access to classified information, come to assume.

It's maybe not a good thing, but just because you have a lot of experience doesn't mean you're very good about taking care of it.

KAGAN: So, do we need to check your socks, Jeff, is that what you're telling us?

TOOBIN: No, you don't. But I was investigated.

KAGAN: Oh, you were?

TOOBIN: I unfortunately do have firsthand experience.

KAGAN: And so, what kind of crime are we talking about?

TOOBIN: Well, when I was one of the prosecutors in the Oliver North case, in the Iran-Contra days, I wrote a book about it. There was a controversy, a lawsuit. I turned over documents that I had removed with the permission of the security officials. Later on, people said, "Oh that was classified. You shouldn't have removed it."

So, it is very much analogous to what Sandy Berger is now being accused of. I was cleared. I don't know if Sandy Berger will be cleared or not. But I do know firsthand that this is a more murky area than it is sometimes seen. And presumption of innocence, just as it was applied to me in my day, is probably good to presume that about Sandy Berger.

KAGAN: Interesting. So we can say, don't judge a man until you've walked in his shoes or walked in his socks; and you've done that.

TOOBIN: That's right. There were no documents in my socks.

KAGAN: There you go. For the record.

Jeffrey Toobin, thank you.

TOOBIN: OK, Daryn.

KAGAN: Always great to have you on with us.

Well a different legal matter, police put Scott Peterson under the microscope, now Peterson's defense team is returning the favor. The latest from that trial is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to say good morning to our friends in the Midwest for watching with us today. Jacqui Jeras is starting her weather forecast for you.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. They're going to be watching out for a little bit of severe weather, I think, later on today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: Daryn?

KAGAN: All right. Summer underway.

Thank you.

Well, the final preps are underway as well, and the Democrats are ready for their close-up. And we are already there. Up next, the CNN election express hits Boston for a countdown to the convention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 20, 2004 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And here's a look at happening right now in the news. We've learned within the past hour that the U.S. Army had shut down a section of a Maryland research lab because of a 2001 anthrax investigation. Law enforcement sources say the area has been closed. It's for infectious diseases, and it's a section at Fort Detrick.
Israeli helicopter missiles reportedly struck the home of a Palestinian militant in Gaza this morning. Reuters quoting Palestinian medics as saying that two people were wounded.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian political standoff continues. Yasser Arafat refusing to accept Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei resignation. Qorei says his resignation stands.

A vote at the U.N. is expected in just a few hours on Israel's West Bank barrier. The general assembly will vote on a resolution supporting the International Court of Justice's decision. The court ruling called for Israel to tear down the barrier. Israelis say it's needed for security. Palestinians call it a land grab.

Cooler temperatures and calmer winds this morning are giving firefighters in California a little bit of help. A nearly 6,000-acre fire in Los Angeles County is now about 45 percent contained. Some residents have been allowed to return home, but a mandatory evacuation order is still in effect for about 350 homes.

We are just a minute past 11 a.m. on the East coast, just past eight on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning, once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.

Up first on CNN, a former national security advisor under criminal investigation. He says, though, it was just a mistake.

Samuel Berger was President Clinton's national security advisor. He's accused of removing classified documents and notes from the National Archives. Berger says he inadvertently removed some documents while he was preparing to testify before the 9/11 commission.

He has released a statement where he says, "I deeply regret the sloppiness involved but had no intention of withholding documents from the commission and, to the contrary, to my knowledge every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced. We'll have more on the Berger investigation with our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin about 15 minutes past the hour.

Meanwhile, a key critic of U.S. intelligence on Iraq is speaking out today. Former Ambassador Joe Wilson questioned President Bush's claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa. The President made the statement in his 2003 state of the union speech.

Now a Senate intelligence report challenges Wilson's credibility. He says it's a partisan smear campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE WILSON, FMR. DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: This is designed to confuse people from the basic facts. And basic facts are two. One, the president spokesman, himself, acknowledged that the 16 words did not rise to the level of inclusion in the state of the union address. I did not to those words in the state of the union address.

And two, somebody close to president of the United States exposed my wife as a CIA operative. And that might may be a federal crime. And that's being investigated by a special counsel and by the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Wilson says that his wife's CIA's identity was leaked as retribution against him. That leak is under investigation.

President Bush says the U.S. is investigating whether Iran had a role in the September 11th attacks. The 9/11 commission found that some of the hijackers did path through Iran according to a "TIME" magazine report. Mr. Bush says the CIA has found no evidence of a direct connection between Iran and the terrorist attacks, but he accuses Iran of harboring suspected members of al Qaeda.

The U.S. Military is working to expand its arsenal by building a bigger bomb. The experimental 30,000-pound bomb would be aimed at destroying targets buried deep underground, beyond the reach of existing weapons.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with details on that. Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, so far it is just an idea on paper, but still it would be substantially larger, if it happened, than any weapon existing in the U.S. inventory -- 30,000 pound precision guided weapon.

It would be aimed at targets under ground-hardened bunkers, caves, that sort of thing -- dropped from a B-2 or B-52 bomber. They are asking the defense industry, the Air Force, to come up with ideas about how all of this might work.

Now this would be at least six times larger than the existing deep penetrator weapon. All they have right now really is a 5,000 pounder. It's not the same bomb you think you might have heard about during the Iraq war. Everybody remembers the MOAD. That was the so- called mother of all bombs. That was a 20,000 pounder.

But that was for above-ground targets. But after the war in Iraq, Air Force specialists went to Iraq. They looked at some of the targets they hit, those underground bunkers Saddam Hussein had. They found they weren't totally destroyed. It made them realize that they really need something much heavier.

But this would really be an engineering challenge if they can pull it off because when you think of it, a 30,000 pound on a B-2 bomber, well they'd have to put at least one on each side of the plane so the plane would be stable during takeoff; and then they would have to drop both of them because if you dropped 30,000 pounds off of just one side of the airplane, it would be a heck of a pinwheel that the airplane might dive into.

So, all of this a massive technical and engineering challenge. But they're asking the defense industry to look into it and see if it's possible -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Well as I can think of it, another engineering challenge would be a bomb so large that this doesn't go down and penetrate but doesn't take-out targets and potentially innocent civilians all around it as well.

STARR: Well, the idea is that it would -- that's a key issue. The idea is it would be precision, guided to its target by satellite coordinates. But it's quite different because it would be a penetrator.

So, it would have very heavy metal, a very heavy alloy, go deep under the ground into something that would be identified as a military target, and then have a special fuse so that it only explodes once it's deep underground. But still, that's another engineering challenge. So, again, a long way to go. But it's one of the ideas that they are working on now that the war Iraq is over and they see how the weapons worked there.

KAGAN: And is the military so open as to talk about potential targets in terms of countries?

STARR: Well, not openly but, quite clearly, specialists say that North Korea, indeed, would be a major concern. North Korea is known to have a number of underground bunkers, underground weapons sites, deep under the mountains and U.S. weapons can not penetrate at this point.

One interesting thing we learned, a marker of how concerned the U.S. is about being able to attack those North Korean targets if it came to that, if they ever had to do that, is in the opening days of the war in Iraq, the U.S. put about a dozen advanced missiles with a B-52 wing -- missiles that weren't yet in the U.S. inventory, but they were earmarked for extraordinary use to go against North Korea if the North Koreans had made any type of destabilizing move once the war with Iraq began.

Of course, none of that happened. But the fact that they put new weapons with those B-52 bombers, weapons that were not yet in a full inventory does indicate the level of concern they have about the capability to go after North Korean targets if it ever came to that -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

Well, let's get the latest from Iraq right now. It is the release of a Filipino hostage after two weeks of captivity. And the kidnappers of that man had demanded that the Philippines remove its forces from Iraq. That pullout was completed yesterday.

An Egyptian hostage has also been freed. The man was taken to the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad after the Saudi company he worked for pulled its workers out of Iraq.

Japan reportedly is the latest country to be warned about leaving the country. According to wire services, a militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi today issued an online threat of car bombs against Japanese troops. The statement warns, "Do what the Philippines have done."

Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun maintains he was abducted in Iraq. He made a brief statement from the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. That is where he is undergoing repatriation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CPL. WASSEF ALI HASSOUN, USMC: I did not desert my post. I was captured and held against my will by anti-coalition forces for 19 days.

This was a very difficult and challenging time for me. Since my release, I have been fully participating in the repatriation process. I thank everyone. I thank everyone who was looking for me and give thanks to God for everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Hassoun did not say how he made it from Iraq to Lebanon. A Marine Corps spokesman says the corporal wanted to make a public statement because he was concerned with some of the information that has been out there, according to the Marine Corps.

Well, a dramatic standoff comes to an even more dramatic end in South Carolina. Up next, a bulldozer and a police sharpshooter bring this to a crashing end -- literally. I'll show you the rest.

Also: Martha speaks. Her first and only live interview since being sentenced to prison. Hear for yourself what she has to say.

And he says it was all a mistake, but can questions really turn into criminal charges against a former national security advisor? We're taking a look when CNN LIVE TODAY returns. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A dramatic end to a hostage standoff in South Carolina. Construction equipment helped end this after 13 hours. A gunman had taken the owner of a store hostage. Police eventually shot him after they rammed the building.

The hostage, you're going to see here, she escaped to safety. The suspect survived and now faces charges of kidnapping and assault with intent to kill.

Well, an even more incredible video. This from a police trooper. It shows a high-speed chase in Wisconsin, ending with a dramatic split-second rescue. The state trooper somehow grabs the woman.

Watch her. She goes over the edge of this bridge. This was in Green Bay, an apparent suicide attempt. More police officers arrive moments later to help pull the woman to safety.

But Trooper Les Boldt is a man who made that daring life saving grab, and he joins us from Green Bay to describe the experience.

Trooper Boldt, good morning, and thanks for being with us.

LES BOLDT, WISCONSIN STATE TROOPER: Good morning.

KAGAN: First, let's talk about the high-speed chase that led to this. This is when you first get on to this situation?

BOLDT: Well, when I first noticed her she was at a high rate of speed. Most of the chase that you see on tape is me trying just to catch up to her. Actually, when I got behind her, whether she knew I was behind her or not didn't last that long before she actually pulled over on the top of the bridge.

KAGAN: And in terms of things not lasting that long, let's talk about -- she pulls over and she immediately goes over the side of the bridge. You did not have a lot of time to think about what you were going to do about that.

BOLDT: No, it was -- I saw her going around the front of her car. And it's like, she's going for the edge.

You know, it's either I don't go up to her thinking that she's going to go over the bridge, or I've got to get there before she gets there. So, I made the decision and, once I committed myself, I just kept going.

KAGAN: But the momentum of her going over, as we watch the videotape, it looks like you almost go with her.

BOLDT: I do -- my feet do slip a little bit and they slide back from the wall. Luckily, there was a bridge support that she kind of landed on which broke her fall a little bit and me having a hold of her arm. I was able to hold on to it when she hit the girder and then was able to pull back on her and get my balance again and pick her back up.

KAGAN: Did you have a moment where you thought, uh-oh, I'm going over, too? Or you didn't have time to think about that?

BOLDT: Well, when my feet first slipped, it was oh, get down lower, otherwise you're going to go with her.

KAGAN: You talked about the blue steel support, the bridge support that helped break her fall. What we can't tell from this video, though, this bridge, 200 feet over the Fox River.

BOLDT: Yes, it's approximately that high.

KAGAN: The height is incredible.

BOLDT: Yes. It's the highest bridge in Green Bay.

KAGAN: As you're grabbing her, she still didn't want to come back, did she?

BOLDT: No, no, she was pulling and pushing and she grabbed a support cable that was there with her left hand and was using that as leverage against me, pulling away from me. And I was pulling her, but luckily she -- her grip slipped first.

So, she came my direction, and I was able to get the momentum and pull her arm back over the cement barricade and wait for Sergeant Bill Morgan from the sheriff's department and Deputy Kevin Kanard (ph) get there and help me, assist. And we lifted her over the top the wall once they got there.

KAGAN: We've heard reports from family telling wire services that they believe this woman was suffering from postpartum depression. Did she say anything to you once you pulled her up, or what's the extent of her injuries from trying to jump?

BOLDT: She didn't say anything to me throughout my whole contact with her. The only thing I heard her say was when the paramedics got there, they asked her what hospital she wanted to go to. She responded to them, but she didn't say anything to us.

I don't know what her condition is right now. I know she had some scrapes and stuff from going over the wall. Other than that, I know she's in a hospital in the Green Bay area.

KAGAN: In a lot better condition.

BOLDT: Under observation and stuff.

KAGAN: In a lot better condition than had you not...

BOLDT: Yes. KAGAN: ... had you not grabbed her.

Trooper Boldt, they're calling you a hero. What do you think about that?

BOLDT: Well, that word kind of makes me kind of nervous. There's a lot of other law enforcement officers and other people out there that do the same thing I do. I get it on tape, which you know then it gets in the limelight. So, it's -- other people do the same type of things. It just doesn't always get into the limelight.

KAGAN: Well, as you said, we did get to see it in action, and we appreciate your efforts. We'll call you a hero. How about that? And I'm sure the woman's family really appreciate you and the other members of the police department there going above board.

BOLDT: Yes. I did talk to her sister this morning, and she did express deep appreciation for me this morning.

KAGAN: Well, that probably matters more than all the media attention on top of all that.

BOLDT: Yes.

KAGAN: Thanks for sharing your story and the pictures, appreciate it. And our best to the woman who clearly is getting some of the help that she needs.

BOLDT: Thank you.

KAGAN: Trooper Les Boldt from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Well, Martha Stewart says that she hasn't yet decided whether to go ahead and just serve her five-month prison sentence or fight. Stewart says that she could serve the time while she pursues her appeal or drop the appeal all together.

In her first live interview since her sentencing, she talked to CNN's Larry King about how people see her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART, MARTHA STEWART OMNIMEDIA: I've been perceived as arrogant. And my explanation was that, you know, I work really, really hard. I'm really hard on myself, Larry. You know that. You know how many hours a day I put in at the job.

LARRY KING, HOST, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE": You carry your own equipment.

STEWART: Whatever.

But I have sometimes probably forgotten -- I know I have -- forgotten to pat the back of someone or said thank you, you know, enough times or even maybe once sometimes. So I -- you know, I wish I were perfect. I wish I were just the, you know the nicest, nicest, nicest person on Earth. But I'm a businessperson in addition to a creator of domestic arts, and it's an odd combination.

No excuse -- but if I were a man, you know, no one would say I was arrogant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Stewart says she might yet write a book, a "how-to" book for people facing legal troubles like hers.

Other legal troubles, a former White House official is facing his own legal trouble this morning. Clinton National Security Advisor, Samuel Berger, is accused of removing classified documents from the National Archives. He says it was all a mistake.

CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins us to talk about the Berger investigation. Jeff, good morning.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn.

KAGAN: We have you on to talk about some strange stuff. This is right up there.

TOOBIN: Indeed.

KAGAN: So, Sandy Berger was asked to go look -- he was asked to go look at these archives in order to help the 9/11 commission know what the Clinton administration was planning in terms of previous terror threats?

TOOBIN: Right. And it's important to emphasize, he had every right to be looking at these documents. This wasn't some sneaking around that he was doing. This was essentially an extension of his official duties when he was national security advisor.

The key point here also is, you know, before we set up a lynch mob for Sandy Berger, the business of what is classified and what isn't, and what you're allowed to take and what you're not allowed to take, that is often very murky, especially when you're talking about taking notes on documents that are classified because not everything in a classified document is classified.

So, it's very likely, not for certain, but very likely this could all be a misunderstanding and Berger did nothing seriously wrong.

KAGAN: But he also -- somebody reported they saw him stuffing stuff in his clothes. I mean, if he didn't think he was doing it secretly. And he also talked about sloppiness, but he was the national security advisor. Certainly somebody under that kind of job would understand that there are certain protocol that you're supposed to follow.

TOOBIN: Well, let's take those two things separately. KAGAN: All right.

TOOBIN: I think you're absolutely right. If there is stuffing clothing into -- stuffing documents into clothing, that's a completely different scenario.

Again, not to be too much of a lawyer with you...

KAGAN: You can't help yourself.

TOOBIN: I know. But if he's just folding something and putting it in his jacket, I mean that is a perfectly ordinary thing for someone to do.

If he's taking documents and stuffing them in his socks obviously trying to avoid the scrutiny of security people, that's something else. And if he did that, he's in very big trouble.

You know, as for the potential for sloppiness, one of the things that you learn when you deal with classified documents a lot -- and I once had a job where I dealt with classified documents a lot -- is it becomes very routine and there is a certain sloppiness that, especially people who -- with a lot of access to classified information, come to assume.

It's maybe not a good thing, but just because you have a lot of experience doesn't mean you're very good about taking care of it.

KAGAN: So, do we need to check your socks, Jeff, is that what you're telling us?

TOOBIN: No, you don't. But I was investigated.

KAGAN: Oh, you were?

TOOBIN: I unfortunately do have firsthand experience.

KAGAN: And so, what kind of crime are we talking about?

TOOBIN: Well, when I was one of the prosecutors in the Oliver North case, in the Iran-Contra days, I wrote a book about it. There was a controversy, a lawsuit. I turned over documents that I had removed with the permission of the security officials. Later on, people said, "Oh that was classified. You shouldn't have removed it."

So, it is very much analogous to what Sandy Berger is now being accused of. I was cleared. I don't know if Sandy Berger will be cleared or not. But I do know firsthand that this is a more murky area than it is sometimes seen. And presumption of innocence, just as it was applied to me in my day, is probably good to presume that about Sandy Berger.

KAGAN: Interesting. So we can say, don't judge a man until you've walked in his shoes or walked in his socks; and you've done that.

TOOBIN: That's right. There were no documents in my socks.

KAGAN: There you go. For the record.

Jeffrey Toobin, thank you.

TOOBIN: OK, Daryn.

KAGAN: Always great to have you on with us.

Well a different legal matter, police put Scott Peterson under the microscope, now Peterson's defense team is returning the favor. The latest from that trial is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to say good morning to our friends in the Midwest for watching with us today. Jacqui Jeras is starting her weather forecast for you.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. They're going to be watching out for a little bit of severe weather, I think, later on today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JERAS: Daryn?

KAGAN: All right. Summer underway.

Thank you.

Well, the final preps are underway as well, and the Democrats are ready for their close-up. And we are already there. Up next, the CNN election express hits Boston for a countdown to the convention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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