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CNN Live Today

Iraq Violence; Ambush in Iraq; Auschwitz Anniversary

Aired January 27, 2005 - 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: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Authorities in California say the man blamed for that deadly commuter train crash is facing 11 counts of murder. The charges include a special circumstance that could make him eligible for the death penalty. Officials say the man left his SUV on the tracks in a botched suicide attempt. Eleven people died and nearly 200 were injured in the crash.

The helicopter crash that killed 30 Marines and one sailor in Iraq is hit hitting home at military bases in the U.S. today. Twenty- seven of the Marines were from a base in Hawaii. This was the scene yesterday as a chopper surveyed the crash site in western Iraq.

Condoleezza Rice takes over the reigns at the State Department. She arrived there about three hours ago to begin her new job as the nation's top diplomat. Rice's first international trip as secretary of state could come soon. She's expected to visit the Middle East in early February.

And remembering the horror of the Holocaust. Survivors and dignitaries are gathering in the ruins of Auschwitz. Today marks 60 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp. We'll have a report from there on this solemn commemoration. That is coming up in about 15 minutes.

And we're just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast and just a minute past 8:00 on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

We're going to begin this hour in Iraq. Just three days before Iraqis actually go to the polls, insurgents continuing to unleash more attacks today of their own campaign of violence. Jeff Koinange is tracking the latest developments in Iraq. He's joining us now live from Baghdad.

Fill us in on how things are developing there, Jeff. Good morning to you.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.

And "unleash" is the appropriate word. Barely 24 hours after the single deadliest incident on U.S. forces, yet another Marine has been killed and four others wounded in the province of Babil. This is just south of Baghdad.

And in the north, it seems like insurgents are switching tactics, and with equally devastating effects. In the farming community of Sinjar -- that's up in Kurdistan -- an insurgent commandeered a tractor, drove it right up to the gates of the Kurdish democratic party and detonated it, killing five and wounding up to 17.

In Baquba, right in the Sunni Triangle, a suicide bomber drove his vehicle right up to the offices of the governor and detonated it there at the police checkpoint, killing one Iraqi policeman and wounding three others.

And schools targeted. As you know, Rick, schools will be used as polling centers on Sunday. They still continue to be targeted. A couple in Baghdad just this Thursday.

Barely three days to go before that crucial vote. A country slowly limps towards its date with destiny -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Is there any sense of confidence among some of the people living there -- I know it's hard to get to them -- that they are feeling, well, anymore assured of being able to vote now than perhaps they felt let's say a couple weeks ago, Jeff?

KOINANGE: I'll tell you, the only people feeling confident right now is probably the Iraqi Electoral Commission because they say, up until today, 12,900,000 Iraqis have registered to vote out of a possible 14 eligible -- 14 million eligible voters. So that's good sign right there, that people have at least registered to vote.

But, when we asked Iraqis on the ground whether they are actually going to participate, they say, well, in principle they will. Whether -- once this campaign of violence continues, and it seems to be continuing up until election day, they probably will have second thoughts come Sunday. And it is only three days away, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KOINANGE: So mixed feelings right now. In theory they want to vote. In principle, well, that will be another thing on Sunday -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Yes. So the real hump that they have to get over, the real fear, the real enemy here is fear itself, right?

KOINANGE: That's correct, Rick, fear itself. They can go out (ph), but they keep saying, if the Iraqi police cannot protect themselves, who is going to protect them when they're lining up to cast their votes on that day -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right. Jeff Koinange, as usual, putting it together for us out of Baghdad. We certainly appreciate it, Jeff. We'll be in contact with you -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A tough day at a U.S. military base in Hawaii. It is mourning today over the death of 27 Marines in Iraq. They were among the 30 Marines killed in a chopper crash in western Iraq.

A Navy foreman also died. The crash shook Hawaii's military community, especially those with friends and loved ones in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of my really goods friends is actually there right now. And he just got deployed back in -- around Christmas time, and he went straight to Falluja. So it's kind of hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the crash. The military says it appears to be weather related. We'll have more from the Pentagon at the bottom of the hour.

Family members are mourning four other Marines today. They were also killed in Iraq on Wednesday. Insurgents ambushing their squad near the Sunni Triangle town of Hadithah. WABC reporter Jim Dolan and his photographer, Joe Tosorro (ph), were on assignment in Iraq. They were there and bring us this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger. Be advised, commencing actions on the objective at this time.

JIM DOLAN, REPORTER, WABC (voice-over): Night ops, Haklaniyah (ph), a small village outside Hadithah in remote western Iraq. Marines search, but the objective building is empty and they head out.

It starts as a few shots, but in seconds it is an all-out barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Tracers light up the night sky, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) every direction.

(on camera): A transformer gets hit, and for a moment there was quiet. But it was a costly mission. In the gunfire that followed, three Marines were hit. None of them apparently seriously. Right now they are rushing to get them back to the base so they can get medical attention as soon as possible.

(voice-over): But it is so far from over. The RPGs and gunfire start up again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They must have come out of hiding positions, falling on equipment that (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And then they waited for the word, for the initial boom (ph). When that first RPG shot went off, that's when we signaled the ambush.

DOLAN: That one hits the vehicle armor between photographer Joe Tosorro (ph) and me. Finally, the echoes fade under a full winter's moon and there is quiet. But the casualties are high.

The injured are medevacked out, but four Marines died out there in the firefight. Young men, young American men, a world away from home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Marines served together and they fought their way out together. The casualties that we took last night are wounded, and are KIAs (ph). It's something that we carry with us forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Reporter Jim Dolan from WABC says the Marines were going out to arrest a handful of insurgents during the operation. They were told that the fighters were in a house. But when they got there, the house was empty, suggesting the incident could have been a setup.

SANCHEZ: Let's pick up once again on the conversation we were having moments ago with Jeff Koinange about some of the troubles inside Iraq as the election nears. Iraqis do go to the polls on Sunday, as most of you know. Most Iraqis, though, don't even know where the polls are yet.

Authorities, see, can't reveal many of the locations due to security. They don't want to tip off the insurgents. That's just one of the examples of the dangers that Iraqi voters and the U.S. troops, who are going to try and keep them safe, along with Iraqi security forces, are going to face this weekend.

Let's break it down some more. Let's talk to CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepperd about this situation.

General, thanks for being with us. And let's start with the -- the ethnic breakdown in Iraq, the fact that there are different peoples who seem to believe in different things.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You bet, Rick. If I can go to the map here and use the telestrator, we've made it very simple, although it is extremely complicated when you get into the details.

Up here in the north, this is the Kurdish area. Now, the Kurds are ethnically different from the Arabs. But to complicate things, they are also Sunnis.

The economy is good up here, registration has gone well. Security is good. The vote turnout will likely be very heavy in the Kurdish area.

Down further south, you have the Sunni area. Heavily Sunni. It is the redoubt, if you will, of the supporters of the previous regime, Saddam.

They will not vote. They will not register. Heavy intimidation here.

Further south, you have the Shia area. Again, security is pretty good down here.

And in all of these areas, in addition to the ethnic problems, you have intermixing of the sects along all of these fault lines between the areas. And you've got a lot of violence going on there. You're going to see a lot of intimidation.

In the Sunni area, they will not be allowed to vote until -- they will not be allowed to register until voting day. In the other areas, the registration has already taken place. 14.5 million registered voters, and probably in the neighborhood of 9,000 polling places. No one knows where those polling places are yet.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting you mention violence, because maybe what we should do now is show another map. And this one seems to illustrate the areas that are truly troubled, truly unsafe, prone to violence, if you would.

SHEPPERD: Yes, indeed, there are fwour troubled provinces. Starting off in Baghdad, of course, because it's a big city, you're going to have a lot of violence, a lot of intimidation going on there.

To the west, you have Anbar Province. This is the redoubt again of the Sunnis and the former Ba'athists, if you will. Then the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) province just north, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) province up here.

All of these areas off to the west, if you will, are basically Sunni areas. And again, you've got a lot of intimidation going on there. You can expect most of the attacks taking place in these areas, although they'll take place across the country.

SANCHEZ: Boy, as we look at that and we see you draw that line, it almost seems to signify an entire half of a nation. Let's talk now about the Sunni Triangle we hear so much about. Explain to us the significance of it and how it's going to relate to the election on Sunday.

SHEPPERD: All right. The thing about the Sunni Triangle is it lies within the former regime loyalists area, the Ba'athist supporters of the Saddam regime.

All of the names that we have heard about, Falluja, Ramadi, Tikrit, Samarra, Baquba, all of the cities are in this particular area. And this is, again, where -- this is the center of intimidation, the center where you can expect most of the violence. And these people in the Sunni Triangle will be prevented from voting from the insurgents -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Our military analyst, General Don Shepperd. Well done, sir. We thank you.

SHEPPERD: My pleasure.

KAGAN: Coming up, a time in history that should never be forgotten. Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathering to remember one of the world's worst atrocities. We're going live to Auschwitz, Poland, on the very important anniversary.

SANCHEZ: Also, six decades later, is the Nazi movement somehow still gaining ground? And among America's youth? This is a special in-depth investigative report coming up. KAGAN: And take a look at these drawings coming up here. Are they a cause for concern? School officials called police on the two young boys that drew the pictures and had the boys arrested. Find out why when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: World leaders are gathered in Poland today. They are marking 60 years since the Red Army liberated the Nazi death camp and Auschwitz. Our correspondent, Chris Burns, is there for the solemn remembrance -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, as we speak, world leaders, more than 40 of them, are laying candles at this monument for the victims of Nazism. It's been a very emotional two hours or so not only for these world leaders, but also more than 1,000 survivors of the Holocaust wrapped in blankets here trying to survive this event. It's very, very cold.

It's below freezing. It's been a snowstorm much of the time. And they have been here because they want to speak for those who are not here, who perished here. Very important.

We spoke to a number of them. They say that if -- if they didn't speak, they would be falling down on their responsibility. Leaders including the Israeli president spoke of the horrors here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOSHE KATSAV, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): ... of the death camps. Awe and trembling seize me, lest I tread on the ashes of the victims in Europe's soil. I fear the water running in Europe's rivers carries in it the blood of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) dead.

Here in the heart of Auschwitz a scream seeks to burst from the depth of our souls. And yet there is a spark of pride.

The Jewish people have risen from the death camp ashes as a brand snatched from the burning fire. We have returned to our homeland. Three hours' flight from here we have reestablished our homeland, but not in time to shelter those who were murdered here. We are a determined and proud nation which looks forward with great hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: The horrors spoken by the Israeli president. And just a few yards away from this ceremony, from where I'm standing, are the train tracks where the trains came in and disgorged thousands of people a day, thousands who were sent to the gas chambers every day. Just a few yards in the other direction is a former crematorium and the very haunting glow of red candles burning from those survivors who left those candles there in honor of those who perished.

At the same time, officials, as well as survivors, are saying this is not just a moment of remembrance but a moment to recharge the effort to fight anti-Semitism, to fight racism and fight intolerance around the rest of the world.

Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Chris Burns joins us from Auschwitz, Poland. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We should remind you that you can go to cnn.com to learn more about the bleak and the hopelessness and the landscape that was once Auschwitz. Our Veronica De La Cruz is here. She's been following up on this and tells us how you can break it down.

What can we do when we go there, Veronica?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rick, cnn.com has launched a special report, "Auschwitz: 60 Years Since Liberation." Our Steve Goldberg visited Auschwitz ahead of the 60th anniversary. He shares with us this very personal account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE GOLDBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things that really struck me about my visit was the Gate of Death at Birkenau is very plain. But two miles away is where this infamous sign, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), "Work makes you free," is located. But the sign is so cynical because the prisoners were forced on marches out of the camp to their labors, and at the end of the day, those that survived had to come back home carrying the corpses of the dead.

I wanted to see inside the barracks where the prisoners lived. Once I got inside it was dark and dank. I thought I'd rats scurrying inside. And yet this is where people had to sleep and live.

And then I saw the pictures, the drawings. These were beautiful drawings lovingly done by the women of the camp who, it felt to me, were trying to remind themselves or maybe their children of what life was like before the war.

At Birkenau there's a feeling of rawness. You can still sense the death and destruction.

Auschwitz One, the smaller camp, has been turned into essentially a museum piece. I walked through the exhibits and they are all striking. Piles of shoes from the prisoners or their suitcases, or even eye glasses stacked up in a pile.

But there was one room that really had the power to shock. There was this large glass case, and behind the glass it was filled with human hair, these beautiful braids that -- women's hair that had been cut from victims after they had been killed. And I just stood there and wanted to cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: And you can find this special report at cnn.com/auschwitz. There you will view photos of the war and liberation, as well as read touching stories of survival.

SANCHEZ: We do thank you. Good story. Thanks for picking that up for us.

Now, apparently someone else thinks that there's danger out there for your kids from PBS.

KAGAN: One of the kids' shows is off the air. You're going to find out who targeted the show and why.

We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: As we told you earlier, 27 of the 30 Marines killed in Wednesday's copter crash were based in Hawaii. Paul Udell of our affiliate KITV in Honolulu joins us now. He's on the phone with more reaction from the military community in Hawaii.

Hello.

PAUL UDELL, REPORTER, KITV: Hello there.

The community out here, of course, is very, very saddened. And in a sense, waiting for the other shoe to drop because the names of the Marine victims and Marine casualties has not been released out here. But still, there is a great deal of sadness already that has enveloped the town, particularly the community that's closest to the Marine base here, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is just over the mountains from the main section of Honolulu there.

The churches out here have been having services overnight, prayers for those that died and for the family. And the island itself has been deeply affected not only by this, but there have been a series of things.

Just yesterday, in Fort Lewis, Washington, they had a service for an outstanding young man from Hawaii born and raised here, the number one ROTC graduate at the University of Hawaii. We've had -- this would probably make about, oh, 80, 90, perhaps close to 100 of those who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan with some type of tie to Hawaii.

And to add to the anxiety, we have about 2,500, 2,600 National Guard troops that have completed their training in Fort Polk, Louisiana, are moving into Kuwait, and they're about to start a yearlong deployment there in Iraq. So there's a great deal of anxiety, a great deal of sadness over here as we wonder just what's going to happen.

It's a heavy -- heavy military involvement in these particular neighborhoods around here. Kids go to school around here, people go to church around here. We went last night to a service where they praying and where some of the Marines themselves had shown up to pray for their comrades.

KAGAN: Paul, just to appreciate the impact of these 27 Marines, as I understand it, this is the largest -- let me get this right -- the worst loss of Hawaii-based troops since Pearl Harbor? UDELL: That is correct. Of course we had troops that died in Vietnam, and we had troops that were called up and sent over there at that time. But in terms of one single day, this is a horrific impact.

We don't know, of course, how many of these troops are actually from Hawaii. That is, who grew up here and so forth. But, nevertheless, because of our close involvement and our historic involvement with the troops out here, they are an important segment of our community not just financially, but I'm talking emotionally. And again, particularly in this community around here, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), where they see these people every day.

They go to the grocery stores on occasion. They'll go to churches. They'll go to schools.

And so that kind of attachment is very, very special. And you can tell that it is dark out here. And as the sun comes up and as the people realize again as more details come out, as they no doubt will today, and perhaps with the release of those names, it's going to be felt even more.

KAGAN: Paul Udell from our affiliate KITV from Oahu. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: A lot more news coming your way. We're going to bring you the latest on a bit of a scandal taking place in Washington.

Also, how can technology work for you? The president in Ohio, arguing that new technology can improve our health care. What he's saying and showing when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. And here we go with the latest.

Right now, President Bush, he's is in Cleveland, Ohio, to visit the Cleveland Clinic, where he's going to be talking up the benefits of maintaining medical records electronically. Mr. Bush argues that health care costs and patient care can be better managed if doctors keep patient information on computers instead of in file cabinets.

Also, in Iraq, numerous insurgent attacks continue to pepper the landscape. Among them, a tractor rigged with explosives today outside the Kurdish democratic party office in the city of Sinjar. Five people killed, 17 hurt in the blast. Elsewhere, at least two U.S. troops died in separate incidents.

In suburban Los Angeles, arraignment is expected this afternoon for the motorist accused of causing yesterday's deadly commuter train wreck in Glendale. Juan Alvarez now facing 11 murder counts, one for each known fatality thus far. That could grow.

A woman passenger still missing. If she's found dead, another murder charge would be filed against Alvarez. So say authorities there.

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Aired January 27, 2005 - 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: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Authorities in California say the man blamed for that deadly commuter train crash is facing 11 counts of murder. The charges include a special circumstance that could make him eligible for the death penalty. Officials say the man left his SUV on the tracks in a botched suicide attempt. Eleven people died and nearly 200 were injured in the crash.

The helicopter crash that killed 30 Marines and one sailor in Iraq is hit hitting home at military bases in the U.S. today. Twenty- seven of the Marines were from a base in Hawaii. This was the scene yesterday as a chopper surveyed the crash site in western Iraq.

Condoleezza Rice takes over the reigns at the State Department. She arrived there about three hours ago to begin her new job as the nation's top diplomat. Rice's first international trip as secretary of state could come soon. She's expected to visit the Middle East in early February.

And remembering the horror of the Holocaust. Survivors and dignitaries are gathering in the ruins of Auschwitz. Today marks 60 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp. We'll have a report from there on this solemn commemoration. That is coming up in about 15 minutes.

And we're just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast and just a minute past 8:00 on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

We're going to begin this hour in Iraq. Just three days before Iraqis actually go to the polls, insurgents continuing to unleash more attacks today of their own campaign of violence. Jeff Koinange is tracking the latest developments in Iraq. He's joining us now live from Baghdad.

Fill us in on how things are developing there, Jeff. Good morning to you.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.

And "unleash" is the appropriate word. Barely 24 hours after the single deadliest incident on U.S. forces, yet another Marine has been killed and four others wounded in the province of Babil. This is just south of Baghdad.

And in the north, it seems like insurgents are switching tactics, and with equally devastating effects. In the farming community of Sinjar -- that's up in Kurdistan -- an insurgent commandeered a tractor, drove it right up to the gates of the Kurdish democratic party and detonated it, killing five and wounding up to 17.

In Baquba, right in the Sunni Triangle, a suicide bomber drove his vehicle right up to the offices of the governor and detonated it there at the police checkpoint, killing one Iraqi policeman and wounding three others.

And schools targeted. As you know, Rick, schools will be used as polling centers on Sunday. They still continue to be targeted. A couple in Baghdad just this Thursday.

Barely three days to go before that crucial vote. A country slowly limps towards its date with destiny -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Is there any sense of confidence among some of the people living there -- I know it's hard to get to them -- that they are feeling, well, anymore assured of being able to vote now than perhaps they felt let's say a couple weeks ago, Jeff?

KOINANGE: I'll tell you, the only people feeling confident right now is probably the Iraqi Electoral Commission because they say, up until today, 12,900,000 Iraqis have registered to vote out of a possible 14 eligible -- 14 million eligible voters. So that's good sign right there, that people have at least registered to vote.

But, when we asked Iraqis on the ground whether they are actually going to participate, they say, well, in principle they will. Whether -- once this campaign of violence continues, and it seems to be continuing up until election day, they probably will have second thoughts come Sunday. And it is only three days away, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KOINANGE: So mixed feelings right now. In theory they want to vote. In principle, well, that will be another thing on Sunday -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Yes. So the real hump that they have to get over, the real fear, the real enemy here is fear itself, right?

KOINANGE: That's correct, Rick, fear itself. They can go out (ph), but they keep saying, if the Iraqi police cannot protect themselves, who is going to protect them when they're lining up to cast their votes on that day -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right. Jeff Koinange, as usual, putting it together for us out of Baghdad. We certainly appreciate it, Jeff. We'll be in contact with you -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A tough day at a U.S. military base in Hawaii. It is mourning today over the death of 27 Marines in Iraq. They were among the 30 Marines killed in a chopper crash in western Iraq.

A Navy foreman also died. The crash shook Hawaii's military community, especially those with friends and loved ones in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of my really goods friends is actually there right now. And he just got deployed back in -- around Christmas time, and he went straight to Falluja. So it's kind of hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the crash. The military says it appears to be weather related. We'll have more from the Pentagon at the bottom of the hour.

Family members are mourning four other Marines today. They were also killed in Iraq on Wednesday. Insurgents ambushing their squad near the Sunni Triangle town of Hadithah. WABC reporter Jim Dolan and his photographer, Joe Tosorro (ph), were on assignment in Iraq. They were there and bring us this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger. Be advised, commencing actions on the objective at this time.

JIM DOLAN, REPORTER, WABC (voice-over): Night ops, Haklaniyah (ph), a small village outside Hadithah in remote western Iraq. Marines search, but the objective building is empty and they head out.

It starts as a few shots, but in seconds it is an all-out barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Tracers light up the night sky, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) every direction.

(on camera): A transformer gets hit, and for a moment there was quiet. But it was a costly mission. In the gunfire that followed, three Marines were hit. None of them apparently seriously. Right now they are rushing to get them back to the base so they can get medical attention as soon as possible.

(voice-over): But it is so far from over. The RPGs and gunfire start up again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They must have come out of hiding positions, falling on equipment that (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And then they waited for the word, for the initial boom (ph). When that first RPG shot went off, that's when we signaled the ambush.

DOLAN: That one hits the vehicle armor between photographer Joe Tosorro (ph) and me. Finally, the echoes fade under a full winter's moon and there is quiet. But the casualties are high.

The injured are medevacked out, but four Marines died out there in the firefight. Young men, young American men, a world away from home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Marines served together and they fought their way out together. The casualties that we took last night are wounded, and are KIAs (ph). It's something that we carry with us forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Reporter Jim Dolan from WABC says the Marines were going out to arrest a handful of insurgents during the operation. They were told that the fighters were in a house. But when they got there, the house was empty, suggesting the incident could have been a setup.

SANCHEZ: Let's pick up once again on the conversation we were having moments ago with Jeff Koinange about some of the troubles inside Iraq as the election nears. Iraqis do go to the polls on Sunday, as most of you know. Most Iraqis, though, don't even know where the polls are yet.

Authorities, see, can't reveal many of the locations due to security. They don't want to tip off the insurgents. That's just one of the examples of the dangers that Iraqi voters and the U.S. troops, who are going to try and keep them safe, along with Iraqi security forces, are going to face this weekend.

Let's break it down some more. Let's talk to CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepperd about this situation.

General, thanks for being with us. And let's start with the -- the ethnic breakdown in Iraq, the fact that there are different peoples who seem to believe in different things.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You bet, Rick. If I can go to the map here and use the telestrator, we've made it very simple, although it is extremely complicated when you get into the details.

Up here in the north, this is the Kurdish area. Now, the Kurds are ethnically different from the Arabs. But to complicate things, they are also Sunnis.

The economy is good up here, registration has gone well. Security is good. The vote turnout will likely be very heavy in the Kurdish area.

Down further south, you have the Sunni area. Heavily Sunni. It is the redoubt, if you will, of the supporters of the previous regime, Saddam.

They will not vote. They will not register. Heavy intimidation here.

Further south, you have the Shia area. Again, security is pretty good down here.

And in all of these areas, in addition to the ethnic problems, you have intermixing of the sects along all of these fault lines between the areas. And you've got a lot of violence going on there. You're going to see a lot of intimidation.

In the Sunni area, they will not be allowed to vote until -- they will not be allowed to register until voting day. In the other areas, the registration has already taken place. 14.5 million registered voters, and probably in the neighborhood of 9,000 polling places. No one knows where those polling places are yet.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting you mention violence, because maybe what we should do now is show another map. And this one seems to illustrate the areas that are truly troubled, truly unsafe, prone to violence, if you would.

SHEPPERD: Yes, indeed, there are fwour troubled provinces. Starting off in Baghdad, of course, because it's a big city, you're going to have a lot of violence, a lot of intimidation going on there.

To the west, you have Anbar Province. This is the redoubt again of the Sunnis and the former Ba'athists, if you will. Then the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) province just north, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) province up here.

All of these areas off to the west, if you will, are basically Sunni areas. And again, you've got a lot of intimidation going on there. You can expect most of the attacks taking place in these areas, although they'll take place across the country.

SANCHEZ: Boy, as we look at that and we see you draw that line, it almost seems to signify an entire half of a nation. Let's talk now about the Sunni Triangle we hear so much about. Explain to us the significance of it and how it's going to relate to the election on Sunday.

SHEPPERD: All right. The thing about the Sunni Triangle is it lies within the former regime loyalists area, the Ba'athist supporters of the Saddam regime.

All of the names that we have heard about, Falluja, Ramadi, Tikrit, Samarra, Baquba, all of the cities are in this particular area. And this is, again, where -- this is the center of intimidation, the center where you can expect most of the violence. And these people in the Sunni Triangle will be prevented from voting from the insurgents -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Our military analyst, General Don Shepperd. Well done, sir. We thank you.

SHEPPERD: My pleasure.

KAGAN: Coming up, a time in history that should never be forgotten. Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathering to remember one of the world's worst atrocities. We're going live to Auschwitz, Poland, on the very important anniversary.

SANCHEZ: Also, six decades later, is the Nazi movement somehow still gaining ground? And among America's youth? This is a special in-depth investigative report coming up. KAGAN: And take a look at these drawings coming up here. Are they a cause for concern? School officials called police on the two young boys that drew the pictures and had the boys arrested. Find out why when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: World leaders are gathered in Poland today. They are marking 60 years since the Red Army liberated the Nazi death camp and Auschwitz. Our correspondent, Chris Burns, is there for the solemn remembrance -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, as we speak, world leaders, more than 40 of them, are laying candles at this monument for the victims of Nazism. It's been a very emotional two hours or so not only for these world leaders, but also more than 1,000 survivors of the Holocaust wrapped in blankets here trying to survive this event. It's very, very cold.

It's below freezing. It's been a snowstorm much of the time. And they have been here because they want to speak for those who are not here, who perished here. Very important.

We spoke to a number of them. They say that if -- if they didn't speak, they would be falling down on their responsibility. Leaders including the Israeli president spoke of the horrors here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOSHE KATSAV, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): ... of the death camps. Awe and trembling seize me, lest I tread on the ashes of the victims in Europe's soil. I fear the water running in Europe's rivers carries in it the blood of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) dead.

Here in the heart of Auschwitz a scream seeks to burst from the depth of our souls. And yet there is a spark of pride.

The Jewish people have risen from the death camp ashes as a brand snatched from the burning fire. We have returned to our homeland. Three hours' flight from here we have reestablished our homeland, but not in time to shelter those who were murdered here. We are a determined and proud nation which looks forward with great hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: The horrors spoken by the Israeli president. And just a few yards away from this ceremony, from where I'm standing, are the train tracks where the trains came in and disgorged thousands of people a day, thousands who were sent to the gas chambers every day. Just a few yards in the other direction is a former crematorium and the very haunting glow of red candles burning from those survivors who left those candles there in honor of those who perished.

At the same time, officials, as well as survivors, are saying this is not just a moment of remembrance but a moment to recharge the effort to fight anti-Semitism, to fight racism and fight intolerance around the rest of the world.

Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Chris Burns joins us from Auschwitz, Poland. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We should remind you that you can go to cnn.com to learn more about the bleak and the hopelessness and the landscape that was once Auschwitz. Our Veronica De La Cruz is here. She's been following up on this and tells us how you can break it down.

What can we do when we go there, Veronica?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rick, cnn.com has launched a special report, "Auschwitz: 60 Years Since Liberation." Our Steve Goldberg visited Auschwitz ahead of the 60th anniversary. He shares with us this very personal account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE GOLDBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things that really struck me about my visit was the Gate of Death at Birkenau is very plain. But two miles away is where this infamous sign, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), "Work makes you free," is located. But the sign is so cynical because the prisoners were forced on marches out of the camp to their labors, and at the end of the day, those that survived had to come back home carrying the corpses of the dead.

I wanted to see inside the barracks where the prisoners lived. Once I got inside it was dark and dank. I thought I'd rats scurrying inside. And yet this is where people had to sleep and live.

And then I saw the pictures, the drawings. These were beautiful drawings lovingly done by the women of the camp who, it felt to me, were trying to remind themselves or maybe their children of what life was like before the war.

At Birkenau there's a feeling of rawness. You can still sense the death and destruction.

Auschwitz One, the smaller camp, has been turned into essentially a museum piece. I walked through the exhibits and they are all striking. Piles of shoes from the prisoners or their suitcases, or even eye glasses stacked up in a pile.

But there was one room that really had the power to shock. There was this large glass case, and behind the glass it was filled with human hair, these beautiful braids that -- women's hair that had been cut from victims after they had been killed. And I just stood there and wanted to cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DE LA CRUZ: And you can find this special report at cnn.com/auschwitz. There you will view photos of the war and liberation, as well as read touching stories of survival.

SANCHEZ: We do thank you. Good story. Thanks for picking that up for us.

Now, apparently someone else thinks that there's danger out there for your kids from PBS.

KAGAN: One of the kids' shows is off the air. You're going to find out who targeted the show and why.

We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: As we told you earlier, 27 of the 30 Marines killed in Wednesday's copter crash were based in Hawaii. Paul Udell of our affiliate KITV in Honolulu joins us now. He's on the phone with more reaction from the military community in Hawaii.

Hello.

PAUL UDELL, REPORTER, KITV: Hello there.

The community out here, of course, is very, very saddened. And in a sense, waiting for the other shoe to drop because the names of the Marine victims and Marine casualties has not been released out here. But still, there is a great deal of sadness already that has enveloped the town, particularly the community that's closest to the Marine base here, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is just over the mountains from the main section of Honolulu there.

The churches out here have been having services overnight, prayers for those that died and for the family. And the island itself has been deeply affected not only by this, but there have been a series of things.

Just yesterday, in Fort Lewis, Washington, they had a service for an outstanding young man from Hawaii born and raised here, the number one ROTC graduate at the University of Hawaii. We've had -- this would probably make about, oh, 80, 90, perhaps close to 100 of those who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan with some type of tie to Hawaii.

And to add to the anxiety, we have about 2,500, 2,600 National Guard troops that have completed their training in Fort Polk, Louisiana, are moving into Kuwait, and they're about to start a yearlong deployment there in Iraq. So there's a great deal of anxiety, a great deal of sadness over here as we wonder just what's going to happen.

It's a heavy -- heavy military involvement in these particular neighborhoods around here. Kids go to school around here, people go to church around here. We went last night to a service where they praying and where some of the Marines themselves had shown up to pray for their comrades.

KAGAN: Paul, just to appreciate the impact of these 27 Marines, as I understand it, this is the largest -- let me get this right -- the worst loss of Hawaii-based troops since Pearl Harbor? UDELL: That is correct. Of course we had troops that died in Vietnam, and we had troops that were called up and sent over there at that time. But in terms of one single day, this is a horrific impact.

We don't know, of course, how many of these troops are actually from Hawaii. That is, who grew up here and so forth. But, nevertheless, because of our close involvement and our historic involvement with the troops out here, they are an important segment of our community not just financially, but I'm talking emotionally. And again, particularly in this community around here, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), where they see these people every day.

They go to the grocery stores on occasion. They'll go to churches. They'll go to schools.

And so that kind of attachment is very, very special. And you can tell that it is dark out here. And as the sun comes up and as the people realize again as more details come out, as they no doubt will today, and perhaps with the release of those names, it's going to be felt even more.

KAGAN: Paul Udell from our affiliate KITV from Oahu. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: A lot more news coming your way. We're going to bring you the latest on a bit of a scandal taking place in Washington.

Also, how can technology work for you? The president in Ohio, arguing that new technology can improve our health care. What he's saying and showing when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. And here we go with the latest.

Right now, President Bush, he's is in Cleveland, Ohio, to visit the Cleveland Clinic, where he's going to be talking up the benefits of maintaining medical records electronically. Mr. Bush argues that health care costs and patient care can be better managed if doctors keep patient information on computers instead of in file cabinets.

Also, in Iraq, numerous insurgent attacks continue to pepper the landscape. Among them, a tractor rigged with explosives today outside the Kurdish democratic party office in the city of Sinjar. Five people killed, 17 hurt in the blast. Elsewhere, at least two U.S. troops died in separate incidents.

In suburban Los Angeles, arraignment is expected this afternoon for the motorist accused of causing yesterday's deadly commuter train wreck in Glendale. Juan Alvarez now facing 11 murder counts, one for each known fatality thus far. That could grow.

A woman passenger still missing. If she's found dead, another murder charge would be filed against Alvarez. So say authorities there.

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