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CNN Live Today

Push to Raise Military Death Benefit; British Plane Down; Inside the Homeland

Aired February 01, 2005 - 10:59   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: We have a disturbing report from the Mexican border. Americans kidnapped, many still missing just across the border. And not much is being done to find them. A full report just ahead.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also, three weeks after the program began, Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks up on the participants in his "New You" program. Yes, that's Sanjay on the right, in case you're wondering. You'll see where some have improved, some haven't.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

"Now in the News," the ballots from Iraq's historic elections Sunday are now arriving in Baghdad where the counting is still under way. Interim President Ghazi al-Yawar is praising Iraqis for going out to vote despite threats of violence and despite ballot problems in some areas we now learn. Election results are not expected until next week.

There is fresh video of the early moments of December's earthquake in the tsunami area of southern Asia. Many people are seen riding a massive river of debris, trying to flee to safety. The new video comes as Indonesia raises its number of dead to more than 108,000. That raises the overall death toll across south Asia to some 154,000.

At this hour, a Senate panel is hearing details on President Bush's plans to boost military death benefits. Under the president's proposal, families of troops killed in combat zones would receive $100,000. That one-time payout is about eight times the current death benefit. The president's plan would also boost life insurance benefits.

More details are straight ahead in a live report. And we should mention it's retroactive, by the way.

And next hour, jury selection is going to continue in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Three hundred perspective jurors are expected to be questioned. Monday, dozens of other prospective panelists asked to be dismissed from the case. So far, the judges dismissed only one of them.

It is now 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. out West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Our top story this hour, the push to raise the military death benefit. On Capitol Hill this hour, a Senate panel is hearing details on President Bush's proposal to provide greater financial assistance to families of U.S. troops killed in combat zones.

For details, we turn to CNN's Lindsey Arent in Washington -- Lindsey.

LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Right now, the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on how to increase death benefits for survivors of U.S. troops killed in combat. We see members of a five-member panel testifying about this. The issue here is the question of how to assign a dollar figure to the death of a U.S. soldier in combat. So far, more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001.

Now, earlier today, some lawmakers expressed outrage at what they say are the miserly sums troops' families get when a soldier dies in combat. And then they praised President Bush for including an increase in the so-called death gratuity to family members in his 2006 budget proposal. Now, earlier this morning, David Chu, who is the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, outlined the new proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHU, UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE, PERSONNEL AND READINESS: The single cash payment that comes to the family upon a service member's death, that currently is just over $260,000. That is to say, the sum of the servicemen's group life insurance payment of $250,000 and what people call the death gratuity currently set at $12,420. We believe that sum ought to be nearer to $500,000, and we propose to change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, let's break down the numbers for you here. As Chu noted, under the current system, families of troops killed in combat receive a one-time tax-free payment from the government of $12,420. With the administration's proposal, that benefit would grow to $100,000.

Now, also changing here, troop's life insurance coverage. That would rise from $250,000 to $400,000 for troops killed in a designated combat zone.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon would pay for the difference in premiums for the new insurance benefits. So, all together, under the new proposal, U.S. troop killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and possibly future war zones would receive $250,000 in government benefits.

Meantime, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut earlier today at that hearing drew attention to far greater sums received by families of September 11 victims. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: The paltry sum of the death benefit itself, even when added to the other benefits, not enough, particularly when compared to the appropriately generous compensation we gave to those who lost their lives on September 11. When you compare the two, there was an imbalance that was not acceptable.

I believe the average award there was over $2 million. I understand the different circumstances and all the rest, but still, it's a measure of America's trust, our generosity to those we lose in this and other conflicts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, if the proposal is passed in its current form, Daryn, these changes would be retroactive to any service member killed in combat since October 2001-- Daryn.

KAGAN: Lindsey Arent from Washington, D.C. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We turn our focus now directly to Iraq and the American hostage, Roy Hallums, that we've been telling you about. His ex-wife is now enlisting the Reverend Jesse Jackson to try and help free her former husband from kidnappers in Iraq.

This is video seen of him. Jackson told CNN he'll the ground running and ask religious leaders to use their clout on Hallums' behalf. The contractor was kidnapped in Baghdad three months ago. He appeared on this videotape released just last week.

Ballots are arriving in Baghdad today from all corners of Iraq. Election workers say it may take 10 days to count all the votes and figure out the makeup of the new national assembly. Iraq's interim President says tens of thousands of voters were turned away in Baghdad, Basra and Najaf because there simply weren't enough ballots. But overall, he labeled the general election "successful."

KAGAN: There is a new tape out there. It is being attributed to insurgent figure Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. On it, the speaker urges Iraq's Sunni Muslims to fight the Shiite majority.

He claims Iraq Shiites smuggled four million Iranians into Iraq to pad Sunday's vote. A coalition of parties backed by Iraq's top Shiite cleric is expected to take a good share of the seats in the new assembly. Voter turnout in Shiite areas was generally high, while quite the opposite in some Sunni regions.

SANCHEZ: Prime Minister Tony Blair is saying it's still not clear today what actually brought down that British transport plane in Iraq that we told you about. All 10 service members aboard were killed.

Let's go now to senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. He's looking into the investigation. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This videotape aired on the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera purports to show a surface-to-air missile or missiles fired by insurgents at the British transport plane, followed by the aftermath, flames, then wreckage strewn over a wide area. Experts say the wreckage shown on the tape, including this engine, does seem to be consistent with the C-130 flown by the Royal Air Force. But it's impossible to tell, they say, if the crudely-edited missile launching sequence is legitimate.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The launcher box appears to be totally bogus to me. That's the launcher box that's consistent with IEDs, improvised explosive devices, the type that they're using on roadsides.

MCINTYRE: The C-130 crashed about 20 miles north of Baghdad on a short hop to Balad. The weather was good, there was no distress call, and hostile fire has not been ruled out.

SIR JOCK STIRRUP, BRITISH AIR MARSHAL: I'm aware that there's a great deal of speculation about what caused this crash. Not least because of the video that we've seen today.

MCINTYRE: Insurgents have targeted aircraft using Baghdad International Airport with surface-to-air missiles in the past, forcing U.S. and coalition planes to use steep takeoffs or corkscrew landings to make them harder to hit. In November of 2003, a DHL cargo plane limped back to Baghdad after losing its hydraulics system when its wing was hit by what appeared to be a heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missile. A month later, a U.S. C-17 landed safely at Baghdad after a similar missile hit one of its engines.

(on camera): Two different groups claim to have shot down the C- 130. One says it used an ant-tank missile. A British investigation will determine if there's any other explanation.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: First lady Laura Bush is making the rounds today to promote heart health in women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country. But surveys show women in general don't realize that, instead thinking that breast cancer is their chief threat. And many don't know that women often experience different heart attack symptoms than men do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I didn't know it was the number one killer. And when I found that out, I was really amazed. And I knew if I didn't know, that probably a lot of other women didn't know either. And so this -- the Heart Truth Campaign is actually a part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Department of Health, and that is to get the word out to women. One of the reasons that women -- that more women than men die of heart disease is that women don't really know what the symptoms of a heart attack are. And because they think of heart disease as a man's disease, they don't go straight to the emergency room if they are suffering any symptoms.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the main risk factors? I mean, tell women at this point who's at risk.

BUSH: The main risk factors are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, not having a healthy diet. In other words, being obese or overweight. Not exercising. And all of those are things that people can change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can hear more from Mrs. Bush on "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

SANCHEZ: Tom Ridge is going to be spending his very last day on the job as the nation's first Homeland Security chief. Interestingly enough, he talks about all that's gone right and some of the things that may have gone wrong, the threats as well that still loom out there.

CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve posed some of these questions to Tom Ridge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM RIDGE, FMR. SECY. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: The heroes of flight 93 could not know...

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the many lives that changed on 9/11, that of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.

RIDGE: I will support and defend...

MESERVE: He took a job to try to ensure nothing like 9/11 happened again.

RIDGE: I must tell you that from October 8th, 2001, when I got sworn in, until the present date, I thought -- I've always anticipated that in that three-year break, there would be at least another strike, another attempt.

MESERVE: There wasn't. Ridge credits the disruption of al Qaeda's leadership overseas and hardened security here.

RIDGE: You throw in a little divine intervention, maybe a little good luck.

MESERVE: With suicide and truck bombs, al Qaeda has delivered death and havoc in other parts of the world. Ridge is frankly surprised it hasn't happened here.

RIDGE: Right now, the only plausible explanation that I can offer you is that there their intent and design directed to the United States, at least at this time, is to try to operate around a much more catastrophic event.

MESERVE: As a young man, Ridge fought the Vietcong. He sees similarities and dissimilarities with his current foe, al Qaeda.

RIDGE: They have the same kind of tenacity, the same kind of persistence. I think those are the characteristics of this enemy that I think we found in the Vietnamese -- patience.

Today, the United States government is raising the threat level.

MESERVE: Though praised for his public performance, critics say Ridge failed to secure critical infrastructure, like chemical plants, and did not give cohesion to his vast new department.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: I think it's fair to say that the department, under his leadership, has not lived up to its promise.

MESERVE: If he's confirmed as expected, Michael Chertoff will step into Ridge's job. Ridge is heading to the private sector, though doesn't rule out a presidential run down the road.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So -- excuse me -- on to the next man. Homeland Security secretary nominee Michael Chertoff is expected to face some tough questioning from Democrats tomorrow. Chertoff will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The panel is expected to approve President Bush's choice, and Chertoff should easily win confirmation from the full Senate.

But Democrats want to know about Chertoff's role in advising the CIA on torture standards. When Chertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division, he said any legal advice he gave was broad and generalized.

SANCHEZ: It has now been more than a month after that deadly tsunami in Asia, and the death toll continues to rise. We're going to tell you the news overall and the count as it continues. And this amateur video that's come in from the tsunami. This is one you'll have to see.

KAGAN: Also, college semesters can be tough sometimes, but usually never physically dangerous. What 700 college students went through while spending a semester at sea.

SANCHEZ: And a frightening story for all Americans. A family desperately searches for their kidnapped daughter along the U.S. and Mexico border. How their story is now highlighting what could become a growing problem in Mexico.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: More than a month after the tsunami hit, Indonesia has raised its death toll to more than 108,000. It brings the overall count across south Asia to more than 154,000. Now, this morning, never-before-seen amateur video from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

And we have some of the new images of the initial earthquake as it hits Banda Aceh on the morning of December 26. People hit the grounded to wait out the tremors. Buildings sustained major damage in the area closest to the epicenter of the quake.

Entire villages turned to rubble from the impact of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. And within the remains of homes, efforts began to try and rescue people trapped under the heavy debris.

More amateur video of Banda Aceh. Then after the tsunami hit -- here it is -- water rushes into the streets carrying away massive amounts of debris and flooding rivers. Pictures here of people you might be able to see actually floating on top of this quick-moving debris on the river, fighting to avoid a bridge and trying to look for higher ground and not to go under.

KAGAN: A ship with hundreds of relieved college students has docked safely at Honolulu Harbor today. This after a harrowing adventure at sea. Take a look.

This is last week. This is the Semester at Sea program.

The ship hit rough weather. This video shows the students getting tossed around quite a bit. A 50-foot wave dealt damaging blows, breaking windows and damaging three of the four engines. Some of the students who were aboard the ship were with us this morning. David Welch describing his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WELCH, SEMESTER AT SEA PROGRAM: It was very freaky in the morning when we were woken up and told to put our life jackets on and then make our way to the fifth deck. Women and children first, and then men.

You don't know what to think. You could be dying in a half an hour. There was really no way to know what was going to happen. So, yes, I was a little bit panicked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A spokesman for the explorer says the ship will spend the next several days in Hawaii for repairs. Probably they're pretty happy to be on land for a little bit of time.

SANCHEZ: "I didn't know what would happen in the next half-hour. Maybe I would be dying," he says. That's direct language.

KAGAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Convicted killer Michael Ross says that he wants to die. But now it's been indefinitely put on hold.

KAGAN: The latest on that story is coming up.

And the pope clears his calendar of all events. Is there reason for concern?

CNN LIVE TODAY returns in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Can't we all? Looking for that edge is what we're doing over here.

KAGAN: Yes, we can.

SANCHEZ: Right?

KAGAN: And looking for Orelon Sidney. Have you seen her?

SANCHEZ: I haven't. It's been quite some time.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Yes, a little taste of that. Thank you, Orelon.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: Here's a presentation for you.

KAGAN: Yes. How about we check in with what dot-com is doing. Here's Veronica De La Cruz.

Hi, Veronica.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Daryn.

We are tracking the most popular stories at cnn.com. To find them, head to the Web site, and in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, you're going to click on this icon, "Most Popular."

The number one story night now, "Unwitting Coffee Model Awarded $15.6 Million." Now, this guy, living in Glendale, used to model, did this photo shoot, thought that nothing became of the pictures. Suddenly walks into this store and sees himself on this Taster's Choice coffee container. So finally getting paid there.

In the number two spot, "Letterman Offers Carson's Last Monologue." Now, we know that Johnny Carson passed away last week, but his legacy lives on.

Late night talk show host David Letterman delivered Carson's last monologue on his own show last night. He paid tribute to the late comedian and he drew plenty of laughs.

Now, in the number three spot, "Suspect Arrested in Actress Killing." This story coming to us from New York. A man was arrested Monday in the killing of an aspiring actress during a holdup on Manhattan's lower east side, a once gritty neighborhood now known for its hip night spots.

And that's what I'm going to tell you about the story. To get all the details, of course click on the link full story.

Now, you can find all of this at cnn.com. It is the most popular and it's updated every 20 minutes.

Rick and Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Veronica.

SANCHEZ: Your daughter's been kidnapped and you don't know where she is. What can you possibly do when you feel authorities keep passing the buck on the investigation?

KAGAN: One family tells us their tearful story and what they've done to find their daughter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are coming up on the half-hour.

KAGAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: We're just about there, about two minutes more. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

The family of American hostage Roy Hallums is asking the Reverend Jesse Jackson to help win his freedom. Hallums was kidnapped in Iraq three months ago. He pleaded for his life in a videotape released by -- last week by his captors.

The execution of serial killer Michael Ross has been put off indefinitely after a number of legal moves in Connecticut. Ross has been fighting to end his appeals and to be put to death. His would be Connecticut's first execution in 45 years.

A man who ran a Georgia crematory gets 12 years in prison for dumping more than 300 bodies around his property. At his sentencing, Ray Brent Marsh didn't say why he did it, but he did apologize.

And in the world of sports, well, breathe easy. T.O. to the rescue. Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens is keeping his Super Bowl dreams alive. Owens practiced yesterday for the first time since he severely injured his ankle.

SANCHEZ: But his doctor told him not to do it.

KAGAN: I know. But he says he has been spiritually healed. And Eagles' coach Andy Reid said that Owens moved around pretty well. Still, no final decision on whether Owens will pay against the Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday.

Yes, right. Try to keep him off the field. The Super Bowl is five days away.

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 February 1, 2005 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a disturbing report from the Mexican border. Americans kidnapped, many still missing just across the border. And not much is being done to find them. A full report just ahead.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also, three weeks after the program began, Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks up on the participants in his "New You" program. Yes, that's Sanjay on the right, in case you're wondering. You'll see where some have improved, some haven't.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

"Now in the News," the ballots from Iraq's historic elections Sunday are now arriving in Baghdad where the counting is still under way. Interim President Ghazi al-Yawar is praising Iraqis for going out to vote despite threats of violence and despite ballot problems in some areas we now learn. Election results are not expected until next week.

There is fresh video of the early moments of December's earthquake in the tsunami area of southern Asia. Many people are seen riding a massive river of debris, trying to flee to safety. The new video comes as Indonesia raises its number of dead to more than 108,000. That raises the overall death toll across south Asia to some 154,000.

At this hour, a Senate panel is hearing details on President Bush's plans to boost military death benefits. Under the president's proposal, families of troops killed in combat zones would receive $100,000. That one-time payout is about eight times the current death benefit. The president's plan would also boost life insurance benefits.

More details are straight ahead in a live report. And we should mention it's retroactive, by the way.

And next hour, jury selection is going to continue in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Three hundred perspective jurors are expected to be questioned. Monday, dozens of other prospective panelists asked to be dismissed from the case. So far, the judges dismissed only one of them.

It is now 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. out West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Our top story this hour, the push to raise the military death benefit. On Capitol Hill this hour, a Senate panel is hearing details on President Bush's proposal to provide greater financial assistance to families of U.S. troops killed in combat zones.

For details, we turn to CNN's Lindsey Arent in Washington -- Lindsey.

LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Right now, the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on how to increase death benefits for survivors of U.S. troops killed in combat. We see members of a five-member panel testifying about this. The issue here is the question of how to assign a dollar figure to the death of a U.S. soldier in combat. So far, more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001.

Now, earlier today, some lawmakers expressed outrage at what they say are the miserly sums troops' families get when a soldier dies in combat. And then they praised President Bush for including an increase in the so-called death gratuity to family members in his 2006 budget proposal. Now, earlier this morning, David Chu, who is the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, outlined the new proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CHU, UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE, PERSONNEL AND READINESS: The single cash payment that comes to the family upon a service member's death, that currently is just over $260,000. That is to say, the sum of the servicemen's group life insurance payment of $250,000 and what people call the death gratuity currently set at $12,420. We believe that sum ought to be nearer to $500,000, and we propose to change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, let's break down the numbers for you here. As Chu noted, under the current system, families of troops killed in combat receive a one-time tax-free payment from the government of $12,420. With the administration's proposal, that benefit would grow to $100,000.

Now, also changing here, troop's life insurance coverage. That would rise from $250,000 to $400,000 for troops killed in a designated combat zone.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon would pay for the difference in premiums for the new insurance benefits. So, all together, under the new proposal, U.S. troop killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and possibly future war zones would receive $250,000 in government benefits.

Meantime, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut earlier today at that hearing drew attention to far greater sums received by families of September 11 victims. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: The paltry sum of the death benefit itself, even when added to the other benefits, not enough, particularly when compared to the appropriately generous compensation we gave to those who lost their lives on September 11. When you compare the two, there was an imbalance that was not acceptable.

I believe the average award there was over $2 million. I understand the different circumstances and all the rest, but still, it's a measure of America's trust, our generosity to those we lose in this and other conflicts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENT: Now, if the proposal is passed in its current form, Daryn, these changes would be retroactive to any service member killed in combat since October 2001-- Daryn.

KAGAN: Lindsey Arent from Washington, D.C. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We turn our focus now directly to Iraq and the American hostage, Roy Hallums, that we've been telling you about. His ex-wife is now enlisting the Reverend Jesse Jackson to try and help free her former husband from kidnappers in Iraq.

This is video seen of him. Jackson told CNN he'll the ground running and ask religious leaders to use their clout on Hallums' behalf. The contractor was kidnapped in Baghdad three months ago. He appeared on this videotape released just last week.

Ballots are arriving in Baghdad today from all corners of Iraq. Election workers say it may take 10 days to count all the votes and figure out the makeup of the new national assembly. Iraq's interim President says tens of thousands of voters were turned away in Baghdad, Basra and Najaf because there simply weren't enough ballots. But overall, he labeled the general election "successful."

KAGAN: There is a new tape out there. It is being attributed to insurgent figure Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. On it, the speaker urges Iraq's Sunni Muslims to fight the Shiite majority.

He claims Iraq Shiites smuggled four million Iranians into Iraq to pad Sunday's vote. A coalition of parties backed by Iraq's top Shiite cleric is expected to take a good share of the seats in the new assembly. Voter turnout in Shiite areas was generally high, while quite the opposite in some Sunni regions.

SANCHEZ: Prime Minister Tony Blair is saying it's still not clear today what actually brought down that British transport plane in Iraq that we told you about. All 10 service members aboard were killed.

Let's go now to senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. He's looking into the investigation. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This videotape aired on the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera purports to show a surface-to-air missile or missiles fired by insurgents at the British transport plane, followed by the aftermath, flames, then wreckage strewn over a wide area. Experts say the wreckage shown on the tape, including this engine, does seem to be consistent with the C-130 flown by the Royal Air Force. But it's impossible to tell, they say, if the crudely-edited missile launching sequence is legitimate.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The launcher box appears to be totally bogus to me. That's the launcher box that's consistent with IEDs, improvised explosive devices, the type that they're using on roadsides.

MCINTYRE: The C-130 crashed about 20 miles north of Baghdad on a short hop to Balad. The weather was good, there was no distress call, and hostile fire has not been ruled out.

SIR JOCK STIRRUP, BRITISH AIR MARSHAL: I'm aware that there's a great deal of speculation about what caused this crash. Not least because of the video that we've seen today.

MCINTYRE: Insurgents have targeted aircraft using Baghdad International Airport with surface-to-air missiles in the past, forcing U.S. and coalition planes to use steep takeoffs or corkscrew landings to make them harder to hit. In November of 2003, a DHL cargo plane limped back to Baghdad after losing its hydraulics system when its wing was hit by what appeared to be a heat-seeking, shoulder-fired missile. A month later, a U.S. C-17 landed safely at Baghdad after a similar missile hit one of its engines.

(on camera): Two different groups claim to have shot down the C- 130. One says it used an ant-tank missile. A British investigation will determine if there's any other explanation.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: First lady Laura Bush is making the rounds today to promote heart health in women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country. But surveys show women in general don't realize that, instead thinking that breast cancer is their chief threat. And many don't know that women often experience different heart attack symptoms than men do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I didn't know it was the number one killer. And when I found that out, I was really amazed. And I knew if I didn't know, that probably a lot of other women didn't know either. And so this -- the Heart Truth Campaign is actually a part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Department of Health, and that is to get the word out to women. One of the reasons that women -- that more women than men die of heart disease is that women don't really know what the symptoms of a heart attack are. And because they think of heart disease as a man's disease, they don't go straight to the emergency room if they are suffering any symptoms.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And the main risk factors? I mean, tell women at this point who's at risk.

BUSH: The main risk factors are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, not having a healthy diet. In other words, being obese or overweight. Not exercising. And all of those are things that people can change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can hear more from Mrs. Bush on "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

SANCHEZ: Tom Ridge is going to be spending his very last day on the job as the nation's first Homeland Security chief. Interestingly enough, he talks about all that's gone right and some of the things that may have gone wrong, the threats as well that still loom out there.

CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve posed some of these questions to Tom Ridge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM RIDGE, FMR. SECY. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: The heroes of flight 93 could not know...

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the many lives that changed on 9/11, that of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.

RIDGE: I will support and defend...

MESERVE: He took a job to try to ensure nothing like 9/11 happened again.

RIDGE: I must tell you that from October 8th, 2001, when I got sworn in, until the present date, I thought -- I've always anticipated that in that three-year break, there would be at least another strike, another attempt.

MESERVE: There wasn't. Ridge credits the disruption of al Qaeda's leadership overseas and hardened security here.

RIDGE: You throw in a little divine intervention, maybe a little good luck.

MESERVE: With suicide and truck bombs, al Qaeda has delivered death and havoc in other parts of the world. Ridge is frankly surprised it hasn't happened here.

RIDGE: Right now, the only plausible explanation that I can offer you is that there their intent and design directed to the United States, at least at this time, is to try to operate around a much more catastrophic event.

MESERVE: As a young man, Ridge fought the Vietcong. He sees similarities and dissimilarities with his current foe, al Qaeda.

RIDGE: They have the same kind of tenacity, the same kind of persistence. I think those are the characteristics of this enemy that I think we found in the Vietnamese -- patience.

Today, the United States government is raising the threat level.

MESERVE: Though praised for his public performance, critics say Ridge failed to secure critical infrastructure, like chemical plants, and did not give cohesion to his vast new department.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: I think it's fair to say that the department, under his leadership, has not lived up to its promise.

MESERVE: If he's confirmed as expected, Michael Chertoff will step into Ridge's job. Ridge is heading to the private sector, though doesn't rule out a presidential run down the road.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So -- excuse me -- on to the next man. Homeland Security secretary nominee Michael Chertoff is expected to face some tough questioning from Democrats tomorrow. Chertoff will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The panel is expected to approve President Bush's choice, and Chertoff should easily win confirmation from the full Senate.

But Democrats want to know about Chertoff's role in advising the CIA on torture standards. When Chertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division, he said any legal advice he gave was broad and generalized.

SANCHEZ: It has now been more than a month after that deadly tsunami in Asia, and the death toll continues to rise. We're going to tell you the news overall and the count as it continues. And this amateur video that's come in from the tsunami. This is one you'll have to see.

KAGAN: Also, college semesters can be tough sometimes, but usually never physically dangerous. What 700 college students went through while spending a semester at sea.

SANCHEZ: And a frightening story for all Americans. A family desperately searches for their kidnapped daughter along the U.S. and Mexico border. How their story is now highlighting what could become a growing problem in Mexico.

We'll be back.

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(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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SANCHEZ: More than a month after the tsunami hit, Indonesia has raised its death toll to more than 108,000. It brings the overall count across south Asia to more than 154,000. Now, this morning, never-before-seen amateur video from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

And we have some of the new images of the initial earthquake as it hits Banda Aceh on the morning of December 26. People hit the grounded to wait out the tremors. Buildings sustained major damage in the area closest to the epicenter of the quake.

Entire villages turned to rubble from the impact of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake. And within the remains of homes, efforts began to try and rescue people trapped under the heavy debris.

More amateur video of Banda Aceh. Then after the tsunami hit -- here it is -- water rushes into the streets carrying away massive amounts of debris and flooding rivers. Pictures here of people you might be able to see actually floating on top of this quick-moving debris on the river, fighting to avoid a bridge and trying to look for higher ground and not to go under.

KAGAN: A ship with hundreds of relieved college students has docked safely at Honolulu Harbor today. This after a harrowing adventure at sea. Take a look.

This is last week. This is the Semester at Sea program.

The ship hit rough weather. This video shows the students getting tossed around quite a bit. A 50-foot wave dealt damaging blows, breaking windows and damaging three of the four engines. Some of the students who were aboard the ship were with us this morning. David Welch describing his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WELCH, SEMESTER AT SEA PROGRAM: It was very freaky in the morning when we were woken up and told to put our life jackets on and then make our way to the fifth deck. Women and children first, and then men.

You don't know what to think. You could be dying in a half an hour. There was really no way to know what was going to happen. So, yes, I was a little bit panicked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A spokesman for the explorer says the ship will spend the next several days in Hawaii for repairs. Probably they're pretty happy to be on land for a little bit of time.

SANCHEZ: "I didn't know what would happen in the next half-hour. Maybe I would be dying," he says. That's direct language.

KAGAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Convicted killer Michael Ross says that he wants to die. But now it's been indefinitely put on hold.

KAGAN: The latest on that story is coming up.

And the pope clears his calendar of all events. Is there reason for concern?

CNN LIVE TODAY returns in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Can't we all? Looking for that edge is what we're doing over here.

KAGAN: Yes, we can.

SANCHEZ: Right?

KAGAN: And looking for Orelon Sidney. Have you seen her?

SANCHEZ: I haven't. It's been quite some time.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Yes, a little taste of that. Thank you, Orelon.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: Here's a presentation for you.

KAGAN: Yes. How about we check in with what dot-com is doing. Here's Veronica De La Cruz.

Hi, Veronica.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Daryn.

We are tracking the most popular stories at cnn.com. To find them, head to the Web site, and in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, you're going to click on this icon, "Most Popular."

The number one story night now, "Unwitting Coffee Model Awarded $15.6 Million." Now, this guy, living in Glendale, used to model, did this photo shoot, thought that nothing became of the pictures. Suddenly walks into this store and sees himself on this Taster's Choice coffee container. So finally getting paid there.

In the number two spot, "Letterman Offers Carson's Last Monologue." Now, we know that Johnny Carson passed away last week, but his legacy lives on.

Late night talk show host David Letterman delivered Carson's last monologue on his own show last night. He paid tribute to the late comedian and he drew plenty of laughs.

Now, in the number three spot, "Suspect Arrested in Actress Killing." This story coming to us from New York. A man was arrested Monday in the killing of an aspiring actress during a holdup on Manhattan's lower east side, a once gritty neighborhood now known for its hip night spots.

And that's what I'm going to tell you about the story. To get all the details, of course click on the link full story.

Now, you can find all of this at cnn.com. It is the most popular and it's updated every 20 minutes.

Rick and Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Veronica.

SANCHEZ: Your daughter's been kidnapped and you don't know where she is. What can you possibly do when you feel authorities keep passing the buck on the investigation?

KAGAN: One family tells us their tearful story and what they've done to find their daughter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are coming up on the half-hour.

KAGAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: We're just about there, about two minutes more. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

The family of American hostage Roy Hallums is asking the Reverend Jesse Jackson to help win his freedom. Hallums was kidnapped in Iraq three months ago. He pleaded for his life in a videotape released by -- last week by his captors.

The execution of serial killer Michael Ross has been put off indefinitely after a number of legal moves in Connecticut. Ross has been fighting to end his appeals and to be put to death. His would be Connecticut's first execution in 45 years.

A man who ran a Georgia crematory gets 12 years in prison for dumping more than 300 bodies around his property. At his sentencing, Ray Brent Marsh didn't say why he did it, but he did apologize.

And in the world of sports, well, breathe easy. T.O. to the rescue. Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens is keeping his Super Bowl dreams alive. Owens practiced yesterday for the first time since he severely injured his ankle.

SANCHEZ: But his doctor told him not to do it.

KAGAN: I know. But he says he has been spiritually healed. And Eagles' coach Andy Reid said that Owens moved around pretty well. Still, no final decision on whether Owens will pay against the Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday.

Yes, right. Try to keep him off the field. The Super Bowl is five days away.

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