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CNN Live Today

Army Stretched Too Thin; Palestinians Vote; Daughter Searches For Mother After Katrina; Surviving A Layoff Tips

Aired January 25, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Publicly voicing his support for President Bush's nominee.
In the African nation of Sudan, rescue crews have arrived at the crash site of a United Nations helicopter. A U.N. spokeswoman reports that there are injuries but none of them are life threatening among the 13 aid workers and three crew members. One person is missing. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The U.S.-Canadian border near Blaine, Washington, is open again one day after gunfire led to the capture of two fugitives. Authorities say the men were wanted in a California killing and led police on a high-speed chase to one of the busiest crossings on the border. One suspect was shot. The border was closed for hours.

Police in Southern California say there are no obvious signs of foul play in the death of actor Christopher Penn. His body was discovered yesterday in bed in his Santa Monica apartment. He was the 40-year-old brother of fellow actor Sean Penn and was starring in a new movie scheduled to premier today at the Sundance Film Festival.

Good morning to you on this Wednesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

We're going to start this hour with concerns over the U.S. army keeping up deployments in Iraq to defeat the insurgency. A new report for the Pentagon suggests the army has been stretched too thin and the report raises a red flag about sharp drop-offs in recruitment and reenlistment. Our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us with more.

Jamie, good morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, this has been a simmering debate in the military, whether the U.S. army is stretched too thin and getting close to the breaking point. And it's being moved to the front burner now by a pair of reports. One done, as you said, for the Pentagon, suggesting that the army is at risk of becoming what the author calls a thin green line. That it is -- that the strains of the war in Iraq are risking a catastrophic decline in the ability of the U.S. military to carry out its mission.

That's buttressed by a report being released by Democrats at this hour on Capitol Hill, including -- the authors of that report include the former defense secretary, William Perry. They echoed the same sentiment, that while the U.S. military is performing well in Afghanistan and Iraq, there are serious strains, particular ln on recruiting and retention. That report sounds a warning about a potential crisis in recruiting and retention down the road, even though the army is saying that they're on track to make their recruiting and retention goals for this year, having seen a turnaround in recruiting fueled in part by some hefty bonuses.

Now all of this comes against the backdrop of the army having said just last week, apparently, maybe perhaps even knowing these reports are coming out, disputing the idea that the army is broken, the army's secretary, the civilian head, insisted the army's in very good shape to deliver forces for its mission. And today, later today, in this briefing room, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace, will answer questions from reporters and no doubt this will be one of the topics discussed.

KAGAN: Well, Jamie, how does it work? Who commissions this report and who gets to say who gets to make these conclusions?

MCINTYRE: Well, the Pentagon commissions all kinds of reports from experts. And this one is from Andrew Krepinevich, who's a former military officer and actually a very respected military analyst. And they're looking for all kinds of input about making sure that they're not getting to the point where the army is in crisis. The army insists that they're managing the situation pretty well. They obviously acknowledge that there is strain on the force, there is strain on equipment because of the demands of the war and deployments elsewhere as well. So they're going to look at this as simply another point of input for them to consider as they're making adjustments all along.

But the real question is, what's the risk down the road, do they really have it under control or are they in danger of really seeing a precipitous decline in recruiting retention and therefore the fighting ability of the army. And that is really the debate.

KAGAN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you.

Not surprisingly, Democrats wanted to make the most of a report like, this holding a news conference on Capitol Hill. That's Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Also you see former secretary of state Madelyn Albright to his left. We're going to listen in to a little bit of that ahead.

Also later today, you heard Jamie mention this, the Pentagon holding its briefing at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Donald Rumsfeld will be doing that himself. And you'll see that live right here on CNN as well.

Meanwhile, let's listen on Capitol Hill to the Democrats.

SEN JACK REED, (D) RHODE ISLAND: We are superbly served by the extraordinary men and women of our armed services. They are men and women of character and courage who each day make us very proud of what they do for this nation. I just returned from a week's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan and I saw first-hand the courage and the character of these wonderful Americans.

But today this report highlights a huge potential problem for our land forces. We are at risk today of breaking our land forces, our marine corps and our army. They are capable and competent today, but the risk is real. And this is just not the conclusion of the reports of Secretary Perry and Secretary Albright and their colleagues, it's also the conclusion of a report commissioned by the Pentagon authored by Andy Krepinevich, which is reported today in the press and it corresponds with my impressions having just returned from my seventh trip to Iraq and my fourth trip to Afghanistan.

The leading indicator of this crisis is the crisis in recruiting soldiers. For the first time in many years, the army was unable to meet its recruiting requirements. They've compensated by doing very well in retaining soldiers. But the question remains of how long they can retain these soldiers with the operational tempo at such a peak.

The other aspect of this crisis is the plans by the army, particularly to downsize its forces, particularly its reserve forces. When you have oversized missions, undersizing the force doesn't make any sense. I think it's a tacit admission by the army at least that they cannot fill all the slots that they need. Now Secretary Harvey (ph) an others have pointed out that we have well trained soldiers. Superb soldiers. The best trained perhaps in history with experience and combat operations. But in making that observation, there's a danger, I think, in confusing these free (ph) and skill of individual sole (ph) units with the institutional capacity and staying power of our army. And we have to ensure we have that institutional capacity and that staying power.

As we all know, and this is just arithmetic, as we draw down units, we increase the operational tempos of those remaining units. We increase the pressure on soldiers, on their families, of what they have to do. And one of the indications coming from the Krepinevich report is something that I think, and I felt for many times, is true, is that our decisions about forces in Iraq as being governed by our end strength numbers, not by the situation on the ground. That subtly, but decisively, the administration is redeploying forces, not because the situation warrants it necessarily, but because they just don't have sufficient forces to keep up this operational tempo.

And there's another aspect too, and that's the aspect of equipment. To reset and to reequip our military is a staggering amount of money. Approximately $12 billion for the marine corps and $46 billion for the army over the next four years. And I would suggest before we consider additional tax cuts, we carefully reserve all those funds for our marines and for our army.

My trip in Iraq and Afghanistan pointed out the stressors that are being felt. I'm concerned that we're not prepared for this long war against terrorists. We're not prepared because the overall size of our military forces, the sufficiency of particular skill sets in our military forces, and also the complementary civilian . . .

KAGAN: We've been listening in a little bit to a Democratic event on Capitol Hill. That's Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, joined by other Democrats concerned about the status of the U.S. military and the U.S. army as a new report coming out suggesting that the U.S. army has been stretched too thin by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, obviously, having a different take on that and he will appear later today at the Pentagon briefing at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. You'll see that live here on CNN. Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the rest of what's taking place on Capitol Hill with the Democrats.

Let's get to some other news now at eight minutes after the hour.

The U.S. military today announcing that a marine was killed in combat near Falluja. That brings the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq in the war there to 2,236. There was another killing Tuesday in Iraq's dangerous Anbar Province. This victim was an Iraqi journalist. Details are still sketchy surrounding his death. An official with Baghdad television says the man was shot while videotaping in the center of Ramadi.

No word today on the fate of American journalist Jill Carroll, the hostage held in Iraq. She was kidnaped 18 days ago. Her abductors have threatened to kill her unless female Iraqi prisoners are free. Iraqi officials say five of nine women prisoners in U.S. custody will be released tomorrow. Iraqi officials say the process to free those prisoners began before Carroll's abduction. The militant Islamic group Hamas has joined the chorus of calls for Jill Carroll's release.

There are signs of possible movement today in the Iranian nuclear dispute. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator is throwing his support behind a Russian plan to enrich its uranium. But the negotiator says he believes the proposal still needs to be fine tuned. Iran contends its nuclear program is just designed to produce energy. Western nations fear Iran may try to build a nuclear weapon. And Tehran is now facing the threat of possible U.N. sanctions. Under Moscow's plan, Iran uranium would be enriched in Russia and then it would be returned to the Iranians for use in their reactors. That proposed compromise is seen as adding a layer of oversight to Iran's nuclear program.

Elsewhere in the Middle East today, Palestinians going to the polls to vote in their first parliamentary election in a decade. A group branded as terrorists though by the U.S. is poised to make a significant showing. CNN's John Vause is covering today's vote.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's been a strong voter turnout across the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinians eager to have their say in the new parliament. More than 700 candidates are vying for 132 seats in that parliament. And across Palestinian cities and towns, it's difficult to find a wall which hasn't been plastered with these kind of campaign posters. These are for Fatah, the party founded by the late Yasser Arafat. The party which has dominated politics here in the West Bank and Gaza for a generation.

Now Fatah is facing its first real political challenge and it's coming from the militant Islamic group Hamas. Hamas, which has its campaign poster on the tower over there. The Arabic reads "change and reform." That's their platform. Campaigning on open and honest, accountable government.

Now that's cashing in on a lot of dissent among Palestinians. Palestinians are fed up with Fatah, believing that it's grown corrupt and inefficient after so long in government and, of course, all of this will have deep implications for the peace process, especially if the opinion polls are right and Hamas wins a third of the seats in parliament.

John Vause, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So no doubt you've heard all the talk about the National Security Agency and domestic spying. But do you really know what the NSA is or how it works? Ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, a rare look inside the government agency that was once so secret, its existence not even acknowledged.

Also, black market infertility. Couples so desperate to have children, they are illegally buying medication to help. It's a CNN exclusive.

And then there's this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very angry because, guess what, everybody (INAUDIBLE) but where is mine! That's what I want to know today! Where is my mother! And I'm angry with the world!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A woman's emotional plea for help searching for word of her mother's fate following Hurricane Katrina. One CNN viewer was listening and has some answers. The story right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now to the story of a daughter's desperate search to find her elderly mother after Hurricane Katrina. That search might finally be over. Our Gary Tuchman told Denise Herbert's story just a few days ago. And then after it aired, the one person who needed to see it came forward. Gary now tells us what he learned in a story that first aired last night on "Anderson Cooper 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Denise Herbert's mother has been missing since two days after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf. We met Denise Saturday in Atlanta where Louisiana's governor talked with hurricane victims who had moved to Georgia. Denise could not contain her anger about the lack of government help in finding her 82-year-old mother. DENISE HERBERT, LOST MOTHER IN KATRINA: I'm very angry. Because, guess what, everybody (INAUDIBLE) but where is mine! That's what I want to know today! Where is my mother! And I'm angry with the world! And they can parade around here and talk about Mardi Gras and what they want to do with New Orleans. Well, what about these 3,000 and some people missing? And what (INAUDIBLE) miss my ma! I'm sick of these people! I really am sick of these people!

TUCHMAN: After our story aired, this California man called us. David Lipin is the commander of a Department of Homeland Security disaster medical assistance team that treated the injured in New Orleans.

DAVID LIPIN, RECOGNIZED MISSING WOMAN: I recognized the photograph of the person you showed on your story.

TUCHMAN: Lipin says he treated Ethyl (ph) Herbert in a highway overpass near the Superdome in the midst of the flooding and chaos. By chance, this picture was taken of her by a photographer on that overpass. The picture was included in a book on the disaster. Lipin said he would tell us what happened to the 82-year-old after he told Ethyl Herbert's six children. We were at the house where Denise Herbert and her daughter are staying as they tensely waited for the call, hoping for good news, but knowing it was unlikely.

HERBERT: It's going to be all right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't deserve this.

HERBERT: It's going to be all right. God is with us. I know he is.

TUCHMAN: And then the call came.

HERBERT: What you need to tell me, David? I can take it. Tell me.

TUCHMAN: The 82-year-old was very ill and unable to speak while on the roadway. Her family begged David Lipin for medical help.

LIPIN: We began to assess her. We didn't get very far because some snipers opened up and started shooting at us while we were stopped there, so that sort of interrupted everything that we really wanted to do.

TUCHMAN: The woman was in grave condition, unresponsive. She had to be quickly thrown into a military vehicle and driven through flood water. The time wasted in the bumpy ride may have ensured her fate before she was loaded on a helicopter.

LIPIN: It was quite amazing that she was still alive and I ended up telling the family that, you know, I don't know where she went, because we didn't have any communication with the helicopters after they took off, but I expect that she probably didn't survive very long after she got on that helicopter.

TUCHMAN: And on the phone, David Lipin told the family he is virtually certain she died.

HERBERT: She didn't make it. Oh my God! She didn't make it.

TUCHMAN: Now, in addition to learning about her mother from David Lipin, CNN has been told by the morgue in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, there is a 90 percent certainty that one of the unidentified bodies there is that of Ethyl Herbert.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we will let you know when the coroner there is certain about Ethyl Herbert's fate. Meanwhile, our thoughts go out to that family.

For more on the type of probing journalism that you just saw in Gary Tuchman's report, be sure to watch "Anderson Cooper 360." It airs weekdays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. A very moving story to watch that family's fate.

Well also about Hurricane Katrina, senators looking into the government's response to the hurricane, say the White House is crippling their investigation. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine chairs the Senate investigation into the Katrina response. She charges the White House is restricting information and inappropriately barring agency officials from talking to her committee. Similar complaints are coming from Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. A White House spokesman says the administration is committed to working with all congressional investigations but also needs to protect the confidentiality of the president's advisers.

We are at 19 minutes past the hour. Time to check in on weather. Jacqui Jeras, as always, has that for us.

Hi, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Business news just ahead. Ford, 30,000 job cuts. General Motors, another 30,000. The word is layoffs. It's enough to strike fear in any worker. But Gerri Willis is here with some advice on coping with the loss of your job.

Gerri, hello.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good to see you.

You can survive that pink slip. We're going to show you how. "Five Tips" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And let's go ahead and check out the markets. They've been open -- getting close to an hour. Things kind of flat today. The Dow you can see is down, but just a little bit. Down five points. And a similar story for the Nasdaq, which is down just about four points. On Monday, Ford Motor Company announced that about one of every five of its workers will be losing his or her job. Could your company be the next to dramatically downsize? Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joins us with her "Top Five Tips" on how to cope with losing your job.

Not a pleasant topic, Ger, but better if you're prepared.

WILLIS: No. But, you know what, it happens to almost everybody these days. There's so much movement in the employment work force that getting laid off isn't necessarily, you know, a sign that you've got a problem, right? It's a sign that employers have problems.

First of all, you want to recognize the signs of layoffs. Understand what's going on before it happens. If you see expense reductions, if there's big management resignations, if your company's having trouble making money or competitors are having layoffs, you've got to start getting worried. Make sure that you schedule your medical and dental trips as early as possible. Update your resume. Check out the online networking services like ryze.com and linkedin.com. That's going to get you started in case the worse happens. You will be prepared.

KAGAN: A lot of (INAUDIBLE) packages that the United Auto Workers got in the Ford layoffs. Everyone can't get that great of a package, but you do want to try to get the best you can.

WILLIS: Yes, the union packages are typically better than what you get if you're a white collar worker. The typical package for a white collar worker is a week's worth of pay, or maybe even two, for every year served. That's pretty standard. They'll also offer you something called outplacement services, Daryn, and that just simply means an office somewhere you can go to, to type up a resume and send it out.

Now you may feel like, hey, I can do that at home. I have my own laptop. If that's the case, you may want to ask for money. Money to relocate. Money to start your own business. Remember, it's a negotiation. You don't have to take what's put on the table.

KAGAN: And you might have some money coming to you.

WILLIS: You've got to collect what's legally yours. I mean, let's face it, you're paying most of that 401(k), right? You've got to get that money, roll it over into an IRA. Remember, the devil's in the details here. You never want to touch that money yourself. You've got to make sure you roll it over the right way.

Also, make sure that you get healthcare coverage. You're going to have to pay for the privilege but you need to set up Cobra. That's going to make you covered while you're out of work. Remember that medical expenses are the number one thing pushing people into bankruptcy. So to avoid any potential problem, you definitely wanting to get Cobra.

KAGAN: Don't walk out the door without the Rolodex. WILLIS: Well, you know how this works now, everything that you've ever learned in your career and your work life is on the PDA, it's on the Blackberry, it's on the laptop, the corporate laptop, or on computer sitting on your desk. That means your contacts, the phone numbers that are critical for you to have in your next job. So before the bad stuff happens, you want to make sure that you take your Rolodex because you're probably going to be prevented from taking anything else at all. Remember, it's the lawyers who get involved here. You may not even be allowed to return to your desk if you're laid off. So make sure you've got what you need before the worst happens.

KAGAN: And, finally, be a class act. It can only help you out in the end.

WILLIS: Well, you know how this is, Daryn. I mean really, you work with five people through your lifetime it seems like, the same people over and over again. You want to maintain good relationships. Get a recommendation and specifically, if you're involved in a mass layoff, it's not about your performance, it's about the company's performance. Get a letter of recommendation that says that specifically. The company's going to be happy to do that for you. You've got to have that before you walk out the door because it's much harder to get it later.

KAGAN: And any of us who have ever been without a job, we send our sympathies. We know it's not easy.

WILLIS: That's right. Absolutely, Daryn.

KAGAN: Gerri, thank you.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."

In world news, polls are set to close in an hour and a half in the Palestinian's first legislative election in a decade. Official results are expected later today or tomorrow. The militant Islamic group Hamas is expected to win at least one-third of the seats up for grabs. A Hamas leader says his party would be willing to form a coalition with the ruling Fatah party.

Justices could decide today on whether to accept an appeal from convicted killer Clarence Hill. Hill was scheduled to die by lethal injection in Florida last night, but Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy issued a temporary stay so the justices could have additional time to review the case. Hill's lawyers argue he is mentally retarded.

Debate is underway on the Senate floor over Samuel Alito's nomination for the Supreme Court. There you see Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination along party lines yesterday. Democrats are not expected to attempt a filibuster in this case. Full Senate confirmation could come this week or early next week.

An autopsy on the whale that was found in the Thames River found that it died from a number of causes, including severe dehydration. The whale caught the world's attention Friday whether it was spotted in the Thames. Experts believe the whale became lost and instead of swimming toward open sea, the whale headed toward London.

Just ahead, the president makes another attempt to justify domestic spying, listening in on phone calls made on U.S. soil.

Plus, a rare look inside the agency that monitored those calls. Behind the gates of the NSA. It's a story you'll see only here on CNN.

And a wild ride aboard a city bus. Passengers go flying. We'll tell you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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