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Baton Bob Wants To Make Atlanta Smile; Marines Investigate Iraqi Civilian Deaths; New Front Opened in War Against Child Pornography; Interview With Illinois Congressman Donald Manzullo
Aired May 26, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching LIVE FROM. And we are live across the United States.
But we want to start in Washington, D.C., where the latest news happened about 10:30 this morning. A call came in from someone at the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. They believed they heard gunshots, so, immediately, Capitol Police responded. And a search began to take place there in the Rayburn Building, tactical teams coming and trying to clear the building, get everybody inside into their offices, into various rooms, to remain just cautious and safe.
That search is still going on. We can tell you, the Capitol Police have canceled their presser. It turns out they have not been able to confirm that any shots were fired or that anybody had a gun or that anybody is a threat in the area. So, right now, they're going forward, just finishing up that search.
Sergeant Kim Schneider with the Capitol Police did have a press conference, though, about 45 minutes ago. And this was the latest from her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEANT KIMBERLY SCHNEIDER, CAPITOL POLICE: They are being questioned. This is part of an investigation. This is what we would routinely do.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Did you determine whether the phone call came from inside the building...
SCHNEIDER: I don't have that information.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHNEIDER: Our search entails employing tactical teams. I'm sure you've seen much activity around the Rayburn Building. We have several officers who are going floor to floor. We're going to every single door and we're making contact with anybody who may be inside those office buildings in our attempt to properly identify the folks who are in the building at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Well, Congressman Donald Manzullo is in that building. He's a Republican from Illinois. He's been stuck in his office since this whole ordeal began.
Congressman, have you gotten any word to when you will be able to leave the building?
REP. DONALD MANZULLO (R), ILLINOIS: No.
About an hour ago, the Capitol Hill Police came with their weapons drawn and went thoroughly the office, making sure that, you know, nobody was here. And the -- so, we're just waiting to find out what is going on.
Meanwhile, we have heard that, possibly, there may not have been a gunman, that the lady who was taken to the hospital may have had some emotional problems, that there may have been a popping sound, and she thought that she saw somebody. We're -- we are not sure what is going on.
PHILLIPS: Yes. That -- I know. And it's probably hard. I don't know if you have got a television there in your office or not, but we have been able to confirm, also, that Capitol Police don't believe that there was a -- a gunman, and that possibly those sounds that an individual heard were from a mechanic working on an elevator. So, that's the good news.
It looks like that everything is OK. But, for you, you have been in your office for a number of hours.
MANZULLO: Right.
PHILLIPS: You're probably eager to get out of there. So, you -- you haven't heard from anybody, say, within the past half-an-hour or so about when you can leave?
MANZULLO: No.
We have been watching you guys on television. And we borrowed some water from Congressman Buyer across the hall. We made some popcorn.
(LAUGHTER)
MANZULLO: We are going about doing our work, because everybody is in the Rayburn Building, and so we're getting a lot of work done.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'm glad you're taking advantage...
MANZULLO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: ... of the time that you have.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Congressman, have a good Memorial Day weekend. MANZULLO: Thank you. You, too.
PHILLIPS: Thank you.
All right.
Well, moving on to the other top story that we have been talking about today, that's American Marines. Did they murder Iraqi civilians? A troubling question now, and the commanding -- it is commanding the attention of the Marine Corps commandant.
General Michael Hagee has flown to Iraq to warn his troops about excessive force.
CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has more on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The allegation is that, last November, these civilians in Haditha, videotaped by an Iraqi human rights group, were slaughtered in a house-to-house rampage by U.S. Marines, who then allegedly tried to cover up the deaths with a story that the men, women and children were killed by a roadside bomb and during a firefight that followed with insurgents.
And now, in a second case, several Marines have been shipped back to Camp Pendleton, California, after local Iraqis accused them of killing a single Iraqi civilian last month. A statement issued by the U.S. military says, a preliminary investigation found sufficient information to recommend a criminal investigation.
The charges of atrocities are so potentially explosive, a one- star Marine general was dispatched to personally brief Congress.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: I guess now well over 30 years of experience with the military, I would rank this as quite serious, both incidents.
MCINTYRE: And the Marines top general, Commandant Michael Hagee, has gone to Iraq on a hastily arranged tour to underscore to his Marines they need to abide by the law of war.
According to his staff, Hagee will say: "The most difficult part of courage is not the raw physical courage. It is, rather, the moral courage to do the right thing in the face of danger or pressure from other Marines. We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force. We use lethal force only when justified, proportional and, most importantly, lawful."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: And, Kyra, there are two things to update you on this afternoon. And, again, there are two cases here.
One of them is the alleged massacre at Haditha. And, in that case, a senior Pentagon official tells CNN that the -- the investigation has substantially been completed and the evidence is -- quote -- "quite incriminating," but, again, no charges filed yet in that case.
In the second incident that happened last month involving Marines also from Camp Pendleton -- that's involving an allegation of a single Iraqi civilian killed -- some of those Marines have actually been put in pretrial confinement in Camp Pendleton, pending the outcome of the investigation.
But that again indicates that the evidence against them is quite -- quite serious. At this point, again, no one has been charged. And once the charges are filed, of course, they will be adjudicated in the military justice system by court-martial, if they are serious enough.
PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre...
MCINTYRE: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: ... from the Pentagon -- thanks, Jamie.
Well, it sounds like politics, and it is. It sounds like a turf war, and it is. But the FBI raid of a congressman's office raises some legal, historic, even constitutional questions.
CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena filed this report for "THE SITUATION ROOM."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush ordered documents seized from Congressman William Jefferson's office to be sealed for 45 days.
It's the first time this president has publicly intervened in a criminal investigation. In a statement, he said the move will provide both parties more time to resolve the issues. Lawmakers were pleased.
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, it hasn't been settled, but I think it gives us some time to take a step back, take a breath, and work out the problems.
ARENA: Those problems stem from this weekend, when FBI agents, armed with a search warrant, removed documents from Jefferson's Capitol Hill office. Lawmakers went ballistic, calling it a violation of the constitution's separation of powers.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: This was not about protecting an individual member of congress, but it was in keeping with the speech and debate clause in the Constitution of the United States.
ARENA: Jefferson, who denies any wrongdoing, is under investigation for allegedly taking bribes. In an affidavit, FBI agents said they allegedly found $90,000 in marked bills hidden in his freezer. Justice officials insist every other avenue was exhausted before they sought a search warrant, but got no cooperation from Jefferson.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: At the end of the day, the decision was made that this was absolutely essential to move forward with that investigation.
ARENA: Government and law enforcement officials are angry about what the president did and suggested to CNN that, when a possible felony is involved, separation of powers does not apply. One senior official quipped sarcastically, "Are they going to give Jefferson back the $90,000, too?"
Steve Pomerantz is a retired FBI agent.
STEVE POMERANTZ, RETIRED FBI AGENT: This is not the time for some sort of polite accommodations. It just doesn't have a place in the course of a criminal investigation.
ARENA: This isn't the end of the friction between the FBI and Congress. Some members are privately complaining, because agents want to interview them in a leak investigation, focusing on the NSA's domestic spying program.
(on camera): Government officials say, it only makes sense to interview some members, as they knew about the program and could have told the press.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, for more on this story and the developing story on Capitol Hill, watch "THE SITUATION ROOM" this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and the live prime-time edition at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
It was a dream of a lifetime that vanished in 20 seconds. Frank Shannon was supposed to have been one of the 980 midshipmen who graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis today. Instead, he has been expelled for failing a physical readiness test, a 1.5-mile run he was supposed to complete in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Well, after missing that mark by 20 seconds, he's not only out. He's supposed to pay back his tuition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK SHANNON, FORMER NAVAL MIDSHIPMAN: It's unbelievable. I mean, you have everybody behind you backing you, your family, friends. They judged my entire military career in a matter of 10 minutes. And with my background of being a good midshipman, a good sailor, you know, I don't think it's fair.
GLORIA MANGANO, FIANCEE OF FRANK SHANNON: I think the administration made a huge mistake. I think they let one of the best military officers go.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Oh, one other thing: Frank and Shannon, his bride to be you just saw there, had planned to get married in two weeks in a military ceremony at the academy. Now they are making other plans. The academy says it can't talk specifically about individual cases.
A couple accused of rape and murder is caught, and a child traveling with them is safe. Richard Davis and Dena Riley were on the run near the Missouri-Kansas line until yesterday. They were arrested after crashing their pickup truck, and, with them, a 5-year-old girl identified by police as Davis' niece. Davis and Riley are charged in the grisly rape and murder of 41-year-old Marsha Spicer.
Her body was found in a shallow grave 11 days ago. Police say they found a video of a brutal attack on the woman in the apartment Davis and Riley shared. The D.I. -- the DA says that he may seek the death penalty.
Ah, boys and their playground scuffles -- a tiff at home plate last weekend has cost four members of the Chicago Cubs and White Sox some money and time outs. It all started right here. Cubs catcher Michael Barrett and White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, well, they got into it. The benches cleared, and everyone is in trouble.
Here's how the league handled it, 10 game suspension and a fine for Barrett. White House outfielder Brian Anderson, five games on the bench, and a fine. Pierzynski and his third base coach, Joey Core -- Cora, rather -- fines for both and a two-game suspension for Cora. Now they got to play nice.
Still to come on LIVE FROM, fighting porn with plastic, unlikely allies in the fight to protect your children from online predators.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A Memorial Day event only Hawaii could pull off. Flowers are being picked. Leis are being sewn, thousands of them, all weekend long. On Monday, they will be placed on veterans graves at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
As we begin the Memorial Day weekend, we take time to remember fallen heroes. One day, he was playing Nintendo. The next, he was going to war. Private 1st Class Diego Fernando Rincon had a replica of the Twin Towers in his room. He wanted to do something for his country, so, he joined the military.
When Diego didn't come back from Iraq, his father was devastated. But, today, Diego's dad is doing everything he can to honor his son's life and support the fight for freedom for every Iraqi. Today, we remember PFC Diego Fernando Rincon, a fallen hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE RINCON, FATHER OF FALLEN U.S. SOLDIER: He was ready to -- to go to the homecoming. And I was so proud, because, always, he was my big boy, you know? That's Diego right there. Right now, there's the picture of my baby in his beautiful uniform. But I miss my baby, big time. I miss Diego.
One day, he was playing Nintendo. The next day, he was in the middle of the war. Twenty years old, they are not ready to do things like this. They are just -- they want to have fun. But Diego, no. Diego was doing something for everybody in this country.
PRIVATE 1ST CLASS DIEGO FERNANDO RINCON, U.S. ARMY: I, Diego Fernando Rincon...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... do solemnly swear.
D. RINCON: ... do solemnly swear.
G. RINCON: He decided to go into the Army, because after what happened on September 11, you know, and changed his life, I think. And he say, dad, I have to do something for my country. It's my country to defend. It's nothing that I -- I don't want to be here, sitting around, waiting for somebody to kill us here, you know?
He was in the middle of nowhere. It was raining, you see here. And he was smiling. No matter what, he was happy all the time. And you know why he was happy all the time? Because he was doing that for you, America, for us, and for everybody.
This is Diego Rincon right here. See that face right here. And I was asking, why you don't go up to the Army and be in the kitchen? And he say, no, let me go to be in the front. And he said, no, dad, I need -- I need to be -- I -- I want to be with the best ones.
Coming to this country, giving everything, not even be a United States citizen and giving his own life for this country was -- only heroes do that, you know?
And he die with Diego the same day.
But, no matter what, I'm strong. And I'm -- I'm going to be OK. I don't want to take my son out of the picture of my life. He's going to be in the picture of my life forever. And I am praying for every single family in Iraq, and not only that, because they deserve to live a free life, a free life. And they deserve to have a free country, like we have here in United States.
For me, every single red color in this flag is the blood of my son. This is not for free. We pay for this. And we pay this big time, you know, only to give some people a nice country to live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now they are officially starting their Memorial Day holiday. They have got the all-clear at the Rayburn Building there in Washington, D.C., everyone that has been cooped up inside there since about 10:30 this morning, after Capitol Police got a call about possible gunshots.
Well, that didn't happen. The police were able to clear that and also clear the Rayburn Building. In -- in post-9/11, they have got to be carefully, obviously, very careful. When a call like that comes in, they have got to take it seriously and they got to respond.
And, so, every nook and cranny of that building was checked out. They have gotten the all-clear. Tactical teams are still there. But everyone is now able to leave the building and get ready for the weekend -- good news to report.
Well, rain, strong winds and hail are threatening this Northeast -- or threatening the Northeast, rather this afternoon, after striking the heartland overnight. Roofs were ripped off, trees and power lines uprooted, rivers pushed out of their banks. One person died. Rescuers in Tennessee and Indiana are still searching for five people carried off by rising waters. And thousands of people in Ohio are still without power.
CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us for a look at the forecast.
And, boy, all those people, they can't catch a break.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, and tough pictures to -- to look at.
That line of thunderstorms moving off to the east. And you kind of see a couple of messy places on the map, first, the northern Dakotas -- or the Northern Plains, I should say, and this red area, which encompasses really a wide swathe of the Eastern Seaboard. And that's where most of those storms have headed from Indiana last night.
And, if you are traveling via airplane, we have some headaches across the Northeast. Look at some of these delays, 45 minutes at the ATL, Boston, 40 minutes, 30 minutes in Chicago, and New York City and JFK, over an hour. And we saw similar conditions in Newark and La Guardia as well.
I want to show you what is happening as far as the radar is concerned. This red or yellow watch box, severe thunderstorm watch out until 11:00 tonight for the Carolinas. Already staring to see some showers pop up to almost severe levels here in Florence and also around New Bern, some things bubbling up within this -- within this watch box.
Further to the north, New York City, really to the north and to the south, for the past couple of hours, we have seen some rough-and- tumble thunderstorms, this one now heading into Long Island, and upstate Connecticut also seeing some showers and thunderstorms with some heavy downpours there.
And this is the back edge of the line that came through Indiana last night. Look at how these storms are bubbling up as they head up over the Appalachian Mountains. From Charleston -- Charleston back through Pittsburgh is where we are seeing some action tonight. Tomorrow's daytime highs, very warm in the midsection, mid-90s in Dallas, 93 in Little Rock, 81 degrees in Chicago. It will be close to 80 degrees in New York City. That will be a nice warm-up from today.
Actually, most of the rain will be out of New York by, well, if -- if not tomorrow, Sunday. And, then, Monday really looks great, with high pressure in control across that area for Memorial Day services.
This line of thunderstorms could potentially cause some severe weather across the Northern Plains again on Memorial Day. But, really, that would be the only real trouble spot, maybe a shower if you're in the Panhandle of Florida.
That's how the holiday travel for today looks and through the rest of the weekend -- Kyra, back over to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Well, a new campaign to crack down on child pornography is enlisting some unlikely allies.
Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange with this story.
Hey, Kyra.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Law enforcement will team with top banks and credit card companies to stop people from selling child pornography online.
The Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography is opening a new front in the war against what has become a multibillion-dollar international business. Financial institutions will report child porn sites they discover on the Web to a central tip line. The Internet service providers already report the sites to the tip line. The effort was put together by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Alabama Senator Richard Shelby -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, why is the effort focusing on financial institutions?
LISOVICZ: Kyra, well, to give you a quote from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they want to disrupt -- disrupt the economics of this despicable business.
They said what they are seeing is pictures of children that are getting younger and younger, more graphic and more violent. And financial institutions are in a unique position to protect against these sites, because customers usually use credit card to buy monthly subscriptions.
The companies will be able to block those transactions and identify sites accepting their cards for online subscriptions. American Express, Visa and MasterCard have said they won't reveal the customers' names, unless law enforcement opens an investigation, and they are subpoenaed.
Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup and PayPal are also part of the effort, Kyra. There's about a dozen big financial institutions in all that are involved in this -- in this new campaign that is just getting out of hand, according to people who monitor this.
PHILLIPS: Oh. We have been covering the stories left and right. It's something we stay on top of. That's for sure.
Well, how is everything else looking on Wall Street? We are getting close to the weekend. Are you -- yes?
LISOVICZ: Getting close to the weekend. And, you know, the rally may hold. We have got could be three days of gains here, after what has been a couple weeks of selling, stocks looking to extend the two days of rallies we see into the holiday weekend.
Let's take a look at the Big Board, the Dow industrials right now up 61 points, or half-a-percent; the Nasdaq composite, meanwhile, up nine points, also half-a-percent.
We got word from Paris in the last hour that Edouard Michelin, the joint managing director of the very well known French tire company, has died in a boating accident. That is a publicly traded company. But its shares do not trade in the U.S.
And that is the latest in business news. I will be back in about a half-an-hour with a roundup of the day on Wall Street. Stay tuned to LIVE FROM.
We will be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYAN BLANKENSHIP, MAGICIAN: I'm getting wound up here. Oops. Somebody sneaked out.
JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who would quit a job in sales and marketing to become a magician?
Bryan Blankenship is bringing magic to the world and he doesn't just do tricks.
BLANKENSHIP: Well, this is my workshop. Come on in. I do everything from electronics to wood working, because it all fits into magic in one way or the other.
WESTHOVEN: His home is now full of hats, ropes and a box for unsuspecting ladies.
BLANKENSHIP: Put your feet out that side and head out this side.
I mean, I've worked for some very large corporations. But I've always believed that the American dream is owning your own business, controlling your own destiny.
WESTHOVEN: From the tired game of politics at work, presto: He's amazing and delighting people, mesmerizing the crowd as his alter ego, Van Doren.
BLANKENSHIP: Are you thirsty?
To see the spark of belief in magic in a child, that's quite rewarding. If you have, you know, a thought in your mind that, maybe I should leave my career and take a chance, I would suggest, you know, give it serious thought and take that jump. I don't think anybody would ever regret doing what they love.
Thank you all very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All clear at the Rayburn building. Men and women that have been holed up in there since this morning are able to go home, get on with their weekend. There was a fear that there might have been gunshots that were fired in the building. The all clear has been given. It's safe to go home. Tactical teams have cleared the building.
Well, he's got the job. Air Force General Michael Hayden, confirmed as a CIA director by a no-sweat Senate vote of 78-15. It's the first time in 25 years that a military man has been tapped to run the nation's premiere spy agency. Hayden is the former head of the National Security Agency. He succeeds former Congressman Porter Goss, who leaves the CIA today.
Amid all the drama in Washington today, immigration got shoved to the back burner. But it won't take long to return to the full boil. The Senate passed its reform bill yesterday, 62-36, but 32 Republicans were in the nay column. In the House, you may know, Republicans pushed through a bill that's all enforcement and no guest workers or eventual citizenship. The head of the House Judiciary Committee says that compromise will be very difficult, the White House preference for the Senate bill notwithstanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: The president dispatched Karl Rove, guru-in-chief up there, to the Republican conference both this week and last week. And I didn't attend either of those conferences because I didn't want to be accused of putting my colleagues up to asking very pointed questions and a loud voice to the president's chief political adviser. That's what they did. And they jumped all over Rove. And they said the president is not where the American people are at. The Senate is also not where the American people are at.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Well, illegal immigrants risk their lives to come to this country. Many are caught and sent back. But some, remarkably, have every right to stay; they just don't know it. CNN's Rick Sanchez investigated for "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wilfredo Garza has been sneaking across the Rio Grande for most of his 35 years.
"That's where I cross," he shows us, as he explains how he would change into dry clothes that he'd carried over his head.
Wilfredo and his brother Jose say that Border Patrol here in Brownsville, Texas, has been cracking down. That's why the Garza brothers bought a small ramshackle house on the U.S. side. So they wouldn't have to keep crossing back and forth.
Here for 15 years they've eked out a living on odd jobs like fixing cars, while constantly looking over their shoulder.
Four times Wilfredo's been caught by Border Patrol. He explains to us how Border Patrol pulled him down from the fence. Each time he was caught, he was bused back to Mexico. And each time he swam back across the river. The cycle would have continued except Wilfredo met Jaime Diez, an immigration lawyer.
JAIME DIEZ, IMMIGRATION LAWYER: People walk into my office all the time. Probably 80 percent of them I have to turn away.
SANCHEZ: But with Wilfredo Garza, it was a different story.
(on camera): You had good news for him?
DIEZ: I have good news for him, good news for his brother.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Jaime told Wilfredo that because his father was born and worked in Texas, that meant Wilfredo was actually a U.S. citizen.
(on camera): Were you surprised?
DIEZ: Completely surprised.
SANCHEZ: Attorney Jaime Diez says each week at least three to four people like Wilfredo, walk into his office, not knowing they're actually U.S. citizens.
Unlike many of them, Wilfredo had the papers to prove it -- his father's birth certificate and work records. With that in hand, his attorney was able to give Wilfredo what he never thought he'd have -- certificate of citizenship.
(on camera): You feel good?
(voice-over): The news is just sinking in for him. And the changes it will bring.
(on camera): So you no longer have to get wet when you go into Mexico or come back? Never.
Wilfredo already has his first job lined up. Starts next week as a mate on a shrimp boat. As we pass the U.S. flag, I ask him what he's thinking. "I can't believe," he responds, "I'm actually an American."
Rick Sanchez, CNN, Brownsville, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Anderson Cooper has more stories from the border. Watch "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern.
A pilgrimage to Poland. Pope Benedict XVI is following in his predecessor's footsteps, literally. Today, as more than a quarter million Catholic faithful stood in the rain, the new pontiff celebrated mass in a Warsaw square, the same place Pope John Paul II made history in 1979, challenging Communist rule in his homeland. Pope Benedict's four-day visit includes a stop Sunday at Auschwitz Porkenel (ph) concentration camp. Catholic-Jewish relations are a favorite cause of his, as they were of John Paul.
This Memorial Day weekend, "CNN PRESENTS" will take a look at the war in Iraq and more specifically the medical care U.S. troops are receiving. The program is called "Wounded Warriors." In this segment, correspondent Alex Quade takes a rare look inside the E.R. in Baghdad's green zone. Some of the scenes may be a bit disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to the CSH (ph) -- Combat Support Hospital, Baghdad, inside the green zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He came off the helicopter. He didn't have a heart rhythm at all. His pulse was -- he was shot in the head.
QUADE: Army Specialist Mark Spears takes over CPR from the flight medic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do chest compressions to circulate blood, hopefully restore a pulse.
QUADE: This is the E.R. Unlike the TV show, it's real -- all too real for 23-year-old Spears.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We keep track of all the Americans who've died on our shift while we work. All the little dots are American soldiers who were killed here in Iraq.
QUADE: He also marks the attacks on his hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I used to keep track how many times we got bombed with lines, but we get bombed a lot more than we get dots. And I probably been around like ten times if I kept track of that. The green zone is a pretty big target for the Iraqis. They like to shoot at us.
We've had a couple mortar rounds hit the hospital, but as you can see, it's pretty well fortified. It's always in the back of your mind. You know, every time you go outside, a mortar round can hit right by you and kill you. There's nothing you can do about it. We try to do our job the best we can and hope for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: This weekend, "CNN PRESENTS" travels with injured troops in Iraq on the journey from the frontlines to their homes. A personal look at fallen soldiers, the medics who save them and how battle injuries dramatically change their lives. "Wounded Warriors" airs Saturday and Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
Just ahead, our Daryn Kagan meets a guy who dares to be different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why do you do this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The basic premise of why I do this is basically to lift people's spirits and put a smile on their face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Bells on his shoes, a baton on his hands, Bob livens up the streets of Atlanta. You're going to meet him right here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A fascinating study underscores what most Americans believe already. Discrimination still exists in the 21st century America. But based on a name? That's right. Testing a theory, researchers sent identical inquiries by e-mail to more than a 1,000 landlords in Los Angeles.
They signed the fake e-mails with fake names, made up to seem white or Arabic or black. Here's the result. The white-sounding name received an almost 90 percent positive response. The black-sounding name only 56 percent. The ethnicity of the landlords isn't known, but the study suggests there's still a long way to go toward equality in our cities' housing.
Still grieving? Almost five years after 9/11 now, and the Red Cross finds almost two-thirds of people who sought counseling in the wake of the attack are still struggling. Four in 10 are still in counseling. They include victims' families, survivors, hospital workers and first responders. The Red Cross says it's helped almost 60,000 individuals and families directly affected by 9/11 in this country and 62 others. One of those affected lives lives right here in Atlanta. After 9/11, he knew he had to change course, so in the process he's managed to lift other people's spirits as well, not to mention their eyebrows.
CNN's Daryn Kagan introduces us to an original: Baton Bob.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just heard the whistle, and I knew it was him.
KAGAN (voice-over): Him is Bob Jamerson (ph) and, yes, you are seeing right, he's a 54-year-old man dressed in drag marching up and down the streets of midtown Atlanta.
BOB JAMERSON, "BATON BOB": Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Bob.
JAMERSON: Hi, guys.
KAGAN: Jamerson is a floral designer by trade, but three times a week, he becomes the character Baton Bob.
(on camera): Why do you do this?
JAMERSON: The basic premise of why I do this is basically to lift peoples' spirits and put a smile on their face in the middle of the day of the drudgery of their life.
KAGAN: Let's just talk for a minute here, you and me, Bob. Some people see you on the streets and they think you are crazy.
JAMERSON: Oh, absolutely. And that's where the process of education has to come in, to educate the public about what this is all about.
KAGAN (voice-over): So Baton Bob's class is in session. The story goes back to right after 9/11. Bob Jamerson was a flight attendant, laid off and depressed. A therapist told him to do something that brought him joy.
JAMERSON: A month after 9/11, I remembered that. I went back in my closet and pulled this baton I hadn't twirled in 20-some odd years, and I took my baton and exercise gear to go into that park to literally twirl my own spirit out of depression.
KAGAN (on camera): So that's one thing to do it for yourself.
JAMERSON: Right, first.
KAGAN: It's another to create all this.
JAMERSON: I was just looking around at everybody's temperament after 9/11, and we're still so down and out and distraught, and I kept saying to myself, what else can I do to make a difference in this mindset?
KAGAN (voice-over): His answer...
JAMERSON: Oh my goodness, look.
KAGAN: Costumes.
JAMERSON: Can't you see that?
KAGAN: Lots of glitter and flash, and a move back to Atlanta, the first big city he lived in. The character, as he calls himself now, makes regular appearances, especially during lunchtime, his sole aim to make people smile.
(on camera): So you don't care if people are laughing with you or laughing at you?
JAMERSON: No. It does not matter.
KAGAN: It doesn't hurt your feelings if people are laughing at you.
JAMERSON: No, no. Those that get it, get it. Those that don't, won't.
KAGAN (voice-over): There are the dos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it makes us happy. We love him. We think he's great. He brightens up the whole neighborhood. It's wonderful.
KAGAN: And there are the don'ts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I give him credit for wearing the red hair, whatever it is. I think he's interesting.
KAGAN: But the don'ts don't bother Baton bob.
JAMERSON: I look at the sky and think about what a wonderful feeling to be this free, because our society has so many issues and it's apparent that I have stepped on a lot of those barriers.
KAGAN: Jamerson might get the last laugh. An Internet fan club has popped up. He's making paid personal appearances and there's talk of creating inspirational videos all out of his calling to make people smile.
JAMERSON: I'll be honest with you. If someone had said to me six years ago that this is what I would be doing, I would have looked at them as crazy.
KAGAN: Now Jamerson believes it is crazy there aren't more people marching to the beat of their own drummer.
JAMERSON: When you take time out and think about the climate that this world is in with the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, with the tsunamis, with all the natural disasters, there needs to be a thousand of us around the country lifting people's spirits and you hear the car horns. That's a sign to me that it is working. It is working what it was meant to work for.
KAGAN: Baton Bob, working to create joy for a neighborhood and for himself.
Daryn Kagan, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Creating a buzz with a simple hairstyle. Just ahead, why less is more for one group of friends.
And Capitol police have given the all clear after a scare at the Rayburn office building. We're expecting just a last minute update from them any moment. Live to that news conference as it begins. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Straight to the Capitol police.
SGT. KIMBERLY SCHNEIDER, CAPITOL POLICE: ...the reported shots fired in the Rayburn Building, specifically the garage. Through this time we've been investigating, searching the buildings, and I'm happy to report at this time the Rayburn Building is open for re-entry. And we have returned to normal business.
The Capitol Building was shut down and locked down for a short period of time, less than an hour. The Rayburn Building was recently reopened. The Capitol Police at this time are investigating a plausible explanation for the cause of the reports of gunfire in the Rayburn Building. I'm open to any questions right now that are appropriate for this incident.
The explanation is that there were some workers who were working in the area of the Rayburn garage in the elevator area. And in doing their routine duties, they made some sort of a noise that sounded like shots fired. So it was a valid call. Unfortunately, it was just routine duties being performed by some construction workers in the area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was the initial report phoned in by a member of Congress? And if so, who?
SCHNEIDER: It was a congressional employee. I don't have any other information at this time.
PHILLIPS: That's Sergeant Kim Schneider there with the Capitol Police. And one of our sources told us that actually a while ago. So it is good to hear our sources are right on the money when it comes to what happened today there at the Rayburn Building. False alarm. It's opened up. Everybody gets to go home and hopefully, enjoy their weekend after a pretty chaotic morning.
Let's take a quick break. More LIVE FROM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Here we go. Two bit, four bits, six bits to dollar. Cheerleader moms stand up and holler at eBay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounds like, you know -- it's like porn, really.
PHILLIPS: Well, howdy, some Oxnard, California, moms are pretty steamed after someone figured out their daughters were for sale on eBay. I mean video of their daughters performing cheerleading routine. The videos were made without the girls knowledge or permission. And they have been selling on eBay since January.
The school wants the auctions yanked. And the seller's identity revealed. I sense a new marketing opportunity, moms gone nuclear. Talk about hot.
Well, when you're a 10-year-old boy, how do you tell your buddy how much he means to you? Right, you don't know how, right? So you do the best thing that you know, just show him.
Amy Rao has more on schoolyard solidarity from WTVF, our affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMY RAO, WTVF CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The last day of school....
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, America.
RAO: ...might as well be a party for the first day of summer. With very little work to concentrate on, the focus is on friends, even the one who couldn't make it on this last day.
JOSH HOUSLEY, BATTLING CANCER: Well, I haven't gone to the last day, so I will get the last day feeling in fifth grade when it comes.
RAO: That's because Josh is at home fighting cancer and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy. Although he can't enjoy time with his friends, he's not too far from their thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very proud my kids.
RAO: Just look around.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like when you turn around you can't tell them apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't want to leave josh out, and we thought that it would be pretty good to support him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he is losing all his hair, I'm shaving my head because we are best friends. RAO: In fact, 30 boys all got their buzz cuts...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has lots of friends.
RAO: ...to show Josh he's not alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your head is not very hot anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels so smooth.
HOUSLEY: The back of it feels like a baby and the front...
RAO: Little did Josh know he's created a whole new source of entertainment.
HOUSLEY: It feels good. I wanted the class to feel my head. And I think I just made a new fashion statement in school for boys.
RAO: Fashion, maybe. But a statement for sure. His class says it's one of courage, and for Josh, they have made quite an impact, too.
HOUSLEY: If they wanted to make me happy, they just did it.
RAO: Amy Rao, news channel 5.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We're going to follow Josh's progress.
Well, just when she thought she was out, they pull her back in. Martha Stewart going back to court to defend her name.
Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange with all of the details.
Oh, boy, Susan. She never stays out of the news.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Kyra, the U.S. government may be done with Martha Stewart, but the Securities Commission -- and Exchange Commission is not. As everyone knows, Martha Stewart spent five months in prison last year for lying about her sale of ImClone stock.
But now that the criminal case is over, the civil trial is gearing up. Stewart decided to fight the civil insider trading charges rather than trying to settle the case. By going to court, Stewart has the chance to reclaim the CEO and chairman titles of the companies she founded, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
On the other hand, if she loses the civil trial she could be forced to pay three times the amount she saved by trading her ImClone shares before the stock tanked. And she earned $45,000 on that transaction. That type of fine certainly wouldn't ruin Stewart, but experts say it could be a P.R. nightmare for her company and threaten the turnaround Omnimedia has experienced over the past year. By the way, MSO shares down right now two percent the year-to- date but 34 percent over the last 12 months. That company certainly suffered quite a bit with the legal uncertainty, Kyra, of the criminal case.
PHILLIPS: Quite a comeback for Martha Stewart. It's unbelievable you can go through what she went through, spend time -- I guess it really wasn't a jail, more of a -- how would you describe...
LISOVICZ: Well, it was called camp cupcake, wasn't it?
PHILLIPS: Yes, with all of the welcoming signs and all of the gals really happy to see her.
LISOVICZ: She learned the beauty of microwave cooking, as I recall.
PHILLIPS: That's right, and really made a comeback. And isn't going to have to worry about success, I don't think.
LISOVICZ: She does things her own way, and, you know, and a lot of times it served her well. But there are -- certainly a lot of people would say she should just settle and get it done and over with, but Martha Stewart, again, she does things her own way.
PHILLIPS: So do you and so do I. And right now, we're going to wrap up this hour. And have a great Memorial Day weekend.
LISOVICZ: You too, Kyra.
And there is a lot of applause here at the New York Stock Exchange. Because ringing the closing bell today, representatives of the U.S. Navy not only here for Fleet Week but also because we are going into a holiday weekend when we think about the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, who put themselves in harm's way.
Also clapping today because we have three days of rallies for the Dow, the Nasdaq and S&P 500. The Dow looks like it will close up two- thirds of a percent. The Nasdaq up half a percent.
It's time for Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM."
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