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CNN Live Today

Flaw in Shuttle Delays Launch; Veteran Arrested in Rape-Murder Investigation; D.C. Urges Residents to Get Checked for AIDS; Oregon Fires Sparked by Fireworks

Aired July 03, 2006 - 11:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Randy Avera is a former NASA engineer. He's on the phone right now on his way to Kennedy Space Center to give us some more information about what this might mean. Randy, hello.
RANDY AVERA, FORMER NASA ENGINEER: Good morning, Daryn, and to the listeners.

KAGAN: Have you had a chance to see that photograph that we've been showing that shows the diagonal crack that we're talking about?

AVERA: Yes, this is a large bracket that's part of the support structure for the 17-inch diameter feed line. And that feed line takes the liquid oxygen which is located in the top of the external tank and feeds it externally on the side of the external tank down to where the orbiter is so that the main engines on the orbiter can burn that liquid oxygen with liquid hydrogen.

KAGAN: Do you think it's likely this crack developed over the last couple days as they fill and empty this tank?

AVERA: Certainly so, in that there have been so many inspections on this external fuel tank, there's been a lot of documentation about the configuration and the quality of the tank and, as the vehicle was safe and desurfaced after the scrubbed launch or detanked, which means to take the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen out of the tank, another inspection by the NASA ICE team was done where they discovered this four- to five-inch crack.

KAGAN: And as this meeting is taking place, if you were in that meeting, a fly on the wall, what are the things they're considering, do you think?

AVERA: Well, certainly, the source of the crack, why is it there, and, certainly, the scheduling issues about if a plan is to repair the crack prior to another launch attempt, can that be done at the pad or three miles away in the vehicle assembly building? And if it's done at the launch pad, a temporary loom will be established around that area where the crack is located to control the environment for that repair.

KAGAN: That means building some kind of scaffolding, doesn't it, next to the shuttle.

AVERA: Yes, and his has been done many times in the past and any time you build scaffolding around a rocket that's as tall as an 18- story building, you have to be very careful.

Kagan: Obviously, because you don't want to cause even more problems. So bottom line is do you go tomorrow or don't you? What would you advise?

AVERA: Well, the decision to fly is one that's been ongoing since last year, and I think it seems that it's still ongoing in my opinion. I've had the position as an aerospace engineer, and I was the lead structures engineer for the orbiter for 14 years at Kennedy Space Center.

And it's my position that during the 1990s there were two NASA programs that were, for good reason, to take weight out of the external aluminum tank structure so that we could put more payloads to orbit to the International Space Station.

Well, the first program was the lightweight external tank program. The second was the super lightweight external tank program, and those two combined in the 1990s, NASA removed about 10,000 pounds of structural weight out of the external tank by going instead of just aluminum they use an alloy that's lithium aluminum...

KAGAN: Randy, I'm just going to jump in here, because for most of our audience they don't get a lot of the terms. Do you go tomorrow or don't you go tomorrow because of the crack?

AVERA: We'll wait for the NASA press conference. We'll find out. It's a NASA decision, of course.

KAGAN: Right. But if you were part of that decision, what would you say?

AVERA: As I'm explaining, my position is that it's a structural issue. The tank in 2006 does not seem to be performing like it did in the heavy tank during the 1980s, and that's my position.

KAGAN: So, does that mean you go or don't go?

AVERA: My position is that we need to understand the behavior of this new structure of the external tank, and it's seeming that maybe NASA hasn't that fully understood yet.

KAGAN: So you'd like some more information. I get it now. Randy, thank you for your expertise.

AVERA: You're welcome.

KAGAN: And you're on your way to the space center right now?

AVERA: Yes. I'll be there in about 30 minutes, and we'll be attending the NASA press conference.

KAGAN: OK. Well, we will look for that. Randy Avera, former NASA engineer. Thank you, Randy.

Still ahead, U.S. troops under investigation yet again. Details of an alleged atrocity.

And new threats, Osama bin Laden turns his attention to Iraq and Somalia. That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This just in to CNN. We're learning from the Associated Press that an Army soldier discharged, perhaps on a different situation, has been charged in connection with an investigation into alleged wrongdoing in Mahmoudiya in Iraq.

We first told you about this investigation late last week. It's an area just south of Baghdad. This involved the killing of a woman in this area and three of her relatives.

Well, now this former soldier, Steven Green, has been arrested, according to the Associated Press, in recent days in North Carolina. That coming from two federal law enforcement officials talking to the Associated Press.

Once again, this involves a situation that took place earlier this year in Mahmoudiya, and our Jamie McIntyre has more on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Army sources say the allegations came up two weeks ago during combat stress debriefing sessions that followed the murders of privates Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker.

According to senior Army official, two soldiers from Menchaca and Tucker's unit, the 502nd Infantry Regiment, told military counselors they heard about an incident that happened on March 12, in which two other soldiers supposedly raped an Iraqi woman, and then one of the soldiers allegedly killed her and three family members, including a child. The second-hand account was enough to prompt Major General James Thurman to order a criminal probe.

A brief statement issued by the military in Iraq says, "A preliminary inquiry found sufficient information existed to recommend a criminal investigation into the incident." An Army official says one of the suspects is confined to base in Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, the same area where it's alleged the four Iraqi civilians were killed in their home.

The investigation is the latest in a string of incidents in which it's alleged U.S. troops killed Iraqi civilians. In Haditha, where 24 Iraqis were killed last November, an investigation is still under way. In Hamdaniya, seven U.S. troops are charged with killing an Iraqi man in April. At Thar Thar Lake, four soldiers are charged with killing three detainees in May. And in Ramadi, two soldiers have been charged in connection with the shooting of an unarmed man in February.

(on camera) Army sources say in this latest incident, a second suspect was discharged from the service for reasons the Army won't disclose. He is believed to be in the United States and is wanted for questioning. No charges filed against either soldier as the investigation continues.

Jamie McIntire, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And so to pick up on Jamie's close there, once again, this former soldier, Steven Green, who had already been discharged from the Army, has now been charged, according to the Associated Press, in connection with this incident in Mahmoudiya. More on that as the story develops.

Also ahead, they love the man and they defend him, but now Saddam Hussein's first wife and one of his daughters are fugitives. Their names are on Iraq's just released most wanted list, along with 39 others. Hussein's daughter, Raghad, has been granted asylum in Jordan. She's been working there on her father's defense. His first wife has been living in Qatar.

New threats from Osama bin Laden and a new target, as well. The al Qaeda leaders now has Iraq Shiites in his crosshairs. It's in an audiotape released Saturday on the Internet. The CIA says it really is him. It's bin Laden's fifth message this year. The threat against Iraqi Shiites is significant. Until now al Qaeda has been reluctant to criticize the new power brokers in Iraq.

It is a startling threat to the United States. North Korea says a U.S. strike on its missile program would ignite a blistering response. The north says it would respond with, quote, "an annihilating strike and a nuclear war." The saber-rattling follows reports that North Korea may be preparing to test a long-range missile. The missile might be capable of reaching the U.S.

A subway train has derailed in Spain, killing dozens of people. It happened in the coastal city of Valencia around lunchtime. Officials tell CNN at least 30 people died and 12 were injured. Authorities say it looks like it was an accident, one official blaming excess speed and a broken wheel.

The topic may be taboo, but not so much in Washington. What has people talking and getting tested? Find out on CNN, your most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To our daily dose of health news: getting tested for HIV. Not something a lot of people like to talk about, but people are talking about it in the nation's capitol. Talking and getting tested, that is.

Gary Nurenberg on a new program inspired by a somber trend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON MORGAN, AIDS ACTIVIST: Hi, how are you guys doing? GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ron Morgan spent much of Saturday urging strangers in Washington, D.C., to get tested for HIV.

MORGAN: The city is facing a crisis right now with new cases of HIV. People -- and some people may not even know that they are.

NURENBERG: He was diagnosed as HIV positive 22 years ago.

MORGAN: I'm living proof that you can live with this thing, but we have to think straight and be smart.

DR. GREGG PANE, DIRECTOR, D.C. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Come together, D.C., get screened for HIV.

NURENBERG: The city launched a campaign this week to test for HIV. All residents between the ages of 14 and 84, believed to be the first in the country to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure it doesn't hurt, does it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it doesn't hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Painless, no blood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.

NURENBERG: The city is distributing to doctors, clinics and schools 80,000 of these $10 quick test kits, and oral swabs that give results in 20 minutes. The health department want HIV screening to be as common a part of physical exams as blood pressure and cholesterol checks.

KEN PETTIGREW, AIDS ACTIVIST: What we're doing is saying that everyone should get tested and sort of normalize it.

NURENBERG (on camera): Why are city officials so adamant about this new testing program? They cite statistics saying that one in 50 D.C. residents has AIDS, two percent, but the city has the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.

PANE: About 25,000 people in the district maybe that have HIV and perhaps a quarter of those don't know they have it.

NURENBERG: And knowing it is key.

LINDA CROPP, D.C. CITY COUNCIL CHAIRWOMAN: Research shows that those who know their HIV status are connected to care and that they live longer and they modify their behavior to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to others.

NURENBERG: So, the city is sending vans into neighborhoods.

BRANDON ARMANI, UNITY HEALTH CARE: So, we actually do three people at one time during the 20-minute process it will take us.

NURENBERG: Activists say a rush of new positives will put a strain on city services, but the health department says it is already lining up programs and money.

ARMANI: We'll be there once those dollars are there to actually get these people into care.

NURENBERG: Getting people into care is what Ron Morgan is trying to do.

MORGAN: I'm here, in living proof, to say there's life after diagnosis, 22 years later.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: For Roger Ebert, it's a review of a lifetime. His wife giving him a thumbs up for his latest health scare. She says he's doing well after emergency surgery this weekend. Apparently, a blood vessel had burst near the site near a previous surgery. Last month doctors removed a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. Ebert's family says they expect him to make a full recovery.

Coming up, hot dry and a Fourth of July. Not a good mix in Oregon. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: World news coming up at the top of the hour. Hala Gorani along to tell us what we can expect.

Hala, hello.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Daryn. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up in a few minutes. We're going to take you from Latin America to the Middle East all the way to Australia.

We start with Latin America and Mexico. A presidential election too close to call, yet, both of the candidates are already declaring victory. Will this set off an electoral crisis? It's all about whether Mexico will swing to the left or to the right after Vicente Fox.

We will also take you live to Gaza. Israel is blaming Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Syria for the kidnap of one of its soldiers and it's threatening more strikes and attacks. We will be talking live to a Hamas representative in Gaza City. Hamas making threats of is its own. And we will also be taking you to a representative live in Jerusalem of the Israeli government.

And Australia, Big Brother. It's not just a U.S. and a U.K. Show. Big Brother is an international franchise and, apparently, nowhere, Daryn, is it more controversial than Australia. Some housemates have been kicked out after accusations of sexual assault, and even politicians are getting involved.

KAGAN: Out of control. We'll look for that.

GORANI: That's at the top of the hour.

KAGAN: All right, Hala, thank you.

First, though, to Oregon, evidence that a hot, dry summer can be a bad mix with fireworks. We get the story from Randy Neves from our affiliate KGW.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDY NEVES, KGW REPORTER (voice-over): It seems no matter how much water they throw at this wildfire...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still here.

NEVES: ... it just won't go away.

JAMIE PAUL, FIGHTING OREGON WILDFIRE: It's been rough. As you can see, the terrain is steep. The fields are really dry. We've had really gusty, erratic winds up here. And there's no water on site.

NEVES: The Oregon Department of Forestry has been chasing flames, dropping buckets of delivered water and laying down a line of red retardant to keep the 60-acre blaze from pushing east.

PAUL: This looks like a Roman candle and these are bottle rockets here.

NEVES: It didn't take long to figure out what caused this wildfire, illegal fireworks.

(on camera) We're not just talking bottle rockets here. Check out this piece of evidence. It's called the Golden Bear. It shoots off 200 airborne fireworks. Whoever did this was aiming right toward the dry, wooded area.

(voice-over) From there, hot wind under a baking sun dragged the fire across acres and acres of bone dry logging slash.

GLEN BEERS, LIVES NEAR FIRE: We're concerned about getting it knocked down quick.

NEVES: Glenn Beers and his family live a quarter mile from the flames.

ALICIA HANSEN, LIVES NEAR FIRE: We heard the fireworks last night. We didn't know where they were coming from.

NEVES: They're angry at those who set off the fireworks.

TANI MORRIS-BEERS, LIVES NEAR FIRE: Well, we hope to catch them and we think they will. There's only so many people that know about this place, only so many that would come in, and people saw them, so, they're going to catch them.

NEVES: With help from Esticada (ph) Fire District, crews will monitor hot spots, making sure this fire doesn't reignite.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Thank you.

Our video of the day is up next. Barbecuing Russian style. We'll have that for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're standing by to find out what NASA decides to do about the Shuttle Discovery. Earlier today, a five-inch crack found in the foam insulation covering the shuttle's external fuel tank. Do they go ahead with launch tomorrow? We will be listening.

On to our video of the day. It's not Memphis, comrades, this is Moscow. The city hit the sauce over the weekend, hosting Russia's first world barbecue championship. You see barbecue is catching on in Russia. In fact, a grill is considered a middle class symbol, a status symbol. An all-American version of this event takes place in Memphis every May. That barbecue cook-off is known as the Super Bowl of Swine.

Chad, my sources tell me you, yourself, received a barbecue or grill, whatever you call it, for Father's Day.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I did. A charcoal one, too.

KAGAN: Charcoal. I'm a charcoal fan.

MYERS: Yes. Did you say they were hitting the sauce, though?

KAGAN: Yes. Isn't that cute?

MYERS: That was cute.

KAGAN: Different kind of sauce than the Russians usually hit.

MYERS: Exactly. I'm sure you can make some barbecue sauce with some vodka. But it seems like a waste.

KAGAN: You can make just about everything with vodka.

MYERS: Good morning, good morning, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Chad, thank you.

And in our final seconds here, want to bring you up to date on the story that we confirmed here at CNN. A former Army soldier has been arrested and charged, this in connection with an investigation that took place in Iraq, in Mahmoudiya, where a woman and several members of her family were killed. Steven Green had been discharged from the Army previously. Not sure if that discharge has to do with the current investigation. More on that, just ahead.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll be back in about 20 minutes with headlines here in the U.S. See you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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