Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

FBI to Search Foley's Office; Iraqi Police Brigade Pulled Off Street; Community Struggles to Make Sense of Amish Killings; African Troops Struggle to Bring Order to Darfur; Advice On Talking To Kids About School Violence; Iraq War Veteran Returns To U.S. To Face Desertion Charges; President Bush Signs Homeland Security Dept. Appropriations Bill

Aired October 04, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

PHILLIPS: Out of Congress, out of the closet. Former Representative Mark Foley reveals new personal details, including charges he was molested by a clergyman.

LEMON: Kids on guard after three school shootings in a week. Major questions about safety in every American school. How to protect and prepare your children.

PHILLIPS: Fighting the genocide, fighting to stay alive. War, disease, malnutrition, torture, millions of people killed. Special reports from Darfur and the Congo. All this and more, straight from the CNN NEWSROOM.

Mark Foley's computer and everything else in his Capitol Hill office may soon be in the hands of the Justice Department. New information just in to CNN on the growing scandal surrounding the ex- congressman.

Let's get straight to our justice correspondent Kelli Arena for more.

Kelli, what are you learning?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, a senior Justice Department official confirms that a letter was sent to a lawyer for the House of Representatives, asking for Foley's computer, all other materials in his office, to be secured and preserved. Now, that's because it may be needed in a full-blown criminal investigation.

The move was described very much as standard operating procedure. We did ask, Kyra, but that letter will not be made public, at least by the Justice Department.

PHILLIPS: And we've got to remember, too, this is -- you mentioned standard operating procedure. This is exactly what happened with Congressman William Jefferson when there were allegations of corruption. They did the same thing. ARENA: Right. Well, this time it's going to be very different. As one source put it, you know, this time, they'll be rolling out the red carpet for the FBI to come in.

As for the overall investigation, sources do not know at this point, Kyra, when it's going to be formally triggered. They do say, though, that that appears to be imminent. And when that happens, it's believed that search warrants will be issued for all of his computers, his laptops, his hard drives, discs, any other material.

Now, sources say that the FBI would prefer to remove that material itself rather than have it handed over. So some negotiations going on there.

We're also told by officials who have been briefed on the investigation that several pages have been interviewed already by the FBI. Investigators also continue to try to identify others. They're preparing to interview them, as well. Foley has not been interviewed and remains in that treatment center that he checked himself into.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kelli Arena, we'll keep talking about this throughout the day. Appreciate it.

As we mentioned, Mark Foley, out of the closet.

LEMON: And he is dragging some skeletons with him. His lawyer says the ex-congressman was molested by a clergyman as a teen. He also says Foley is gay. Attorney David Roth said Foley isn't using this his past as an excuse for sending lurid computer messages to teenage pages, and he insists that's as far as it went.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ROTH, MARK FOLEY'S ATTORNEY: It was absolutely never any inappropriate sexual contact with any minor. He has acknowledged full responsibility for the inappropriate e-mails and inappropriate IMs. There never has been any sexual contact with a minor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And take a look at this. It's a picture of Foley as an altar boy. He is Roman Catholic. But his lawyer won't be more specific about the alleged abuse or abuser.

Foley's now in rehab for what he says is alcoholism and emotional problems.

Well, Foley's out of Congress, out of sight, but still very much in the spotlight, especially on Capitol Hill, where his fellow Republicans are still trying to contain the ever growing scandal.

Let's get the very latest from congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel.

Andrea, a lot has been said about this program about Foley, in the last week. What, if anything, has changed in the last week? ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, CNN has learned that that 1-800 toll free hotline that Speaker Hastert heralded earlier this week is being really the centerpiece of what the Republican leadership wanted to do to try to prevent future scandals like the one that's engulfed the Congress in the last week or so.

That hotline has not yet been set up, according to Hastert's office. This takes a bit of time to do. It's something that they need to make sure is confidential. This is the line that current, former page, their grandparents, their parents, their friends or family could call to confidentially report that they think that something might be going on with a member of Congress. That that number will take yet another few days to set up, perhaps not until next week.

Again, this was something that Speaker Hastert said, in his words, they were going to move aggressively to get into place, beginning last weekend. Again, will not be in place until at least sometime next week, Don.

LEMON: The "Washington Times" earlier this week, you reported on that, "Washington Times" and then Democrats, some Democrats jumping on the bandwagon, as well, asking for the resignation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Has that been dampened at all?

KOPPEL: Well, certainly, it was no surprise you would have Democrats asking for Speaker Hastert to step aside. It's an election year after all. And they would be more inclined to make such a call. But what was surprising was you had the conservative leaning "Washington Times" editorial calling for it.

And we saw Speaker Hastert and his allies really go into sort of battle mode yesterday, hunkering down, working the phones, reaching out to their conservative bases, trying to get as much support as they could to keep Hastert in place. It looks like that has worked so far.

We've had any number of congressmen come out in the last couple of days. Among them, Henry Hyde Sr., Republican of Illinois; John Shadyac, who was a close ally of Speaker Hastert, wrote a "dear colleague" letter that was circulated yesterday.

But then today in what is really a signal that, perhaps, the worst is over for the time being, you had two conservative Republicans, one of them Mike Pence of Indiana, and the other Joe Pitts, come out and issue this statement, saying, "Regardless of our reservations about how this matter was handle administratively, we believe Speaker Hastert is a man of integrity who has led our conference honorably and effectively throughout the past eight years. Speaker Dennis Hastert should not resign."

This is a very strong signal to the conservative base, a kind of hands off for now. Speaker Hastert is somebody who is perhaps going to cause more problems for the Republican Party, should he be pushed aside at this time. And they're really circling the wagons right now, Don.

LEMON: Andrea Koppel, part of the best political team on television, reporting from Capitol Hill. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Iraqi police, part of the solution or part of the problem? For a long time now, many believe Shiite death squads have infiltrated Iraqi security forces. Well, today, there's word the Iraqi government is pulling a whole brigade off the streets.

CNN's Michael Ware joins us now live from Baghdad.

Set the scene for us, Michael.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what we're seeing, U.S. forces stepping up in their ongoing battle with the death squads and the militias that are so dominant here in Iraq.

The sectarian killings by some of these death squads have developed so far that they institutionalized, and they're occurring within the government. What we saw is, in a decision made late last night, for an entire brigade of the Iraqi national police to be pulled off line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: The government of Iraq had lost trust and confidence in the 8th Brigade's ability to serve the public due to their poor performance and alleged criminal wrongdoings. Therefore, they've been pulled off line and will go through retraining before they'll be recertified and allowed to again conduct activities as police forces for the government of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARE: So this is just the tip of the iceberg, Kyra. Major General Caldwell said that there was elements within this brigade that were known to be complicit with the death squads are. But it extends beyond this brigade, beyond these units, and permeates through every facet of the government at the moment, all but -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So are these officers that have been in place? Or are these ones that have gone through training and recruitment and have been a part of the corruption since the new regime has taken over?

WARE: Well, these are men from units that have been here since the beginning. And it also includes new units, as the militias encouraged their members to join the security forces, receive U.S. training, and then be given the legitimacy to go out and conduct militia activities.

So in many ways, the U.S. has been training some of these people or certainly their associates. So these are long-standing organizations which are capitalizing on the current situation and are now effectively in power, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So how are U.S. troops trying to look these men in the eyes and figure out who is for real and who isn't? WARE: Well, it's very, very difficult. As you know, before any operation or certainly major operation in the city, certain members or elements of the Iraqi government have to be informed beforehand.

Also, the U.S. forces like to try and put an Iraqi face on operations. So they work with Iraqi troops, as well. They, too, must be told about the operation beforehand.

U.S. commanders openly concede that they leave this notification to the very last minute because they're well aware of the leakages. Once you tell the Iraqi government something, eventually it moves out to many -- most times, the targets themselves, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Michael Ware, live from Baghdad. Thanks, Michael.

LEMON: Straight to the newsroom now, to developing news. Carol Lin, Hewlett-Packard, is that it?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, Patricia Dunn, according to "Businessweek" magazine, is going to be indicted.

California attorney general Bill Lockyer is going to seek indictments against Patricia Dunn, as well as others involved in the company's corporate spying scandal. This is according to sources that are talking to "Businessweek" magazine.

This is what we know, Don. I mean, you'll recall that this scandal broke about a couple weeks ago with revolutions that Hewlett- Packard hired investigators who allegedly lied to get into the personal records of Hewlett-Packard's director -- directors and staffs. They were trying to track down sources of leaks to the press.

So also news about Patricia Dunn. And this is so unfortunate, Don, that Dunn is a breast cancer survivor, a melanoma cancer survivor. She was told just Tuesday, yesterday, that she would need to begin chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer. This, as treatment is going to begin as the California attorney general is going to pursue criminal charges.

LEMON: Yes. And those treatments, we are told, they start to begin on Friday. Definitely a lot happening there with her life. Carol Lin, thank you.

PHILLIPS: In Pennsylvania, Amish country, heartbreak, shock and questions that may never be answered. That community is trying to comprehend a puzzling and tragic attack and will do so long after this week's funerals of five young girls.

Here's CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police believe the possible motive in this horrific shooting was a dark secret inside the mind of a man who, on the surface, appeared to be an ordinary father.

Milkman Charles Roberts finished his early Monday morning pickups from local Amish dairies. Then he followed his daily routine.

MARY MILLER, ROBERTS' NEIGHBOR: He seemed like a normal guy. He walked his kids to the bus stop about 8:45 every morning.

CHERNOFF: His wife Marie was at this local church, leading a mother's prayer group for their children and schools.

(on camera) Was there ever any indication that Marie had a clue what was inside of the mind of her husband?

KRISTINE HILEMAN, MIDDLE OCTORARA CHURCH: No. We had a wonderful prayer meeting: uplifting and fervent and honest. And everybody there felt the presence of God while we were praying.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): As Marie Roberts was praying for her children, her husband Charles entered another school, heavily armed. He let the teachers and boys go, then boarded up the one-room Amish school house.

At that point, with 10 girls captive, Roberts revealed his deepest secret to Marie during their final phone conversation. Twenty years ago, he claimed, he had sexually molested two of his very young relatives when they were 3 or 4 years old, a claim that police are still working to confirm.

COL. JEFFREY MILLER, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER: This was a very deeply disturbed individual. But he wasn't disturbed in the sense that people could pick up on that at the surface. He was very deeply troubled underneath.

CHERNOFF (on camera): As he held the schoolgirls at gunpoint, Roberts told Marie he would not be coming home. He also told her where to find his suicide notes to her and their three children.

(voice-over) Roberts wrote that he had dreamt for two years of molesting children again, a plan, police say, he may have intended to carry out at the Amish school house.

MILLER: It's very possible that he intended to victimize these children in many ways prior to executing them and killing himself.

CHERNOFF: Police quickly arrived at the schoolhouse, and authorities say Roberts panicked and began shooting the girls, who stood at the blackboard, execution-style. Five children are dead. And tonight, five other girls, age 6 to 13, are fighting for their lives in area hospitals.

Another possible motive: Roberts also spoke in the note to his wife about his anger that his first-born daughter, Elise, died only 20 minutes after her birth. He wrote, quote, "I am filled with so much hate: hate towards myself, hate towards God, and unimaginable emptiness."

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And as part of our focus on school safety, we want to hear from you.

PHILLIPS: Do you have concerns about your child's school security? Just e-mail us. The address is CNNNewsroom@CNN.com. We'll read your responses throughout the afternoon.

Well, Mark Foley's out of the picture.

LEMON: But his House seat is still in focus. Meet the top candidates ahead in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: African troops trying to stand in the way of genocide in Darfur.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There just aren't enough of them, and they don't have enough firepower to protect even themselves from the warring factions here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Jeff Koinange out on patrol with the troops, straight ahead, from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Darfur in western Sudan. It's the size of California, a vast and lawless killing field where more than 200,000 people have lost their lives. More than two million have lost their homes.

Some 7,000 African Union peacekeepers are trying to bring law and order, and they're simply overwhelmed.

CNN's Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange, is there, and he joins us now.

Jeff, what are leaders of that peacekeeping troops -- those troops saying about the obstacles they are facing?

KOINANGE: In a word, Don, it's tough going. But, you know what? These troops, they call themselves the African Union Mission in Sudan, or AMIS, and they are battle-hardened war veterans of various Africa civil wars. But now they're facing new challenges in a land as unlawful as it is unrelenting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOINANGE (voice-over): These are the men trying to stand in the way of genocide. We tagged along with this battalion of the African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, to see what chance they have of succeeding. Their assignment on this day is to travel 50 miles to the town of Tuwaliah (ph), the scene of a recent attack that forced nearly 15,000 villages to flee their homes. It was a journey these peacekeepers could not complete.

Along the way, the patrol takes a routine stop for information. Just as they are moving out, their commander's radio crackles with the message from headquarters.

(on camera) Halfway on the road to Tuwaliah, we've just been informed that there's some rebel activity not too far from where we are and that we have to turn around immediately and head back towards Alfasha (ph).

(voice-over) Four weeks now, this battalion lost nearly a dozen men in a gun battle with anti-government rebels who stole their vehicles and weapons. They are not about to take chances on this day.

We return to base. And these men are tired, frustrated, their morale low. Their new force commander is only days into his new job. But this peacekeeping veteran of wars as far away as Kosovo, Liberia and Congo, will be the first to tell you his mandate here is a mission impossible.

MAJ. GEN. LUKE APREZI, AFRICAN UNION FORCE COMMANDER: Simply put, the force has inadequate, gross inadequacy in men and material. We cannot carry out simple peacekeeping duties. We cannot provide a living environment for humanitarian services to do their work.

KOINANGE (on camera): If you had a wish list, if someone said, "Here, General, what do you need to carry your mission," what would it be?

APREZI: I need about -- at least twice the number of troops I have on the ground. And I need adequate logistics and air assets to be able to carry out duties, for me to carry out the mandate given to me.

KOINANGE (voice-over): But the battalion is back on patrol, despite their lack of resources and manpower, heading to this makeshift city of plastic tents, population 43,000 internally displaced people, a polite term for refugees in their own country.

People like 47-year-old farmer Abubakar Ahmed Abdallah, who recently fled fighting in his village 15 miles away with his wife and 12 children. Now trying to make a living selling fruit with protection from these African Union peacekeepers.

"I am alive because of these peacekeepers," he says. "God bless them."

But these peacekeepers didn't reach Tuwaliah, and they don't achieve peace here. There just aren't enough of them, and they don't have enough firepower to protect even themselves from the warring factions here.

So these are the men trying to stand in the way of genocide. They don't stand a chance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOINANGE: And, Don, other than the fact that these troops are undermanned and ill-equipped, the saddest part is their mandate. They can only shoot only if fired upon.

LEMON: And have to remind our viewers, Jeff Koinange is joining us by -- by broadband.

Now, Jeff, we saw the genocide in Rwanda 10 years ago, and we saw what happened after that, all the misery that came about that.

I heard the general in your piece saying they need -- he needs twice the number of troops on the ground. What about the folks who can help? What about the U.S. or U.N.? Any involvement from the U.S. or U.N., at all?

KOINANGE: Well, there is a lot of talk, Don, and this is the saddest part. So much talk. In fact, a U.N. spokesman called it -- he called it megaphone diplomacy. That cannot work on the ground.

These men have been here for the better part of a year. They, as you saw, undermanned, ill equipped. The rebels are armed to the teeth. The mandate here, these folks cannot fire upon them. And they know where these rebels are. They need the equipment. They need the mandate. They need the troops, the numbers. This way, they can go after the bad guys.

If they don't, and this mandate expires in less than 90 days, if nothing is done by January 1, Don, we're going to be staring at something that we've never seen before. It's going to make Rwanda look like a Sunday school picnic.

LEMON: And as we saw in Rwanda, double tragedy there, the genocide and then also AIDS, and the same thing happening now in the Sudan.

Jeff Koinange, thank you very much for joining us.

Africa's misery, the world's shame, CNN's Anderson cooper is reporting live from Africa all week. Tonight, he is in the Congo. He'll be joined by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange. You just saw him there. He has some special reports. That's all this week at 10 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Halls of learning turned into halls of horror. Deadly school attacks, three in the past week. Why the violence? Why the schools? And when your kids look for answers what do you tell them? We're going to ask an expert.

And a reminder, you can e-mail us your questions to this question, do you have any concerns about your child's school security? E-mail us. The address is CNNNewsroom@CNN.com. We'll read your responses throughout the afternoon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He's out of the race, out of a job, most likely out of a career, at least in Congress. But Mark Foley is still on the ballot in the 16th Congressional District of Florida. The votes he gets will go to his party-picked replacement, who is trying to keep the seat that a week ago seemed a sure thing.

CNN's John Zarrella takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Negron went to court Tuesday. It was an odd way to spend his first full day as the new Republican candidate for Florida's 16th Congressional District.

Negron was an alternate juror in a highly publicized murder case known here in Stuart, Florida, as the Salerno strangler. Chosen to replace Mark Foley, Negron says this isn't such a bad way to start his run.

JOE NEGRON (R), FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I think my civic duty to this community is way more important than my campaign.

ZARRELLA: By the lunch break, the judge had released him from that duty. A good thing, Negron needs to start shaking hands pretty quickly. His opponent, Democrat Tim Mahoney, says his front-runner status means people are finally paying attention to him and the issues.

TIM MAHONEY (D), FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I can now come out and talk about port security, which is something that's far more important than a political race. And I can get the press to come out, and we can talk about issues that really matter to the American people.

ZARRELLA: Mahoney has good reason to be encouraged. A poll over the weekend, before Negron was named his opponent, showed Mahoney leading. He held a three-point advantage, 49 to 46 percent. Voters were told a vote for Foley goes to the new Republican candidate. A red district last week, leaning blue this week.

This is not the first time a scandal has led to a candidate change in the final weeks before the election.

ROBERT TORRICELLI, FORMER NEW JERSEY SENATOR: I draw my career to the United States Congress to a close with a grateful heart.

ZARRELLA: Senator Robert Torricelli of New Jersey withdrew from the Senate race four years ago after accusation of accepting gifts from a campaign contributor. Senator Frank Lautenberg replaced him and won.

Texas Representative Tom DeLay announced after the primary that he would not seek re-election. Delay had been hounded about connections to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. TOM DELAY (R), FORMER TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE: I wish to begin the end of my congressional career by publicly thanking for the last time as their representative the people of the 22nd District of Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that was CNN's John Zarrella reporting.

Will Congress go from Republican red to Democrat blue? Mark Foley's isn't the only one the GOP has to worry about in next month's elections. A new CNN poll asked, if the elections were held today, would you vote for the Democrat in your district or the Republican?

Well, some good news for the GOP: they didn't lose any ground since a poll last week, despite the Foley scandal.

But here's the bad news, among likely voters surveyed, 53 percent say they would vote Democrat, 42 percent would vote Republican, and make sure you get your daily dose of political news from CNN's new political ticker. Just go to CNN.com/ticker.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

PHILLIPS: School security may look good on paper, but does it work in practice?

LEMON: Ahead in the NEWSROOM, an undercover test in Kentucky. Just how hard is it to get unauthorized people out?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Baby steps in Bailey, Colorado.

PHILLIPS: A week ago today, the routine at Canyon High School was shattered by a hostage standoff, and that left one student dead and a community traumatized. Last night, many more people returned for a football game, the first school event since the violence.

The crowd released scores of balloons in order of 16-year-old Emily Keys, killed by her captor just before he killed himself. Classes resume tomorrow with grief counselors on hand and beefed up security. The area where the standoff happened will be sealed off for the rest of the year.

LEMON: Just a mixed up kid. That's how a neighbor describes Eric Hainstock, the 15-year-old boy accused in the shooting death of high school principal John Klang in Cazenovia, Wisconsin. Klang died last Friday after being shot three times in the chest and head.

School authorities say Hainstock had gotten into trouble the day before for having tobacco. Klang will be buried today. Weston High School resumes classes tomorrow.

PHILLIPS: Well, no one's shocked that a one-room Amish schoolhouse didn't have surveillance cameras or metal detectors. But your kid's school is safe, right? Reporter Renee Murphy of CNN affiliate WHAS decided to test a few schools in Louisville, Kentucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENEE MURPHY, WHAS REPORTER (voice-over): Our hidden cameras have exposed flaws in Jefferson County school security before. Our first investigation in May of 2005 showed three schools that we were able to get in without anyone stopping us. Promises were made.

MAURICE RISNER, JEFFERSON CO. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: What you're tell me is we need to work harder,and we will have to address this and look at it very seriously, because we take safety very seriously.

MURPHY: We went back in November of 2005 to see what had changed. Some schools noticed us right away, like Farnsley (ph) Middle School. Others, like Goldsmith Elementary, didn't even know we were there. More changes were promised.

CAROL BARTLETT, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: We've got to determine where that breakdown is so we can make sure that we review that, analyze it, call for outside help from our district to analyze that to make sure that it never occurs again.

MURPHY: So after three school shootings this week, we thought it was time to go back and test them again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to try and see if I can get in some of these doors, see if I can bet in the building.

MURPHY: This time we used Alex from our engineering department to see if he could get into Abdican (ph) High School. We didn't see any "no trespassing" signs. And when Alex went to a back door, a student held the door open so Alex could walk right in.

Alex headed toward the front of the school when the assistant principal asked him to sign in at the front office. Alex signed in, showed his driver's license and was given a visitor's pass. He was on his way out of school when he was stopped again by the assistant principal.

ALEX ELDER, WHAS-TV: He asked my business, and I said I was leaving and he said, come over, I want to talk to you, and then I explained that I was working for WHAS. The principal was nearby. He and I, three of us, went into the office, and they called the police.

MURPHY: Alex was detained in the school office while school security detained me in the back parking lot. Police and school security released Alex with a citation after they were going to physically arrest him. The school principal would not come out to talk to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They indicate previous incidents, so they decide what they think is appropriate, and we decide what's legally appropriate, and we took the least invasive action. MURPHY: So did Abdican High School pass the test? it's not good that Alex was able to get into a back door. But he wasn't in the school long before an administrator questioned him. The JCPS spokeswoman told us, they initially called for a lockdown, but once Alex went into the office, they canceled it. When we tested the school system in May and December, we tested 12 schools, and were able to get into seven schools undetected.

In the cases where school officials did stop and question our employee, we were never detained and never arrested and never cited. The district says that all of its schools are on heightened security after a rash of school shootings across the country, and say they will remain vigilant to ensure every student's safety.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, again, that was reporter Renee Murphy of WHAS in Louisville, Kentucky.

LEMON: If you think you've seen a spike in school violence lately, well, you're right. And if you're mystified by the hows and whys and what can be dones and the how to explain it to kids, you're not alone.

Dr. Deborah Beidel is a clinical psychologist. She heads the anxiety, stress and trauma division at Penn State Children's Hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And first of all, thanks for joining us, and are parents talking about this with their kids?

DR. DEBORAH BEIDEL, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, I think parents are talking about this with their kids, and I think ...

LEMON: And what should they be talking to them about? What should they be saying to them?

BEIDEL: Well, I think they should start out by asking questions. They should start out by asking what the children have heard, and then follow up with questions such as would you like to talk about this? Do you have any questions that we might want to discuss together? And sort of take your cues from the children and lead the conversation in the direction in which they need to go.

LEMON: Here's my question. We are talking about kids. Some kids are too young to retain that, you know, what's going on, and we'll talk about that. But who do you think is more worried? Do you think it's the kids or the parents? Because, you know, a parent goes off, drops their kids at school, either goes back home to the safety of their home or goes to the safety of work and then their kids are there in school. And who knows?

BEIDEL: Right, well, I think in some ways, the parents are more worried because we understand a lot more and we know a lot more about what's going on. Thankfully, some children are too young that they can't quite process all of this information and so they don't have all of the worries that we have. We know that it takes some time as children develop cognitively to understand the future, to worry about the future, and to really understand the concept of death. So in ...

LEMON: Go ahead.

BEIDEL: Just wanted to say in some cases that I really do think it's parents who are more worried.

LEMON: Yes, so you're saying that we should take the cues from children. And how would you engage in a conversation like that? Because sometimes kids don't know all the right questions to ask. I guess you just have to be savvy as a parent.

BEIDEL: I think you have to be savvy as a parent, and I think parents know their own children. And I think in addition to asking about these things, that you can look for signs in the children that they might be distressed about these situations, because we know adolescents may be less likely to want to talk about these things with their parents.

So we encourage parents to look for things like children having difficulty sleeping, perhaps children being reluctant to leave the house when they weren't reluctant to leave the house before, children raising concerns about going to school when that was never really a problem before. Those are signs that perhaps this is something that the child is worried about.

LEMON: Let's talk about ages, because we talk about -- we talked about the ability to retain it. Let's talk about ages, because you don't want to tell a 4-year-old or a 6-year-old, you know, the same thing you talk to a 10-year-old or a 15-year-old about. At what age do you think we should be talking to kids, because I don't think a 4- year-old or a 5-year-old might be able to retain the information a parent's talking about.

BEIDEL: That's correct. A 4 or 5-year-old probably doesn't understand to a large degree what's happened. They may be able to repeat that something bad happened in a school, but they probably don't have the ability to really and truly understand it.

When we get to the age of about 8 or 10, that's when children really start to begin to understand the concept of death. So then the conversation has to change a little bit to what all of this means. And certainly as children get older, are more able to understand the future, what the future is, and worry about the future, the conversation changes again.

I think the thing to do is to keep the conversation at the level of the child and certainly parents know their children very well, and not to provide the children with too many details that they wouldn't otherwise need to know about these events.

LEMON: And Dr. Beidel, speaking about details -- and we're showing video as we're speaking to you there. It's hard -- when these events happen, it's hard to pass a television or turn on a radio and not -- or even see the front of a news box and not see these images. What do you suggest parents do as far as not exposing their children to this?

BEIDEL: Well, as far as possible, I think they really do need to limit the amount of time that their children spend watching television. You're right. We can't keep children from it.

But when we can or when we know the children have seen something, that's the opportunity for parents to sit down and talk to the child about it and perhaps even watch the news program with the child so that you can explain to them what's going on and answer any questions that they have.

LEMON: But they definitely shouldn't be watching it as much as their parents, right?

BEIDEL: They should not be watching it as much as their parents, no. My encouragement would be for parents to watch television when their children aren't around, particularly after the young children had gone to bed would be the time to do that.

LEMON: Dr. Deborah Beidel, thank you for joining us today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

BEIDEL: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a U.S. soldier returns from Canada to face desertion charges. Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, why some people think he'll get off too easily.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: The government of Iraq had lost trust and confidence in the 8th Brigade, the Second National Police Division's ability to serve the public due to their poor performance, and alleged criminal wrongdoings, and therefore, they have been pulled offline and will go through retraining before they'll be recertified and allowed to, again, conduct activities as police forces for the government of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Bad cops in Baghdad. After months of allegations that some Iraqi security forces were complicit in or committing sectarian violence, well, the government suspends a whole brigade. As recently as Sunday, about 20 gunmen, some dressed like police commandos, staged a mass kidnapping in Baghdad.

LEMON: He is a coward to some, a hero to others. An Iraq war veteran who fled to Canada rather than redeploy has returned to the U.S. to face desertion charges.

CNN's Carol Costello reports from Louisville, Kentucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Army deserter Darrell Anderson has become a star, at least within the anti-war movement.

His decision to turn himself over to the military comes at a time when the war in Iraq is less popular than it's ever been, when an analysis by federal intelligence agencies finds that the war is fostering the growth of Islamic terror, and when a new book by journalist Bob Woodward is highly critical of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq.

So after two years of hiding out in Canada, Anderson feels little fear about coming home.

DARRELL ANDERSON, WAR VET WHO FLED TO CANADA: I also want to put on my uniform on a military base inside the Army and stand against this war because that was something I was not strong enough to do before.

COSTELLO: It's something he wishes he had done before that day in Iraq when, as an Army gunner, he was wounded by shrapnel and awarded a Purple Heart. Before, he says, he was asked to shoot civilians, something he believes takes away the honor of his Purple Heart.

D. ANDERSON: If I had it, I would just go and throw it at the White House. That's the first thing I'd do with it.

ANITA ANDERSON, MOTHER: He got treatment for his physical wounds, but he left his

COSTELLO (on camera): As for her son's fate, well, it might surprise you. Especially when you consider this is a U.S. soldier who is openly critical of this country's war and a soldier who left his fellow soldiers behind to face the bloodshed. He might escape with a less than honorable discharge.

(voice-over): Anderson's lawyer James Fennerty says he was give than assurance by the military.

JAMES FENNERTY, ATTORNEY: He will be here for Ft. Knox from three-to-five days and then he will be discharged.

COSTELLO: If in fact that is Anderson's punishment, it's something some people will never understand. Les Powers is a World War II vet.

LES POWERS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: He didn't have to kill innocent civilians. All he had to do was shoot at the soldiers, you know.

COSTELLO (on camera): So what do you think ought to happen to him?

POWERS: I think he should be court marshaled and given a dishonorable discharge.

COSTELLO (voice-over: Darrell Anderson, his mother and his wife were optimistic as they drove to Ft. Knox so he could surrender, with an expectation that he will be free and back home within a few days. Carol Costello, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's go straight to the NEWSROOM. Carol Lin working details on a developing story. Hey, Carol.

LIN: Hey there, Kyra. President Bush has signed a new homeland security funding bill. Essentially it covers a whole variety of things. It includes things immigration; it includes terrorism; it includes that 700-mile fence along the U.S./Mexican border. But this is also what else the president had to say in Scottsdale, Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Legislation I signed today provides about $33.8 billion in funding to help secure the homeland. This is a good bill. It will help us deploy nuclear detection equipment at our ports of entry. It will raise security standards at the nation's chemical plants. It will safeguard American cities against weapons of mass destruction and stop terrorists seeking to enter our country.

The bill will also help our government better respond to emergencies and natural disasters by strengthening the capabilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This legislation will give us better tools to enforce our immigration laws and to secure our southern border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: President Bush signed this measure during a western swing state. He's going to be out west for three days. He's going to be Colorado and also fund-raisers in Arizona and Colorado as well. So Kyra, there it is, a moment in history there out there in Scottsdale, Arizona.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Carol.

LEMON: Severe storms and travel delays.

PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras keeping an eye on it all for us. She's got the forecast just ahead from the CNN Weather Center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now to check the forecast.

PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras, working her way over there.

LEMON: Get over there, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Look forward to that. Thank you, Jacqui Jeras.

PHILLIPS: Well new salacious details about a disgraced congressman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Between the ages of 13 and 15, he was molested by a clergyman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The latest claims and the questions they're raising, straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com