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U.S. Pulls Government Web Site Revealing Iraqi Nuke Research; Always the War; Iraq Reality Check; Pastor Accused

Aired November 03, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM this Friday, November 3rd. Here's what's on the rundown.

New developments in a brewing sex scandal involving a prominent minister. The gay male prostitute who made the allegation is telling more of his story this morning.

HARRIS: Some steps forward, some steps back. What's really happening on the ground in Iraq? We'll get a reality check.

COLLINS: And a million reasons to vote. You can win some big bucks. Will it get people to the polls, though, or cheapen the process? We'll talk to the man behind the mission in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Charts, diagrams, equations how to make a nuclear bomb. Did the U.S. government post too many of Iraq's old nuclear secrets on the Internet?

Our CNN Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is following the story.

And Jamie, it sounds like the answer is yes.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know yet. All we know is that as soon as the office of the director of National Intelligence was alerted to this by "The New York Times" last night, they shut down the Web site, which was a Web site that had documents from the regime of Saddam Hussein that were posted for scholarly study on what's called the Foreign Military Study Office Joint reserve Intelligence Center. That's in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

You can't see this, but in that picture is a link there for the Iraqi documents. On there, you could find documents about Iraq's nuclear program that experts consulted by "The New York Times" said amounted to basically how to build a nuclear bomb.

Now, the director of National Intelligence office said they've suspended access to this Web site and issued the following statement. They said, "While strict criteria had been established to govern posted documents, the material currently on the Web site, as well as the procedures used to post new documents, will be carefully monitored before the site becomes available again."

What happened was, they got a call from "The New York Times," which provided some of the documents from the site, and when intelligence officials looked at it, they said, whoa, this could be a problem, let's take another look at this. As they said, they had procedures in place to make sure that sensitive material was not posted, but a lot of experts, including ones around the world, suggested that these documents went too far.

They are also looking into whether the U.S. government, by way of various officials, had been notified of this problem some time ago and failed to take any action. But, again, the Web site is down. They're reviewing all of it, and they say they'll make a determination fairly soon.

HARRIS: And how about this one, Jamie? On further review, "Let's not send the dog handler tied to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal back to Iraq."

MCINTYRE: Yes. Another oops, I guess.

This is Sergeant Santos Cardona (ph), who was convicted of using his dog to threaten detainees at Abu Ghraib. He was convicted, he served his sentence of 90 days. He's paying off his fine.

He's still in the Army, considered to be a soldier now back with his unit. His unit is being sent back to Iraq. But when people began to raise questions about whether it was a good idea to send him, the Army, again, last night decided that he would stay in Kuwait, not move with his unit forward into Iraq because of the publicity surrounding this case would make him a target, potentially, of insurgents, and that would put his fellow soldiers at risk again.

So, again, another case, by the way, where one of the first inquiries came from the news media, asking, hey, why is this guy going back? And when they looked at it again, they said, maybe not such a good idea. He'll stay in Kuwait again.

He's in the Army and is continuing to serve on active duty, but he won't be going to Iraq.

HARRIS: CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre for us.

Jamie, thank you.

COLLINS: A presidential blitz days before the critical midterm elections. President Bush is in Missouri and Iowa today, stumping for Republican candidates. He's visiting the states he won in his re- election bid two years ago. The president is urging the party faithful to turn out on Tuesday and keep the GOP in control of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrats predicted the tax cuts would not create jobs. They predicted the tax cuts would not increase wages. And they predicted that the tax cuts would cause the deficit to explode.

Well, the facts are in. Tax cuts have led to a strong and growing economy. And this morning, we got more proof of that. The national unemployment rate has dropped to 4.4 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Iraq war, for one candidate it's more than a political issue. It is very personal. She's an injured soldier fighting a new battle in Illinois's 6th Congressional District.

CNN's Candy Crowley with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If November '06 is a political explosion that shakes up Washington, the fuse was lit in the late summer of '04. And for the first time, a majority of Americans turned sour on the war.

That winter, Major Tammy Duckworth of the Army National Guard was in a hospital bed, recovering from the loss of both legs. She had lots of time to think.

TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: And I did my research and I realized that only two members of the entire Congress had a child serving in Iraq. And I thought these people -- these people are not making the same sacrifice our troops make every single day. And, you know, so here I am. A lot less sleep later, a few more miles on my wheelchair.

CROWLEY (on camera): Still standing, right?

DUCKWORTH: Still standing.

CROWLEY: Yes.

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

CROWLEY (voice-over): She is the Democratic candidate in Illinois's 6th Congressional District on the outskirts of Chicago. She is one of a half-dozen vets who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan, recruited by Democrats to run for office. Her story and her chances brought powerhouses to her side.

She talked Social Security, college costs and health care, but the war permeates the atmosphere here in the 6th. It permeates everywhere.

DAN BALZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": With so many National Guard and Reserve troops, this has affected small towns in lots of states. And so I think there's kind of a pervasiveness about its impact that people feel all over the country.

CROWLEY: With the death toll rising and support falling, national Democrats opened the election season on the war. It will be their closing argument as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell Congress it's long pas time to put down their rubber stamp and ask the hard questions about Iraq.

The Democratic Congressional Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.

CROWLEY: In the House and the Senate, seats that nine months ago, three months ago looked safely Republican no longer are. Illinois's 6th District has been GOP-ville, sending retiring Republican Henry Hyde to Congress for 30 years.

PETER ROSKAM (R), ILLINOIS CONG. CANDIDATE: It's just a real treat to spend some time with you.

CROWLEY: State Senator Peter Roskam, often described as a rising Republican star here, may not be able to hold onto the 6h.

ROSKAM: You know, the people in Washington, D.C., who cooked up my opponent's candidacy sort of got things wrong, didn't they? We don't have candidates imposed on us from Washington. We send our representatives out to Washington, D.C.

Isn't that right?

CROWLEY: The race is close enough that Roskam has pulled in some celebs of his own, including the Republicans' designated hitter.

BARBARA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Dave McSweeney and Peter Roskam will be champions of the men and women of the United States military. All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world defending our country.

CROWLEY (on camera): Either way you look at it, no matter where you are, whatever else is being said, the '06 elections are about the war, always the war.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And you can follow the returns on CNN primetime next Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn and Lou Dobbs. They lead the best political team on television as your votes are counted.

The races and the results coming up Tuesday night at 7:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: Another top U.S. official makes an unannounced visit to Iraq. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte is in Baghdad for meetings with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The rebuilding of Iraq's military and Iraq's security problems on the agenda.

Negroponte's trip comes on the heels of a visit earlier this week by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. Both visits come amid spiraling violence and after Iraqi leaders complained about U.S. tactics in the country.

Iraq, a reality check. The battle against insurgents, the rebuilding efforts.

CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look at what's happening on the ground.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Part of what is driving all the concern right now is this, these spikes of violence all around the country. We know this, the Shia generally control this part of the country, the Sunnis generally have the west, and the Kurds the north. And a lot of this is happening in the areas that are disputed between them. But we also know that it's happening in areas that were at one point much more calm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (voice-over): Shortly after coalition troops toppled Saddam Hussein and disbanded his military, there was violence around the country, but not much. A few dozen insurgent attacks each month.

Look at what has happened, according to the most recent reports from the Government Accountability Office. Attacks have steadily grown, pushing toward 5,000 a month. More than half are aimed at coalition troops. But a growing number are hitting Iraqi security forces and civilians, too.

One explanation offered by military leaders is that insurgents are becoming more violent as they are pursued and lose territory.

BUSH: The way to succeed in Iraq is to help Iraq's government grow in strength and assume more control over its country as quickly as possible. I know the American people understand the stakes in Iraq. They want to win.

FOREMAN: The number of trained Iraqi troops has grown rapidly to about 300,000, and they are taking the lead in securing areas of the country. But the GAO says as of August, the Iraqis had assumed complete responsibility in only one of 18 provinces.

At the same time, armed Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents allied with al Qaeda are growing.

The United States has completed or is working on more than 500 water, oil and electricity projects for the Iraqis. But attacks on oil facilities have kept production below prewar levels. Attacks on hydroelectric dams and transmission lines keep the power off in most of the country for more than half of each day. And the GAO says 60 percent of the drinking water being pumped in this country is contaminated or simply leaking away.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FOREMAN: So you see how it is, some steps forward, some steps back. And in the middle of it all, about 140,000 U.S. service members and their families watching back here at home to see what will happen in this election.

COLLINS: A prominent evangelical pastor and outspoken opponent of gay marriage now accused in a gay sex scandal. The Reverend Ted Haggard has temporarily stepped down from the pulpit at his 14,000- member Colorado Springs church. The acting pastor says Haggard has admitted to some indiscretion, but not to all of the allegations against him.

Before he stepped aside, Haggard denied the accusations by a man who describes himself as a gay male escort. He says Haggard paid him for sex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. TED HAGGARD, NEW LIFE CHURCH: I've never said that I'm perfect. But I haven't had sex with a man in Denver. And I've been faithful to my wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JONES, ACCUSER-MALE ESCORT: And it's been hard for me, because emotionally, I just don't want to destroy someone, but this story needs to be out, because it's so wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Haggard also resigned as head of the National Association of Evangelicals. The attorney for his church tells "The Denver Post" that is in no way an admission of guilt but is in keeping with church policy. The accuser says he went public because of Haggard's support for an amendment banning gay marriage.

HARRIS: And the man making the allegations against Reverend Haggard gave an interview to a Denver radio station this morning. Also during the KHOW interview, an examiner administered a polygraph to Mike Jones and said the test showed some deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: I want to get back and not have everything thrown at me. Let's look at what Ted Haggard has said. All right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can play it for you.

JONES: Yes, I mean -- OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said he's never met you, doesn't know you.

JONES: I know a lot of people are probably cheering that I failed this polygraph. But you know what? Fine. But look at what Haggard said when he was approached.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said...

JONES: He denied everything. He denied even knowing me. I mean, at the very least, even knowing me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We should note here the doctor says he'd like to administer the polygraph again because Jones was exhausted at the time he took the exam.

Let's get some perspective on the accusations against Reverend Haggard and the impact.

Joining us from New York, our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher.

Delia, good to talk to you.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

HARRIS: How big a deal is this that he stepped down from his leadership position with the National Association of Evangelicals? And let's set this up for just a moment.

This is an organization that represents 30 million conservative Christians, spread over, what, 45,000 churches...

GALLAGHER: Exactly.

HARRIS: ... 52 diverse denominations. This is -- this is a big organization.

GALLAGHER: Oh, yes, it's a big umbrella group for a lot of the evangelical churches throughout the country. Not all of them belong to it, but it's certainly representative of, as you say, at least 30 million members.

And it shows the esteem with which Ted Haggard has held in this community, that he was named president of it. And, in fact, it's an organization that has never had this kind of a scandal in their history. So it's certainly a big deal that he should have to resign from that position, as it is a big deal that he has temporarily stepped down from the New Life Church, which he himself built, Tony, from a basement.

So you can imagine now -- and that's got about 14,000 members. So, you know, you've got this -- he's not so well known in a lot of households, but he is a golden boy of the evangelical community. This is a very big deal for them.

HARRIS: He was -- wasn't he featured recently in "TIME" magazine?

GALLAGHER: Absolutely. "TIME" magazine named him one of the top 25 most influential evangelical leaders.

HARRIS: Yes.

GALLAGHER: Again, he is somebody who has certainly had a voice for the evangelical people in Washington, and has been a voice to the evangelical people with regard to certain issues. For example, same- sex marriage.

HARRIS: All right. Let's -- let's allow folks to hear what -- we are still trying to sort out what -- the allegations, and then what -- what the reverend is admitting to. We haven't heard from him, but we have heard from the interim reverend for the church.

This is Pastor Ross Parsley. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ROSS PARSLEY, ACTING SENIOR PASTOR, NEW LIFE CHURCH: There has been some admission of indiscretion, not admission to all of the material that has been discussed. But there is an admission of some guilt. And that's what we're working with, with the outside overseers, who are working with Pastor Ted and his family to investigate what's happened here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And Delia, even the admission of some guilt has to be huge for this...

GALLAGHER: This is the problem. This is exactly the problem, Tony, because until then you had many evangelicals saying this is politically motivated, it's election season. There are two questions on the Colorado ballot with regard to same-sex union and gay marriage, and there is a motivation behind this.

Now, yesterday, when you had an interim pastor of this New Life Church come out and say there were some indiscretions, that worries the evangelical community, even though they don't know exactly what the nature of those are. And Ted Haggard still denies these accusations, the accusations being one of a three-year relationship or a three-year sexual relationship every month, paid for. And the second that there was some drug use.

So, those are pretty heavy accusations.

HARRIS: Yes. All right. We've got to get some more answers. Plenty of questions out there.

Our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, in New York.

Delia, thanks.

GALLAGHER: Thank you.

COLLINS: A Taliban resurgence, a growing drug trade, claims of corruption. The new Afghanistan? Ahead in the NEWSROOM, Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson just back from the region. He will join us live.

HARRIS: Iran tests its military might and claims to have control of the Persian Gulf.

Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Health researchers may be making new inroads in the treatment of congestive heart failure. It could provide new hope for thousands of dying patients.

According to a small British study, doctors are reporting surprising early success with a novel treatment. Doctors shrink the bloated heart with drugs while an artificial pump temporarily takes over the workload. The study says the usual recovery rate more than tripled for patients with severe heart failure. The findings were published in yesterday's "New England Journal of Medicine". Larger studies must now be conducted.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness.

That address, CNN.com/health.

HARRIS: That deadly California wildfire, it burned more than 40,000 acres, and five firefighters were killed. Now a suspect is in custody.

Raymond Lee Oyler is now facing charges of first-degree murder and arson. Prosecutors are deciding whether to seek the death penalty against him. Oyler says he's innocent.

Meanwhile, funeral services are planned today for one of the firefighters killed in the blaze.

Three deaths and a suspect behind bars. Charles Gamble (ph), a 24-year-old Columbia, South Carolina, man, is accused of killing three people and dumping their bodies in a drainage ditch. Police erected a tarp to keep prying eyes from the crime scene. The victims, a woman said to be Gamble's (ph) ex-girlfriend and two men.

The bodies found near an apartment complex where the woman lived. Police say Gamble (ph) is the father of the woman's son. He had been convicted of stalking and was on probation.

COLLINS: Voting for dollars. On Tuesday, Arizonans decide whether to award one lucky voter $1 million in each statewide election.

Political activist Mark Osterloh has been campaigning hard for the initiative. He's joining us now from Tucson.

Thanks for being with us so very much. I'm sorry, it's Osterloh. I beg your pardon.

I want to ask you quickly where you got this idea from.

MARK OSTERLOH, ARIZONA VOTER REWARDS INITIATIVE: Well, when I was running from governor, I was riding around the state on my bike, it was hot. And I was trying to figure out ways to get people to the polls, because that's one of the biggest problems we have.

In Australia if you don't vote, they fine you $20. Ninety-five percent of the people vote there. Here, only maybe one out of four vote on an average election. We figured instead of using their stick approach, we would use a carrot approach. Anybody that votes is automatically entered into a drawing as an incentive. One voter is randomly picked and could win $1 million.

COLLINS: Well, we're looking at some video of you going around and talking with people with this million-dollar ticket, if you will.

What's been the reaction from people that you've been talking to on the street there?

OSTERLOH: There's never a neutral reaction. It's always, "You've got to be kidding!" or, "That's a great idea. I wish I had thought about it."

But nobody else has a better idea. I mean, everybody's ears perk up. They could be a millionaire just by voting.

Why not reward people for doing what they're supposed to do, exercising their patriotic duty and voting? Even God rewards people for doing what they're supposed to do. He says, do what you're supposed to do and I will reward you with heaven.

We're saying, doing what you're supposed to do, vote, and we'll reward you with a chance to win $1 million. So, if incentives are good enough for God, they're good enough for the voters of Arizona.

COLLINS: But isn't it a fair question to say, if you offer these types of incentives, there are inevitably going to be people out there voting at this election who really don't understand the issues and what's at stake in your state.

OSTERLOH: There's going to be a few people like that, but I use the example of Australia. Ninety-five percent of the people there vote because of a $20 fine. Everybody there has health care. Everybody here doesn't have health care.

They've got a minimum wage of over 9 bucks an hour. Ours is $5.15. Try living on that.

They've got great schools. And we read about our schools every day here in the press.

COLLINS: Yes, but it's quite a different government system in Australia...

OSTERLOH: Once people decide to vote...

COLLINS: ... than in the United States.

OSTERLOH: It's a -- it's a democracy. They vote. They pick their leaders.

We want everybody to vote so we have true representative government. And, in fact, the people that don't want this to pass are people that are afraid that if everybody votes, the people in power won't actually represent the majority of people, because right now they only represent a small minority of Americans.

COLLINS: But the fact of the matter is, is it not, that federal law prohibits offering incentives to voters. Are you concerned at all about a legality issue here?

OSTERLOH: Not at all. Not that.

COLLINS: Why not?

OSTERLOH: That applies to -- that applies to an individual. If I were to give you money to vote for my candidate or my party, that would be illegal.

This would be the state setting it up. They're not going to put the state of Arizona in the local prison. Also, there's no federal reason or a Constitution reason to oppose this.

And you also have to consider congressional intent. That was to take and keep corruption from occurring.

What's corrupt about having everybody voting? That's the definition of democracy.

COLLINS: All right. And we should also mention, to be fair, that this money comes from unclaimed lottery money. Lottery winnings.

OSTERLOH: Right.

COLLINS: So it will be interesting to watch. We will continue to do that.

OSTERLOH: Yes. We may have the highest turnout of voters in the entire country.

COLLINS: We'll see. We will see. All right.

Mark Osterloh, thanks for your time here today.

OSTERLOH: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Still to come, Iraq, the blame game, and the responsibilities of those with stars on their shoulders. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Casual Friday means soccer Friday in Jalalabad. It's U.S. troops playing Afghan kids, and everybody is a winner.

That story ahead here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: And there you have it, once again, 11:30 now.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.

HARRIS: We want to get you to Baghdad now and to CNN's Aneesh Raman. There has been another combat operation in Anbar Province. And we're learning that Marines have been killed in that action -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we get these sporadic press releases from the military. One that we've just gotten confirms that yesterday three Marines were killed in that volatile western Al Anbar Province from enemy fire. It comes on the heels of news that yesterday as well, four U.S. soldiers were killed in and around Baghdad and back in al-Anbar province, an additional Marine was killed. It means for November and we're only three days into it, there have been 11 U.S. troops killed in Iraq. November, of course, coming on the heels of what was the fourth deadliest month for U.S. personnel since this war began in October. So we're waiting to hear more information on what exactly is taking place out in al-Anbar province.

Also, to tell you about Tony, an update of sorts on the missing soldier, the American soldier that was abducted on October 23rd. Family members in the United States are confirming to CNN, family members of Ahmed al-Taie that a ransom of $250,000 has been requested. It was requested through a third-party. They have asked for proof of life. That is where, according to the family in the U.S. things stand now. But, that does give a further glimpse as to what might have happened and who might be holding him and why -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Aneesh Raman for us in Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you.

COLLINS: The U.S.-led war on terror began in Afghanistan, one month after September 11th. Now, more than five years later, is the war there heating up once again? Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson was among the first to report from Afghanistan. He's joining us now today with the latest from a region that's really beset by corruption, drugs, and military battles now. Talk to us first Nic, if you would about exactly what type of corruption is going on.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the corruption is in the government in Afghanistan. And it is because there is so much drug money in the country. The opium harvest was up there massively this year. It's believed to generate about $3 billion worth of economy within the country itself. Opium, the poppy used to make heroin, is by far the biggest product of the country. And because there's so much money, and it's getting into the government. It's buying off government ministers. It goes right to the top of the government. That's where the allegations sit.

COLLINS: So, what is the talk about what to do with such a pervasive problem?

ROBERTSON: Everyone is turning towards the president, Hamid Karzai at this time. It's all down to him. His supporters, the people who have supported him in the past few years, his political allies, the U.S. military there, NATO, they're all looking to him to reach out and stop the corruption. And there are allegations that it is even within his family. These are so far unsubstantiated allegations, but that gives you an idea of the level this is at in Afghanistan at the moment.

COLLINS: Sure, he's the leader of the country, but does he have the chutzpah to be able to get this done and turn the tide?

ROBERTSON: What he needs is he needs to have a powerful national army, and he doesn't have that at the moment. He needs to have commanders around the country, governors who will support him in place of a national army, who will support him militarily in their areas. These are the same governors who in some cases who are accused of being corrupt. He needs to turn them away from the drugs, away from the corruption, and to support his policies. And he hasn't been able to do that so far. That's where his problem lies. That's where the situation lies right now. All his supporters are saying, now is the time. You have to do it. You can't wait any longer, the Taliban are taking advantage of the situation.

COLLINS: What about those supporters? I mean, does he really have a good base of people who are loyal to him and his cause, or is it just kind of a wash?

ROBERTSON: You talk to the people and I have done recently, ministers who are close to him in the government, and they support him, but at the same time, they're disappointed when he's had to appoint new police chiefs, when he's had to appoint new members of the Supreme Court there. It's gone against the sort of modernizing trend, if you will. They accused the new police appointees of being corrupt. They say in the judiciary, these are the old guard, the very religious traditionalist mullahs that is not making progress in the country there. He's sort of taking a step back, if you will.

COLLINS: Some of the parallels to the Iraq situation after the fall of Saddam, getting rid of those who were loyal to Saddam as far as security forces go. That was a tough process. Still a tough process trying to retrain new ones. That sounds like something he'll have to go through as well.

ROBERTSON: He is going through it and it's retention. One of the issues is, that he's called upon, and he has called in the past upon the sort of different warlords around the country to send their men to get training in the national army. Well, some of them go AWOL afterwards. They don't feel they get the equipment or money. So, you train the people and some of them end up going back to their villages. They don't come back to the army, so the army is far smaller now than it was envisioned when they tried to create this national army almost five years ago.

COLLINS: We need an international force.

ROBERTSON: That's what they have in places, NATO is there in the south and in the west of the country, U.S. troops there in the east of the country. But some allies would tell you, if you really want to crack down on the drug problem and you want to crack down on the corruption, you need that military force. And for example, they say in the south of the country, they need 200,000 soldiers to do that. When we talked to NATO about that, they say, no, the way we're approaching this problem, we're going to win over the local communities by giving them what they need: farms, hospitals, bridges, schools in their communities. The problem is, when they try and go outside their bases in some of these areas, they're coming under attack. It's a very tough scenario.

COLLINS: Security.

ROBERTSON: Security, security.

COLLINS: Absolutely. All right, well, Nic Robertson, we always appreciate your insight because you have been there.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

COLLINS: And we appreciate that now. Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, casual Friday means soccer Friday in Jalabad. It's U.S. troops playing Afghan kids and everybody is a winner. That story in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Winning hearts in Afghanistan, one kick at a time. If it's Friday, it's time for soccer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. MELISSA STEVENS, U.S. AIR FORCE: Will you lead us over there?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.

STEVENS: Soccer Friday is something that a couple of our soldiers came together and decided that they really wanted to help with the local community. The kids love it. They keep asking us, is it soccer Friday, can we come play? Can we come play?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They love soccer. We love to play it with them.

STEVENS: It's just a great way for the kids kind of to interact with the soldiers, see that we're all here helping you, we're all having a good time. Trying to make this place -- to make Jalabad and Afghanistan as a whole a safer, happier place for you guys.

PVT. TYLER RINALDI, U.S. ARMY: The impact is great. I mean, not only does it improve our morale as soldiers here but it also has a great effect on the kids. Like their friends basically. Just like broken English speaking friends.

STEVENS: There are places I'm sure that aren't as secure as this place. But we luckily have their help. They actually help us, something looks a little out of place, they'll come to us and tell us.

RINALDI: Almost everybody out there in that village knows my name. Cut your finger, Ramah (ph), we're going to have to get you some first aid for that.

STEVENS: They keep us safe and we keep them safe. It's a very mutual relationship.

RINALDI: We got a little kid named Tupac (ph). He seems to be everybody's favorite.

STEVENS: There are alot of airmen that are doing alot of tougher assignments. I guess I kind of lucked out with getting to play with these guys every Friday. I feel very fortunate to have been selected to come here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A barren landscape of healthy food choices. In America's inner cities, a look at the struggle families face living in food deserts. Ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: And YOUR WORLD TODAY coming up at the top of the hour. With a preview, Hala Gorani.

Hala, good morning.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. I don't know how you're going to top these lost Elmo dolls.

COLLINS: I know. That's the best!

GORANI: Well, there's a lot going on around the world, so I hope can you join us at noon Eastern for YOUR WORLD TODAY. Gaza bloodshed is where we're going to start. Two women among a group acting as human shields between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers, shot dead outside a mosque. We'll have a live report. Plus, we will speak to a Hamas and government spokesperson live from Gaza City.

Also, another very interesting story. Sudan may be country non grata in most of the world and in western countries because of its refusal to allow U.N. peacekeeping force into Darfur. But we'll tell you why China is welcoming it with open arms and giving 50 other African countries the red carpet treatment. Ofo course the latest from Iraq, as well as the campaign trail, all at noon Eastern at the top of the next hour.

Hope to see you there.

HARRIS: A barren landscape of healthy food choices in America's inner cities. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story, next in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: Don Lemon here, joining us now to talk about what's coming up in about an hour or so on "CNN NEWSROOM."

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and this one is certainly the talk of the day. You guys have been talking about it a lot and reporting on it a lot. We're talking about a sex scandal for a top evangelical leader. The Reverend Ted Haggard facing allegations from a male escort that the two had a sexual relationship. Haggard is denying it. What will the fallout be in all of this? David Kuo, former White House point man on faith initiatives will join us live.

Also ahead ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Do you find it funny that you check into a hospice and your doctors actually say you're doing better?

ART BUCHWALD, HUMORIST: Well, I don't find it funny. I find it funny about all of the things that have happen to me since I've been there. It's been an unbelievable experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That is none other than humorist Art Buchwald. He opens up his home and talks with us about his new book and his new lease on life. Plus, he'll answer your e-mails, so send them in.

Very interesting today when you join Kyra Phillips and me and Fredricka Whitfield today at 1:00 in the "CNN NEWSROOM."

HARRIS: Can't wait. Can't wait.

LEMON: We'll see you then.

COLLINS: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Have a great weekend guys.

COLLINS: Yes, you too.

HARRIS: Yes, you too.

For many inner city residents, healthy food is becoming harder and harder to find. Many grocery stores are moving to the suburbs, leaving few options in the inner city. PHILLIPS: Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, now takes a closer look.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Tesha Temple needs to feed her family, she spends $6 on the bus ride there, another $10 to take a cab back from her nearest grocery store, which is a 45-minute journey.

TESHA TEMPLE, ROSELAND NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT: Where the car lot's at right now, it was a grocery store called Wade's. And that was the big grocery store out here for us until they closed down. Other than that, we had nothing.

GUPTA: Welcome to what experts call the food desert, where there is little help for residents who may want to buy healthy food but can't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, sir, that's nine -- eight, nine, 10. Yes, that's fine. Thank you. Have a good day.

GUPTA: Here in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood, vegetables come in cans sold at corner convenience stores. Meat is one of the fast food varieties and the only fruit is what's in jars sold at liquor stores. Roseland residents aren't alone. In a study for LaSalle Bank, researcher Mari Gallagher measured the distance to every single grocery store and fast food store in Chicago. The results were shocking.

MARI GALLAGHER, RESEARCHER: What we found is that over 500,000 Chicagoans live in what we call a food desert, areas with no or distant grocery stores but, ironically, nearby fast food options.

GUPTA: Researchers speculate the reason supermarket chains aren't in these so-called deserts is they don't see these areas as moneymakers. Some residents even have to cross state lines just to get groceries. And the study found food deserts aren't just an inconvenience, they have dire health consequences.

GALLAGHER: Areas that have no or distant grocery stores but nearby fast food have a much greater likelihood of their residents suffering from diet-related diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, things of that nature, and also chronic health conditions that are very serious, like obesity, hypertension and so on.

GUPTA: The study sparked city leaders' interest. The Chicago City Council says it will try to find ways to encourage grocery stores to move in.

GALLAGHER: The bottom line is you can't choose healthy food if you don't have access to it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And now we want to head over to Chad Myers. He has great got some great pictures of a waterspout. Look at this. After the break we're going to talk with Chad, actually, about this. Awesome pictures. We'll check on that. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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COLLINS: Want to head over to Chad Myers one more time. Got a great I-Report here.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Did you see it? Look at that.

COLLINS: Unbelievable.

MYERS: This is actually Maui, the southwest side of Maui. Maalaea Bay here, not that far from Kihei. And this is the area that had big storms yesterday, and a few of these storms as they rolled by actually caused some waterspouts. And here's one here.

You can see that it is basically a tornado at this point in time, but it is touching the water, so you call it a waterspout, probably the F-0, F-1 type of tornado. A photo by Steven Wright. Now, I don't know if that's the Steven Wright ...

COLLINS: I was going to say ...

MYERS: ...of comedian fame, but he very well may live in Hawaii. I don't know. But thanks to this Steven Wright, anyway, who took the show there from Kihei, Hawaii.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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