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Families Received Details of Soldiers' Deaths After Media Reports; Gulf Coast Recovery; Interracial Gang Violence Rampant in Los Angeles; Nuclear Security

Aired January 29, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for staying with us.
I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

A champion falls despite heroic efforts. Barbaro's owner isn't the only person mourning the death of a thoroughbred.

PHILLIPS: If you can't stop an attack, can you limit the possible results? Regulators set a new bar for operators at nuke power plants.

LEMON: And John Mellencamp sings in honor of wounded U.S. troops today. He joins us live to talk about Fisher House and the men and women who've paid the price in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: What did the families know and when did they know it? A disturbing admission by the Pentagon today of a problem notifying four American families of the recent deaths of loved ones in Iraq.

Standing by live with more on that story, CNN's Barbara Starr -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it now appears that some of the U.S. military families of four soldiers who lost their lives last weekend, a week ago Saturday in a sneak attack in Karbala, some of those families did not know from the military what exactly had happened to their loved ones until it appeared on the news. And, of course, that's not the way it's supposed to happen. Family notification is the number one priority.

Here's how it all unfolded.

Last Saturday, a week ago Saturday, in Karbala, this sneak attack. But the initial press release said, of course, that four soldiers died repelling the attack.

What we found out, of course, on Friday of this past week is that that was not true. There was a fresh press release from the military saying that two of the soldiers were found in SUVs at another location, handcuffed and dead. A third soldier found on the ground dead, and a fourth soldier found barely alive but died later on the way to the hospital.

All four of them apparently captured and taken away from the original attack site. But the question has now been, of course, what were the families told? When did they know? How did they find out what really happened to their loved ones?

What the military is now saying, it was, in fact, on Saturday and Friday of last week, after the news became public, that they were able to track down all of the family members, give them the correct information about how their loved ones died and make their apologies. Many people in the Army at the very highest levels very upset about this miscommunication. Very concerned that the families get the right information right off the bat -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon.

Mopping up in Najaf after an epic battle night like all the others. Iraqi police tell CNN the insurgents were members of a messianic cult trying to take control of the holy Shiite cities just south of Baghdad. At some point in the fighting, a U.S. helicopter went down, killing two soldiers on board. It's very possible but still not confirmed that hostile fire was the cause.

Today the battle is said to be 90 percent over, with an estimated 200 insurgents killed, 120 captured.

LEMON: Bombs and mortars rained down on Baghdad today. Iraqis say at least 21 people are dead, 67 wounded.

Yesterday, mortars slammed into a girls' school in Baghdad. Inside, teenagers taking midterm exams. Five people were killed, 21 hurt.

Let's head straight to the newsroom now. T.J. Holmes working the details of a story, a Fisher House dedication ceremony. It's under way right now in Texas.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It's under way in San Antonio, Texas. This is a huge facility here, a huge $50 million, 60,000-square-foot facility called the Center for the Intrepid, which will be a place -- a state-of-the-art facility that is being described for injured soldiers and veterans, of course, coming back in the current conflicts, but also it will serve those that served -- served in other wars. Not just the recent wars, the ones we're seeing on TV day in and day out.

You are seeing some of these pictures of the ceremony here today. Some 3,000 people attending this ceremony.

Again, this is in San Antonio. Called the Center for the Intrepid, which is the state-of-the-art rehab center. But also opening, there are two new Fisher Houses.

The Fisher Houses, of course, are the residences that allow the family members of injured soldiers to come stay with them and be close with them while they are going through some of that recovery. You are seeing in that crowd there a couple of those famous faces. Certainly some big-name politicians, presidential contenders even -- John McCain, senator from Arizona; also Senator Hillary Clinton attending today; also some big names.

We've been talking about John Mellencamp, who's going to be, actually, a guest here in the afternoon NEWSROOM here shortly. Several celebrities, actors and whatnot also attending.

But, of course, this is the day, a big day for the families and friends, and of the soldiers and the soldiers themselves. We hear now from -- from a mother who is certainly excited to see this facility, the mother of a soldier injured, and also from that soldier himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ZIEGEL, MOTHER OF WOUNDED MARINE: I think back to that day, how scared we were when we talked to the doctors, heard about Ty's injuries, how they -- they told us they were doing everything they could for him and that Ty was in God's hands. Well, living proof, miracles do happen.

(APPLAUSE)

TY ZIEGEL, WOUNDED MARINE: What this center will provide for us we will never fully know. Words are not enough to express what we feel. It shows that you care for us, and we will always remember that. Thank you for this gift and for honoring the sacrifices of those that serve in harm's way for America.

Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And again, there you are seeing Ty Ziegel, correction on my part, a wounded Marine, not soldier there, but a wounded Marine. His mother speaking as well.

A big day, an exciting day, a dedication there for a huge what is really going to be a state-of-the-art-facility, a 60,000-square-foot facility. You are looking here at one of those new Fisher Houses, actually. Two of those opening today in addition to that new rehab center.

But you're seeing -- getting kind of a flavor there. This is a place where -- that's a home for soldiers. They can -- they can be there while they are recovering and their family can come spend time with them.

And you see things like that, a playground in the back where it can feel normal, it can feel like home where they are recovering. But a huge new facility that is certainly gong to do -- expected to do wonders and serve so many of the young men and women who are coming back injured, and also veterans of wars past as well -- guys.

LEMON: Absolutely.

All right. T.J., thank you so much for that.

And as T.J. said, we're going to have John Mellencamp, which will sure be a treat for the NEWSROOM. But it was surely a treat for the folks there in Texas today.

And also, tonight, Anderson Cooper will be live from San Antonio with more on the Center of the Intrepid's mission. "Healing Heroes," the focus of a special "AC 360." It's at 10:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Seventeen months and billions of dollars later, the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast is struggling to recover. And Washington lawmakers want to know why.

CNN's Susan Roesgen joins us now from New Orleans, where some senators are on a fact-finding field trip.

Hi, Susan. I'm sure they are finding a lot.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they are finding a lot and they're hearing a lot. And hopefully seeing a lot, too, Kyra.

This was the Homeland Security Committee field hearing, the third since Hurricane Katrina, but the first since the Democrats took over Congress. And three senators that were here on this committee for this hearing, Senator Joe Lieberman, the chairman; Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu; and Illinois Senator Barack Obama, they are now on a bus tour looking at miles and miles of New Orleans that are still a wasteland. And that was basically the point of this hearing.

That's what the senators wanted to know as they asked questions of the witnesses they called to testify. The witnesses were the heads of various federal agencies, like Don Powell, the chairman of the federal Gulf Coast recovery effort; Gail Jamison (ph), the regional head of FEMA: Steven Preston, the head of the Small Business Administration. Over and over again, the senators wanted to know, why is the recovery effort going so slowly? And one committee member, Senator Barack Obama, a possible presidential candidate, said the blame starts at the top.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: We heard not a single word, not one word in the president's State of the Union Address about New Orleans. Not a single word.

And so I have one more set of questions to ask today and that is, were we being honest when we said we'd do whatever it takes? That we'd stay as long as it takes?

I think it made a lot of people in New Orleans and Louisiana and those of us who are concerned all across the country wonder whether we're in danger of actually forgetting New Orleans. That's shameful. We should be ashamed if we forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Senator Obama says we need to have a greater sense of urgency in our federal response, even now as you mention, Kyra, 17 months and billions of dollars later after the hurricane. And speaking of urgency, the senators heard some of that very early on in the hearing today, Kyra.

Just as it was getting under way, a protester stood up. He was holding a hand-lettered piece of cloth that said "Probe the White House."

He got up. He was shouting, shouting at Senator Lieberman. He wanted Senator Lieberman to do more, to subpoena White House records, to do a real 9/11-style investigation into lapses in the federal government's response right after Hurricane Katrina.

As you saw there, the court officers hustled the man out of the room, and then Louisiana state police shoved him into an elevator and got him downstairs. They didn't rough him up or anything, they did not arrest him or charge him.

I spoke to him later. He seems to be a member of a very small group here, but his point was well taken.

I asked Senator Lieberman about it later, why not subpoena the White House and get some of those records, especially now that former FEMA director Mike Brown is making some serious charges about partisan politics and how that might have played into the federal response right after Katrina? And Senator Lieberman said, well, we might do that eventually, Kyra, but he says our point now is to forward and look at how we can make the recovery happen going forward and not look back at the mistakes that were made.

So, again, the senators are on a bus tour right now. They're looking at all those devastated areas. And then they will take their information back to Congress.

PHILLIPS: All right. Take it back to Congress. And then how soon could changes be made? And are you hearing of anything that could happen soon?

ROESGEN: You know, Kyra, not really. Not really. I mean, this is a huge problem, and there are so many intractable elements.

This was official testimony today. Those of the federal agencies were giving official testimony entered into the congressional record.

There were some suggestions for how things might be done differently, some suggestions for ways to speed up the process. But I've got to tell you, Kyra, it didn't look as if anything is going to happen sooner rather than later.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's believable.

Susan Roesgen, live from New Orleans.

Appreciate it.

LEMON: Well, as nightmare scenarios go, a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant would rank up there with the worst. So what should or could be done to prevent it? Today some answers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

And let's go live now to Washington and our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve.

Hi, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

And already a coalition of public interest groups and some members of Congress are slamming a decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which says that operators of nuclear power plants do not have to defend against 9/11-type attacks with large aircraft. The NRC specifically rejected the idea of beam-hinge shields consisting of steel I-beams and cabling erected around sensitive parts of nuclear facilities.

The concept is that an incoming plane would hit the shield and not the plant. But the NRC says defending against such airborne threats are the responsibility of others, including the military.

Public interest groups say today's decision jeopardizes the safety of millions and "reaffirms the woefully inadequate security measures already in place at the nation's reactors." Congressmen Ed Markey of Massachusetts said the decision "reflects an inadequate industry-influenced approach that sacrifices security in favor of corporate profits."

However, a spokesman for the NRC says that the commission has not ruled out looking at aircraft and the design of future reactors and has done a lot of work to mitigate the damage that might be caused by a large event, whether it is a terrorist attack or an industrial accident. The people who disagree with this decision, however, says it is far better to prevent an attack than to deal with the after- effects.

And please excuse my voice.

LEMON: You know what? It's live TV. And you know you are only human. Shall I ask you a question, or do you need to get some water?

MESERVE: No, no, no.

LEMON: Are you sure?

MESERVE: I'm OK. Go ahead. Fire away.

LEMON: I'm hearing that's not the only thing the RNC did today. They did take other actions related to this.

MESERVE: Well, the NRC had been petitioned by a group called Bridge the Gap. And this group had asked the NRC to protect against forces equal to the 9/11 terrorists in number, capacity, ruthlessness, dedication skills, planning and willingness to die and create large numbers of casualties. Now, a lot of the NRC security plan is classified, but it does say that the rule approved today contains provisions relating to multiple coordinated groups of attackers, suicide attacks and cyber threats, but Bridge the Gap still contends it isn't enough -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. And you made it through perfectly.

MESERVE: Yes, I did. Thanks.

LEMON: Nobody's perfect, and we're all human.

Thank you very much.

MESERVE: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Everybody thought he would make it, or maybe just hoped that he would. Barbara took our breath away with his dazzling Kentucky Derby win, and again when he broke down second in the Preakness stakes two weeks ago -- or two weeks later.

What followed was a superhuman effort to save a superstar athlete, though Barbaro's owners and doctors always said it was not about the status or bloodline or stud potential, it was just about the horse. And today those owners and doctors sadly decided that Barbaro's latest setback, an abscess in the right rear hoof, would be his last.

The colt was put to sleep this morning at the Pennsylvania hospital that had been his home for eight months. Owner Roy Jackson says it was the right thing to do.

LEMON: Iran and Iraq, are they growing closer? The White House grows more anxious about that.

We'll tell you why in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: It's a street separating L.A.'s black and Latino neighborhoods and their gangs. L.A.'s Asphalt Divide, ahead from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Hollywood sacrilege. Thieves stage a heist during the middle of Sunday mass. You're not going to believe this. They didn't have a prayer against parishioners. Those thieves didn't.

Forgive us, but the NEWSROOM loves this story. And we're back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A one-time voice of the White House on the witness stand today in the trial of Scooter Libby. The former top aide to Vice President Cheney is accused of lying in the probe into a high- level intel leak.

CNN's Brian Todd is at the courthouse in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today's testimony in Scooter Libby's trial has really been about the prosecution's attempt to portray the Bush White House and the vice president's office as being very, very meticulous and organized about countering a claim by former ambassador Joe Wilson that the Bush administration twisted its intelligence in its rationale for going to war in Iraq.

Two key people testified today. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, his key testimony was that he had a meeting with Lewis "Scooter" Libby on July 7, 2003, in which Mr. Fleischer told the court that Mr. Libby said to him that Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked at the CIA, that she worked in the counter- proliferation division, and that -- Mr. Fleischer said that he believes that Mr. Libby told him her name at that meeting.

A very key date, July 7, 2003, because Mr. Libby claims that he didn't even learn of Valerie Plame's identity until three days later. And Mr. Libby's central defense is that he did not intentionally mislead investigators about what he told reporters and when he learned of the identity of Valerie Plame-Wilson. So, Ari Fleischer a key part of the prosecution's trying to shoot holes in Mr. Libby's defense.

Earlier, Kathy Martin finished her testimony. She's a former press aide to the vice president. The prosecution is trying to also use her to portray how organized this administration was in countering Joe Wilson's claims. Ms. Martin cross-examined pretty heavily by the defense, who tried to portray her as not always remembering every detail quite accurately and not having access to some key meetings.

So a lot of back and forth here between the defense and prosecution. Two very key witnesses who the prosecution claims is trying to portray as really being able to give a picture of how organized this White House was against Joe Wilson.

I'm Brian Todd, CNN, at U.S. District Court in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: MySpace on the case. A social networking Web site is donating a sex offender database to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The site helped develop a technology that combines offender lists from all 50 states.

It's already been used to screen MySpace accounts for known predators. One cool feature of this, the use of photo-matching software. Last week, MySpace also started notifying users when Amber Alerts are issue inside their areas.

PHILLIPS: Musician and activist John Cougar Mellencamp is in Texas for the dedication of the Fisher House. He's going to join us live from San Antonio with more on taking care of the troops who put their lives on the line.

That's next from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's talk a little politics now.

Another man from Hope wants to be president. Hope, Arkansas, that is.

Republican Mike Huckabee shares a hometown with former President Bill Clinton. Both are also former Arkansas governors.

Now, Huckabee says he is filing papers today to form a presidential exploratory committee. Over the weekend he highlighted the differences between his White House bid and that of Democratic senator Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FMR. ARKANSAS GOV.: There's a sense of sort of a rock star following that she has in the Democrat Party. And I'd be the first to tell you that, you know, my star is not quite that bright in the firmament just yet.

But throughout -- throughout our history, what we've often seen is that this country loves an underdog. This country loves to see somebody that all the pundits and the conventional wisdom writes off as absolutely an impossible likely candidate and/or contender.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Here's a look where Huckabee stands on the issues.

He's a staunch opponent of abortion rights. In Iraq, Huckabee offers qualified support for President Bush's policy. He's against proposals to cut funding for the war.

On immigration, Huckabee also supports President Bush. He believes some plans proposed by Republicans to deport illegal immigrants are unworkable.

PHILLIPS: All the would-be presidents have a long road ahead of them, and it's mostly uphill. Democratic hopeful John Edwards is a case in point.

The former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee is running more than 30 points behind Hillary Clinton in a "Newsweek" head-to-head match-up. But Edwards told CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" it's way too soon to lose heart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm kind of like where I want to be. You know, I am very proud of where I am.

I've got a lead in Iowa. I'm in basically a tie in New Hampshire, which are the two places that have, at least in the past, been the most critical in the nomination process. You know, when you look at the national polling of, you know, Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, me, against senators McCain and Giuliani, I'm beating McCain nationally, I'm beating Giuliani nationally.

But that's all -- that's all a bunch of noise. I mean, what really is going to matter is over the course of the next year-plus, people will get a chance to look at the differences between the candidates on Iraq, on healthcare, on energy, the things that really matter for this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Edwards is due back in New Hampshire this week. The state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary is about a year away.

LEMON: And remember there's only one place to see the first presidential debates of the season live from New Hampshire on April 4th and 5th. That is right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Sharks, Jets, Bloods, Crips, Homies, Mijos (ph). The names may change, but the violent story is the same.

Up next in the NEWSROOM, two former gang members fight to keep others from signing on.

LEMON: Musician and activist John Mellencamp is in Texas for the dedication of the Fisher House. He'll join us live from San Antonio with more on taking care of the troops who put their lives on the line.

That's next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. Thanks for staying with us. We're here live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: Thanks for joining us today.

We begin with this: the president tells Iran to keep out of Iraq or face the consequences. We'll go live to the White House for the latest in just a little bit.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

An intense battle for the city of Najaf. Two hundred insurgents dead and a U.S. helicopter down. Officials say it involved a cult trying to take control of an area in an attempt to trigger the coming of their coming messiah.

Arwa Damon has more on what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As dust from a sandstorm settles over the battlefield, new details emerge of the identity of the gunmen who put up some of the fiercest fighting that Iraq has seen this year.

Members of a Shia messianic cult calling themselves the Soldiers of Heaven, plotting to attack the holy Shia city of Najaf. They massed in the hundreds, joined by foreign fighters, Sunni extremists, criminals and gangs, intending to assassinate pilgrims, clerics, including Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the most revered Shia cleric, called by many the Shia pope. And holy shrines, trying to destroy all that is sacred to Shia Islam during Ashura, the holiest Shia ritual.

The cult's intent: to create more chaos to accelerate the return of the Mehdi, the savior of the Shia. The Mehdi is the Twelfth Shia imam. His followers believe he disappeared down a well in Samarra in the ninth century and will return at a time of violent deaths and intense disputes, when people are experiencing great fear. His arrival will directly precede the day of judgment.

Iraqi officials describe the aftermath of the battlefield as being strewn with bodies of the gunmen, saying they killed hundreds of fighters and are investigating reports that the cult's leader was killed.

The enemy they face, so fierce senior Iraqi officials say U.S. forces had to step in, taking the lead on the battlefield.

(on camera): Some officials are calling this group insane, others lamenting that the level of death and destruction in Iraq has convinced some Shias that the end of days are coming.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Center for the Intrepid, an aptly named destination for wounded U.S. troops and veterans in need of enhanced rehabilitation. The site is just dedicated -- has just been dedicated in San Antonio, Texas, along with two new Fisher Houses, which put up service members' families. Several thousand people attended the ceremony and were treated to a performance by our next guest, musician John Mellencamp.

And he joins us live.

Out of all of...

JOHN MELLENCAMP, MUSICIAN: How are you doing?

LEMON: How are you doing? I am doing very well.

Out of all the causes that you could have put your name and your effort behind, why Fisher House?

MELLENCAMP: Well, it was -- the stubborn efforts of a few individuals to make this work, you have to be proud of that. And, you know, in the success of one man, there's hope for all of us. So it was just the amount of work that they did and the way this thing looks. And it's just fantastic. LEMON: You know, and you see -- and as you're talking here, we're looking at all the wounded guys who walked in earlier to this dedication. Have you had a chance to meet with any of these people and tour the Fisher House? And tell us your response from -- if you've met any of them.

MELLENCAMP: Well, I got to tell you, you know, I'm sure that you've heard this before thousands of times. But it's just amazing, the human spirit, that some of these kids are just so optimistic and just so full of life. And it's really encouraging for someone who's not been in a war type of situation to see these kids come back and smile and laugh and be so engaged and interested in life. It's really inspiring.

LEMON: Is there anything you can say? Because we all see the images on television and, sadly, many of us don't get to meet these men and women. Your first response when you meet them -- what goes through your head and your heart when you see these folks who have dedicated so much?

MELLENCAMP: The first thing you think is just like, "Wow."

You know, I internalize it and think, you know, "I don't know that I could be this strong. I mean, look at the strength this individual is showing and he's proud and he's happy and -- not happy, but, you know, he's proud and they're carrying themselves with such honor."

It's very humbling for civilians such as myself just to be able to be part of it.

LEMON: You know, and I asked you about why the Fisher House. And you know, you have been very vocal against the war and there seems to be...

MELLENCAMP: I have?

LEMON: Yes, you have.

MELLENCAMP: I wouldn't say anything bad about the government. Come on.

LEMON: There's this sense, though, that if you speak out, Mr. Mellencamp, against the war, that you're speaking out against the troops. And you have been very vocal.

MELLENCAMP: I think that's the word. There's a sense. It's not correct. It's an incorrect view of what I feel and what I think. And I don't think there should be, you know, any war. I mean, diplomatic -- this is all going to come to an end when they start talking. And I feel that we've seen that happen in the past. That's the way it's always happened. And it's just very sad for me to see some of these kids.

Let's not kid ourselves. These are young people. I mean, these are 20, 19 year-old guys. And I'm not a religious person, but a big one in the Bible is Thou Shalt Not Kill. I mean, it's big. It's a big one. They mention it a couple, three times. And I think that, you know, as a country, we need to see that role out in front of us and become the leader that we can be, and hold our head up and be proud to, you know, to be Americans again.

LEMON: So even with this, even with you speaking out, how have the troops received you there?

MELLENCAMP: What, are you kidding me? These kids are great. You know, look, all of these troops are just like, you know, "I don't like these politicians getting on television and act like they're speaking for these troops. They're not."

You know, they're speaking -- the troops are just exactly like the culture. There is, you know, people who feel this way and people who feel that way and everything in between. So all of these kids are, you know, pretty open-minded. And, you know, these aren't robotic individuals. They all have thoughts and they all have their position. But, you know, they're soldiers. And this is their job. And they understand that.

LEMON: No doubt that this is an emotional day for everyone there.

Let's listen to a wounded Marine. His name is Ty Ziegel. He spoke just a little bit earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TY ZIEGEL, WOUNDED MARINE: What this center will provide for us, you will never fully know. Words are not enough to express what we feel. It shows that you care for us and we will always remember that. Thank you for this gift and for honoring the sacrifices of those that served in harm's way for America. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I want to ask you -- it's related to this -- your new album came out today, "Freedom Road". And I'm wondering if these people that you have met or seen come back from the wars, have they influenced you at all? Because there appears to be a more patriotic theme as time goes by to your music.

MELLENCAMP: Well, I think that I am influenced by, you know, everything that I see and hear. And, you know, I'm 55 years old. And I'm pretty -- I will say one thing. I don't really know anything. I don't think any of us really know anything. And we all know that we don't know anything. But we do have to trust our instincts. And I don't know that the album is patriotic as much as it is questioning and asking questions about who we are, who we want to be. You know, if you want a better world, it starts with each individual. And are you proud of the things that you have done in the last three or four years? Or are you -- you know, I'm just asking questions. I'm not trying to put my spin on it or the right-wing spin. Basically, the album is just asking questions and trying to say, "This isn't a red and blue world. This is our world. This is our country." I've got a song called "Our Country".

LEMON: Right. Yes or no answer. Has this changed your life?

MELLENCAMP: I didn't hear what you said.

LEMON: Has this changed your life?

MELLENCAMP: Has this what?

LEMON: Being associated with these folks, has this changed your life?

MELLENCAMP: I think it's opened my eyes, and I think it would open anyone's eyes.

LEMON: John Mellencamp, thank you so much for joining us today.

MELLENCAMP: Well, thank you for having me. And thank you for showing this.

LEMON: Absolutely.

Tonight, Anderson Cooper will be live from San Antonio with more on the Center for Intrepid's Mission. Healing heroes, a focus of a special "AC 360" 10:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Sharks, Jets, Bloods, Crips, Holes Mehoes (ph). The names may change, but the violence still remains the same. Up next in the NEWSROOM, two former gang members join me to talk about preventing others from signing on.

As we go to break, more of John Mellencamp's music.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Urban warfare, neighborhoods as killing fields, enemies identified not by what they do, but who they are. Baghdad? Yes. But also Los Angeles, where police have launched a major offensive against racially-motivated attacks by hundreds of gangs.

CNN's Ted Rowlands saw for himself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN (Voice-over): This Los Angeles street is a deadly symbol of a racial divide between blacks and Latinos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been over here for 11 years. And I ain't never really crossed the 206th street.

ROWLANDS: 206th Street is a dividing line. Darryn Brown (ph), who lives on 208th, says he and other African-Americans stay on one side, Latinos are on the other. And if you cross, there could be trouble. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you do, you got a death wish. They're going to take you out. They're going to kill you.

ROWLANDS: Fourteen-year-old Cheryl Green (ph) was recently murdered along the 206th street border. The suspects, both Latinos, are facing hate crimes charges. A week before Cheryl Green, it was 34-year-old Arturo Mercado (ph), who was shot in his front yard. Police haven't made an arrest in that case, but Latinos are blaming blacks, who they claim started this war by moving into the neighborhood about 15 years ago.

DEPUTY CHIEF CHARLES BECK, LOS ANGELES POLICE: The dividing line is this street.

ROWLANDS: L.A. Assistant Police Chief Charles Beck blames much of the attention on a Latino gang called 204. He says the gang is motivated by hatred of blacks, to the point that the gang's mission, according to the police, is to get African-Americans to leave the neighborhood.

These police photos show some of the hang's recent hate graffiti. This message says, Move, followed by the N-word.

BECK: This gang, in a very small area with a very small membership, has managed to put itself at the very top of our enforcement priority because they target people based on race.

ROWLANDS: So why do these Latino gang members hate blacks? We talked to a 43-year-old Hispanic man who was questioned by police about the Cheryl Green murder. We can't show his face, but listen to some of the things he says about African-Americans in his neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wish they would just leave and go wherever they got to go and just leave us the way we were and everything would be cool. We had a nice little community here. It's not nice anymore because of them.

ROWLANDS: What did they bring?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ghettoism. They brought low-life. Just -- they are dirty, man.

ROWLANDS: Dirty?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys know, man.

ROWLANDS: Black-brown tension isn't confined to gangs or this neighborhood. It's a problem in many cities, prisons and even some schools, where fights, like this one last year in Southern California, have broken out between black and Latino students.

In Los Angeles itself, the tension has spilled into places like Watts and Compton, where competition for jobs and housing often pit the two ethnic groups against each other. But 206th street and its obvious climate of racial hate is the symbolic center of what some believe is a worsening problem. L.A.'s mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, and other community leaders, recently held a peace rally in the neighborhood of 206th street, getting both sides together for a few hours to talk. Those in attendance seemed eager for peace. But unless there's significant change in the level of racial hatred, blacks and Latinos will most likely continue to stay on their own side of the street.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: What's the attraction to being in a gang? Alex Sanchez and Bo Taylor know. They are former L.A. gang members, working now to get kids out of gangs. Guys, it's great to have you with us.

BO TAYLOR, FORMER GANG MEMBER: Thank you for having us.

ALEX SANCHEZ, FORMER GANG MEMBER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Bo, I want to start with you -- both of you, I watched your faces, I watched you watch that piece. Bo, what do you think? What's going on?

TAYLOR: Well, it's -- I honestly believe that people are being misguided, misled, misunderstood and a failure to communicate on both sides. When you have a community like that, when you have people moving in -- when I grew up as a kid it was almost the same way, where it was a neighborhood that was predominantly Caucasian and a lot of African-Americans started moving in. And a lot of the whites moved out.

But as the whites moved out and blacks moved, in you have the Latino community flourishing in our community, and people just have to learn to communicate and get along. And we are all faced with the same disadvantages.

PHILLIPS: Alex, do you think it's more of the kids that are getting into these gangs at a young age or do you think it's more of these gangbangers, that have already spent time in prison, and they are coming back into the neighborhoods and keeping it going?

SANCHEZ: I think it varies. It's a little bit of people coming out of prisons and it's a lot on the issue of many displaced families. I see my community, I work in the Pekoe Union (ph) area, and what I've seen is that the gentrification that's taking place, and they are pushing people into other communities, searching for, you know, cheaper housing. And they move out. And, you know, there's a lot of resources that need to be created to improve people's lives in those communities where people are moving in.

One of the main reasons that, you know, youth start fighting in the schools and the area, based on race issues, is because of a lot of incidents such as what's happening in the harbor area. It gets a lot of publicity and builds up a lot of tension between communities, among different ethnic groups. The way it's being portrayed, basically, is not focusing on the real issues, on the economic and the socio- economic issues in those communities. What's not being created in regards of really building up this cultural awareness, racial awareness between the communities. I think that's where we're failing.

We need more cultural awareness workshops for these kids in schools, where they can understand the different cultures that exist here in L.A. It's not just African-American and Latino. You have Armenians also, having issues in the valley. You have them in the Hollywood area.

PHILLIPS: You have the Asian gangs.

SANCHEZ: You have other ethnic groups fighting each other. It's not being addressed. We need to really know to understand each other.

TAYLOR: And Kyra, if I could add --

PHILLIPS: Yeah, go ahead and add, and I also want to make sure you both tell me what you are both doing, because I know how active you are with your organizations. Bo, go ahead.

TAYLOR: I wanted to say that, the bottom line at the end of the day, the question has to be asked for all of the individuals that might be involved is, somebody has to pay the price. If somebody is going to get killed, then somebody else has to be in that equation is going to do the rest of their life in prison. And I don't think the individuals who are actually the perpetrators of the crimes, I don't think that those individuals have put that into the equation, that at the end of the day, the bottom line is somebody is going to prison for a very long time. And you got to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Is it really worth me hating this person enough for the neighborhood to kill this person?

PHILLIPS: Or losing their life. I mean, Bo...

TAYLOR: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: ... how many funerals have you been to, Bo, and, Alex, how many funerals have you been to?

TAYLOR: I've been to over 200 funerals in the last 15 years, 20 years of my life.

PHILLIPS: Alex, what do you think?

SANCHEZ: You know what? I stopped counting for a while and I stopped going to the funerals. Recently, you know, what I've been doing is trying to raise funds for many of those families that are...

PHILLIPS: That are losing their kids.

SANCHEZ: That are losing their kids. They don't have the funds to bury those individuals, unfortunately. It's a tragedy. PHILLIPS: Alex, why did you join a gang? What gang did you roll with? And how did you get out?

SANCHEZ: Well, the fact of the matter is that when I got involved in the gangs, it was in part also of this clash of cultures that I fell into in the Koreatown area. I'm originally from El Salvador. I came during the war. And I went into a community where, you know, I first met the first Koreans. I first met the first African-Americans. I first met, you know, the first Mexicans. It was a clash. And nobody introduced me correctly to the ethnic groups. And in some cases, they didn't understand me, I didn't understand them. And I was in feud (ph), even among the Latino community. In some ways, I needed protection. And, you know, basically at home there wasn't much communication, which basically, I went and looked for solutions in the streets. And that's how I ended up joining a gang that was related to my ethnic group. And, you know, that's how I defended myself from the issues that were happening in the community.

PHILLIPS: And, Bo, how about you?

TAYLOR: Well, for me, I don't like to glorify the negative lifestyle that I used to live, but I will say this: that all the guys that I ran the streets with basically grew up with a childhood condition. And a problem for us -- excuse me, the problem for us was that we grew up without a father figure in the household. We grew up -- most of us were on welfare. And we had some very disenfranchised people in our community, and nobody was a real role model. We wanted certain things in life, couldn't afford it, and ended up going to the streets and not really understanding what the value of the streets brought to us. You know, it was the destruction of our communities. You know, people started getting killed. Drugs were brought in, guns were brought in. You know, isolation of individuals in that community who felt that this is the only way we can survive. I was one of the most misguided young people in my community. And I take credit for helping clean up.

Some of the misconceptions in our neighborhood are that if young people are not brought to an understanding of who they are and how valuable they are in the communities, then they're going to get caught up in the same lifestyle that I got caught up in as a kid. And it's unfair to them. And they shouldn't have to be the recipients of all this negative stuff.

And the spiritual aspect in our community, that part is gone. It was gone when I was a kid growing up. And if we don't get back to some of the morals and basics in this country, that we believe in God and that we understand that God is first and foremost in our lives, then it's going to be very difficult for us to start dealing with other people outside our community, let alone people within our own communities.

PHILLIPS: And, Bo, you take a great spiritual approach with Unity One. I know that you're also 00 you pastor to these kids.

Alex, you actually take your kids on field trips, right? Tell me why you do that and where you take them. SANCHEZ: Well, usually these youths, you know, grow up in the area, you know, on the four corners of their neighborhood. And actually, the only way that they go out of that community is through an ambulance or in the squad car, handcuffed, or even to prisons throughout California. So what I usually do is take these individuals to other communities and learn about the effects of violence, such as, you know, taking them to the hospital and learning about the impact that it has on an individual being shot.

Also, our Epiphany Project programs, we're able to talk about all these issues. But...

PHILLIPS: Alex, stay with me. Alex, stay with me. We're going to take a quick break. I apologize. We have to pay the bills real quickly. But I don't want to stop. This is important. Stay with me, guys. We'll be right back.

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PHILLIPS: All right. Stay with us. We're going to talk more about the gang violence in L.A. with two former gang members, Alex Sanchez and Bo Taylor. We've just got to check the stock markets real quickly.

(MARKET REPORT)

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