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Atlanta Falcons Quarterback to be Charged for Dog Fighting; Bill to Bring Troops Home Fails; al Qaeda Operative Captured; Joint Chiefs Chairman Visits Ramadi; At Least 200 Dead in Brazil Air Crash; Homeland Security Grants Announced

Aired July 18, 2007 - 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: Some call it a sport. Others call it a business. 48 states and the District of Columbia call it a felony. Organized dog fighting out in the open with a federal indictment of an NFL superstar. You think football is rough.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And a crowded plane on a rainy night and a cramped, big city airport. Disaster at Sao Paulo: at least 200 people dead in a crash inferno that's plunged all of Brazil into mourning.

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in today for Don Lemon.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: An 18-page federal indictment bearing a name that anyone who knows and follows football, well, they know the name. Michael Vick, star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. He's due in court a week from tomorrow to answer to charges of running a big and brutal dog fighting organization. The allegations are strong and include four eyewitness accounts.

Our own Rusty Dornin joins us with more of the developments on this story.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just found out about the court date, Kyra, because a week from today, really, the training camp for the Falcons opens up. So it's unclear whether he's going to be there or not.

But a week from tomorrow, in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, he will go to a bond hearing first and then will appear for an arraignment. Of course, he'll be finger printed. There will be a mug shot and all that sort of thing.

Now, in April we do know that the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, did speak with Michael Vick about this whole issue when it first came up. And in the indictment, it's interesting, because the indictment states that in April Vick was part of the group that was involved in executing eight of these dogs.

Now if it turns out that, indeed, Vick was involved, and that he might have lied to Goodell, apparently, that could be grounds for suspension.

Of course, the NFL and the Falcons right now are not making any definite statements. They're apologizing to fans. They're saying they want the process to continue. But it's unclear on whether or not he could -- be suspended or not.

PHILLIPS: And a lot of people are wondering, why would he do this? Why would he be involved? Is this something he grew up involved with? I mean, do we know anything about his background or why he would even want to do this, besides the money factor?

DORNIN: Well, it turns out that he did blame most of this, of course, on his family when he talked about -- it first came up in April.

But according to the indictment, in 2001 he bought this property in Virginia for $34,000, what turns out to be what they call the Bad News Kennels. And the indictment continues to cite him as sometimes a participant in these activities, you know, this dog fighting and the execution of these dogs.

Now, where this came from, we don't know. And he's definitely not talking right now.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow up. Rusty Dornin, thanks so much.

And in May, President Bush enacted, actually, tougher federal penalties for animal cruelty like that alleged in the Vick case. Dog fighting, cock fighting, and similar crimes that cross state lines can now result in up to three years in prison and as much as $250,000 for fines for each violation.

Now coming up next hour, we're going to talk with an undercover investigator who has been on dozens of dog fighting raids. Later, at 3:15 Eastern, John Goodwin from the Humane Society of the United States joins us. And until now, that group has been critical of the Vick investigation.

MARCIANO: After a night of political theater, the curtain falls on Senate Democrats. They've kept an all-night session in Iraq with the losing vote on their latest plan to pull out U.S. troops.

Let's go straight now to Capitol Hill. CNN's Dana Bash is live for us.

Dana, quite a bit of theater today. What do you have?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Correct. Quite a bit of theater for sure, but there wasn't a lot of drama in the vote tally that we saw earlier today. The end of that all-night debate with the vote on the Democrats' bill. It did fail. Republicans successfully blocked it. It was 52-47.

And let me just give for our viewers the essentials of what this legislation would have done. It would have started bringing troops home in 120 days, and it had a deadline for troop withdrawal. All U.S. combat troops. That would have been in -- on April 30th of next year, 2008.

So it really isn't a surprise that it failed. But what happened after that is that the Democratic leader, the Senate majority leader, he decided to just move on and essentially pull from this Senate floor the underlying bill, the defense authorization bill.

And what that means in terms of the Iraq debate going forward, is, Rob, we've heard about a couple of other Iraq amendments offered by Republicans, like influential Republicans Richard Lugar and John Warner. Some other -- another initiative to implement the Iraq Study Group. That is -- neither of those is going to come up for a vote now, because the Senate leader and the Democratic leader moved on.

And Republicans are already saying that the Democrats, in terms of pressing -- by pressing these Iraq votes are scuttling other defense priorities right now.

MARCIANO: A number of high-profile senators speaking out last night. Presidential candidate hopeful John McCain, he's been a big supporter of the war effort. What kind of role did he play in this vote?

BASH: It was really, really interesting, Rob, to watch Senator McCain throughout this. I mean, it sort of goes without saying in watching the political news recently, his campaign has really been in free fall for a number of reasons, whether it's money woes or the fact that he has lost much of his top staff.

Well, he really tried to seize what has been one of the negatives for him, which is his -- as you said, his support of the Iraq war, and specifically, his support of the president's current strategy, the surge in Iraq.

So as you said, he was on the Senate floor all night long. He was one of the leaders in this debate. And this morning, he gave a pretty candid and perhaps even poignant speech about what this war means, and it was quite personal about what it means for his political future.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The verdict of the people will arrive long before history's. I am unlikely to ever know how history has judged us in this hour. The public's judgment of me I will know soon enough. I will accept it as I must.

But whether it is favorable or unforgiving, I will stand where I stand and take comfort from my confidence that I took my responsibilities to my country seriously. And, despite the mistakes I have made as a public servant and the flaws I have as an advocate, I tried as best I could to help the country we all -- the country we all love remain as safe as she could be in an hour-- in an hour of serious peril.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, as willing as Senator McCain has been willing to try to push back, especially against Democrats who have been pushing for this deadline for troop withdrawal, our Ted Barrett, our congressional producer, tried to ask about a meeting that is apparently scheduled between McCain and some of his congressional supporters today.

He really -- Senator McCain really snapped and said that he's essentially done talking about his campaign. He talked about it two weeks, and he said, "I won't discuss it or any aspect of it. Thank you" -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Other than that, Dana, Senator McCain certainly a man who says and does what he believes in. Thanks, Dana, from Capitol Hill.

BASH: Thank you.

MARCIANO: Well, he was allegedly an ambassador to the world's top terrorists, but Khalid al-Mashadani's credentials have now been revoked. He's described as a senior leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and today we learned he was captured on the 4th of July.

The U.S. military says al-Mashadani acted as the link between Iraq and the main al Qaeda network, going all the way to the top ranks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. KEVIN BERGNER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: He served as the al Qaeda media emir for Baghdad, and then was appointed the media emir for all of Iraq. And served as an intermediary between AQI leader al-Masri, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. In fact, communication between senior al Qaeda leadership in al-Masri frequently went through Mashadani.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Al-Mashadani was nabbed in the northern Iraq city of Mosul. The U.S. military says he's been giving up information on al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents.

PHILLIPS: On the ground, on foot, in the war zone, outgoing joint chiefs of staff chairman Peter Pace, on the last combat foot patrol of his career. And as CNN's Barbara Starr found out, it wasn't a walk in the park. She brings us this TV exclusive from Ramadi, Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just three months ago this was a battle ground for U.S. troops here in Ramadi. Over the years, hundreds of U.S. troops have fought and died on these streets. But now things are better here. It's relatively peaceful. U.S. commanders say that working with the Iraqi security forces, they have chased al Qaeda from much of the city.

And so when General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, came here today, he came out on the streets. He toured, he walked through the markets.

Yes, there was a lot of security for General Pace, but he talked to ordinary Iraqis. He stopped at a vegetable market. Children came up to him. Pictures were taken.

And one of the questions now is whether Ramadi can become an example for the rest of Iraq. Commanders say they have learned their lesson; they're working with the tribal leaders in this area.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Exactly. I mean, it really is a remarkable turnaround. And, I -- a lot of folks with weapons around me, but I don't have one, and I don't -- I don't feel one bit concerned about that. This is just a very -- it's a remarkable turn around.

STARR: So just how much better are things in Ramadi? Well, it was last February. That was the last time an IED exploded in the streets of this city.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Ramadi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: In Brazil, they're still searching for victims on the ground after a fiery air disaster, the deadliest in Brazil's history. Rescue workers say at least 200 people were killed, including everyone on board.

The plane crashed last night during landing at the country's busiest airport in a driving rain on a runway recently under repair. That runway has often been criticized for being too short, a problem at some U.S. airports, as well.

But a former aviation official says there is a solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB FRANCIS, FORMER NTSB VICE CHAIRMAN: There are things that can be done with runways that are short like this, and a case is Midway (ph) in the U.S., where you can -- there's a material now that can be installed at the ends of the runway that can absorb the shock of an aircraft going off the end of the runway with no damage to the aircraft or the passengers.

So I think -- I think when you look at these, you say short runways are an issue. Whether it's an issue, what can we do about it? And there is one solution out there that's being used pretty extensively in the U.S., in New York, Boston, and a number of other places. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Earlier this year, a Brazilian court actually banned large jets from Sao Paulo Airport because of safety concerns. But so many people complained an appeals court reversed that decision. We'll have a live report from Brazil in just a few minutes.

PHILLIPS: Well, the feds call it a crime. But how will NFL fans judge Michael Vick after his dog fighting indictment?

MARCIANO: Amid fresh warnings of al Qaeda's desire to attack the U.S., squabbles erupt over annual security spending. Where should the money go?

PHILLIPS: Speaking of money, Pentagon chief Bob Gates says more Iraq war funds need to go to sturdier vehicles.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Chaos and despair after a Brazilian jetliner crashes while trying to land at the country's busiest airport. At least 200 people are believed dead, and that figure could go higher.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Sao Paulo.

Harris, what is the latest you have for us now?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rob, the search of victims continues at this hour. So far, 158 bodies have been retrieved from the site behind me, the building that was impacted yesterday by an Airbus A-320.

As you can see, there is still smoke coming out of that building, which was a storage facility for TAM Airlines courier service. According to federal police here in Sao Paulo, only eight of the bodies recovered have been positively identified.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by the fire itself, which at 8 a.m. this morning, more than 12 hours after the crash, was still raging. A lot of flames were still coming out of there. The authorities are concentrating on trying to retrieve the bodies of more victims and on identifying themselves.

They have not wanted to speculate on the causes of this accident. But there has been a lot of talk about the conditions at the airport itself. Weather conditions, the size of the runway, whether the runway itself was capable of -- of allowing the operation of large jets, such as the A-320.

One version we heard was that the pilot of the plane had attempted to abort the landing during the rain, and as he attempted to abort the landing, that failed, and that's why he crashed into the building. Again, that is speculation at this point that comes from a source within the Brazilian Aviation Authority. There will be a press conference later this afternoon by the president of TAM. But again, the TAM, the airline, is at this point focusing on trying to recover the victims and on offering support to the victims' families -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Harris, for people on the ground, obviously, a state of shock and a state of mourning, but for all that we're beginning to learn about this airport, possibly being too short. They actually tried to shut it down for larger jets at one point.

Is there at all a feeling you get on the ground of some outrage that more could have been done before this all happened?

WHITBECK: Well, a lot of people are saying that this was a tragedy that had been announced a long time ago.

As you can hear, the airport is back up and running. The airport started operating as of 6 a.m. this morning. And that attests to the importance that this airport has for the Brazilian air transport system.

It is the busiest airport in Brazil. It was built back in the '30s, and it had a maximum capacity of 12 million passengers per year. But up until the middle of this year, July of this year, already 17 million people have passed through that terminal.

So the fact that it is so busy, that it is such a crucial part of the Brazilian air transport system has many wondering why this accident occurred, why the runway was operational during rain, why it was operational after it had been repaired just a few days ago? A lot of questions in the coming days -- Rob.

MARCIANO: And we'll look forward to your answers. Harris Whitbeck, live for us in Brazil. Thanks, Harris.

PHILLIPS: Big money and high stakes. The same week a U.S. intelligence report warns of a resurgent al Qaeda, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is about to announce this year's grants to American cities.

CNN's Kelli Arena standing by with more on this.

Hi, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra.

Just as we're hearing about new threats from al Qaeda, the Department of Homeland Security is announcing a new round of grant that are aimed at helping cities protect themselves against terror attacks. Now 46 high-risk cities will be getting funds. The money is meant to help for things like security cameras, for example.

But two of the top terror targets, Washington and New York City, are not happy with the money that they're receiving, even though they're getting more than they did last year. I spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Now, listen, I'm very sympathetic to New Yorkers and people in Washington who rightly recognize that their cities are probably the highest risk and therefore should get the most money, which they do by a country mile.

But they're also not the only risk. And I'd remind everybody, if they need to be reminded, that the second most serious terrorist attack in this country's history was Oklahoma City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Chertoff is trying to fight the notion that the grants will be permanent. He says that the moneys help to get cities get what they need, but that it's not an entitlement, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And what about the cities that have the radio problems? We had been talking about that in the past. Was that taken care of? Did certain cities get more money for that type of communication issue?

ARENA: Yes, yes. They did. That's a whole separate -- there were a variety of grants that are actually doled out. And that grant offers about $1 billion. It will go to states and cities to fix their communication problems that still exist this long after 9/11 in various police and fire departments.

California, Texas, and New York getting the lion's area of that grant money.

You know, Kyra, they did a review this year. Only 6 out of the 75 cities that were reviewed got top grades for their emergency communications. So still a major problem.

PHILLIPS: Well, and that was what the problem was on 9/11. Not every...

ARENA: That's right. Hurricane Katrina, as well.

PHILLIPS: Everyone couldn't communicate to each other. Katrina, the same thing.

ARENA: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Exactly. It was all about comms.

ARENA: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Also, too, some of these areas, these low-risk areas that receive money, was there any discussion about maybe lessening the amounts that go to those low-risk areas? Because a lot of these little towns don't need all of the money that they get.

ARENA: Well, you know, this whole process, you know, has been a work in progress, Kyra. And a lot of -- a lot of the application process was refined and streamlined. And there's a very complicated process that you have to go through to get the money.

And, you know, there was howling, if you remember, last year, and lots of those problems have been addressed. But still, you know, whenever you're talking money, you know, you're talking controversy. And as Chertoff said, you know, who can really predict where the next terror attack will be?

PHILLIPS: Kelli Arena, thanks so much.

MARCIANO: Well, after a series of safety scare, a new government panel will look into concerns about imported food and other products. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt will chair the committee and report to President Bush on ways to ensure the safety of foreign products sold here in the U.S.

White House spokesman Tony Snow denies the move is a slap at China, but it does follow a series of health and safety problems involving Chinese imports like food, toothpaste, and toys.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the military says they can save soldier's lives if the Army can get them into Iraq. The battle to bring more blast-resistant vehicles to the frontlines is another story. Straight ahead, from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: On Wall Street, stocks are taking a big step back after coming within easy striking distance of a close above 14,000 yesterday. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us what's derailing the rally.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Get your pen out, because we have a long list of culprits today, Kyra.

Renewed worries about the housing market, for starters, after Bear Stearns said two of its troubled sub prime hedge funds are now virtually worthless.

We've also got earnings reports from five Dow components, and all five stocks are sharply lower.

And Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke telling Congress today that he expects the economy to grow gradually this year but stressed that inflation remains a big concern. And when inflation is a problem, the Fed raises interest rates. Wall Street doesn't like that. So let's take a look at the damage right now.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: That kind of day, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What about the auto sector? It's getting hammered.

LISOVICZ: Yes, well, you know, we do have a lot of stocks that are certainly under pressure today but certainly auto stocks among them. And there's a lot of news in that sector.

Chrysler may be abandoning plans to build a large luxury sedan. "The New York Times" reports the car maker is pulling the plug on the Imperial, because the vehicle won't be able to meet stringent new fuel economy standards proposed by congress. A Senate bill passed last month calls for automakers to boost their average fuel mileage to at least 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020.

Meanwhile, Honda is reportedly wrapping up production to keep up with demand for greener vehicles. The Associated Press says the Japanese automaker will boost its annual targets in North America and around the world.

And we're hearing about production problems in Japan. Toyota temporarily halting all of its production there. There are reports that most other Japanese automakers doing the same. This coming after a key engine parts supplier suffered serious damage in Monday's powerful earthquake.

In the next hour, cloth with a conscience. I'll tell you why hundreds of people stood on line in the rain to buy a cotton bag. In the next hour of NEWSROOM, I saw it for myself and couldn't believe it, Kyra.

Back to you. I just wanted to get in from the rain.

PHILLIPS: Yes. And not have to get soaked. All right. We'll talk to you in a little bit. Thanks, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

Marciano: Remember how Popeye used to make spinach taste good or look like it?

PHILLIPS: You know what? It never tasted good, and it never worked when I tried to eat it and become stronger, FYI.

MARCIANO: A bit of a marketing genius. Well, he'll finally get some cartoon company in the grocery store veggie aisle. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, major food companies say they'll take a new approach to marketing to kids.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live in the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano, in for Don Lemon. A star quarterback charged with vicious crimes.

PHILLIPS: Federal prosecutors know their next moves, but what will the NFL do about Michael Vick? How will his fans react to the indictment? You're live in CNN NEWSROOM. We're told now investigators here in the U.S. going to head to Brazil and help in the investigation into the plane crash. We're being told that the National Transportation Safety Board is now going to join efforts with the government in Brazil to investigate that crash of this Airbus 320 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. You remember, this accident occurred when the -- en route from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo while landing at that airport.

There's been complications and questions to whether that airport landing strip is too short, and if the rain and weather affected this pilot's attempt to land that plane twice. We're following the investigation now. The NTSB headed out to help Brazil in the investigation.

MARCIANO: And, to another investigation here in the states involving a star football player, Michael Vick. He's one of the best known names in professional sports. But Vick's career and his multimillion dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons are now in serious jeopardy.

The league and Falcons both have expressed their displeasure with Vick's indictment, for allegedly running a dog fighting ring. But neither has taken action against him. Larry Smith of CNN SPORTS has more on a career in crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: It is no question the talented PR people of the Atlanta Falcons really have their work cut out for them now. Trying to mitigate the damage done by Michael Vick and now this indictment on the dog fighting charges that he's going to have to answer to in Virginia.

Now, so many people are asking today, why don't the Falcons just simply cut Michael Vick and be rid of him? Well, it's not that simple. See, when he signed that massive ten-year $130 million contract with the Falcons back in December of 2004, it included $37 million in guaranteed bonuses. Now, those bonuses are prorated through the length of the contract.

However, if you decide to cut that player, all of the money that has not been accounted for under the salary cap comes due all at once. That means the Falcons would take a $15 million hit in 2008. That's dead money that they can't spend on salaries, and essentially would cripple the team on the field and in terms of what they are worth. At the same time, cutting Vick, they would save $6 million in his salary in 2008.

Now, Michael Vick is expected to be in camp a week from Wednesday, a week from today when the Falcons open training camp for the upcoming NFL season. He will appear in court room in Virginia in the next two weeks at some point. And so, now it comes down to the point of, how long will he be the Atlanta Falcons quarterback? And more importantly, what will come out of this court decision, and how will the NFL and the Falcons react to it?

Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Lots of angles on this story and coming up next hour, we'll talk about to an undercover investigator who has been on dozens of dog fighting raids. And later, at 3:15 eastern, John Goodwin from the Humane Society of the United States joins us. Up until now, that group has been critical of the Vick investigation.

PHILLIPS: Bomb-resistant vehicles, a life saver for U.S. troops in Iraq. But, there's not nearly enough of them due largely to years of delays. Now the Pentagon wants to change that. CNN's Jamie McIntyre has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This video from a test last year at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground shows just how mine resistant these mine-resistant vehicles are. But commanders overseeing the current surge in Iraq are still waiting for them to show up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have none now. What I'm working with are up the up armored Humvees.

MCINTYRE: The Humvees are death traps compared to the MRAP, short for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The tragedy -- the tragedy is the number of wounded and the number who died who could have lived. And they say that 70 percent of the soldiers that died in Iraq had to do with IEDs and Humvees. That's hard to live with.

MCINTYRE: One problem -- a single company, Force Protection, Inc. was awarded a series of non-competitive contracts and then fell behind schedule. The company says it did its best to meet an overly ambitious schedule and pay penalties for late deliveries. And it insists its lie of MRAPs, including one model called the Cougar, is delivering on the key promise -- to save lives.

(on camera): Are the taxpayers getting their money's worth for these expensive armored vehicles?

MIKE ALDRICH, VICE PRES., FORCE PROTECTION INC.: Absolutely. And -- but what I told people in the Pentagon is, since you've increased servicemen's group life insurance to $250,000 per soldier and Marine, you count up my eight seats in the vehicle, the taxpayer is getting a great bargain because everybody is coming home alive in (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Now, Kyra the Pentagon today came to the defense of that company, the Marine Corp is saying that at the time they play placed that order, Force Protection Incorporated was the only one that was ready to produce the vehicles right away. They're convinced if they'd gone any place else it would have taken longer.

And yes, they say the company stumbled a little bit, because they were trying to greatly increase their productions. But, they say they corrected those problems. Now, they have spread out the contracts over a number of companies and they've ramped up the production. They hope to have some 3500 MRAPS produced by the end of this year.

PHILLIPS: All right, well how many are currently in Iraq right now?

MCINTYRE: You know, it's funny the Pentagon won't say exactly how many are there, although we're told it's much less than a lot of people think. Less than the 1,200 figure we were given before. In fact, one Pentagon official said there were just scores of them. But the big change is going to be when they get these new vehicles all produced by the end of the year.

It's going to be a logistical problem getting them all over there they won't all be there by the end of the year. But by early next year, there should be several thousand of these MRAPS. And altogether, they say they need about 18,000. That may take another year and a half before everybody has the MRAPS that they need over there.

PHILLIPS: All right, Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Thanks, Jamie.

MARCIANO: Well, John Couey raped and murdered Jessica Lunsford more than two years ago. She was nine years old at the time this week, Jesse's father finally has gotten a chance to confront her killer. Couey's pre-sentencing hearing in Florida is in its second day, and after some heart-rending testimony yesterday from Mark Lunsford.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: I hope you hear her cry as you try to sleep at night. I hope you see the tears run down her face when she asked to you go home. I hope you spend the rest of your life in fear of death. You will never hurt another child again.

Judge Howard, speaking for myself, for my community, and the nation, I plead with you to accept the recommendation of the jury for death as presented to you by the jury 10 to two, and a vote of 12 for four guilty verdicts and to remember the words of a wise old black man in Teravives (ph), "It's just too heavy, your honor. It's just too heavy for mercy."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Couey's lawyer says his client is mentally disabled and should be spared. The judge plans to sentence him next month. As for Mark Lunsford this was the testimony he's been waiting to give every day for more than two grueling years. He told our Larry King just how difficult it was to take the stand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUNSFORD: It's always hard, Larry. I mean, you know, I have a great concern not just for the -- the verdict and the death penalty for my daughter, but for the other children that survive and the prosecution of those sex offenders. Every day, we hear about women and grown women and children being raped and murdered by sex offenders. When are we going to put a stop to it?

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Wasn't it hard to look at the man who did it?

LUNSFORD: It was very hard, Larry. It's hard because as a father, I mean, your -- your most normal reaction is to reach out there and kill them. But you have to let the system do its thing. You know, justice will prevail in this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: In other testimony, a court-appointed psychologist said John Couey may have been faking mental disability in earlier tests.

PHILLIPS: A highly trained marksman, failed by affairs of the heart?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He broke. The heart controlled (INAUDIBLE) the heart controls the mind of the best people in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Why some snipers snap. Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(NEWSBREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, every book she reads, every diet she tries. Will Americans be watching Oprah for political cues, too? Barack Obama hopes so. Details on a fund-raiser to end all fund-raisers, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: One last shot ends the search for a man suspected of killing his wife as she sang on stage with a band. A Wyoming sheriff says a tip led his officers to the hideout of one-time Army sniper David Munis. The sheriff says Munis shot himself in the chest last night as officers closed in on his remote cabin. Munis is believed to have killed his estranged wife Robin on Saturday with a single shot fired from outside a restaurant.

On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," the sheriff told our John Roberts how his officers found the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF JIM POND, ALBANY COUNTY, WYOMING: A ranch hand had discovered him in a real small trailer house in a remote area of a ranch north of Laramie, called the sheriff's office, his officers were responding to meet with him and arrest him to get to him. Before they could get to him, he had shot himself.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Right, and he was in a camper somewhere?

POND: That's correct. He was about eight miles from where his vehicle was last located, within our search area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: David and Robin Munis had recently separated and Robin Munis had called police on the day she was shot to complain about harassing phone calls.

PHILLIPS: The heart rules the hunter, that's one expert's opinion on why some snipers snap.

CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Military snipers are intensely screened, to see if they have a psychological strength to lie in wait for hours without moving a muscle.

BOB BURNETT, FMR. MARINE CORPS MARKSMAN: To be able to withdraw from your mindset and forget the pain, the aggravation you are going through -- sweating, bugs, pain.

LAWRENCE: Bob Burnett is a former Marine Crops marksman, and contributing editor to "Soldier if Fortune" magazine. He speculated why some snipers can snap.

Wyoming police say David Munis threatened his estranged wife, and then fired one shot into a bar at night through a window that shattered her skull.

(on camera): Someone who is trained to block out pain, so highly disciplined, wouldn't they be immune to those kind of emotions?

BURNETT: He broke. The heart controls everything. The heart controls the mind of the best people in the world. But can you imagine sitting in that position, laying in that position as long as he did to kill the mother of his child?

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Burnett has an idea why Robin Munis was shot from a distance, and not close range.

BURNETT: It was more than just killing her; it was an acquisition, proving a point, proving that he is good, or worth a damn, in his own mind, of course. LAWRENCE: It rarely happens, but five years ago, this Army expert marksman shot and killed three people at the University of Arizona and then killed himself. Another expert marksman, John Alan Mohammed, the so-called D.C. sniper. Neither was as proficient as Munis, a fully trained sniper.

In movies like "Shooter," the sniper on the run targets the true bad guys. But in reality, a sniper wanted for murder can become suicidal.

BURNETT: He's violated our country's codes. He's not saving any soldiers' lives or Marines' lives, and he killed a loved one.

LAWRENCE: Chris Lawrence, CNN, Santa Barbara, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: One of the NFL's brightest stars eclipsed by some of the darkest details in a federal indictment. The government versus Michael Vick.

PHILLIPS: Adding up Barack Obama's record-breaking fund-raising campaign one very small donation at a time. But it's how he's doing it that's raising questions. Details, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, she's already endorsed Barack Obama. She did it on "LARRY KING LIVE," in fact. Now, Oprah Winfrey is opening her California home, and we presume raising some serious cash for Obama's Democratic presidential campaign.

The "L.A. Times" reports that Oprah is hosting an Obama event for Hollywood's power brokers in September. The paper says e-mail invitations went out yesterday. A ticket is $2,300. But there's a VIP reception for anyone who raises $25,000 and if you raise $50,000, you get to stay for dinner.

MARCIANO: Not a bad deal.

But there's no question Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is winning the money race, but how he's adding up all those donations have some people questioning his math.

CNN's Tom Foreman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got people who've been giving $5 and $10 and $25.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a record- breaking announcement.

OBAMA: Yes, that's why we've got 258,000 donors. Twice -- we have more donors than all of the Republican donors combined.

FOREMAN: Barack Obama winning the money race big, both in contributions and the number of donors.

JOHN DICKERSON, AMER. MORNING POLITICAL ANALYST: You get these stories of people who come to these Obama events and say I haven't much been interested in politics, but here, I'll give you the money out of my handbag. That gives a sense of momentum, it gives a sense of movement.

FOREMAN: What's creating the fuss is the simple fact that the senator from Illinois is growing his supporter list in a non- traditional way. People who buy Obama Campaign hats, buttons and bumper stickers are all being counted as part of that record-breaking number of contributors.

At least four other presidential candidates do the same thing. John McCain, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, and Dennis Kucinich. Unlike most of his opponents, Obama sells his campaign merchandise directly instead of outsourcing it. The people who have bought campaign merchandise only count for about one percent of all the donors who have given Obama money.

OBAMA: The reason that they're listed as donors is because if they purchase it through the campaign and it goes into the campaign coffers, it would be a violation of campaign laws if we did not list that. So, all we're doing is abiding by the law.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: There's a whispering (ph) campaign that Obama's trying to inflate his donor numbers.

FOREMAN: Obama dismissed those charges.

OBAMA: We're so far ahead everybody else in terms of number of donations that we don't need to be playing with the numbers.

FOREMAN: And he may actually be on to a successful fund-raising venture.

PRESTON: The campaign spokesman tells me, though, that they've raised several hundred thousand dollars through this process. It is a pretty novel way not only to raise money but also to grow the campaign small donor mass.

FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, once again, CNN is raising the bar on the presidential debate. You can take part. Monday, July 23rd, the Democratic candidates square off in a CNN/YouTube debate. Anderson Cooper hosts this first of its kind event, live and interactive on TV and online.

And you can see the Republican candidates debate on Monday, September 17th. You can submit your own questions right now. Just logon to CNN.com/americavotes. CNN is your political headquarters.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Used to be a dirty little secret, now it's just dirty. Dogs bred and trained to kill other dogs for their owner's amusement.

MARCIANO: It's an underground industry exposed like never before with the indictment of an NFL superstar.

Hello, I'm Rob Marciano in today for Don Lemon, and we are the CNN Center in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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