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Tillman Friendly-Fire Death; Bombing In Baghdad; Crash In Miami; Gerri's Top Tips

Aired August 01, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So here's what's on the rundown.
The Pat Tillman investigation. Testimony begin thing hour. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld among those expected to speak.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama taking aim at al Qaeda, questioning Pakistan's commitment.

HARRIS: And you saw it unfold live right here. Trapped under tons of steel and debris, now the delivery driver is speaking to CNN.

It is Wednesday, August 1st and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Questions over a friendly fire death. Looking for answers from the former defense secretary. Donald Rumsfeld testifying in the Pat Tillman investigation at a hearing that begins this hour. We are watching it for you with those live pictures that you see. Meanwhile, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now live this morning.

Barbara, why Rumsfeld and General Abizaid agreed to actually appear today? Kind of unusual?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is very unusual, Heidi. Both men have pretty much stayed out of the public limelight since they left office several months ago. We've talked to people who are quite close to them this morning.

And especially with Secretary Rumsfeld, what we are told is his knowledge of the Tillman matter really was quite limited. He was informed by his staff of what they knew. But he knows that this is a matter of great public controversy. He's very aware that the public is watching this matter as well as the military.

He, Secretary Rumsfeld, General Abizaid, General Myers, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all, we are told, want to appear in public, want to say what they know and want to reassure the public that there was no coverup of this matter. That, of course, is the central question still on the table. The Tillman family, after all these years, remains very concerned, very distressed and upset, believing that the government knew something that it did not reveal in a timely manner. And all of these men are expected to be asked today quite bluntly what they knew and when they knew it.

Heidi. COLLINS: Well, Barbara, is there anything that any of them are expected to say that could actually change the investigation or the way possibly the family, who we understand will be in the room, will feel about how things happened?

STARR: I don't think that is likely from any of these very top officials. But let's be clear, there's a couple of people who will not be in the room today. So what is not being said may be equally interesting.

Lieutenant General Phillip Kensinger, censured yesterday. A three star retired general. Likely to lose one of his stars. He was subpoenaed by all accounts. He is traveling away from home. They cannot find him. Apparently the marshals unable to serve a subpoena.

He will not appear today. He has already filed papers objecting to his punishment, saying he was not deceptive to investigators when he was questioned. That he simply said what he knew to the best of his recollection.

There is another man who will not be in the room. That is Lieutenant General Stan McChrystal. It should be very clear to everyone, General McChrystal is the head of covert special forces. The so-called dark or black forces. The ones who stay under cover.

General McChrystal also was somewhat implicated in the case for knowing some of the details. But he was cleared of any wrongdoing in that investigation that was made public yesterday. Still, because of his extraordinarily sensitive position with covert special forces, he is not appearing in public. And so he will not be questioned further by the committee in an open hearing.

Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon this morning.

Barbara, we know you'll be watching this alongside us.

And just as a reminder to everyone at home, live coverage of Donald Rumsfeld's testimony in this investigation of Pat Tillman's death right here in the newsroom. That hearing set to begin any time this hour now.

HARRIS: President Bush's right hand man speaking out about the administration's Iraq policy. It is not often that Vice President Dick Cheney gives TV interviews, but he sat down with CNN's Larry King to talk about a number of issues. Among them, the president's troop buildup in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have made progress on that front. We've also, obviously with a surge the president decided on last January, I think made significant progress now into the course of the summer. The real test is whether or not the strategy that was put in place for this year will, in fact, produce the desired results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The vice president sitting down with CNN's Larry King in Washington.

COLLINS: More American lives lost in Iraq, but signs of hope for the Pentagon. As July ended, four more U.S. soldiers were killed. Three of them when a bomb exploded near their combat patrol in eastern Baghdad. The fourth killed by small arms fire. The death toll for the month, 77. That is the lowest monthly total since November. The military hopes the recent troop buildup is making strides. Since the war begin, 3,656 American troops have lost their lives in Iraq.

HARRIS: August off to a bloody start in Iraq. Dozens of people losing their lives in bombings today. At least 50 at a Baghdad gas station. More than a dozen others at a busy square. CNN's Arwa Damon is live in Baghdad.

And, Arwa, the violence against the backdrop of the surge. This is the kind of violence the surge is supposed to ward against..

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Tony. And for the last few days, the surge has effectively prevented that kind of violence what. But what we are seeing today is the insurgency once again proving its ability to regenerate and continue to attack the Iraqi population.

There were four explosions just in Baghdad. The deadliest, the one that you just mentioned, where 50 Iraqis were killed. At least another 60 wounded when a fuel tanker rigged with explosives detonated outside of a gas station.

Now this took place in a western Baghdad neighborhood known as Monsur (ph). It is a fairly busy, commercial area. Earlier in the day there was another explosion in the location known as al Dora. That car bomb was targeting a busy commercial street where there are a number of electronic stores, as well as an ice cream parlor. That attack left at least 15 people dead and another 20 wounded.

Now the two other car bombs that went off in the capital were both targeting busy areas. One of them targeting a marketplace and a Christian enclave in the Baghdad neighborhood of Dora. The other one also targeting a busy commercial street.

These types of attacks that we saw today that took place pretty much throughout the entire capital are intended to further terrorize the already frightened public here to try to paralyze people's lives and force them back into their homes and off the streets.

Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Arwa Damon for us in the Iraq capital, Baghdad.

Arwa, thank you. COLLINS: Some news we're just getting in here to the NEWSROOM from Florida where there was a pretty bad traffic accident. Fredricka Whitfield is working this story for us.

Fred, someone was trapped.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Someone was trapped in a vehicle that seemed to have been rear-ended by a big county truck. You're looking at the video that we just received a short while ago. This is the result of fire and rescue cutting out the one passenger, a woman, who was in that vehicle after it was rear-ended by the county truck.

This taking place on State Road 112, which is a major road that connects Miami Beach to the airport. Some call it the airport expressway. And it's meant that it is very slow going there on the expressway today, too, because officials have closed off State Road 112 at about the area of the 395 exit.

Again, this is new video that has come in. And now you're looking at more recent video here of the traffic backup there on State Road 112, which is also a toll road. Real slow going there if you're trying to get to the beach from the airport or vice versa.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Pick a different beach maybe. Ouch. OK.

Fredricka, thanks so much.

What do you say we get a check of weather now. Rob Marciano standing by in the Weather Center for us.

Rob, what are you watching. I know the possibility of showers and rain. Oh, you've changed the view a little bit. I was thinking of Tucson and perhaps Texas, but you've changed the view.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: You know, persistence sometimes pays off. This time it did for media mogul Rupert Murdoch. He sealed a deal to buy "Wall Street Journal" publisher Dow Jones and Company. Word overnight that the board of Murdoch's News Corps approving a $5 million deal. $5.6 I think. Murdoch has wanted "The Journal" for years. Negotiations have been intense over the past three months. The Bancroft family, who controlled the paper for more than 100 years, initially rejected Murdoch's offer. Some of them and some newspaper staffers worried about the paper's editorial independence. As part of the deal, a five-member committee will keep an eye on the paper's editorial integrity.

HARRIS: Donald Rumsfeld facing questions about a friendly fire death. Live pictures right now of the hearing room. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee holding the hearing today about the handling of the investigation into the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman. We will check in when former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld begins to testify, right here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: No power, no water. Miserable conditions in Iraq's capital. And extreme summer heat making it much worse.

HARRIS: Trapped under water. Violent storms catch many off guard in Arizona. And rescuers can't reach everyone.

COLLINS: Return to sender. An address mix-up leaving one community with nothing but empty mailboxes. More of a problem than you might think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

Donald Rumsfeld on the witness list. Lawmakers looking into the military's handling of Pat Tillman's friendly fire death.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick sacked by another sponsor. The latest fallout from dogfighting allegations against the NFL star.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: What did Pentagon leaders know about Pat Tillman's death and when? That's exactly what a House committee hopes to find out today. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifying before the committee in a hearing that begins this hour. Tillman is the NFL star turned Army ranger killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. His death was initially blamed on hostile fire. The Army secretary denies there was a coverup, but yesterday he announced the censure of retired three-star General Phillip Kensinger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE GERGEN, ARMY SECRETARY: For casualty notification, safety investigation and administrative control of the second battalion, 75th ranger regimen, General Kensington was the captain of that ship. And his ship ran aground. It ran aground because he failed to do his duty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A review board will determine whether Kensinger should have his rank reduced.

And live coverage of Donald Rumsfeld's testimony in the Pat Tillman investigation -- you see it there on the side of your screen -- coming up here in the NEWSROOM. That hearing underway, as you can see, right now.

HARRIS: In California, a FedEx truck crushed by a collapsed highway overpass. The driver very lucky and talking about it this morning. You may have watched the story unfold right here in the CNN NEWSROOM yesterday. The truck was pinned under tons of steel and debris. The driver was trapped for more than two hours. Incredibly he suffered only a sprained ankle and cuts and bruises. Earlier the driver and one of his rescuers talked with CNN's Kiran Chetry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BATTALION CHIEF RUSS FOWLER, BUTTE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Well, I wasn't sure of the outcome, but we knew at that moment that we had a serious situation both for Robert's safety and for the rest of our safety, because of the structure that was standing. It was very precarious to fall. And we had met with some of the bridge engineers from Cal Trans. And they made it very clear to us the situation was very dangerous. So that was our primary concern was to make sure our rescuers and Robert and the other injured patients were protected first and foremost.

KIRAN CHETRY, "AMERICAN MORNING": Now did you know he was OK in there?

FOWLER: We did have one of our paramedic firefighters with Robert. And we were assessing him at that point. I didn't know his status. I knew we had a patient that was trapped in the vehicle under the false (ph) work (ph).

CHETRY: You know, Robert, what was going through your mind? You're there. Were they talking you through it, saying it's just going to be a little bit more time? We're trying to secure these beams. And were you aware that they were -- it was going to take them a while to get to you?

ROBERT SYLVESTER, TRAPPED IN TRUCK: You know, I knew they were doing everything they could. They wanted to get me out just as bad as I wanted to get out. And I knew that the situation was a little precarious with the beams and all that. But -- so I just had to, you know, these guys were great. And I just sort of put my trust in them to -- they knew what they were doing. So I just tried to hang in as best as I could.

CHETRY: How did you keep yourself calm, knowing -- not knowing the extent of your injuries? I understand one of the beams was pinned over your legs.

SYLVESTER: Well, you know, the firefighters are great. And they kept talking to me and calming me down. I wasn't calm the entire time. But, you know, in those situations, there's not much I could do but put myself in their hands. You know, between the doctors and nurses and the paramedics and firefighters, you know, they saved me. So I'm very grateful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, Robert is OK. A construction worker was on the overpass when it collapsed. He is still hospitalized in serious condition.

COLLINS: Move over captain underpants. Some folks want politics to be the new page turner for kids. Bedtime stories with an agenda. GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

The latest in the mortgage meltdown. What you need to know to protect your home. That's next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And once again we want to take you back to Washington, D.C., and the hearing room there and the swearing in just moments ago of the speakers who will testify this morning, including former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The hearing before the House Oversight Government Reform Committee. The former secretary is testifying now. Let's listen in to his opening statements.

DONALD RUMSFELD, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: One of the Department of Defense's foremost responsibilities is to tell the truth to some of the three million military civilian and contract employees who dedicate their careers to defending our nation, to the military families who endure the extended absence of their fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters, and to the American people for whom all of those connected to the Department of Defense strive each day to protect.

In March 2002, early in my tenure as secretary of defense, I wrote a memo for the men and women of the Department of Defense titled "principles for the Department of Defense." I've attached a copy of that memo to my testimony. You'll note that in principle number one, the very first, addresses the points that both you and Mr. Davis have made. It says do nothing that could raise questions about the credibility of DOD. Department officials must tell the truth and must be believed to be telling the truth or our important work is undermined.

Mr. Chairman, your invitation to today's hearing, you asked that we be prepared to discuss how we learned of the circumstances surrounding Corporal Tillman's death, when we learned of it, and whom we discussed it -- with whom. I'm prepared to respond to the questions to which pertain to these matters to the best of my ability.

In December 2006, I sent a letter to the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, Mr. Thomas Gimble, describing my best recollection of those events, which by that point had occurred some two and half years previously. The committee has been given a copy of that letter and I'd like to quote a portion of it.

"I am told that I received word of this development some time after May 20, 2004. But my recollection reflects the fact that it occurred well over two years ago. As a result, I do not recall when I first learned about the possibility that Corporal Tillman's death might have resulted from fratricide." I went on to say, "I'm confident that I did not discuss this matter with anyone outside of the Department of Defense." Obviously during that early period. I have subsequently to that period.

What I wrote in December of 2006 remains my best recollection today of when I was informed and with whom I talked before May 20. I understand that the May 20, 2000 date was shortly before the Tillman family was informed of the circumstances on May 26, 2004.

Your invitation to appear before the committee also asked about my knowledge of a personal 4 (ph) or P4 message dated April 29th, 2004. That message was not addressed to me. I don't recall seeing it until recent days when copies had been made available. There are a great many, indeed many thousands of communications throughout the Department of Defense that a secretary of defense does not see.

I understand that the acting inspector general's report concluded that there were errors among some of those responsible for the initial reports. Any areas in such a situation are most unfortunate. The Tillmans were owed the truth delivered in a forthright and timely manner and certainly the truth was owed to the memory of the man whose valor, dedication and sacrifice to his country remains an example for all.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, Mr. Rumsfeld.

General Myers.

GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, FORMER JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The only thing I would like to say is, just offer my condolences as well to the Tillman family. Not only for the loss, but for the issues that they've been struggling with since then and the whole notification issues that's being looked at by this committee. They clearly don't deserve that for Pat Tillman's memories.

HARRIS: You've been listening to the opening statements first from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and now the opening statement, just a short one, from General Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the investigation gets underway. The hearing, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, that the critical questions to be answered by -- to be asked of these men and to be answered what everyone knew, when they knew it and with whom they discussed Corporal Tillman's death.

We will check back in from time to time to bring you a bit more of the testimony as it unfolds. Right now let's take you to the New York Stock Exchange. The big board. New York City. Take a look at the Dow. Just moments ago it was up 72 points. Back down just a bit. But the Dow is up 45 points -- 44 -- trying to reverse yesterday's big losses. The Nasdaq at last check up two. We will check all of the business news with Susan Lisovicz coming up within the hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And one of the country's biggest mortgage lenders announcing that its financial backers have pulled the plug. Well, that sent the Dow into a dive yesterday, tumbling almost 150 points. Gerri Willis joins us from the New York -- well, I was about to say the stock exchange, but from New York City, in our wonderful bureau there. And I missed you on my recent trip there.

WILLIS: I know. You don't write. You don't call.

HARRIS: We will make reservations next time.

Gerri, great to see you.

WILLIS: Hey, this is an important story, Tony. I've got to tell you. The market reacting so strongly to this mortgage news. You know, it revived jitters on Wall Street about the quality of credit and the overall health of U.S. lenders.

We've seen a lot of problems among sub-prime lenders. Those who specifically cater to people with weaker credit. But the news about American Home Investment is a sign, a signal that the problem is spreading beyond that sector, affecting the rest of the lending industry as well.

Heck, just last week the nation's largest mortgage lender, Countrywide, said its bad loans were not -- no longer contained to just the sub-prime arena. So this is making lenders and creditors nervous. And you saw what happened to the markets yesterday.

HARRIS: Boy, that's for sure. But here's where we always want to get to the bottom line on this. OK. So all of this turmoil in this sector, what does it all mean for you, for me, for consumers?

WILLIS: Well it means it's getting a whole lot harder to get a mortgage because lenders, they're tightening their credit standards. That means they're requiring more money down, more cash reserves in the bank and perfect credit.

HARRIS: Wow. So how will it all -- well, I guess if you knew the answer to this, you'd have a crystal ball and you could direct us. And you're doing a great job of it. But any sense of really how this will all play out, Gerri?

WILLIS: Well, here's what's going on right now. Foreclosures jumped 58 percent in the first half of the year. That according to Realty Track. Those are the latest numbers. And the number of foreclosure filings could grow even higher. Reach 2 million by the end of the year. The numbers on home sales and prices, they have not been positive either. And this has made it even harder for the housing market to regain its footing.

In the short term there is little relief on the horizon. And listen, if you're out there and you're worried about foreclosure. Maybe you think you're going to miss a payment. Maybe you already have. There is help out there.

Let me give you a couple of phone numbers today. HUD foreclosure counseling, 1-800-569-4287. They have counselors all over the country. They can help you out. And there's also the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. Their number, 1-888-995HOPE. A lot of folks out there, Tony, they're struggling. They don't have to do it by themselves. They can get some help.

HARRIS: And, Gerri, remind everyone of the other bit of advice you've been giving us for the last couple of weeks. It seems like months. Which is to contact your lender.

WILLIS: Contact your lender. Call your lender if you're having problems. These lenders, you know, guess what, they don't want to own your house.

HARRIS: They don't want the house.

WILLIS: They want to work it out with you if they can. They're doing all kinds of workouts. In some cases they're reducing the interest rate. In some cases they're lengthening the loans so the payments fall. Help is out there.

HARRIS: Yes.

Gerri, great to see you.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Have a great day. And coming up, well, there we are, bottom of the hour. Welcome back. Good morning, everyone. You are in CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. We have been watching all morning long the hearing that has just gotten under way. We are talking about the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that is looking into the Pat Tillman death, trying to learn what the Defense Department knew and did not know about his death and the circumstances surrounding it, and the way, most importantly, that the family was notified regarding his death. I'm sure you remember. First it was said that he was killed in combat, and then later friendly fire.

We have already heard from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, at least his opening statement, where he said he was sure "the family felt great sorrow of their son's death, and the handling of the circumstances could only have added to the pain of losing a loved one. I offer my deep regrets." He will continue to take questions and we will monitor that for you and bring anything to you that seems interesting.

COLLINS: An ordinary suburban neighborhood shattered by a shocking crime. Police say it is a murder-suicide, and that mom pulled the trigger.

HARRIS: No power, no water, miserable conditions in Iraq's capital, and extreme summer heat making it much worse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The month of August off to a bloody start in Iraq. Attackers set off powerful bombs in Baghdad today, killing dozens of people. The deadliest blast from a fuel tanker rigged with explosives. It happened near a gas station in western Baghdad. The toll there, at least 50 people dead, and at least 60 other people wounded. In another attack, a suicide car bomb exploded in a busy square. More than a dozen people were killed. Dozens of others were wounded. Several other people were killed by separate car bombings in other areas in the Iraqi capital.

HARRIS: Iraq's troubled prime minister and his coalition government facing a serious new setback. The country's biggest Sunni political bloc pulling out of Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet. Six members submitting their resignations today. The prime minister is a Shiite. The Sunni group, the Iraqi Accord Front, say it is withdrawing because of the failure to meet their demands. It is also critical of legislative stalemates and the failure of national reconciliation efforts.

COLLINS: The long, hot summer in Baghdad -- sweltering heat making the city's water and power shortages almost unbearable.

Here now, CNN's Arwa Damon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The frenzy here is for something precious, but not your usual luxury -- it's for ice. Victorious, this disabled man emerges from the crowd with his prize. Fifty blocks like this one disappear in minutes, cut into pieces that sell for about $2, expensive in today's Iraq.

Securing what he can afford is Mohammed Abujason's (ph) first priority of the day. With temperatures soaring over 130, his family can't wait for him to get home. The fridge is not working. The freezer is not working. There's no power, Abujason says. The tap link to the city's water supply is dry. His daughter-in-law, Manad (ph), chops the ice into chunks. It's the family's drinking water. Her 5-year-old sneaks a piece when his mother isn't looking.

When the family is able to draw water it's stored here, or in a tank that is connected to this faucet. Dirty dishes pile up. Only the essentials are washed.

"My kids are developing a heat rash," Manad says. "Look at my daughter. I don't know what to do about it. I try to cool her down with water. But it's so scarce."

Entrepreneurial water truck drivers fill their tanks with any supply handy, selling it to a desperate public.

"People have to use it for washing, drinking, cleaning," this driver says. "There's no other option."

Government officials say the water shortage in the capital is largely linked to the power shortage, an endemic problem.

At Nahim's (ph) house, a small block of ice is stored as a top- shelf item.

"I work for Baghdad's Department of Water, and I know we have dirty water in the main pipes," Nahim says. "I know it's filled with dirt and germs."

Still his family stores it in countless bottles. Even though they know it will make the kids sick. It's the only way to survive.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: An upscale Texas neighborhood and a shocking crime. Police say a mom shot her family as they slept, then killed herself. Today investigators are analyzing a suicide note found at the home in suburban Dallas.

More now from Chris Hawes (ph) of our affiliate WFAA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a great person. She was easygoing, just a sweet personality.

CHRIS HAWES (ph), WFAA REPORTER (voice-over): A shy but protective big sister, 11-year-old Makala.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She just had a real innocence about her, very sweetheart.

HAWES: A 7-year-old boy, Dylan (ph), who wanted to be just like his dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'd sit out in the front yard and he'd hit golf balls, plastic golf balls, from his yard to my yard to his yard to my yard. He would do it for hours and hours and hours.

HAWES: And the father, Mike, who loved them all.

BRIAN ADAMS, NEIGHBOR: As a matter of fact, they'll be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary here, I think -- actually, last Wednesday.

HAWES: Mike's anniversary gift to his wife, this family friend tells us, was to delay a business trip to spend time at home with the family.

ADAMS: I really have no answers why something like this would happen, why Andrea would take her husband and her children. And it's devastated us all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Michael Roberts' mother, along with one of the family's neighbors, found the bodies. Police say each victim suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.

Atlanta falcons quarterback Michael Vick takes another hit in the wallet. Sporting goods company Rawlings is ending its relationship with Vick. The company used his image in promotional displays. Rawlings is the latest sponsor to drop Vick, because of the dog fighting charges against him. Nike has suspended his contract, and Reebok stopped selling Vick's number-seven jersey. Vick has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

HARRIS: Return to sender. An address mix-up leaving one community with nothing but empty mailboxes. More of a problem than you might think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: What did Pentagon leaders know about Pat Tillman's death and when? That's what a House committee hopes to find out today. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifying right now before a committee in a hearing happening in Washington. Tillman is the NFL star turned Army Ranger killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. His death was initially blamed on hostile fire. The Army's secretary denies there was a coverup. Yesterday he announced the censure of retired three-star General Philip Kensinger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER GEREN, ARMY SECY.: For casualty notification, safety investigation and administrative control of the second battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, General Kensinger was the captain of that ship, and his ship ran aground. It ran aground because he failed to do his duty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A review board will determine whether Kensinger should have his rank reduced.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: So lots of things in life are uncertain. But you always know where you live, right? Well, for some folks in southern California the answer is no. Here's the deal. Housing is exploding in the Moreno Valley. In fact, it is moving so fast that some city officials got a little confused. They assigned the wrong address numbers to 23 new homes. Folks living there not getting their mail. That includes bills with mounting late fees. The city says the numbers on the houses have been fixed, but homeowners say their deeds and other paperwork are still wrong.

COLLINS: Arming the Middle East. The U.S. offering some big deals. But are other countries destined to control the lucrative weapons market?

Move over, Captain Underpants -- some folks want politics to be the new page turner for kids. Bedtime stories with an agenda.

Stuck under two 10,000-pound steel beams. What happened to the man at the bottom of this collapsed highway bridge? You'll hear from him coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Political messages in unexpected places. Now aimed at young children.

CNN's Ted Rowlands takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help! Mom! there are Liberals under my bed!

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Believe it or not, that's the title of a children's book, one of several with a political message aimed at kids.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And with that the Liberals took over Tommy and Lou's stands.

ROWLANDS: The main characters, Tommy and Lou, lose their lemonade stand because of "Liberals" including a Ted Kennedy look- alike and a character named Congresswoman Clunkton, who resembles Hillary Clinton. In the story, Tommy and Lou are legislated out of business.

ERIC JACKSON, WORLD AHEAD PUBLISHING: It has some Liberals who coincidentally look like Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton that try to tax and regulate a lemonade stand.

ROWLANDS: Eric Jackson is the publisher of this book and two other Conservative children's books including "Hollywood's in My Hamper" and "The 9th Circuit Nabbed the Nativity." Jackson says he doesn't think elementary school aged kids are too young for partisan politics.

JACKSON: A lot of parents are looking for a book that represents their Conservative or traditional point of view.

ROWLANDS: It's not just conservatives. The other side is doing it too.

JEREMY ZILBER, AUTHOR: Democrats make sure everyone is treated fairly, just like mommy does.

ROWLANDS: Jeremy Zilber wrote, "Why Mommy is a Democrat," which he sells mainly over the Internet from his house in Madison, Wisconsin. His book tells children that Democrats are just like mommy, they are nice to everyone, they make sure sick people can see a doctor, and according to the book, they make sure we're always safe.

ZILBER: We teach them science, we teach them math, we teach them history, we teach them...

ROWLANDS (on camera): But, all that is factual, isn't it? I mean, this is not factual in that Democrats aren't all these great things.

ZILBER: Well, I think this is -- it's certainly based on fact. ROWLANDS (voice-over): The fact is both sides believe their political message is so important that it's worth delivering to children.

According to a children's book expert, at the University of Wisconsin, none of the books are very well written for young readers.

KATHLEEN HORNING, CHILDREN'S BOOKS CTR U OF WI: I can't really imagine a child wanting, "Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper," for example, read multiple times.

ROWLANDS (on camera): Political messages in children's books is nothing new. More than 20 years ago, Dr. Seuss did it in "The Butter Battle Book," the story of the Zooks (ph) and the Yooks (ph), neighbors that build up competing arsenals, mimicking a nuclear arms race.

(voice-over): While this wave of books takes partisanship to what some think is a disturbing level, those behind the books, from both the left and the right, disagree.

JACKSON: Our response to that is that this is for parents to decide.

ZILBER: No child is forced to read this book. We all agree that parents have the right to tell their children this is what I believe about the world.

ROWLANDS: Whether it's right or left.

Ted Rowland, CNN, Madison, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Awash in Arizona. Heavy storms brought almost an inch- and-a-half of rain to Tucson in just over an hour yesterday. Roads flooded. Several people had to be rescued from their cars. Authorities say a 60-year-old man died when his SUV became submerged in that downpour.

HARRIS: Vice President Cheney standing by President Bush's Iraq policies. We will hear what the president's right-hand man had to say to CNN's Larry King.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The weapons marketplace. The U.S. has long been the industry leader, but potentially dangerous competitors are now stepping up.

CNN's Phil Black with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In recent history arms trading in the Middle East has been dominated by Western countries. An exclusive party with Britain and France playing small parts and the united states being the dominant client, but things may be changing.

ANDREW BROOKES, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: It's the U.S.'s game to lose and the way it's going, it's going lose it.

BLACK: The International Institute of Strategic Studies predicts the new winner in the region will be Russia. It says Russian arms sales to the Middle East are booming because Washington refuses to trade with countries like Iran and Syria, a position that could prove counterproductive to Western foreign policy.

BROOKES: Once Iran gets the latest Russian technology and Russian assistance, it will be more powerful in the region, even a more of a threat to U.S. and Western interests.

BLACK: Andrew Brookes says there's another potential problem for the west caused by Russia's growing success in the arms business. The money Russia makes goes back into advancing its own military forces.

(on camera): But looking further ahead, the Institute of Strategic Studies says another world power looks set to eclipse all competitors in the arms market. It predicts that in around 20 years China will be selling the world's best fighter jets, missiles, even a space program and its preferred customers will be countries with rich oil reserves.

(voice-over): The fear is if China arms some Middle Eastern states it could block access to the region's oil wells.

BROOKES: It will be supplying all these people who have the oil and their supplies and the west will suddenly wake up and think what happened there? So we have to be very careful that in being slightly precious about who we sell arms to, we don't become so precious that actually all the guys with the oil have sold it to China because China has -- I can't overemphasize how good they're going to be.

BLACK: That analysis is long term, but it points to the possibility of a very different balance of power in an historically volatile region.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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