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Bush Urges Confirmation of Mukasey, Vows to Continue Fight Against Terror; Southern Governors Battle over Water Use

Aired November 01, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The captured terrorist has information about a plot against our homeland, we need to know what he knows. And so that's why I put into place, under the CIA, the program to question key terrorist operatives and its leaders.
Last year Congress passed a law that allows the CIA to continue this vital program. The procedures used in this program are safe, they are lawful, and they are necessary.

Senior leaders, in the House and the Senate, from both political parties, have been briefed on the details of this program. It's wrong for congressional leaders to make Judge Mukasey's confirmation dependent on his willingness to go on the record about details of a classified program he has not been briefed on.

If the Senate Judiciary Committee were to block Judge Mukasey on these grounds, they would set a new standard for confirmation that could not be met by any responsible nominee for attorney general. And that would guarantee that America would have no attorney general during this time of war.

By any measure, Judge Mukasey is eminently qualified to be the next attorney general. And now, after allowing his nomination to languish for 41 days, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote for next Tuesday. Senate leaders must move this nomination out of committee, bring it to the Senate floor, and confirm this good man.

Congress has also failed to act on intelligence legislation that is vital to protect the American people in this war on terror. Stopping new attacks on our country requires us to make sure we understand the intentions of the enemy. We've got to know what they're thinking, and what they're planning. And that means we've got to have effective measures to monitor their communications.

This summer, Congress passed the Protect America Act, which strengthened our ability to collect foreign intelligence on terrorists overseas, and this good law closed a dangerous gap in our intelligence. Unfortunately, they made this law effective for only six months.

The problem is that al Qaeda doesn't operate on a six-month time table. And if Congress doesn't act soon, the law will expire, and the gap in our intelligence will re-open, and the United States of America will be at risk. We must keep the intelligence gap firmly closed.

The terrorists are communicating with each other and are plotting new attacks. We need know what they're planning.

We must ensure that the protections intended for the American people are not extended to terrorists overseas who are plotting to harm us. And we must grant liability protection to companies who are facing multi-billion-dollar lawsuits, only because they are believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend our nation following the 9/11 attacks.

Senate intel committee approved a bipartisan bill that contains provisions to preserve our ability to collect intelligence on terrorists overseas, while protecting the civil liberties of Americans here at home. The bill still needs some improvement, but it's an important step in the right direction.

Time is of the essence, and the full Senate and the House of Representatives need to get -- get passed a good bill and get it to my desk promptly so our intelligence professionals can continue to use the vital tools of the Protect America Act to keep us safe.

Congress is also stalling on the emergency war supplemental to fund our troops on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq. This crucial bill includes funds for bullets and body armor, protection against IED's and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.

Congress should be able to move the supplemental quickly. There's no reason why they're not moving the supplemental. After all, it had more than eight months to study most of its provisions. In fact, nearly 75 percent of the funding requests in the supplemental was submitted, along with my annual budget, in February of this year.

The supplemental is critical for our troops, and Congress should not go home for the holidays while our men and women in uniform are waiting for the funds they need.

Congress also needs to pass the Department of Defense spending bill, as well as the funding bill for our nation's veterans. There are reports that congressional leaders may be considering combining the funding bills for our military, and our veterans, together with a bloated labor, health and education spending bill.

It's hard to imagine a more cynical ploy than holding funding for our troops and our wounded warriors hostage in order to extract $11 billion in wasteful Washington spending. If the reports of this strategy are true, I will veto such a three-bill pile-up.

I ask Congress to send me a clean veterans funding bill by Veterans Day and to pass a clean defense spending bill. Congress needs to put the needs of those who put on the uniform ahead of the -- their desire to spend more money.

When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters.

Here's the bottom line. This is no time for Congress to weaken the Department of Justice by denying it a strong and effective leader.

It's no time for Congress to weaken our ability to gather vital intelligence from captured terrorists.

It's no time for Congress to weaken our ability to intercept information from terrorists about potential attacks on the United States of America.

And this is no time for Congress to hold back vital funding for our troops as they fight al Qaeda terrorists and radicals in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the struggle against the terrorists and the extremists, I hope I made my strategy clear today, that we will keep constant pressure on the enemy in order to defend the American people. We will fight them overseas so we do not have to fight them here at home.

At the same time, we'll use every available tool of law and intelligence to protect the people here. That's our most solemn duty. It's a duty I think about every day.

In the long run, the only way to defeat terrorists is to advance freedom as the great alternative to radicalism and repression. We can have confidence in this cause, because we have seen the power of liberty to transform nations and secure peace before.

Here at the Heritage Foundation, you understand this better than most.

During the Cold War, there were loud voices in Washington who argued for accommodation for the Soviet Union, because they believed the watch-word of our policy should be "stability". Heritage, you knew that when it came to the Soviet Union, the watch-word of our policy should be "freedom".

Together with the great president named Ronald Reagan, you championed a policy of rolling back communism oppression, and bringing freedom to nations enslaved by communist tyranny. And by taking the side of dissidents who helped millions across the world throw off the shackles of communism, you helped build the free and peaceful societies that are the true sources of stability and peace in the world.

And now we're at the start of a new century, and the same debate is once again unfolding, this time regarding my policy in the Middle East. Once again, voices in Washington are arguing that the watch- word of the policy should be "stability". And once again they're wrong.

In Kabul, in Baghdad and Beirut, and other cities across the broader Middle East, brave men and women are risking their lives every day for the same freedoms we enjoy. And, like the citizens of Prague and Warsaw and Budapest in the century gone by, they are looking to the United States to stand up for them, speak out for them and champion their cause. And we are doing just that. We are standing with those who yearn for the liberty -- who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we understand that the desire for freedom is universal, written by the Almighty, into the hearts of every man, woman and child on this earth.

We are standing with those who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we know that the terrorists fear freedom even more than their fear our firepower. They know that, given a choice, no one will choose to live under their dark ideology of violence and death.

We're standing with those who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we know that, when free societies take root in that part of the world, they will yield the peace we all desire.

The only way the terrorists can recruit operatives and suicide bombers is by feeding on the hopelessness of societies mired in despair. And by bringing freedom to these societies, we replace hatred with hope. And this will help us to marginalize the extremists, and eliminate the conditions that feed radicalism, and make the American people more secure.

The lessons of the past have taught us that liberty is transformative. And I believe 50 years from now, an American president will be speaking to Heritage and say, "Thank God that generation that wrote the first chapter in the 21st century understood the power of freedom to bring the peace we want."

Thank you for coming. God bless.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The president of the United States speaking at the Heritage Foundation there in Washington, D.C., talking about funding for troops, war on terror, a new attorney general, criticizing Congress along the entire speech.

We are waiting for the Democratic response. We'll bring that to you as soon as it happens.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, we're keeping track of a lot of news right here in the NEWSROOM this hour.

An immigration rally is revving up in Oklahoma, where a controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants takes effect today.

In Washington, southern governors are behind closed doors, duking it out over water woes and also the drought.

PHILLIPS: And all eyes are on the stock market. Will your money take a hit, with oil creeping towards $100 a barrel? If that happens, we'll have breaking news coverage right here in the NEWSROOM.

And then there's this. Dog the Bounty Hunter in trouble for using the "N" word. We're going to have all these stories in a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're keeping track of a lot here in the NEWSROOM this hour.

An immigration rally is revving up in Oklahoma, where a controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants takes effect today.

In Washington, Southern governors are behind closed doors, duking it out over water woes and the drought.

PHILLIPS: And all eyes on the stock market. Will your money take a hit with oil creeping towards $100 a barrel? If that happens, we're going to have breaking news coverage right here in the NEWSROOM.

And then there's this. Dog the Bounty Hunter in trouble for using the "N" word.

Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman is apologizing for repeatedly using the "N" word during a phone conversation with his son. The "National Enquirer" posted a clip of the call online. It's unclear who recorded the call or how the tabloid obtained it.

Chapman is star of A&E's reality show "Dog the Bounty Hunter". And in the call, he urges his son to break up with his girlfriend, who's black.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER: It's not because she's black. It's because we could use the word (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sometimes here. I'm not going to take a chance ever in life of losing everything I've worked for for 30 years because some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) (EXPLETIVE DELETED) heard us say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and turned us in to the "Enquirer" magazine. Our career is over. I'm not taking that chance at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: In a statement Chapman says the clip was taken out of context. He says he has, and we quote, "the utmost respect for black people, who have suffered so much from racial discrimination and acts of hatred."

We're going to speak to Chapman's pastor in the 3 p.m. Eastern hour of the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Well, call it a modern-day war between the states. The governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama are meeting with the interior secretary in Washington. They're doing that as we speak. And they're trying to decide how to share water in the worst drought on record.

Back in Georgia, there's no rain in sight, and our Rusty Dornin is at Lake Lanier. It looks like it was Lake Lanier outside of Atlanta, Rusty.

Should there be water where you are now?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There should be water. In fact, Don, there should be water about ten feet above me that would be to the bottom of a boat. You can see the buoy that once marked where the boats should be careful. That buoy, of course, used to be in the water.

Now we'll take you down and show you the waterfront, show you there's still another 30 feet or so to the water.

It's all about the water here in Lake Lanier. It's really the only major source of water for Atlanta. You can see the dam right over there. That's where the water is let out for the Chattahoochee River. That's what they're arguing about.

The state of Georgia wants to see the Army Corps of Engineers restrict that water even more so that we'll have more of a supply whereas the states of Alabama and Florida are saying, "Wait a minute. We have a lot of people whose livelihoods depend on this water."

I spoke to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week. And he talked about some of those other interests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. BENJAMIN BUTLER, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: We are studying that to determine what -- what industries, what municipalities may suffer if we come down off the Endangered Species Act. What is the next critical need? Is it the nuclear plant? It is the coal fire plant? Is it Columbus? Is it La Grange? Is it West Point? Is it other things that are downstream? What is the next one that's going to say, "Hey, now you're killing me"?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: And a lot of people are saying that: "You're killing me now." And of course, the governors are in Washington. I think there were some photo ops before they went into their closed door meeting. And they were laughing and speaking very jovially. I sort of doubt whether that's happening behind the closed doors, but you never know.

But they've got to figure out some kind of compromise. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is saying there's nine months of water. Worst case scenario, nine months of water. That's if there's no rain and no conservation.

Of course, they are putting some strict conservation measures into effect. Everybody is supposed to cut back at least 10 percent. But really, there's no other water restrictions yet. And no businesses, other than landscapers, have really been affected locally by this drought yet -- Don.

LEMON: Rusty Dornin, it's just -- I mean it brings it home, you standing there where ten feet above you, you say the water is supposed to be. All right. Rusty Dornin, thank you very much for that story.

Also today here in the NEWSROOM, we're examining race. Kyra will preview her special investigation, "The Noose: An American Nightmare". We'll have a college roundtable. You don't want to miss that. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Just a few minutes ago, we heard from the president of the United States, speaking to the Heritage Foundation about his nomination for attorney general. We're talking about retired federal judge Michael Mukasey.

Now we're just now hearing from Democrats responding. Senator Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor, giving his opinion about the nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Judge Mukasey's equivocations and evasions on the critical issues give me no confidence that he'll fulfill this vital role.

After six long years of reckless disregard for the rule of law by this administration, we cannot afford to take our chances on the judgment of someone who either does not know torture when he sees it or is willing to pretend so to suit the president, and I, as I stated earlier, intend to oppose this nomination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We're now following what the Senate Judiciary Committee will do. The president is urging it to move quickly with regard to approving his nomination.

LEMON: Let's head straight to the NEWSROOM now; Fredricka Whitfield working on the details of a developing story.

And Fred, it's a sad one.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is. Just remember, a few days ago, in fact on Sunday, when that horrible fire at Ocean Isle, North Carolina, claimed the lives of seven students of the University of South Carolina and Clemson.

Well, now official word coming from the coroner's office there, in Ocean Isle, North Carolina, that the exact cause of death was smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning for those seven students. They had to identify the bodies through dental records. Horrifying details that the family members of these seven had to learn.

This fire got a lot of attention from the folks in the locality, because it was kind of off-peak season when these kids decide to spend a weekend away from college campus, enjoying some time at the beach, and then this horrible tragedy were to take place last Sunday.

So again, the dental records is what's helped the officials there identify the bodies. And official cause of death, as I mentioned, the carbon monoxide poisoning and the smoke inhalation, Don.

LEMON: I just can't imagine. Those poor families.

And you know, this story sort of resonates with a lot of people because...

WHITFIELD: Sure.

LEMON: ... college, you know, and we all hung out and did the same sorts of things. It's just really a sad story.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed.

LEMON: All right, Fred. Thank you for that.

PHILLIPS: Troubling times across America. Over the last few months, nooses have been found across the country, even at a police station. We're going to take a closer look at this issue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Checking the big board now. Look at that, the Dow down 200 -- 209 points. That is kind of amazing, considering it's early on in the trading day there. We're going to check in with our Susan Lisovicz in just a little bit.

Also, oil prices creeping up to almost $100 a barrel. So it's edging up. We're going to check on that.

Susan Lisovicz joins us from the New York Stock Exchange.

Talk about the nation's mortgage crisis. Much of the blame is being placed on the lenders, Susan Lisovicz. What's going on?

And what's going on? Why is the Dow down so much, so early?

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

PHILLIPS: Powerful symbols of racial hatred are cropping up across America. A noose was recently found in a locker room at a police station in New York State.

CNN's special investigations unit has looked at it. We want to take a look at now at just one part of my report that airs tonight, "THE NOOSE: AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE." And a bit of a warning to you. You're going to some see pretty disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a noose found in the men's locker room of the Hempstead Police Department.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): On September 28th, Corey Pegues, the president of a black law enforcement group, became enraged after learning about a noose hanging in this small Hempstead, New York police station. He immediately let the local press know.

COREY PEGUES, PRESIDENT, NOBLE: Just look at this and what this represents. When I hold this up, I see this I think of my ancestors hanging off trees. We're appalled that in 2007 someone has the audacity to put a noose in a police department, where people are sworn to protect and serve.

PHILLIPS: Hempstead Deputy Police Chief Willie Dixon believes he was the target of someone's hate and ignorance.

DEP. CHIEF WILLIE DIXON, HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. POLICE: A noose in my mind represents the darkest periods in this country's history. And it wasn't enough to lynch an African-American, you would castrate him to add insult to injury, and after their lifeless body was hanging from a tree, you would then set that individual on fire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: CNN's special investigation you won't want to miss, "THE NOOSE: AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE," coming up tonight, 8:00 Eastern. You'll find it only on CNN.

LEMON: Both you and I have seen that a number of times. Every time it just makes me sick to my stomach.

PHILLIPS: People that are -- these individuals, I like to say the idiots of America, that are going around hanging these nooses as a way to send a message of intimidation, they need to know what they are doing. They need to know the history behind the noose and that it's part of our history. We can't forget, we need to confront and understand what it means. I don't think they understand.

LEMON: No, they don't. And a lot of people don't. Even African-Americans really, there are some, because I had the opportunity to talk to a group of high school students, a group of students at Morehouse University about that. I showed them your piece on the noose and they were shocked. One kid didn't even know lynching.

PHILLIPS: Didn't know what lynching was?

LEMON: Didn't know what lynching was. He didn't know what the term meant.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Wow.

LEMON: They are say they not taught more about in school. They are taught more about the Holocaust in school, which they all sympathize with, understand the importance. But they didn't really know that much about lynchings, but those images really affected them. We're going to talk about that, have that conversation, a full conversation, tomorrow.

But you know what, the one surprising thing, the most poignant moment came when I asked who their role models in the black community, living role models, modern day role models are. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAAJ RIDLEY, STUDENT: Like if I was to look up to somebody, like, I'd probably look up to a powerful African-American, such as Martin Luther King, somebody who achieved something.

LEMON: OK. So you say you would look up to Martin Luther King, right, who is dead, and has been dead since the '60s. What about now?

RIDLEY: Dwight Howard.

LEMON: Who's an athlete.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say Tyler Perry.

LEMON: Anybody else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There aren't many today. There aren't many positive black males that are out there in the media every day just as much as these rappers or athletes.

TYLER MCDANIELS, STUDENT: I'd probably aspire to be like Barack Obama. Probably the only one. That'd probably be the only one that's not an athlete or an entertainer, that I would probably say I'd look up to.

AVIN MCNAIR, STUDENT: You can't find that many African-Americans who are really successful in business outside of entertainment. You really can't. It's difficult to name them.

LEE MAY, MENTOR: I was depressed And the reason why I was depressed is that you know, it's like all this music in the air, like all of this sound in the air, and what are you hearing the loudest? You're hearing the soldier boy the loudest. You're hearing, you know, the NBA the loudest. You're hearing hip-hop artists and R&B entertainers and everything the loudest. But you're not hearing intellectual capacity the loudest. You're not hearing business ownership. You're not hearing these professionals in the medical field that are doing great, great things.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We as parents, women, the role model, we assume that we're being role models, that you assume when they sit here and you ask them the question who they aspire to be, you would hope they say you, right, first, before they say anybody that they see in the media. That probably hurt me worse than anything. I want you to be like me, or at least say you want to be better.

LEMON: So what does that say, that you can't really -- I mean, you guys were like, who would I think of? What does that say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's terrible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Wow.

Interesting what the one student said about you can't find successful...

LEMON: That you know about.

And you look at today, "New York Times," whether it's controversial or not, at least African-Americans are in the position, you look at the business page, and it's all African-Americans men and women who are head of fortune 500 companies, that they don't know. I said, what about Dick Parsons, what about, you know, all these people, the head of Aetna.

PHILLIPS: Right, the head of our company.

They had no idea who these people are. And while I was listing to that I was going on online. I wanted to try and bring up "Forbes" magazine, because I remember they profiled, I want to say it was the top black business leaders in America. But look at that, I can't even remember when the issue was.

LEMON: Well, part of it, they said it was, you know us, and the media is always, you know, the easy target. But they said it's us, because it's the images they see. They see rappers, they see African- Americans, especially males, doing bad.

PHILLIPS: Athletes.

LEMON: And athletes. But they don't see people profiled, like Dick Parsons or like other people who are in different positions besides entertainment, who are doing well in the black community. But I wanted to -- we're going to continue this, because, you know, you and I talk about this personally.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do.

LEMON: We're going to talk about it today in the NEWSROOM as we take a closer look at race in America in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be checking in with three people who have a lot to say on the issue, Atlanta radio host Martha Zoller and Frank Ski, and Morehouse college student Reginald Mckinley (ph).

PHILLIPS: All right, let's get to the NEWSROOM. Fredricka Whitfield working details on a developing story for us. What do you have, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this one involving a bit of tennis. Martina Hingis, everyone seems to know her name and have know here game. She was a top-ranking player for a long time. Retired in 2003 only to return to the game in 2005. And now apparently she is retiring for the second time. This announcement being made in Switzerland in her home country. She made the announcement. And it also comes on the heels of now an investigation for her testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Quite the surprise that she would be stepping down right now given that in the last year and a half she's made quite the comeback, becoming seven in the world last year, and then being rated 19 in the world this year after her ankle injury which caused her to retire in 2003.

Well, apparently now no official reason has been given, or at least has been publicized as of yet, about why she's retiring this time, but there's some speculation that it may have something to do with the testing positive of cocaine when she was playing earlier this year at Wimbledon. Martina Hingis stepping down for the second time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, thanks. Kiddie cold medicines are a no-no. So what do you do when your little one is sick? Some alternatives to tell you about, right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's that time of year again. Your child comes home sniffling, sneezing, but cough syrup's off limits. So what now? Here are some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Cold season is upon us, but this year, cold season is going to be a little bit different if you've got a child under the age of six. The reason for that is last month, an FDA panel advised not using over-the-counter cold medications for children under the age of six. They say that they haven't been proven to work, and there are concerns that they might not be safe.

So, what is a parent to do when they're up in the middle of the night with a screaming, miserable child who has a cough or a cold? Well, I put that question to several medical doctors, M.D.s, who believe in alternative medicine. I said, what else can parents do? And here are a couple of ideas they had.

They said give your child a massage with lavender oil. It'll calm them down and certainly, less stress will help them recover from their cold and that lavender will work as aromatherapy to hopefully help them get better. Also, a bath with some menthol drops or eucalyptus drops in the bath. That can also be helpful. Another thought: ginger tea, and ginger tea with honey if your child is over the age of one. And also, Vitamin C and vapor rubs, the kind that you rub on their chest or on their clothing, they say is also a good idea. But they say don't use vapor rub if your child is under one month old.

Now, all of these are in addition to the standard advice that any pediatrician would give. And that is saline drops in the nose to moisten everything up, and if your child is too young to be able to blow his nose by himself, also use one of those bulbs that sucks out all that stuff that's stuffing them up.

So, that's some advice from the Empowered Patient column about what to do if your child has a cough or a cold. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And for more on what you can do when your child has a cold, check out Elizabeth Cohen's Empowered Patient feature, CNN.com/health.

LEMON: Senator Dick Durbin calls for federal legislation to fight the so-called "superbug." The Illinois Democrat is introducing a bill he says will better detect, prevent and treat drug-resistant staph, known as MRSA. The bill would require hospitals to report infection rates, and give grants to states that mount public awareness campaigns about the bug. Durbin's move follows a rash of recent reports of deadly staph infections.

PHILLIPS: Daily life in the war zone. Is there such a thing as a safe place in Baghdad? I'll revisit a neighborhood where security seems to be sticking.

LEMON: A small church is slapped with a big judgment for protesting at the funeral of a fallen marine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, these are scenes that we love to see. Ecstatic families and troops safely home from war. A rousing 82nd Airborne welcome to about 200 members at Fort Bragg's third brigade combat team. They've been in Iraq this time for 15 months. The homecoming is not a complete celebration, though. Forty-eight Third Brigade paratroopers have been killed in Iraq since August of 2006.

Exactly seven months ago, that was me walking through the Doura market, a former insurgent stronghold right there in the heart of Baghdad. I was with General David Petraeus there in this neighborhood that U.S. troops and their Iraqi partners focused on turning around. It's a place for business, for families, for normal life in Iraq.

It's not there yet, but today, I spoke to an army commander who says just keep watching.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. RICKY GIBBS, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION: When you were here last time, we couldn't take you into some of the neighborhoods, actually, most of the neighborhoods in Doura. And now, we can walk through to those neighborhoods and see families on the street, markets open on the street, schools active. It's really prospering right now.

PHILLIPS: And what do you think the key was? I know General Petraeus and you and other leaders there, even heads of the Iraqi army said to me, well, it's because Iraqis and U.S. soldiers are working together, we're sending out a message and we're taking down al Qaeda. We figured it out in this area.

GIBBS: Yes, but I think the key has been living in the neighborhoods with the citizens. And so, that -- as time went on and they developed the confidence with the American soldier and saw that we were going to stay there, we weren't going to leave, they came out of the woodwork and began to tell us where the caches were, where the IEDs were and where the enemy was hiding.

PHILLIPS: And when you talk about taking out top al Qaeda leaders, because that's what you've been telling me that has happened recently, do you have a list that you work off of? I mean, how do you know that they're top al Qaeda leaders?

GIBBS: Well, a lot of it you develop from the intelligence you gain by being in the area of operations, living in the area of operations. The people who live in the neighborhoods know who these people are, and they tell us.

PHILLIPS: Seven months ago, you were really getting deep into that al Qaeda cell, and you hadn't quite been able to get into the health clinics and get those operating yet or the farm areas where the animals are. Let's start with the health clinic. That's up and running now, right? Tell me about that.

GIBBS: Yes, probably the biggest health clinic we started was in Mahala 820 (ph). And it was really the brainchild of one doctor, Hussein (ph), who lives in that mahala, and he had been doing services out of his house, but he came to us and said he had a bigger plan to take care of the people.

So, he went out and purchased this house in the same mahala, just down the street from his house, and we provided him resources in dollars and equipment to stand it up and make it bigger.

PHILLIPS: The animal vaccinations, the farms, they're up and running now. This was basically a battleground for members of al Qaeda. How were you able to save the animals and how are the farms now?

GIBBS: Well, the farms are starting to come back slowly. Now that we've cleared out the al Qaeda in that area, the people are starting to come out and they're starting to bring in more animals. What that caused us to have to do is go find the veterinarian clinics that were in the surrounding area to vaccinate the animals. And we have one that we have in the area of five farms area, as we say in English, (SPEAKING IN ARABIC), which is where the farming community is, and it was the al Qaeda support zone that was feeding the leaders and the supplies into the Doura area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Colonel Ricky Gibbs is commander of the Fourth Infantry Brigade combat team in Baghdad.

LEMON: A tiny anti-gay church says it won't be deterred from picketing military funerals by a multi-million-dollar damage award. This is the type of production the church often stages when fallen troops are buried. The actual scene is Federal Court in Baltimore where a jury awarded almost $11 million yesterday to the father of fallen marine Matthew Snyder.

Corporal Snyder was killed in Iraq last year. His father filed suit against Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, after Reverend Fred Phelps and his followers descended on the funeral. Mr. Snyder won a verdict for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress. He says he hopes the award will put an end to this stuff. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT SNYDER, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I was very happy. I think the first thing I thought about was my son Matt, and I said I don't think the dollar amount has really even sunk in on me yet. I think about all the -- Matt's friends that are marines, and I think about the other parents that have had to go through this, and I think about anybody that has had to go through this, you know. I don't think there's anything more private than a funeral. And you know, frankly, I don't care where these people protest to be honest with you, but not at a funeral.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the church based its defense around the right to free speech. Reverend Phelps spoke yesterday by telephone.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

VOICE OF REV. FRED PHELPS, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: They don't want me preaching that God is punishing America by killing those service men. And if that's why he's doing it and sending them home in body bags, then the appropriate forum of choice would be their funerals and there's nothing wrong with preaching respectfully at a great distance from the funeral when it's going on.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: We want to tell you more about the Westboro Baptist Church. It was established in Topeka, Kansas in 1955 by Fred Phelps who's still the pastor. The church is not affiliated with any mainstream Baptist organization. It has about 75 members. The church claims to adhere to the teachings of the Bible, preaching against what it views as all forms of sin. Followers began demonstrating against homosexuality about 15 years ago.

PHILLIPS: I'd love to know where he went to theology school.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Well, during the height of the Southern California wildfires, a beloved family pet goes missing. We're going to tell you the rest of the story, pretty heartwarming.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A family that lost almost everything in the Southern California wildfires has one thing to be thankful for, their dog. Joe Little of affiliate KTTV has a story of how Brownie was returned to his family, hurt but alive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know where he likes to be tickled.

JOE LITTLE, KTTV REPORTER: Where does he like to be tickled? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On his tummy.

LITTLE (voice-over): Brownie could use some tickles right now from Crystal and Kimmy, the three-year-old mix has some tough days ahead.

KERRI MCMAHON, CUYAMACA ANIMAL HOSPITAL: When he came in, he was a little bit shocky, he had some burns on the bottom of his legs and then both his front legs were broken.

LITTLE (on camera): This is where Crystal and Kimmy found Brownie, legs swollen, obviously in pain, the dog sometimes mistaken for a deer because he's bouncing around so much, wouldn't get up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If this dog doesn't move, there's definitely something wrong.

LITTLE (voice-over): There was something wrong. It started when Crystal and Kimmy's family was evacuated as the Harris fire approached their Deerhorn Valley home. When they were evacuated again from the Jamul home they were staying at, Brownie got spooked.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think he was just in a state of turmoil.

LITTLE: Brownie broke both his legs, and dislocated several bones.

MCMAHON: Even with surgery, it -- it may be a difficult time for healing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Such a good boy!

LITTLE: But Brownie's spirits haven't been broken.

(LAUGHTER)

LITTLE: As for Crystal and Kimmy, they have no toys, no clothes, no home, yet these girls find happiness knowing their family is together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's something else, he's more, you know, part of the family than an animal.

LITTLE: Joe Little, 10 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

PHILLIPS: It's a three-way tug-of-war over water. Georgia, Florida and Alabama fighting over the most precious resource in an historic drought. Today, they're taking that fight to Washington.

LEMON: Well, nobody likes a good fight like Dog the bounty hunter, but today, he's apologizing for shooting off his mouth about his son's black girlfriend. We won't play the worst of it, but Al Sharpton calls it grotesque.

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