Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Bush Rolls out Red Carpet for Pope Benedict XVI; Virginia Tech Victims Remembered

Aired April 16, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Barrelling higher -- another day, another record. Oil prices are surging yet again.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, relieved investors pushing stocks higher. We're live on Wall Street.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips reporting live from Washington, D.C.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta, our usual post. We will see Kyra along the way talking about the pope.

You're here live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Over the decades, 11 U.S. presidents have met face to face with five popes. It's happened only twice at the White House, most recently today. Almost 29 years after Jimmy Carter welcomed Pope John Paul II, President Bush rolled out the red carpet and then some for Benedict XVI. Did I mention it's also the pope's birthday?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN BATTLE, SINGER (singing): Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the soprano is Kathleen Battle, who also sang "The Lord's Prayer."

And before inviting the pontiff inside for cake and a private chat, the president saluted his message centered on justice and truth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed...

(APPLAUSE)

... each of us is loved.

(APPLAUSE)

And your message that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We expect to see the pope again in a couple of hours when he makes his way to the largest Catholic Church in North America, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He's holding a prayer service with U.S. bishops, which means he will be a no-show at a White House dinner in his honor.

LEMON: Under arrest and headed to court, Roger Bergendorff was picked up by the FBI in Las Vegas. It happened this morning. He is the man who became critically in mid-February from exposure to ricin. Traces of that deadly toxin were discovered in his motel room. And Bergendorff is charged with possession of a biological toxin and two counts of illegal firearms possession. He is scheduled to appear in federal court later today.

PHILLIPS: The 400-plus children seized in that raid on a polygamist ranch in Texas, where should they go and who should have custody of them? A marathon court hearing starts tomorrow to determine their fate. Most of the kids are being held in the San Angelo Coliseum right now. And state law mandates that they all get legal representation.

LEMON: The Supreme Court heard an hour of intense arguments today on whether child rapists should face the death penalty. One lawyer told the court child rape an unspeakable crime that deserves capital punishment, regardless of whether the child is killed. That's what he said. Now, critics say, if child rape becomes a capital crime, rapists will have nothing to lose by killing their victims.

It's been 44 years since America has executed anyone for any crime except murder. But five states list child rape as a capital crime. And Louisiana has two convicted child rapists on death row. The court is expected to rule by late June. We will have an update from Avery Friedman, a legal expert, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A federal judge in Miami has declared a second mistrial for six men accused of plotting terrorist attacks with al Qaeda, among the possible targets, Chicago's Sears Tower. Jurors said that they were deadlocked after nearly two weeks of deliberations.

The first trial for the so-called Liberty City Seven ended the same way. A seventh defendant was acquitted. No word on whether the government will pursue a third trial.

LEMON: Well, across the Commonwealth of Virginia today, flags fly at half-staff and the campus of Virginia Tech is awash in orange and maroon, even more so than usual. It's in solemn support for the school, one year, one year since the darkest day in its history.

And CNN's Cal Perry is in Blacksburg, Virginia. He joins us now with the very latest.

I spoke with a student, the editor of the student newspaper, just a short time ago. And she said many people, some people were looking forward to this, so that they could use it as another way to try to move forward, Cal.

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Don, it's really interesting. Since I have been down here, you have heard from really both sides of this, some people saying they want to remember -- of course, everybody wants to remember the 32 who lost their lives.

Some people are more willing to talk about it. It's cathartic for them to discuss it and grieve over it. Other people are ready to move on and they want to get past this. I spoke to one student who said, I don't want my alma mater to be remembered for this tragedy.

Now, throughout the day, we have seen a variety of ceremonies ranging from formal ceremonies to even a softball game here that's going to be played later today to remember those who lost their lives. But one of the most formal ceremonies happened at about 10:30 a.m. this morning, and it's the one that all the parents and families went to.

You can hear what the president of the university had to say during that ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An entire year has passed since the heartrending events that we mark today. And while the passage of time has helped us in many ways, we remain deeply and profoundly saddened by the events of that tragic day.

Neither the heat of summer, nor the winds of winter has relieved our pain. So, just as we have turned to either other for comfort so many times over the past months, it is fitting that we gather today to support one another yet again, as we remember those whose lives were lost and those whose lives were forever changed on April 16.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: And you could hear there, there really is this sort of conundrum, where people want to move forward and at the same time, they don't want to let go of the family and friends who lost their lives -- Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much for that, Cal Perry, on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. We appreciate that reporting.

PHILLIPS: The price of oil has toppled $115 in midday trading, hitting yet another record. Crude started the year at just under $96 a barrel, meaning prices have soared nearly 20 percent just this year.

Gas prices are also at a new high, nearly $3.40 a gallon, according to AAA. And prices are up nearly 19 percent from a year ago.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: A couple of important issues at the Supreme Court today, both involving -- both involving the death penalty. And there are some other ones as well.

The justices upheld the use of lethal injections. And they heard arguments on whether child rapists can be executed.

Joining us now from Washington to discuss these cases, law professor and civil rights attorney and frequent contributor here to the CNN NEWSROOM Avery Friedman.

Avery, thank you very much.

Let's talk about the lethal injections. There's a moratorium now, so what does this mean?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, Don, there is no more moratorium.

LEMON: Right.

FRIEDMAN: What's going to happen as a result of the decision today is that states -- and this includes about 36 states -- are now free to proceed with considering execution.

So, today's decision is really a death knell for many of the death penalty abolitionists. And it's a significant decision, because it's seven-to-two, although there were some odd conferring and separate opinions that create a curious result.

The majority, Don, said that this protocol is not inhumane.

LEMON: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: Many of the advocates thought that the case would be sent back to get the science of whether or not that would happen. The majority said...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Hey, Avery, I have got to interrupt you, real quickly, because your mike is fall falling off.

While I ask this question, can you pull it out of your jacket, please? And then what I want to ask you, it was seven-to-two, so which means at least there were two dissenting voices here. It's not a complete consensus. Could this mean that the debate is entirely a done deal?

FRIEDMAN: The dissent with Justice Ginsburg and Justice Souter were important moral statements about the lack of science, but, frankly, Don, a seven-to-two decision tells America that the three- drug protocol will be not inhumane and it will be utilized by 36 states moving forward now.

LEMON: OK. So, yes, this now puts an end to the nationwide hold on executions?

FRIEDMAN: Right. Exactly right. LEMON: Just want to make that clear. OK. Great.

Let's move on now. I want to talk about -- there are a couple things I want to talk about now, rape of a child, and it's punishable now by death. Should it be? People are asking, should it be punishable by death? Because, if you then do that, there are critics who say that then you have an incentive to kill the victim if you're going to die.

FRIEDMAN: That is exactly the argument, Don.

There are five states that permit death penalty for the rape of a child, the most heinous of crimes. So one would understand why a state legislature would want to have that kind of law. However, the solid argument opposed to it is that if someone is engaged in that criminal behavior, you might as well kill the child.

So, this is a very, very difficult and complicated case. A lot of court watchers thought today, Don, that this decision on the protocol in death penalty cases might be a tease. But my belief is that the nine justices are going to look at the case of capital punishment for child rape in a very different way.

I don't think it's going to be upheld. I think there's going to be a serious challenge to it because of the very point that you mentioned.

LEMON: OK, real quickly, and really real quickly, because we had the president here. And so we have got tons of news. I want to talk to you about the Liberty City Seven, the guys that...

FRIEDMAN: Right.

LEMON: A second mistrial, what does this mean for a possible third? Is that a possibility? What happens from here?

FRIEDMAN: We will know a week from today. Bottom line is, these were Jamaican Keystone Kops, with a lot of rats involved in the case, that is, turncoats who testified for the government. Let's wait and see.

I think they are going to give it a third shot.

LEMON: Avery Friedman, thanks, as always.

FRIEDMAN: Nice to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Well, six days left for Pennsylvania Democrats to decide. Tonight, they get to see candidates Clinton and Obama up close. We are going to preview tonight's debate -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: Over the past seven years, my administration has taken a rational, balanced approach to these serious challenges. We believe we need to protect our environment. We believe we need to strengthen our energy security. We believe we need to grow our economy. And we believe the only way to achieve these goals is through continued advances in technology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, that was just about 10 minutes ago. We heard President Bush offer his preferred strategy -- that's what he calls -- for battling climate change.

Let's bring in our environment correspondent, Miles O'Brien.

Miles, you wear so many hats, sometimes, I don't know what to call you, technology, environment, space. He joins us now from New York.

And, Miles, the question is, did we hear anything new? But I have to say, this is what I found picked out in there. He said, we're doing a lot to protect this environment. We're really doing a lot. Is that true?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what you could say safely in this case is that this is pretty much the same old story from the Bush administration.

What has changed over the past seven years, Don, is you no longer hear that outright skepticism that global climate change, global warming is happening, that it is not whether there's some link to human beings.

The Bush administration, the president has moved beyond that point. And at least we're at the stage where there's recognition that there's a problem and there's a human link.

As for the gravity of the problem, just by virtue of the fact of what the president is proposing and more importantly what he's not proposing, which is to say mandatory caps on carbon emissions, on greenhouse gases, indicates that the president doesn't see it as an extremely urgent problem.

LEMON: OK. All right.

So, the president has resisted mandatory regulations. So, he's resisted that. So, is that what businesses really want?

O'BRIEN: Well, that's the interesting thing. What businesses really want, Don, is they want certainty and they want a level playing field. And what we have seen in recent years is industry leaders, including some huge carbon emitters, Duke Power being one of them, leading the way, saying, hey, regulate us, please, regulate us. Come up with a cap and trade system that we can all work with, and this will generate ways to reduce those greenhouse gas emissions and generate ways and spur that technology that the president put so much faith in. So, the funny thing is that business is sort of out ahead of the Bush administration on this.

LEMON: OK. So, he's resisting it, but they're saying, regulate us. All right. So, we will see what happens there.

What about China? I heard him mention -- he mentioned China and he mentioned India. Where are they in this debate?

O'BRIEN: Well, the sad fact is, no matter what the U.S. does and all the other greenhouse gas emitters do, if China continues on its course, India continues on its course of tremendous growth -- in China, they turn on the switches at a new coal-fired utility plant about every 10 days, Don.

So, no matter what we do, if that pace continues, we're sort of wasting our time. So, what environmentalists would say, what a lot of Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate would say is that it's time for the U.S. to take a leadership role here and in so doing try to nudge the Chinese and the Indians and the other emerging nations along into this realm.

It's not an easy task when you talk about a billion-plus Chinese, and they all want to trade bicycles for automobiles. And on it goes.

LEMON: Yes. Yes. And the better their economies get and the more money they start making, they want to buy cars.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: They want what we have. Can you blame them?

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Right?

LEMON: Exactly.

OK, Miles, this is a compliment, because you're so good at everything. I'm just going to call you our chief fill-in-the-blank correspondent.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Or you can call me Ray.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thank you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. See you.

PHILLIPS: Well, today is Virginia Tech's tragic university. But how could their horrible campus shooting have been avoided? The school knew the shooter was a dangerous young man. Why didn't anyone stop him? We're going to discuss it straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One stage, two candidates -- Pennsylvania Democrats tonight will get to see Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama debate for the 21st time since this marathon campaign got started. And we mean marathon.

The Pennsylvania primary is another must-win for Senator Clinton. A new CNN estimate shows her trailing Senator Obama by 146 delegates overall. There are 158 delegates at stake on Tuesday.

With me now to preview tonight's showdown, two Democratic strategists, Julian Epstein, supporting Hillary Clinton, and Jamal Simmons, an Obama backer.

OK, guys, this will be the first face-off in about a month, right? Do you think they're going to come out swinging, Julian?

JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think, yes, there's no question. Hillary Clinton, she is ahead in Pennsylvania. She is behind in the national polls. So she's really behind in terms of winning this nomination.

The conventional wisdom is, when you're behind, you have to draw blood. I think what she will do is what she has been doing, which is she will try to use -- unfortunately, in my opinion -- the Reverend Wright controversy and the small-town "bitter" comments to say that Barack Obama is too out of touch, too liberal, and too unaccomplished to be electable.

I think Hillary Clinton -- I think, by using those tactics, she could win the battle in Pennsylvania, but lose the overall war, because I think the negative campaigning is starting to turn off too many key Democrats. I think she does has a shot at winning this, but I think she's got to get a rationale for her country, a better positive rationale than is coming up right now.

PHILLIPS: Since you brought up the word bitter, and that is what Obama used to describe -- let's listen real quickly to how the candidates responded to that.

And, then, Jamal, I will get you to weigh in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My dad took me up behind the cottage that my grandfather built on a little lake called Lake Winola outside of Scranton and taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl. You know, some people have continued to teach their children and their grandchildren. It's part of a culture. It's part of a way of life.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right, Jamal, and Obama -- right now, I'm looking at the national Democratic poll of polls, Obama 50 percent, Democratic voters saying that's their choice for nominee.

JAMAL SIMMONS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, this race is rapidly moving toward a conclusion.

Here's the tough thing that Senator Clinton has to do. She's behind. And so, usually, as Julian just said, when you're behind, you have got to come out and you have got to come out swinging to bring your opponent down. The problem is, the polls also show that, the more negative she becomes, the more negative the race becomes, the more she takes on the weight of that, more so than Obama does.

He gets a little bit dented, but she gets pretty banged up. So, you have got to be a little careful if you're the Clinton campaign about doing that. And if you look at some of these earlier contests -- as you said, this is the 21st time we have seen this show.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMMONS: So there's not a lot of new here. But, if you look at the earlier contests, what you see is That, when the two of them try to take on each other in person, the audience does not react well. They don't come off very well.

Obama is in a safer position, so he does haven't to swing as wildly, but I think you will see Senator Clinton try to do it. But IF the audience doesn't react well or it doesn't feel right, she will pull back pretty quickly.

EPSTEIN: I think that's right. And I think her campaign advisers are saying the only way you can win this race is if you go negative, if you convince superdelegates that he is unelectable in November.

I think there's a better way to do it, actually. I think she may gain points on that, but Barack Obama has presented a very compelling rationale for his candidacy. He is a political reformer. That's basically the rationale behind his candidacy.

Hillary Clinton has come across too frequently, I think, recently as only having a negative message. She could, for example, be the real progressive in this race. If you take two issues, just health care and housing, she takes on the banks on the housing crisis far more aggressively than Barack Obama does.

And on the health care crisis, he has an optional program. She has a mandatory program. I think she could make the argument that his health care reform would collapse of its own weight: I'm the real progressive in this race. Barack talks about change you can count on. I'm the candidate who can change you can -- or change you can believe in, rather, for Barack Obama. I'm the candidate who brings change you can depend on.

And I think that kind of positive rationale is still not quite coming through the way it needs to.

PHILLIPS: Real quickly, because we were just talking about Baghdad and you guys were able to see the reporting that I did over there, and I wanted to tell you about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. When I sat down with Iraqi soldiers and I went to Baghdad university and sat in on a poli-sci class, those were the two candidates that they talked about, even more so Hillary Clinton.

They liked the dynamic of a woman. They says, well, she's anti- war. She will be more embracing of peace. She will embrace peace more. That's who we're looking to.

Does that surprise either one of you?

Jamal?

SIMMONS: Well, it's a little surprising, because you would think they would be a little less inclined to have a female head of state. You also think they probably haven't seen a lot of advertising in the Democratic race, or else they would know that Barack Obama was really the one who had the stronger case to make about being against the war.

So, that said, I think Iraqi soldiers are -- it's an interesting situation, I think, you found over there.

PHILLIPS: Final thoughts?

EPSTEIN: Fascinating, particularly for Shia youth to want a woman as head of state in this country.

But I think there is not very much difference between Barack or Hillary Clinton in the eyes of voters in this country or in the eyes of voters -- or young folks around the world. Both of them want a diplomatic solution and an international solution to this catastrophe in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: Julian and Jamal, always great to see you guys.

SIMMONS: Good to see you.

PHILLIPS: We will be watching the debate and talking again.

EPSTEIN: Thanks for having us.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, gentlemen.

Well, when Senators Clinton and Obama finish tonight's debate, there's only one place to turn, the best political team on television, of course. "LARRY KING LIVE" will offer immediate post-debate analysis. Larry gets started, always, at 9:00 Eastern. And then stay with CNN at 10:00 Eastern for Anderson Cooper and "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

LEMON: It is a very busy day here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's what we're working on for you. After 13 days of deadlocked jury deliberations, a federal judge declares another mistrial in the Liberty City terror case. Six residents of Miami's Liberty City neighborhood were accused of plotting attacks on FBI offices and Chicago's Sears Tower. This is the second mistrial. No word on whether there will be a third trial.

Three separate wildfires have consumed nearly 20,000 acres in Colorado. Two volunteer firefighters were killed when a fire damaged bridge collapsed under their truck. A pilot died when his firefighting plane crashed near Ft. Carson.

Thousands of people turned out today to welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Washington. Benedict became only the second pope to visit the White House.

If security cameras could talk, well they'd say something like, you won't believe what I saw in the store. We'll explain what goes on here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Students, faculty, anyone associated with Virginia Tech is remembering the day that forever changed the school's history. It's the one-year anniversary of the campus massacre, the day 32 people died when a heavily-armed student just started shooting. Classes are canceled, flags throughout the state are at half staff and people in groups large and small are pausing to remember that day of sadness and that day of shock

Well, one big issue raised after that tragedy at Virginia Tech is naturally how to better protect students. But can a school share information or act on information that might violate that student's right to privacy? It is a tricky line to walk and CNN's Special Investigations Unit looked into it.

Here's correspondent Abbie Boudreau.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEUNG-HUI CHO, SHOOTER DURING VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE: You have vandalized my heart, raped by soul and torched my conscience...

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In the case of Seung-Hui Cho, the warning signs were obvious. He was a loner. Suicidal and expressed violent thoughts. His teachers, classmates and even the police had their concerns.

But according to the governor's report into the shooting, they chose not to share these warning signs due to privacy laws. Experts say this is a problem for campuses across the country.

PETER LAKE, STETSON UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR: Danger in terms of privacy. When you start talking like that as opposed to (INAUDIBLE) and confidentiality and HIPPA and blah, blah, blah, people can process that message and they can act on it and make good decisions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like this point a lot. That's great.

BOUDREAU: Stetson law professor Peter Lake is an expert on privacy laws.

LAKE: If people felt that privacy law restricted them from sharing information, they simply didn't understand the law and therefore didn't share information when they could, but they thought the law was telling them they couldn't share it.

BOUDRAEU: But Lake said universities are allowed to share information, but many choose not to, afraid of being sued or simply not wanting to get involved.

LAKE: Part of it is a culture of higher education, where we kind of build our silos, we do our own thing and sharing information, well, it creates more work, might get them in trouble, causes issues, let someone else handle it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the messages we want to get out to young people out there --

BOUDREAU: Harvard Medical School psychologist Dr. William Pollack says by letting someone else handle it students are put at risk on college campuses.

WILLIAM POLLACK, HARVARD PSYCHOLOGIST: Schools get nervous about the privacy laws and some schools get lax about the privacy laws. I mean not that they (INAUDIBLE), that they say well since everything is private, well we can't do anything. They're not that helpless.

BOUDREAU: In emergency cases, experts say the law is pretty clear. In fact university officials have every right to report red flags, even to parents, though that never happened in Cho's case.

LAKE: Is there something in HIPAA that make people worried about talking about students?

BOUDREAU: Lake says after what happened one year ago, colleges can no longer use privacy laws as an excuse for not reporting warning signs.

LAKE: You're seeing a lot of schools now say we're going to make sure everybody knows exactly what the law is and what it should do, and they've giving simple messages that people can understand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOUDREAU: One other note, right now (INAUDIBLE) the law that is set up to protect a student's right to privacy does allow schools to release information to parents who claim their children as dependants, but that does not always happen. Of course many parents feel it's their right to know if there are issues with their sons or daughters, especially if the school already knows about the problem.

LEMON: OK, well that's kind of the catch 22 because when I was in school, the last thing you want is your parents to know what's going on at school. Students don't want that, usually.

BOUDREAU: That's exactly what the issue is, and you're right. It's a slippery slope. Many students want their independence and privacy while they're parents feel it's their right to know if something goes wrong. It's not an easy situation.

LEMON: OK. All right. We'll see.

Abbie Boudreau, much appreciated. Thank you very much.

BOUDREAU: Thank you.

LEMON: Let's watch and listen here as Virginia Tech remembers the day that forever changed the school's history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An entire rear year has passed since the heart rending events that we mark today. And while the passage of time has helped us in many ways, we remain deeply and profoundly saddened by the events of that tragic day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Devoted son, gentle colleague, generous friend, talented artist and photographer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A sparkle in her deep blue eyes and her face always wore a smile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Devoted mother and wife, passionate, inspiring teacher of French.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The son, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, husband and father everyone should have.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Loved riding horses, singing and playing the violin. A teacher without trying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Radiated love and respect to friends and family, the apple of her parents' eye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world was cheated on April 16 a year ago, cheated out of the accomplishments that were surely to come from these extraordinary lives. Their lives were just too short for all the promise and for all the good that was within them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: If you're keeping track of the pope, you'll want to know his next event is less than two hours away, a prayer service followed by a speech to U.S. bishops at the national shrine of the immaculate conception on the grounds of catholic university. CNN's Brian Todd is there.

And Brian, I understand it's a tremendous crowd.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kyra.

About at least 500 people or more are gathered here and we're right among them. The pope is going to arrive here we think in a little over an hour for that event that you mentioned with the catholic bishops. I'm going to ask our cameraman Eddie Gross to pan camera right here. There's a shot of the basilica entrance.

We're right in the middle of the crowd that's gathering here, they're cordoned off from that entrance. But he's going to be arriving right in front of those doors, hopefully he'll wave to the crowd, at least all of the folks here are hoping that he'll do that. And then he's going to go in for that very important meeting with the catholic bishops. He'll have vespers first, then he'll give a speech to the bishops.

Now what's interesting here again, as was the case yesterday at Andrews Air Force base, security. It took us a little while to get cleared through security with all of our equipment just like it did at Andrews yesterday. It is air tight. Also what's very interesting is, on our way in here, we happened to come across Father David O'Connell, the president of Catholic University.

Of course, Father O'Connell was wearing his priest garments but didn't have one of these clearances, these badges that we all have. And a security guard asked him who he was and why he didn't have a clearance and he said well I'm the president of this university and the guy still asked for his ID and he kind of looked around and he said look around you, this is my ID. He wasn't really upset, but he was just trying to say you know look, I know you're doing your job but I'm the president here. That gives you an idea of how air tight security is.

Now we're here among this crowd gathering for this event and we're going to talk to two very young ladies who are part of the crowd here. One is Janet Kosh. She traveled all the way here from Albert County Maryland, a little more than an hour away, a lot of traffic along the way though.

Janet can you tell us why you're here? What does this mean to you?

JANET KOSH, TRAVELED TO SEE POPE BENEDICT: Well it's an historic event and I couldn't miss it. It's the first time Pope Benedict has been here as pope and it's going to be very inspirational to the catholic church and I feel honored, honored to be here.

TODD: That's great. We're also here with April Mullane, April is 17 years old, she's a student at Bishop O'Connell High School here in Arlington, Virginia. You're representing kind of a new generation. What does it mean to you to be here?

APRIL MULLANE, ATTENDING POPE PRAYER SERVICE: This is an extraordinary once in a lifetime experience that I'll always remember forever, to come see the pope.

TODD: A lot is made of the fact that this man turns 81 years old today. He's got to kind of relate to generations like yourself, not even a quarter of his age. Do you think he can do that and if so, how can he do it?

MULLANE: This man is the leader of our church, of the catholic church, and he's such an inspiring role model to us all. We're both very strong in our faith, and he -- we've shared the same teachings for over 2,000 years.

TODD: You're looking forward, you're going to get a pretty good view of him when he comes here, are you going to be standing up and cheering?

MULLANE: I hope so.

TODD: Good luck and enjoy this.

MULLANE: Thank you.

TODD: It's very exciting here, Kyra. Probably a little over 500, between 500 and 1,000 people, expected to be several thousand by the time he gets here.

PHILLIPS: Brian, what can you tell us about the national shrine of the immaculate conception and also this conference with the bishops? Let's talk about why that is so important, possibly one of the most important moments for the pope.

TODD: It really is because this is the forum in which the pope is going to at least at length, it is believed address the sex abuse scandal in real substance in his speech to these catholic bishops. Unclear exactly what he's going to say, but we are told that he is going to address it really with some substance.

He may do it one other time during his trip, possibly in New York, but this is really where he's going to take on that issue at its crux and people are going to be watching for those very words, very important. This may be the biggest news-making event of this trip so far.

PHILLIPS: Brian Todd, we'll be watching, Catholic University, thanks Brian.

LEMON: Trying to get to the bottom of what happened in an Iraqi prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abu Ghraib, whether we like it or not, is one of the biggest stories of our time. And trying to understand it is something that will be with us for many, many, many years.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A new documentary questions who was responsible for Abu Ghraib.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Shedding light on a dark part of the Iraq war. A new documentary looks at the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and asks why those higher up the chain of command were not held responsible.

CNN's Kareen Wynter has this preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy died, put him on a gurney, he was gone, go about your business, keep working.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the first time I started taking photos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody knew. Everybody that was inside of that prison, they had the pictures.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new documentary about the Abu Ghraib prison scandal uses pictures and re-enactments to take viewers beyond the graphic images.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys naked, guys in women's panties. Guys in handcuffs and stretched positions.

WYNTER: Photographs taken inside the prison in 2003 show the abuse of Iraqi detainees by members of the United States military.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were wires on his fingers and he was told he would be electrocuted if he fell off.

WYNTER: Soldiers like former specialist Sabrina Harmon are profiled in the film "Standard Operating Procedure." Harmon who snapped many of the shots, including this infamous one, of naked prisoners in a human pyramid says, she was only documenting what was going on inside Abu Ghraib. The military disagreed.

She was convicted of conspiracy, dereliction of duty and maltreating detainees. She received a six-month prison sentence and a bad conduct discharge.

ERROL MORRIS, FILM DIRECTOR: We think of these soldiers now as monsters and my goal was to take them back as people.

WYNTER: Oscar-winning director Errol Morris says the film details the soldiers' accounts of what happened and why they say it was only a group of low level soldiers and not those higher in command who took the fall.

MORRIS: It's become political football. The left says one thing, the right says something else. Wouldn't it be interesting to actually find out what really happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fear of the truth silenced people. WYNTER: Also featured in the move, former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski who was in charge of 16 prisons in Iraq, including Abu Ghraib. Karpinski says she was unaware of the pictures and the torture techniques her soldiers were using on detainees.

JANIS KARPINSKI, FORMER U.S. ARMY BRIGADIER GENERAL: This did come from the very top and then all of those people have somehow escaped any responsibility or blame.

WYNTER: Karpinski was demoted to colonel and discharged. She says she wasn't the only scapegoat.

KARPINSKI: Why these seven soldiers? Were they just conveniently all assembled in one place at the same time and all of them conveniently willing to do this? Or were they directed to do it?

MORRIS: Abu Ghraib, whether we like it or not, is one of the biggest stories of our time. And trying to understand it is something that will be with us for many, many, many years.

WYNTER (on-camera): We contacted the pentagon for a response. In a statement, pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman tells CNN, the events were --"brought to the attention of the military through the chain of command, resulting in an extensive investigation into Abu Ghraib and other U.S. detention operations."

After a dozen reviews, he says, "there was never any indication of any government policy that directed, encouraged or condoned abuse." In fact, all twelve investigations confirmed that humane treatment of detainees is and has always been the DOD policy standard, adding that some 250 service members have been held criminally accountable for their roles in incidents of mistreatment.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Wolf, thanks so much for the flowers and the catered lunch when I got here to the bureau.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Anything for you Kyra and there's a lot more in store, just wait, you'll see.

Coming up at the top of the hour, it's a day of pomp and circumstance, but the pope is about to make a very serious speech, addressing the country's bishops, he's expected to talk about the church and the pedophile sex scandal. That's coming up and we're going to have live coverage in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Barack Obama meeting with Jewish leaders today trying to convince voters he won't threaten U.S. support for Israel. He's even criticizing the former president Jimmy Carter, we'll tell you what's going on. And former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, he's here in THE SITUATION ROOM today.

We'll speak about religion, the vote, and whether John McCain might choose him as a running mate. All that, Kyra, coming up, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: And we're going tonight to the radio and television correspondent's dinner together?

BLITZER: We are. It's going to be so much fun.

PHILLIPS: Outstanding. You better gussy up for me.

BLITZER: All right, beginning the beautification process now.

PHILLIPS: I'll see you in a little bit, thanks Wolf.

LEMON: Sort of a grim scene to tell you about in the democratic republic of Congo, as U.N. peacekeepers and rescue workers dig through the smoldering wreckage of a jetliner for bodies. At least 40 people were reported killed when the plane went off a runway in the eastern city of Goma and crashed through a marketplace. Most of the passengers survived, among them a family of four from southeastern Minnesota. This is the first picture we see of that family.

Earlier today the father talked to CNN about what they saw after finding their way off that plane.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

VOICE OF BARRY MOSIER, CONGO PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: As we got off the plane, we were rather focused on looking for our children, because we'd gotten separated a little bit. But we could hear people screaming and wailing and we saw people had been trapped when the plane landed on them, and some were dead, and as the police took us to the hospital, we saw stretcher after stretcher of people who came in and had been burned in the flames from the plane. Most of them that were in the market. By God's grace and thanks to answered prayers, most of the people were able to escape the plane itself.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the Mosier's three-year-old son broke his leg while being pulled from that wreckage. He's among the more than 100 people hospitalized.

PHILLIPS: Let's check out some other stories coming into CNN right now, like this store shootout caught on camera in Milwaukee. The clerk first pulls a baseball bat on the bandit, the guy leaves, comes back with a 45 and the gunfight begins. The video also shows a customer walking in, oblivious to the whole thing. The gunman got away amazingly enough, no one was killed. A similar situation in California, minus the firearms, a store clerk fights back against a robber and their violent struggle is caught on camera. The guy reportedly got away with the money and some of the clerk's valuables.

LEMON: Hey Kyra, I think that's it for you. We'll see you tomorrow OK?

PHILLIPS: Sounds good Don.

LEMON: All right, have fun there with the pope and at the correspondent dinner tonight. Don't be so hard on Wolf. He's a good guy at heart, you know that.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm going to get the pope to pray for all of us.

LEMON: He's wearing a little black dress I'm sure he'll --

PHILLIPS: Oh no, don't talk about Wolf that way.

LEMON: All right, have fun and I want to see pictures.

Well the closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street. Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at this trading day.

Susan, and as I understand, I just heard in my ear, you have a surprise for me, I don't know what it is, but let's see.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In honor of the historic papal visit, the money to be made there is your standard issued commemorative T-shirt, there's your standard issue bumper sticker and then there is the unauthorized stuff like the Benedict bobble head, I kid you not. There's the bumper sticker.

OK, that's authorized by the Vatican, but the bobble head is not, you can find it on eBay and (INAUDIBLE) general store dot com, $12.95. There's also I love my German Shepherd T-shirt and pope my ride with a picture of the pope mobile. Divine intervention on Wall Street today, big rally, see you tomorrow Don.

LEMON: You know we can make tons of money on a Wolf Blitzer bobble head. All right, we'll see you tomorrow Susan.

Now let's turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Mr. Wolf Blitzer.

Take it away, Wolf.