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U.S. Soldier, Citizen, Muslim; Terror on Trial; Father, Son and Holy Secret
Aired November 13, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Now from the war front to the home front, and to big developments at Fort Hood, the accused gunman behind the massacre may never walk again. Major Nidal Hasan's attorney is saying he's paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors say he may not improve.
Hasan is accused of killing 13 people in last week's rampage and injuring dozens more. And now "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting military prosecutors plan to seek the death sentence. The last execution of an active duty service member was nearly 50 years ago.
The shooting at Fort Hood, a haunting reminder of the dangers facing American soldiers at home and abroad. But some of our troops are feeling the weight of the massacre more than others.
Take Specialist Mohammed Amiri. He is a citizen, a soldier and a Muslim.
Chris Lawrence talked to him in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last time Mohammed Amiri (ph) was in Afghanistan, he was running for his life.
MOHAMMED AMIRI (ph), U.S. ARMY: I used to live in Logar and Kabul.
LAWRENCE: That was 2001, when the U.S. launched an attack on the Taliban. The violence turned Amiri (ph) and his family into refugees, until they made their way to the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIERS: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations, American citizens.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LAWRENCE: Seven years later, he's engaged, an American soldier, and now a U.S. citizen.
AMIRI: Well, today, I feel like today was my -- I just got married. I feel so happy.
LAWRENCE: But his happiness is colored by the shooting at Fort Hood. AMIRI: I feel different a little bit because I'm Muslim.
LAWRENCE: Specialist Amiri (ph) says he feels like he's carrying the weight of what someone else did.
AMIRI: I feel bad, because the Muslim major, he's an officer and he did that. And people think that all Muslims are the same. But we have in every religion good people and bad people.
LAWRENCE: Other soldiers here can understand what happened, but not where.
SGT. MAJ. LARRY TURNER, U.S. ARMY: You kind of expect that when you're here in a combat environment. But being at home, where you feel safe, secure, it's more of a shock.
LAWRENCE: Some of the shooting victims were scheduled to come here to Afghanistan. Those already deployed say time back home is when you relax and release some of the combat stress.
TECH. SGT. DWAYNE PYLE, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's kind of sad knowing that they can't let their guard down when they go back to the states.
LAWRENCE: Specialist Amiri (ph) hopes his fellow service members can look at him as he sees them.
AMIRI: White, black, Mexican, all the same. We are soldiers.
LAWRENCE (on camera): When he finishes his tour here, Amiri (ph) says the first thing he's going to do is go to Germany, pick up his fiancee, and take her back home to California so they can get married.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: September 11, 2001, a nightmare, a litany of tragedies and a series of federal crimes. And that's why these suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay are set to be tried in federal court, mere blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: After eight years of delay, those allegedly responsible for the attacks of September the 11th will finally face justice. They will be brought to New York -- to New York -- to answer for their alleged crimes in a courthouse just blocks away from where the twin towers once stood. I am confident in the ability of our courts to provide these defendants a fair trial, just as they have for over 200 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: CNN's Jill Dougherty joins us now live from Washington.
Jill, help us understand -- or hoping to join Jill in a moment, but she was going to join us in a moment from Washington, D.C. Going to be talking to her a little bit more about the process of closing Guantanamo prison camps and the length of time it will take, the security implications, the concerns for the home countries as well.
Let me bring in Jill Dougherty to discuss those very topics right now. She joins us live.
Are you live on the line?
She's live in person.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I guess so.
LONG: Lovely to see you.
DOUGHERTY: It's a miracle.
LONG: All right. Help us to understand a little bit more about exactly what this process will be like for closing Guantanamo Bay.
DOUGHERTY: Well, Melissa, you know, it's complicated. It's complicated legally and it's complicated in a security sense. And it's slow.
But let's look at the numbers. We just got these here from the State Department.
There are 215 detainees. Twenty-five of them have transferred or released. And that breaks down into nine going to their home countries and then another 16 to third countries. And those countries include France, Belgium, Bermuda, Portugal, Ireland and Palau.
We're told that the highest priority, of course, is enemy noncombatants. Then there are going to be more transfers coming up, and this is how that breaks down. There are 90 people who have been approved for transfer. Forty of them will go to third countries and another 50 will go back to their own home countries.
They have commitments from some of those countries, and about 25 people are going to be going back to their home countries. They're looking for other countries to take the rest.
Then, finally, just to give you a flavor of how complicated this gets, many of those people who are going back to their home countries are Yemenis, but they can't go home because there's a conflict with insurgents going on.
So, all of this boils down to the bottom line. And let's hear that from the attorney general, Eric Holder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLDER: I think it's going to be difficult to close the facility by January 22nd, and one of the things that I think is most problematic in that regard is trying to relocate the people who are going to be approved for transfer, finding places where they can be safely placed both for the nation that will host them and for the American citizens. I'm not sure we're going to be able to complete that process by January the 22nd, though we are constantly in the process of trying to do exactly that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: OK. And then, still, you know, looking at those numbers, you've got about 100 people who are still in limbo, and their fate is still to be decided. Some could end up in court. We'll just have to see. But as you can see, it's a slow process -- Melissa.
LONG: A very slow and very tedious process. Obviously security a major concern -- security.
Jill Dougherty, live for us from Washington.
Jill, thank you.
Now, Gitmo may have been Gregory Craig's Waterloo. As White House counsel, Craig's been the point man for the president's plan to shut down the prison camp early next year. He's also shouldered the blame for a political firestorm that's made the deadline impossible to meet.
After 10 months on the job, he is resigning. He's going to be replaced by Bob Bauer. He worked for the Obama campaign.
Some Muslim-American activists are outraged over a Justice Department move to seize assets supposedly linked to Iran. Those assets include four mosques and a skyscraper in Manhattan. The feds insist they're not trying to hinder Muslim worship; rather, the U.S. claims the buildings' owners are a front for the Iranian government. If this goes through, this would be one of the biggest seizures of its kind in U.S. history.
It is a story about faith, it is a story about family, and the extreme lengths some in the Catholic Church have gone to keep a priest's secret from coming to light. You see, the father has a son. The mother says church officials agreed to buy her silence with support checks, and then the child became sick. Things seemed to change.
More from CNN's Gary Tuchman, in a report that first aired on "AC 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This photo doesn't nearly tell the whole story. This priest not only baptized this baby, but he is also the baby's father, and that fact will be kept secret for 22 years.
It was a secret forged in a legal agreement between church officials and the mother. Her name is Pat Bond.
(on camera): So, they told you, if you sign this, you couldn't ever -- could not ever talk about it?
PAT BOND, MOTHER: Yes.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): In the agreement, Henry Willenborg, a Franciscan priest, declared he is the baby's father. And, in exchange for her silence, the agreement promises the Franciscans would quietly pay financial support for her son.
(on camera): Confidential?
BOND: Correct.
TUCHMAN: Secret?
BOND: Yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Pat says, at the time, she was very vulnerable. She had left her husband for the priest, was under psychological care and had considered suicide. She says she was intimidated by church negotiators and that she had poor legal advice. But she saw no other way to support her son.
His father, the priest, had no intention of leaving the priesthood, even though she says they continued their relationship.
(on camera): Patricia Bond was a very devoted Catholic. She loved her church. And, as it turns out, she loved her priest. This is the church in Quincy, Illinois, where her son, Nathan, was baptized by Father Willenborg.
And right across the street from the church, this green house, this is where she used to live. She says Willenborg would celebrate mass during the day and often come here to sleep with her during the night.
(voice-over): The secret relationship would end after five years. Nathan was a toddler. Pat worried about how to care for him. She felt the church agreement she signed was not enough, but she kept her silence.
Her son, Nathan, grew up, smart, athletic, popular. But, three years ago, he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
(on camera): What's the prognosis now?
BOND: I'm losing my son.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Doctors say Nathan may only have weeks to live. The church has paid for some medical care. But Pat had to fly him to New York this summer for late-stage cancer treatment. They had to stay for weeks.
BOND: And I begged -- and I am saying that I begged the church, please, send us help.
TUCHMAN: The Franciscans gave her $1,000. But it was only a tiny fraction of the cost. Pat says she pleaded for more, saying church officials had a moral obligation.
(on camera): And what did the church say?
BOND: They said, no, we are not Nathan's biological father. We have no legal obligation to your son.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Franciscan Provincial Minister Father William Spencer would not go on camera, but, in a letter to CNN, he says, "Our payments have exceeded legal requirements."
He also writes: "When the mother made requests on multiple occasions, we made further payments for the child's support, education, health care." In total, the Franciscans tell CNN, Pat Bond received about $233,000 over the last 22 years. But, doing the math, that averages less than $11,000 a year.
(on camera): The Franciscans' insistence that they have been generous over the years with Pat Bond seems to miss the larger point. And that is, why was such an agreement signed in the first place? In the Catholic religion, priests are not allowed to have children. So, why didn't the Franciscans say to Father Willenborg: "Listen, you have had a child. You can no longer be a priest. So, take care of your child. Take care of the woman you had the child with"?
And why, pray tell, was this agreement confidential?
(voice-over): We wanted to ask these questions to the man who made that decision, who was the lead negotiator 22 years ago. Pat Bond says she didn't know what became of him, but she remembers his name.
BOND: Father Bob Karris.
TUCHMAN: And this is...
REV. ROBERT KARRIS, FORMER FRANCISCAN PROVINCIAL MINISTER: Father Robert Karris.
TUCHMAN: We found him at Saint Bonaventure University in New York State, where he is a renowned scholar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Intrigued by this story? There is more. What Gary discovered when he met the man who made that child support deal. He'll talk about answers a long time coming. It's part two of Gary's report, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Before the break we told you about some officials within the Catholic Church who agreed to pay a woman child support if she kept quiet about the son she had with a priest. He's now a young man. He is very ill, and his mom says church officials have betrayed their promise. The officials say they have not.
Gary Tuchman continues his report on the search for a priest with a secret. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Father Robert Karris is the priest who represented the Franciscans 22 years ago when they offered Pat Bond a legal agreement. In exchange for her silence, they would pay to support the boy she had with Franciscan priest Henry Willenborg. Instead of seriously punishing Father Henry, Karris said they sent him to a treatment center and that he was ultimately back in the church community.
As for Nathan, Father Henry's son...
KARRIS: We are doing and are committed to continue to do what is best for Nathan, the son of our brother.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Do you think you should have said to Father Henry, "We don't really want you in the church anymore. You've had a child. Get a job, take care of this woman, and take care of your child. That's the best thing for Nathan. Not the church sending money. You taking care of him"?
Don't you think that would have been the right thing to do?
KARRIS: Well, there are broken families. There are families which have no father.
TUCHMAN: But the church has no business of being ethical and humane. And wouldn't that have been the best thing for Nathan, having Father Henry to take care of his son?
KARRIS: It would have been the best thing. But that's not the reality.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Barbara Blaine is the founder of SNAP. The group helps women who have had sexual relationships with priests. She says that the same pattern, for the truly faithful a priest has an exalted position. Victims are vulnerable because they offer unconditional trust.
BARBARA BLAINE, SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS: The church here is trying to protect themselves. And we believe that keeping secrets is what has enabled the abuse to go on for so long.
TUCHMAN (on camera): And you had discussions with your colleagues. Protecting the church was part of the reason you wanted to have this confidential agreement. Right?
KARRIS: That is part of the reason, yes.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But he also says protecting Pat Bond and Nathan was another part.
(on camera) Was the church concerned about your son?
BOND: Oh, no. No. Never, ever, not now, not then, not ever, no. They were concerned about getting us out of their life. And I guarantee you the day my son goes, the church will rejoice because he's...
TUCHMAN: Because he's what?
BOND: Because he's gone.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But Nathan is still fighting. He has a remarkable attitude.
NATHAN HALBACH, SON OF PRIEST: I just live my life as happy as I can during this time. And just have all the fun I have before that horrible stuff happens.
TUCHMAN: He hasn't seen his dad for many years.
So where is Father Henry? For the last four years he'd been a priest in this Ashland, Wisconsin, church, where he was extremely popular. His boss, this man, a bishop.
BISHOP PETER CHRISTENSEN, DIOCESE OF SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN: The innocent one in this is Nathan.
TUCHMAN: But the bishop has not punished Father Willenburg for fathering Nathan. He has taken action against him for another reason. Only last month the bishop suspended the father because of new allegations, that when he was having an affair with Pat Bond, he was also having relations with another woman while she was under 18.
(on camera) Because of the allegation that he had an affair with a minor, you decided you needed to suspend him?
CHRISTENSEN: Right.
TUCHMAN: And was there any other reason you suspended him?
CHRISTENSEN: No. That would be it.
TUCHMAN: The bishop says Father Henry denies any improper relationship with that woman when she was a minor. With the suspension, he's no longer at the church. No one seems to be able to tell us where he is.
We went to the Franciscan offices in St. Louis where he used to live.
(on camera) Is Father Willenburg here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As far as I've known, I have not seen him at all.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But we had his cell phone number, and he did answer.
(on camera) The reason I'm calling you is we're doing a story about -- he hung up on me.
(voice-over) "The New York Times" did get a comment from him, Willenburg telling the paper, "We've been very caring, very supportive, very generous over these 20-something years. It's very tragic what's going on with Nathan."
(on camera) After Father Willenburg hung up on me, I called him back again, got his voice mail and left my phone number. I also left my phone number with one of his assistants inside the church. But he's chosen to remain silent with me. Silence from Henry Willenburg is painfully familiar to his son.
How do you feel about him right now?
HALBACH: It's hard. He's never really been around. He's popped up here and there throughout my life. But I've never, never gotten the full respect and love out of him that I always wanted.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): And now this painful discussion: what happens when Nathan dies? How to pay for his funeral?
BOND: They're question is having a staff, a visitation necessary?
TUCHMAN: But after we interviewed her, lawyers for the Franciscans wrote this. It says, "We will cover 100 percent of the expenses of Nathan's interment and monument/memorial expenses." And, they add, "Please advise if there is any additional assistance that the Franciscans can provide to Nathan at this time."
She hopes it means the Franciscans will pay for a part-time nurse at home for Nathan, because recently Pat learned she may not be able to take care of everything herself.
BOND: In June I was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer.
TUCHMAN: But for now, she says, she must focus on her son. They've decided he will die at home.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, O'Fallon, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: So many emotions, so much to talk about out of that story.
It was Gary Tuchman, it debuted last night on "Anderson Cooper 360," and right after, Anderson had some guests on to talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAINE: For decades, these church officials have sought secrecy from the victim and from the boy. They have been callous in giving the bear minimum while, in fact, they, themselves, live in luxury and have every possible medical care for them.
They have the best education. They have beautiful retreat centers in luxury places all over the globe. And they go on retreats, and they have the time and wherewithal to do that.
Pat struggled to put nickels together to try to make ends meet to care for Nate. And she's done a beautiful job. Our hats go off to Nate, because at this point in time in his life, the last thing on earth he needs to be doing is to care about someone else. And that's what he did today.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: It just seems stunning, Bill, that a priest who, you know, is counseling other people in their marriages and stuff has basically abandoned the little boy. Whether the church has fulfilled any responsibilities to the child or not is separate, but this guy hasn't even seen this kid in years.
WILLIAM DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: Right He's despicable. All right? He's delinquent.
And I guess my point is, you know, if the point is that we have a troubled guy here who took advantage of a situation -- but I will not buy the business of the one more victimized woman who didn't know what she was doing. But we do have a lousy situation here.
What's the bottom line to be drawn from this? He didn't need to be treated. He was -- he had a natural impulse toward a woman. He needed to be counseled and told, "If you can't abide by your vow of celibacy, get out."
We have imams and we have rabbis and we have ministers who can't abide by their marital vow, and they cheat on their spouse. What are we going to do about that? And I think what's driving this is, is celibacy the question? Let's have an honest discussion about what's really driving it.
BLAINE: And let's be clear that Father Willenborg was using his position of power and authority and actually involved with three women at one time that Pat knew about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Fascinating story. Barbara Blaine's group, SNAP, wants church officials to "... aggressively reach out to anyone else who saw or suffered or suspected misdeeds."
Get you up to date on the top stories happening today on this Friday.
In Missouri, a sixth person now under arrest in a horrific child sex abuse case. And police say they have identified more victims. A 77- year-old man and his four adult sons were arrested earlier this week after six alleged victims, all relatives of the men, came forward. The latest suspect is not related to the other five.
The suspect in the so-called "House of Horrors" case in Cleveland back in court this morning in a case not related to the murder charges. Anthony Sowell pleaded not guilty in a sexual attack that led to a search of his home. In that search, police discovered 11 bodies. Right now he's charged with five counts of murder.
And they are back again before the cameras in a courtroom. The parents of the so-called balloon boy hoax entered guilty pleas this morning in Denver. Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony charge, his wife guilty to a misdemeanor. They could face probation and some jail time. It seems to be the storm that just will not go away. These are some remnants from Tropical Storm Ida. They're traveling up, the remnants -- the storm itself is traveling up and down the coastline.
How much more rain can we deal with? We're going to find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM this Friday afternoon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: On this Friday afternoon, Michelle Obama is getting ready to host a reception. This is a live look at the East Room of the White House. The gathering is just about ready to start as people are starting to assemble in the room. The first lady is hosting a health care discussion about the struggles facing older women when it relates to health care, of course, a particular stake in health care reform.
The first lady is joined by three women who are sharing their personal stories, also by Nancy-Ann DeParle. She is with the White House health reform office.
And all of this, of course, as the Senate gets set to discuss health care reform early next week -- one of the priorities of the Obama administration.
Now, health insurance for employees of the GOP will no longer cover elective abortions. Republican Party chief, Michael Steele, says he doesn't know why it ever did. But, and I quote, "Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," end quote.
Opponents of abortion in the Democratic Party forced restrictions in the health care bill that squeaked through the House just last weekend. And they did it with the full blessing of the Catholic Church.
Looking into this angle, here's CNN's Brianna Keilar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Rhode Island, a high-profile feud between the bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin and Catholic Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Tobin has called the son of the late health care champion, Ted Kennedy, a disappointment for his support of abortion rights.
(BEING AUDIO CLIP)
REV. THOMAS J. TOBIN, BISHOP OF PROVIDENCE: If you freely choose to be a Catholic, it means that you believe certain things, you do certain things. If you cannot do all that in conscience, then you should perhaps feel free to go somewhere else.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KEILAR: The clash happening as the Catholic Church flexes its muscle in the debate over health care reform. To get the needed support of conservative Democrats, Speaker Pelosi was forced to allow a vote on tougher abortion restrictions in the bill and at one point found herself negotiating directly with representatives of the Catholic Church.
REP. BRAD ELLSWORTH (D), INDIANA: A lot of members had a lot of faith and in what the Catholic bishops' view of this was, they wanted some kind of blessing by the bishops.
KEILAR: Abortion rights Democrats bristled at the thought.
REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: This was disturbing to me that such an extraordinary lobbying effort was launched by a church pushing an idea that many Americans -- probably the majority of Americans -- really don't agree with.
KEILAR: The health care debate moves now to the Senate where a quarter of the chamber is Catholic and where the church will again exert its influence, says Bill Galston, a former policy advisor to President Clinton.
BILL GALSTON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: And I think it is very, very likely that the outcome will be the same in the Senate as it was in the House.
KEILAR (on camera): Democratic aides in the Senate concede Galston may be right, but sources tell me they think abortion rights senators probably won't scuttle the health care bill over the issue of abortion. But in the House, some liberals say they will vote "no" on the final bill if this tougher language is in it, a promise of more tough negotiations ahead for Speaker Pelosi.
Brianna Keilar, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Swine flu, as you know, it is s out there. It is not going away any time soon. Federal health officials now say about 22 million people in the U.S. have been sickened by the H1N1 virus since April. About 4,000 have died. These new figures are out just this week. They are about four times higher than the previous death estimates. They include people who died from complications related to swine flu.
Now, in parts of the U.S., an alarming trend for minority groups, swine flu is taking a much bigger toll than it should be. And in Boston, minorities are now taking part in high risk groups.
Here's CNN's Deb Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first Haitian Baptist Church in the heart of Boston feels as if it could just as easily be in the heart of Haiti. The service is in Creole, the signs in French. And the message on this Sunday is universal, the pastor urging Americans to put aside doubts that many Americans have and get their flu shot.
GUERLY LAROCHE, CHURCH LEADER: A lot are skeptical about the flu vaccine.
FEYERICK: Guerly Laroche is helping to administer vaccines to her congregation as part of an unprecedented program by Boston health officials who discovered what they call an alarming trend. Blacks and Latinos disproportionately affected by the 2009 H1N1 outbreak in the city of Boston last spring.
BARBARA FERRER, PH.D., EXEC. DIR., BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Three-quarters of the people hospitalized in Boston with flu were blacks and Latinos, even though they make up less than 50 percent of the population.
FEYERICK: In Boston, health officials say, underlying medical conditions like asthma and diabetes may be one factor, but there are other reasons as well.
(on camera): There's also the issue of money, parents can't afford to stay home and take care of a sick child. That means that the child goes to school and the parent who may also be infected goes to work.
(voice-over): Nationwide, the CDC found, 50 percent of H1N1 deaths from April to August were among black and Latino children. Still, Boston is one of the only cities tracking swine flu by race. Officials there now classify minorities as high risk, along with all pregnant women and children.
(on camera): Do you think Boston would have a higher mortality rate in a minority community were it not for this anticipated H1N1 vaccination program?
DR. ANITA BARRY, DIR., INFECTIOUS DISEASE BUREAU, BPHC: Absolutely. Absolutely.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Dr. Anita Barry and her team of epidemiologists discovered the trend and nurses, like Cindy Theodore, targeted churches, tapping into the persuasive power of pastors to get the word out.
CINDY THEODORE, BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMM.: They're in church every week. So, that's one way to get to talk to these people and offer them the help.
FEYERICK (on camera): Boston hopes to vaccinate roughly 300,000 people in the high-risk category. The CDC recently announced an estimated 540 children have died from H1N1 since the pandemic started in April.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LONG: Do remember your most up-to-date source for health news? At your fingertips, you can find it online. Go to CNN.com/health, medical news you can live with, very accessible to you.
Here's an interesting question for you -- are you a cash cow for your bank? Maybe you can't go a week without overdrawing your account, racking up those overdraft fees. They can add up. Well, Uncle Sam is saying enough is enough. If you're overdrawn and overdraft, this is a story just for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: It is his first stop on the week-long trip to Asia. President Obama joined Japan's prime minister in Tokyo to talk about the global economy, talk about Afghanistan, and many other important issues. Mr. Obama said he's close to a decision on the new strategy for Afghanistan, adding that the U.S. commitment cannot be open-ended.
The president also mentioned the 9/11 terror suspects who are now heading for civilian trial. He says they will face what he called the most exacting demands of justice. The attorney general, Eric Holder, says five Guantanamo Bay inmates with alleged 9/11 ties will be tried in federal court in Manhattan, just blocks from "Ground Zero." They include the alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
And from Phillip Garrido, a jail house apology. Garrido is accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years in his backyard in California. Dugard was just 11 when she was abducted. Now, in a handwritten note sent to our affiliate, KCRA-TV, Garrido says, and I directly quote, "First off, I want to apologize to every human being for what has taken place," end quote.
Not sure if this is your approach or not when you go to use your bank card, but you may be spending more than you have and then you get slapped with that overdraft fee. And these days, people who are overdrafting -- well, it can really add up for you. It can be a gold mine for the banks. And now, the Fed is saying, enough already.
To get more insight on this, we bring you personal finance editor, Gerri Willis.
Good morning, Gerri. Good morning -- it's good afternoon to you.
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good afternoon to you, too.
LONG: Good morning in west coast.
So, help us understand what's going on here.
WILLIS: Well, Melissa, these overdraft fees, these are the big penalties you were saying that banks charge when customers spend more than they have in their accounts. And you can be charged up to 35 bucks every time you overdraw your account.
New rules out yesterday from the Feds prohibit banks from charging these overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions unless a consumer opts to the overdraft service. Now, as it stands right now, more than 75 percent of banks automatically sign customers up for overdraft programs and these fees have received a lot of scrutiny in Washington lately -- the FDIC, for example, one critic of the fees.
Consumer advocates say the new rules, they don't go far enough. Banks will still be allowed to automatically enroll customers in overdraft protection services for personal checks and automatic transactions like monthly bill payments.
For banks, overdraft fees are big revenue generators because so many people rely on debit cards. The financial service industry, they are on track to make almost $38 billion this year just from overdraft fees.
LONG: Wow, well, obviously people want to keep the money in their wallets rather than have those funds go to overdraft fees and to the bank. So, what can consumers expect from here on out.
WILLIS: Before opting in, the consumer will be getting a notice that explains exactly what the overdraft service is and what the fees are, which is something you might have not seen before. If you don't want to opt into the service, your account terms, conditions and features, they all remain the same, which is the good news. Now, you won't see any big changes there. This is going to give you the opportunity to opt out, you won't have to opt out, you'll have to opt in if you want it. The big problem is most people didn't even know this service existed and they would have to say, hey, what's that $35 fee for and they would find out later it was for overdraft protection.
LONG: Gerri Willis, thank you very much, have a superb weekend.
WILLIS: You as well. Thank you.
LONG: Lost evidence gave a convicted murderer freedom. Police say she struck again this time at a 15-year-old boy, but now justice is striking back.
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LONG: The man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood may never walk again. Major Nadal Hasan is reportedly paralyzed now from the waist down. He was shot several times by police ending last week's bloody shooting rampage. Brian TODD has new details, new concerns about the army psychiatrist's medical competency.
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BRIAN TODD: A former colleague of Nadal Hasan during his medical training tells CNN Hasan's contemporaries had widespread concerns about his competence as a psychiatrist. Former colleagues, who did not want to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, say thought Hasan's presentations were not academically rigorous and one said, quote, "no one in class would have ever referred a patient to him." Earlier this week, Hasan's supervisor at Fort Hood was asked about reports of problems. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evaluation reports said that he had some difficulties in his residency fitting into his residency and so we worked very hard to integrate him into our practice and integrate him into our organization and he adapted really well and was doing a really good job for us.
TODD: But Hasan's former colleagues tell us of Hasan talking about the persecution of Muslims. Justifying suicide bombings during presentations in class and saying his allegiance was to the Koran, not the constitution. MPR reports Hasan's superiors had a series of meetings in 2008 and 2009 discussing whether Hasan was psychotic, but they didn't find clear evidence that he was unstable.
Why wasn't he disciplined or at the very least counseled? At least two of Hasan's former classmates believe they know Hasan's superiors were reluctant to discipline him because they didn't want to alienate a Muslim soldier. While this was their strong belief, they didn't provide evidence of that. A retired military lawyer familiar with such investigations says political correctness does factor in these situations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a post 911 world, there are a lot of forces in the military that may be very hesitant to give the appearance that they're singling out Muslim soldiers, even when that individual Muslim soldier may be making statements that are looked at as very incendiary and very questionable.
TODD: Defense Department officials wouldn't comment on that and there are no specific information that Hasan's superiors didn't address his presentations with him or that they avoided doing so because he's Muslim. Given these patterns, should someone have intervened with Nadal Hasan? General Russel Onore who was not involved in Hasan's career makes this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something was missed in this major's tone, his demeanor and the things that have been reported that he has said that we could have possibly done more to help him before he got that far.
TODD: The former colleague I spoke with says, he's beating himself up these days over that same question, asking himself repeatedly if he could have done something, he says he doesn't think he could have. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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LONG: We want to bring you this follow up, this time yesterday Baltimore police were still searching for a convicted murderer suspected in the rape and killing of a 15-year-old boy. Last night, police got their man. Dante Parrish is now facing murder charges for allegedly stabbing 15-year-old Jason Madison Jr. with a box cutter and strangling him with a pillowcase.
Police says, Parrish sexually assaulted the boy and stuffed his body in a closet. He was convicted of another murder 10 years ago, but won a retrial because of mistakes made in the case. That's when authorities dropped the ball again. Evidence was lost, so Parrish got a plea deal for time served and then was let out of prison in January.
Kabul, not quite a golfer's paradise. Definitely, one of the more challenging courses you'll play in your lifetime. Bunkers, they got plenty of them. Greens? Not so much, don't seem too many.
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LONG: The top stories this Friday afternoon, the suspect in the so- called house of horrors case in Cleveland is back in court this morning, in a case not related to the murder charges. Anthony Sowell pleaded not guilty in the sexual attack that led to the search of his home, in that search police discovered 11 bodies. Right now, Sowell is charged with five counts of murder in that case.
In Missouri, (inaudible) a horrific child sex abuse case and police say they have identified more victims. A 77-year-old man and his four adult sons arrested earlier this week after six alleged victims all relatives of the men came forward, the latest suspect is not related to the other five.
And success for NASA and its shoot the moon mission, this is a pretty cool story. NASA says the craft that was intentionally crashed into a lunar crater last month found the best evidence yet of water. That finding from studying to break (inaudible) in the crash.
And in Afghanistan, where the driving range meets the rifle range. Who knew you could play through in a country that's been through so much. Welcome to Kabul's golf course. Home of the roughest rough around. With the story, here's CNN Sarah Sidner.
SARAH SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Take a few seconds to soak in this golfer's paradise. At first glance, the only hint that this is even a golf course are the pins that mark the holes, but it's paradise in Afghanistan because it is the only golf course in the entire country. Mohammad Abzal Abdul runs the place. He is so serious about golf he has risked his life for the love of the game and this crumbling course.
REPORTER: You said you were captured twice?
MOHAMMAD ABZAL ABDUL: Yes, twice, one the Russian and the Taliban.
SIDNER: Jailed both times on suspicion of spying because foreigners frequented this place. Over 30 years, he and his course keep coming under attack. When you talk about bunkers on this course, it's the real thing. First the Russians invaded using this a military base.
ABDUL: Now, you see I show the tank, old tank there, that's a Russian tank.
REPORTER: So, there's still a tank up there, I see it.
ABDUL: That's old tank, the Russian, the first time come here. SIDNER: When the Russians left, then came the Taliban, destruction from their attack is still visible. This used to be the golf club bar, blown up because alcohol was sold here. When Abdul returned after fleeing the war, he came to his course clean it up. First things first, he hired the sheep to walk the property in case of land mines.
REPORTER: So, the sheep walks and in case there were mines, it would be the sheep that got hurt?
ABDUL: I give money.
SIDNER: Abdul is back again to play and teach.
ABDUL: Put on the green.
REPORTER: Put it on the green, you mean the brown.
ABDUL: Nice shot.
SIDNER: If you don't make it to the imaginary green here, you're in for a bumpy ride.
Besides the ditches, the rocks and oil in sand greens. There's one more thing you have to worry about when you come out here, and that's security the road here is known for kidnappings and robberies.
And that may explain why today, I'm his only client, but Abdul isn't giving up his unwavering belief that Afghanistan's only golf course will see greener pastures. Sarah Sidner, CNN, Kabul.
LONG: His only client, but she certainly got a personal lesson there. Pretty good swing, Don Lemon, 3:00 p.m. in the newsroom right now. Hi, Don.
