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CNN Live Saturday

Bloody Day in Baghdad; President Bush's Poll Numbers Still Dismal

Aired June 17, 2006 - 16:30   ET

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

FREDRICK WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A look at our top stories. A massive search is under way for two U.S. soldiers missing soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers disappeared last night after an attack by insurgents near the town of Yusufiya. Another U.S. soldier was killed in that attack.
New Orleans police are looking for at least one suspect in a deadly street shooting this morning. Five teenagers were killed. It's the most violent single crime in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

Retaliation in Gaza. Israel confirms it launched an air strike against members of Islamic Jihad yesterday. At least one militant was killed and three were wounded. Earlier, Palestinian militants fired five rockets into Israel.

And a day in space. NASA says Discovery will rocket into space on July 1st. During the 13 day mission the shuttle crew will deliver splice and a European astronaut to the International Space Station. It is NASA's first manned space flight in a year.

And now, carnage in Iraq. Insurgents staged a string of deadly bombings across Baghdad, defying a new security crackdown in the capital. More now from CNN's Cal Perry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is not the day the prime minister of Iraq or the American military hoped for. Day four of the prime minister's security plan for Baghdad dubbed "Operation Together Forward" brought a bloody response from the insurgency.

Attacks across the country have killed at least 40. In Baghdad alone, at least 35 are dead with over 130 others wounded. The worst attacked, targeting the very security forces attempting to secure the city. An Iraqi army and police patrol hilt by a suicide car bomb. Eleven dead here, 15 others wounded. In a central Baghdad market, a bomb rips through the crowd. Five dead, at least 25 others wounded.

And in northern Baghdad, a sectarian target, a crowded Shia market. Two dead, at least 14 wounded. Shias falling under sectarian attacks for the second day in a row. Yesterday's attack on a Shia mosque still fresh on people's minds.

"A parked car exploded here, he says. There's no mosque or church here. It exploded by the shops and innocent people were killed."

The recent violence has not spared American troops. A stark reminder of the danger facing the U.S. military.

CALDWELL: Last night, a coalition force soldier was killed and two others are currently listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown after their security element came under attack at a traffic control point south of Yusufiya, Iraq.

PERRY: A massive search is under way for the U.S. soldiers. The area in Yusufiya shut down.

(on camera): According to the Iraqi government, al Qaeda in Iraq is on its final days. Today, however, proved a stark reminder to the Iraqi security forces, the Iraqi people and the U.S. military that there is still a fight to be had. Cal Perry, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Achieving peace in Iraq, the theme of President Bush's radio address today. Mr. Bush says his surprise trip to Baghdad this week was intended to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the Iraqi people and their government. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is spending the weekend. Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fred. A little R&R for a president who has been logging a lot of frequent flyer miles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): President Bush is spending Father's Day weekend at his Texas ranch, getting some down time after crisscrossing the globe to praise the formation of a new Iraqi government. And then racing from the White House to Seattle and on to New Mexico to raise big money for vulnerable Republican lawmakers where he addressed Iraq head-on as a midterm election issue.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: And the best way to protect the American people is to stay on the offense and bring the killers to justice so they don't hurt the American people again.

In need people in the United States Congress like Heather that understands that the war on terror is not just Iraq, but it's Afghanistan and it's places where people plan and plot their attacks on the United States of America.

HENRY: At a top in Albuquerque for Congresswoman Heather Wilson, the president charged Democrats are trying to cut and run from Iraq. As the new CNN poll shows approval of the president's handling of the war has risen five points to 39 percent since last month.

BUSH: We face determined enemies who remain intent on killing the innocent and defeating these enemies will require more sacrifice and the continued patience of our country. But our efforts in Iraq are well worth it. The mission is necessary for the security of our country and we will succeed.

HENRY: But in her response to the president's weekly radio address, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi noted 2,500 American servicemen and women have now lost their lives.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) CA: It is time for a new direction in Iraq. At the earliest practicable time the United States must begin the responsible redeployment of its troops and the Iraqis must assume the burden of defending their own country.

HENRY: While the president has consistently rejected it, the CNN poll now shows 53 percent of Americans want a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (on camera): The CNN poll also shows the president's overall job rating has only increased one point in the last month. Leading Democrats to charge if this is a Bush bounce, Republicans have a lot of work to do between now and November.

Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much in Crawford.

The men and women of the U.S. military are being called on to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are other armed American forces engaged in battle. Some call them mercenaries, but they say they're fighting for national and global security. Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson takes us inside the world of private military contractors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The company has never let a TV crew in like this before. Blackwater vice president Chris Taylor escorts us around.

He shows us police officers shooting on the practice range. On mock ships Blackwater trains sailors in force protection after the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. Would-be private military contractors trained to defeat insurgents.

CHRIS TAYLOR, BLACKWATER V.P.: What we're on right now is the country's largest tactical driving track.

ROBERTSON: Two point six miles. Custom built. Training here matches daily realities in Baghdad.

TAYLOR: We're going to do a little slalom work here. Again, imagine that you've been attacked. Now you're weaving in and out of traffic to get your principal off the X to get to a safe zone.

ROBERTSON: Blackwater is the brain child of camera shy multimillionaire Eric Prince. After 9/11, business boomed. They've just built a brand new headquarters.

(on camera): I see the gun barrels on the doors.

TAYLOR: Yes. ROBERTSON: A nice touch.

TAYLOR: A little bit of the Blackwater motif.

ROBERTSON: Here it is as well, Blackwater.

(voice-over): Wartime demands allow them to expand. They're now the second largest employer in northeastern North Carolina.

TAYLOR: Right, 8,000 square feet in the original building, 64,000 square feet here.

ROBERTSON (on camera): That's a big expansion.

TAYLOR: It is a rather big expansion but it's needed. Certainly we've left room for growth.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Growth because Taylor believes Blackwater has a bright future.

TAYLOR: There's opportunities all over the world. Where we think that we can make a very big impact immediately is in peacekeeping operations.

ROBERTSON: The protection of innocents in Darfur, Sudan, is just one of the global hot issues the company says it is ready to tackle. It's so committed to expansion in new markets, Blackwater hired 30-year CIA veteran Cofer Black who for years headed the U.S. hunt for Osama bin Laden.

COFER BLACK, VICE CHAIRMAN, BLACKWATER USA: My company could deploy a reasonably small force under the guidance and leadership of any established national authority and do a terrific job.

ROBERTSON: As vice chairman of Blackwater, he's using his global contacts to search out new lucrative contracts. And not just in the realm of peacekeeping. The company is developing airships for surveillance. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, heavily armed Blackwater protection teams were among the first on the scene.

TAYLOR: If you notice the hull is in a V shape.

ROBERTSON: And frustrated by the high U.S. troop death toll from roadside bombs, Blackwater has built a prototype for an armored alternative to the humvee. The company says it can assemble hundreds of battle-ready men. A small private army at a moment's notice.

BLACK: Those companies that limit themselves particularly to providing only security services will be increasingly challenged over time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you can see Nic Robertson's full report, "Hired Guns, Private Security Firms in Iraq" tonight at 10:00 Eastern and tomorrow at 5:00 Eastern here on CNN. Life as a refugee. Having to flee everything you know for a strange new world. We'll meet two people going through exactly that, next.

But first, some quick hellos from troops in Iraq to their dads at home on this Father's Day weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is Lance Corporal Eric D. Fratelo (ph), Combat Logistics Battalion 7, (inaudible), Iraq. I would like to give a wish out to Happy Father's day to my dad Donald Fratelo (ph) in Michigan. Happy Father's Day, dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, this is Lance Corporal Robert Thompson from Alaside (ph), Iraq. I just want to say Happy Father's Day to Eric Thompson back home in Niles (ph), Michigan. Thanks for all your support. Can't wait to see you. Love you, bye.

This is Lance Corporal Brian Webber (ph) in Alaside (ph), Iraq. I would like to say Happy Father's Day to my father Glen Webber in Redford, Michigan. See you soon, dad. Oo-rah.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Scenes there from the "Lost Boys of Sudan," a highly acclaimed documentary that gave many their first glimpse inside the lives of refugees. The film is being re-released at select theaters around the country as part of the upcoming celebration of World Refugee Day.

Joining us to talk about their experiences as refugees are Milly and Robert Odong, siblings who fled from Sudan just 18 months ago, now living in Atlanta. But it wasn't a direct journey. After being forced to leave Sudan, you ended up in Kenya.

MILLY ODONG, SUDANESE REFUGEE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Staying at a refugee camp there for quite a few years before making your way to this country.

M. ODONG: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So Milly, how do you summarize what has this journey been like for you?

M. ODONG: Right from when I fled the country, I don't want to recall about it because it's so painful. I believe mostly you have been seeing through the television and on the newspaper how things are going on over there. Things are really horrible. War is not good. War is not good at all because it brings a lot of untold suffering to children, women, youth and the men, entire family. Brings family separation where you may not know where your mom is, your dad is, you may not know where your brother or sister is or your wife or your husband. So it brings family separation and a lot of suffering. Starvation. And a lot of things.

WHITFIELD: How were you and your brother Robert able to stay together so that to this day you're able to be together?

M. ODONG: In fact, we were not even together. I ran alone by myself. And we end up meeting in Kenya in the refugee -- I went in a different direction. I also went in a different direction. And then when we met at the reception center where everybody and when the UN (inaudible) gets people from the border side after e long journey, you walk, maybe your feet are swollen and with the starvation, you are not even eating anything. Then we found ourselves at the border and then we were picked up from the border of Kenya and Sudan and then we were brought to (inaudible).

WHITFIELD: Where you stayed for another four years or so.

M. ODONG: Four or five years.

WHITFIELD: So Robert, after all of that, you know, the hardship of having to flee your country and then be at a refugee camp there in, you know, a foreign land in Kenya, to get adjusted to that, and then to be uprooted one more time to end up here in the U.S. where you've been for the last 18 months, this has been an incredible roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences for you, hasn't it?

ROBERT ODONG, SUDANESE REFUGEE: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: It has been very difficult?

R. ODONG: Yeah, it was so very hard, you know. We came from - my sister tried to say that from Sudan to Kenya, border of Kenya to Sudan. So it was so very hard to get in because we were brought here to the United States. So to get inside here hard to get inside here, to the United States.

WHITFIELD: So you consider yourselves lucky to have been able to be relocated to the United States?

R. ODONG: Yeah. About up one side (ph) can be just that we're lucky about education. In Africa there's a lot of war. In Sudan, there's no school, no education. So you will be killed just trying to locate your parents. So it is hard to get to your parents. So education is about the last thing you get, an education. So that's why we're lucky to come to the United States. So I get a free education. And I'm going to study hard, too.

WHITFIELD: So this week, as the World Refugee Day for the first time is being recognized, what you are hoping people will either learn or promise or commit to as we look at a growing number of people who are being given refugee status, whether it's fleeing an African nation as a result of war or some other hardships? What are you hoping that people will recognize or gain or commit to or promise on World Refugee Day?

MILLY ODOPNG: What I would say is like -- because I don't like the title of refugee because like you find like born a refugee, your children are refugee and you know the life of the refugee. It's not good at all. What does it say is I call upon all the international communities and all the world and those who really wish for peace and hope they should really do something to let people anything to do with war should stop so that let people go back and the name refugee to vanish from this earth so that people go back to their home places and then they go to the normal life they used to lead.

And if possible because soon as I see things, it was incredible. I wish I had the power, I could bring everybody who is suffering and put them over here. And see people throw away food and put away the thing and you trying to have some people can't afford like to walk to schools and the children can't afford to go to school because they don't have. Some people can't afford to do something because they don't have water. Some people can't afford something because they don't have stuff to eat, they just drink water (ph) or (inaudible).

So what I'm saying is I would just call upon the well wishers, the peacemakers, international communities to come over, let's join hands and stop what we call war. And I wall call upon people like to those who make the chemical (ph) that it's a business, I know it's business but it's doing more harm than good.

WHITFIELD: All right.

M. ODONG: What I would say is stop the making of those weapons that create like a lot of suffering in a third world country like Africa. And the other thing is ...

WHITFIELD: We hope a lot of people are listening to exactly your plea and others, especially on this day which is for now being marked World Refugee Day.

M. ODONG: So that you give hope for people so that, you know, you go back home and you lead the normal life you used to. Like African culture is very rich where people used to live together.

WHITFIELD: Well, Milly, we're running out of time.

M. ODONG: I'm sorry.

WHITFIELD: But certainly we'd like to talk to you some more. Perhaps we'll have another opportunity to bring you and Robert back. Best of luck to you while you're here in Atlanta. And best of luck for the future, too. Thanks so much.

M. ODONG: Thank you. We also thank you and we also thank the government of USA. We thank the international rescue committee and the UN and everybody will do their best, everybody.

WHITFIELD: Lot of people involved. All right.

M. ODONG: Everybody, we thank everybody. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: Well, on Tuesday, CNN will focus its resources all day long on the refugee crisis. Tune in for our -- extensive coverage. Twenty million without a home. World Refugee Day and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: More of CNN SATRUDAY straight ahead with Carol Lin.

Hello?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. Coming up in the next couple of hours, of course we're covering all the day's news. But at 5:00 a terrific story about an American man who desperately needs a kidney. Right? He gets taken off the transplant list. They say, there's no hope for you. He goes to China, he pays $80,000 and he is alive today. But whose organ was it? What were the channels in that.

So a CNN investigation, terrific series. Then at 6:00, we're covering the missing soldiers. The missing American soldiers. I'll talk with a brigadier general about exactly what they're doing on the ground to find these men.

And also I'll be talking with our Arab affairs editor about what's the traffic out there, what's the word? We have one of the best here, Octavia Nasr. She monitors all the Web sites. She has got contacts all over the Middle East. I'll be talking to her as well at 6:00.

WHITFIELD: We'll be looking for that. Thanks so much, Carol.

A double dose of eagle magic at the U.S. Open today. But one big name is missing from the scoreboard. For the first time in a decade, Tiger Woods missed the cut. Larry Smith is in New York. Larry?

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Fredricka. It's true. It has been more than 24 hour since we knew Tiger was not play this weekend, but the shadow that he cast is so large, everyone is still talking about the fact that Tiger Woods is not here. The world's top ranked golfer, 12 over par the first two rounds. As you mentioned, for the first time as a professional, missing a cut at a major. He really struggled all week long. And so certainly he'll try to get that major back at the British. We're coming off that nine-week layoff after his father's death in early May.

Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, the winner of the last two majors. He's trying to join an elite fraternity. Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods the only other golfers to win three consecutive professional majors. Phil won the PGA last August, the masters in April. Right now he's 1 over par today. Four over par on the tournament. This tough Winged Foot course has really been tough.

Again, the overnight leader Steve Stricker (ph). He's come back now one shot to the field. So he and Kenneth Ferrie (ph), the Englishman, the Brit making his first start at the U.S. open, both now are at even par.

Jim Furyk is at three over part and also Vijay Singh, five over. We talked about Colin Montgomerie, the Scotman trying to get something done at 42 years old and win his first career major. Five over on the day, five over for the tournament. But again, Phil Mickelson, everyone watching him now, especially with Tiger gone, four over par, four shots off the pace as play continues here in the third round.

WHITFIELD: All right. Larry Smith, thanks so much.

And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Carol Lin is up next with a look at your top stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Dozens of Iraqis killed and two U.S. soldiers go missing. We have the latest details. And America's home grown terror threat. Why securing the borders isn't the only answer keeping you safe.

And turning harvested organs from executed prisoners into a profitable business. Why that has a critic comparing what one nation is doing to Nazism.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Carol Lin and here's what's happening right now in the news.

The search goes on for two American soldiers missing in Iraq. A third soldier was killed in an insurgent attack at a traffic checkpoint. We've got the latest developments straight ahead.

And another show of support for the marines accused of killing an Iraqi man. For the second week in a row demonstrators gathered outside Camp Pendelton

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