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Violence Surging Across Iraq; Iraq Will Play Prominent Role in State of the Union Address; Coming to America

Aired January 22, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Monday, January 22nd.

Here's what's on the rundown.

An American helicopter down on the Iraqi plain. Today, indications the Black Hawk was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile.

HARRIS: Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. Filmmaker Rory Kennedy is here to talk about her politically-charged documentary. It is stirring a lot of talk at Sundance.

COLLINS: A big bunny for Kim Jong-il. As odd as it sounds, monster rabbits about to invade North Korea.

Yes, we will explain, here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: At the top this hour, violence surging across Iraq on this bloody, bloody Monday. Mortars rain down on an elementary school and bombs rip into separate marketplaces. The death toll breathtaking and inching up by the hour. Some 300 people dead or wounded.

CNN's Michael Holmes joins us now from Baghdad.

And Michael, just hours after this morning's double bombing there was another attack north of Baghdad. What can you tell us about that?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, that's right, Tony.

After that deadly bombing here in the heart of the capital, about 100 kilometers northeast of here, in Diyala Province, there was another bomb and also mortars at a marketplace in that area. And 12 people were killed, several dozen wounded.

That death toll, as awful as it is, pales in comparison to what happened less than a mile from where I stand now. At about midday local time we heard the explosions, twin explosions just a few seconds apart. They were both car bombs and they were both at a sprawling marketplace, the biggest marketplace in Baghdad. And the car bombs went off, enormous car bombs, too. There were a couple of hundred pounds of explosives in both of them. Seventy-five dead, 160 wounded.

This is in a mixed Sunni-Shia area, although mainly Shias shop there, we should point out. As you can imagine, Tony, carnage, body parts strewn across the area. The third time in as many months that this marketplace has been targeted. However, this by far the most damaging in terms of loss of life -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Michael, over the weekend in Karbala, insurgents dressed as U.S. soldiers infiltrated actually several layers of security to launch an attack against Americans. I can imagine everyone is being questioned.

What are military investigators learning?

HOLMES: Yes. Well, they're not telling us, that's for sure. Everybody's clamped down on the U.S. side because they're obviously very concerned about what went on there. And what went on was unprecedented and it was absolutely extraordinary.

Seven to eight SUVs, tinted windows, looking a lot like the convoys that do travel around Iraq, official ones, drove up to a compound where U.S. and Iraqi troops were meeting, ironically, about security, and drove not just into the compound, but got into the building. They got through three checkpoints because the Iraqi police thought they were Americans.

They were wearing uniforms similar to U.S. ones, had fake IDs, spoke English. Got into the building, opened fire, targeted American troops only. Five U.S. soldiers killed, three of them wounded.

As you can imagine, there's an intensive investigation under way. An Iraqi police spokesman told us that everyone from the police chief on down is being interrogated -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Michael, is there any new information about the cause of that helicopter crash that killed a dozen U.S. soldiers on Saturday?

HOLMES: That's right. Four crew and eight passengers on board that Black Hawk helicopter were among the 27 U.S. troops killed over the weekend.

What we're hearing from sources at the Pentagon, senior sources there are saying it does now appear that that helicopter was indeed shot down by ground fire. A surface-to-air missile we're told. And so the early confusion about whether it was weather, whether it was engine fire, it looks like it was enemy fire -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Michael Holmes for us in Baghdad.

Michael, as always, thank you. COLLINS: The war on terror isn't going away. That warning likely to be part of President Bush's State of the Union message tomorrow night. Details leaking out all weekend long.

White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano has been on top of that for us.

Elaine, Iraq certainly figures to play a very prominent role in the president's remarks.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That's correct, Heidi. Good morning to you.

Iraq continues to be a main focus for this White House, particularly amid bipartisan skepticism about the president's new strategy on Capitol Hill. So tomorrow night, when he heads to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the president will once more try to make the case that his plan for more than 21,000 additional troops to pacify Baghdad and the rest of Anbar Province can be effective.

Now, aides say that the president's comments on the Iraq war will be made within the context of the larger war on terror. At the same time, officials say that the president will also use the opportunity to push his domestic agenda. And they insist that the Iraq war has not diminished the president's ability to lead on those issues.

Here is Tony Snow, White House press secretary, last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is going to offer some bold proposals that Congress could in fact enact and, in the process, make itself look good and, more importantly, do the people's business. So George W. Bush as a president is not somebody who is going to cease to be bold because there's been -- because right now people are concerned about the progress of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: And the White House clearly trying to shift some of the attention off of the president's foreign policy and on to those domestic issues. What are they? We know they include healthcare, also immigration, education, and energy policy -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. We will be watching for that very full agenda, likely a long address.

Elaine Quijano, live from a snowy White House lawn.

Thank you.

And CNN is the place to watch the State of the Union Address. Listen to this. Our primetime coverage begins Tuesday night at 7:00 Eastern. You can watch a special two-hour edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." Then, President Bush's address live on CNN, followed by the Democratic response. At 10:30 Eastern, Anderson Cooper has reaction from around the world, followed with a special midnight edition of "LARRY KING LIVE."

The best political team on television has you covered.

HARRIS: President Bush getting some support for his Iraq plan, while at the same time a high-profile senator from his party wants to go in a different direction.

Let's get the latest on this developing story from CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.

And Dana, if you would, help us sort out who is siding with the president and who is against his plan.

Good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Well, you know, I think it's important to find point out, we've been talking for the past week or so about the fact that some high- profile Republicans have been coming out and saying that they oppose the president's plan -- the Republicans who had supported him for some time. Well, today, we are going to hear from a very influential, a senior Republican, making clear that he does not support the president on increasing the troop levels in Iraq. That Republican is the senior senator from Virginia, the former Armed Services chairman in the Senate, John Warner.

Now, we are told that he is going to introduce a resolution later this afternoon, along with at least one other Republican and a conservative Democrat, making clear that he believes that sending more U.S. troops into what he has called increasing sectarian violence is a mistake. And that is a message, certainly, that is not going to sit well with the White House, because John Warner, as I said, is a very influential voice when it comes to military matters, especially the Iraq war. Until this fall, he had been wholeheartedly behind the president and the war. And he is somebody who has a lot of sway with his colleagues, Republicans and Democrats here on the Hill.

So that is something we're going to be very interested in watching later today.

On the flip side of that, we have been looking at many Republicans who have simply not been saying anything at all about the president's plan. Today we heard from one Republican who was wavering, David Vitter from Louisiana. He said he actually does support the president.

He released a statement just a short while ago saying that he had -- after several talks and consultations with senior officials at the White House, that he is going to support the president's plan, but also said that he made clear to them at the White House that he wants to hear about a diplomatic conference that they would initiate, about benchmarks for the Iraqis, and also to clearly examine whether the number of troops that they're sending, 21,500, is enough. Because as the senator said in his statement, "We've made from the beginning, underestimating the troops we need."

So there you have one of the wavering Republicans deciding after many talks with the White House that he is going to support the president's plan. But again, we are going to have a very influential Republican voice making clear later today that he does not -- Tony.

HARRIS: You know, Dana, I'm just curious, do these senators that you talk to believe that their opinion on this direction, this shift in Iraq, matters to the president?

BASH: That's a very good question. You know, the Democrats who have started to talk about this last week said that they believe the president should listen. And if nothing else, to look at what happened in the election and even to look at the current polls that say that the majority of Americans are against sending more troops to Iraq.

But the bottom line is, it is important to remember that these resolutions that they are talking about right now are symbolic. They're non-binding resolutions. There is nothing that is really moving forward in a real level to do something -- to really use the power that Congress has, whether it's the power of the purse to take away some money, or even to try to -- to change the president's strategy in any other way in terms of legislation.

These are simply symbolic resolutions.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: They hope that the president will listen. But privately, they know it's going to be tough.

HARRIS: Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, for us.

Dana, thank you.

COLLINS: The race is on and the field is getting ever so crowded. Over the weekend, three more presidential hopefuls jumped into the political fray.

On the Democratic side, Democratic senator Hillary Clinton says she's in and in to win, announcing an exploratory committee on her Web site Saturday. She hopes to become the first woman president.

New Mexico Democratic governor Bill Richardson made his own Web announcement Sunday, forming an exploratory committee. A successful run could make him the nation's first Hispanic president.

And on the Republican side, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas formally announced his candidacy as well.

As we head in to the crucial presidential elections, stay up to date with the CNN Political Ticker. It will give you an inside of the day's political stories. That's on cnn.com/ticker.

HARRIS: Let's talk weather a bit here. It just won't let up. Weather, it's everywhere. That's why it's weather.

Another wave of snow, sleet, freezing rain pounding parts of the U.S. Treacherous roads after the nation's capital got slammed by its first major storm of the season. Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland also coping with snow, sleet and freezing rain in the heartland.

Snowplows are working overtime. Another round of snow fell across Nebraska and Kansas over the weekend. At least 11 traffic deaths in those two states are blamed on the storm.

COLLINS: In grave danger. A massive manhunt under way as police try to find four missing children and their mother. Where are agents concentrating that search now? We'll tell you about that ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Michael Devlin on the record. The suspected kidnapper now speaking from his Missouri jail cell. What he said ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And it's something you can't see, but it can kill you. Carbon monoxide a growing concern in the United States. The latest focus, hotel and motel rooms.

The story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A desperate search still going. Federal agents and local police expanding their search for four missing children and their mother. All allegedly abducted at gunpoint by the children's father.

The children range in age from 9 years to 16 months. Police believe they are in grave danger.

The ordeal started Friday night with a shooting at this home in Elkhart, Indiana. One man in critical condition right now. Police say the suspect, Jerry White, had been harassing his ex-girlfriend.

The search has moved about 100 miles from Elkhart to Chicago. That is where police believe White may have taken the children and their mother.

HARRIS: A controversial jailhouse interview with Michael Devlin. The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri teens talked with a reporter from "The New York Post." He wouldn't talk specifically about the case, but he did talk about being kept in isolation in prison, first saying, "They keep me away from everyone because they think I'm dangerous," then admitting, "They think I'll get beat up."

Devlin says he hasn't talked to his adoptive parents about the charges, saying instead, "It's much easier to talk to a stranger about these things than your own parents." Devlin's attorneys are upset about the interview. They say the reporter never should have been allowed to see their client.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN CORLIJA, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S ATTORNEY: She, again, used the ruse that she was a family friend. And when she even got into see Mr. Devlin, she misrepresented to him who she was.

So, you know, he had no reason to believe that she was any type of a reporter or that this would make the press in any way -- his statements would make the press in any way. You know, look, we're going to be honest. It's lonely where Mr. Devlin is right now. OK? And I'm sure he longs to talk to people, but there are certain people that he absolutely cannot talk to.

MICHAEL KIELTY, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S ATTORNEY: As a matter of fact, some other local media attempted to contact Mr. Devlin. And they were not allowed to see him. It was only when this "New York Post" reporter came in and passed herself off as a family friend and deceived the sheriff's department down there that she gained access. It was through deception.

CORLIJA: Our client has not even been able to read the article. From what Mike and I know about our client, the facts that we know, we know that there are certain inconsistencies, inaccuracies in that article.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: "The New York Post" says they stand by their story. A statement from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office reiterates that Devlin saw the reporter beforehand in the jail and told them to let her in.

Meanwhile, Devlin's attorneys say they will file a motion today to have their client moved to a more secure location.

COLLINS: Coming to America. They came with nothing. Now the Smithsonian's honoring their success. The story of Vietnamese immigrants with insight from our Betty Nguyen. That's all coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And sold! The auction of CNN's Warrior One sends money to a great cause. How the new owner plans to continue what CNN started, that's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Coming to America. Our history books are full of stories of sacrifice and surviving overwhelming odds. Now at the Smithsonian -- the Smithsonian, Betty?

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's the Smithsonian, yes.

HARRIS: This nation's keeper of things historical, there is a new exhibit on the block, Vietnamese-Americans.

Our Betty Nguyen is not only covering the story, she is actually part of it. And she joins us here in the NEWSROOM this morning. Great to see you, lady.

NGUYEN: Well, thank you. I mean, this was just such a tremendous honor.

I had the honor, as I mentioned, of attending this unveiling of this exhibit last week in Washington. And what it does is it shows for the first time the unique experience of Vietnamese-Americans.

It is our story of what it took to get here and what we've been able to accomplish just in the short three decades that we've been in America. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: I'm here with Vu Pham, the curator of this first-of-a- kind exhibit here at the Smithsonian.

And Dr. Pham, talk to me about why it's called "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon," the significance of that.

VU PHAM, EXHIBIT CURATOR: Yes. And it's interesting, Betty, that you mentioned -- emphasized "little," because it's not a little transition. What's important here is that we're looking to talk about our exodus as a large community from Vietnam after the Vietnam War, but that we've created and fused a brand new identity, which is Little Saigon.

NGUYEN: But that identity took a lot of struggle and sacrifice. Let's move through the exhibit so we can get a real good idea of not only Vietnamese-Americans leaving the country, but as they were doing so, they had to go through many different refugee camps.

And we've got an example of one over here. Talk to me about this.

PHAM: Yes, this is a refugee camp that typically was during the boat person exodus. So, actually, post-1975. And this was -- we tried to replicate a common situation where someone had a very small cot to stay in. They had to hang dry their clothing. And on top of that, they might have had a small little wash bin which is actually behind our display.

So they were very sparse environments.

NGUYEN: And then we have really a tribute to the boat people, because the sacrifice of the boat people has been so tremendous. Not only were they having to be at sea for so long, a lot of them lost their lives trying to come to this country.

PHAM: Yes. It's estimated -- the estimates vary widely, from the hundreds of thousands to, some say, close to two million died at sea. And here's an actual photo of someone who perished.

NGUYEN: Not only that, but there are other many other things featured in this exhibit, Dr. Pham. Talk to me about the significance of the people that you featured here.

PHAM: Oh, sure. And we have some people who have contributed greatly to change the face of America.

NGUYEN: We have astronauts, we have professional football players.

PHAM: The co-author of the Patriot Act. We have the designer of the Ford Mustang, 40th anniversary edition. And we have for our viewers, you, actually.

NGUYEN: We don't need to talk about that.

PHAM: The first Vietnamese-American news anchor. So we have to -- I know you're being modest, but we really want to highlight that. As well as fashion designers that have been worn by celebrities.

NGUYEN: Lastly, I want to ask you this, the importance of this exhibit to you, not only as the curator, but as Vietnamese-Americans.

PHAM: Personally, I was so honored to have been selected to be the curator here. And I did have a lot of reservations. And actually, this reflects the Vietnamese-American community, that we are so vibrant in many ways, have contributed so much, yet we're still internally warring in certain ways with the loss of our homeland, starting life anew. That we're both proud, but we also want to remember and honor those who have fallen to search for freedom here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that's really what it was and still is, a search for freedom.

HARRIS: Wow.

NGUYEN: And that's what this country has really done, given us that freedom and opportunity.

I do want to mention that this exhibit in the Smithsonian, something that we're so truly proud of, it's there through the end of March. Then after that, if you can't get up to Washington to see it, it will tour the nation for three years.

So you will have plenty of chances to come on out and visit it.

HARRIS: Betty, Betty, Betty. A couple things. First of all, how much of this exhibit actually mirrors your family's experience leaving Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon in 1975?

NGUYEN: Well, you know, it's not only my family. It's 130,000 others who left the country.

It was a frightful time, Tony, to be quite honest with you. The country was falling to communism.

My family personally, we -- I would say that we were lucky enough to have come out on a cargo plane. And I stress the word "cargo" plane. We have got some video of that. You can see us just jam- packed inside -- there's no seats.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: We're all just in the bottom of a cargo plane flying off to a new country, a country that didn't know a lot about -- a new language, a new culture. It was just so much about the unknown that we were just -- as my family has always said, taking a leap of faith.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you about that. Yes, your family says it was a walk on faith. But as I look at you, being here in the United States, building this wonderful life for yourself and this wonderful career here at CNN, is it fate or is it destiny?

NGUYEN: I don't know. I think about that a lot. You know, was this what my life was supposed to be?

It had to have been. Just think of the chances, a child born of war to get an opportunity to leave a country that was falling to communism and come to America, a place where freedom and opportunity just rings so loud here.

I would like to think it's destiny. I would like to think it's fate. What I do know is I am so blessed.

HARRIS: Yes. Why do you go back? And you do every year. Why do you go back?

NGUYEN: Yes. My family and I started a charity called Help the Hungry. And I go back because of this, what we're looking at right now.

These are people that never got a chance to leave. They are people that could have easily been me had my family not gotten out of the country, living in grass huts with dirt floors. And during the monsoon season, those floors just turn into water, sometimes waist deep. And there's no way out.

And so we created this charity called Help the Hungry. And we go back every year, giving humanitarian aid, food, clothing, medicine, hygienic supplies to people who really have nothing.

I mean, these are the rice fields. And you can see, it looks like a lake there.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: And unlike the U.S., there's no one who's going to come and just rescue you. You're on your own.

HARRIS: Betty at the Smithsonian. How good is that? How good is that?

Betty, thanks for your time.

NGUYEN: It's really an honor. Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks. Thanks for everything.

COLLINS: As we head into the crucial presidential elections, stay up to date with the CNN Political Ticker. It will give you an inside view of the day's political stories. I want to remind everybody, that is on cnn.com/ticker.

And among our top stories this morning, the race is on. And the field getting so crowded.

Over the weekend, three more presidential hopefuls jumped into the political fray. On the Democratic side, in a statement posted on her Web site, Senator Hillary Clinton said she is in and in to win. The New York senator is already making public appearances, putting a spotlight on healthcare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Health insurance for every child and universal health care for every American, that will be, you know, a very major part of my campaign. And I want to hear people's ideas about how we can achieve that goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: New Mexico Democratic governor Bill Richardson made his own Web announcement Sunday. Then he took straight to the talk show circuit and attacked the Iraq war issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: What you do is you set up a timetable for them to handle the security. You set national reconciliation talks with the three ethnic groups. You talk to Iran and Syria. What we need to do is bring their neighbors in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And on the Republican side, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas announced his candidacy Saturday and laid out his vision for Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Let us resolve to move forward together, to have a bipartisan strategy for the war. We need unity here to win over there. We need to have that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: "Body parts everywhere." One Iraqi official describing the scene of today's horrific attacks in Baghdad.

Insurgents targeting civilians in separate marketplaces. One in Baghdad, the other some 60 miles to the northeast. All totaled, about 100 people are dead, 200 are wounded.

American forces suffered a bloody weekend in Iraq. A dozen soldiers killed in a helicopter crash. And sources tell CNN the Black Hawk apparently was brought down by hostile fire. In all, 27 U.S. troops died Saturday and Sunday. Some in an unprecedented attack in Karbala. About 30 armed militants disguised as a U.S. military convoy passed through three checkpoints, then they attacked a secured compound and a meeting focusing on security concerns. Five U.S. troops killed. A massive investigation now under way.

The war in Iraq will be featured in President Bush's state of the union address tomorrow night. CNN is the place to be for prime time coverage. Join us tomorrow evening at 7:00 eastern for a special two- hour edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." Then President Bush's address live on CNN, followed by the Democratic response. Then at 10:30 eastern, Anderson Cooper has reaction from around the world followed by a special midnight edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Count on the best political team on television. We have you covered.

COLLINS: Hard times in Oklahoma. Lights coming back on in parts of the state, but people are still feeling pretty powerless. See why, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And it's something you can see, well, you can't see it. But it can kill you. Carbon monoxide, a growing concern in the U.S. And the latest focus, hotel and motel rooms. The story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: About 25,000 people in Oklahoma still without power, more than one week after ice storms there. Many of them now face another hardship, too. CNN's Reggie Aqui explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the lights finally came back on in southeast Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Y'all need more creamer?

AQUI: Wendy Singleton couldn't get back to work fast enough. For 10 days this waitress waited.

WENDY SINGLETON, WAITRESS: No power, no water, no work.

AQUI: Like most of McAlester, the Denny's restaurant where she works didn't have dependable power because of last week's huge ice storm. The ice is gone. And in many cases, so is the money.

SINGLETON: It means we're really broke and the car payment and everything is way behind.

AQUI: She laughs but there's nothing funny about what this mother of three now faces at home. Her savings, depleted.

SINGLETON: Right now, what I've made today, which is about $30.

AQUI: That's it?

SINGLETON: That's it.

AQUI: As Wendy Singleton works for her kids, David Robinson works for an extended family, the business owner bought 15 generators for people still without power. He delivers gasoline to keep those houses warm.

DAVID ROBINSON, MCALESTER BUSINESS OWNER: It is the time of need, I'll say that. Because we have really been devastated. I think you can drive around this entire town and see there's not a tree top left.

SINGLETON: Nora, you want me to take this out?

AQUI: Back at the restaurant, Wendy Singleton welcomes the breakfast crowd.

SINGLETON: I'm happy today because I'm at work. But you know, still a little sad because, you know, we need things that we can't buy. And it's going to take a while to make enough money to catch it back up.

AQUI (on camera): Now that the cold snap is over, she's working to unfreeze her assets. These power company workers, many of them from out of state have been putting in 14-hour days to try and get the lights back on. Their work is winding up, but as you can see, for the average person here in the hard-hit portion of the state, the work may just be beginning. Reggie Aqui, CNN, McAlester, Oklahoma.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Carbon monoxide poisoning, it can happen in your home and when you're away from home. A push now underway to get carbon monoxide detectors in hotel and motel rooms across the country. Details now from CNN's Susan Candiotti in our "Daily Dose."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In our last seven months at least four guests at hotels around the country have died from carbon monoxide fumes. And several others have been sickened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a nice room. We had no complaints about it whatsoever.

CANDIOTTI: When Richard Luters lost his son Thomas to apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in room 416 of the Doubletree Hotel in Key West, he had no idea they were next to the boiler room. Investigators suspect a boiler spewing odorless, noxious films is what killed Luters' son and left his father unconscious. A week before Luters died, guests who stayed in the same room were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. A lawsuit's been filed this week, plaintiff's lawyers inspected the hotel, providing their video to CNN. They're calling for state and federal laws to make CO monitors mandatory in hotels.

IRA LEESFIELD, CIVIL LIABILITY ATTORNEY: It's like some of the other things in life, it takes a tragedy to make a change.

CANDIOTTI: Two years ago, Barbara Bertot lost her daughter to carbon monoxide poisoning and got a law passed in Hialeah, Florida requiring CO monitors in homes and businesses.

BARBARA BERTOT, VICTIM'S MOTHER: Every business should have this monitor. This monitor, you know, costs pennies compared to losing a life.

CANDIOTTI: Only seven states mandate hotels to have carbon monoxide detectors. Florida is not one of them.

(on camera): What about the hotel industry policing itself? The American Hotel and Lodging Association offers no reasons why it does not set its own guidelines. Adding it's up to its members to comply with state and local building codes. Marriott says it has CO detectors in all its properties. La Quinta and the Intercontinental Hotel Group which includes Holiday Inn say some locations have monitors.

ASST. CHIEF STEVE MCINERNY, FORT LAUDERDALE FIRE DEPT.: And I think it's just a lack of education on the dangers of carbon monoxide.

CANDIOTTI: Hilton Hotels, including Doubletree says it has no policy on CO detectors. The Doubletree in Key West where Luters died last month says it plans to install CO detectors before it reopens. Advice for consumers, if you're worried, ask for a hotel's policy ahead of time or bring your own monitor. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Key West, Florida.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That's a good idea. Get your "daily dose" of health news online by logging on to our website, you will find the latest medical news, a health library, information on diet and fitness, the address, cnn.com/health.

COLLINS: It is a horror film, but not what you might think. A documentary set in Iraq is getting big buzz at the Sundance Film Festival. Meet the director, coming up, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: How can ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of evil? It's a question behind the documentary called "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib", showing at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Rory Kennedy is joining us now from the beautiful Park City, Utah. Rory, thanks for being with us. Want to talk to you about this documentary that you have crafted here. First and foremost, what made you want to do it? When you saw the pictures from Abu Ghraib was it something that said, I absolutely have to do something on this.

RORY KENNEDY, DIRECTOR, "GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB": Well, I think I, like so many other Americans and people around the world, was really shocked and horrified and ultimately saddened by what I saw in the images. And I just thought how could Americans do this to other people. And, you know, that question haunted me for a long time. And I thought, I really want to understand what motivated the people, the MPs, the soldiers who did this, were they psychopaths or were they the kid next door thrown into a bizarre and crazy situation. So that was kind of what motivated the film and then as I was able to get access to a number of the MPs, what I found is that they all said the same thing, which is we did it because we were told to do it. So the film becomes much more of an investigative piece. It was originally imagined to be more psychologically based but -- to understand kind of what motivated people but it became much more investigative once I found out that everybody basically I talked to said I did it because I was told to. So who told them and why, and what were the circumstances. That's what the film --

COLLINS: I'm sorry. Tell us who you did have an opportunity to talk with. Did you have a chance to talk with other soldiers who were there, Bush administration, Pentagon?

KENNEDY: We ended up talking to a number of people who were on the ground at Abu Ghraib in the fall of 2003, which is when most of the abuses took place. I interviewed over a dozen people who were there at the time. Many of whom were soldiers who had committed the abuse. Others were detainees who had been abused. And then we also interviewed eyewitnesses. We tried to get access to people within the administration. We had a hard time doing that, but we were able to talk to John Yew(ph) who did a good job in representing the administration's perspective. He was a key person in creating the legal framework for a lot of the policies that then took place.

COLLINS: You mentioned just a moment ago whether or not these were people who had existing problems in their lives. Mentally or otherwise, or if these were just sort of the boy or girl next door went bad or they were following orders. When you say that they were following orders, I think there's a lot of people who would say, boy, when we look back at Abu Ghraib, it makes a bad name for the entire military with a small group of people. Did you find that in your interviews?

KENNEDY: Well, what was immediately disarming for me in interviewing a number of the people who were involved is how likable they were and how I was able to connect with them. There was a real disconnect between what I saw in the images and the person who I interviewed. And, you know, I think the unfortunate reality is that a lot of these guys were thrown into a situation, they didn't have training. It was a very chaotic environment and on top of that, there were very clear messages including documentation, very high up the chain of command authorizing a lot of the behavior that we see in the photographs. To date, unfortunately, you know, there have been 11 low-ranking soldiers who have served time for the abuses at Abu Ghraib, but nobody up the chain of command has faced significant penalties. And there's a real injustice and unfairness there in my mind, and, I think, is demonstrated in the film.

COLLINS: Rory Kennedy, we appreciate your time here. Real quickly before we let you go, where will the film be distributed?

KENNEDY: It's going to be on HBO. It's going to premiere on February 22nd, 9:30 p.m. and I hope everybody tunes in.

COLLINS: Well the name of the film once again, documentary, is "Ghost of Abu Ghraib." Rory Kennedy is the director. Thanks for being here Rory.

KENNEDY: Thank you for having me.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up in just minutes here on CNN. Jim Clancy standing by with a preview. Jim, good morning.

JIM CLANCY, CNNI ANCHOR: Good morning to you Tony and Heidi. You know we're going to be bringing you up to date on all the latest from Iraq, the violence there. But also, the race is on to secure more than 150 cargo containers aboard a ship that is foundering off Britain's coast while limiting an oil spill and trying to hold back the looters.

While in Canada, the so-called trial of the century gets under way for a pig farmer accused in the murders of 26 people. The judges describe the evidence as fit for a horror film script.

And everybody, of course, loves giant bunny rabbits. And now it's just not like this that they love them, North Korea asking a pensioner in Germany to help them after spying his 23-pound rabbit. A rabbit that they hope to boost food production. We'll have all that. And the news from an international perspective. Heidi and Tony, back to you.

COLLINS: It's an interesting story isn't it Jim?

CLANCY: Yes, it is.

COLLINS: All right, we'll be watching. Thanks Jim. What do you do with a 20-pound rabbit? Well, of course, you ship him to North Korea. Big bunny business ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: A treasure trove on a British beach. Doesn't look so good, but scavengers are having a field day finding cars, motorcycles, camcorders and other stuff all washed up on the beach there. Hundreds of large containers fell off a cargo ship beached off the southwestern coast of England. This is not as good as the Doritos cargo.

HARRIS: No.

COLLINS: People have been told to stay away but the lure of free stuff, just too much. Meanwhile, crews are trying to siphon off thousands of gallons of fuel from the ship, oh yeah, there's that, before they have an environmental nightmare on their hands. HARRIS: Talk about vehicles, how about this one? Sold and for a great cause. The auction of CNN's Warrior One Hummer raised a hummer size amount for military families Saturday night. The founder of Re- Max paid 1 million bones for the combat hardened ride. A second bidder tossed in another $250,000 to help Fisher House, which provides housing for families of wounded vets near the hospitals where they are recuperating. CNN put Warrior One on the auction block to raise more than money though, we wanted to raise awareness and the hummer's new owner tells CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" he plans to continue what CNN started.

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DAVID LINIGER, BOUGHT CNN HUMMER: The Re-Max organization is very heavily involved with the military. I went to a couple of the military hospitals and met some of the amputees a year ago and we started our own foundation. So it was very important for us, we thought that we could use the vehicle to tour the country for the next couple years trying to raise more awareness and more money.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: All right, it's such a great story. I love it. We should probably all say it, because I know if I didn't say it, you would. How terrific our boss looked. Jim Long, did you see him there? He just looked really great.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I didn't see him but he always looks terrific.

COLLINS: Don Lemon is joining us now. You have to get it in when you can.

LEMON: How are you guys doing, did you have a good weekend?

HARRIS: Yes.

LEMON: That was a great event this weekend, we hope a lot of people paid attention to that, yeah, $1.2 million, fantastic. Appearing today in the NEWSROOM at 1:00, from town crier to television and now the web. For presidential hopefuls, it's all about getting your name out there and the Internet is clearly changing the campaign game. If the median is the message, what does the shift mean for candidates and voters? We'll get the 411, so to speak, or the I don't know, www, from veteran media critic Jeff Jarvis.

Plus, forget it Butch Cassidy, Sundance ain't kid stuff any more, call it shock and raw. The rough content in a bunch of new movies is generating tons of controversial buzz. You won't believe what some folks are saying in the content of some of these movies. Bradley Jacobs of "US Weekly" joins us live from Sundance Film Festival for more on that. All coming up today at 1:00, hope you join us then.

HARRIS: We'll be there.

COLLINS: All right, we'll do it. LEMON: You guys look great, not just Jim Long.

COLLINS: Ok, thank you.

HARRIS: You got us in so much trouble, thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: It was a compliment.

HARRIS: All right, and one other story we just have to tell you about before we go. A giant rabbit heading for North Korea, truthfully here. And the big bunnies could be a welcome sight. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen explains.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Ellie. Ellie is Germany's biggest bunny and she could help end a food shortage in North Korea, at least that's what the North Koreans seem to think.

KARL SZMOLINSKY, RABBIT BREEDER: A few months ago I received a phone call saying the North Koreas want to buy my rabbits for food production.

PLEITGEN: Karl Szmolinsky breeds big rabbits. Giant gray they're called and gigantic they are. Ellie and her bunny pal Robert have a combined weight of over 40 pounds.

(on camera): Robert here really is a very big and very, very heavy rabbit. In fact, there's enough meat in this rabbit to feed seven people.

(voice-over): And that's where North Korea comes in. For years, the internationally isolated country has been suffering from famine. Kim Jong-Il is looking for ways to provide food for his people and large rabbits could be part of the plan, experts say.

HANNS GUENTHER HILPERT, NORTH KOREA EXPERT: Why not. It's a pretty simple technology and basically you need manpower to look after the rabbits and that's what the North Koreans have.

PLEITGEN: So Robert and Ellie will wind up on North Korean plates before too long. But Karl Szmolinsky says that's just part of the business.

SZMOLINSKY: People in Germany eat rabbits as well. All of our rabbits are eaten. We sell them to the locals here in town.

PLEITGEN: Fourteen of Karl Szmolinsky's giant rabbits have already been shipped to North Korea. And if Pyongyang needs more, the next batch has just arrived. Karl Szmolinsky will visit North Korea in April to advise the government on how to breed giant rabbits. His secret is simple, he tells us, lots of water, plenty of food and lots and lots of love. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Edderswalde, Germany.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next right here on CNN. Have a great day, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

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