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Reunion in Tehran; North Korea Sunk South Korea Warship?; Patrolling Beaches for Oil; Thousands Protest in Athens; Most Competitive Nations; Pakistan Blocks Facebook; A Soldier's Story

Aired May 20, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips this morning. Here's what we're working on this morning.

Tears and tight hugs as American hikers reunite with their mothers. The moms' next move? Convincing Iran's leaders to let them leave Tehran with their children.

An al Qaeda leader in custody and talking to a western reporter about terror in Iraq. The kind of interview you hardly ever see. You'll see it this hour.

And not tar balls, not sheen, but heavy oil darkened Louisiana's door. The gulf oil slick now bigger than the state of Maryland.

All right, the mothers of three American hikers detained in Iran got to see them today for the first time in months. Pictures of the emotional reunion were shown on Iranian television.

The hikers have been detained since last July, and accused of spying.

CNN reporters are not being allowed into Iran at this time, but our Ivan Watson who has covered Iranian stories is following this story from Istanbul, Turkey -- Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you can expect, this was an emotional reunion for the three mothers who traveled to visit their children, who were detained nearly 10 months ago. They were hiking in northern Iraq in the Iraqi-Kurdistan region -- in scenic mountains that I've picnicked in before -- detained by Iranian security forces and accused of espionage.

This is the first chance at this meeting in a state-run hotel in the north of Tehran where there was a press conference. The first chance that we've had to really hear from the three detained American hikers. Here's what one of them - Sarah Shourd -- had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH SHOURD, AMERICAN HIKER: Our treatment is decent. It's really difficult being alone. Jim and Josh are in the room together but I'm alone. That's the most difficult thing for me. But I see them twice a day.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now we've also heard from the mothers who applied nearly six months ago for visas to go visit Iran. They were also there dressed in Islamic attire. This is what some of the mothers had to say after this emotional reunion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF HIKER: We had no instructions on our dress. But we thought it was the most respectful. And so there was maybe a scrum (ph) of different -- wear a different dress we could have.

We will tell everyone about our reception here in Iran. And we already have been treated so beautifully. And we will tell everyone about this reception, absolutely.

CINDY HICKEY, MOTHER OF HIKER: Very grateful to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the authorities for granting us our visa. We know that this is a great humanitarian act that they've given to us. Our reception was wonderful when we came into Iran.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Fredricka, Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, their families Iranian accusations that they were spying when they were caught on the border and they are asking, of course, for their speedy release -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And of course, what is the latest on when they might be released?

WATSON: Well, it doesn't look terribly good. The Iranian Intelligence minister, he spoke to journalists and he said these individuals have committed an act of espionage by illegally crossing the border into Iran but he insisted that the Americans are being treated according to Iran's religious principals, he said, and on humanitarian grounds.

He also repeated an appeal from the Iranian government for the U.S. to release Iranians who've been detained, they say, by the U.S. government. Seven, according to an interview that the Iranian president gave to the "Boston Globe" earlier this month. Usually picked up in third countries. For instance, one man arrested in Georgia months ago, an Iranian accused of arms dealing.

Now as long as this cold war is being fought between Iran and Washington and its allies that are pressing for Iran to limit its controversial nuclear program, these are probably -- definitely not the first foreign nationals to be arrested on spying charges and certainly won't probably be the last, Fredricka.

Just last week, Iran released a 24-year-old French graduate student who'd been detained for months also on espionage charges. And curiously, just a few days later, France released an Iranian citizen who had been convicted and jailed in France for years on charges of assassinating a high-ranked Iranian dissident.

I suspect that probably the Iranians will want somebody released from Iran -- American custody in exchange for these three detained American hikers -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ivan Watson, thanks so much from Istanbul, Turkey.

All right, South Korea's president is warning of stern action after accusing North Korea of sinking one of its warships. But the North is denying it fired on the ship last March and threatens war if there is any retaliation.

The dispute is being followed with a great deal of concern not just in the region but here in the U.S.

CNN's Dan Lothian is at the White House.

And, Dan, how is the White House reacting thus far?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it is a tense situation there in the region. And obviously, the South Koreans making the accusation based on that report that was conducted not only this investigation, conducted not only by officials from South Korea but also an international community, which included the U.S.

And the White House obviously has a very delicate situation on its hands. South Korea is a close ally that they will defend in any confrontation. But a State Department official insisting that he doesn't believe that this will develop into a military confrontation.

Nonetheless, the White House is weighing in on the results of this report, which points the finger directly at North Korea saying that the international investigation reflects an objective and scientific review of the evidence.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs went on to say in a statement that, quote, "This act of aggression is one more instance of North Korea's unacceptable behavior and defiance of international law. This attack constitutes a challenge to international peace and security and is a violation of the Armistice agreement."

That agreement, of course, is what ended the Korean War.

Now President Obama has reached out to South Korea and President Lee on Monday to pledge full support from the United States -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And we know the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be heading to Asia but is anyone else planning to head to this region specifically to address this?

LOTHIAN: From what we've been told, she right now is the highest member -- highest-level member of this administrator headed to the region next week, will be going to Seoul, to talk about a number of issues but in particular the investigation into this issue.

She'll also be going to China and Japan where this issue is expected to be high on the agenda -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Lothian at the White House. Thanks so much.

Meantime, thousands of protesters are taking to the streets in central Athens today. The rallies come two weeks after three people died during violent demonstrations over government austerity measures.

A union-led strike there today shut down school, halted ferries and trains and forced hospitals to run on emergency staff. People are angry over the country's move to cut pensions and salaries to help offset a severe debt crisis.

And on to Thailand now. The government there has extended a nighttime curfew for three days hoping to keep peace and calm after deadly anti-government protests. Parts of Bangkok look like a burned out ghost town. Just look at those images.

That being today, protesters torched dozens of building yesterday before troops finally launched an aggressive push to clear their location and stop weeks of demonstrations.

At least 50 people have been killed in these clashes and eight anti-government protest leaders are now in custody.

All right, later this morning, Mexico's president is scheduled on Capitol Hill and his message to a joint meeting of Congress is likely to touch off more controversy.

Just yesterday, Felipe Calderon seized on both his White House appearances to rail against the new immigration law in Arizona. He calls the crackdown discriminatory.

Here is what he had to say to CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. FELIPE CALDERON, MEXICO: I fully respect the right of any nation to establish the legislation that that nation wants or their people. And of course, the right of any nation to enforce the law and protect their own borders.

But the problem is, first, we need to face this challenge in a comprehensive way as President Obama says. And that implies to recognize the rights and the contribution of the people to the growth of this great nation.

But, on the other hand, in particular, in Arizona, there is some racial profiling criteria in order to enforce the law that is against any sense of human rights and of course is provoking a very disappointing things or very disappointing opinion in Mexico and around the world. Even here in America.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It is last night President Calderon and his wife were the guests of honor at the president's state dinner. It was the administration's second state dinner. And unlike the first, there is no hint that there were any uninvited guests.

And we'll have live coverage of President Calderon's address to the joint meeting of Congress scheduled for 11:00 Eastern Time, 8:00 Pacific.

All right, now to scooping oil out of the marshes. The thick oil now oozing along Louisiana's coast with the hopeful fix still days away.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And strong storms yesterday for parts of the Central Plains today. Looks like we may have another bought of rough weather. We're going to show you who's going to get what coming up in a few moments.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A heavier concentration of oil is now washing up in Louisiana. Here is what our David Mattingly and crew found during a tour with the Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're not going to believe this when I take this bottle out of the water. Look at that. Look at it drip. Just dripping off of this. That is heavy, thick stuff. It's almost like chocolate syrup. And it coats everything it touches.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The thick black oil oozing into the marshes along Louisiana's coast. BP says they are making progress on stopping the oil gushing out of the broken pipe in the Gulf of Mexico but crews won't try putting in a mud plug until Sunday at the earliest.

All right, elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, crews are keeping a close eye on beaches looking for any evidence of the oil's arrival there.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in on patrol in Hancock County, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN "HOOTY" ADAM, DIR., HANCOCK CO. EMERGENCY MGMT.: We've got boat -- we got boats out there and nobody has reported to me anything just yet. ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Brian "Hooty" Adam directs this emergency operation. Reports of potential oil around Hancock County has residents here on high alert.

He's a straight talker.

ADAM: We're not going to lie to them, though. If there is oil out there, we're going to tell them.

MARCIANO: Approximately 200 pounds of black tar like balls were recovered on the beach and brought to this meeting. Emergency managers want to know if they're from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

JESSE FINERAN, HAZMAT, HANCOCK CO., MISSISSIPPI: Some of the thanks that we've observed that may kind of clear up some of the confusion.

MARCIANO: Jesse Fineran has worked oil spills before. Twice a day, he controls the Hancock County shoreline.

FINERAN: Get up on that puppy.

MARCIANO: Four-wheelers are his mode of transport.

FINERAN: On switch here. This is your parking brake here. Other than that, there ain't a whole lot to it.

MARCIANO (on camera): All right. Let's go clean the beach.

FINERAN: OK.

MARCIANO (voice-over): We work our way along the water.

FINERAN: You see human materials. That's cigarette butts, you see, and vegetation, grass.

MARCIANO: Searching for signs of oil.

FINERAN: We've had people call in, they have seen oily sheen. They have actually seen oil floating on the water. They have seen this moozy material.

MARCIANO (on camera): So your job is to verify those calls?

FINERAN: Basically to verify the calls to see if it's -- you know, if something really happening, hey, we want to know.

MARCIANO (voice-over): Heightened sensitivity seems to have everyone seeing oil.

(On camera): What about this foamy stuff here?

FINERAN: It has no petroleum odor to it. It does have a reddish color. And the clay balls are consistent to what is being used for the restoration project on the sand beaches here.

And you can see this reddish sheen up and down our beach in our sea foam. And that may be what people are seeing.

MARCIANO: So one more mistaken identity.

FINERAN: Very possibly. Well, we still going to have -- we still have it tested.

MARCIANO (voice-over): The sun sets but Fineran's work is far from over. He'll be out combing the beach every day until the spill is contained.

FINERAN: We are doing everything possibly we can to make sure that they are safe out here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Rob Marciano joining us live now from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

So, Rob, you know, if not from the oil spill, where would some of these little patches come from?

MARCIANO: Well, there is a couple of explanations. The reddish clay, as he mentioned, could be from the Army Corps beach rebuilding project where they're using the reddish clay. That mixes with the sea foam, makes it look like the brown stuff we have seen on TV and just off shore.

Also, some of the tar balls and asphalt-like things that are rolling in, well, you know, this area got hammered by Katrina just over four years ago. So some of that could actually be some leftover roads that is rolling in.

And also, a sheen that's seen around here when fish are feeding in a large area -- actually fish oil can come to the top and you can see that as a bit of a sheen. Now that's not saying that it's not from that oil spill, that samples have been tested or are out testing right now.

And we're waiting for those test results to come back and we will report that to you. But it could be from the oil spill. It could be just the fact that, you know, people are out watching and they're worried.

Seeing that -- the thicker oil, Fred, roll into the Louisiana marsh lands just in the last couple of days certainly has people here very, very nervous. So everybody seems to be looking at the beaches and looking for any signs of oil. And they're hoping that it stays offshore.

We will report back to you as the days go along and we get those test results back in Mississippi -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sure. Mississippi is too close to think that it won't be impacted like Louisiana is being impacted.

All right, thanks so much. Rob Marciano from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

All right, on to Tennessee now where work crews are rushing to fill a huge sinkhole that cropped up in an awkward place. Right in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga.

The hole is about 25 feet wide and 25-feet deep. It is huge. A state employee saw the road get way and jumped out of his car to stop other drivers so that they wouldn't actually drive right in to that huge sinkhole.

That is very sizeable and to just come out of nowhere.

Reynolds Wolf in the weather center.

WOLF: You know, what's weird about that? Why couldn't that be in the middle of the field somewhere?

WHITFIELD: I know. Right --

WOLF: It has to be right there in the middle road.

WHITFIELD: Right there in the road.

WOLF: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Well, probably because the ground has been disturbed over time to build that road, et cetera.

WOLF: That's right. Absolutely right. And certainly --

WHITFIELD: I'm no engineer but it just makes sense.

WOLF: Yes, and -- what really made sense yesterday was some of the tornado sirens being sounded in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas. They had 25 separate tornadoes that touched down. Could be another rough day today. Although I'll tell you, take a look at this video. It is an ominous look. And is there a chance we could see more of that form today?

Yes, we could see some severe weather. However, it looks like the dynamics of the atmosphere aren't going to be quite the same set up as we had yesterday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: That is a wrap on your forecast, Fred. Let's send it right back over to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're rebuilding Haiti now. A brutal assessment of the government's ability to get the country up and running after January's massive earthquake. The U.S. Senate gets an earful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

A fearful reunion in Tehran. The mothers of three American hikers detained in Tehran met today with their children. Their families say the three accidentally strayed across an unmarked border into Iran last July. The Americans have not been charged. But Tehran has said they will face trial on espionage charges.

Tensions rise between North and South Korea. The South blames the North for firing a torpedo that sank a South Korean warship last month. Forty-six sailors were killed. The official report on the disaster was just released. North Korea accuses South Korea of fabricating evidence.

And Mexican president Felipe Calderon will speak before a joint meeting of Congress this morning. He's expected to push for immigration changes.

President Calderon is on a formal state visit to the U.S. Just yesterday he met with President Obama and attended a White House state dinner in his honor.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A journalist freed from North Korea says a courtesy call then by President Clinton made in 1994 paved the way for her release. Laura Ling says Clinton told her North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il that he was touched that actually -- Clinton had actually called with condolences when his father died.

And that gesture apparently made Clinton acceptable to the North Koreans to head last year's diplomatic rescue mission for Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee. Well, Ling was on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST: When did you first see President Clinton?

LAURA LING, JOURNALIST: I saw him the day before I was on that plane. Euna and I were taken to a hotel. We didn't know for sure who the envoy was going to be. But I --

KING: You knew you were getting out, though? Or do --

LING: Didn't exactly know. I was told that an important envoy was coming to see me. If things went well, we might be going home. If things didn't go well, we would not be going home.

And they told me that they -- it was one of the envoy's that I requested but they didn't tell me it was President Clinton. We were ushered down this hallway with rows of North Korean secret service agents.

And then at the end of the hallway, there is this bald guy with a suit and an earpiece.

LISA LING, LAURA LING'S SISTER: A white guy.

(LAUGHTER)

LING: And it was the U.S. Secret Service. And I just felt the presence of my country. And then the door -- there were -- was ushered into a room and these doors were open and standing before us was President Bill Clinton, who we now call our rescuer-in-chief.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: What a sight?

LISA LING: We had been waiting for diplomatic efforts to do something and we were just -- there would just be long periods of silence. And so I was solicited by someone who works for or who was formally part of JASOC, which a clandestine U.S. military organization.

He's currently -- former JASOC and he said that for a fee, he could try and provide services to try and get eyes on my sister and Euna, that there was an underground network that they could try and employ and figure out their whereabouts. Because again we had no idea where they were.

KING: You gave them money?

LISA LING: We didn't. We didn't -- we didn't actually go through with it because I just felt like it would be too far -- too far big a risk. But it was something that I always kind of kept in the back of my head if diplomatic efforts didn't work.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, the two sisters have a book about the ordeal that is just out entitled "Somewhere Inside : One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home."

All right, the nation's financial crisis, it cost Americans their jobs and sometimes their homes. Now a new toll. The U.S. has knocked off its perch in the business world. We'll fill you in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the stock market is in a slump, down sharply over the past two weeks and on track for another loss today.

Stephanie Elam is in New York with more as we approach the opening bell on Wall Street.

Hello to you, Stephanie. STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Yes, the focus once again happened across the pond to Europe. That's where we'll be looking today. European stock markets are sharply lower. Athens is bracing for more protests over the Greek government's emergency moves to cut spending.

And euro, well, it gets back some of its gains against the dollar from yesterday. The euro fall into a four-year low against the dollar earlier this year. Great for American tourist who want to go to Europe, not good for American businesses selling products in Europe. Now, also hurting stocks today, a big blow to the Senate's financial reform bill. The expansive bill failed a key test vote yesterday.

It needed 60 votes to block a filibuster, but it got only 57 votes and several Democrats also voted against it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning for another vote today, but a final passing before the weekend is now unlikely. If passed, the bill would regulate complex financial products and create new products and new protections for consumers among many other things. And finally, we got a surprise spike in weekly jobless claims. The jobless claims jumped by 25,000 last week wiping out the improvements from the last couple of weeks.

So, you put all of this together and you get a sharply lower opening for the trading day. And that's what we are seeing here. Take a look at the numbers. The Dow is already off 154 points, 10,288. It's off 1.5 percent right now. The Nasdaq is off 2/3 percent to start the day, and the S&P 500 on the down side by 1.3 percent. So, we'll be keeping our eyes on this. The major averages have closed lower in four of the last five sessions and in 9 of 13 sessions this month, Fred. And I should just also point out that opening bell may have look a little different because they were doing it remotely from the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. So, they're actually in Shanghai. So, that's why that opening bell is a little --

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I had a feeling it was somewhere else.

ELAM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I had that feeling.

ELAM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Stephanie. Appreciate that.

OK. Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets in Central Athens today. The rallies come two weeks after three people died during violent demonstrations over government austerity measures. A union led strike there today shut down schools, also ferries (ph) and trains, and forced hospitals to run on emergency staffs. People are angry over the country's move to cut pensions and salaries to help offset a severe debt crisis.

And now, to a story about your money. A measure to overhaul the rules of Wall Street has failed a key test vote in the Senate. Here are some of the key points of the reform bill. It would create a watchdog group to protect consumers from abusive (INAUDIBLE) terms. And it would also create a body of regulators that could shut down giant financial firms when they are in danger of failing. Regulators would also sound an alarm if companies are in danger of triggering a financial collapse. And Democrats are hoping to run up a few more votes to push the bill forward.

All right. The world of business and our place in the business world. The U.S. has not fared well in a study of the most competitive nations. According to the Swiss business school, IMD, the U.S. has dropped to number three on the list. It had held the top spot for the past 16 years. Singapore is now number one and Hong Kong, number two. Switzerland is just behind the U.S. and Australia, rounds out the top five. And according to the World Competitiveness Year Book, 2010, bet you didn't know there was something like that, the U.S. is saddled with a number of burdens. They include the budget deficit, debt, high unemployment. Among our strengths, technology and our culture of business competitiveness.

All right. Blocking Facebook in hopes of blunting outrage. We'll tell you why Pakistan has pulled the plug on the social networking site.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The look at our top stories right now, Thailand's government says it is back in control of Bangkok and that most of the violent protestor actually over. This comes after a military crackdown on anti-government protesters that left 15 people dead and nearly 100 wounded. Buildings were still smoldering, and a curfew in Bangkok has been extended to Sunday.

Three American hikers held in Iran for nearly a year finally get some real contact with the outside world. Their mothers visited them in Tehran and will try to convince Iran's leaders to release them. Iran has accused the hikers of spying, but the families say they strayed into the country by mistake.

And South Korea threatens to avenge a sunken warship. An international panel concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the ship in March killing 46 sailors. Jong-un denies it and is threatening war now.

All right. Sitting down with an admitted terrorist. Al Qaeda's top man in Iraq now under arrest telling us how he was let out of prison to kill again. It's a CNN exclusive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A CNN exclusive. An al Qaeda leader now under arrest. He's an alleged mastermind of terror techniques who admits to ordering attacks on Americans and Iraqi civilians. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen sat down with the man some call the governor of Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were some of the deadliest and most brazen attacks in Baghdad. Coordinated suicide bombings that hit several Iraqi ministries last year, killing and wounding hundreds. This man, Munaf Al-Rawi says he was the mastermind.

MUNAF AL-RAWI, BAGHDAD HEAD OF AL QAEDA: I wrote to my leaders, and they sent me $120,000. We bought the trucks, and we got the suicide bombers from Mosul (ph). We planned the operation and we executed it.

PLEITGEN: The U.S. military and the Iraqi Security Apparatus say Al-Rawi is a master of terror logistics. He admits he was al Qaeda and Iraq's top commander in Baghdad until he was recently captured by luck at an Iraqi checkpoint like this one. The Iraqi government allowed CNN to interview him, but we were not allowed to say where the interview took place, and we were asked not to use one portion of the interview for fear he might be sending a secret message.

Tell me the nuts and bolts of what you would do.

AL-RAWI: I would get orders always for written notes transported by curriers. I would get the order to conduct and I would transfer it to our military chief in Baghdad.

PLEITGEN: Do you, yourself, ever at some point think about becoming a suicide bomber yourself? Did you ever think about doing that? You said you were sending people to do these bombings.

AL-RAWI: No. I didn't force anyone to do it. A suicide bomber will come from the border and get into Iraq to do it. I didn't force anyone to ride a car and conduct a suicide attack.

PLEITGEN: Al-Rawi says he joined al Qaeda in 2003 to fight the U.S. occupation. The irony, he says, American forces at one point had him in custody. He says he was detained after the Battle of Fallujah in 2004 but released in 2007. A year later, Al-Rawi says, he became a terrorist leader. At the height of its power, al Qaeda brutally controlled entire towns in parts of the country, but the vicious tactics turned many Iraqis against them.

MAJ. GEN. STEVE LANZA, U.S. FORCES-IRAQ SPOKESMAN: The population has not embraced this ideology of al Qaeda, and that's significant because it really has hindered their ability to conduct operations here in this country.

PLEITGEN: U.S. and Iraqi security forces say information gleaned after Al-Rawi's capture including documents discovered in raided houses allowed for the killing or capture of dozens more al Qaeda and Iraq leaders. Al-Rawi says, even before his arrest, al Qaeda had been driven even further underground.

Is the organization falling apart?

AL-RAWI: It is 80 percent to 100 percent harder to operate for al Qaeda these days. Before, we could prepare car bomb anywhere. There was no opposition. Now, you can't do that. Even the place you prepare car bomb will be discovered.

PLEITGEN: Al-Rawi says he felt sorry for civilians. He repeated that he didn't mean to kill civilians. But, he insisted, he still believes in what he calls a holy war against Americans and al Qaeda's enemy, the Iraqi government. A war al Qaeda and Iraq's new leadership says it is carrying forward. In the last two weeks, hundreds more have been killed and wounded in brutal attacks across the country. Many civilians.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Frederik Pleitgen is joining us now from Baghdad. So, Frederik, why is he talking? Is he not still loyal to al Qaeda?

PLEITGEN (on-camera): I think that he wants to talk now because he wants to sort of show everybody that he has remorse for what he did. He sort of also wants to explain why he did a lot of the things. You know, one of the things that really struck me as we did this interview as that all the Iraqis who were present there were absolutely terrified of this man. During the interview, he always seemed a little bit slow, a little bit disinterested, but once he started describing his plots, everything changed.

You could see that this was a really very precise and very, very ruthless man. He would describe, you know, he would get the explosives from here, the suicide bombers from here. He would get the cars from here and then he would plot the attack. It just takes a massive amount of ruthlessness to conduct all of this because we have to take into account that this man has the blood of hundreds of people on his hands, Americans, Iraqis, and also other foreigners here in Iraq -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Frederik Pleitgen, thanks so much. Joining us from Baghdad with that exclusive report.

A soldier's career is cut short because there is no one to care for her young daughter, and dad couldn't do the job.

And flashing back, an angry mob attacking a group of freedom writers in Montgomery, Alabama. On this date, 1961, the violence prompting Attorney General Robert Kennedy to send in federal Marshalls. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh takes off on the first solo trans-Atlantic flight. The spirit of St. Louis going from Roosevelt Field in Long Island New York to Paris in 33 1/2 hours. In 1971, Marvin Gaye releases the album "What's Going On." Inspirations for his first self-produced album include growing social tensions in the U.S. and his brother's stories from the Vietnam War.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Pakistan, the government is blocking Facebook; the reason one site is encouraging people to post images of the prophet Mohammed. Muslims considers that outrageously offensive and sometimes punishable by death.

Let's take a closer look at what is at issue here, Octavia Nasr, CNN senior editor of the Middle Eastern affairs.

Ok, so all of this is being sparked by not something abroad but something that's taking place domestically right here in the U.S. in Seattle, Washington. Bring us up to speed.

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, MIDEAST AFFAIRS: This cartoonist in Seattle, Washington, decided to announce May 20th as Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. Since then, she changed her mind. She said, no, I never started this. I never called for this.

But in the meantime, a Facebook page is in place. And people are posting all kinds of hateful messages, Islamophobia at its best if you will. And people are drawing pictures of the prophet Mohammed and posting them.

So really she started something but she's backed off and said I didn't do it.

WHITFIELD: And we're talking about pictures or images that are mostly offensive?

NASR: Mostly offensive because -- because that's the idea. The idea was -- that many people felt that Muslims (AUDIO GAP) are stepping on their freedom of speech. And they felt that, ok, let's call it a day and everybody draws Mohammad any way they want.

Now, in Islam, it is very important not to draw the image of Prophet Mohammad, because the Muslims feel that you don't want to put the image of God or his messenger in a way that people can idolize them, that's the reason why they don't -- they don't like the pictures.

WHITFIELD: So any drawing, period, is going to be offensive. There is no nice way of doing it if you're going to engage in it.

NASR: Exactly. So leave it alone. But there were some instances in Europe where people got killed for doing depicting Prophet Mohammad and doing movies and all that.

So there are cases of violence against this. We've seen people demonstrate in the streets. For -- one time a Dutch cartoonist drew Prophet Mohammad and the pictures were posted and there were demonstrations across the Muslim world against it.

You know people died for this, so there are precedents of what can happen but since then, we haven't seen any reaction and today we haven't seen that kind of reaction at all.

WHITFIELD: Before social networking like Facebook was actually shut down in Pakistan however, people learned of this and they were anticipating; did they suddenly (INAUDIBLE) with their Facebook pages abroad before particularly in Pakistan it was shut down?

NASR: That is -- that is a great question because what happened in this instance is that Muslims took the step ahead and basically, they reacted in order to prevent any violent reaction. So, yes, they went to Facebook. They went to Twitter and they went to YouTube and they posted all kinds of messages. They wrote op-eds basically calling on Muslims to do nothing.

That's what they were calling for saying how do you answer this day of Draw Mohammad Day? You answer it by doing nothing. People did listen, it seems like, but what happened with Pakistan, for example, shutting down the Facebook page and YouTube, that got on the news and by getting on the news the Facebook page of Draw Mohammad Day --

WHITFIELD: And that kind of fanned the flame.

NASR: Exactly. It got more followers and more people wanting to draw Mohammad.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NASR: It's a very interesting story, but I think at the end of the day, just not seeing violence is the best news of all. It seems that there is dialogue. Muslims feel that it is time to be proactive and talk to their own and basically draw on the Koran, the holy book and draw on the life of Prophet Mohammad, the peaceful life of Prophet Mohammad and not the warrior life of Prophet Mohammad. And tell people that you have to forgive; you have to allow people their freedom to express themselves and say what they want.

You cannot respond to every offense by another offense or by violence. And it seems that if this continues --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NASR: -- if this peaceful reaction to this Draw Mohammad Day continues then Muslims will have won that battle.

WHITFIELD: Octavia Nasr. Thanks so much I appreciate it.

NASR: Any time.

WHITFIELD: We'll have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A mom's reunion with her little girl is bittersweet. The mother is forced to give up her Army career because her husband says he can't care for the child. CNN's Jason Carroll has this final chapter in "A Soldier's Story".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tuck your shirt in.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Latricia Rose's training barely under way at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, you. You need to fix that mess.

CARROLL: And already after just three weeks her Army career is over.

LATRICIA ROSE, NEW RECRUIT: I'm a tad bit disappointed and not so much sad because the only thing I just look at it as like everything happens for a reason.

CARROLL: Latricia is being discharged from the Army after a determined child care for her 2-year-old daughter Aiyana is no longer adequate.

ROSE: I don't feel like I could have focused enough knowing that my daughter needed me. It was kind of stressing.

CARROLL: Her husband Brandon was supposed to be the full-time dad.

BRANDON ROSE, LATRICIA'S HUSBAND: I was overwhelmed and I just didn't know what to do, really.

CARROLL: But less than a week into his new role, Brandon said he was already feeling the pressure.

(on camera): You become overwhelmed, then what?

B. ROSE: You know what? I'll just go -- go to Atlanta, and I'll drop Aiyana off.

CARROLL: Dropped her off.

B. ROSE: With her mother.

CARROLL: With Latricia's mother.

(voice-over): Latricia's mother, Yaronda agreed to care for her granddaughter, but only temporarily.

YARONDA NEEL, MOTHER OF LATRICIA ROSE: I could have helped more had I had enough notice, but finding out the day of and there's no time for me to plan.

CARROLL (on camera): Who is she calling for?

NEEL: She's calling for her dad.

CARROLL: She's calling for her daddy.

NEEL: Yes, she is.

CARROLL: By the time Brandon did come back, it was too late. Army policy is clear. New recruits who are parents must prove they have reliable child care to qualify for service.

CAPT. LAURIE NIELSEN, CO. COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY: Family is very important and you need to make sure that your home life is strong enough to handle a separation for a period of time and you need to make sure that your children are taken care of.

CARROLL: As Latricia waits for discharge papers, she is tasked with duties like guarding weapons.

L. ROSE: Do we need to do anything or just stand here?

CARROLL: And picking up trash, while her fellow recruits train to become soldiers.

She now stands out in formation with no gear of her own.

L. ROSE: I'm kind of jealous. I would love to do the things that they're doing right now.

CARROLL: Brandon knows what happened is a result of his actions and speaking to Latricia about it has not been easy.

(on camera): What did you say to her?

B. ROSE: I apologized. She told me it's okay.

CARROLL: Do you feel any sense of guilt?

B. ROSE: A little bit. I mean, she's got to put what she was doing on hold to come home to deal with our family situation. So, I feel guilty -- guilty.

L. ROSE: I knew it was going to be hard for him, but maybe it's just harder than expected so I understand. I mean, I'm not mad.

CARROLL (voice-over): A little anger, some disappointment.

But for the moment, all that erased on the day Latricia goes home.

L. ROSE: Give mommy sugar.

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN (AUDIO GAP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)