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Risking Lives to Avert Meltdown; International Crews Hunt for the Living in Japan; Debt Threatens Disaster Response; Bahrain Protests Turn Violent; Libyan Forces Bomb Another City; Talk Back Question; A Quake Survivor's Experience

Aired March 16, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now the latest headlines on Japan's nuclear crisis.

Two of Japan's crippled nuclear reactors may be leaking a steady stream of radioactive material today. Authorities say that the steel and concrete shells that are supposed to contain nuclear debris probably ruptured during explosions today and yesterday. Workers had to evacuate for a time when radiation spiked to dangerous levels.

Well, some people trying to escape the radiation leaks are finding that there's no place to go. Evacuation shelters around Fukushima are filled up. Authorities are now turning people away. As this nuclear crisis escalates, residents say that the government needs a plan to protect people who live near the nuclear complex.

On the U.S. West Coast today, a rush on potassium iodide. Now, it prevents the thyroid from absorbing radiation. Emergency officials say Americans are overreacting because there is no indication that dangerous radioactive material is reaching the West Coast. The U.S. military is giving potassium iodide to helicopter crews flying over Japan just as a precaution.

Well, foreigners scramble to leave Tokyo today. France is urging its citizens to get out now or to at least go to southern Japan. Russia says it's going to evacuate diplomatic workers and their families, and evacuees say they don't trust the Japanese government to be forthcoming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe what I've been told. You know, people are evacuating, all foreigners are evacuating. Large multinational companies, foreign companies, are evacuating. So you don't know really what to believe, so it's just better to play it safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Japan's emperor addressed his nation today. Now, such a television appearance is really an extraordinary event. It's reserved for times of war or dire national crises. But Emperor Akihito says that he is touched by the Japanese people's calm and order in the face of this disaster.

Well, harrowing new video of the moment the tsunami struck. People scream as they try to outrun the water. This is said to be ground zero for the tsunami, a coastal town home to 17,000 people, most feared dead.

A CNN iReporter sent us this video of the moment the 9.0 earthquake struck. He shot it at a Tokyo department store. Listen.

Unbelievable when you see that, because you may recall, Tokyo is 230 miles away from the epicenter of the quake.

New violence rocks Bahrain. Security forces pushed anti- government protesters out of a central plaza in Manama today. Reports say that two protesters and two police officers were killed. Doctors say security forces also stormed Manama's main hospital, targeting medical workers.

Bahrain is a tiny island country located off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Anti-government protests have been going on for about a month now.

In Egypt today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strolled through Cairo's Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of Egypt's revolution. She pledged the United States would help Egypt transition to democracy.

Our CNN's Wolf Blitzer is traveling with Secretary Clinton, and his interview with her will be on later today, here on CNN.

More now on Japan's nuclear crisis.

At the Fukushima plant, a small army of workers faces the monumental job of trying to keep the crisis from becoming a catastrophe. Now, in the process, they are putting their own lives at risk from dangerous levels of radiation.

Michael Friedlander is a former senior operator at three U.S. nuclear power plants. He joins us via Skype from Hong Kong.

Michael, appreciate your being here with us. You have a lot of experience when it comes to being on the ground in those nuclear power plants for more than a decade or so.

Tell us, what are those guys going through right now?

MICHAEL FRIEDLANDER, FMR. SR. POWER PLANT OPERATOR: It's a pleasure to be with you this evening.

And I don't think that there's anybody in the world who can really imagine exactly what those guys are dealing with and the level of adversity that they're overcoming minute by minute and hour by hour over the course of the tragedy.

MALVEAUX: Describe for us, what do you think is happening in the minds and the hearts of those men who are battling those blazes, who must be hot, must be hungry, and must be worried for their safety being exposed to all that radiation?

FRIEDLANDER: Well, I'm sure, you know, the first thing that's in the front of all of their minds is, were their families able to get out of the way of the tsunami and are they OK? And so while they're battling the casualty at the power plant, I'm certain that they're worried about their families.

Certainly, as they're going about doing their business, you know, they're certainly focused on their priorities, which are keeping reactors shut down, maintaining core cooling, and protecting the health and safety of the general public. As you mentioned, they're in a power plant that's been without power now for five days, there's certainly areas of the plant that probably have lethal doses of radiation.

It's dark, it's probably quite cold in there by now, five days after the shutdown. As we're aware, the environmental conditions in northern Japan this time of year are quite cold in the evenings. They're probably wearing full-face respirators or SCBA equipment, trying to communicate in the dark, moving around with flashlights.

And as you said using, they're using emergency rations there which probably constitute the typical packages of the military-style made-ready-to-eat packages. So it's a very difficult situation. And we really, at some point, I'm sure, will become full aware of all of the adversities that they've been able to overcome.

MALVEAUX: Michael, we know now that the Japanese government has raised the acceptable level of radiation being exposed to, and it is five times the maximum exposure that is permitted in American nuclear power plants, those nuclear plants.

Do you think that they're already getting sick, that they're feeling the effects now?

FRIEDLANDER: Well, I'm sure that they have the proper (INAUDIBLE), and I'm sure that they have experts in health physics who are there assisting them and who are monitoring their circumstance. Really, it would be inappropriate for us to speculate on their health conditions.

Nuclear workers know what they're getting into before they go to work there. They monitor their dosage very closely over the course of their career in the nuclear power industry. And with the professionals that are there who are helping them out on a day-to-day, minute-to-minute basis, I'm sure that they're being properly monitored.

MALVEAUX: And Michael, finally, if you had a chance to talk to their family members, to tell them -- because obviously you would understand what those family members are going through, the worry and the fear they have for those who are at ground zero, essentially, what would you tell them?

FRIEDLANDER: Well, I would just -- my heart and empathy goes out to you. Your loved ones are true heroes for the entire world, and I'm sure that they will be coming home to you as quickly as possible.

MALVEAUX: OK. Michael Friedlander, we really appreciate your own perspective. You know what it's like. We appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, here's your chance to "Talk Back" about what the U.S. military is doing in Japan. There are Navy ships that are off the Japanese coast. There are thousands of military personnel who are helping with this rescue and recovery effort.

Our Carol Costello, she's joining us with the question about whether or not we really feel that they should be there, what kind of sacrifice they are making.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And at what point does the United States military pull them out? Or does it? I mean, it's really difficult questions.

President Obama has said this more than once. The United States will continue to offer Japan any assistance we can. And we certainly are.

A half dozen Navy ships are off the coast of Japan, thousands of U.S. troops involved in relief efforts. This is no routine mission, it's one of unimaginable risk.

The Navy's already moved three ships away from the nuclear plant's radioactive cloud. And while U.S. troops are not on the ground trying to cool the leaking reactor, Navy helicopters continue search and rescue missions around there.

Marine Second Lieutenant Jeremy Croft (ph) told me, "We were ready and prepared to deal with anything we may come into contact with." And that could well be radiation. Indeed, two U.S. helicopter crews have already been exposed to elevated levels, albeit low levels of radiation.

Actually, we just got word from the Pentagon. It's now giving helicopter pilots potassium iodide pills before they even get to Japan as a precautionary measure.

So, "Talk Back" today: Are we asking too much of U.S. troops in Japan?

Send your comments to Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I'll read some of your comments later on this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Brian Todd goes block to block with a search and rescue team in one devastated Japanese town.

Plus, U.S. debt may limit the government's ability to respond if a natural disaster hits the United States.

And an iReporter who left Fukushima because of radiation risks makes plans now to leave Japan altogether. I'm going to speak with him about his harrowing experience.

And an American photographer caught in the tsunami gives his firsthand account of this disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We spent the whole day trying to get out of the tsunami area. We took shelter up on a hill, and everything between that hill and several miles to anything that even resembles civilization at this point was completely destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The frantic searching continues for survivors of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Ninety-one countries have offered to send supplies, equipment or manpower.

Our CNN's Brian Todd is traveling with international rescue teams in the devastated city of Ofunato.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Team leader Bobby Zaldos (ph) is from Fairfax, Virginia.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're the cavalry he's been waiting for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Presenting the (INAUDIBLE), I'd like to express my -- our thanks to you.

TODD: The relieved mayor of Ofunato greets U.S. and British rescue teams as they start their first full day of operations. But his city's condition could lie beyond their reach.

The tsunami came through Ofunato's narrow inlet with such force, that a tugboat was thrown several blocks, cars violently scattered for miles.

(on camera): What do you do when you get here and it's just such devastation everywhere you look? What do you do first?

CAPT. SAM GRAY, FAIRFAX COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE: The first thing is we find a place to search. We have map grids that are set up by the local emergency managers in the area, and they give us an area to search.

We split it up. We take ordnance. We go through the buildings, searching building by building that's standing up or laying around.

TODD (voice-over): The teams fan out through mountains of rubble and teetering buildings, using every tool they brought.

(on camera): One of the rescue officials just told us that there was a paper posted on the side of this beige house here saying that there was someone alive inside. Now the teams are checking it out. They're about to bring the dogs to see if they can detect anything.

(voice-over): The dogs don't detect the scent of anyone alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can hear me, knock three times.

TODD: Listening devices, audio signals yield nothing.

Residents who did escape the tsunami are in shock. We initially thought Tomuku Shida had lost her husband in this disaster, but when we approached her --

(on camera): What happened to your husband?

TOMUKU SHIDA, OFUNATO RESIDENT: (SPEAKING JAPANESE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband already died, and she had this bone (ph) in a box, precious stuff, and she put it into really high places at the room. But when the tsunami came, she couldn't reach the bone and she ran away first.

TODD (voice-over): She's still looking for her husband's remains.

For those who did lose loved ones in this tragedy, the final casualty count here may never be known.

(on camera): Realistically, what do you think your chances are this time, this event, of finding people alive in here?

CHIEF CHRIS SCHAFF, VIRGINIA TASK FORCE ONE: With the way we're operating now, that there's still plenty of opportunity for us to find live victims. But, you know, as time goes on, those opportunities diminish.

TODD (voice-over): In many of these places rescuers say they rely on local citizens, flagging them down to come and get a loved one out of a building or out of a pile of rubble. But one team member told us that here in Ofunato, whole families might have gone missing and there might not be anyone even looking for them.

Brian Todd, CNN, Ofunato, Japan.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Well, despite the overwhelming human tragedy in Japan, the power of the human spirit remains. There have been many touching acts of selflessness. One restaurant owner lost his home. And as NHK tells us, he's giving away free meals to survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Officially (ph), he's not reaching those in need. Some survivors are acting to help each other.

Hot noodles were distributed as the temperature dropped. A ramen noodle shop that escaped damage in Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture offered free noodles.

This person says it's good and another says it's hot. This person says he's grateful. The shop operator, Hine Shatati (ph) says his home in the city was swept away by the tsunami, so he's staying at the evacuation center. He says he just wants people to be happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, he may have lost his home, but certainly not his generosity.

Well, with U.S. debt at $14 trillion, can we afford to respond to a natural disaster on U.S. soil? Some say no.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, CNN IREPORTER: It is now 12:00 in the afternoon on the 15th, and I'm on my way back home. And still the same situation as this morning, lots of -- I believe these cars are waiting either for a grocery store or most likely a gas station. Let's see where this takes us. Yes, there's a gas station right here, right up ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: iReporter Gabriel Rodriguez, in Japan, also tells us that he's heard reports of gas stations being out of gas, as well as reports of food rationing for children and the elderly.

Want to get a quick check of the markets now. Taking a look at the Dow Jones.

It is down by 167 points now. Obviously, the Japanese disaster has impacted the markets and has some thinking about whether the U.S. is going to have the emergency funds it needs if something catastrophic were to happen here. After all, we are deep in debt, we all know that.

Our CNNMoney.com's Jeanne Sahadi joins us now.

Jeanne, the former U.S. comptroller, David Walker, says -- and I'm quoting here -- "The U.S. has little or no budget to deal with unexpected catastrophic events. Whatever has to be done is done, but it adds to our existing debt problem."

So, Jeanne, break it down for us. What happens if the next disaster strikes here at home? Can the U.S. afford it? JEANNE SAHADI, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, here is what David Walker meant. Our emergency fund is the U.S. bond market. We are already pretty deep in debt as it is in our growth trajectory, and that debt is considered unsustainable.

So, the experts I talked to said the U.S. will do whatever it takes to help with disaster relief should we ever be hit with the kind of catastrophe that Japan is seeing today. However, the problem is it's going to add to our debt burden in a way that might push us closer to a fiscal crisis.

That's the kind of crisis deficit hawks say will occur when interest rates start to go up. The more debt you have on the books, the higher the rates go, the more you're going to be in trouble in terms of having to pay what you owe.

So, it's not that we won't provide the disaster relief. We will. And bond markets very likely will lend to us. Right now, rates are very low, but you hope that if a disaster happens, rates will remain low during that time.

MALVEAUX: And Jeanne, a natural disaster, of course, could happen any time. Is there a quick fix or even a long-term solution to this?

SAHADI: Well, on a practical level, obviously, you know, putting safety precautions in place in areas like nuclear plants and doing earthquake prevention and so on can really help minimize the cost of damage should a catastrophe occur. But more broadly, deficit hawks and now lawmakers on the left and the right, are saying that this is really the year that people need to put in place a long-term debt plan. Congress needs to put in place a long-term debt reduction plan. The measures don't necessarily have to go into effect right away, but they might reassure the markets that the U.S. is going to take control of its debt, and that can help keep interest rates lower.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jeanne, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

SAHADI: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: It's time to head "X Country" for stories that CNN affiliates are covering.

Our first stop, that is going to be St. Louis. Take a look at this video.

There are a couple of things going on here if you look closely. The driver of the white car appears not to even notice the stopped police cruiser, slams right into it. At the same time, an officer jumps over the median to get out of the way.

Now, amazingly, no one was injured. The driver got a ticket.

In Nashville, protesters demonstrating for workers rights face off with state troopers at the state assembly. Seven people were charged with disorderly conduct.

And in Madison, Georgia, a big sister becomes an even bigger hero. Last month, 9-year-old Ania Rucker (ph) shielded her little sister just as a truck hit them both. Ania's (ph) neck was broken, she lost a kidney and a leg, but she saved her sister's life. Amazing story.

Many residents and visitors are trying now to get out of Tokyo. Narita International Airport is crowded, long lines of people trying to leave, some worried about radiation. We're going to talk with two iReporters about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Concerns about the nuclear crisis are causing many to leave Japan. We're going to talk with two guests about their plans.

Also, the latest on evacuations near the nuclear plant.

Plus, our "Talk Back" question on the radiation risk for U.S. troops in Japan. Are we asking too much of them?

And finally, an American quake survivor documents the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF JAMES WONG, CNN IREPORTER: This is Narita Airport, terminal one. It's morning. And it's very busy. Very organized, but very crowded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: CNN iReporters, they have been in the middle of the unfolding story in Japan. They've been bringing us compelling pictures, firsthand accounts of what's happening as it actually happens.

Well, joining us now in Fukushima is Ryan McDonald. And as well, we have Dan Yakicic. He is in Niigata. I want to thank both of you for talking with us.

I want to start off with you, Ryan. Because we've been keeping up with you for the last couple of days, your travels across Japan. I understand now that you're making a plan to leave, an evacuation plan. Why have you decided now is the time to go?

RYAN MCDONALD, AMERICAN LIVING IN JAPAN: Well, we have not had a plan as of yet, and we have just been in limbo. And we weren't really clear on what to do next. And in my friend -- my close friend Dan, who is also on the show -- he made a plan to go to Niigata and then down south and to Hong Kong, I believe. We got to thinking, if anything else goes wrong, what are we going to do? So, we should physically make a plan. And at the moment, our plan is exactly the same as his. We're going to Niigata, fly or train down to Choto (ph) or Osaka, and then move on from there.

MALVEAUX: What is the most difficult thing you're facing now? How are you actually traveling? Are you in a group? Are you doing okay?

MCDONALD: We've been set up in one apartment, two of my -- two of our friends have hosted us, and we're so gracious for that because our life is relatively easy compared to Dan's. He was in an evacuation center for a while.

So, we're not traveling much. We're staying inside. We're going out only to get food. But as your previous guests have said, there are long lines to get food, long lines to get gas. So, we really don't want to leave because it will be a huge hassle. We'll do it if necessary, but it's a huge hassle, as your previous guests have said.

MALVEAUX: To leave where you are now?

MCDONALD: Exactly. We are comfortable within the situation. But if we have to leave, we'll have to wait in all of these long lines. We might run out of gas on the road. They're only selling 2.5 gallons per car. We will leave if we have to. We have a plan. We are ready to go. All our bags are by the door. All our food is packed up by the door. Our cars are gassed up, but we really don't want to leave right now.

MALVEAUX: And Ryan, there's been a lot of talk about this small group of workers who have stayed behind, who are trying to keep the nuclear reactor cool to avert this nuclear catastrophe. Are people there on the ground, are they talking about those men, those workers?

MCDONALD: They are. And, to me, those are the heroes because I don't know what level of radiation they're taking in. But they are risking their own lives to save so many other people.

So, that's what people are talking about when we talk to them on the street. We just say, hello, how are you doing? How are you feeling? Everything okay? Anything we can get for you? And then the conversation leads to them to workers that are still staying there working. So, we're very happy for that.

MALVEAUX: Ryan, we're so glad that you're safe and you're being well taken care of. I want to go to our iReporter, Dan Yakecheck (ph). Is that - am I pronouncing your name correctly there, Dan?

DAN YAKICIC, ENGLISH TEACHER IN JAPAN: You almost got it. It's Yakicic.

MALVEAUX: Yakicic. OK, sorry about that. I know you're an English teacher. And we appreciate you taking time here. You were plan on getting out of the country. Where are you located now?

YAKICIC: Right now, I'm in a hotel in Niigata. We had been staying in an evacuation center in Koriama for five days ever since the quake started - ever since it happened. And not too long ago, we decided it was time to go. So we -- my group of co-workers and my wife, we all decided -- we didn't make a plan to leave. We -- things inside the evacuation center had gotten a little tense for us --

MALVEAUX: Tell us why. Tell us how.

YAKICIC: We were spending a lot of time in the same room and spending a lot of time getting little bits and pieces from the Japanese news. But -- my Japanese is okay, but you pick up words like explosion, here and there, and it gets to you after a while. Especially when you don't exactly know what's going on.

And we had heard that you're supposed to use a wet towel if there's radiation. For me, my point when I knew that we had to get going was when they handed out these masks and these moist towelettes they said to put inside the masks to keep you safe. And when that happened it was kind of my -- for me, anyway, we need to think of a way to get out of here.

So, we spent a night with our friends in Isowakumatsu (ph) and then came to Niigata. And now we're planning to go to Naguan (ph) and to Hong Kong.

MALVEAUX: Dan, it sounds like you were concerned because you weren't getting a lot of information and perhaps afraid of being exposed to radiation? That is what you were feeling?

YAKICIC: Well, there was that. And the earthquakes kept happening. There were still many aftershocks, and a lot of people in the shelters had this function on their cell phones where this little claps-on (ph) beep would go off any time, shortly before an earthquake was to happen. So, those kept going off. The tension was really high.

And a lot of it was just sort of internal paranoia because we -- again we only had so much information. But it did get to you. It did get to us.

MALVEUAX: Dan, if you -- hopefully you will get out. But if you have to remain there for quite some time, what is the thing that you need to know the most? I mean, you say you're not getting information. What would make you feel less anxious about where you are?

YAKICIC: Oh, I'm sorry, we weren't getting information. We have just -- things -- we would get -- rumors would come around and there would be speculation and we'd phone calls from people, from family back home and they would be saying one thing, and we wouldn't know exactly what it was. And then there was this chain e-mail that went around that said there was going to be black rain that was going to come. All of these different things sort of in an accumulative way really sort of just ratcheted up the tension inside that place.

But even though we had this sort of tension going on, we -- it's sort of easy to lose perspective. In that evacuation center, we had food and we had water and we had heat, and that's a lot more than a lot of other people have throughout Tohoku. You tend to sort of lose perspective when you're in that sort of temper (ph).

MALVEAUX: Sure. Well, Dan, thank you very much. We certainly hope that you get out safely. I understand that there is anxiety when you don't know, when there's a lot of different stories out there, misinformation and a lack of information. We certainly hope you'll be okay. Dan, thanks, appreciate your time.

YAKICIC: Thank you very much.

MALVEAUX: A skeleton crew is frantically trying to avert a nuclear meltdown now in Japan. We'll hear from a CNN contributor, Jim Walsh, about the obstacles that these heroes now are facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. YUHEI SATO, FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN (through translator): This accident at the nuclear power plan is not a problem restricted to the prefecture, and I asked the people of Japan to recognize this as a national problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The governor in Fukushima, Japan, discusses evacuation plans as the country copes with a nuclear crisis. Radiation levels spiked again today at Fukushima nuclear plant. And officials say that white smoke or steam coming from the plant may have been caused by a breach in the containment vessel. Now, that is the concrete and steel structure surrounding the radioactive material. Earlier, another fire was spotted at one of the reactors.

180 workers. That is all that separates Japan from a nuclear catastrophe. They are working under unimaginable conditions and being exposed to levels of radiation that could well prove to be fatal. I spoke with CNN contributor Jim Walsh from MIT about what they might be facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM WALSH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's a small group of people.

They have to wear suits. They're working in suits, so they're overheated, and they don't have the touch and feel of their hands. And they're having to work at night when there's no electricity, and so they have to use flashlights. And they're trying to battle fires.

At one time they have to be firefighters battling a fire, reactor number 4, and then they have to go over to reactor number 3 or 2 or 1 and try to pump seawater into it to keep the reactor cool. And then all the other sort of things that have to be done, taking measurements at the plant, trying to assess what's happening, trying to come up with plans to reduce the danger, you know, and do this hour after hour, day after day. The mental stress must be terrific and the physical stress must be terrific.

MALVEAUX: And Jim, what do you think the odds are that they will succeed here when you take a look at everything that they have been facing over the last 24, 48 hours now?

WALSH: Well, you know, I'm a hard-wired optimist, Suzanne, and I still think that we can get through this. It's hard to say that every day when you wake up and there's something else that has happened. But I think the goal here is to sort of limit it to where we are at now.

And where are we right now? We have three damaged reactors. They're not going to get any better.

So the best we can hope for is to hold the situation where it is, we keep that seawater in there until after a couple of days, they cool down some more and confined to an equilibrium. And then, you know, it's like putting a lid on it. You just entomb them or shut them down and deal with that over a number of years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Amazing circumstances.

Also, a rocket-propelled grenade slams down right next to a CNN iReporter in Libya. That is caught on video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking other top stories.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Egypt. She toured Tahrir Square, which was the site of huge anti-government protests. Clinton is promising Egypt $90 million to help its economy.

And in Pakistan, CIA contractor Raymond Davis has been released from jail. A U.S. official says he has left the country. According to a Pakistani government official, Davis was forgiven by the families of two men he killed in January. The statement came just hours after he was charged with murder.

Protests in Bahrain are turning more violent now. Demonstrators today reported hearing steady rounds of ammunition firing. At least five helicopters whirled above around about where anti-government protests have been held in recent weeks. The government insists that no live ammunition was used and the only fatalities were two police officers who were run over by the protesters. Our CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom, he's in Bahrain, and he reports on a dire situation at the main hospital where a doctor says that two people died when security forces stormed the building.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We spoke to medics, we spoke to doctors at Romania (ph) hospital. They told us at least, three of them, that they are locked inside the hospital. That they are trying to get out. They want to help the injured but that there are security forces surrounding the hospital, surrounding the entrance, not allowing injured people in, not allowing doctors out.

Now, the government here has denied that (INAUDIBLE). They put out statements saying that those allegations are baseless. They're saying that the media is spreading lies. Witnesses telling us something quite different. And we're also getting pictures that purport to be from inside the hospital and we're hearing that more medics have been beaten up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Bahrain has a majority Shiite population and they've been demonstrating to demand more equality, better job opportunities from the country's Sunni rulers.

Well, I want you to check this out. This i-Report. That is a rocket propelled grenade landing next to rebel forces in Ras Lanuf, Libya. Our i-Reporter says that rebels were preparing the anti- aircraft guns when Gadhafi's forces fired the RPG.

It is now 30 days since the start of the unrest in Libya. Moammar Gadhafi is unrelenting in his bombardment of rebel-held areas. Our Arwa Damon is on the phone from the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

And, Arwa, as one of the opposition leaders put it, Gadhafi is bombing his way into another city. What are you seeing on the ground? What are you feeling? Do the rebels think that they can even have a chance of stopping him?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): He most certainly is bombing his way to Benghazi, and who knows how much further he's going to go. (INAUDIBLE) causing -- leaving behind him a bloody trail.

We were down -- or trying to get down to the city of Ajdabiya (ph) that was hammered today. Air strikes, artillery rounds. We were stopped outside of the city at a checkpoint by opposition fighters who simply said the fighting was just too intense.

Eyewitness accounts from inside spoke of massive civilian casualties. One man we talked to said an entire family had been killed in the bombing campaign. Libyans, the opposition, at this point, pleading with the international community to take some sort of action.

We were down at the courthouse here in Benghazi just a short while ago, walking along side a few thousand women who were chanting and carrying a sign that said, "how many Libyans must die to get the security council to move on?" The opposition here really feeling that they have taken this fight for democracy, for their freedom, they say, just about as far as they can. And if they do not get international help, they say that the blood of those who die will be as much on the hands of global leaders as it will be on Gadhafi himself. People at this point feeling betrayed and feeling abandoned.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Arwa, thank you very much. We're going to keep a close eye on that very dangerous situation where you are on the ground. Thank you.

We are -- you are telling us, rather, what is on your mind in our "Talk Back" question. Are we asking too much of U.S. troops in Japan?

Well, Bruce says, "we are asking too much of our troops in Japan when it comes to possible exposure to dangerous levels of radiation."

More of your "Talk Back" responses are moments way, including a U.S. soldier who has a very different opinion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It is your chance to "Talk Back." One of the big stories of the day, thousands of U.S. troops are involved in relief efforts in Japan. A half dozen Navy ships are on the Japanese coast right now and they could all be at risk of exposure to radiation from the damaged nuclear plant. Our Carol Costello joining us with the "Talk Back."

And you and I were talking about this in the break. A lot of military actually weighed into this question.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. A lot of service members responded and a lot of family members of service members. And they had a very different perspective than most people. It's very interesting.

Our "Talk Back" question today, are we asking too much of the U.S. military in Japan?

This from Christine. "My husband is a Marine and I still feel these humanitarian relief missions are necessary. I think the devastation in Japan outweighs the risks our troops may/will encounter with exposure to radiation."

This from Christopher. "As a married soldier in the United States Army, I'm glad to say I would deploy to Japan in a heartbeat to help the disaster over there. Part of being a United States soldier is doing what your government asks of you."

This from Maria. "I have my daughter and grandkids stationed at Iwakuni. Even though they are far from the epicenter, it is still unsafe. I know that my daughter is prepared as a Marine to deal with situations, but this is something they have not had to deal with before."

And this from Kim. "My son is a U.S. Marine stations in Japan. No one had to ask them, they're Marines. They volunteered to help and are awaiting orders."

Thanks to all of you for your responses. And, you know, talking about Marines, my dad was one and he'd be over there in a heartbeat.

MALVEAUX: He would?

COSTELLO: Oh, they're hard core. And they're proud of their country and they serve it any way they're asked.

MALVEAUX: Very brave.

COSTELLO: Yes, thanks for your responses. I still appreciate it. Continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, thousands in northern Japan, they lost their lives to the tsunami, but there were survivors. And one American photographer was among the lucky ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So all of these people who were walking around?

BRIAN BARNES, SAVE JAPAN DOLPHINS: They're probably dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We have new video for you now from the moment when the tsunami hit. This comes from Japan's NHK. It shows a town in northeastern Japan virtually being swallowed up by the water. Houses pulled out of the ground and churning in the waves as people try to run away.

Well, the devastation in some of these towns was so complete, that few people lived to tell about it. But one American did and he documented what he saw and he told his harrowing story to CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It took him three days to get out.

BRIAN BARNES, SAVE JAPAN DOLPHINS: It looks like -- literally like a bomb has just gone off around here.

GUTIERREZ: When Brian Barnes landed in Los Angeles --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome home.

BARNES: Thank you.

GUTIERREZ: The Florida native showed us what he went through.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): How did this town fare? BARNES: There's just nothing left.

GUTIERREZ: So all of these people who were walking around?

BARNES: They're probably dead.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Barnes and a team of environmental activists were at the Atsuchi (ph) harbor monitoring a porpoise hunt for the organization Save Japan Dolphins, when the 9.0 earthquake hit. It was a split second decision to drive through the town, past stunned residents, up a hill 50 feet above the harbor.

BARNES: There's a hill outside of town that we're going to try to get to.

GUTIERREZ: He grabbed his camera. And seven minutes after the ground shook, the first surge of water.

BARNES: Here it comes!

GUTIERREZ: Then, minutes later, a wall of water slams through the town, taking everything in its path.

BARNES: About 1:00 in the afternoon and we spent the whole day trying to get out of the tsunami area. We took shelter up on a hill and everything between that hill and several miles to anything that even resembles civilization at this point was completely destroyed.

GUTIERREZ: After the tsunami, Barnes says he saw maybe a dozen survivors as he walked through town.

BARNES: There were several dead bodies behind us that a couple of villagers there had covered up.

GUTIERREZ: Barnes took pictures of the dead who were recognizable in the hopes that one day the missing might be identified.

And he's still haunted by the screams of a woman floating on a piece of wood in a sea of debris. A victim he couldn't save.

BARNES: She was, in my mind, sort of a representative of what was happening.

GUTIERREZ: Barnes says he and the team were lucky they were able to leave with their lives, but they won't forget what they left behind.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.

Hey, Ali.