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CNN Live Saturday
Russian Teenager Maria Sharapova Wins Wimbledon; New Report Shows Iraqis Better Off Before The War In Some Respects
Aired July 03, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Battling for voters in the nation's heartland; how the Bush administration plans to win over a traditional democratic base.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN REPORTER: A new report says in some respects Iraq was better off before the war.
WHITFIELD: Hello and welcome to "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." I'm Fredericka Whitfield.
And later, becoming a savvy senior, that's our topic on "DOLLAR SIGNS." Call us at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us your questions: dollarsigns@CNN.com. We'll be talking about how to get your finances in order. "DOLLAR SIGNS" starts in about 30 minutes.
But first, here are the headlines.
The new Iraqi government is reportedly considering an amnesty offer for Iraqi insurgents who fought against the U.S.-led occupation. The Associated Press reports a plan in the works could even grant pardons to rebels who have killed Americans.
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is not without supporters, as criminal court proceedings against him get under way this week. About 150 demonstrators marched in Baqubah to show solidarity with the ousted president. Saddam and 11 of his former top deputies faced arraignment or Thursday on charges including the killings of adversaries.
Someone, somewhere, has a winning ticket bought at this store in Lowell, Massachusetts, for the biggest Mega Millions lottery jackpot ever. The ticket with the number 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, and the Mega ball is 12, and it's worth $290 million. Lines to buy tickets were long this week in 11 states.
We begin in Iraq, a place of stark contrast today. Violence in some parts of the country, progress in others. The U.S. military is declaring one mission a success, but at the same time, more Iraqi and American blood was shed.
CNN's Jane Arraf has the latest from Baghdad.
JANE ARRAF, CNN REPORTER: It's being described as a major development in the ongoing search for the people in the groups behind a wave of car bombings. U.S. military officials say they have discovered eight facilities where these bombs were being made, including four car bombs in the process of being made they say. Officials say they have arrested at least 30 people.
At the first site, they were lead led to several other sites. Among those arrested they say, the alleged financiers of one of the cells, along with one of the alleged bomb makers. They say this was a group that may have been responsible for setting off bombs that have killed two U.S. soldiers, as well as possible other attacks on Coalition and Iraqi targets.
A major development, a major weapons find in a fight to crack down on the groups that they say are responsible for this wave of violence. South of Baghdad, one bomb has killed six members of the Iraqi National Guard, when it set off an explosion at a fuel storage facility.
But military officials say they don't expect the violence to stop, but they say they are making headway in cracking down on these groups.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
WHITFIELD: Last fall, Congress approved billions of dollars for Iraqi reconstruction, now we're finding only 2 percent of that money has been spent. The General Accounting Office reported on the state of Iraq's infrastructure this week. CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us with a closer look now.
Jeanne.
MESERVE: Fredricka, as you mentioned, billions of dollars have been pledged to help rebuild Iraq, but not all of it has been spent, and not all of what has been spent has had the desired impact, according to the new report from the General Accounting Office.
The GAO finds that Iraq's security forces are under-equipped and under-trained, understaffed and unready to fight and because of the precarious security situation, efforts to build institutions, like an independent judiciary, and infrastructure like the electrical system have suffered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID WALKER, GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE: The number one challenge in Iraq right now is to provide additional security. Additional security is necessary in order to help build democratic institutions and to facilitate the rebuilding of the infrastructure of the country.
Until that is stabilized, we're going to continue to face major challenges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The GAO report says that there are fewer hours of electrical service in 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces than under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Could money be a factor? The White House says that only about 2 percent of the $18.4 billion appropriated by Congress last fall to rebuild Iraq has been spent. Though a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget says about half the money is now in the pipeline. And the administration underlines the areas where it believes there has been progress: 2500 schools rehabilitated. 85 percent of children immunized and 50 percent more telephone users than before the war.
The question now, can the new Iraqi government do better? The answer: unknown.
Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Well, Jeanne, so is there a timetable to try to expedite and try to smooth out some of these wrinkles?
MESERVE: Well, of course, to some measure, this is out of the hands of the U.S. government now, now that the new Iraqi government has come into power in Iraq, the administration, as I said, indicates that about half the money that has been appropriated is now in the pipeline.
They compared this to sort of, when you're building a house and you pay the contractors after the work has been completed. That's what they say is going on now. They claim there has been progress.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Thanks very much.
Much more fallout from the prison abuse scandal in Iraq. The U.S. general who was in charge of Abu Ghraib prison says Israelis may have interrogated Iraqis at another facility.
Brigadier General Janice Karpinski says she met a man who told her he was Israeli during a visit to a Baghdad intelligence center. She says he told her he carried out some interrogations. Israeli involvement in Iraq would likely anger many Arabs. Israel's Foreign Ministry says reports of Israeli troops or interrogators in Iraq are completely untrue.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military's investigating another allegation of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan. A spokesman wouldn't give details of the latest probe. At least four people have died in custody in Afghanistan. The military recently opened at least two new investigations into allegations by former prisoners.
The fighting continues in Afghanistan. U.S. forces have killed about a dozen militants in the past week in skirmishes in the South. U.S. Marines began a series of major operations in Taliban strongholds in May. They're part of the effort to ensure Afghanistan's national elections go on as planned in September.
No Republican has ever been elected president without carrying Ohio. That could explain why President Bush has reportedly made 18 trips to the Buckeye State since 2001. He's not visiting this weekend, but the vice president is. Today, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney appeared at a campaign rally in suburban Cleveland, a democratic stronghold. During his remarks, the vice president defended the administration's handling of the war on terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because we acted, Afghanistan and Iraq have gone from terror states to free, sovereign nations and emerging democracies that will be able to count on the United Sates a as a friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Several hundred anti-Bush protesters demonstrated nearby. Some held signs reading, "Make Cheney unemployed."
Yesterday marked 40 years since President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ever since, minorities have been one of the Democratic Party's most reliable voting blocks. But inside the Bush-Cheney campaign, experts are brainstorming and strategists are strategizing about how to reverse that trend.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us from the White House with details.
Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN REPORTER: Good afternoon Fredricka.
Well, with the race against Democratic rival John Kerry shaping up to be tight, certainly minority votes could make all the difference. Now the issue of where minorities stand in America was in the spotlight earlier this week. It was just days ago that President Bush, in the East Room of the White House here, commemorated the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, which banned segregation and guaranteed equal voting rights.
Four decades after that signing, the administration says that under President Bush's initiatives, minority groups have benefited; that they are better off. The White House saying that to-date, 1.5 million minorities now own their own homes. The administration also pointing to the No Child Left Behind Act, which critics say have been underfunded. But White House officials insist it has benefited children, including minorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: We are now working to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and succeed, and that parents know how their public schools are performing. Parents have more of a say in their children's education. We're saying that every child can learn and can succeed; we are not giving up on anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now the president also reaching out to the African- American community through supporting faith-based groups and the work that they do communities. It was just about a week and a half ago that the president visited a predominantly black church in Philadelphia. There, he emphasized his commitment to supporting faith-based groups, as well as talking about some of his HIV/AIDS initiatives. But the president only garnering about 8 percent of the African-American vote back in 2000 and certainly hoping to do better this time around.
Also on the agenda, courting Hispanic voters as well: the president and the campaign machine sending out a message, a bilingual one, in Spanish and English, trying to reach those voters and send the message that President Bush's vision for America includes minority groups.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thanks very much.
Well today, Senator John Kerry took his campaign message to a rural portion of western Wisconsin, another important swing state. The Democratic challenger spoke before several dozen dairy farmers inside a large shed used for storing tractors. He talked about agriculture subsidies, trade issues and the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I can run a more effective war on terror; I will make America safer and stronger than George Bush is; I will respect the values of this country that build alliances so we work wither nations and understand that working with other people and bringing them to the table and showing patience and maturity is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Also on Kerry's day planner today, trap shooting with Congressman Ron Kind and a stop in Dubuque, Iowa, where he'll watch the fireworks for the Fourth.
Terror at a Kansas plant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS POLICE SPOKESMAN: This person acted with purpose. He did not -- he knew exactly what he was doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The body count from a workplace shooting climbs. That story straight ahead.
Plus, we go on a walk with a security specialist. How safe against terrorism is your local mall?
And coming up in less than 30 minutes: how to become a savvy senior. It's never too early to start.
Just e-mail us your questions at dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at 1-800-807-2620.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Police in Kansas City, Kansas are trying to determine why a man killed six people, including himself in a shooting rampage at a food plant. Twenty-one-year-old Elijah Brown had recently returned to work at ConAgra after a layoff; police and witnesses say he opened fire late yesterday afternoon in a company break room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL JENKINS, WITNESS TO SHOOTING: I opened the door, and I saw the assailant with the firearm and it seemed to be jammed, or out of bullets and he's screaming obscenities. He looked towards me, I backed out of the door, went down the stairs to alert my other co- workers and tell them that there's somebody in there with a gun.
They proceeded not to believe me, for some reason and I went to call 9-1-1 on my cell phone, so I started walking towards the parking lot. Another man came out from another part of the building screaming that it's true. Then, everybody started running towards the parking lot. I hopped in my vehicle, went down the street to Quick Trip and alerted police.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The shooter and four other people died at the scene. A sixth died of wounds today.
Law enforcement officials across the country are beefing up security this Fourth of July weekend. The Department of Homeland Security reports no specific threats and it hasn't raised the terror alert, but it has urged state and local law enforcers to tighten security at holiday events, power and chemical plants and key transportation facilities.
How far are Americans willing to go in letting the fear of terrorism alter their ways of life? CNN's Drew Griffin reports on the dilemma faced by symbols of America's consumer economy that could be terror targets: shopping malls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN PIERNICK, SECURITY EXPERT: ... they will do. Here's another door that could easily be smashed in, but by a vehicle.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This could be any shopping mall in any state in America. And any one of them, says Security Expert Ken Piernick, could be classified as a terrorist perfect soft target. Walk through this mall with this former FBI officer and you can begin to see what he sees: lots of people, lots of unprotected doors and an undeniable symbol of the U.S. economy. An easy place, Piernick says, to place a bomb, drive a vehicle into, or simply pull out a gun and start shooting. PIERNICK: And the guards, by and large, are not armed, so even if there was an event, they are...
GRIFFIN: They're victims, too.
PIERNICK: ... they couldn't stop it.
GRIFFIN: That's right, they couldn't stop it.
Piernick isn't necessarily singling out shopping malls. He is pointing out that if 9/11 was a wake-up call, the country has largely gone back to sleep.
PIERNICK: The attention is subsiding and as we reduce our tension, we reduce our vigilance and that's when the enemy strikes again.
GRIFFIN: Last week, CNN spent 45 minutes walk going through this mall with Piernick, using hidden cameras: carrying backpacks, briefcases; stopping and pointing out security features: all things that should have raised concerns, he says, among the security guards.
PIERNICK: Well, as you see, we're walking around and nobody's paying attention to us.
GRIFFIN: And that is the real threat, he says: complacency. The shopping mall industry is determined not to be caught sleeping. At the New York Headquarters of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Malachy Kavanagh says the nearly $2 trillion industry knows what's at stake.
MALACHY KAVANAGH: I think everything in the United States has to be considered a target.
GRIFFIN: And the retailers in the event of a credible threat say they are able to clamp down.
KAVANAGH: If we were to go to a code red, the highest level, whereby the government's telling you there is the potential for an attack, some of the data we've done and consumer service have shown that, yes, consumers are willing to accept it at that point: tougher, more restrictive security. Sort of like airport security: bags checked, going through magnetometers.
GRIFFIN: But Kavanagh says shopping malls will not move to that increased level of security unless the government tells them there is a real need. And that is confusing.
This summer, the Department of Homeland Security has been warning Americans to expect an attack; yet the threat level remains yellow and the department goes out of its way to say there is no specific target.
Homeland Security's Robert Liscouski admits his department admits his department alone cannot possibly protect every potential target.
ROBERT LISCOUSKI, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT: We need partnership. And this is not just about a federal response.
GRIFFIN: His job is to make sure any potential targets can help defend themselves.
LISCOUSKI: Malls have really stepped up to the plate to take on that responsibility.
GRIFFIN: Maybe, says Piernick, but walk through almost any mall and you can see the holes in security and potential targets for terror if you are looking for them.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: National mourning for President Reagan ends. The White House has ordered flags to be flown at full staff again. The mourning period was supposed to last 30 days, but was cut short two days early for the Fourth of July weekend. A White House spokesman says flags are being raised for the holiday weekend as a tribute to Reagan.
Serena Williams is no match for a teenage phenom from Russia. Hear what the American has to say about being upset in the Wimbledon Finals.
Plus, could Russia be the new powerhouse in tennis? How the end of the Cold War launched a new sports dynasty.
And coming up at 4:30 eastern, 1:30 pacific: how to be a savvy senior with your money. Do you know how much you'll need to retire? E-mail your questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com or you can call us: 1- 800-807-2620.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
"DOLLAR SIGNS" is about to start. But don't forget to e-mail us your questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at: 1-800-807-2620.
Game, set, match. It's a long way from Siberia to the manicured grass courts of the All-England Tennis Club, but it's just one part of an incredible journey for Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon's newest women's champion. She beat Serena Williams in straight sets today during a final that didn't last much more than an hour. At 6-1, 6-4, it was the most lopsided women's final in 12 years. And at 17, Sharapova is the third youngest Wimbledon women's champion.
She took it all in stride after the match.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHARAPOVA, WOMEN'S WIMBLEDON CHAMPION: I was pretty confident just going into the match, knowing that it was a Wimbledon final, and all this excitement in me. But I kept cool and that's just what I had to do. VENUS WILLIAMS, WOMEN'S WIMBLEDON RUNNER-UP: Well, this was the final of Wimbledon. Before, it was like the fourth round of NASDAQ, and there is a big difference. When anyone's in the final, you're going to give 300 percent, and they're going to -- I think she treed a little bit today, as well. I think she played her best tournament, her best tennis, maybe in her life. But, this is normal.
I mean, I should have done the same thing in the final of Wimbledon. Why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The teenager who beat Williams at Wimbledon today is the second Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. She likely won't be the last. Her country is serving up more and more ace tennis players.
CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Anastasia Myskina makes history: the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Right behind her, a volley of top-seeded Russian tennis players, with more women stars than any other country in the world: pretty amazing for a place where, during the Soviet Union, tennis used to be dismissed as a bourgeois sport.
Anna Kournikova, with her moves on and off the court, helped put Russian tennis on the map. In 1990, there were fewer than 200 courts. Now, there are more than 2500.
This is where the next generation of Russian tennis players is coming from. Spartak is a training camp for the Olympics and kids here begin at the age of five. Even the youngest ones practice two to three hours a day, six days a week, come rain or shine.
Kids like 8-year-old Zhenya Mikhailov (ph) take it seriously.
ZHENYA MIKHAILOV (ph), YOUNG TENNIS PLAYER (through translator): You need determination; you need to fight for every match; you need strength and willpower.
DOUGHERTY: Spartak has given the world several tennis champs, including Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva, who both joined the club at age six. Myskina says with so many Russian women players, competition keeps her sharp.
ANASTASIA MYSKINA, PROFESSIONAL RUSSIAN TENNIS PLAYER: My coach always keeps telling me, "If you're not going to practice, just remember, when you're sitting right there watching movie, this girl's running and trying to be better than you. So, I'm like, "No, I have to go and run or do something."
DOUGHERTY: And behind today's young Russian tennis stars, there's an even younger generation waiting in the wings: including Myskina's 10-year-old cousin, Dasha (ph).
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And we're not finished with tennis, yet.
Here's a preview of the men's action tomorrow at Wimbledon. Defending champion Roger Federer extended his grass court winning streak to 23 matches. He won in straight sets against Sebastian Grosjean. And Federer will duke it out with Andy Roddick for the championship. Roddick beat Mario Ancic in four sets to reach his first Wimbledon Final.
Lance Armstrong makes an explosive start at a Tour de France trial race in Belgium. The Prologue kicks off a three-week tour, which officially begins tomorrow. The tough Texan come in second place today and outdistanced key rivals. Today's winner was Swiss cyclist, Fabian Cancellara. Armstrong is aiming for a sixth straight Tour de France win.
Only in astronomy can cloudy images, rather, give experts so much excitement. That's certainly the case though, when it comes to some new snapshots of Saturn's mysterious moon, Titan. They were just beamed back to Mission Control from the Cassini spacecraft and show a large band of clouds, nearly the size of Arizona.
Surface features are also visible, including a large area that appears to be crusted in ice. The photos also show blob-like structures that may be craters, and possible evidence of earlier geologic activity. Scientists are both excited and puzzled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our best view of the surface yet, and we really, at this point, don't completely know what to make of it. So, we clearly have a lot of work to do. But it's very exciting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The photos were taken during yesterday's flyby. Cassini will make 44 others during its journey and will send a probe to the lunar surface in December.
Well, straight ahead on "DOLLAR SIGNS": do you think you have enough money to retire? Do you think you need a long-term care insurance policy? And do you have a will? Do you need one?
Lots of questions. And do you know what a reverse mortgage is? Our money experts have all the answers, so send your questions now to us at dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at 1-800-8070-2620.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired July 3, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Battling for voters in the nation's heartland; how the Bush administration plans to win over a traditional democratic base.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN REPORTER: A new report says in some respects Iraq was better off before the war.
WHITFIELD: Hello and welcome to "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." I'm Fredericka Whitfield.
And later, becoming a savvy senior, that's our topic on "DOLLAR SIGNS." Call us at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us your questions: dollarsigns@CNN.com. We'll be talking about how to get your finances in order. "DOLLAR SIGNS" starts in about 30 minutes.
But first, here are the headlines.
The new Iraqi government is reportedly considering an amnesty offer for Iraqi insurgents who fought against the U.S.-led occupation. The Associated Press reports a plan in the works could even grant pardons to rebels who have killed Americans.
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is not without supporters, as criminal court proceedings against him get under way this week. About 150 demonstrators marched in Baqubah to show solidarity with the ousted president. Saddam and 11 of his former top deputies faced arraignment or Thursday on charges including the killings of adversaries.
Someone, somewhere, has a winning ticket bought at this store in Lowell, Massachusetts, for the biggest Mega Millions lottery jackpot ever. The ticket with the number 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, and the Mega ball is 12, and it's worth $290 million. Lines to buy tickets were long this week in 11 states.
We begin in Iraq, a place of stark contrast today. Violence in some parts of the country, progress in others. The U.S. military is declaring one mission a success, but at the same time, more Iraqi and American blood was shed.
CNN's Jane Arraf has the latest from Baghdad.
JANE ARRAF, CNN REPORTER: It's being described as a major development in the ongoing search for the people in the groups behind a wave of car bombings. U.S. military officials say they have discovered eight facilities where these bombs were being made, including four car bombs in the process of being made they say. Officials say they have arrested at least 30 people.
At the first site, they were lead led to several other sites. Among those arrested they say, the alleged financiers of one of the cells, along with one of the alleged bomb makers. They say this was a group that may have been responsible for setting off bombs that have killed two U.S. soldiers, as well as possible other attacks on Coalition and Iraqi targets.
A major development, a major weapons find in a fight to crack down on the groups that they say are responsible for this wave of violence. South of Baghdad, one bomb has killed six members of the Iraqi National Guard, when it set off an explosion at a fuel storage facility.
But military officials say they don't expect the violence to stop, but they say they are making headway in cracking down on these groups.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
WHITFIELD: Last fall, Congress approved billions of dollars for Iraqi reconstruction, now we're finding only 2 percent of that money has been spent. The General Accounting Office reported on the state of Iraq's infrastructure this week. CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us with a closer look now.
Jeanne.
MESERVE: Fredricka, as you mentioned, billions of dollars have been pledged to help rebuild Iraq, but not all of it has been spent, and not all of what has been spent has had the desired impact, according to the new report from the General Accounting Office.
The GAO finds that Iraq's security forces are under-equipped and under-trained, understaffed and unready to fight and because of the precarious security situation, efforts to build institutions, like an independent judiciary, and infrastructure like the electrical system have suffered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID WALKER, GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE: The number one challenge in Iraq right now is to provide additional security. Additional security is necessary in order to help build democratic institutions and to facilitate the rebuilding of the infrastructure of the country.
Until that is stabilized, we're going to continue to face major challenges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The GAO report says that there are fewer hours of electrical service in 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces than under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Could money be a factor? The White House says that only about 2 percent of the $18.4 billion appropriated by Congress last fall to rebuild Iraq has been spent. Though a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget says about half the money is now in the pipeline. And the administration underlines the areas where it believes there has been progress: 2500 schools rehabilitated. 85 percent of children immunized and 50 percent more telephone users than before the war.
The question now, can the new Iraqi government do better? The answer: unknown.
Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: Well, Jeanne, so is there a timetable to try to expedite and try to smooth out some of these wrinkles?
MESERVE: Well, of course, to some measure, this is out of the hands of the U.S. government now, now that the new Iraqi government has come into power in Iraq, the administration, as I said, indicates that about half the money that has been appropriated is now in the pipeline.
They compared this to sort of, when you're building a house and you pay the contractors after the work has been completed. That's what they say is going on now. They claim there has been progress.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Thanks very much.
Much more fallout from the prison abuse scandal in Iraq. The U.S. general who was in charge of Abu Ghraib prison says Israelis may have interrogated Iraqis at another facility.
Brigadier General Janice Karpinski says she met a man who told her he was Israeli during a visit to a Baghdad intelligence center. She says he told her he carried out some interrogations. Israeli involvement in Iraq would likely anger many Arabs. Israel's Foreign Ministry says reports of Israeli troops or interrogators in Iraq are completely untrue.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military's investigating another allegation of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan. A spokesman wouldn't give details of the latest probe. At least four people have died in custody in Afghanistan. The military recently opened at least two new investigations into allegations by former prisoners.
The fighting continues in Afghanistan. U.S. forces have killed about a dozen militants in the past week in skirmishes in the South. U.S. Marines began a series of major operations in Taliban strongholds in May. They're part of the effort to ensure Afghanistan's national elections go on as planned in September.
No Republican has ever been elected president without carrying Ohio. That could explain why President Bush has reportedly made 18 trips to the Buckeye State since 2001. He's not visiting this weekend, but the vice president is. Today, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney appeared at a campaign rally in suburban Cleveland, a democratic stronghold. During his remarks, the vice president defended the administration's handling of the war on terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because we acted, Afghanistan and Iraq have gone from terror states to free, sovereign nations and emerging democracies that will be able to count on the United Sates a as a friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Several hundred anti-Bush protesters demonstrated nearby. Some held signs reading, "Make Cheney unemployed."
Yesterday marked 40 years since President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ever since, minorities have been one of the Democratic Party's most reliable voting blocks. But inside the Bush-Cheney campaign, experts are brainstorming and strategists are strategizing about how to reverse that trend.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us from the White House with details.
Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN REPORTER: Good afternoon Fredricka.
Well, with the race against Democratic rival John Kerry shaping up to be tight, certainly minority votes could make all the difference. Now the issue of where minorities stand in America was in the spotlight earlier this week. It was just days ago that President Bush, in the East Room of the White House here, commemorated the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, which banned segregation and guaranteed equal voting rights.
Four decades after that signing, the administration says that under President Bush's initiatives, minority groups have benefited; that they are better off. The White House saying that to-date, 1.5 million minorities now own their own homes. The administration also pointing to the No Child Left Behind Act, which critics say have been underfunded. But White House officials insist it has benefited children, including minorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: We are now working to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and succeed, and that parents know how their public schools are performing. Parents have more of a say in their children's education. We're saying that every child can learn and can succeed; we are not giving up on anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now the president also reaching out to the African- American community through supporting faith-based groups and the work that they do communities. It was just about a week and a half ago that the president visited a predominantly black church in Philadelphia. There, he emphasized his commitment to supporting faith-based groups, as well as talking about some of his HIV/AIDS initiatives. But the president only garnering about 8 percent of the African-American vote back in 2000 and certainly hoping to do better this time around.
Also on the agenda, courting Hispanic voters as well: the president and the campaign machine sending out a message, a bilingual one, in Spanish and English, trying to reach those voters and send the message that President Bush's vision for America includes minority groups.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thanks very much.
Well today, Senator John Kerry took his campaign message to a rural portion of western Wisconsin, another important swing state. The Democratic challenger spoke before several dozen dairy farmers inside a large shed used for storing tractors. He talked about agriculture subsidies, trade issues and the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I can run a more effective war on terror; I will make America safer and stronger than George Bush is; I will respect the values of this country that build alliances so we work wither nations and understand that working with other people and bringing them to the table and showing patience and maturity is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.
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WHITFIELD: Also on Kerry's day planner today, trap shooting with Congressman Ron Kind and a stop in Dubuque, Iowa, where he'll watch the fireworks for the Fourth.
Terror at a Kansas plant.
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KANSAS CITY, KANSAS POLICE SPOKESMAN: This person acted with purpose. He did not -- he knew exactly what he was doing.
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WHITFIELD: The body count from a workplace shooting climbs. That story straight ahead.
Plus, we go on a walk with a security specialist. How safe against terrorism is your local mall?
And coming up in less than 30 minutes: how to become a savvy senior. It's never too early to start.
Just e-mail us your questions at dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at 1-800-807-2620.
We'll be right back.
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WHITFIELD: Police in Kansas City, Kansas are trying to determine why a man killed six people, including himself in a shooting rampage at a food plant. Twenty-one-year-old Elijah Brown had recently returned to work at ConAgra after a layoff; police and witnesses say he opened fire late yesterday afternoon in a company break room.
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DANIEL JENKINS, WITNESS TO SHOOTING: I opened the door, and I saw the assailant with the firearm and it seemed to be jammed, or out of bullets and he's screaming obscenities. He looked towards me, I backed out of the door, went down the stairs to alert my other co- workers and tell them that there's somebody in there with a gun.
They proceeded not to believe me, for some reason and I went to call 9-1-1 on my cell phone, so I started walking towards the parking lot. Another man came out from another part of the building screaming that it's true. Then, everybody started running towards the parking lot. I hopped in my vehicle, went down the street to Quick Trip and alerted police.
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WHITFIELD: The shooter and four other people died at the scene. A sixth died of wounds today.
Law enforcement officials across the country are beefing up security this Fourth of July weekend. The Department of Homeland Security reports no specific threats and it hasn't raised the terror alert, but it has urged state and local law enforcers to tighten security at holiday events, power and chemical plants and key transportation facilities.
How far are Americans willing to go in letting the fear of terrorism alter their ways of life? CNN's Drew Griffin reports on the dilemma faced by symbols of America's consumer economy that could be terror targets: shopping malls.
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KEN PIERNICK, SECURITY EXPERT: ... they will do. Here's another door that could easily be smashed in, but by a vehicle.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This could be any shopping mall in any state in America. And any one of them, says Security Expert Ken Piernick, could be classified as a terrorist perfect soft target. Walk through this mall with this former FBI officer and you can begin to see what he sees: lots of people, lots of unprotected doors and an undeniable symbol of the U.S. economy. An easy place, Piernick says, to place a bomb, drive a vehicle into, or simply pull out a gun and start shooting. PIERNICK: And the guards, by and large, are not armed, so even if there was an event, they are...
GRIFFIN: They're victims, too.
PIERNICK: ... they couldn't stop it.
GRIFFIN: That's right, they couldn't stop it.
Piernick isn't necessarily singling out shopping malls. He is pointing out that if 9/11 was a wake-up call, the country has largely gone back to sleep.
PIERNICK: The attention is subsiding and as we reduce our tension, we reduce our vigilance and that's when the enemy strikes again.
GRIFFIN: Last week, CNN spent 45 minutes walk going through this mall with Piernick, using hidden cameras: carrying backpacks, briefcases; stopping and pointing out security features: all things that should have raised concerns, he says, among the security guards.
PIERNICK: Well, as you see, we're walking around and nobody's paying attention to us.
GRIFFIN: And that is the real threat, he says: complacency. The shopping mall industry is determined not to be caught sleeping. At the New York Headquarters of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Malachy Kavanagh says the nearly $2 trillion industry knows what's at stake.
MALACHY KAVANAGH: I think everything in the United States has to be considered a target.
GRIFFIN: And the retailers in the event of a credible threat say they are able to clamp down.
KAVANAGH: If we were to go to a code red, the highest level, whereby the government's telling you there is the potential for an attack, some of the data we've done and consumer service have shown that, yes, consumers are willing to accept it at that point: tougher, more restrictive security. Sort of like airport security: bags checked, going through magnetometers.
GRIFFIN: But Kavanagh says shopping malls will not move to that increased level of security unless the government tells them there is a real need. And that is confusing.
This summer, the Department of Homeland Security has been warning Americans to expect an attack; yet the threat level remains yellow and the department goes out of its way to say there is no specific target.
Homeland Security's Robert Liscouski admits his department admits his department alone cannot possibly protect every potential target.
ROBERT LISCOUSKI, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT: We need partnership. And this is not just about a federal response.
GRIFFIN: His job is to make sure any potential targets can help defend themselves.
LISCOUSKI: Malls have really stepped up to the plate to take on that responsibility.
GRIFFIN: Maybe, says Piernick, but walk through almost any mall and you can see the holes in security and potential targets for terror if you are looking for them.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
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WHITFIELD: National mourning for President Reagan ends. The White House has ordered flags to be flown at full staff again. The mourning period was supposed to last 30 days, but was cut short two days early for the Fourth of July weekend. A White House spokesman says flags are being raised for the holiday weekend as a tribute to Reagan.
Serena Williams is no match for a teenage phenom from Russia. Hear what the American has to say about being upset in the Wimbledon Finals.
Plus, could Russia be the new powerhouse in tennis? How the end of the Cold War launched a new sports dynasty.
And coming up at 4:30 eastern, 1:30 pacific: how to be a savvy senior with your money. Do you know how much you'll need to retire? E-mail your questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com or you can call us: 1- 800-807-2620.
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"DOLLAR SIGNS" is about to start. But don't forget to e-mail us your questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at: 1-800-807-2620.
Game, set, match. It's a long way from Siberia to the manicured grass courts of the All-England Tennis Club, but it's just one part of an incredible journey for Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon's newest women's champion. She beat Serena Williams in straight sets today during a final that didn't last much more than an hour. At 6-1, 6-4, it was the most lopsided women's final in 12 years. And at 17, Sharapova is the third youngest Wimbledon women's champion.
She took it all in stride after the match.
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MARIA SHARAPOVA, WOMEN'S WIMBLEDON CHAMPION: I was pretty confident just going into the match, knowing that it was a Wimbledon final, and all this excitement in me. But I kept cool and that's just what I had to do. VENUS WILLIAMS, WOMEN'S WIMBLEDON RUNNER-UP: Well, this was the final of Wimbledon. Before, it was like the fourth round of NASDAQ, and there is a big difference. When anyone's in the final, you're going to give 300 percent, and they're going to -- I think she treed a little bit today, as well. I think she played her best tournament, her best tennis, maybe in her life. But, this is normal.
I mean, I should have done the same thing in the final of Wimbledon. Why not?
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WHITFIELD: The teenager who beat Williams at Wimbledon today is the second Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. She likely won't be the last. Her country is serving up more and more ace tennis players.
CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, takes a look.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Anastasia Myskina makes history: the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Right behind her, a volley of top-seeded Russian tennis players, with more women stars than any other country in the world: pretty amazing for a place where, during the Soviet Union, tennis used to be dismissed as a bourgeois sport.
Anna Kournikova, with her moves on and off the court, helped put Russian tennis on the map. In 1990, there were fewer than 200 courts. Now, there are more than 2500.
This is where the next generation of Russian tennis players is coming from. Spartak is a training camp for the Olympics and kids here begin at the age of five. Even the youngest ones practice two to three hours a day, six days a week, come rain or shine.
Kids like 8-year-old Zhenya Mikhailov (ph) take it seriously.
ZHENYA MIKHAILOV (ph), YOUNG TENNIS PLAYER (through translator): You need determination; you need to fight for every match; you need strength and willpower.
DOUGHERTY: Spartak has given the world several tennis champs, including Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva, who both joined the club at age six. Myskina says with so many Russian women players, competition keeps her sharp.
ANASTASIA MYSKINA, PROFESSIONAL RUSSIAN TENNIS PLAYER: My coach always keeps telling me, "If you're not going to practice, just remember, when you're sitting right there watching movie, this girl's running and trying to be better than you. So, I'm like, "No, I have to go and run or do something."
DOUGHERTY: And behind today's young Russian tennis stars, there's an even younger generation waiting in the wings: including Myskina's 10-year-old cousin, Dasha (ph).
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Moscow.
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WHITFIELD: And we're not finished with tennis, yet.
Here's a preview of the men's action tomorrow at Wimbledon. Defending champion Roger Federer extended his grass court winning streak to 23 matches. He won in straight sets against Sebastian Grosjean. And Federer will duke it out with Andy Roddick for the championship. Roddick beat Mario Ancic in four sets to reach his first Wimbledon Final.
Lance Armstrong makes an explosive start at a Tour de France trial race in Belgium. The Prologue kicks off a three-week tour, which officially begins tomorrow. The tough Texan come in second place today and outdistanced key rivals. Today's winner was Swiss cyclist, Fabian Cancellara. Armstrong is aiming for a sixth straight Tour de France win.
Only in astronomy can cloudy images, rather, give experts so much excitement. That's certainly the case though, when it comes to some new snapshots of Saturn's mysterious moon, Titan. They were just beamed back to Mission Control from the Cassini spacecraft and show a large band of clouds, nearly the size of Arizona.
Surface features are also visible, including a large area that appears to be crusted in ice. The photos also show blob-like structures that may be craters, and possible evidence of earlier geologic activity. Scientists are both excited and puzzled.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our best view of the surface yet, and we really, at this point, don't completely know what to make of it. So, we clearly have a lot of work to do. But it's very exciting.
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WHITFIELD: The photos were taken during yesterday's flyby. Cassini will make 44 others during its journey and will send a probe to the lunar surface in December.
Well, straight ahead on "DOLLAR SIGNS": do you think you have enough money to retire? Do you think you need a long-term care insurance policy? And do you have a will? Do you need one?
Lots of questions. And do you know what a reverse mortgage is? Our money experts have all the answers, so send your questions now to us at dollarsigns@cnn.com or call us at 1-800-8070-2620.
We'll be back.
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