Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Will Public Agree with Kerry's Nuanced Iraq War Critique?; Congress Awaits New Images from Abu Ghraib

Aired May 10, 2004 - 14:29   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Headlines at the half hour. President Bush defying critics calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. At the Pentagon today, Mr. Bush said the nation owes Rumsfeld a debt of gratitude for a superb job.
Senator John Kerry has begun a four-day focus on health care. In Pittsburgh, the Democratic presidential hopeful says that health insurance premiums have risen more than $2700 per family over the last four years. He's proposing federal coverage for catastrophic cases.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is adding to the Washington memorial wall the name of a serviceman who didn't die in Vietnam combat. Captain Edward Alan Brudno was a Vietnam prisoner of war for more than seven years. He committed suicide back in the U.S. four months after his release.

Sources close to the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case tell CNN his trial will begin in early August. The L.A. Lakers star is back in Eagle, Colorado, for hearings this week. Bryant is accused of raping a hotel employee. He says she consented to have sex with him.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The outrage over mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners looms over the military's top fight in Iraq and over election year politics, as does everything in Washington. It poses an interesting dilemma for the Kerry camp.

Judy Woodruff, "INSIDE POLITICS," here in Atlanta today, good to see you in person.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": Great to see you in person, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Excellent. And you're going to be talking obviously quite a bit about this, but just to focus on a couple of things. Very early in the Democratic primary season, the anti-war candidate, Howard Dean, lost the battle. Now that left John Kerry. He had differentiated himself by not being so anti-war as Howard Dean, which in the general election, leaves him awfully close to George Bush, doesn't it?

WOODRUFF: It sure does. And it is a problem for the Kerry campaign, because on the one hand, John Kerry passionately disagreed with the way President Bush took the country to war. He voted for the resolution to authorize the use of force, but he wanted it to be an international effort. He wanted a large number of countries on board. He wanted the U.N. to approve. That did not happen. He is now saying, and the people around him are saying, if that had been the case, you would not see the fierce opposition among the Iraqi people to what's going on right now inside Iraq.

O'BRIEN: And as is the case with so many things with John Kerry, perhaps being a product of the Senate for so many years, it is subtle, it is nuanced, it doesn't really boil down to an eight-second sound bite.

WOODRUFF: You can't boil it down to a seven- or eight- second sound bite. And that's the problem, because he does -- genuinely, right now, says he does not believe that the United States should cut and run, which is what Ralph Nader is out there saying. Now Ralph Nader had been a very small factor in this election, Miles. But the more this war becomes an issue of dissent and division in this country, the more the Democrats must be worrying about Ralph Nader.

O'BRIEN: Yes, and perhaps there is another to differentiate them, but the issue is, though, when a president is at war, the natural tendency is to hold back on the politics. In other words, the politics ends at the border.

WOODRUFF: That's true. And the other thing that John Kerry has to think about is the Bush people have managed fairly successfully, I would say, to paint him as somebody who flip flops. They've been out there running ads saying he changes his position. If he were now to come out and say, well, I'm having second thoughts, which he has not done. But I'm saying that is another strong incentive for him not to change his position on the war in Iraq.

O'BRIEN: Case in point. Now meanwhile, there is a rising chorus of discontent with the secretary of defense, obviously. And even -- up to this point we haven't heard so much about General Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, but a publication is out there, "The Army Times," kind of a trade publication if you're in the military, very critical.

WOODRUFF: That's right, if you're in the military. It is an independent newspaper. It is owned independently. But it is very much a part of the Army infrastructure. It is -- every soldier in the world, every Marine in the world reads "The Army Times." Having said that, they have come out and said, I'm just going to read a very quick last line, Miles. "This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level, this was a failure that ran straight to the top, accountability is essential."

This is coming from the newspaper that all soldiers read all over the world. It is saying it is not just the four or five or six or seven Reserve guards who are on duty who are responsible. It goes all the way up to Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers.

O'BRIEN: Wouldn't it be a terrible shame if it was just the privates who took the rap for all of this? And couple that with what we're hearing now is a lot of rumblings in the higher reaches of the Pentagon, a lot of second guessing, a lot of questioning about the strategy and this whole notion of "cut and run" which may be a pejorative, but some are suggesting might be the thing to do.

WOODRUFF: Well, there are serious and respected military people, now you and I were talking about this earlier today, Miles, who are arguing they're not sure that this war is winnable. Yes, on the ground it's winnable and we saw some reports in "The Washington Post" about this over the weekend, we're winning on the ground, but are we winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people? That's the concern. And particularly with this prisoner abuse scandal, the incentives for Iraqis and for people throughout the region to reject the American formula for democracy is stronger and more powerful than ever.

O'BRIEN: Well, the bar was set awfully high. Nothing less in creating a democracy in Iraq. That's a difficult goal under any stretches. I suppose it is possible to win every tactical battle and lose the strategy.

WOODRUFF: And today we heard President Bush at the Pentagon. He had Vice President Cheney on one side and Secretary Rumsfeld on the other. The president described chapter and verse how on the ground progress is being made. We are -- the Americans are holding off the Iraqis. But the bigger picture I think is one with a lot more question marks.

O'BRIEN: And you're going to talk to a "Washington Post" correspondent who wrote an interesting piece here.

WOODRUFF: I am, Tom Ricks with "The Washington Post" who wrote -- had some interesting reporting over the week.

O'BRIEN: Just part of what lies ahead on "INSIDE POLITICS" from Atlanta today. Also...

WOODRUFF: Senator Susan Collins, I'll put that plug in there as well.

O'BRIEN: And this, the poll, we've got a big poll coming out...

WOODRUFF: A very big poll. Bill Schneider is going to be with us to talk about some very interesting numbers in the wake of the abuse scandal and the testimony.

O'BRIEN: Is that the first numbers you've seen since the...

WOODRUFF: Since the testimony on Friday of Secretary Rumsfeld.

O'BRIEN: That will be interesting to see. The results of that poll, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Judy Woodruff and everything you need to know about politics. So please join us then. Thank you.

WOODRUFF: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, straight ahead, it sounds like something out of "Inspector Gadget" or James Bond, a Coca-Cola can turns into a cell phone? We've got the 411. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Former hostage Thomas Hamill is home. He says he's trying to gain a sense of normalcy now that he's back in Mississippi. For Hamill and his community the healing begins at church.

CNN's Mike Brooks is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day after Tommy Hamill was captured on April 9 in Iraq, the small town of Macon, Mississippi, came together on the courthouse steps to pray for him and for the welfare of the troops and other hostages still held. People here have no doubt that prayer helped Tommy Hamill during his captivity and eventual escape.

WARREN MARTIN JR., RESIDENT: We were doing it every night and every day. And it really brought this community together. And without prayer, he wouldn't have made it.

BROOKS: Late Saturday, Hamill, along with family and friends gathered together at the courthouse for an emotional evening of prayer and unity. Tommy Hamill spoke candidly about how his faith gave him hope during his ordeal.

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER HOSTAGE IN IRAQ: And I want everyone to know that my spiritual convictions, my inspiration, the lord, he brought me through this. He was my person to lean on. I leaned on him every day. And he carried me. He carried me. If I had not had my God to speak to, I don't know what I would have done.

BROOKS: Hamill celebrated his forty-fourth birthday Saturday, still trying to find some sense of normalcy since returning. He didn't want to make a big deal of his arrival home.

HAMILL: And I didn't want to play this thing up like a big grand slam home run because one thing I found out with these people over there, you do not show fear in front of them and you do not anger them. And I knew this was going to anger them.

BROOKS: Hamill and his family attended church Sunday. And for the near future, the daily prayer vigil will continue because the people say there are still prayers to be answered.

BETTY MARTIN, RESIDENT: We must continue to pray for all that are there, including the correspondents.

BROOKS: Mike Brooks, CNN, Macon, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world, Chechnya's president was buried today in his home village. A bomb killed President Akhmad Kadyrov and several other people in the stadium Sunday during a World War II Victory Day celebration. Kadyrov was Russia's ally in its efforts to squash the violent separatist movement.

Vote counting is about to start in the world's largest democratic election. India today held the fifth and final phase of a national vote that took three weeks to poll 368 million voters. At stake is the National Democratic Alliance's bid to retain power with a stable government.

In Athens, Greece, a three-day security exercise begins in preparation for the summer Olympic games. Greece's minister supervising planning for the August games says that she's confident that the host country can repel any attack by an al Qaeda or other terrorists.

O'BRIEN: Up next, medical miracle or ethical tightrope, making a baby that could help save a sick sibling.

PHILLIPS: Also protein that can vacuum fat from mice, could it ever work in people?

O'BRIEN: Oh, please, that would be great.

And later, the gorilla with the very bad cough. He could use a vacuum too. Veterinarians decide to take drastic actions. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking health headlines this Monday, May 10, vacuuming the fat without liposuction. Researchers studying new ways to battle cancer in mice have hit upon a new way to zap fat. Scientists say blocking a certain protein allowed mice to slim down with no physical side effects. But they caution that more study is needed.

Where are your old memories kept? No, not in that old shoe box full of photographs. Scientists have discovered that lifelong memories are stored in the brain's anterior cortex. The discovery could help scientists develop drugs to treat people with memory disorders.

O'BRIEN: In other health news, a parent's dilemma, having another baby with the right genes to save the life sibling. New advances in medicine actually make it possible, but should it be done? Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the growing controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To look at him prancing around, playing and laughing, you could hardly tell Henry Strongin-Goldberg was sick.

ALLEN GOLDBERG, HENRY'S FATHER: He was the kid with the smile, he was the kid with the sparkle in his eye.

GUPTA: But he was extremely ill. Henry was born with Fanconi anemia, that's a rare blood disorder that prevents bone marrow from generating new blood cells. His best chance of survival, a bone marrow transplant from a genetically compatible sibling.

LAURIE STRONGIN, HENRY'S MOTHER: Nobody with the kind of Fanconi anemia that Henry had had ever survived a transplant like this without a sibling donor.

GUPTA: The problem was Henry didn't have one. So the Strongin- Goldbergs decided to take drastic action. They decided something known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and HOA testing. In other words, they set out to make a baby that would be closely as possible, Henry's perfect genetic match.

Here is how it works. Laurie and Allen underwent in vitro fertilization. Before selecting an embryo for implantation, they had all the fertilized embryos analyzed to choose one that might be a match for Henry and a possible cure for his Fanconi anemia. After the implanted embryo reaches term and a baby is born...

LANA RECHITSKY, REPRODUCTIVE GENETICS INST.: Stem cells are collected from cord blood and frozen for the future potential transfer to the sick baby.

GUPTA: The Strongin-Goldbergs who were the first to undergo this procedure, tried PGD nine types unsuccessfully. They failed to produce an embryo that was a genetic match for Henry, and Henry died at the age of 7.

STRONGIN: We had run out of time.

GUPTA: But recently for the first time, five babies were born using this method. One baby's stem cells have already been used to save a sibling. Still the controversy is stinging and complicated. Critics question whether this technique could lead to designer babies with parents selecting one embryo and rejecting others to insure specific eye color, height, intelligence or even cloning.

DR. KENNETH PRAGER: It has to be made clear this is not cloning. This is bringing life to a child from a sperm and an egg. Is it natural in that respect.

GUTPA: Although it didn't work for them. Henry's family believes conceiving a baby to be a donor is still the best option.

STRONGIN: What this child would be doing would be saving the life of an existing sibling and also saving our family from the tragic loss of a child.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: President Bush, he makes a closely watched trip to the Pentagon today. Headlines at the top of the hour.

O'BRIEN: U.S. Marines in Afghanistan go where they've never gone before. Our cameras are there.

PHILLIPS: But first, saving Kubi, an animal's story for all you to love. Delicate surgery on a beloved great ape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: About 100 pictures and a videotape. How will this be disseminated on the Hill? Joe Johns covering the story for us.

How is it going to go down, John -- Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that's still up in the air. Right now the top Democrat and top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee have to work out a proposal to deliver to the leaders of the Congress, both the Republican and the Democrat.

The issue, of course, two things really, just exactly how to talk to the senators, how many senators to allow to view one videotape we're told, about 100 pictures, whether to let the entire Senate see it and then the related question of whether to make these pictures available to the public.

There's great concern here that this is a huge political problem for the United States. And the trickle of information, the trickle of pictures and so on over weeks and months can be very damaging to U.S. interests.

So what they're trying to work out right now is some type of a proposal to allow some or all of the members of the United States Senate to look at those pictures and then decide whether to make these pictures, which they say can be very damaging, available to the public at large. We'll keep you informed on what happens -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Joe, you mentioned the pictures, what about that videotape. Is that something that we could see on national television?

JOHNS: We're told that there is one videotape. We don't know whether that is a composite of a number of different videos. We really haven't gotten any guidance on that. However that is a key question as to whether all of that will be released. A lot of members of the Senate had said they'd rather have this information get out there publicly all at once. On the other hand, there's a concern that if you put this information out there, it can be used against U.S. interests. So a lot of debate on that right now behind the scenes -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Congressional correspondent Joe Johns, thanks.

O'BRIEN: Here's a medical story that you don't want to monkey around with. Kubi, the gorilla, which of course we all know is not a monkey, is resting comfortably today after Friday's unprecedented surgery to remove one of his lungs. Who handles the medical bills for the primate that has breathing difficulties? Well, in this case, the doctors donated their skills.

Rusty Dornin takes a look at their handiwork.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kubi may not be the king of the jungle. But this gorilla is the great ape at the San Francisco zoo, and one that had very bad bronchitis.

MARY KERR, KUBI'S KEEPER: When it gets very bad, he gets quite lethargic. Goes off his food. And you see, he just coughed then. See, he's coughing again.

DORNIN: A cough that worried his keeper of 26 years, Mary Kerr.

KERR: Hi, handsome.

DORNIN: And the veterinarians at the zoo. His right lung was diseased. And it was heart and lung surgeons at San Francisco Medical Center who decided it needed to be removed. As far as anyone here knew, it would be a first. And Kubi's chances would be 50-50, but without it, the doctors claimed he would not live much longer than his 29 years. So he was drugged, taken out of his cage, and across to the zoo's operating room where an army of medical staff awaited. First, they checked the X-rays.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of this hazy white markings and some of this is representative of chronic destroyed bronchi actatic (ph) lungs.

DORNIN: Assured Kubi's vital signs were stable, they began. Seven hours later, one gorilla, one lung lighter and the groundbreaking operation was over.

DR. DAVID JABLONS, SURGEON, UCSF MEDICAL CENTER: It went great. Really better than expected. He had a very diseased right lung.

DORNIN: But recovery for a 400-pound gorilla can be tricky, especially one that doesn't like his medicine.

DR. FREELAND DUNKER, SR. VETERINARIAN, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO: We have mechanical pumps that will be delivering antibiotics from under his skin.

DORNIN: His keepers say for Kubi, like humans, healing can be more than a physical process.

(on camera): One of the most important parts of his recuperation will be emotional, keeping him close to his favorite females.

(voice-over): So he will be kept inside with his favorite consort and five-year-old daughter. Never far will be his ever watchful keeper, keeping her fingers crossed.

KERR: It is just like a wonderful friend, you know, that you've known for a long time. How many friendships do you have for 26 years?

DORNIN: And one she hopes to have a lot longer. Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: He wrote the Army report on the prisoner abuse scandal. Now he's testifying on Capitol Hill. Major General Antonio Taguba will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.

A Red Cross report points to be (sic) a pattern of abuse at some coalition prisons in Iraq. A report which has been leaked to the media cites a laundry list of abuses, including humiliation and physical abuse. The report was given to U.S. officials in February but Red Cross officials say they've been reporting the findings to U.S. officials since March of last year.

In Spain, a nineteenth suspect has been charged in connection with the Madrid train bombings on March 11. The latest suspect is charged with collaborating with Islamist terrorist organizations. Authorities arrested him a few days ago after his phone number turned up in an apartment where seven suspected terrorists blew themselves up in April.

Murder case revisited. The Justice Department is reopening a civil rights investigation into the death of Emmett Till. The African-American teenager was killed in 1955 while visiting Mississippi. Two white men were tried and acquitted by an all white jury, but they later told a journalist they had committed that crime. The two men have since died. A Justice Department official says new information suggests that others may be involved.

O'BRIEN: We begin this hour with praise and abuse, words and pictures, in public and behind closed doors. President Bush today offered his embattled secretary of defense a public salute while promising a full accounting of the mistreatment of some Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. soldiers or interrogators.

In private today the president was shown more photographic evidence of that abuse which will be the subject tomorrow of yet another round of hearings on Capitol Hill. CNN's Dana Bash brings us up-to-date from the White House -- Dana.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired May 10, 2004 - 14:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Headlines at the half hour. President Bush defying critics calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. At the Pentagon today, Mr. Bush said the nation owes Rumsfeld a debt of gratitude for a superb job.
Senator John Kerry has begun a four-day focus on health care. In Pittsburgh, the Democratic presidential hopeful says that health insurance premiums have risen more than $2700 per family over the last four years. He's proposing federal coverage for catastrophic cases.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is adding to the Washington memorial wall the name of a serviceman who didn't die in Vietnam combat. Captain Edward Alan Brudno was a Vietnam prisoner of war for more than seven years. He committed suicide back in the U.S. four months after his release.

Sources close to the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case tell CNN his trial will begin in early August. The L.A. Lakers star is back in Eagle, Colorado, for hearings this week. Bryant is accused of raping a hotel employee. He says she consented to have sex with him.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The outrage over mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners looms over the military's top fight in Iraq and over election year politics, as does everything in Washington. It poses an interesting dilemma for the Kerry camp.

Judy Woodruff, "INSIDE POLITICS," here in Atlanta today, good to see you in person.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": Great to see you in person, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Excellent. And you're going to be talking obviously quite a bit about this, but just to focus on a couple of things. Very early in the Democratic primary season, the anti-war candidate, Howard Dean, lost the battle. Now that left John Kerry. He had differentiated himself by not being so anti-war as Howard Dean, which in the general election, leaves him awfully close to George Bush, doesn't it?

WOODRUFF: It sure does. And it is a problem for the Kerry campaign, because on the one hand, John Kerry passionately disagreed with the way President Bush took the country to war. He voted for the resolution to authorize the use of force, but he wanted it to be an international effort. He wanted a large number of countries on board. He wanted the U.N. to approve. That did not happen. He is now saying, and the people around him are saying, if that had been the case, you would not see the fierce opposition among the Iraqi people to what's going on right now inside Iraq.

O'BRIEN: And as is the case with so many things with John Kerry, perhaps being a product of the Senate for so many years, it is subtle, it is nuanced, it doesn't really boil down to an eight-second sound bite.

WOODRUFF: You can't boil it down to a seven- or eight- second sound bite. And that's the problem, because he does -- genuinely, right now, says he does not believe that the United States should cut and run, which is what Ralph Nader is out there saying. Now Ralph Nader had been a very small factor in this election, Miles. But the more this war becomes an issue of dissent and division in this country, the more the Democrats must be worrying about Ralph Nader.

O'BRIEN: Yes, and perhaps there is another to differentiate them, but the issue is, though, when a president is at war, the natural tendency is to hold back on the politics. In other words, the politics ends at the border.

WOODRUFF: That's true. And the other thing that John Kerry has to think about is the Bush people have managed fairly successfully, I would say, to paint him as somebody who flip flops. They've been out there running ads saying he changes his position. If he were now to come out and say, well, I'm having second thoughts, which he has not done. But I'm saying that is another strong incentive for him not to change his position on the war in Iraq.

O'BRIEN: Case in point. Now meanwhile, there is a rising chorus of discontent with the secretary of defense, obviously. And even -- up to this point we haven't heard so much about General Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, but a publication is out there, "The Army Times," kind of a trade publication if you're in the military, very critical.

WOODRUFF: That's right, if you're in the military. It is an independent newspaper. It is owned independently. But it is very much a part of the Army infrastructure. It is -- every soldier in the world, every Marine in the world reads "The Army Times." Having said that, they have come out and said, I'm just going to read a very quick last line, Miles. "This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level, this was a failure that ran straight to the top, accountability is essential."

This is coming from the newspaper that all soldiers read all over the world. It is saying it is not just the four or five or six or seven Reserve guards who are on duty who are responsible. It goes all the way up to Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers.

O'BRIEN: Wouldn't it be a terrible shame if it was just the privates who took the rap for all of this? And couple that with what we're hearing now is a lot of rumblings in the higher reaches of the Pentagon, a lot of second guessing, a lot of questioning about the strategy and this whole notion of "cut and run" which may be a pejorative, but some are suggesting might be the thing to do.

WOODRUFF: Well, there are serious and respected military people, now you and I were talking about this earlier today, Miles, who are arguing they're not sure that this war is winnable. Yes, on the ground it's winnable and we saw some reports in "The Washington Post" about this over the weekend, we're winning on the ground, but are we winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people? That's the concern. And particularly with this prisoner abuse scandal, the incentives for Iraqis and for people throughout the region to reject the American formula for democracy is stronger and more powerful than ever.

O'BRIEN: Well, the bar was set awfully high. Nothing less in creating a democracy in Iraq. That's a difficult goal under any stretches. I suppose it is possible to win every tactical battle and lose the strategy.

WOODRUFF: And today we heard President Bush at the Pentagon. He had Vice President Cheney on one side and Secretary Rumsfeld on the other. The president described chapter and verse how on the ground progress is being made. We are -- the Americans are holding off the Iraqis. But the bigger picture I think is one with a lot more question marks.

O'BRIEN: And you're going to talk to a "Washington Post" correspondent who wrote an interesting piece here.

WOODRUFF: I am, Tom Ricks with "The Washington Post" who wrote -- had some interesting reporting over the week.

O'BRIEN: Just part of what lies ahead on "INSIDE POLITICS" from Atlanta today. Also...

WOODRUFF: Senator Susan Collins, I'll put that plug in there as well.

O'BRIEN: And this, the poll, we've got a big poll coming out...

WOODRUFF: A very big poll. Bill Schneider is going to be with us to talk about some very interesting numbers in the wake of the abuse scandal and the testimony.

O'BRIEN: Is that the first numbers you've seen since the...

WOODRUFF: Since the testimony on Friday of Secretary Rumsfeld.

O'BRIEN: That will be interesting to see. The results of that poll, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Judy Woodruff and everything you need to know about politics. So please join us then. Thank you.

WOODRUFF: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, straight ahead, it sounds like something out of "Inspector Gadget" or James Bond, a Coca-Cola can turns into a cell phone? We've got the 411. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Former hostage Thomas Hamill is home. He says he's trying to gain a sense of normalcy now that he's back in Mississippi. For Hamill and his community the healing begins at church.

CNN's Mike Brooks is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day after Tommy Hamill was captured on April 9 in Iraq, the small town of Macon, Mississippi, came together on the courthouse steps to pray for him and for the welfare of the troops and other hostages still held. People here have no doubt that prayer helped Tommy Hamill during his captivity and eventual escape.

WARREN MARTIN JR., RESIDENT: We were doing it every night and every day. And it really brought this community together. And without prayer, he wouldn't have made it.

BROOKS: Late Saturday, Hamill, along with family and friends gathered together at the courthouse for an emotional evening of prayer and unity. Tommy Hamill spoke candidly about how his faith gave him hope during his ordeal.

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER HOSTAGE IN IRAQ: And I want everyone to know that my spiritual convictions, my inspiration, the lord, he brought me through this. He was my person to lean on. I leaned on him every day. And he carried me. He carried me. If I had not had my God to speak to, I don't know what I would have done.

BROOKS: Hamill celebrated his forty-fourth birthday Saturday, still trying to find some sense of normalcy since returning. He didn't want to make a big deal of his arrival home.

HAMILL: And I didn't want to play this thing up like a big grand slam home run because one thing I found out with these people over there, you do not show fear in front of them and you do not anger them. And I knew this was going to anger them.

BROOKS: Hamill and his family attended church Sunday. And for the near future, the daily prayer vigil will continue because the people say there are still prayers to be answered.

BETTY MARTIN, RESIDENT: We must continue to pray for all that are there, including the correspondents.

BROOKS: Mike Brooks, CNN, Macon, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world, Chechnya's president was buried today in his home village. A bomb killed President Akhmad Kadyrov and several other people in the stadium Sunday during a World War II Victory Day celebration. Kadyrov was Russia's ally in its efforts to squash the violent separatist movement.

Vote counting is about to start in the world's largest democratic election. India today held the fifth and final phase of a national vote that took three weeks to poll 368 million voters. At stake is the National Democratic Alliance's bid to retain power with a stable government.

In Athens, Greece, a three-day security exercise begins in preparation for the summer Olympic games. Greece's minister supervising planning for the August games says that she's confident that the host country can repel any attack by an al Qaeda or other terrorists.

O'BRIEN: Up next, medical miracle or ethical tightrope, making a baby that could help save a sick sibling.

PHILLIPS: Also protein that can vacuum fat from mice, could it ever work in people?

O'BRIEN: Oh, please, that would be great.

And later, the gorilla with the very bad cough. He could use a vacuum too. Veterinarians decide to take drastic actions. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking health headlines this Monday, May 10, vacuuming the fat without liposuction. Researchers studying new ways to battle cancer in mice have hit upon a new way to zap fat. Scientists say blocking a certain protein allowed mice to slim down with no physical side effects. But they caution that more study is needed.

Where are your old memories kept? No, not in that old shoe box full of photographs. Scientists have discovered that lifelong memories are stored in the brain's anterior cortex. The discovery could help scientists develop drugs to treat people with memory disorders.

O'BRIEN: In other health news, a parent's dilemma, having another baby with the right genes to save the life sibling. New advances in medicine actually make it possible, but should it be done? Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the growing controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To look at him prancing around, playing and laughing, you could hardly tell Henry Strongin-Goldberg was sick.

ALLEN GOLDBERG, HENRY'S FATHER: He was the kid with the smile, he was the kid with the sparkle in his eye.

GUPTA: But he was extremely ill. Henry was born with Fanconi anemia, that's a rare blood disorder that prevents bone marrow from generating new blood cells. His best chance of survival, a bone marrow transplant from a genetically compatible sibling.

LAURIE STRONGIN, HENRY'S MOTHER: Nobody with the kind of Fanconi anemia that Henry had had ever survived a transplant like this without a sibling donor.

GUPTA: The problem was Henry didn't have one. So the Strongin- Goldbergs decided to take drastic action. They decided something known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and HOA testing. In other words, they set out to make a baby that would be closely as possible, Henry's perfect genetic match.

Here is how it works. Laurie and Allen underwent in vitro fertilization. Before selecting an embryo for implantation, they had all the fertilized embryos analyzed to choose one that might be a match for Henry and a possible cure for his Fanconi anemia. After the implanted embryo reaches term and a baby is born...

LANA RECHITSKY, REPRODUCTIVE GENETICS INST.: Stem cells are collected from cord blood and frozen for the future potential transfer to the sick baby.

GUPTA: The Strongin-Goldbergs who were the first to undergo this procedure, tried PGD nine types unsuccessfully. They failed to produce an embryo that was a genetic match for Henry, and Henry died at the age of 7.

STRONGIN: We had run out of time.

GUPTA: But recently for the first time, five babies were born using this method. One baby's stem cells have already been used to save a sibling. Still the controversy is stinging and complicated. Critics question whether this technique could lead to designer babies with parents selecting one embryo and rejecting others to insure specific eye color, height, intelligence or even cloning.

DR. KENNETH PRAGER: It has to be made clear this is not cloning. This is bringing life to a child from a sperm and an egg. Is it natural in that respect.

GUTPA: Although it didn't work for them. Henry's family believes conceiving a baby to be a donor is still the best option.

STRONGIN: What this child would be doing would be saving the life of an existing sibling and also saving our family from the tragic loss of a child.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: President Bush, he makes a closely watched trip to the Pentagon today. Headlines at the top of the hour.

O'BRIEN: U.S. Marines in Afghanistan go where they've never gone before. Our cameras are there.

PHILLIPS: But first, saving Kubi, an animal's story for all you to love. Delicate surgery on a beloved great ape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: About 100 pictures and a videotape. How will this be disseminated on the Hill? Joe Johns covering the story for us.

How is it going to go down, John -- Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that's still up in the air. Right now the top Democrat and top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee have to work out a proposal to deliver to the leaders of the Congress, both the Republican and the Democrat.

The issue, of course, two things really, just exactly how to talk to the senators, how many senators to allow to view one videotape we're told, about 100 pictures, whether to let the entire Senate see it and then the related question of whether to make these pictures available to the public.

There's great concern here that this is a huge political problem for the United States. And the trickle of information, the trickle of pictures and so on over weeks and months can be very damaging to U.S. interests.

So what they're trying to work out right now is some type of a proposal to allow some or all of the members of the United States Senate to look at those pictures and then decide whether to make these pictures, which they say can be very damaging, available to the public at large. We'll keep you informed on what happens -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Joe, you mentioned the pictures, what about that videotape. Is that something that we could see on national television?

JOHNS: We're told that there is one videotape. We don't know whether that is a composite of a number of different videos. We really haven't gotten any guidance on that. However that is a key question as to whether all of that will be released. A lot of members of the Senate had said they'd rather have this information get out there publicly all at once. On the other hand, there's a concern that if you put this information out there, it can be used against U.S. interests. So a lot of debate on that right now behind the scenes -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Congressional correspondent Joe Johns, thanks.

O'BRIEN: Here's a medical story that you don't want to monkey around with. Kubi, the gorilla, which of course we all know is not a monkey, is resting comfortably today after Friday's unprecedented surgery to remove one of his lungs. Who handles the medical bills for the primate that has breathing difficulties? Well, in this case, the doctors donated their skills.

Rusty Dornin takes a look at their handiwork.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kubi may not be the king of the jungle. But this gorilla is the great ape at the San Francisco zoo, and one that had very bad bronchitis.

MARY KERR, KUBI'S KEEPER: When it gets very bad, he gets quite lethargic. Goes off his food. And you see, he just coughed then. See, he's coughing again.

DORNIN: A cough that worried his keeper of 26 years, Mary Kerr.

KERR: Hi, handsome.

DORNIN: And the veterinarians at the zoo. His right lung was diseased. And it was heart and lung surgeons at San Francisco Medical Center who decided it needed to be removed. As far as anyone here knew, it would be a first. And Kubi's chances would be 50-50, but without it, the doctors claimed he would not live much longer than his 29 years. So he was drugged, taken out of his cage, and across to the zoo's operating room where an army of medical staff awaited. First, they checked the X-rays.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of this hazy white markings and some of this is representative of chronic destroyed bronchi actatic (ph) lungs.

DORNIN: Assured Kubi's vital signs were stable, they began. Seven hours later, one gorilla, one lung lighter and the groundbreaking operation was over.

DR. DAVID JABLONS, SURGEON, UCSF MEDICAL CENTER: It went great. Really better than expected. He had a very diseased right lung.

DORNIN: But recovery for a 400-pound gorilla can be tricky, especially one that doesn't like his medicine.

DR. FREELAND DUNKER, SR. VETERINARIAN, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO: We have mechanical pumps that will be delivering antibiotics from under his skin.

DORNIN: His keepers say for Kubi, like humans, healing can be more than a physical process.

(on camera): One of the most important parts of his recuperation will be emotional, keeping him close to his favorite females.

(voice-over): So he will be kept inside with his favorite consort and five-year-old daughter. Never far will be his ever watchful keeper, keeping her fingers crossed.

KERR: It is just like a wonderful friend, you know, that you've known for a long time. How many friendships do you have for 26 years?

DORNIN: And one she hopes to have a lot longer. Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: He wrote the Army report on the prisoner abuse scandal. Now he's testifying on Capitol Hill. Major General Antonio Taguba will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time.

A Red Cross report points to be (sic) a pattern of abuse at some coalition prisons in Iraq. A report which has been leaked to the media cites a laundry list of abuses, including humiliation and physical abuse. The report was given to U.S. officials in February but Red Cross officials say they've been reporting the findings to U.S. officials since March of last year.

In Spain, a nineteenth suspect has been charged in connection with the Madrid train bombings on March 11. The latest suspect is charged with collaborating with Islamist terrorist organizations. Authorities arrested him a few days ago after his phone number turned up in an apartment where seven suspected terrorists blew themselves up in April.

Murder case revisited. The Justice Department is reopening a civil rights investigation into the death of Emmett Till. The African-American teenager was killed in 1955 while visiting Mississippi. Two white men were tried and acquitted by an all white jury, but they later told a journalist they had committed that crime. The two men have since died. A Justice Department official says new information suggests that others may be involved.

O'BRIEN: We begin this hour with praise and abuse, words and pictures, in public and behind closed doors. President Bush today offered his embattled secretary of defense a public salute while promising a full accounting of the mistreatment of some Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. soldiers or interrogators.

In private today the president was shown more photographic evidence of that abuse which will be the subject tomorrow of yet another round of hearings on Capitol Hill. CNN's Dana Bash brings us up-to-date from the White House -- Dana.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com