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Car Bomb Kills 35 Iraqis in Baghdad; 9/11 Widow Talks Faith

Aired June 17, 2004 - 12:59   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.


(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Voice of a terrorist, in public, for the first time, tapes of 9/11 hijackers from the cockpit as investigators piece together the confusion and chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Making the connection. President Bush disputes the 9/11 Commission's conclusion about Saddam Hussein.

O'BRIEN: Al Qaeda in training. New Arab television pictures of possible exercises on the Afghan border. What does this mean for efforts to round them up?

PHILLIPS: Faith healing, medical science, making the connection between a higher power and healing power.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.

Miscommunications, misunderstandings, missed opportunities, all adding up to misery on September 11, 2001. If you've been watching CNN, you've seen the spell-binding presentations of the 9/11 Commission investigators who have painstakingly accounted for every action and reaction on that horrible morning. The first sign of trouble came at 8:13 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 11, Boston to Los Angeles, stopped responding to instruction from controllers. At 8:21, Flight 11 shut off its transponder and veered off course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Controllers immediately began to move aircraft out of its path and searched from aircraft to aircraft in an effort to have another pilot contact American 11. At 8:24:38, the following transmission came from American 11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you'll be OK. We are returning to the airport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The controller only heard something unintelligible. He did not hear the specific words, quote, "we have some planes," end quote. The next transmission came seconds later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hearing that transmission, the controller told us he then knew it was a hijacking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The voice on that recording is believed to be Mohamed Atta, the pilot's -- the plot's ringleader who may not have known his comments to passengers were being transmitted to the ground. Joining us now with more of the details and more of the drama, CNN's Sean Callebs, watching it all in Washington -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Miles. You're pointing out very compelling, very riveting information coming out of this last public hearing involving the September 11 Commission. Now what I wanted to point out -- that air defense systems as well as civilian air traffic controllers were simply unprepared to deal with the events that unfolded on September 11. That they have not, in any way, prepared for hijackers to take civilian aircraft, said in essence, aircraft, in essence turn them into missiles, attacking both New York and Washington, D.C.

NORAD going on to point out that the system struggled under difficult circumstances to improvise a homeland security defense against an unprecedented challenge that had never been encountered and they had never trained to meet.

The air defense system was set up for traditional hijacking, that offered more time to perhaps deal with hijackers, or a holdover from the Cold War, when, of course, Miles, the chief concern was something coming from the Soviet Union.

O'BRIEN: Sean, give us the sense then -- it's almost too many to name and enumerate, but how many communications lapses was the commission able to count up?

CALLEBS: There were many. And they stretched across all lines, from the military, NORAD defense, air traffic controllers, the FAA, all the way to the White House. At one point, an unnamed FAA official told aircraft fighter jets to chase Flight 11. However, by that time, that plane had already slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

And the military says it was never notified that Flight 175 had been hijacked. The report did go on to say that President Bush had called Vice President Cheney in a reasonable amount of time and tried to scramble fighter planes as quickly as possible to deal with this unfolding event. But by that time are the last plane, Flight 93, had already crashed into the field in Pennsylvania, of course, after passengers apparently storming the cockpit, taking on the hijackers.

O'BRIEN: But if you look at that closely, given the sequence of orders and where those fighters were from Langley Air Force Base, F- 16s, if, in fact, 93 continued toward Washington, very likely, it would have been shot down.

CALLEBS: Exactly. In fact there was some confusion there. Vice President Cheney called Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and he was updating him on the situation, and the vice president telling the defense secretary it was his understanding that fighter planes had actually shot down one, perhaps two, commercial aircraft. Of course, that wasn't the case.

Miles, I also think this is very important. Let me read you the next to last paragraph in the statements that came out first thing this morning. It said, and I quote here: "NORAD officials maintain that they would have intercepted and shot down United 93. We are not so sure," meaning the staff report. "We are sure the nation owes a debt to passengers of United 93. Their actions saved the lives of countless other and may have saved either the U.S. Capitol or the White House from destruction."

O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs, thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Did they or didn't they? Yesterday, the 9/11 panel cited no credible evidence al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein ever had the collaborative relationship that the White House cited as a key rationale for war. Today, President Bush insisted, once again, there was a relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The reason I keep insisting there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda, because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. For example, Iraqi intelligence officers met with bin Laden, the head of al Qaeda, in the Sudan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The commission maintains that bin Laden asked Iraq for help but was basically ignored.

More than 40 people are dead today after separate car bombing attacks targeted Iraq's fledgling civil defense corps. Six Iraqi troops were killed near Balad, north of Baghdad, hours after 35 people were killed in the capital. That attack on a recruitment office was the single deadliest since the same place was bombed in February. CNN's Christiane Amanpour has the latest now -- Christiane. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Iraqi ministers are vowing to fight back. Today, for the first time, there was a defense minister came and gave a press conference and said that Iraqi forces could and would fight back. He said that they would ask for U.S. logistical support.

Of course it remains to be seen whether, in fact, that is possible. But certainly the insurgents -- the terrorists are shifting tactics away, it seems, for the moment, on specifically going after U.S. military targets and going right to Iraqi targets that form the very heart of Iraq society.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Panic reigns again as yet another suicide bomber strikes at the very heart of Iraqi society, its new security forces. At 9:00 this morning, a white vehicle packed with artillery shells exploded outside a recruiting center for the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, according to U.S. soldiers who rushed to cordon the area off and search for secondary explosives. They say that no Iraqi recruits inside the building were injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that were outside the gate, unfortunately, were just pedestrians, either on their way to work or possibly on the way to the park across the street. Those are where the casualties came from.

AMANPOUR: Innocent Iraqi civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence as terrorists and insurgents keep up their attacks on Iraqi people, infrastructure, and government officials. Despite the danger, Iraq's new interim prime minister visited the scene of the latest attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a cowardly attack. It's a demonstration, again, that these attacks are aimed at the stability of Iraq, is aimed at the Iraqi people.

AMANPOUR: This ahead of the handover of power to Iraq June 30. Again, Baghdad hospitals are packed with the dead and wounded. And the violence here is expected to get worse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Now, also, the interior minister gave a press conference. And he mentioned for the first time the possibility of imposing martial law here. Many Iraqis feel that that should have happened at the very beginning, right after Saddam was toppled, to prevent the looting and all the other violence.

And we're hearing from a radio talk show host who told CNN today that an overwhelming number of callers wanted some measure of martial law, to crack down on this kind of terrorism. But the question really remains is whether these Iraqi security forces have the capacity to do that and whether or not the U.S. would be able to do that, not physically be able to, but whether it would consider it feasible to be able to do that. So that still remains a very open question. PHILLIPS: Christiane, the ICDC, most of these recruits are nonmilitary. For the sake of security, will that have to change? Will they have to be trained differently?

AMANPOUR: Well, they're meant to have military capabilities. They're meant to be a defense corps. They're meant to be part of the security forces. Certainly, today, the U.S. deputy secretary of defense, Paul Wolfowitz, has been in Iraq and he basically said that the Iraqi security forces are not up to the job yet. They'll need substantial, continued training, and U.S. forces will have to remain here for a good deal longer, for as long as necessary.

PHILLIPS: Christiane Amanpour, LIVE FROM... Baghdad. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will hold a Pentagon briefing today at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. CNN will bring that to you live.

O'BRIEN: Out of options and almost out of time. The Johnson family turns to President Bush, and a friend turns to the Prophet Muhammad. Paul M. Johnson Jr. was kidnapped Saturday by Saudi Islamists who have vowed to kill him unless Saudi officials release al Qaeda prisoners. The deadline is set in an online video clip is tomorrow. Today, there is an online posting from a friend of Johnson's who calls himself "The Believer," noting that a Muslim's friendship makes Johnson untouchable by other Muslims. Back in New Jersey, Paul Johnson III is begging the White House to quote, "please make this happen, bring my father home for Father's Day."

PHILLIPS: A prisoner's death in Afghanistan, a civilian's indictment in North Carolina. U.S. government sources tell CNN the defendant is David Passaro, an independent contractor working for the CIA. The charges are the first against a civilian since prisoner abuse in both Iraq and Afghanistan came to public awareness this spring. Attorney General John Ashcroft has scheduled a 2 p.m. Eastern news conference. CNN will bring that to you live as soon as it happens.

O'BRIEN: September 11 was supposed to be just another day on the job for American Airlines pilot Tom McGuinness. Just ahead, his widow will join us to talk about today's 9/11 hearings and how she copes with life after the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made a promise to our members that we would not be silenced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Firing back. The NRA hopes for a captive audience on radio.

And is this the key to staying faithful to your spouse? Perhaps your genetic code? Looking for the key to remaining true in an unlikely place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: The last thing Sheryl McGuinness heard when her husband left to work on September 11 was a good-bye and a kiss as he walked out the door. Now she's listening to some of the most gripping and haunting details of that day at today's 9/11 hearing. We're talking about the tape recording from two of the hijacked airliners. In one, hijacker Mohamed Atta is heard telling passengers to stay quiet, we are returning to the airport. Minutes later, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center. Sheryl McGuinness' husband, Tom, was the co-pilot flying that aircraft. She joins us now from Manchester, New Hampshire.

Sheryl, it's a pleasure to have you with us.

SHERYL MCGUINNESS, 9/11 WIDOW: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's sort of ironic. I know that you were just out on the patio finishing up praying and then you got a phone call you never expected.

MCGUINNESS: Yes, that's true.

PHILLIPS: Tell me what happened.

MCGUINNESS: Well, I got that phone call and I was trying to figure out what exactly happened and watching on TV as the nightmare unfolded. And later on in the morning, not too long after that, the chief pilot from American Airlines came to my house and gave me the news.

PHILLIPS: So I'm curious, were you sitting there questioning, how could this happen? This is America. Hijackings don't happen in America. And my husband was this amazing Top Gun pilot. This couldn't have happened.

MCGUINNESS: Yes, I was. I was thinking, this can't be Tom involved with any of this. And I never thought that my life or my children's lives would have been impacted by any of these events.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, how did you tell your kids?

MCGUINNESS: I met them at their school and I told them that Jesus called daddy home. And it was a very -- most heart-wrenching thing that I ever could do in my life. But my children knew what that meant because we have a strong faith in God.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's evident through some of the writings that you have already done. And we're going to talk about that in a minute. But I want -- I'm curious to know, as you hear these recordings today, as you pay attention to the testimony and watch the hearing, what's going through your mind? Are you feeling more confusion? Are you feeling anger? Are you feeling a sense of peace?

MCGUINNESS: I don't think peace is the word to describe it. It's very painful to still hear the hijacked voices on -- from those tapes. That's very difficult to hear. And I think it always will be. That is very emotional for me and my family. PHILLIPS: And as you listen to it, and you see -- or you listen to more details of what happened, what's the lesson here? What's the immediate thing that's going through your mind that you hope that the military -- from the White House to the military, to all of us as Americans, take away from this?

MCGUINNESS: You know, it's something that has happened in the past and we need to never, never forget what has happened in the past. But we also need to be able to look forward, look forward with hope. And that's what I can do now with my children. And I hope that we can use the information that we are gathering, as horrible as it is at times, so that we can prevent another September 11 or any other tragedy like this from happening again. And I believe that the 9/11 Commission is doing a good job investigating so that we can keep America a safe place for not only our children, our grandchildren and any future generation.

PHILLIPS: So tell me about "Beauty Beyond the Ashes."

MCGUINNESS: That is a book that I wrote. And it will be out soon, August 11. And it is a book that is a book on encouragement. It's a book that describes how God has carried me and my family through the horror of September 11 to a new life, a new life that is unfolding each day as we move forward and live out our new lives that God has for us.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, you talk about overcoming certain feelings, feelings of confuse, feeling alone, feeling angry. Have you overcome those feelings or are you just learning how to cope with them?

MCGUINNESS: I believe I have dealt with many of the emotions and the feelings that have been stirred up inside my heart by September 11; from anger to fear to forgiveness. I believe that I have been dealing with all of those emotions in my heart and teaching not only myself how to deal with those, but my children as well. And we are all -- will be able to move forward from the tragedy and from the loss of Tom and what has happened to our nation.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, you and your kids obviously have been affected the most by this, but for us as Americans, reading your book, what can it do for me? What can it do for someone else that may not have lost a loved one, particularly a husband, on 9/11, but just taking it to heart as a nation? What do you want us to walk away with from this book?

MCGUINNESS: Hopefully that there's a greater understanding of the one who is ultimately in control of everything that happens. And that one that is in control can give us hope for the future. And that hope is a wonderful hope. And I have a great hope that God just loves us and that I know that we can go forward because we'll see our loved ones again for all who know God, and love him. And that's what my book is about. It's a book of encouragement and how to move forward after a tragedy and how you can rise above your circumstance, no matter how terrible it is and how painful it is. But there is a way to rise above your circumstance.

PHILLIPS: Well, your husband's bravery definitely lives on through your strength. Sheryl McGuinness, thank you so much.

MCGUINNESS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Science and faith, do they go together?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To say what we can do for ourselves and what medicine can do for us are separate and can work alone is a mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Just ahead, examining the healing power of prayer.

And online pharmacies. A look at efforts to make sure they deliver what they promise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Is it safe to buy prescription drugs over the Internet? That's the focus of a hearing on Capitol Hill today. Supporter and opponents testifying before a Senate panel, among them, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a woman whose husband died after taking drugs purchased through international Internet companies.

Senators who are trying to push a vote to legalize importing drugs, getting a boost from congressional investigators. A new Government Accounting Office report finds drugs obtained from Canadian Web sites pose few risks, and in some instances, Canadian online pharmacies have stricter standards than those in the U.S. However, the study did find many drugs received from countries other than Canada were fake, came with no instructions, or were damaged.

PHILLIPS: A new study finds that two-thirds of people use prayer for healing. While 80 percent believe the power of God or prayer can improve the course of illness, but is there any medical evidence to back this up?

CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines that question and talked to one woman who is trusting faith to survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It had been 50 years since 61-year-old Kate Williams had been to church, or even knelt down to pray. Then she was diagnosed with cancer.

KATE WILLIAMS, CANCER PATIENT: I felt so empty. I needed something to grab onto, something to hold onto that would take me through this.

GUPTA: Now after all these years, Kate trusts faith to ward off her cancer as ardently as she does her treatments. And it could be working for her. WILLIAMS: God is in me, God is taking care of me.

GUPTA: Studies show religious involvement appears to have health benefits, including reducing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, and increasing longevity. Still, those associations are admittedly vague. For patients like Kate, a more important question remains. Can something as intangible as faith help treat the ravages of cancer? Studies show prayer, meditation, and other calming practices like yoga ward off stress which can exacerbate conditions like cancer. They also activate a measurable relaxation response in the brain.

DR. HERBERT BENSON, MIND BODY MEDICAL INST.: There's decreased blood pressure, heart rate, rate of breathing.

GUPTA: And so, many doctors agree that faith is essential to healing. Still others believe that raising patient's expectations could do more harm than go.

BENSON: To say what we can do for ourselves and what medicine can do for us are separate and can work alone is a mistake. They must be balanced.

GUPTA: Kate Williams says her faith gives her solace and a strength she wouldn't possess on her own.

WILLIAMS: I still don't know if I'm cancer free. I feel that I am. But I also feel that whatever happens, I'm going to be fine.

GUPTA: Old-fashioned faith could be a new elixir.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, ladies, you're going to get a kick out of this story. Scientists think they've found a gene that can reprogram promiscuous males into loyal mates. Now don't get too excited, the study at Atlanta's Emory University wasn't conducted on humans, but on meadow voles, a rat-like animal that typically mates and takes off. But once they were implanted with this gene, the voles were faithful, attentive and even huddled with their female partner after sex.

O'BRIEN: Still ahead on LIVE FROM..., investigating 9/11. It's a dramatic day of hearings in Washington, focusing on confusion and missed opportunities in air defense. Live to the Pentagon we go in just a bit.

And round one this year's U.S. Open under way. Who will take over the world's No. 1 ranking? Stay with us for that.

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Aired June 17, 2004 - 12:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Voice of a terrorist, in public, for the first time, tapes of 9/11 hijackers from the cockpit as investigators piece together the confusion and chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Making the connection. President Bush disputes the 9/11 Commission's conclusion about Saddam Hussein.

O'BRIEN: Al Qaeda in training. New Arab television pictures of possible exercises on the Afghan border. What does this mean for efforts to round them up?

PHILLIPS: Faith healing, medical science, making the connection between a higher power and healing power.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.

Miscommunications, misunderstandings, missed opportunities, all adding up to misery on September 11, 2001. If you've been watching CNN, you've seen the spell-binding presentations of the 9/11 Commission investigators who have painstakingly accounted for every action and reaction on that horrible morning. The first sign of trouble came at 8:13 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 11, Boston to Los Angeles, stopped responding to instruction from controllers. At 8:21, Flight 11 shut off its transponder and veered off course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Controllers immediately began to move aircraft out of its path and searched from aircraft to aircraft in an effort to have another pilot contact American 11. At 8:24:38, the following transmission came from American 11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you'll be OK. We are returning to the airport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The controller only heard something unintelligible. He did not hear the specific words, quote, "we have some planes," end quote. The next transmission came seconds later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hearing that transmission, the controller told us he then knew it was a hijacking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The voice on that recording is believed to be Mohamed Atta, the pilot's -- the plot's ringleader who may not have known his comments to passengers were being transmitted to the ground. Joining us now with more of the details and more of the drama, CNN's Sean Callebs, watching it all in Washington -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Miles. You're pointing out very compelling, very riveting information coming out of this last public hearing involving the September 11 Commission. Now what I wanted to point out -- that air defense systems as well as civilian air traffic controllers were simply unprepared to deal with the events that unfolded on September 11. That they have not, in any way, prepared for hijackers to take civilian aircraft, said in essence, aircraft, in essence turn them into missiles, attacking both New York and Washington, D.C.

NORAD going on to point out that the system struggled under difficult circumstances to improvise a homeland security defense against an unprecedented challenge that had never been encountered and they had never trained to meet.

The air defense system was set up for traditional hijacking, that offered more time to perhaps deal with hijackers, or a holdover from the Cold War, when, of course, Miles, the chief concern was something coming from the Soviet Union.

O'BRIEN: Sean, give us the sense then -- it's almost too many to name and enumerate, but how many communications lapses was the commission able to count up?

CALLEBS: There were many. And they stretched across all lines, from the military, NORAD defense, air traffic controllers, the FAA, all the way to the White House. At one point, an unnamed FAA official told aircraft fighter jets to chase Flight 11. However, by that time, that plane had already slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

And the military says it was never notified that Flight 175 had been hijacked. The report did go on to say that President Bush had called Vice President Cheney in a reasonable amount of time and tried to scramble fighter planes as quickly as possible to deal with this unfolding event. But by that time are the last plane, Flight 93, had already crashed into the field in Pennsylvania, of course, after passengers apparently storming the cockpit, taking on the hijackers.

O'BRIEN: But if you look at that closely, given the sequence of orders and where those fighters were from Langley Air Force Base, F- 16s, if, in fact, 93 continued toward Washington, very likely, it would have been shot down.

CALLEBS: Exactly. In fact there was some confusion there. Vice President Cheney called Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and he was updating him on the situation, and the vice president telling the defense secretary it was his understanding that fighter planes had actually shot down one, perhaps two, commercial aircraft. Of course, that wasn't the case.

Miles, I also think this is very important. Let me read you the next to last paragraph in the statements that came out first thing this morning. It said, and I quote here: "NORAD officials maintain that they would have intercepted and shot down United 93. We are not so sure," meaning the staff report. "We are sure the nation owes a debt to passengers of United 93. Their actions saved the lives of countless other and may have saved either the U.S. Capitol or the White House from destruction."

O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs, thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Did they or didn't they? Yesterday, the 9/11 panel cited no credible evidence al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein ever had the collaborative relationship that the White House cited as a key rationale for war. Today, President Bush insisted, once again, there was a relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The reason I keep insisting there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda, because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. For example, Iraqi intelligence officers met with bin Laden, the head of al Qaeda, in the Sudan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The commission maintains that bin Laden asked Iraq for help but was basically ignored.

More than 40 people are dead today after separate car bombing attacks targeted Iraq's fledgling civil defense corps. Six Iraqi troops were killed near Balad, north of Baghdad, hours after 35 people were killed in the capital. That attack on a recruitment office was the single deadliest since the same place was bombed in February. CNN's Christiane Amanpour has the latest now -- Christiane. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Iraqi ministers are vowing to fight back. Today, for the first time, there was a defense minister came and gave a press conference and said that Iraqi forces could and would fight back. He said that they would ask for U.S. logistical support.

Of course it remains to be seen whether, in fact, that is possible. But certainly the insurgents -- the terrorists are shifting tactics away, it seems, for the moment, on specifically going after U.S. military targets and going right to Iraqi targets that form the very heart of Iraq society.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Panic reigns again as yet another suicide bomber strikes at the very heart of Iraqi society, its new security forces. At 9:00 this morning, a white vehicle packed with artillery shells exploded outside a recruiting center for the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, according to U.S. soldiers who rushed to cordon the area off and search for secondary explosives. They say that no Iraqi recruits inside the building were injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that were outside the gate, unfortunately, were just pedestrians, either on their way to work or possibly on the way to the park across the street. Those are where the casualties came from.

AMANPOUR: Innocent Iraqi civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence as terrorists and insurgents keep up their attacks on Iraqi people, infrastructure, and government officials. Despite the danger, Iraq's new interim prime minister visited the scene of the latest attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a cowardly attack. It's a demonstration, again, that these attacks are aimed at the stability of Iraq, is aimed at the Iraqi people.

AMANPOUR: This ahead of the handover of power to Iraq June 30. Again, Baghdad hospitals are packed with the dead and wounded. And the violence here is expected to get worse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Now, also, the interior minister gave a press conference. And he mentioned for the first time the possibility of imposing martial law here. Many Iraqis feel that that should have happened at the very beginning, right after Saddam was toppled, to prevent the looting and all the other violence.

And we're hearing from a radio talk show host who told CNN today that an overwhelming number of callers wanted some measure of martial law, to crack down on this kind of terrorism. But the question really remains is whether these Iraqi security forces have the capacity to do that and whether or not the U.S. would be able to do that, not physically be able to, but whether it would consider it feasible to be able to do that. So that still remains a very open question. PHILLIPS: Christiane, the ICDC, most of these recruits are nonmilitary. For the sake of security, will that have to change? Will they have to be trained differently?

AMANPOUR: Well, they're meant to have military capabilities. They're meant to be a defense corps. They're meant to be part of the security forces. Certainly, today, the U.S. deputy secretary of defense, Paul Wolfowitz, has been in Iraq and he basically said that the Iraqi security forces are not up to the job yet. They'll need substantial, continued training, and U.S. forces will have to remain here for a good deal longer, for as long as necessary.

PHILLIPS: Christiane Amanpour, LIVE FROM... Baghdad. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will hold a Pentagon briefing today at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. CNN will bring that to you live.

O'BRIEN: Out of options and almost out of time. The Johnson family turns to President Bush, and a friend turns to the Prophet Muhammad. Paul M. Johnson Jr. was kidnapped Saturday by Saudi Islamists who have vowed to kill him unless Saudi officials release al Qaeda prisoners. The deadline is set in an online video clip is tomorrow. Today, there is an online posting from a friend of Johnson's who calls himself "The Believer," noting that a Muslim's friendship makes Johnson untouchable by other Muslims. Back in New Jersey, Paul Johnson III is begging the White House to quote, "please make this happen, bring my father home for Father's Day."

PHILLIPS: A prisoner's death in Afghanistan, a civilian's indictment in North Carolina. U.S. government sources tell CNN the defendant is David Passaro, an independent contractor working for the CIA. The charges are the first against a civilian since prisoner abuse in both Iraq and Afghanistan came to public awareness this spring. Attorney General John Ashcroft has scheduled a 2 p.m. Eastern news conference. CNN will bring that to you live as soon as it happens.

O'BRIEN: September 11 was supposed to be just another day on the job for American Airlines pilot Tom McGuinness. Just ahead, his widow will join us to talk about today's 9/11 hearings and how she copes with life after the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made a promise to our members that we would not be silenced.

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O'BRIEN: Firing back. The NRA hopes for a captive audience on radio.

And is this the key to staying faithful to your spouse? Perhaps your genetic code? Looking for the key to remaining true in an unlikely place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: The last thing Sheryl McGuinness heard when her husband left to work on September 11 was a good-bye and a kiss as he walked out the door. Now she's listening to some of the most gripping and haunting details of that day at today's 9/11 hearing. We're talking about the tape recording from two of the hijacked airliners. In one, hijacker Mohamed Atta is heard telling passengers to stay quiet, we are returning to the airport. Minutes later, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center. Sheryl McGuinness' husband, Tom, was the co-pilot flying that aircraft. She joins us now from Manchester, New Hampshire.

Sheryl, it's a pleasure to have you with us.

SHERYL MCGUINNESS, 9/11 WIDOW: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's sort of ironic. I know that you were just out on the patio finishing up praying and then you got a phone call you never expected.

MCGUINNESS: Yes, that's true.

PHILLIPS: Tell me what happened.

MCGUINNESS: Well, I got that phone call and I was trying to figure out what exactly happened and watching on TV as the nightmare unfolded. And later on in the morning, not too long after that, the chief pilot from American Airlines came to my house and gave me the news.

PHILLIPS: So I'm curious, were you sitting there questioning, how could this happen? This is America. Hijackings don't happen in America. And my husband was this amazing Top Gun pilot. This couldn't have happened.

MCGUINNESS: Yes, I was. I was thinking, this can't be Tom involved with any of this. And I never thought that my life or my children's lives would have been impacted by any of these events.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, how did you tell your kids?

MCGUINNESS: I met them at their school and I told them that Jesus called daddy home. And it was a very -- most heart-wrenching thing that I ever could do in my life. But my children knew what that meant because we have a strong faith in God.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's evident through some of the writings that you have already done. And we're going to talk about that in a minute. But I want -- I'm curious to know, as you hear these recordings today, as you pay attention to the testimony and watch the hearing, what's going through your mind? Are you feeling more confusion? Are you feeling anger? Are you feeling a sense of peace?

MCGUINNESS: I don't think peace is the word to describe it. It's very painful to still hear the hijacked voices on -- from those tapes. That's very difficult to hear. And I think it always will be. That is very emotional for me and my family. PHILLIPS: And as you listen to it, and you see -- or you listen to more details of what happened, what's the lesson here? What's the immediate thing that's going through your mind that you hope that the military -- from the White House to the military, to all of us as Americans, take away from this?

MCGUINNESS: You know, it's something that has happened in the past and we need to never, never forget what has happened in the past. But we also need to be able to look forward, look forward with hope. And that's what I can do now with my children. And I hope that we can use the information that we are gathering, as horrible as it is at times, so that we can prevent another September 11 or any other tragedy like this from happening again. And I believe that the 9/11 Commission is doing a good job investigating so that we can keep America a safe place for not only our children, our grandchildren and any future generation.

PHILLIPS: So tell me about "Beauty Beyond the Ashes."

MCGUINNESS: That is a book that I wrote. And it will be out soon, August 11. And it is a book that is a book on encouragement. It's a book that describes how God has carried me and my family through the horror of September 11 to a new life, a new life that is unfolding each day as we move forward and live out our new lives that God has for us.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, you talk about overcoming certain feelings, feelings of confuse, feeling alone, feeling angry. Have you overcome those feelings or are you just learning how to cope with them?

MCGUINNESS: I believe I have dealt with many of the emotions and the feelings that have been stirred up inside my heart by September 11; from anger to fear to forgiveness. I believe that I have been dealing with all of those emotions in my heart and teaching not only myself how to deal with those, but my children as well. And we are all -- will be able to move forward from the tragedy and from the loss of Tom and what has happened to our nation.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl, you and your kids obviously have been affected the most by this, but for us as Americans, reading your book, what can it do for me? What can it do for someone else that may not have lost a loved one, particularly a husband, on 9/11, but just taking it to heart as a nation? What do you want us to walk away with from this book?

MCGUINNESS: Hopefully that there's a greater understanding of the one who is ultimately in control of everything that happens. And that one that is in control can give us hope for the future. And that hope is a wonderful hope. And I have a great hope that God just loves us and that I know that we can go forward because we'll see our loved ones again for all who know God, and love him. And that's what my book is about. It's a book of encouragement and how to move forward after a tragedy and how you can rise above your circumstance, no matter how terrible it is and how painful it is. But there is a way to rise above your circumstance.

PHILLIPS: Well, your husband's bravery definitely lives on through your strength. Sheryl McGuinness, thank you so much.

MCGUINNESS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Science and faith, do they go together?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To say what we can do for ourselves and what medicine can do for us are separate and can work alone is a mistake.

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O'BRIEN: Just ahead, examining the healing power of prayer.

And online pharmacies. A look at efforts to make sure they deliver what they promise.

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O'BRIEN: Is it safe to buy prescription drugs over the Internet? That's the focus of a hearing on Capitol Hill today. Supporter and opponents testifying before a Senate panel, among them, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a woman whose husband died after taking drugs purchased through international Internet companies.

Senators who are trying to push a vote to legalize importing drugs, getting a boost from congressional investigators. A new Government Accounting Office report finds drugs obtained from Canadian Web sites pose few risks, and in some instances, Canadian online pharmacies have stricter standards than those in the U.S. However, the study did find many drugs received from countries other than Canada were fake, came with no instructions, or were damaged.

PHILLIPS: A new study finds that two-thirds of people use prayer for healing. While 80 percent believe the power of God or prayer can improve the course of illness, but is there any medical evidence to back this up?

CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines that question and talked to one woman who is trusting faith to survive.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It had been 50 years since 61-year-old Kate Williams had been to church, or even knelt down to pray. Then she was diagnosed with cancer.

KATE WILLIAMS, CANCER PATIENT: I felt so empty. I needed something to grab onto, something to hold onto that would take me through this.

GUPTA: Now after all these years, Kate trusts faith to ward off her cancer as ardently as she does her treatments. And it could be working for her. WILLIAMS: God is in me, God is taking care of me.

GUPTA: Studies show religious involvement appears to have health benefits, including reducing anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, and increasing longevity. Still, those associations are admittedly vague. For patients like Kate, a more important question remains. Can something as intangible as faith help treat the ravages of cancer? Studies show prayer, meditation, and other calming practices like yoga ward off stress which can exacerbate conditions like cancer. They also activate a measurable relaxation response in the brain.

DR. HERBERT BENSON, MIND BODY MEDICAL INST.: There's decreased blood pressure, heart rate, rate of breathing.

GUPTA: And so, many doctors agree that faith is essential to healing. Still others believe that raising patient's expectations could do more harm than go.

BENSON: To say what we can do for ourselves and what medicine can do for us are separate and can work alone is a mistake. They must be balanced.

GUPTA: Kate Williams says her faith gives her solace and a strength she wouldn't possess on her own.

WILLIAMS: I still don't know if I'm cancer free. I feel that I am. But I also feel that whatever happens, I'm going to be fine.

GUPTA: Old-fashioned faith could be a new elixir.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

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PHILLIPS: All right, ladies, you're going to get a kick out of this story. Scientists think they've found a gene that can reprogram promiscuous males into loyal mates. Now don't get too excited, the study at Atlanta's Emory University wasn't conducted on humans, but on meadow voles, a rat-like animal that typically mates and takes off. But once they were implanted with this gene, the voles were faithful, attentive and even huddled with their female partner after sex.

O'BRIEN: Still ahead on LIVE FROM..., investigating 9/11. It's a dramatic day of hearings in Washington, focusing on confusion and missed opportunities in air defense. Live to the Pentagon we go in just a bit.

And round one this year's U.S. Open under way. Who will take over the world's No. 1 ranking? Stay with us for that.

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