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Bob Woodward Apologizes to Editor For Withholding Information in CIA Leak Investigation; Sunnis Demand Investigation Into Iraqi Prisoner Abuse Allegations; Shooting Near School Parking Lot; Guatemalan Drug Traffickers Caught; Matthew McConaughey Sexiest Man Alive

Aired November 16, 2005 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And our top story, "The Washington Post's" Bob Woodward has apologized to his paper's executive editor for holding back information that he knew about the CIA leak investigation.
The "Post's" Web site reported that Woodward's apology to editor Leonard Downie just a short time ago -- Woodward failed to tell Downie for more than two years that a senior administration official had told him about the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

CNN's Kimberly Osias in Washington with more.

Kimberly, let's talk about who was it higher up in -- well, I guess, could it be -- could this lead to other higher-ups in the White House, rather?

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it certainly could lead to that. I mean, that's a favor parlor game, certainly, with everybody inside the beltway and everybody that has been glued to this story.

You know, you were talking about the Web site, Kyra. I wanted to show you. I pulled it up. This is "The Washington Post" Web site, talking about -- I mean, this is a guy that is certainly used to keeping secrets. He even said so here, in sort of the mea culpa to his editor, Len Downie Jr.

And he said: "I hunkered down. I'm in the habit of keeping secrets."

No kidding, 33 years with Deep Throat, until "Vanity Fair" revealed the source. He said, "I didn't want anything out there that was going to get me subpoenaed." That is just new on the Web site today.

And he said job one was to protect his sources.

And, remember, Kyra, it's not necessarily Woodward's responsibility to come forward on his on accord, out of civic duty, to share what he knew and just how he knew it with the special prosecutor.

PHILLIPS: Well, what do you think? Is Scooter Libby off the hook?

OSIAS: Well, that is what everybody wonders. I mean, certainly, his attorneys are trying to put a spin on it, trying to say that this is really a bombshell.

But, you know, I mean, this has been a case that's been go on two year. And it's sort of like the Eveready bunny. It just keeps going and going and going. And, you know, for his part, Patrick Fitzgerald has said that he is not finished. It certainly is new lines of investigation for him that he certainly now will pursue.

PHILLIPS: Interesting stuff.

Kimberly Osias, from our D.C. bureau there, thank you so much.

Well, a firestorm in Iraq, not on the battlefield, but in the minority Sunni community -- Iraq's main Sunni party is demanding an international investigation into new allegations of abuse and torture of Iraqis by Iraqi security forces. Some, perhaps many, of the alleged victims are Sunnis. And they have long contended that majority Shiites in the U.S.-backed government have carried out vendettas against Sunnis since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

And, they say, the fresh allegations of abuse and torture confirmed by senior Iraqi officials make clear that Shiites are trying to suppress Sunnis ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Baghdad with more on the controversy.

You may find some of these pictures in his report disturbing, so, we just wanted to warn you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN was recently given these shocking images of brutalized Iraqi prisoners. The video came from the deputy governor of Diyala Province, just north of Baghdad. He got a tip about police torture and took a cameraman to record what he found.

Victims showed welts, apparently from beatings. The date on the tape indicated the video was shot back in August.

(on camera): And now, in Baghdad, an apparently similar case of torture has been discovered at a Ministry of Interior facility by the U.S. military.

When out searching for a 15-year-old boy, they entered a building containing many detainees, some of whom, they said, required medical attention. According to an Iraqi police officer at the scene, many had suffered torture.

(voice-over): While the police and U.S. military won't say where the building is in Baghdad, Iraq's deputy minister of interior confirms the abuse of prisoners, saying he is shocked, but says it's the worst torture he's seen.

HUSSEIN KAMAL, IRAQI INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): I saw signs of physical abuse by brutal beating. One or two detainees were paralyzed, and some had their skin peeled off various parts of their body.

ROBERTSON: U.S. troops have taken control of the premises, detaining several non-prisoners found at the facility. The U.S. is also providing medical care for some of the apparent torture victims.

The Iraqi government says many of the prisoners appear not to have been fed. The deputy interior minister blames a lack of resources for the abuses.

KAMAL (through translator): A major problem we face is that there are not enough places to contain these detainees after the preliminary investigation is through with them.

ROBERTSON: On Baghdad's streets, rumors are rife about renegade ministry of interior death squads, carrying out sectarian killings.

Interior ministry officials say they are aware those rumors are circulating but vigorously deny them. Still, Interior Ministry officials now say they want a full investigation into the torture cases they say they found in Baghdad.

Iraq's prime minister wants answers, too. He's formed an investigative committee.

IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The committee will start today to look at this situation, investigate it and report back what happened and how we got to where we are today.

ROBERTSON: If the new mood of self-examination in the Iraqi government is sustained, the public may well learn more about the abuses, not only in Baghdad, but also in Diyala Province, and dispel the swirling rumors and restore confidence in the security forces.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, earlier today, I talked with Nic about the new allegations of abuse and torture of Iraqi detainees by Iraqi security forces. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Nic, one thing that caught my attention was the fact that there's talk about the Interior Ministry actually having death squads. What more can you tell us about that? And that, of course, leads to many questions about how credible this government is.

ROBERTSON: Well, the Ministry of Interior vigorously denies that. The accusations are, and we heard them again today, coming from some Sunni politicians, because they believe the Shia-dominated Interior Ministry has death squads from the Badr Brigade. That is a militia that's tied to one of the principal Shia parties in power here in Iraq.

And the accusation is that that Badr Brigade never folded up and went to where it was supposed to and is now part of the ministry and now forming death squads.

PHILLIPS: Now, the interior -- the deputy interior minister saying that, look, this is happening because of a lack of resources. Do you think that's just a lame excuse or is that true?

ROBERTSON: Certainly, there is a lack of funds for pretty much any project here in Iraq, whether it's electricity, water. And certainly the Interior Ministry from what we've seen hasn't been building any new prison facilities and they are arresting a lot of people. There are a huge number of crimes even out with the insurgency.

So it probably seems that it's a reasonable thing to say. They lack funds, lack the facilities, but that doesn't necessarily, and in many people's eyes here any way whatsoever, excuse the levels of apparent torture that have been uncovered.

PHILLIPS: Of course, we'll continue to follow up on this apparent torture and also the investigations that are existing. Meanwhile, Operation Steel Curtain, the Marines operation. Nic, tell us the latest on that.

ROBERTSON: Kyra, we've just had confirmation that five Marines killed today in a firefight in Operation Steel Curtain very close to the Syrian border. It's the 11th day of the operation. They've been sweeping through a number of towns, villages close to the border.

Apparently, the insurgents were hiding in a house as the Marines went in and this is something they've become very familiar with in that area, insurgents holed up in a house, willing to fight to the death. The Marines went in. There was an explosion then the firefight. Five killed. The deadliest incident so far in Operation Steel Curtain -- Kyra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, of course, I was talking with Ed earlier in the last hour.

Now I'm getting word a school shooting -- or possibly a shooting near a school in San Antonio.

Fredricka Whitfield working this story for us right now in the newsroom -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Kyra.

Well, according to San Antonio Police, this all took place in the west side of the city, near a school parking lot. It's a middle school called Irving Middle School. And, according to San Antonio Police, the Independent School District's police force apparently saw at least two people breaking into some vehicles.

Once, apparently, these two suspects were in the vehicle, according to police, the suspects then started driving the vehicle toward the Independent Police, where, then, shots were fired. In the end, one of the suspects has, reportedly, been killed, all this according to San Antonio Police -- and this, apparently, taking place just outside of the -- San Antonio's Irving Middle School.

So, again, police are saying one suspect has been killed. They're still trying to sort out the details of the car break-in and the reasons for the shooting. But, as of now, police are saying, in part, a reason why one of the suspects involved in the break-ins of the vehicle was shot, because, once in a vehicle, they started going toward police officers, putting their lives in jeopardy.

No students, apparently, from this middle school have been involved or are reportedly hurt or injured in any way. So, as it stands right now, this Irving Middle School in the west side of San Antonio, though, is on lockdown -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We will monitor those live pictures via our CNN affiliate, KENS-TV, there out of San Antonio, Texas. Fred, as you work more information on that story, we will check in with you -- Fredricka Whitfield there in our newsroom with that developing story of a shooting just near a middle school, Irving Middle School in San Antonio, Texas.

Well, you remember that teenager charged with killing his 14- year-old girlfriend's parents. He's been arraigned now. And he's back in jail in Pennsylvania. Eighteen-year-old David Ludwig went before a judge today, after returning from Indiana. You're seeing him right here. He's accused of killing Kara Borden's parents at their home on Sunday and fleeing with the girl. The two were found Monday in Indiana.

It's still unclear whether Borden was abducted or went with Ludwig willingly. A prayer service is planned tonight for Borden's parents.

Well, we're learning more about the two teenagers at the heart of a double slaying in Pennsylvania now.

Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has more on their secret life and their forbidden love.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Accused killer David Ludwig handcuffed and shackled, returning to Pennsylvania -- minutes later, he arrived at Lancaster County court.

(on camera): The scene inside was almost shocking, an 18-year- old who looks like an average kid dressed in an orange-and-white jumpsuit politely answering the judge, yes, sir, when told the arraignment was not a determination of guilt, then hearing the charges, two counts of homicide, one count of kidnapping, and one count of reckless endangerment.

(voice-over): Judge Dan Garrett (ph) sent Ludwig to prisoner to await a pretrial hearing denying him bail.

DONALD TOTARO, LANCASTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The district justice established no bail would be set because this is a case that will potentially call for a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.

CHERNOFF: This is not the David Ludwig friends and neighbors know.

Twenty-year-old Tiffany Mumberger has been friends with Ludwig for eight years. They met through the local Christian homeschool association, which organizes group activities.

TIFFANY MUMBERGER, FRIEND OF DAVID LUDWIG: I was floored. I didn't -- I didn't know he could do something like that, because he's a great guy.

CHERNOFF: Ludwig, friends and neighbors say, also met Kara Borden through the homeschool and group.

MUMBERGER: We had a co-ed basketball team that they were both on and soccer team that they were both on. And I knew they were friends. I knew they hung out a lot.

CHERNOFF: And, Tiffany says, it was clear a relationship had developed.

Friends of both families say the parents, particularly Kara's, did not approve. It is not clear just how much the parents knew. In an affidavit, detectives report, a close friend of Ludwig's described it as a secret, intimate relationship of a sexual nature. Detectives add, the friend said, they also indicated flirtatious messages and exchanged inappropriate images of one another via various electronic media, to include their computer systems and cell phones.

On his personal Web page, Ludwig has no reference to his 14-year- old girlfriend. He cites his areas of expertise, computers, volleyball, getting in trouble. And there is a link to pictures of Ludwig wielding a sword. Kara Borden, on her Web page, cites her interests as Jesus, church, "my youth group."

RICHARD GARIPOLI, WARWICK TOWNSHIP POLICE CHIEF: She's a victim right now and she will stay a victim unless I hear otherwise.

CHERNOFF: Kara Borden returned separately to Pennsylvania.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, coming up on LIVE FROM, an outrageous lie or the terrible truth? Two Iraqis claim U.S. troops threw them to the lions during a terrifying interrogation. Our Tom Foreman investigates. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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PHILLIPS: Pretty amazing pictures and sound there in southeastern Turkey -- ethnic tension, already high, is boiling over, as you can see -- riot police trying to disperse rioters today with tear gas and water cannons in Hakkari, a largely Kurdish region near the Iran and Iraq boarder. Residents there blame government forces for killing a Kurdish guerrilla leader last week. Turkey's prime minister promises an investigation and is appealing for calm.

Well, in a moment, you're going to hear an Iraqi man, a former detainee, recount detail of torture, allegedly by U.S. soldiers. His claims include beatings, sodomy, electric shocks and threats of being fed to the lions. Now he's suing.

CNN's Tom Foreman with more of this man's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was three months after the fall of Baghdad, in 2003, that Thahe Mohammed Sabbar's tale of torment began.

THAHE MOHAMMED SABBAR, FORMER IRAQI DETAINEE (through translator): I had a very modern life.

FOREMAN: That's when he says he and 20 others were seized at his business by U.S. soldiers, handcuffed, hooded, beaten and taken to one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces.

SABBAR (through translator): Immediately, as they pulled the bag off my head, I saw the lions right in front of me.

FOREMAN: Sabbar says he was in front of a cage of lions and that two soldiers carried him to the cage door, while another swung it wide.

SABBAR (through translator): At the time, as he opened the door, they put me right at the beginning, at the front of the cage. And when the lions came very quickly towards us, was a very horrific noise. At that time, the two pulled me and the third closed the door.

FOREMAN (on camera): So, then, what happened?

SABBAR (through translator): I lost conscious at that moment for a -- for a period of time. They woke me up by so beating me.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Then, he says, he and the group were put against a wall. Soldiers pointed rifles at them and fired -- blanks.

SABBAR (through translator): I could not stand up very well. And I urinated on my own clothes.

FOREMAN: Day after day, through six months of confinement, he says he was beaten, deprived of sleep, food, water, medical care, that he was sodomized by U.S. soldiers and shot with an electric prod.

SABBAR (through translator): I thought my life had ended. I was turned into a man that is completely hopeless for any potential for life.

FOREMAN: Many of Sabbar's complaints and those of seven other detainees are in lawsuits filed against U.S. military leaders, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They seek to have the military officials declared in violation of U.S. and international law.

Lucas Guttentag is the ACLU attorney on the case.

LUCAS GUTTENTAG, ACLU ATTORNEY: Let's just be clear. It is absolutely irrefutable that widespread torture and abuse occurred in Afghanistan and Iraq. That's the findings of the military's own reports. The question is, who is going to be held accountable for that?

FOREMAN: At the Pentagon, however, their story, in particular, the lions, is drawing skepticism that it might be part of insurgent tactics.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It seems quite farfetched. People are -- obviously, every -- everything that everyone alleges is looked into. But you have got to keep in mind that the -- the documents that were found, I believe in Manchester, train people, terrorists, to lie about their treatment. And they do it consistently. And it always works.

FOREMAN: The Pentagon says, through 12 major investigations and 2,800 interviews about alleged prisoner abuse, lions never showed up, not once.

Saddam Hussein's now dead son Uday had lions, but the International Fund For Animal Welfare and the man who was in charge of those animals tell us most were taken to the zoo two months before Sabbar was picked up. And the rest were kept under lock and key by zoo officials at another palace.

What's more, the lion story does not appear in Sabbar's own lawsuit. Still:

GUTTENTAG: We have confidence in the allegations we put in the complaint, and in the conduct that our clients were subjected to, and in the statements that they have made about the abuse that they suffered. We have complete confidence in that. And we look forward to proving it. And if...

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN (on camera): So, you would believe -- if you believe the statements they made, you believe this happened?

GUTTENTAG: Oh, we -- we...

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN: The lion -- the lion thing happened?

GUTTENTAG: We think that's entirely consistent with the other kinds of abuse that happened.

FOREMAN (voice-over): So, why not include the lions in the lawsuits? Why not include Sabbar's accusations that guards randomly fired rubber bullets at prisoners?

(on camera): When would they do this?

SABBAR (through translator): Whenever it suits them, whenever they like.

GUTTENTAG: Because a lawsuit is the beginning; it is not the end.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The lawsuit does include a graphic description of how U.S. soldiers sodomized Sabbar. But when we asked about this serious accusation:

SABBAR (through translator): I don't like to speak about that.

FOREMAN (on camera): But it did happen?

SABBAR (through translator): I don't want -- I don't wish to speak about that.

FOREMAN: You don't want to say if it did happen or not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's cut that off.

FOREMAN: Hold on. Hold on.

(voice-over): Sabbar's lawyers tried to stop the interview at this point. And, a few minutes later, when we had to change tapes, he left and never returned.

But the lawyers did, first to insist we not show Sabbar's reaction to those last questions, saying, while they wanted the accusation of sodomy in this story, Sabbar was too embarrassed to be questioned about it. And, second, the lawyers disavowed something their own client said.

Time and again, in my hour-long interview, I asked Sabbar if he was ever questioned by the people tormenting him.

(on camera): It sounds like what you're saying here is, in the entire time you were captive, you were never questioned about anything.

SABBAR (through translator): No. That's what I'm saying.

GUTTENTAG: I think everybody who was picked up was questioned at some point, whether they were formally interrogated, whether -- what interrogation exactly means.

FOREMAN: But he said he wasn't, over and over again.

GUTTENTAG: Well -- well, he may have misunderstood the question. I'm sure he was questioned at various times.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The lawyers indicated Mr. Sabbar was still in the hotel where we conducted these interviews. So, we asked if he could come back down and clear up that point. He did not.

But this did happen. Three-and-a-half-hours after Sabbar left the interview room, the lawyers brought in a second detainee from the lawsuits, Sherzad Khalid. He told us he was arrested with Sabbar, kept in the same prison and subjected to many of the same torments. But, he says, he was questioned relentlessly.

SHERZAD KAMAL KHALID, FORMER IRAQI DETAINEE (through translator): The first question was, "Where is Saddam?" I laughed. I thought he was joking. And then he...

FOREMAN (on camera): Do you have any idea why your friend would say that he was tortured all the time, too, and they never asked him any questions?

KHALID (through translator): I have no idea. I'm telling my own story.

FOREMAN (voice-over): None of this proves or disproves whether these men are telling the truth.

This lawsuit may produce evidence that more Iraqis were brutalized by American soldiers. Or it may show that American soldiers are being unjustly accused of things they did not do. And, in the midst of a difficult war, either may be hard to accept.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We are going to talk about gaps in airline security. One lawmaker says that you're playing roulette every time you get on a plane. But you and your luggage are screened, so, what's the problem?

LIVE FROM scanning the horizon for the news you want -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you have flown lately, you know the drill.

You line up at security. You have your carry-ons checked. You go through the screening. And then you get wanded every now and then, right? Well, you may be surprised to know that the same scrutiny doesn't apply to the cargo that may be flying in the belly of your plane.

A new government report warns, the Transportation Security Administration has to do more to plug holes in air cargo security. And, last year, a quarter of all air cargo in the U.S. was transported on passenger planes. But the report says only a very small percentage of it was inspected. And critics say that opens the door for terrorists to smuggle a bomb on board.

The TSA says it's doing its best, but recognizes the need to do more.

And, you know, our investigative correspondent Drew Griffin actually broke that story. He will be doing follow-ups on the cargo.

Now, two deadly crashes illustrate just how catastrophic explosions inside a plane's belly can be. Take a look at this. Just before Christmas, in 1998, a suitcase bomb in the cargo hold of Pan Am Flight 103 detonated over Scotland. The jumbo jet had just taken off from London's Heathrow Airport, en route to New York. And it disintegrated, actually disintegrated in the air, killing all 259 people on board, while the burning debris killed 11 people on the ground in the small town of Lockerbie.

A joint U.S.-British investigation found, plastic explosives embedded in a cassette recorder hidden in a suitcase caused the explosion. Libya accepted responsibility for that bombing in 2003. And it's been almost 10 years since the crash of ValuJet Flight 592. Investigators blame oxygen generators for causing a cargo fire that sent the plane plunging into the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996. It was pulverized upon impact. All 110 people on board were killed.

Well, it's a showdown day for both Delta and Northwest Airlines.

Kathleen Hays joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.

What's the latest? I didn't have a chance to monitor. Wasn't there a hearing with the pilots, the Delta pilots?

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

It is a big day for many people involved with these airlines. Both carriers, as you know, in bankruptcy court today asking permission to impose steep wage and benefit cuts on their unionized workers.

The AP reports, a lawyer for Delta pilots union asked the judge presiding over the company's bankruptcy case to remove herself from the case, saying her comments in court showed she's biased. Delta, already in bankruptcy, is seeking to slash $325 million from the collective bargaining agreement. It says the money is needed to keep its operations running.

The carrier lost more than $1 billion last quarter. But the pilots union has threatened to strike if Delta is successful. Hundreds of union members rallied yesterday in Atlanta, insisting the threat of the strike is not a bluff. Delta pilots currently earn an average of $169,000 a year.

But Northwest got a win in court today. The bankruptcy judge approved interim agreements between the airline and its pilots and flight attendant union that included pay cuts of up to 24 percent. The order also imposes pay cuts of 19 percent on the machinist union.

Let's turn to the markets now, where stocks are really pretty much flat.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: That's right, we'll be together for the closing bell. OK, Kathleen, we'll see you in a little bit.

We want to get back over to Fredricka Whitfield with more on that shooting near the middle school in San Antonio, Texas - Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, Kyra, police are now, San Antonio police, that is, are now investigating this shooting taking place just in the shadows of Irving Middle School.

Taking place there in the west side of San Antonio. It all began with, apparently car break-ins involving two suspects, and then it ended in a shooting resulting in the death of one of the suspects.

On the telephone with us out of San Antonio is Sergeant Gabe Trevino. He's with the police department.

Sergeant, if you can just take us back a little bit and sort out the facts for us. This all began with a suspected car break-in, just a couple of paces away from Irving Middle School?

SERGEANT GABE TREVINO, SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Yes. Actually, Fredricka, in the parking lot of the middle school.

The school district police department had an officer assigned to the school. As he was walking through the hallways, he looks out of the window and sees that there's a vehicle with two suspects.

A driver and passenger in the parking lot and that they're approaching. They get out of the car at two different points and approach two different cars. And what he felt to be an obvious attempt to break into those cars.

WHITFIELD: And so how do you go from the suspected car break-ins to a shooting?

TREVINO: Well, he approached them, told them to get out of the car. They're now back in their car. Instead, they started the car, they're about to take off. They're taking off. He's in front of the vehicle, he drew his weapon, told them to stop.

Instead, the accelerated towards him. He fired one round, striking the driver. He felt at that point. He said the driver stopped momentarily, but then accelerated again toward the officer.

He fired a couple more rounds as he's falling back. Never got struck by the car, but as he was falling back, losing his balance.

WHITFIELD: So the officer did not get hit, but the driver of that vehicle did get shot, and was killed, is that right?

TREVINO: That's correct. He drove about three blocks away after the shooting and we found the vehicle. And the driver and the passenger. The driver was dead behind the wheel. The passenger we were able to take into custody.

WHITFIELD: What do you know about the suspects? Were they students? did they have anything to do with the middle school?

TREVINO: There's not a whole lot at this point. We're still working the scene, literally happened about an hour and a half ago. The body's still in the car. We're waiting for the medical examiner to get here. We'll know more about their identity once we're able to go forward with the investigation. But I can tell you, they're in their early '20s.

WHITFIELD: Let me just interrupt you for a moment, because while you're talking, we're also seeing some live video of students, seemingly going back into the school or exiting.

You tell me, actually. We know that moments ago, the school was on lockdown. But as we see the formations of the students, can you explain what might be happening there right now?

TREVINO: Yes, the school district is allowing the parents -- the kids are fine, but any parent that wants to pick up their child, they can do so. And we gave them a designated point to pick up their kids. And that's probably what you're seeing on video.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sergeant, can you give me an idea of what this area is like? Is this an area, at least the school parking lot, have they had other incidents of car break-ins. And so that's why the independent school district police may have been on the alert or at the ready for something like this to happen?

TREVINO: No, you know, we're like any other city. We have our fair share or unfair share of car burglaries. But none targeting this particular parking lot.

The school district has officers assigned to many, many schools in their districts. It's not surprising that they had an officer here assigned.

WHITFIELD: Will there be any kind of independent investigation? Do you believe this police officer had just cause to fire his weapon and consequently lead to the death of one of the suspects?

TREVINO: Well, that's to be determined later on. Our shooting team is handling the investigation. The San Antonio Police Department shooting team. We're working in conjunction with their command staff. We'll work the investigation and forward those finding to their chief and our D.A.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sergeant Gabe Trevino, San Antonio Police, thank you so much. That's the latest from here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right Fred, thank you so much. Well, right after break, a huge drug bust with a very interesting twist.

Our Brian Todd has the latest on the story that just came across. He's going to join us live right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, word today of a remarkable twist in the worldwide fight against drug trafficking. It's a startling arrest of three Guatemalan narcotics officers and it reads like a movie script. Organized crime, top government officials and big money.

CNN's Brian Todd joins us with details. Brian, pretty interesting story.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure is, Kyra.

Agents tell us that this is the equivalent of the head of the DEA and it's number two official being busted cocaine trafficking. Now in U.S. custody, the highest ranking anti-narcotics officer in Guatemala.

His name, Adan Castillo Lopez, he is also known as Adan Castillo Aguilar. He is executive officer, the number two man at the Guatemalan agency, known as the SAIA. They're equivalent of DEA.

That official is Jorge Aguilar Garcia. And a man identified as Rubilio Orland Palacios, he is also a top official at that anti- narcotics agency. But he was responsible for security sweeps at Puerto Santo Tomas, a major port on Guatemala's Caribbean coast.

These three, now charged in an indictment, returned this afternoon in Washington with conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. DEA officials tell CNN, the three men worked together to allow at least one shipment of cocaine weighing more than 4,000 pounds into the Puerto Santo Tomas, then arranged for the shipment to be transported, without interference over land of the Mexican border.

DEA officials say the men were brought into the U.S. as part of a sting operation and arrested Tuesday in Northern Virginia. They tell us they believe the three men have been working with a major drug trafficking organization in Guatemala. They would not reveal the name of that group, citing ongoing operations -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about the Guatemalan government. Do we know if it had any knowledge of these operations?

TODD: Not only that, Kyra, DEA officials, two DEA sources tell us that the Guatemalan government provided what they called, extreme cooperation in this matter.

The investigation went over four months and involved some undercover work. Guatemalan officials were there with DEA officials in trying to bust these men.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brian Todd, thanks so much.

We're stay on top of that story. Meanwhile, we're talking about severe weather.

We had an update from our Chad Myers. He's watching some of the trouble ahead. As it's heading toward New York. We've got the details, next.

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PHILLIPS: Well, a throw ride -- thrill ride, rather, gets a little too thrilling on the Las Vegas strip. Check this out. The power went out at an amusement area on top of the Stratosphere Tower. If you've ever been up there, it's the tallest structure in the western United States. Six Japanese tourist were riding the XScream ride, probably screaming their heads off, when power went out.

They spent 90 minutes suspended over the edge of this 866 foot tower last night before the power went back on. The tourists were taken to the hospital for observation. Thank goodness no injuries reported.

Well, powerful storms that spawned tornadoes in the Midwest and south have -- well, the south has their sights on the Northeast now, actually. Let's check in with CNN meteorologist Chad Myers for the latest from there. Hey, Chad.

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PHILLIPS: We're talking about "People" magazine and the sexiest man alive issue. Roger, Chad -- we'll tell you who else made the cut. That's straight ahead. Stay with us.

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PHILLIPS: Penelope Cruz may want to hold on a little tighter to her man, Matthew McConaughey, now that he's been named "People" magazine's sexiest man alive. McConaughey, one of Hollywood's hottest leading mean, gets top honors in the magazine's 2005 issue.

Patrick Dempsey -- why he is he number two? Come on. He needs to be number one, followed by Terrence Howard. Number four on the list, Viggo Mortensen; fifth, Vince Vaughn. And by the way, CNN's Anderson Cooper, 13th sexiest man alive.

'Tis the season, where you'll be trudging through the malls and the discount stores and the boutiques, all on a quest to find something new, something grandiose, something perfect for the person who has everything, right? So what about something really cutting edge? Take a look at what CNN's Jeanne Moos has to offer.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sure, you can live without a robot that plays music. And you don't really need land rollers, skates with overgrown wheels for extra stability. And is something called a flavor spray really a must-have item?

Still, they all made it into "TIME" Magazine's annual most- amazing inventions of 2005 issue.

The most amazing invention of all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snuppy the puppy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snuppy the puppy.

MOOS: The Afghan puppy that South Korean researchers cloned from another Afghan's ear cell.

Forget about seeing double. Feast your eyes on Nike's MaxSight contacts. The amber makes tennis and baseballs really show up.

MOOS: They are so freaky to look at. I mean, they have to be this color, right?

MARYANNE BUECHNER, REPORTER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: They do have to be this color. This is how they filter out the blue light.

MOOS: And for ultra sharp under-water images, SeaLife DC500 made the list.

BJORN HARNS, VICE PRESIDENT, SEALIFE CAMERAS: Smile, fishies.

We have had a request for someone that specializes in nude photography under water.

MOOS: We kept our clothes on and later had our picture taken by a robot, thought at first, Nouveau's (ph) framing was a bit off.

Another robot, called iCat, made the list for its unrobot-like ability to make facial expressions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy, sad.

MOOS: iCat got your tongue? No, don't run, I want to know what you think of it.

It is Toyota's concept vehicle. Is it a chair? Shaped like a leaf, powered by lithium-ion batteries. You steer by moving this ball. The eye unit has two positions.

Kind of like the dentist.

The reclining position is for faster speeds.

Do you like it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would you do with it?

MOOS: Who knows? It's for the future. Back in the present, tattoos etched by laser on fruit made the most inventive list. Stores get all the product information without customers having to pick off those annoying stickers.

If you want to add taste without adding calories, try flavor sprays by Chef David Burke. They come in flavors ranging from root beer to bacon to ranch dressing.

Well, it's all right.

And if you make a mess in the kitchen, there's Scuba. Scuba mops, this is the floors-eye view. Robots that mop, robots you can dance, robotically to. Nouveau even tells time. But even a robot with 15 motorized joints takes a beating.

It's enough to make a robot take up smoking.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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PHILLIPS: Let's check in it with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in Washington to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra, thanks very much.

Coming up right at top of the hour, Bob Woodward apologizes to "The Washington Post" and admits he had a role in that CIA leak story as well. Very Complicated story. We'll talk with the man in charge of "The Washington Post" in his first television interview since the story broke.

Also, Fidel Castro. There's a report that suggests that the Cuban president has Parkinson's Disease. We'll be on top of that story, as well.

And the battle over the war in Iraq. President Bush taking heat while he travels abroad. The House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, she'll join us live in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

All that, much more, coming up at top of hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Wolf.

Well, which insurance company wants to raise your rates? That news next. LIVE FROM files a claim on your attention right after this.

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PHILLIPS: So, how about this for your next pool party? Let's just go straight to the tape. This is a boat worshiping ceremony in eastern India, in celebration of Full Moon Day. The people in this Port City sent out miniature boats with candles on them. Those little candles actually represent prayers. They send them off and then once the candles go out, well, hopefully your prayer will come true. And tradition has it when ancient traders set out on sea voyages on Full Moon Day, they were given off a send-off with full sized boats covered with lights. It's actually a really beautiful ceremony, if you've ever been there.

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