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Critical Care in Baghdad; Massacre in Haditha?; FBI Raid on The Hill; Muhammad Convicted of Sniper Killings in Maryland

Aired May 30, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Her wounds are extensive, her condition critical, her care exceptional, as it is for everyone brought to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier and one of the soldiers wounded alongside her in Baghdad arrived there earlier today. She's already been through two operations in Baghdad and is expected to undergo more at Landstuhl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. W. BRYAN GAMBLE, U.S. ARMY: It's really hard right now to ascertain how much of a recovery period she will need or what -- what the extent of her rehabilitation needs will be. It's really too early into the, you know, process of the trauma to know that right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Gamble adds that Dozier is doing as well as can be expected. She was wearing a protective vest when the bomb went off, and doctors say that helped save her life.

Credit also belongs to the medics on duty at the U.S. military hospital in Baghdad. That's where Dozier and six wounded soldiers were taken first. It's also where CNN was shooting a democracy.

Here's what some of the nurses told us after they stabilized Dozier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She crashed. What does that mean?

CAPT. TIFFANY FUSCO, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL BAGHDAD: Basically, it means that we lost vital signs on her. Her heart rate dropped to a point where we couldn't feel her pulses. Her blood pressure dropped to a point where we could barely see what it was anymore, we could barely assess it.

Basically, it means that she was going down. And she did pretty hard. But we were able to get her back by giving her fluids and medications and finally getting her up to the O.R.

That's what needed to happen, and eventually did. She was able to get up there and do OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How lucky is she? CAPT. KARI BURROUGHS, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL BAGHDAD: She's very lucky. She's lucky she got here when she did. I think if she would have -- if it would have taken longer for her to get to the hospital, it might not have come to this outcome at this point.

She really needed to get here, get stabilized, get blood in her, get her up to the O.R. and stop the bleeding. And we did -- like, the surgeons up there did what we would call just rough surgery to stop bleeding. They did external fixators on her legs. Then they took her down, did a full body CT and found that she had a depressed skull fracture. And then her next stop was going to Balad and seeing the neurosurgeons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How lucky is she?

FUSCO: I would say that she was pretty lucky. It could have went either way. And thankfully, in her case, she did OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A patient like this in the states, does that patient make it?

FUSCO: I would say so. I would say it depends on where they were and how quick they get to a hospital. And if they're in a rural area and they don't have very good first responders, maybe not, but if they're in a city and can get to a hospital quicker, probably.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did she get here from the site?

BURROUGHS: She got here with the -- it was a convoy, basically. They were -- was it was 4th ID? I don't' know.

FUSCO: Yes, it was 4th ID.

BURROUGHS: They drove in. So non-medical vehicles with their medics doing initial stabilization. Their medics -- or just the soldiers through the tourniquets on her. And that's really one of the main things that helps save lives, tourniquets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Two other CBS journalists, a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi contractor were killed in yesterday's explosion just outside the Green Zone.

Word of the blast, who made it and who didn't quickly reached families back in the states. Kimberly Dozier's brother says it was the phone call he always dreaded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DOZIER, KIMBERLY DOZIER'S BROTHER: It was one of those things that you think about but hope will never come. Every time Kimberly comes, we remind her to stay out of harm's way, but we know that she won't. She'll go after the story wherever it is and whatever risks she has to expose herself to. She knew that she was taking that risk, but I so wish it hadn't happened. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dozier's family is on their way to Germany right now. They're expected to arrive tomorrow morning.

At least 24 Iraqi men, women and children slaughtered. It happened last fall in the western Iraqi city of Haditha, where survivors claim the killers were U.S. Marines.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre looks at the facts and allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When CNN caught up with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine regiment in Haditha last October, the unit it was thick in the fight against insurgents, capturing weapons and uncovering roadside bombs. Just over a month later, these civilians, videotaped by an Iraqi journalism student, would die in what U.S. military investigators now strongly suspect was a rampage, by a small number of Marines who snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There are two ongoing investigation. One investigation has to do with what happened. The other investigation goes to, why didn't we know about it sooner than we knew about it.

MCINTYRE: At first, the U.S. military simply refused to believe villagers who accused the Marines of murdering unarmed civilians, even when presented by credible evidence assembled by "TIME" magazine in February.

BOBBY GHOSH, "TIME" MAGAZINE: They were incredibly hostile. They accused us of buying into enemy propaganda, and they stuck to their original story, which was that these people were all killed by the IED.

MCINTYRE: But that story fell apart in the wake of an investigation. That sources tell CNN will likely result in charges of murder against some Marines and dereliction of duty against others.

Sources say between four and eight Marines from Kiyo (ph) company were directly involved, but some Marines from different units say they knew what happened, because they helped document the aftermath.

Lance Corporal Ryan Briones told "The Los Angeles Times" he took pictures of at least 15 bodies, and is still haunted by the memory of picking up a young girl who was shot in the head. "I held her out like this," he said, demonstrating with his arms extended, "but the head was bobbing up and down, and the insides fell on my legs."

Briones mother CNN he is now suffering from post-traumatic stress.

SUSAN BRIONES, MARINE'S MOTHER: That's what affects Ryan the most, is that he had to pick up this child's body to put her in a body bag.

MCINTYRE: A timeline put together by "TIME" magazine and confirmed for CNN by Pentagon sources shows the sequence of events in Haditha on November 19th. After a roadside bomb killed 20-year-old Lance Corporal Miguel Terazes (ph) at 7:15 in the morning, the Marines immediately suspected four Iraqi teenagers in a taxi, and shot them along with the driver when the marines say they failed to lie on the ground as ordered.

The hunt for bombers moved to a nearby house where seven people, including two women and one child, were killed. Then eight people, including six women, were shot next door, while a group of women in a third house were not harmed. But in a fourth house four men were killed.

(on camera): Sources tell CNN the investigation is substantially complete, and that charges including some murder charges, could be filed sometime in June. And that investigators have concluded there was a cover-up, but those sources won't say if that's limited to the handful of Marines who did the killings.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A Democratic congressman and retired Marine smells a cover-up. John Murtha tells CNN it didn't take months for the Pentagon to learn what really happened in Haditha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We are fighting a war about America's ideals and democracy's ideas. And something like this happens, they try to cover it up.

They knew the day after this happened that it was -- it was not as they portrayed it. They knew that they went into the rooms, they killed the people in the taxi. There was no firing at all. And this comes from the highest authority of the Marine Corps.

So there's no question in my mind -- and I don't know how. That's what we have to find out. This is the type of thing that makes it so difficult.

We are supposed to be fighting this war for democracy, and yet something like this happens that sets us back. It's as bad as Abu Ghraib, if not worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Murtha was referring to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Fifteen hundred more U.S. troops have arrived in Iraq. They're in Anbar Province, a cauldron of insurgent violence. They are members of a reserve force of the 1st Armored Division in Kuwait on what the military calls a short-term deployment.

The raid against Jefferson is still the talk of Washington, and today the subject of a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee. The session was titled "Reckless Justice: Did the Saturday Night Raid of Congress Trample the Constitution?"

Well, not surprisingly, one witness said it did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE FEIN, PRINCIPAL, THE LICHFIELD GROUP: Checks and balances are every bit as indispensable to our civil liberties as the Bill of Rights, and yet the Bush administration has been bent on a scheme for years of reducing Congress to akin to an extra in a Cecil B. DeMille political extravaganza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The Justice Department responded in federal court today to Congressman William Jefferson's claim that he should get his seized material back.

Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena joins me now with more.

Kelly, what does the filing say? Will Jefferson get to see what the Justice Department took?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, complicated. The first thing is, is what did -- what did Justice say in its filing? And what it said is they were on solid legal ground, that they did not believe that they should give any of the documents back to him, that -- that it's well-established that workplaces are not sanctuaries for people who commit crimes, that members of Congress do not have blanket immunity from investigation.

And so they stuck to their guns and said, look, what we did was the right thing to do. But they did offer a carrot to Congressman Jefferson and said, look, what we'll do is we will copy all of the documents that we took, and you can go over them with House general counsel and see if there's anything that you think is privileged information. You know, we will -- once we get those documents back, we will do the same.

PHILLIPS: So how does this affect the fact that the documents are frozen, if at all?

ARENA: Right. Well, it doesn't. I mean, it's sort of like -- think of this as a parallel universe, Kyra.

This has to go -- and there was a motion filed by Jefferson. Obviously, the Justice Department had to file their motion in response. Those documents will stay within the solicitor general's office for those 45 days while negotiations as to how to proceed continue.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, how does the -- well, I guess, finally, there seems to be a little bit of give on Capitol Hill. Some of those lawmakers saying that the Justice Department isn't all that -- well, they're in negotiations, right?

ARENA: Right. Right. They are negotiating. And basically, Kyra, I think at the end of the day what you're going to see is this team come out and say, look, this is how we're going to proceed in the future.

There were some very special precautions that Justice took in this situation. First, they sent in FBI agents that were not working on the Jefferson case. So they were non-case agents that went in and actually conducted the search.

Those documents were then handed over to a so-called filter team. And what this team was supposed to -- they're made up of prosecutors and agents -- were supposed to go through this to see if there was anything that could possibly be considered privileged information. That would actually come under the law separating, you know, the different branches of government. And that those documents would be handed back, even before prosecutors ever saw them.

Well, now Justice is saying, we'll do one more thing for you. We're going to make copies of everything, and then Congressman Jefferson gets to look and can say, OK, look, this is privileged. If there's a dispute it will go before a judge. And that's probably the makings of a blueprint, Kyra, for how they will proceed in the future whenever a congressman's office has to be searched again.

PHILLIPS: Kelli Arena, thanks.

ARENA: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: It was considered a model of success for the U.S., but now is the situation in Afghanistan deteriorating?

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: From chaos to relative calm. Stores are reopening and people are back at work. Afghan troops are posted at almost every corner. This is Kabul, a city of four million people, a day after riots spread through the streets.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is on assignment there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is the day after the rioting and violence in Kabul. CNN has learn from coalition sources familiar with the investigation that U.S. soldiers at the scene of that traffic accident report they definitely saw people in the crowd firing weapons at them. And it is only then that they, the U.S. soldiers, returned fire to defend themselves. Overnight, 800 Afghan national army troops arrived here in the city to try and maintain order. The assessments here today is that much of the violence and the rioting was sparked and organized by those who are opposed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It appears that there was a good deal of cell phone traffic across the city after that initial traffic accident in which people were rallied to try and come out in the streets.

That is when the mob began moving across the city. There was rock-throwing. There was rioting. There was some burning of facilities.

The government here then again called in those Afghan forces overnight to try and assist the city police in maintaining the curfew and restoring order to the city. But it underscores there is a feeling here by many local Afghans that President Hamid Karzai is politically vulnerable.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now the struggle to survive in Indonesia. Saturday's earthquake has claimed some 5,700 lives. Three days later, aid is starting to reach the tens of thousands left homeless.

CNN's Dan Rivers is on the quake zone on the main island of Java.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The desperate need is now being met by a huge response. A nerve center has been set up in the worst hit district of Bantul. Eight agencies from around the world are here to help.

Medical supplies are among the thousands of boxes being sent out to remote villages. Staff using any available vehicle they can lay their hands on. Local cars, driven by local people, pack with life- saving cargo. A fleet of helicopters is also in operation, vital to cut down journey times and deliver supplies fast.

The man overseeing it all says the situation is not as desperate as it was in the province of Aceh after the tsunami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aceh was a very different situation. The local administration was basically wiped out. Here they are in control and running things. The infrastructure here has not been damaged anywhere near the situation in Aceh. So it's an easier context within to work.

RIVERS: But many villages here have suffered awfully.

This is Banda Jaweh (ph). We felt one of the numerous aftershocks which continually unnerve this traumatized community, sending them often fleeing from the rubble.

(on camera): Of the 50 houses in this village, 49 of them have been completely destroyed, reduced to just piles of rubble. Only one has survived, and that belongs to the village chief. It's over there. And the reason that's still standing is because it's made of reinforced concrete.

(voice over): But most poor farmers here can't afford steel rods to make their houses strong. Already, they're cleaning off the bricks, ready to rebuild the same insubstantial structures which just proved so deadly.

This village has received no help yet. Its inhabitants forced to scavenge through the rubble for anything worth salvaging. The task for the aid agencies is huge, getting to the most vulnerable and trying to end their misery.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Bantul, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're getting word now that a verdict has been reached in the case against Washington area sniper John Allen Muhammad, charged with six killings carried out in Maryland. We are expected to hear that verdict possibly read in the courtroom in Rockville, Maryland, within the next 15 minutes. As soon as that happens, we're going to bring it to you.

Well, quarantines and clusters. We're going straight to the top to get the latest on bird flu. The UN's coordinator joins me live for a status report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: If you're just tuning in to CNN, we're getting word now that a verdict has been reached in Rockville, Maryland, in the John Allen Muhammad trial. As you know, he's on trial for six Maryland murders that occurred during October 2002. It was that sniper spree in and around Washington, D.C.

Muhammad was already sentenced to death for a sniper shooting in Virginia. Now we're being told a verdict has been reached in Rockville, Maryland. As soon as it's read from the courtroom you'll hear it.

Bernie Ebbers, Ken Lay, and Jeff Skilling, all well-known corporate leaders convicted of crimes. Now another top executive is joining them as an example of corporate malfeasance. Who is he?

Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I feel like I'm doing everything by remote, whereas when I first got here, let's say a year ago, I could drive into the streets, go into a neighborhood, talk to Iraqis, ask what they thought about something. The last time I tried to do that, to go to someone's home and sit down with that man and say, "Are you thinking about leaving Iraq or staying?" the moment he saw me, blonde hair, and my two armored vehicles, which are low-key regular vehicles, but they still are armored, and my security guys, he turned white and he said, "Next door is a man from Falluja. If he sees you, if he sees your guards, he'll kill me."

So now we have people come to us for interviews, but that really -- it means I can't go out and hunt a story. I'm having to wait for it to come to me, or I'm having to train Iraqi translators to go out and be my eyes, be my ears, ask the questions that I would ask if I could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Critically wounded but responsive and likely to survive. That's the latest update on CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier, whom you just heard in a CNN clip from 2004.

The same roadside bomb that almost killed Dozier yesterday did kill two colleagues, a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi contractor. Dozier is being treated in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

One of the first medics to treat Dozier and the wounded soldiers who came in with her credits his team with saving their lives. All were rushed to a military hospital in Baghdad where CNN just happened to be shooting a documentary.

Here's what some of the medical staff had to say right after they stabilized Dozier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FUSCO: Her blood pressure dropped to a point where we could barely see what it was anymore. We could barely assess it. Basically, it means that she was going down, and she did pretty hard. But we were able to get her back by giving her fluids and medications.

LT. COL. BOB MAZUR, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL BAGHDAD: At one point her pulse stopped. She didn't have a heartbeat. She was as sick as you get.

The fact that she's alive, of course, is great. It's a miracle, pretty much. She was lucky to get to the 10th CASH. She was lucky the 10th CASH is here.

MAJOR SAM MEHTA, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL, BAGHDAD: If this severe trauma would have happened back home in the states, she would have probably died. I think for me, Memorial Day will never be the same. While I do remember those who died for our country in past wars and previous conflicts, for me this will be a day that I remember as a memory of people who have lived, because we, our team saved the life of seven soldiers and Ms. Dozier.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Dozier underwent two operations in Iraq before being transferred to Germany.

Just who killed at least 24 Iraqi civilians last fall in Haditha. The Pentagon is investigating whether U.S. Marines were out for blood after the bombing death of one of their buddies. Sources they CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre that murder and cover-up could be among potential charges. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee plans hearings.

And we're just getting word that the verdict is in, and he's been -- the jury says he's guilty on all six counts. This is coming out of Rockville, Maryland. John Allen Muhammad had been on trial for six Maryland murders that occurred during October, 2002. You'll remember that sniper spree in and around Washington, D.C. Muhammad was already sentenced to death for a sniper shooting in Virginia.

Now the verdict is in. Guilty on all six counts. Jeffrey Toobin on the phone with us. Jeffrey, just going back and forth and watching this trial, even John Allen Muhammad taking on his own closing arguments, his own defense, tried to frame the situation that he and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo were set up. He tried to lay out a conspiracy theory that didn't work.

JEFF TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Kyra, this has to rank as among the least surprising verdicts in the history of the American legal system. John Muhammad is about as guilty as you can possibly get. What was different about this trial was that Lee Boyd Malvo, for the first time, cooperated with the prosecution and testified against his mentor, Svengali (ph), leader, whatever you want to call him, which gave a much fuller picture of how this still kind of unbelievable crime took place, but Muhammad's guilt was never in doubt.

PHILLIPS: What happens next?

TOOBIN: I believe there is a penalty phase. So he will be -- he's eligible for the death penalty now in Maryland as well. He's already been sentenced to death in Virginia. In fact, the death penalty is much more often used in Virginia. Maryland hardly executes anybody. In fact, this is likely to be more symbolic than real. His immediate fear of execution is likely to come from Virginia, and I think very likely he will be executed in Virginia.

PHILLIPS: We talked about Virginia and Maryland, Muhammad and Malvo suspected of shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana and Washington State. Could we see another trial?

TOOBIN: There could be more. I know prosecutors are dealing with the actually very difficult question of do you convict the same person over and over again who is likely to be executed somewhere else? Is it essentially a waste of time, or is the death of one of our citizens so important that, at least symbolically, you go through a trial and show the world that he did, in fact, commit those crimes.

I don't think it's decided. There are also federal charges against him. It's an extremely complex decision involving many jurisdictions, and I don't think it's fully resolved yet. PHILLIPS: Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst with us on the phone. If you're just tuning in, the verdict is guilty on all six charges, John Allen Muhammad.

You may remember, he was on trial for six Maryland murders that occurred during the October, 2002, sniper spree in and around Washington, D.C. Muhammad was already sentenced to death for a sniper shooting in Virginia, now has been found guilty on all six counts in Rockville, Maryland. Kathleen Koch had been covering the trial. She joins us from D.C. You're probably not surprised either.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, I can't say that I am surprised in any way, shape or form in particular because of the very convincing testimony that was delivered by Lee Boyd Malvo for two straight days last week. He very carefully, very methodically and very chillingly laid out how they planned these murders and this reign of terror through Washington, D.C., and how they carried them out.

Of the 13 shootings it was John Allen Muhammad who shot ten of the victims, and that he, Lee Boyd Malvo, shot three of them. Again, when you watch that testimony and the great detail that he went into, it's hard to believe that any jury would then believe John Allen Muhammad's contention that they'd both been framed.

PHILLIPS: You were talking about the dramatic testimony from Malvo. Muhammad kept referring to him as my son and the judge kept saying not to do that. It just sort of added to how bizarre the whole relationship between the two of them was.

KOCH: It was. You could see that relationship when Muhammad had a chance to cross examine Malvo, because initially right at the start you saw him trying to intimidate the young man, who is now 21.

He asked him odd questions like do you remember the last time we ran four miles, who won? Malvo would say you did. The last time we ran five times, who won? Malvo said you did.

He also quizzed him about numerous people that Muhammad had introduced Malvo to during the travels around the country. He asked him how did they treat you, and Malvo would say like a member of the family. How did I treat you? He pulled out of Malvo that, well, yes you treated me the way I wanted to be treated, at least initially.

So he was trying to really inflict some guilt on Malvo, make him feel bad for having basically betrayed Muhammad by testifying in such great detail against him. It was also striking to see the young man at every turn really push back whenever he could against Muhammad. That dramatic moment where he pointed at him and said you took me into your house and you made me a monster. Just really, really gripping moments in the courtroom, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kathleen Koch and Jeffrey Toobin, thank you so much. Once again, John Allen Muhammad found guilty on six sniper killing killings.

Quarantines and clusters. We're going straight to the top to get the latest on the bird flu. The U.N.'s coordinator joins me live for a status report. The news keeps coming, and we'll bring it to you. More LIVE FROM coming up next.

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PHILLIPS: Neighborhood quarantines in Romania, a fatal family cluster. Plus six unrelated cases in Indonesia. Recent headlines may make you fear a flu pandemic, but the World Health Organization has not raised the pandemic threat level. Here's why. Although dozens of countries have reported outbreaks of bird flu in birds since 2003, only ten countries have seen human cases and there's no evidence that H5N1 passes easily from person to person.

It all adds up to a challenge for Dr. David Nabarro, who heads up the U.N.'s team on avian or bird flu. How do you encourage caution and concern but not incite panic? I think I ask you that every time we talk, Doctor.

DR. DAVID NABARRO, U.N. AVIAN INFLUENZA COORDINATOR: Yes, you do. And you know, it really is difficulty. It's just good to meet your viewers again and to focus still on the challenges posed by H5N1 bird flu for the world at this time. You summarized the current situation, I thought, pretty well. The virus is still advancing in the world's bird populations into countries in Africa through -- across Asia, still affecting countries in Europe, as you said. And it does continue to give us cause for concern,, but we've got no evidence to suggest that a human influenza pandemic is any closer now than it was, say, six months ago.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about this new research -- we've been reading about this in the next couple weeks -- that has demonstrated that one of the reasons avian influenza does not spread easily among humans is because it infects cells deep in the human lungs. Do you agree with that research? And maybe you can put it more in layman's terms for all of us on why that maybe makes that threat of human-to- human contact less of a reality.

NABARRO: Well, Kyra, I'll try and do that. In a way, I wish I had some models to demonstrate on. But let me try on myself. This virus, H5N1, when it comes into the body, binds onto cells in the respiratory tract, which means the cells that are in the lining of your lung. And it tends to bind, if it's H5N1, to the lower part of the lung at the present time. And that means that it's very hard indeed, when you cough our breathe, for you to transmit the virus to somebody else.

If the virus were to bind onto cells in the higher part of the respiratory system -- that's up here in the trachea or in the main bronchi, then when you breathe or cough, the virus would come out in the breath and would be easily picked up by others. The mutation that we're worried about would mean that the virus, instead of binding to the lower lung, would instead bind into the higher parts of the respiratory tract. And that would, in turn, lead to human-to-human transmission.

PHILLIPS: Now, why is the virus that's widespread in Southeast Asia since 2003 only started moving to Europe and Africa last year?

NABARRO: Well, we don't know for certain, but our hypotheses are -- that's our theories -- are that it's being taken long distances by migrating, wild birds. Some of these birds appear to be able to pick up the virus and carry it long distances without themselves getting sick. And that has meant that there seems to be the potential to move the virus long distances through the migrating wild birds that then meet up with domestic poultry populations in chicken farms and so on, and infect them.

The second possible explanation is also that there's been -- the birds have got into some of the trading patterns that exist. But it's a combination of the wild birds and trade that seem to move the virus around in a big way since October last year.

PHILLIPS: Well, you've been traveling around, of course, around the world, giving lectures. And you actually sent us your Power Point presentation, which was very interesting. And we noticed one thing within that presentation, and that was a series of ads. We put together some of them to show our viewers. Tell me where these ads have been distributed? Are they working? Who put them together?

NABARRO: Well, what you're talking about is a set of images that were put together by Asian countries, together with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, using information provided by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization. These organizations with long names are actually the different parts of the international system that provide up-to-date and accurate advice.

And the UNICEF images were developed in conjunction with the government and people of Cambodia, with commercial designers identifying the best images that people would identify with to encourage them both to reduce their risks of bird flu, but through the better interaction with birds, and also to get prepared for possible pandemic.

I can't see the pictures you're showing, but if I'm right, they're the pictures that were designed to help improve hygiene in the home. The ads that you've got were also accompanied by television spots, which have been shown to be useful in a number of different countries.

PHILLIPS: Yes, those were the ads. I wanted to ask you about -- you were overseas, but the quarantines that happened in Romania, what did you think about that? Hundreds of people were being quarantined. Did that need to happen? Was it effective? There was a lot of controversy over there, whether that have even been executed.

NABARRO: You know, when a government decides to act to deal with a flu situation that's running a bit out of control, they sometimes decide to take quite drastic action. And the situation in Romania has been one of big worry to the national authorities, because the birds seem to go on getting infected with H5N1, despite the best efforts of the country to get it under control.

One of the ways you reduce infection is to restrict the movements of poultry, and indeed also to restrict the movements of people who tend to be carrying the poultry around. That's why they introduced these movement restrictions or what you're calling quarantine, and it seems to have been quite effective. So although controversial, I say that it's up to governments to decide what's the best in this situation that they've got at the time.

PHILLIPS: Dr. David Nabarro, it's always great to have you with us. You always -- you always help us understand the situation that can be very complex. We really appreciate you.

NABARRO: Thank you very much for the chance to join you again.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

NABARRO: Bye.

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, entertainment news with Sibila Vargas of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Sibila, what you got for us?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's the battle of the celebrity couples, Kyra. Bennifer's hospital emergency, Brangelina's hospital charity, and Vaughnistan -- yes, that's right, Vaughnistan's -- red carpet crawl. All that when LIVE FROM returns.

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PHILLIPS: Millions of Americans wave flags on Memorial Day, but not quite like this. This was the scene over New York, where Navy veteran Greg Bishop jumped out of an airplane and unfurled a huge American flag, and I'm talking huge -- 1,800 square feet. The average American house is only slightly bigger.

Well, together for the breakup, thank you for the hospitality and oh his aching head. Those are the entertainment headlines. And for all the details, let's go to Hollywood and Sibila Vargas -- Sibila..

VARGAS: I've had a major migraine. I don't know about you, but anyone who has had one will certainly appreciate this story, Kyra. Because sometimes aspirin just isn't enough. Movie star Ben Affleck was rushed to a Boston hospital yesterday for some serious brain pain. Now, according to the star's publicist, Ben's famous wife, Jennifer Garner, drove the actor to Auburn Hospital in Cambridge yesterday afternoon for a migraine. Affleck received treatment for several hours before being discharged to recuperate at home.

Well now, is it odd to come together for a breakup? If so, the strangest thing happened last night in Chicago where the stars of "The Break-Up" came together once again for that film's second red carpet premier. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn were the toast of the town as a massive crowd of windy city residents gathered to catch a glimpse of Hollywood's latest A-list couple. In the film Vaughn and Aniston's characters are ready to leave their relationship behind, but neither of them wants to part ways with their condo. Aniston, who is no stranger to a very public breakup, says there is a message in this story.

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JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: Nobody is alone. It's a very common thing that happens unfortunately, and you know, you can laugh at it, you know. And also, hopefully listen to each other a little bit more.

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PHILLIPS: That would be nice. Now, "The Breakup" is rated PG-13 and opens in theaters Friday.

Meanwhile Jennifer's previous breakup star, Brad Pitt, and his new flame Angelina Jolie are spreading love to the African medical community. Just days ago Angelina gave birth to little Shiloh Nouvelle in the African nation of Namibia. The famous couple gave their first statement to "People" magazine just moments ago: "We would like to deeply thank the staff at Cottage Medi-Clinic Hospital for all their kindness and commitment in assuring the successful birth of our daughter." According to "People" magazine, Jolie's doctor performed a scheduled cesarean due to a breech presentation. They also report little Shiloh Nouvelle weighed in at a healthy seven pounds and that Brad Pitt did cut the umbilical cord.

Now, as a thank you to their host country, Brangelina have donated $300,000 to the maternity wards of two local hospitals, plus an additional $15,000 to establish a school and community center in the district of Swak u Munk (ph). That's right, Swak u Munk. It is also being reported that Brad and Angelina's daughter will be offered Namibian citizenship.

Now tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," even more Brangelina mania. Why the worldwide obsession with little Shiloh Nouvelle? Plus, the multi-million dollar battle to get the first picture of the baby. The very latest on television's most provocative entertainment news hour, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11:00 PM Eastern on CNN Headline Prime. Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Provocative. Alright Sibila. Thank you.

Well, a hateful act brings a neighborhood together. John Hoops (ph) says vandals stole the rainbow flag he proudly displayed on his front porch. He also found a derogatory word carved into the paint of his car. Well when other families on the street in Northampton, Massachusetts, found out what happened to their gay neighbor, they decided to show their support. Now a total of 35 rainbow flags are flying in the neighborhood, each with the word "pace", which means "peace" in Italian.

Terrorism, global warming, bird flu, don't people have enough to worry about? Well, apparently not. Women in Tulsa, Oklahoma also have to be on their toes to avoid an unnerving predator. It happened to Lorrie at Walmart. She was loaded with groceries in her car. She felt something wet and slimy on her toes. Thinking it was a dog, Lorrie looked down and was shocked, shocked, I say, to see a human male licking her digits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LORRIE, ASSAULT VICTIM: I looked at him, and I said what in the hell are you doing? And that's exactly what I said. I said what are you doing. Later that afternoon when my little boy wanted to go outside to play, I told him no. And, it was just because I needed to regroup. And I did. It didn't take me long. It took me a day. Don't be afraid. Just be aware. And when you go out in public, just don't let your guard down.

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PHILLIPS: Keep your toes covered. Don't let your toes show at all. The toe licker is still on the lam. We'll let you know if and when he's brought to heel. LIVE FROM is back after a quick break.

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NICOLE LAPIN, CNN DOT.COM CORRESPONDENT: Alright, think of this. At the beginning of the 20th century, people weren't expected to reach the age of 50. But, now we're getting up to almost 80. But with the longevity of course comes a little bit of maintenance, so CNN.com got on the pulse of how you can live well at any age.

Medical advances have obviously allowed us to live a little longer, but they're really no good unless you take advantage of them. This gallery has a checklist of what you should be doing at different stages in your life. Like around age 45, everyone should really be screened for diabetes every three years. And you know what? There are actually three places around the globe that boast the longest life spans? Well where, you're probably wondering? OK, they're Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; and Loma Linda, California. And a few people from those places tell us how they actually made it up to the triple digits. If you want to read more about that online go to CNN.com/livingwell.

For the Dot Com Desk, I'm Nicole Lapin.

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PHILLIPS: Guilty on all six counts. John Allen Muhammad is convicted of six more of the sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington area in 2002. A Maryland jury took just over four hours to reach that verdict. The trial, in which Muhammad acted as his own attorney, lasted four weeks. Muhammad is already under a death sentence in Virginia for a killing there.

Who's the enemy? Who's not and where's the line? Wherever it is, there's a strong suspicion it was crossed last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha, resulting in the slaughter of at least 24 Iraqis by U.S. Marines. The Pentagon is investigating and Congress will hold hearings. A war veteran himself, Democratic Congressman John Murtha says he understands what troops are going through and what might make them crack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN MURTHA (D), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I understand the troops. The troops are doing a tremendous job. They carry 70 pounds of equipment. They're out there every day. An IED goes off, it kills somebody one day, the next day. Some of them have seen 25 and 30 of those go off and they haven't been wounded, like the reporter that was hit. She's been out there day after day and finally the pressure gets to them. We don't have enough troops out there and they don't know what their mission is.

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