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President Bush Visits Border States; Musician Preston Dies; Remembering D-Day; The 666 Phenomenon; Paying the Price in the Heartland

Aired June 06, 2006 - 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: On the road and on the border, President Bush is pushing immigration reform in two states at the center of the problem.
Back in Washington, though, the real battle waits.

CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is at his post with more.

Hey, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra.

That's right, the president is down in New Mexico. Then it is on to Texas, yet another border trip for the president. He was in Arizona, of course, last month. He was once again making a push for comprehensive immigration reform, border security, plus that guest- worker program that has sparked so much criticism from some fellow conservatives within his own party, who say it is really just amnesty.

During today's tour, the president insisted the stalemate is not as bad as people are making it sound, that the stalemate no the Hill, there's actually some progress being made on immigration reform. And he also once again urged that there be civility in an emotionally charged debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've also got to remember this, though, during this debate: that illegal immigration is a problem, but we need to remember that immigrants have been one of the great strengths of the United States of America.

For generations, immigrants to this country have risked everything because of the dream of freedom. And they've assimilated into our society, and they've contributed to our economy, and they've contributed to the greatness of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, the president was visiting training sites for border agents down in New Mexico, also swore in a new customs and border protection chief, Ralph Basham.

It's unclear whether this second border will really do anything to help forge a compromise on Capitol Hill because of that current deadlock, but it could help rebuild the president's image a bit. These trips square with what "TIME" magazine reported back in April about the new White House chief of staff, Josh Bolten, having a five- point recovery plan for the president, with the sagging popularity -- number one on the list, beef up the number of agents along the border and send the president down for some photo-ops -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, what's on the itinerary for tomorrow?

HENRY: The president tomorrow will be Nebraska.

And what he's going to be doing is a Catholic Charities events, focusing on assimilation, how nonprofit and faith-based organizations are helping new immigrants assimilate into American culture, American society, teach them how to ride the bus, how to get a job, do the kinds of things that people need to learn once they get here in America -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed Henry, thanks so much.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Bomb plots, alleged beheadings, suspects -- suspected, rather, bail off the table for now.

Defense lawyers for 17 Toronto terror suspects arrested Saturday were stunned today by prosecutors' claims at a court hearing. They say eight pages of allegations include plans to assault Canada's government, bomb the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, and even behead the prime minister.

Instead of setting bail for the defendants, the court scheduled another hearing to set a date to consider it. Defense lawyers, meanwhile, say they haven't been allowed to meet with their clients in private. And they plan to file an emergency motion if that doesn't change. One stated: "This is not Guantanamo. This is Toronto."

Justified, or planned, staged, and covered up? Well, U.S. military investigators apparently are hearing differing versions how an Iraq man was killed in Hamandiyah.

CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us again from the Pentagon.

Kathleen, anything new?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, a source close to the investigation says, apparently that these Marines may have committed premeditated murder when they shot and killed a man in the town of Hamandiyah, back in April.

Now, as a result, some seven Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment are now being held at Camp Pendleton in California, as is a Navy corpsman allegedly involved in the incident. Now, a CNN source, a military officer with direct knowledge of the results, the preliminary findings of the investigation, says that some of the Marines have admitted that circumstances of the man's death were staged. Knight Ridder News Service recently reported that the family of the victim showed reporters a handwritten letter from a Marine sergeant that states, his unit killed a man because -- quote -- "He was seen digging on the side of the road from our ambush site. I made the call and engaged. He was pronounced dead at the scene with only a shovel and AK-47."

Now, the officials tells CNN that investigators have concluded, rather, that the man was dragged from his home, was shot by the Marines, and that those Marines then planted the AK-47 and shovel on the man to make it appear that he was an insurgent about to plant a roadside bomb.

Now, the -- the Marines involved, the corpsman, still have not been charged. They have retained legal counsel. And a lawyer for one of the men is very upset, saying that -- that these types of allegations -- the leaks are cowardly.

And, in a statement, he told CNN -- quote -- "These individuals have the unqualified right to a presumption of innocence. And it's an injustice for anyone to rush to judgment based on conjecture and politics" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General Michael Hagee, he went overseas. He's still on top of this case. Are we going to hear from him? And what is he doing at this point?

KOCH: He is back in the United States, Kyra, obviously having meetings here at the Pentagon.

Now, we are hoping perhaps that as soon as tomorrow, he might even brief the press about some of his findings over there, some of his discussions with the Marines.

He obviously pushing very hard the message to Marines to follow the rules of engagement, do all they can, as they are instructed and taught to do, before they ever go to the battlefield, to avoid any civilian casualties.

PHILLIPS: Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon, thank you.

KOCH: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Every day, more bodies, most of them Iraqi civilians, mutilated, tortured and murdered, and dumped in and around Baghdad -- and, today, another grisly find.

CNN's John Vause is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even by Iraqi standards, this was gruesome: nine severed heads wrapped in plastic and stuffed inside fruit boxes. Police say they made the discovery not far from the city of Baquba, north of Baghdad. On Saturday, they say, they found another eight severed heads, also stuffed in boxes. Police believe the victims may have been Sunni in what could have been a revenge attack for the killing of Shiites.

In recent weeks, Iraq has seen a dramatic escalation in violence -- and, from the prime minister, a promise to quickly put in place a new security plan to restore law and order to the capital.

The parties that are against the political process have increased their bloody attacks, he said, not naming the groups, but accusing them of trying to topple his unity government.

Hours earlier, in Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed one woman at a bus stop. A U.S. military convoy was the target. Four mortars were fired near the Interior Ministry, killing two civilians.

"Where is the government? Where is Bush? Who occupied our country? Why do they kill us?" said this woman, grieving after two students were killed on their way to high school Monday. Police say gunmen had opened fire on their bus.

(on camera): In fact, figures from the Health Ministry show, almost 1,400 Iraqi civilians died in shootings and other violent attacks last month in Baghdad alone, more than any other month since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

(voice over): To end the violence, the prime minister will need to rely heavily on Iraqi security forces. And Sunni groups have accused them of being involved in Monday's mass kidnapping of at least 50 people from downtown Baghdad.

"We have enough evidence to prove the involvement of the Iraqi authorities," he said, but did not say just what that evidence was.

The new Iraqi government has been in office little more than two weeks. There is no honeymoon period in Iraqi politics.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, more on the prime minister's pledge to rein in the violence. Nouri al-Maliki says that he will start by emptying some of the jails. Al-Maliki plans to free 2,500 inmates who have been held by mistake or have no clear evidence against them.

He's a Marine who knows too well the dangers of duty in Iraq -- his views on what he saw and what is taking place now straight ahead, right here on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: He was flashy, outgoing, performed on his own hit records, and backed up the biggest names in the biz. Keyboard player and singer Billy Preston died today at 59. The one-time sideman for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had long suffered from kidney problems and spent the last months of his life in a coma.

Our Brooke Anderson remembers the man who taught us, nothing from nothing leaves nothing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just one of the many hits by musician Billy Preston. It was hits like "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," and "Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing" that permanently sealed Preston's musical prodigy status in the early '70s.

But it was a long way from where he got his start in the church.

BILLY PRESTON, MUSICIAN: Gospel music is my foundation.

ANDERSON: Preston played keyboards with Gospel diva Mahalia Jackson at the age of 10 and toured with Little Richard in the 1960s.

But he won universal appeal after playing the organ on the Beatles' song "Get Back." He then went on to tour with the Rolling Stones, was a regular member of Eric Clapton's band, and even played for the late Ray Charles.

PRESTON: I played with Ray for three years. I was on the road with him for three years.

QUESTION: And what was that like?

(CROSSTALK)

PRESTON: Oh, that was heaven. It was like heaven to me, man, I will tell you, to hear him every night. Fantastic.

ANDERSON: But Preston's musical prowess and celebrity status didn't keep him from getting into trouble with the law. In 1992, he was placed on five years probation, after pleading no contest to assault with a deadly weapon and cocaine possession.

In 1997, he was sentenced to three years in prison, after testing positive for cocaine while on probation. And the following year, he pleaded guilty to having taken part in an insurance scam. Facing up to his legal problems, Preston vowed to change his life.

PRESTON: I have given my life back to Christ, you know, and just getting back to my family and just getting back to my roots, because that's where I started, and that's where I need to be.

ANDERSON: And you could sense that in the projects that he later took on. He appeared in the religious-themed television comedy "Good News" in the late '90s. In the last several years, Preston's health took a turn for the worse. He suffered from chronic kidney disease. And, in January, he was hospitalized with a serious infection in the sack around his heart. The man with the big smile and bigger talents got through these tough times by focusing on his newfound spirituality.

PRESTON: Try to stay humble and just be happy that -- that people love you, you know? And -- and I always try to say, from God through me to you, not -- so I won't get so hung up on myself, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a drug lab busted in Mexico. Less bad heroin in America?

Well, a big update to a story we brought you last week, heroin laced with a powerful painkiller called fentanyl blamed for at least 100 deaths in Detroit and other U.S. cities. Well, the lab that was shut down in Mexico was cranking out fentanyl, and may have been the main elicit source of that drug.

U.S. and Mexican agents warn that millions of deadly doses of heroin and fentanyl could still be on the streets.

Today's date, 6/6/06, and it looks like stocks are having a devil of a time on Wall Street.

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange, with all the details -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, so, that's what it is, huh? It's not Ben Bernanke. It's not interest rates.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: It's the date.

LISOVICZ: It's not a slump.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: It's the date.

Much better things are in store for us, then, tomorrow. Well, in the meantime, stocks are sharply lower for the second straight day, after comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sparked fears of another interest rate hike later this month, Dow industrials registering triple-digit gains (sic) again, below 11000 for the first time since March. The Dow has lost nearly 700 points in less than a month. At that time, it came with -- within 80 points of its all-time high.

The Nasdaq is feeling the pain as well. It's down 18 points, or 1 percent, today's sell-off coming despite a slight drop in oil prices. Crude settled at $72.50 per barrel. The Energy Information Administration released its forecast for fuel prices -- the forecast for crude prices left unchanged, at $68 per barrel for '06 and '07. Retail gasoline prices, meanwhile, are expected to average $2.76 per gallon this summer. That's up 39 cents from last summer, but slightly lower than the current national average.

And one more devilish detail in today's market: The average rate on the Mortgage Bankers Association's 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.66 percent, the highest level in four years.

(MUSIC)

LISOVICZ: And, yes, are we feeling just a little bit superstitious? Stevie Wonder, Kyra?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: One of the best songs ever made.

LISOVICZ: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Well, speaking of the housing market, it's been one bright spot for the economy over the last few years, but there have been lots of signs lately that the good times may be over?

ANDERSON: Yes.

And if you pay any attention to what the wealthiest Americans are saying -- those are the kind of folks who have second and third homes -- they are a bit worried about their real estate investments, this according to a survey by asset manager U.S. Trust.

About 50 percent of them expect real estate values to increase over the next 12 months. That's down from 72 percent last year. And one in three affluent Americans expect real estate to actually decrease.

But nine out of 10 respondents do expect their overall portfolios to increase in value. On average, they expect an 8 percent return from U.S. stocks. Well, they are going to have to pull up substantially at this point. Americans that were polled in this survey have an annual income of more than $300,000 or a net worth greater than $5.9 million.

Kyra, I wasn't polled on this one.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, despite the housing slowdown, luxury homes seem to be springing up everywhere. What are people doing with all that space? LISOVICZ: Spending a lot of time, Kyra, eating and entertaining, this according to another survey, this one by Coldwell Banker; 65 percent of people living in million-dollar homes have a designer kitchen. Whether they cook or have someone else cook for them is another story; 59 percent have a room devoted exclusively to entertainment and contain either a big screen HDTV or media system with DVD players, surround sound.

And 37 percent have or are considering -- Kyra, listen up -- a wine cellar. The homeowners are typically younger baby boomers who work for a corporation. And even though they bought McMansions, more than half have a household income of less than $500,000 a year. That's within range.

That's the latest from Wall Street. Stay with us. LIVE FROM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we have heard it time and time again. Unless you have been there, you really don't know what it is like, the stress, the violence, the fear.

To help us better understand what troops and Iraqis are going through on a daily basis, Marine Corps Reserve Colonel John Ballard is with us. He saw action in perhaps the most unstable region of the country. And he wrote about it in his book, "Fighting For Fallujah."

Thanks for joining us, Colonel.

COLONEL JOHN BALLARD, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVES: Glad to be here.

PHILLIPS: Well, what is your first reaction to this investigation that is taking place in Haditha?

BALLARD: Well, first of all, I don't know the facts.

But what I do know is that war is an extremely chaotic and brutal affair. And these young Marines, these young leaders, are dealing with some very, very uncertain circumstances. I trust in the judicial system, the military judicial system. And I'm sure we will find the answer to this.

PHILLIPS: And I know you go through some pretty intense training before you go into a war zone. A big part of that is the mental discipline.

Tell us what you experienced and -- and what these men, even these men that are wrapped up in -- in this situation, this pretty sad situation, concerning this investigation, you know, go through to try to avoid something like this.

BALLARD: Well, on top of the normal tactical training that we have for our young leaders, we do a lot of cultural and religious sensitivity training to -- to let them understand better what the culture is all about, how the tribal and religious influences in Iraq exert pressures on the population.

And, then, most importantly, perhaps, we turn over lessons learned. Everything that we learn about dealing with Iraqis and dealing in Iraq, we try to give every individual Marine the benefit of that individual lesson, so that they are more productive and more comfortable, even under these very difficult circumstances.

PHILLIPS: Well, no matter what the training, do you think that the realities of what is going on in -- in Iraq were what everybody expected when they got -- when they got there?

BALLARD: To a degree, yes, but I will tell you that anyone who has served in combat knows that this is the most strenuous and most difficult time of their life.

There's pressure that exerts in all kinds of directions every single day. And, in particular, in the situation we're in, in Iraq, this is an extremely uncertain environment, where the insurgents are adaptive. They are aggressive. They're intelligent. And they are fighting to the death for a different vision of Iraq.

PHILLIPS: Now, while we are following this investigation, you know, so many times, members of the military say, OK, what about all the good stories that are going on and the relationships that we're forging?

I know you do have a number of those stories. One that you talked about is this former Iraqi officer that came up to you and wanted to get involved. Can you tell me a little bit about him?

BALLARD: Yes, I'm happy to.

As you -- as you know, in Iraq, we disbanded the Iraqi army. And, so, many of these Iraqi officers, senior officers, were out -- without a job. And, one day, while we were working some humanitarian assistance issues in the city, talking to families, wrestling with the prioritization of our reconstruction operations, an -- an officer walked up to me with his wife and three children. He told me he was an Iraqi colonel in the Iraqi army.

He spoke to me in English. He understood what we were doing. He understood the new future that we were talking about for Iraq. But, unfortunately, his neighborhood had been devastated by the insurgents and in the fight. And he came to me to talk about his problems, to -- to try to help, and do what he could for us to rebuild a new Iraq.

PHILLIPS: You know, you talk about the insurgents and the frustrations, even among Iraqis, among the military.

Kind of put us in that mind-set of when you were there. And you saw how unfair this insurgency is, from the IEDs, to the tact -- the other types of tactics. Do you at all understand when a Marine cracks and maybe, in this case -- we have to see what happens at the end of the investigation -- wants to go after and kill anyone that may be associated with who took his brother?

BALLARD: Well, first of all, I do understand the pressure. We all understand that.

But we receive a tremendous amount of training to deal with that pressure. What happens, though, is, over many, many days and months, the situation being so confusing, these young Marines have difficulty determining who insurgents are and who the local civilians are.

That was a constant problem in Fallujah. It's -- it's throughout Al Anbar, that even someone who could befriend you one day could turn around and shoot at you the next. And they continually monitor. They observe. They work with people every day. But you can never be 100 percent certain. So, you can never completely relax. And that provides an unbelievable amount of pressure.

PHILLIPS: I just want to ask you. I want to get your response to this. I got an e-mail. And I'm -- I'm not going to identify who this soldier is. But it was something that really bothered him.

And I want to get your response, because you were there, and in light of the investigation that is taking place.

He said: "The disturbing thing about what is happening right now -- and this is from my personal experience," he says, "that the unit that my company replaced in Iraq had AK-47s in all of their trucks. They called them drop weapons. And their purpose was to have just in case -- have them just in case, if we had to kill someone and needed to make it look like they are the enemy. I have had to think about that for a second, premeditation, conspiracy, murder. I immediately outlawed the practice in my unit. And I reported it at the time. And my report was" -- dot-dot-dot -- "discouraged."

BALLARD: My first reaction is, that's the first time I have ever heard of anything like that.

I have seen a lot of units in Iraq. I have been in an awful lot of cities and towns. I've been in an awful lot of cities and towns. I've seen probably hundreds of thousands of AK-47s that have been confiscated, many, many of them in Fallujah and other cities. But I've never seen anybody carry any of them around to use as a quote, "drop weapon." So that surprises me as much as it surprised you, I am sure.

PHILLIPS: Yes, oh, it definitely did. And it seems -- and you talk about a successful conflict termination. And you kind of see -- at what point will things get to -- or so volatile that something has to be done? I mean, how many investigations will it take? How many awkward e-mails from those that are there will it take for something that you talk about and that is this conflict termination? Is it possible?

BALLARD: Oh, yes, it absolutely is possible. It's possible because every day in Fallujah we saw regular Iraqis coming to help build this new future. We saw them vote in huge numbers. We saw them risk their own lives to come and help with reconstruction, not just for the work, but to understand the future.

You know, this is a picture of the green bridge in Fallujah. These are pictures of humanitarian assistance and payments being paid to help start rebuilding of homes. And the people who are there understand that. The insurgents also understand that they can drive a wedge between us and the Iraqi people. And that's what the insurgents are there to do: to stop voting, to stop support of a new nation and to keep Iraq backwards and behind. And I think that there are plenty of patriots in Iraq who will assure their future.

PHILLIPS: Colonel John Ballard, sure appreciate your time today.

D-Day, the allied invasion of France, the fate of the world in balance. It took place 62 years ago today. CNN's Sean Callebs is marking that occasion at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Thanks, Kyra.

Why is a World War II Museum here in the heart of New Orleans? Well, chiefly because of this vessel. It's called the LCVP. Better known as the Higgins craft, it was developed and built right here in New Orleans by Andrew Higgins. They built about 20,000 of these. And these, of course, are the boats that carried so many U.S. troops to the shores of Normandy on that historic day.

Well, we're here in the museum. It was actually called the D-Day Museum until just this past weekend. It was changed by an act of Congress. Want to walk you around a bit. This is the old Avenger aircraft, the kind that George Bush, Sr., and it was shot down during the Pacific campaign.

Upstairs, there are a number of old weapons, uniforms. But really, this museum has kind of hit on somewhat hard times since the aftermath of Katrina. They've lost roughly about 50 percent to two- thirds of the tourists that came in here every day. In fact, it was closed for three months after the hurricane, not because of flooding or wind damage -- simply there was nobody here in the city, and it wasn't a priority to get it open at that point.

There was some looting here during the hurricane. Chiefly they just hit the gift shop, took some sodas and t-shirts, things of that nature. None of these historic items were affected at all. So that certainly is good news.

But really, what people want to do is get the word of mouth out that this museum is here. It's such an important part of history. And walking around today, listening to World War II vets talk to people, it's really compelling to see the looks on people's faces. They tend to turn away from all the items here and just listen to those stories. Really something to look at here.

Kyra, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, Sean Callebs, Thanks so much. Well, service, honor in country and longevity. Victoria was queen of England when Henry Allingham was born. Well, he just received a birthday card from the current queen. Allingham is Britain's oldest man, the last remaining founding member of the Royal Air Force.

Philip Reay-Smith has his amazing life story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY ALLINGHAM, BRITAIN'S OLDEST MAN: I never thought this could happen to me.

PHILIP REAY-SMITH, ITV REPORTER (voice-over): As a young man, he knew the horror of the trenches at the Somme. In 1918, he became a founder member of the RAF. And today, Henry Allingham turns 110, so a mere birthday cake would hardly have been enough.

Instead, Britain's oldest man received a flight pass-by: two Tornados, and the Air Force's 31 squadron, and a visit from Gordon Brown at the Eastbourne hotel where he's celebrating his milestone.

ALLINGHAM: Thank you for coming to see me.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: It's a great pleasure and congratulations on your birthday.

ALLINGHAM: I can't believe it.

REAY-SMITH: In the past, he's attributed his longevity to wild women and whiskey, but today he was rather more frank.

ALLINGHAM: People say what's the secret. I don't know I did so long. I don't know why.

CHRISTOPHER GRAY, ALLINGHAM'S GRANDSON: When the media's gone, he'll look at us and wink and he'll say, I don't know what the secret is. I'll tell them whatever they want to hear.

REAY-SMITH: For a man who retired in the '60s, Henry Allingham remains very active. Only last week, he was aboard HMS Belfast, commemorating the 19th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland, a battle of which he is the sole survivor. And last year he traveled to France to pay tribute to his World War I comrades who didn't come home.

Even a card from the queen hardly seems enough to acknowledge such a long life. Perhaps his 6-month-old great, great-great granddaughter is the best tribute.

Philip-Reay Smith, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now some of the names and stories behind the casualties in the Iraq War. Our "Fallen Heroes." Staff Sergeant Dale Kelly, Jr., had many passions: motorcycles, "Monty Python," and his family among them. The army medic was killed by a roadside bomb in Denaya (ph), Iraq, May 6. At his funeral, the commander of the Maine National Guard said Kelly characterized excellence. Before deploying, Kelly, an ironworker, arranged to have three plasma cutting torches sent to Iraq. They were used to increase armor in humvees. Kelly leaves behind a wife, Nancy, three children and three grandchildren.

Emmanuel L. Legaspi of Las Vegas had only lived in the United States a year when he enlisted in the Army. His wife Shona (ph) says that he didn't want anyone to question his patriotism. He was a champion boxer in his home country, the Philippines, and he boxed in the 1988 Olympics. Last month, Manny, as his family called him, was killed by a small arms fire in Tal Afar, Iraq. In addition to his wife, he leaves behind a 6-month-old daughter, Carmen.

Marine Sergeant David R. Christoff enlisted in the marines September 12, 2001. His grandmother said he thought as long as the marines were over there fighting, we could all sleep well at home. He was the only child who loved golf and hoped for a career in law enforcement. He was killed by a roadside bomb in Al Anbar province, May 22.

These are just three of the 2,475 U.S. military men and women who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Wide open spaces, one reason people love the Midwest. But those scenic drives aren't quite as enjoyable these days, not when it comes time to refill the gas tank. All this week CNN's Dan Lothian is taking a look at "Paying the Price in the Heartland," for "AMERICAN MORNING." Today he's in Des Moines, Iowa, to check out the high cost of commuting.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we are at a transportation mall in downtown Des Moines where the buses have been dropping off and picking up passengers all morning.

The city of Des Moines has really been trying to focus on energy conservation and they have been pushing public transportation. In fact bus ridership is up. Van pools have spiked by 25 percent but not everyone is getting on board. Some rural commuters are still getting behind the wheel of their cars and hitting the road.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice over): It's a beautiful drive through rural Iowa. Farms, wide open fields and a real bear that's become a big local attraction. But for commuter Kim Firebaugh, every mile along this scenic route is getting more expensive.

KIM FIREBAUGH, RURAL COMMUTER: You know, I've go to my job and everything. And it's like one morning I'll leave and it's a certain price and I come home at night and it's increased another dime. LOTHIAN: The high price of gas is also pinching her husband Stewart's wallet.

STEWART FIREBAUGH, RURAL COMMUTER: Yes, it has. It has. I mean I guess you don't notice it. But, I mean, we know we're cutting back.

LOTHIAN: The Firebaugh's live here in Panora, population about 1,200, but they work in the Des Moines area. This is the road most travel. For Kim and her Grand Am, it's a 90-mile round trip for a job at the Farm Bureau. For Stewart and his Cavalier, it's 70 miles round trip to the plumbing company he works for. We drove along with both of them on part of their long and expensive commutes.

KIM FIREBAUGH: I think our gas bills have doubled for the month, what it used to be compared to the last six months and a year ago.

LOTHIAN: How much has it cost the Firebaughs each month?

KIM FIREBAUGH: $720.

LOTHIAN: $720.

That's the total on the family's gas card, which they use not only for their cars, but to fill up 16 year old daughter Ashley's Sunfire.

ASHLEY FIREBAUGH, DAUGHTER: Which I went to the orthodontist today.

LOTHIAN: How many miles was that?

ASHLEY FIREBAUGH: About 30 miles.

LOTHIAN: They recently paid off her car and were looking forward to the extra cash each month. Not anymore.

KIM FIREBAUGH: We don't see that extra money because it's going basically to pay for the gas and everything.

LOTHIAN: So this family of four has made some changes.

STEWART FIREBAUGH: I park my truck I guess was the biggest thing.

LOTHIAN: Oh, yes, this is what Stewart Firebaugh used to drive to work, a 12-mile per gallon pickup, before he down sized several weeks ago to the Cavalier.

The big hog has to stay . . .

STEWART FIREBAUGH: Yes.

LOTHIAN: Has to spend more time at home, huh?

STEWART FIREBAUGH: Yes. LOTHIAN: They've also cut spending and pay more attention to where their money is going. Gas may not be as expensive out here as it is in some big cities across the country, but every cent counts when everything is so far away and moving is not an option.

KIM FIREBAUGH: The kids being in school, you know, they don't want to move out of their school district. I grew up out here. This is my hometown. I've lived here all of my life. It's something I've got to live with and everything I guess.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN: The Firebaughs say that since they have been making adjustments they've been able to save about $150 in fuel costs, and they hope that they can even increase those savings down the road

PHILLIPS: You can be sure to catch our special series, "Paying the Price in the Heartland" all this week on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" starting at 6:00 a.m. eastern.

Who knew squirrel hunting could be so much trouble? Anthony Haas (ph) was walking along a riverbank near Memphis Sunday when he got stuck in the mud. I mean really stuck. Stuck so badly he couldn't get out. More than a day later a fisherman spotted him. Yes, more than a day later. The fisherman couldn't get him out so eventually rescue crews showed up to dig out the hot, hungry and exhausted hunter. No word whether he'll go hunting again but the squirrels are breathing easy for now.

Feeling a little superstitious? You're not the only one.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We weren't completely concerned that the child was going to come out with horns if he came out on Tuesday. We were excited to find out we were going to be able to get him before 6- 6-06.

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PHILLIPS: What is it about this date that has some people so freaked out? You're going to get the lowdown. Keep it here on CNN, the most trusted name in superstitious news.

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PHILLIPS: Happy 6-6-06. It had to happen. The biblical number of The Beast. The symbol of the evil showing up on the calendar just like an ordinary day. For most of us it probably is an ordinary day. For others it's a virtual date with the devil. CNN's Alina Cho pushed her luck for "AMERICAN MORNING."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not wrong!

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Look no further than the most recent satanic thriller "The Omen."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He bears a birthmark. A sequence of sixes.

CHO: The remake of the 1976 horror flick about a couple raising the son of Satan is not so coincidentally opening nationwide today. The sixth day of the sixth month, 2006. But where does 666 come from? The answer, says Father James Martin, is the Bible.

REV JAMES MARTIN, "AMERICA" MAGAZINE: It comes from the Book of Revelation which is a book of prophesy. It's written in highly symbolic language. And in Hebrew, some of the letters stand for numbers. So 666 was kind of a coded message to stand for Nero.

CHO: Nero was a Roman emperor who persecuted Christians doing the work of the devil. Six-six-six was a way to characterize him. A nickname or code. Though it was never meant to be taken literally, 666 has become synonymous with Satan, all things evil.

Take the late president Ronald Wilson Reagan, six letters in each name, by the way. Reagan changed the address of his California home from 666 to 668. Wedding chapels are, for the most part, empty today and so are some hospitals. New mother Carrie McFarland of Dallas was induced on Sunday so her son, Sam, wouldn't have a birth date of 6/6/06.

CARRIE MCFARLAND, NEW MOTHER: We weren't completely concerned that the child was going to come out with horns if he came out on Tuesday, but we were excited the find out that we were going to be able to get him before 6/6/06.

CHO: Her first child was born on January 1st. Friends teased her about missing the deadline for her tax deduction. Husband Larry McFarland says this round of ribbing would be worse.

LARRY MCFARLAND, NEW FATHER: When your friends are over for dinner, whatever, and he starts having a tantrum, say, yes, see, there's the 666 kid.

CHO: There is a certain obsession with 666. A Google search turned up 119 million Web sites, many warning the apocalypse is coming today. The odds online just a one in 100,000 chance the world will end.

Lee Moorhead, a psychic and expert in numerology, has received calls from concerned citizens.

LEE MOORHEAD, NUMEROLOGIST: I talk to them about it and say, please don't worry, it's hype. It's hype. Just like Y2K was hype.

CHO: Father James Martin agrees. Fears of Armageddon, he says, have been around for ages.

MARTIN: There have been people that have been waiting for the end of the world since the second century. And they're usually proven wrong. And I hope the world doesn't end on June 6th. I have kind of a busy day planned. So, but, you never know. CHO: So far, so good. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

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PHILLIPS: And you can see all of Alina Cho's reports on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," every weekday at 6:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. And Alina just reports to me, so far so good. Nothing has gone wrong.

Well not everyone is counting on trouble from all those sixes. The Philippines is one of the most devoutly Roman Catholic countries in the world. But mothers there say they're not worried about having babies today. The hospital is expecting about 70 deliveries today alone. One doctor says moms worry more about having babies on Friday the 13th.

In the Netherlands it's hard to tell whether couples are frightened or attracted by 6/6/06. More weddings than usual were booked in Rotterdam's town hall today. Eighteen couples wanted to take their vows, compared to six to eight on a typical day. But some of the brides and grooms to be had second thoughts. We are hoping it is just the date.

So what is the weather like in hell on this 6/6/6. Does it ever really freeze over? Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joins us now on a little bit of Hell, Michigan.

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PHILLIPS: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Kyra. You know it's 6/6/6. But did you also know it's election day? We're live in California and Washington, with some of the most important contests to watch on this day.

Plus, what's the United States willing to give to Iran in order to persuade it to stop enriching uranium? I'll ask the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton when he joins me here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And storm parliament? Behead the prime minister? New details emerging right now about what may have been part of a terror plan in Canada. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve will join us live in Toronto. All that coming up right at the top of the hour -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Wolf, are you superstitious?

BLITZER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: You are?

BLITZER: Yes. PHILLIPS: What makes you nervous?

BLITZER: Everything.

PHILLIPS: Everything?

BLITZER: I'm a little superstitious, not too superstitious. A little superstitious.

PHILLIPS: Do you get claustrophobic?

BLITZER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

BLITZER: You're asking me a lot of pointed questions.

PHILLIPS: Sorry, I don't mean to make you so nervous.

BLITZER: I get nervous about claustrophobia, yes, a little bit.

PHILLIPS: I get those pointed questions techniques from you. All right, Wolf, we'll see you in a little bit. More LIVE FROM in just a moment. Ali Velshi joins us with the closing bell after a down day on Wall Street.

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PHILLIPS: Well the World Cup is coming, but those are no mere cups in Barley Field in Germany. Here's a hint, it's a Barley Field and the quadrennial soccer fest is being held there this year in Germany. Millions of fans expected for matches that start on Friday and run through July 7. The German beer industry hopes that everybody is thirsty. Boy, a little polka, a little beer, a little world -- let's go, Ali.

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