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Tiger Woods Returns To Competition After Father's Death; Some Democrats Back in Washington Want Timetable For Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Iraq; At Some Time, Iraq's Lifeblood Will Be Crude Oil Again; Joey Ricketts Interview; Jackpot for Texas Reporter Planning to Interview Lottery Winner

Aired June 15, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tiger Woods returning to competition today for the first time since his father died last month. He chose the U.S. Open to make his comeback, a tournament that traditionally ends on Father's Day.
CNN's Larry Smith joins me now from New York with more.

Big day, Larry.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Kyra. Round one is under way here. Tiger talked about just how emotional this week is going to be and all the fond memories he has of Father's Day. He and his dad would go out and play some golf early in the day and come back and watch the U.S. Open later on in the day.

But Tiger Woods, what a big story for him. He mentioned a nine- week layoff he's trying to come back from, and the grieving after his father passing away.

He teed off his first round about 20 minutes ago. And again, it's his first tournament since the Masters in early April. Tiger, though, despite all the emotions, is not worried about an emotional letdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you concerned at all about the emotional drain that thoughts of your father might exact on you?

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: No, not at all. I'm there to compete. I'm there to win the tournament. And all my energy is going towards that.

I mean, we've gone through a lot already. And, you know, this is -- you know, hitting a golf ball around like this is actually the easy part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, Tiger is vying for his 11th career major. Only Jack Nicklaus has more at 18. He bogeyed his first hole here this afternoon. In the clubhouse already, Colin Montgomerie, the veteran from overseas. He is at one under par. Phil Mickelson, even under -- even par, I should say, after his first round.

Kyra, let's go back to you.

PHILLIPS: A lot of competition there between Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Those are the two names we keep talking about, Larry, right?

SMITH: That's right. Looking forward to it.

PHILLIPS: All right. Larry, thanks.

Top of the hour now, a new terror chief in Iraq? Well, the U.S. military believes it's this man, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. It released a photo today in Baghdad, mainly to make sure that troops know him if they see him.

No word on who took the photo or how or where or when. Al-Masri is an Egyptian who trained with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed last week in that U.S. airstrike. The military says that al-Masri may face rivals within al Qaeda in Iraq.

It's been a rough spring for al Qaeda in Iraq. Its leader is killed by American bombs. Now word of confiscated documents that could potentially shut down the terror network for good. That's the hope of the Iraqi government, anyway.

U.S. generals are a bit more reserved about the papers and computers picked up in a raid some week ago, and they do say the new information led them to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Now the end game. Some Democrats back in Washington want a timetable, but the Bush administration says it comes down to conditions, not a calendar.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre has a closer look at the debate in a story that he filed for "THE SITUATION ROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The number of U.S. troops in Iraq is at its lowest point in almost two years. The departure of an army brigade from the Pennsylvania National Guard, without an immediate replacement unit being sent in, accounts for the drop from 132,000 troops just a month ago to 127,000 now. But whether it's a short-term dip or a long-term trend depends on the next six months.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This policy will be driven by the people on the ground. Those are the folks who are going to ultimately make the recommendation that I'll accept.

MCINTYRE: The delay in Iraq picking a permanent prime minister and getting its new government up and running put plans for possible U.S. troop cuts on hold for several months. But that planning is once again on the fast track.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There will be meetings with General Casey and the minister of defense and the prime minister in the weeks ahead discussing at what pace we're going to be able to draw down our forces. It will all be done in a very orderly way.

MCINTYRE: Sources say the Pentagon would like to end up with about 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by year's end, a reduction of about 30,000. But critics, including many Democrats, want to bring all the troops home to send a clear message to the Iraqis they're going to have to fend for themselves.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD, (D) WISCONSIN: So I ask, what is wrong with having a clear timetable to bring our troops out of Iraq by the end of this year? What is wrong with that?

MCINTYRE (on camera): What's wrong with that, insists the Pentagon, is that it risks the U.S. leaving before Iraq's new government is strong enough to handle the violence. And President Bush argues that would make not just Iraq, but the world, a more dangerous place.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, "THE SITUATION ROOM" keeps you updated on the war in Iraq. Join Wolf Blitzer each day, 4:00 Eastern, and again at prime time, 7:00 Eastern.

Iraq is bleeding, and for once I'm not talking about the human cost of the war. The country's lifeblood has been crude oil since long before this conflict, and someday it will be again. Until then, U.S. soldiers are watching Iraq's most vital possession go to waste.

CNN's Arwa Damon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With U.S. Army Captain Joseph Giusti, we're touring a 1930's oil-stabilization plant.

CAPT. JOSEPH GIUSTI, U.S. ARMY: This is all oil here. It's leaked through. It's a waste of oil right there. That's crude oil on the ground.

I mean, there's holes in pipes all up and down all over areas we operate in.

DAMON: When he left the United States, Captain Giusti says gasoline prices were pushing $3.40 a gallon. Now a world away in Iraq, he's watching oil go to waste in thick black pools.

GIUSTI: It bothers me a lot, because you see it everywhere. I mean, you guys saw it the other day on the ground. It was just -- it lays free there, you know. And there isn't a rush or an Iraqi pushing to get it fixed, you know. They're doing their job but they're not doing it -- they could do a lot better.

DAMON: Giusti runs security for this plant and trains Iraqi oil- protection forces. This is a training exercise he set up.

GIUSTI: So you actually the IED at this time. So over here to your left, you'll see the other element coming to re-enforce him.

DAMON: While he says he is able to see progress in the Iraqi security forces, that's not enough to get the oil flowing.

GIUSTI: It's not functioning at all.

DAMON: Each time he walks through the rusty skeletons of Iraq's oil infrastructure, he is reminded of what's at stake.

GIUSTI: Without this stuff here, without the oil forces (ph), the economy of Iraqi isn't going anywhere. It's going downhill. We owe it to the Iraqi forces. We owe it to ourselves to take care of these guys and square them away.

DAMON: And squaring away Iraq means squaring away these oil fields.

GIUSTI: We're making that happen for these kids. I mean, we're not seeing it. We don't see it in adults; we see it in the kids. That's where we see the difference in, and we'll see that in 30 three years when they're grown up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right. Arwa joins me now.

Now, let's just backtrack to the beginning of that piece.

DAMON: Sure.

PHILLIPS: A plan, a stabilization plan from the 1930s? I mean, that's what caught my attention? What the...

DAMON: Yes. And that's right.

PHILLIPS: This is a big part of the country, and to get it going again and import-export, why 1930s?

DAMON: Well, actually, Kyra, there's two stabilization plants that exist in northern Iraq. One is from the 1970s, which isn't really all that new, but that's the new stabilization plant.

That one was basically production that was brought to a standstill by an insurgent attack. A massive bomb was placed in the plant that destroyed some vital pipes. So what they did was they brought the old stabilization plant, 1930s, back on line to continue oil production.

But when you speak with oil officials up there, they tell you that nothing is actually being rehabilitated since the 1970s, since, you know, right before the war started, the Iran-Iraq war started, even like a few years before then. Nothing has really been updated or renovated in decades. PHILLIPS: And you were even saying when you were on the border you saw Iran bringing oil in. I mean, that just -- that seems so odd that they are taking oil from Iran.

DAMON: That's right. And I was actually -- I saw these oil tankers and my automatic assumption was, oh, they must be exporting Iraqi oil. Great, you know, Iraq's oil is being exported.

And I went to speak with them and they were Iranians, and I'm chatting and I'm saying, "What are you doing here?" And they said, "Oh, we're bringing in refined oil from Iran to distribute throughout Iraq."

And, you know, you speak with the Iraqi people and they're very much aware of the wealth that their -- that their country. And it's very frustrating for them to see oil being imported from other countries and realizing that their own country has such amazing natural resources that they aren't able to use to their own benefit.

PHILLIPS: So the insurgents, we've reported on this, they blow up the pipelines, they try to attack these oil platforms, which is so ridiculous, because you want to get the country going again. But is that happening more? Or is it, like, leaky pipes and bad joints within this infrastructure?

DAMON: It's a little bit of both, and perhaps actually even slightly more, just due to the fact that it's in such poor condition. I mean, leaks erupt along the pipes all the time.

There's -- I mean, you look at it, and just like you saw in that story, I mean, there are -- you fly over, and there's massive pools of oil. There's rivers of oil through northern Iraq's countryside. And you are thinking, my goodness.

And that's not all because of the insurgent attack s. In fact, you know, between 50 and 60 percent of it is actually just because it's bad plumbing, basically.

PHILLIPS: So, basically, until security is under control, will investors come in and take part? And also, contractors, they can't come in until it's safe to come in and fix these infrastructures, right?

DAMON: Exactly. And it's all very intertwined.

Without the security, there is -- outside investors are not going to want to come in and bring money to improve Iraq's oil infrastructure. And without that money, the oil's not going to get flowing. And the Iraqi government does not have any money because the oil's not flowing.

So it's all very much intertwined and linked. But the number one thing is security. With security will come outside investment, and with that hopefully the entire process will be able to get jump- started.

PHILLIPS: Well, we look forward to a follow-up.

Thanks, Arwa.

DAMON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, fresh torrents of lava now and searing gas clouds and unbearable heat force Indonesians once again to flee Mount Merapi. This is just one day after scientists said that the volcano was calming down and many villagers were going home. Now the alert level is at its highest, and the situation is called life-threatening.

Well, the fierce heat forced Indonesian soldiers to drop their melting shovels and abandon two emergency workers to their fate. The men have been trapped in that bunker since yesterday. Five villagers are also reported missing.

Well, it's known for its garlic festival, the 28th annual edition of -- which is next month. Today, though, the town of Gilroy, California, was very near the epicenter of a light earthquake, magnitude 4.7, that was felt in San Francisco just 70 miles -- 70 miles, rather, to the north. So far, as we know, no one was hurt and nothing was badly damaged.

Well, we know of four members of the U.S. Supreme Court who are knocking the court's latest ruling on police procedure. The case involved a 1998 search for drugs and weapons at a house in Detroit. Police had gotten a warrant, but failed to knock before they went in. And in a 5-4 decision, the courts ruled that the evidence found, drugs and a gun, was still OK to use in court.

Writing for the five, Justice Antonin Scalia acknowledged that police acted hastily but said throwing out the evidence would amount to a "get out of jail" free card for that suspect.

Straight ahead, honoring the victims of 9/11. Today the Pentagon breaks ground on a memorial while a boy scout makes plans for his own special tribute. Find out how the Pentagon is helping him out as well.

That's straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Honoring the fallen. You saw it right here on LIVE FROM, a ceremonial groundbreaking for a memorial to the 184 men and women who were killed at the Pentagon on September 11th.

A boy scout from Lynchburg, Virginia, is at the Pentagon now because he has his own plans for a 9/11 memorial. Joey Rickets and his father and scoutmaster, Bobby Rickets, join me to talk about it.

Great to have you both.

Now, Joey, the memorial you're working on is for your Eagle Scout project, right?

JOEY RICKETTS, SCOUT BUILDING 9/11 MEMORIAL: Yes, it is. After this...

PHILLIPS: Well, that a tremendous -- yes, go ahead.

J. RICKETTS: After this, I only have a few more things to do, and then I'm getting the eagle.

PHILLIPS: See, I like that confidence.

Bobby, your son knows exactly how to say it, "I'm getting that eagle." It's not an issue if he's going to. He's going to get it.

BOBBY RICKETTS, SCOUT'S FATHER: Oh, he's worked hard for it. There's no doubt in his mind he's going to get it.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, Joey, let's back up a little bit. You were inspired to do the project because of a man by the name of Lieutenant Colonel Scales. Tell me about this individual and how he inspired you.

J. RICKETTS: Well, you see, his dad, John B. Scales, is a member of the American Legion where I'm doing the projects. And Mr. Ralmonson (ph) knew this -- knew Mr. Scales, and he had a son, Colonel Scales, that you know -- that you were just talking about, who was in the Pentagon. So I decided to dedicate to it him.

PHILLIPS: And he, of course, lost his life there on 9/11.

How did you come up with the idea of creating your own memorial?

J. RICKETTS: Well, I started this in 2004. So it's fond memories of how I actually came up with the idea. But I think it was just because I saw papers and stuff of people doing the World Trade Center, and I like the military, and I just thought I wanted to do it on the Pentagon.

PHILLIPS: Well, we actually have sketches of how you designed this. Describe to me what your memorial is going to look like. We have sort of an initial sketch right now. So give me the details.

J. RICKETTS: Well, it's going to be a Pentagon walkway around the monument itself, and the monument is going to stand four feet on top of the base, and there's going to be, I think, around five flags. One of the flags is a flag -- a flag with all of the names that were lost in the Pentagon, the innocent lives.

And then Mr. -- Colonel Scales, his picture is going to be on the monument. And that's going to face the Peaks of Otter, because that's where he wanted -- well, that's where his dad wanted it to face.

B. RICKETTS: Peaks of Otter is the mountains in Bedford -- Bedford County, Virginia.

PHILLIPS: Right. B. RICKETTS: And David's -- David's mother said when he came to Lynchburg, that's the favorite place he wanted to go. So she said he wanted his picture facing the Peaks of Otter.

PHILLIPS: So, Bobby, you know, you were in the Navy. How does this project affect you and just seeing what your son is doing? And right now we're looking at video from a local affiliate of the beginning of where this memorial is going to be, and when he received a chunk of the inside of the Pentagon from a former employee.

I mean, this has got to mean a lot to you as you watch your son do this.

B. RICKETTS: Oh, I'm proud of him. It's an inspiration to me to see how he can be persistent.

At first he was told he wouldn't be able to obtain a piece of the Pentagon, a piece of the rubble. And once he found that out, he said, "I'm going to get it, Dad."

So he's been real persistent. And today we're here. And he's going to get a piece.

And he's -- and, of course, I'm a Navy veteran, and I've -- and the lives lost here really affected me. And I think it's nice for Joey to build a memorial to these people.

PHILLIPS: So, Joey, when are you going to get that chunk of limestone? Is it coming up in just a little bit?

J. RICKETTS: Today. I'm not sure of the exact time. But, it should be in a few hours.

B. RICKETTS: He's getting a tour of the Pentagon in just a few minutes. And after the tour, we'll pick up the piece of the limestone.

PHILLIPS: OK.

And Joey, what do you want to see in the Pentagon?

J. RICKETTS: Well, I've seen a lot of movies, the big screens in the basements, where they are all looking up at it. I'd really like to see a big screen.

PHILLIPS: You can't wait to see -- that's wonderful.

Joey, have you thought about what you want to do once you get that Eagle Scout and you graduate from college? Are you thinking about the military?

J. RICKETTS: Actually, I want to be an orthodontist. Maybe in my later life I might go into the military, but right now my mom assures me that I'm not going in.

PHILLIPS: Oh, is your mom a little worried about you? J. RICKETTS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Bobby, mom's a little overprotective, huh?

B. RICKETTS: Oh, just a little bit. She's -- she's got a lot better since he's been in Boy Scouts. He's been caving and whitewater rafting and doing a lot of dangerous stuff. So she's gotten a lot better since he's been in the Boy Scouts for nine years.

PHILLIPS: Well, Joey, you are -- you're one brave young man, and it's wonderful for you -- just to see you do such a meaningful project. We're going to keep tabs on you. We want to make sure we do a follow-up once that memorial is completed, OK?

J. RICKETTS: OK. I'll be ready.

PHILLIPS: All right.

B. RICKETTS: He's still raising money for his project, too, so...

PHILLIPS: That's right, you've got a Web site.

B. RICKETTS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So you can -- all right. Go ahead. What's the Web site?

B. RICKETTS: Do you have the address?

PHILLIPS: Actually, we...

B. RICKETTS: The Web site is American Legion -- (INAUDIBLE) the American Legion (INAUDIBLE), and it has a Web site, and it's www.geoocities.com/vapost16/911.

PHILLIPS: All right. That's the best way...

B. RICKETTS: And that's Post 16...

PHILLIPS: We won't forget, the American Legion Post 16, I promise you that.

B. RICKETTS: OK.

PHILLIPS: I think if everyone runs it on the commuter it will come up.

B. RICKETTS: All right. Great.

PHILLIPS: Bobby and Joey, thank you so much, guys.

B. RICKETTS: Thank you.

J. RICKETTS: Thank you. PHILLIPS: Well, today -- well, today marks a grim milestone in Iraq. The number of military men and women who have sacrificed their lives have reached 2,500.

We bring you some of the names and faces behind that number now.

His friends say that Sergeant 1st Class Daniel B. Crabtree was highly motivated. He often spent his Saturdays running 15 miles with a 70-pound backpack.

The Ohio police officer was in his second tour of duty in Iraq with the National Guard. He was killed last week by a roadside bomb in the town of Kut, just weeks before he was set to come home. He leaves behind his wife Kathy (ph) and his daughter Mallory (ph).

Army Private Benjamin Zieske saw the military as a way to see the world and go to college. He was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Kirkuk last month. He died just two weeks shy of his 21st birthday. His mother says, "He went over as a boy and died as a man. He was my heart."

Army Specialist Teodoro Torres was killed by a bomb in Baghdad May 5th. His family called him Tito (ph). At his funeral his father kissed the coffin and said, "Hasta luego, quizas pronto." "See you later, hopefully soon."

These are just three of the 2,500 fallen heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an absolutely priceless feeling. It's extremely rewarding. So we're excited.

The girls are doing exceptionally well. I mean, they have tolerated the operation without any problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, doctors in Los Angeles are optimistic about Regina (ph) and Renata (ph), 10 months old, twin sisters. They were born connected from their lower chest to their pelvis.

A team of 80 doctors worked overnight to separate them. And optimism aside, it could be months before they are given the all- clear. We expect to get an update in the 3:00 hour of LIVE FROM. We'll of course bring that to you live.

Jackpot for a Texas reporter who was planning to interview a lottery winner. The reporter spotted a car belonging to the lottery winner's son, who happens to be a murder suspect in Georgia.

Rachel Kim of CNN affiliate WSB is following that story from suburban Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL KIM, REPORTER, WSB (voice-over): This home on Baylor Street (ph) in Lubbock, Texas, is now part of the investigation into a murder on Canary Court here in Dekalb County. Twenty-seven-year-old Ty Morgan (ph) was found shot to death inside her home.

JAYNE MCLEAN, NEIGHBOR: I just saw her the other day. She was happy. She was being nice. She was waving to everybody, chasing her dog, as usual.

KIM: It wasn't long after Dekalb police broke the news to Morgan's family members that a murder warrant was issued for 32-year- old Kelsey Ruth, believed to be the victim's ex-boyfriend.

SGT. CHARLES DEDRICK, DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: We don't have a motive. We are interviewing several people. And at this point, we don't know whether it's domestic related or what might have happened.

KIM: Dekalb police had sent out wanted posters to the media in Lubbock, Texas, where the suspect's mother lives. Unaware this was the case, a local TV reporter had gone to Brenda Mitchell's (ph) house to interview her because she had just won the state lottery, and it was in her driveway where the reporter recognized the car he had just seen in the wanted poster. Right now, authorities in Lubbock and Dekalb are searching for Ruth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Rachel Kim of CNN affiliate WSB here in Atlanta.

Police believe the suspect, Kelsey Ruth, is armed and dangerous.

Well, there's much ado about Google's newest site which lets you search any Shakespeare play as you like it.

Susan Lisovicz is live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, American Catholics know the mass by heart, but that may change if the Vatican gets its way. Will a new translation results in mass confusion?

LIVE FROM asks the question next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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