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CNN Live Today
New Developments in Aruba; A Look at Iran's Elections and Politics of Islam; Operation Spear Launched
Aired June 17, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Following a developing story out of Aruba, where authorities arrested a fourth suspect in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager. Prosecutors have released few details, but say the man is 26 years old. The prosecutors office will not say what connection, if any, this new suspect has to the three men already in custody.
Natalee Holloway has been missing nearly three weeks.
California residents are hoping things settle down this weekend. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the state's northern coast last night. No reports of damage or injuries. Four earthquakes have been felt in California this week.
Edgar Ray Killen is back in court this morning for his civil rights murder trial. The 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan member has left the courthouse in an ambulance. That happened yesterday. We saw that during this hour. He was suffering from high blood pressure. Killen is on trial for the Killings of three civil rights workers in 1964.
And San Jose Police in California are looking for victims it come forward in a case of Arthur Dean Schwartzmiller. Investigators found lists of more than 36,000 children's names in Schwartzmiller's home. Police say the lists had codes that seem to indicate how the children were abused. Schwartzmiller is a convicted child molester. Authorities say he didn't register as a sex offender.
Let's get back to our developing story out of Aruba. New developments in the case of a missing 18-year-old Alabama student. Let's go back to CNN's Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba with that story. Hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I've just come of the phone with Aruba's police commissioner, Jan Banderstran (ph), and he told me that a 26-year-old man was arrested at his home at 6:25 this morning. He says a search of the home, an investigation of the home, is still ongoing. And at this stage the police commission hear not been able to tell me what items, if any, have been seized.
What the police commissioner did tell me, though, is the name of this fourth suspect who was arrested this morning, was given up by one of the three young men already in custody during interrogations of those men. So the three suspects, the ones that last saw Natalee, have given up a fourth name, and that is what led to this arrest this morning. We know little else about the fourth arrest, about the fourth says suspect, except that his initials are SGC, and at 26 years old, he would be the oldest of the four suspects now in custody in connection with Natalee's disappearance -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So no sign of Natalee Holloway at this point?
PENHAUL: And certainly no sign of Natalee Holloway at this point. The commissioner did confirm to me that they're still keeping up all lines of investigation open. Absolutely no evidence to confirm whether Natalee is alive or dead -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba. Thank you for the latest.
On to Iran now. The Bush administration dismissing today's presidential elections in Iran, saying democracy there, quote, "is moving backwards." Many Iranians are boycotting the election, saying the presidency is a mere figurehead position, and that unelected clerics hold all the power. In fact, clerics allow only a few of the thousand candidates to be listed on the polls. Outgoing president Mohammed Khatami is considered a reformist, and says change will take time. After passing his own ballot, he urge other Iranians to make their is voices heard.
In the U.S., politicians routinely court young voters and their electronic gathering places, like MTV, launch entire campaigning to mobilize the youth vote. But in Iran you can count the young among the disconnected and disillusioned.
CNN's senior international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Tehran, and she has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of love and heartbreak. Love for a profession that brings five young musicians to lonely practice sessions, tucked away in a tiny room on a rooftop. And heartbreak, that they're not allowed to play in public, that rock 'n' roll, the universal language of youth, is not approved by Iran's Islamic republic, that they feel well and truly outside the system.
The band is called Oriental Silence, and like all of them, drummer Amir Ali Kaheri, will not be voting Friday.
ALI KAHERI, DRUMMER (through translator): No, although I would have liked to. But I can't vote for these candidates. I don't like them.
AMANPOUR: The same goes for lyricist Payam Eslami.
PAYAM ESLAMI, LYRICIST (through translator): I want the rights and freedoms everyone is entitled to. Normal rights, nothing more.
AMANPOUR: If these young people feel shut out, these young people, at Pars Online, Iran's biggest Internet service provider, are very much working the system, riding the Internet and IT boom that's just rolled around to Iran, and being paid above average wages.
MOHSEN LUTSI, IT ENGINEER: It makes me feel that we are moving forward as the world goes forward.
AMANPOUR: Twenty-three-year-old Mohsen Lutsi is among the company's young employees who returned from the U.S. and Europe to work here. With another million young Iranians about to hit the job market, presidential candidates this time are talking mostly about the economy, not Islam.
(on camera): With high unemployment and sensing deep social dissatisfaction, even the conservative candidates are speaking the language of reform and democracy. This, the legacy of the outgoing, reformist but hapless, President Mohamed Khatami.
CIAMIK NAMAZI, ANALYST: A lot of us have been pretty critical of President Khatami for all the things we hoped he could achieve and didn't, but perhaps this is the one achievement that we have to hand to him, that essentially the dialogue and the discourse, the political discourse that he created, the legacy lives on.
AMANPOUR: The mournful lament of Oriental Silence perhaps sums up feelings about a campaign that's being marked by threats of boycott and predictions of a lower turnout than usual, by people who hope but don't believe their vote will change much.
TAHERI (through translator): There may be small changes, but nothing major. But I really hope things will get better, because they must.
AMANPOUR: Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Tehran, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Let's take a closer look at Iran's elections and the politics of Islam. Vali Nasr was born and raised in Tehran, and then fled with his family during the Iranian Revolution. Today he is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Navy's postgraduate school, joins us from San Diego.
Professor, good morning.
PROF. VALI NASR, U.S. NAVY POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL: Good morning.
KAGAN: The latest news we're getting out of Iran, I was just handed this, that the government has actually extended the voting hours. The polls will be open two more hours, because they're saying reaction and turnout have been so great.
What do you make of that?
NASR: Well, turnout was key in this election, because it goes to the legitimacy of the system, and from the very beginning, because there was an issue of boycott, to challenge these elections, all the candidates put a lot emphasis on bringing voters to the ballot box. So that's, in itself, an important news. KAGAN: Let's talk about the legitimacy of these elections. The Bush administration says basically they're not, that democracy is moving backwards in Iran. Over 1,000 people who applied to Iran, we're told they couldn't, including every single woman who wanted to run.
NASR: That's correct. In other words, there is a vetting process through which a guardian council consisting of clerics decides who can run in the elections, and they limited the field essentially to eight candidates. But once those eight candidates were chosen, then there is really no interference in the voting process. In other words, it is the people who will decide which of these eight people will become president, and that has meant that the campaigning has actually quite lively, quite intense, and very competitive, and has generated enthusiasm that Christiane Amanpour was talking about.
KAGAN: So do you think, then, this is a legitimate election, or is the president just kind of the figurehead, and that it's really the clerics that are running the country?
NASR: The elections in Iran, you don't have -- you have sort of semi-democracy. In other words, the people's vote does count, but they don't get to choose for their own candidates. And whoever becomes Iran's president actually does have very limited power. Most of the power in the country is in the hands of the unelected supreme leader, and partly why the people are voting is to choose a president who can potentially stand up to that supreme leader, and among them they look at Ayatollah Rafsanjani, because of his age and revolutionary legacy, as being the one candidate which has that potential.
KAGAN: And do you think that's true and legitimate, that he will be able to do that?
NASR: He will not be able to do it easily. Once he gets elected, he will have a tough time forming a government. He will have a tough time dealing with the very conservative parliament and with the very conservative supreme leader over such issues as the economy, cultural freedoms, nuclear technology and relations with the U.S.
KAGAN: And then finally, this is a very young population in Iran. I think the statistic I saw, over 50 percent ever the population under 25. We saw some of those young people in Christiane's piece. Is this just going to be a moving force that is going to bring change to this country, whether the conservative clerics want it or not?
NASR: That's absolutely right. We're already seeing that this campaign is using pop music, stylish dress, colorful advertising. They are pitching to the youth.
One thing that this election will decide is whether the Iranian youth actually is voting on bloc or are they also divided along ideological and political lines? But there is no question that this election is a generational transition election in Iran. The baton is passing from the generation that brought the revolution to the generation that was born after it.
KAGAN: It will be fascinating to watch. Professor Vali Nasr in San Diego. Thank you, sir.
NASR: Thank you.
KAGAN: Totally different topic coming up. We're talking love. It is in the air. Well, the kind that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes say they have. They have big news this morning when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: U.S. and Iraq forces have launched a joint operation near the Iraqi-Syrian border. It is called Operation Spear. Our Jane Arraf is actually embedded with U.S. troops and she joining us on the phone now from the middle of that operation from Karbala.
JANE ARAFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
It's been quite an intense battle for the last (INAUDIBLE) hour. A bit of lull now, but it started early this morning when 1,000 marines, backed by Iraqi and other troops, rolled in to the city. The city with about 60,000 people, very close to the Syrian border. And they were met by gunfire, mortars, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. As you can probably see and hear, a lot of explosions, a lot of gunfire.
In the end, in just a few hours, the marines said that they had killed at least 30 suspected insurgents. Several marines were slightly wounded, as well as several civilians, but no casualties on the U.S. side. The battle, though, does continue -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Jane you were saying in an earlier report, I believe, that this is a city, Karbala, that basically has been held hostage by insurgents?
ARAFF: It's a city that's believed to be one of the transit points and a major safe haven, according to the marines, of foreign fighters in particular. They believe there are at least 100 foreign fighters here in this city. And as we walk through the streets just a short while ago, Daryn, we passed by houses where there was literature that Iraqi soldiers said had belonged to foreign -- had belonged to insurgents. We saw mortar shells, some of them rigged to explode as road-side bombs.
In fact, the marines have already blown up several car bombs here. They've blown up as well road-side bombs and they have had -- they've laid charges to clear the land mines that were laid here. Much the same strategy that we saw going into Falluja. What they're trying to do is go into this town, find the insurgents and make sure that they free the city, essentially, from a hold they say that insurgents and foreign fighters have on it -- Daryn.
KAGAN: That is our Jane Arraf, along the Iraqi-Syrian border, embedded with the U.S. military in Operation Spear. An exclusive report you'll hear only here on CNN.
We take a break. A lot more news ahead after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
KAGAN: Let's go ahead and take a look at other stories making news coast to coast on this Friday morning.
Not the Hindenburg, but the famed Goodyear Blimp, going down in Coral Springs, Florida. The stars and stripes blimp crash-landed in an industrial park. No one was injured. That's the good news. Two people aboard were trapped for a brief time.
Bird rescue crews from around the country are winging their way to Louisiana, where an oil spill has sullied hundreds of birds near wildlife refuge. Hundreds of birds are already dead. The oil rig spilled -- the oil actually spilled from a rig that was evacuated by Tropical Storm Arlene.
In Jersey City, New Jersey, a hero's salute to a retiring police officer. Michael Gullace is just two weeks from retirement, had never pulled his firearm in 38 years of service. Well, that changed on Wednesday night. A suspect whipped out a gun and started firing. Gullace threw himself over the gunman's family and then drew his gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detective Bennett (ph) ran out of ammunition. He asked me to toss my gun to him while I was protecting the people. And I tossed it over. He grabbed it and fired a few shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Gullace was promoted to detective, which boosts his pension pay, the way. The suspect was wounded and captured. Two police officers were wounded. They are recovering. Gullace was not hurt.
Well, it's a real affair in France. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, big news. Big, big news. Everyone's buzzing about that this morning. We will reveal that when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, in case you missed it, Hollywood's hottest couple is now engaged. Tom Cruise says he popped the question to Katie Holmes at the most romantic site he could think of, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Cruise is in Paris to promote the French release of his new movie "War of the Worlds." The actor made his big announcement at a news conference this morning, and then he shared a laugh with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Is this the most special time in Paris that you've ever had?
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Yes, without question, my most special time in Europe ever.
QUESTION: And what did you get (INAUDIBLE)?
Oh! Excuse me.
CRUISE: You like that? Thank you. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Forty-two-year-old Cruise has been married twice before. This would be the first marriage for the 26-year-old Holmes.
"Batman Begins" is a summer movie that opens -- just opened at theaters around the country. In fact, that one is the one is what Katie Holmes is in.
Christina Park of CNN.com has more on the "Batman" series.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stop the presses. We're unmasking the mystery of Batman, from his comic book beginnings to the big screen. "Batman Begins" is expected to be the number-one movie this weekend. But who is the man behind the mask? Batman made his comic book debut in 1939's "Detective Comics" number 27. Different from heroes like Superman and Spider-man, creator Bob Payne gave Batman no superpowers. Instead, he relies on an impressive collection of gadgets, including the flying batarang. Never has a utility belt been so cool, or so sexy.
On the big screen, the newest flick stars Christian Bale from "American Psycho." It's directed by Christopher Nolan of "Memento" and Cillian Murphy plays the scarecrow.
Online, click through Batman's history, from Caped Crusader to the Dark Knight. And this kerbam-pow Batman's TV series in the 1960s starring Adam West.
While you're there, check out his many foes, including the Riddler, Catwoman, the Joker and Mr. Freeze. We also give props to the men who played Bruce Wayne and showcased those famous lips, like Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer. All you have to do is look for the bat signal at CNN.com/showbusiness.
I'm Christina Park reporting from the dot-com desk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired June 17, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Following a developing story out of Aruba, where authorities arrested a fourth suspect in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager. Prosecutors have released few details, but say the man is 26 years old. The prosecutors office will not say what connection, if any, this new suspect has to the three men already in custody.
Natalee Holloway has been missing nearly three weeks.
California residents are hoping things settle down this weekend. A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the state's northern coast last night. No reports of damage or injuries. Four earthquakes have been felt in California this week.
Edgar Ray Killen is back in court this morning for his civil rights murder trial. The 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan member has left the courthouse in an ambulance. That happened yesterday. We saw that during this hour. He was suffering from high blood pressure. Killen is on trial for the Killings of three civil rights workers in 1964.
And San Jose Police in California are looking for victims it come forward in a case of Arthur Dean Schwartzmiller. Investigators found lists of more than 36,000 children's names in Schwartzmiller's home. Police say the lists had codes that seem to indicate how the children were abused. Schwartzmiller is a convicted child molester. Authorities say he didn't register as a sex offender.
Let's get back to our developing story out of Aruba. New developments in the case of a missing 18-year-old Alabama student. Let's go back to CNN's Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba with that story. Hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I've just come of the phone with Aruba's police commissioner, Jan Banderstran (ph), and he told me that a 26-year-old man was arrested at his home at 6:25 this morning. He says a search of the home, an investigation of the home, is still ongoing. And at this stage the police commission hear not been able to tell me what items, if any, have been seized.
What the police commissioner did tell me, though, is the name of this fourth suspect who was arrested this morning, was given up by one of the three young men already in custody during interrogations of those men. So the three suspects, the ones that last saw Natalee, have given up a fourth name, and that is what led to this arrest this morning. We know little else about the fourth arrest, about the fourth says suspect, except that his initials are SGC, and at 26 years old, he would be the oldest of the four suspects now in custody in connection with Natalee's disappearance -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So no sign of Natalee Holloway at this point?
PENHAUL: And certainly no sign of Natalee Holloway at this point. The commissioner did confirm to me that they're still keeping up all lines of investigation open. Absolutely no evidence to confirm whether Natalee is alive or dead -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba. Thank you for the latest.
On to Iran now. The Bush administration dismissing today's presidential elections in Iran, saying democracy there, quote, "is moving backwards." Many Iranians are boycotting the election, saying the presidency is a mere figurehead position, and that unelected clerics hold all the power. In fact, clerics allow only a few of the thousand candidates to be listed on the polls. Outgoing president Mohammed Khatami is considered a reformist, and says change will take time. After passing his own ballot, he urge other Iranians to make their is voices heard.
In the U.S., politicians routinely court young voters and their electronic gathering places, like MTV, launch entire campaigning to mobilize the youth vote. But in Iran you can count the young among the disconnected and disillusioned.
CNN's senior international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Tehran, and she has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the sound of love and heartbreak. Love for a profession that brings five young musicians to lonely practice sessions, tucked away in a tiny room on a rooftop. And heartbreak, that they're not allowed to play in public, that rock 'n' roll, the universal language of youth, is not approved by Iran's Islamic republic, that they feel well and truly outside the system.
The band is called Oriental Silence, and like all of them, drummer Amir Ali Kaheri, will not be voting Friday.
ALI KAHERI, DRUMMER (through translator): No, although I would have liked to. But I can't vote for these candidates. I don't like them.
AMANPOUR: The same goes for lyricist Payam Eslami.
PAYAM ESLAMI, LYRICIST (through translator): I want the rights and freedoms everyone is entitled to. Normal rights, nothing more.
AMANPOUR: If these young people feel shut out, these young people, at Pars Online, Iran's biggest Internet service provider, are very much working the system, riding the Internet and IT boom that's just rolled around to Iran, and being paid above average wages.
MOHSEN LUTSI, IT ENGINEER: It makes me feel that we are moving forward as the world goes forward.
AMANPOUR: Twenty-three-year-old Mohsen Lutsi is among the company's young employees who returned from the U.S. and Europe to work here. With another million young Iranians about to hit the job market, presidential candidates this time are talking mostly about the economy, not Islam.
(on camera): With high unemployment and sensing deep social dissatisfaction, even the conservative candidates are speaking the language of reform and democracy. This, the legacy of the outgoing, reformist but hapless, President Mohamed Khatami.
CIAMIK NAMAZI, ANALYST: A lot of us have been pretty critical of President Khatami for all the things we hoped he could achieve and didn't, but perhaps this is the one achievement that we have to hand to him, that essentially the dialogue and the discourse, the political discourse that he created, the legacy lives on.
AMANPOUR: The mournful lament of Oriental Silence perhaps sums up feelings about a campaign that's being marked by threats of boycott and predictions of a lower turnout than usual, by people who hope but don't believe their vote will change much.
TAHERI (through translator): There may be small changes, but nothing major. But I really hope things will get better, because they must.
AMANPOUR: Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Tehran, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Let's take a closer look at Iran's elections and the politics of Islam. Vali Nasr was born and raised in Tehran, and then fled with his family during the Iranian Revolution. Today he is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Navy's postgraduate school, joins us from San Diego.
Professor, good morning.
PROF. VALI NASR, U.S. NAVY POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL: Good morning.
KAGAN: The latest news we're getting out of Iran, I was just handed this, that the government has actually extended the voting hours. The polls will be open two more hours, because they're saying reaction and turnout have been so great.
What do you make of that?
NASR: Well, turnout was key in this election, because it goes to the legitimacy of the system, and from the very beginning, because there was an issue of boycott, to challenge these elections, all the candidates put a lot emphasis on bringing voters to the ballot box. So that's, in itself, an important news. KAGAN: Let's talk about the legitimacy of these elections. The Bush administration says basically they're not, that democracy is moving backwards in Iran. Over 1,000 people who applied to Iran, we're told they couldn't, including every single woman who wanted to run.
NASR: That's correct. In other words, there is a vetting process through which a guardian council consisting of clerics decides who can run in the elections, and they limited the field essentially to eight candidates. But once those eight candidates were chosen, then there is really no interference in the voting process. In other words, it is the people who will decide which of these eight people will become president, and that has meant that the campaigning has actually quite lively, quite intense, and very competitive, and has generated enthusiasm that Christiane Amanpour was talking about.
KAGAN: So do you think, then, this is a legitimate election, or is the president just kind of the figurehead, and that it's really the clerics that are running the country?
NASR: The elections in Iran, you don't have -- you have sort of semi-democracy. In other words, the people's vote does count, but they don't get to choose for their own candidates. And whoever becomes Iran's president actually does have very limited power. Most of the power in the country is in the hands of the unelected supreme leader, and partly why the people are voting is to choose a president who can potentially stand up to that supreme leader, and among them they look at Ayatollah Rafsanjani, because of his age and revolutionary legacy, as being the one candidate which has that potential.
KAGAN: And do you think that's true and legitimate, that he will be able to do that?
NASR: He will not be able to do it easily. Once he gets elected, he will have a tough time forming a government. He will have a tough time dealing with the very conservative parliament and with the very conservative supreme leader over such issues as the economy, cultural freedoms, nuclear technology and relations with the U.S.
KAGAN: And then finally, this is a very young population in Iran. I think the statistic I saw, over 50 percent ever the population under 25. We saw some of those young people in Christiane's piece. Is this just going to be a moving force that is going to bring change to this country, whether the conservative clerics want it or not?
NASR: That's absolutely right. We're already seeing that this campaign is using pop music, stylish dress, colorful advertising. They are pitching to the youth.
One thing that this election will decide is whether the Iranian youth actually is voting on bloc or are they also divided along ideological and political lines? But there is no question that this election is a generational transition election in Iran. The baton is passing from the generation that brought the revolution to the generation that was born after it.
KAGAN: It will be fascinating to watch. Professor Vali Nasr in San Diego. Thank you, sir.
NASR: Thank you.
KAGAN: Totally different topic coming up. We're talking love. It is in the air. Well, the kind that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes say they have. They have big news this morning when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: U.S. and Iraq forces have launched a joint operation near the Iraqi-Syrian border. It is called Operation Spear. Our Jane Arraf is actually embedded with U.S. troops and she joining us on the phone now from the middle of that operation from Karbala.
JANE ARAFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
It's been quite an intense battle for the last (INAUDIBLE) hour. A bit of lull now, but it started early this morning when 1,000 marines, backed by Iraqi and other troops, rolled in to the city. The city with about 60,000 people, very close to the Syrian border. And they were met by gunfire, mortars, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades. As you can probably see and hear, a lot of explosions, a lot of gunfire.
In the end, in just a few hours, the marines said that they had killed at least 30 suspected insurgents. Several marines were slightly wounded, as well as several civilians, but no casualties on the U.S. side. The battle, though, does continue -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Jane you were saying in an earlier report, I believe, that this is a city, Karbala, that basically has been held hostage by insurgents?
ARAFF: It's a city that's believed to be one of the transit points and a major safe haven, according to the marines, of foreign fighters in particular. They believe there are at least 100 foreign fighters here in this city. And as we walk through the streets just a short while ago, Daryn, we passed by houses where there was literature that Iraqi soldiers said had belonged to foreign -- had belonged to insurgents. We saw mortar shells, some of them rigged to explode as road-side bombs.
In fact, the marines have already blown up several car bombs here. They've blown up as well road-side bombs and they have had -- they've laid charges to clear the land mines that were laid here. Much the same strategy that we saw going into Falluja. What they're trying to do is go into this town, find the insurgents and make sure that they free the city, essentially, from a hold they say that insurgents and foreign fighters have on it -- Daryn.
KAGAN: That is our Jane Arraf, along the Iraqi-Syrian border, embedded with the U.S. military in Operation Spear. An exclusive report you'll hear only here on CNN.
We take a break. A lot more news ahead after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
KAGAN: Let's go ahead and take a look at other stories making news coast to coast on this Friday morning.
Not the Hindenburg, but the famed Goodyear Blimp, going down in Coral Springs, Florida. The stars and stripes blimp crash-landed in an industrial park. No one was injured. That's the good news. Two people aboard were trapped for a brief time.
Bird rescue crews from around the country are winging their way to Louisiana, where an oil spill has sullied hundreds of birds near wildlife refuge. Hundreds of birds are already dead. The oil rig spilled -- the oil actually spilled from a rig that was evacuated by Tropical Storm Arlene.
In Jersey City, New Jersey, a hero's salute to a retiring police officer. Michael Gullace is just two weeks from retirement, had never pulled his firearm in 38 years of service. Well, that changed on Wednesday night. A suspect whipped out a gun and started firing. Gullace threw himself over the gunman's family and then drew his gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detective Bennett (ph) ran out of ammunition. He asked me to toss my gun to him while I was protecting the people. And I tossed it over. He grabbed it and fired a few shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Gullace was promoted to detective, which boosts his pension pay, the way. The suspect was wounded and captured. Two police officers were wounded. They are recovering. Gullace was not hurt.
Well, it's a real affair in France. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, big news. Big, big news. Everyone's buzzing about that this morning. We will reveal that when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, in case you missed it, Hollywood's hottest couple is now engaged. Tom Cruise says he popped the question to Katie Holmes at the most romantic site he could think of, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Cruise is in Paris to promote the French release of his new movie "War of the Worlds." The actor made his big announcement at a news conference this morning, and then he shared a laugh with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Is this the most special time in Paris that you've ever had?
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Yes, without question, my most special time in Europe ever.
QUESTION: And what did you get (INAUDIBLE)?
Oh! Excuse me.
CRUISE: You like that? Thank you. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Forty-two-year-old Cruise has been married twice before. This would be the first marriage for the 26-year-old Holmes.
"Batman Begins" is a summer movie that opens -- just opened at theaters around the country. In fact, that one is the one is what Katie Holmes is in.
Christina Park of CNN.com has more on the "Batman" series.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stop the presses. We're unmasking the mystery of Batman, from his comic book beginnings to the big screen. "Batman Begins" is expected to be the number-one movie this weekend. But who is the man behind the mask? Batman made his comic book debut in 1939's "Detective Comics" number 27. Different from heroes like Superman and Spider-man, creator Bob Payne gave Batman no superpowers. Instead, he relies on an impressive collection of gadgets, including the flying batarang. Never has a utility belt been so cool, or so sexy.
On the big screen, the newest flick stars Christian Bale from "American Psycho." It's directed by Christopher Nolan of "Memento" and Cillian Murphy plays the scarecrow.
Online, click through Batman's history, from Caped Crusader to the Dark Knight. And this kerbam-pow Batman's TV series in the 1960s starring Adam West.
While you're there, check out his many foes, including the Riddler, Catwoman, the Joker and Mr. Freeze. We also give props to the men who played Bruce Wayne and showcased those famous lips, like Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer. All you have to do is look for the bat signal at CNN.com/showbusiness.
I'm Christina Park reporting from the dot-com desk.
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