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CNN Live Today

Kabul Riots; FBI Raid Fallout; Indonesian Quake; Atrocity In Iraq?; Buying A Grill

Aired May 29, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris in for Daryn Kagan
In Afghanistan's capital, chaotic scenes after a tragic accident involving American troops. The military says rioting broke out after a truck hit a U.S. military convoy, lost its brakes and crashed into some civilian cars and a group of pedestrians. There's word that at least one person was killed in the crash and at least eight others in the rioting. And now the U.S. military headquarters in the Afghan capital is on lockdown. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is in Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even as the U.S. troops here in Afghanistan were remembering their fallen comrades on this Memorial Day, gunfire broke out across the city following a major incident. A U.S. military convoy traveling through Kabul was involved in a significant traffic accident. Apparently at least one Afghan civilian was killed. A number of others may have been hurt. Protesters then took to the streets, throwing rocks at the U.S. military convoy, and there are unconfirmed reports that one military gunner may have fired shots into the air.

Here at Camp Eggers, the camp went into immediate lockdown. Military personnel were not allowed to leave the camp. At one point, they were told to get into full protective gear. Then we heard gunfire across the city. Smoke rose into the air.

At this hour, the situation appears to be calm here at Camp Eggers but the military is trying to assess exactly what has taken place here.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The bodies of Iraqi civilians covered in blankets, a military investigation shrouded in questions the U.S. Marines launch a bloody massacre of Iraqi civilians. A career military man sheds some light on an alleged atrocity in Iraq.

An about-face on Capitol Hill. Last week Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist spoke out against an FBI search of a congressman's office. Now he says everything is OK. It comes after a power struggle involving the House and top justice officials. Live now to CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry.

And, Ed, we've been talking about this story since the weekend. Bring us up to speed, please.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

You're right, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist breaking with his House Republican colleagues, saying he now does think that the raid on Congressman Jefferson's office was just fine, thank you very much. He says that while Congressman Jefferson, who has been accused of bribes, is not above the law and that's why he thinks the search was fine. Senior House Republicans beg to differ. They insist they're not excusing Congressman Jefferson's conduct, but they're standing up for an important principle. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: There is no individual in the House or Senate that can be or should stand above the law. It's a matter of how the law enforcement is carried out and I think it is appropriate as I see it today.

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, (R) WISCONSIN: I don't think that it would be right for a House committee to issue a subpoena to the president's office and send the Capitol Police rummaging through files, taking everything and then deciding what wasn't relevant by themselves and returning it to the president. And that's what the Capitol or what the FBI did in Congressman Jefferson's office two weeks ago. Separation of powers and checks and balances is very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now CNN has confirmed that three top Bush officials, including the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, threatened to resign if the president buckled and gave these seized documents back to Republican leaders. The president, of course, defused that, at least somewhat, late last week by ordering a 45-day cooling off period while the legal questions revolving around these documents are sorted through. But you can bet the heat is still on the White House right now, although Senator Frist is giving them a little bit of cover.

Tony.

HARRIS: So, Ed, wait a minute here. Friday, as you know, the Senate majority leader meets with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Before that meeting, Frist is against this whole idea of this search. Doesn't like it one bit. Has the meeting, come the weekend and now a change of heart. What happened here?

HENRY: Well, you're right to point out that meeting. Some Republicans believe, and they're speculating, that Senator Frist, obviously, has his eye on the White House in 2008 and he's taking a look at the fact that supporting Congressman Jefferson, we -- let you remember, they found some $90,000 in his freezer. He denies any wrongdoing, but there are a lot of questions swirling around here. And it doesn't seem very popular to stand up for him right now and maybe Senator Frist, after talking to the attorney general and hearing a little bit about this case, decided it would not be popular to stand up for Congressman Jefferson.

House Republicans are frustrated by that because they say they're not standing up for Congressman Jefferson, they're standing up for a principle. And I also think they're standing up a little bit on the political problem here. Let's not forget, Congressman Jefferson's not the only person under investigation. There are all kinds of bribery probes going on. I think there are lawmakers in both parties on Capitol Hill who are worried if this precedent with Jefferson stands, the feds could go through a whole number of offices pretty soon.

Tony.

HARRIS: Well, this 45-day -- I guess we can call it a cooling off period. It sounds like it at least gives the White House an opportunity here to bring all the factions within the party together.

HENRY: It does, absolutely, and I think that was the main point from the president's standpoint. And I think that there is a feeling in the Bush administration that at the end of these 45 days, once all the legal ramifications are explained to everyone, it will be a lot clearer that in the estimation of the administration, this search, this raid, however you want to call it, was justified.

Tony.

HARRIS: White House correspondent Ed Henry for us. Ed, thank you.

HENRY: Thank you.

HARRIS: More than 5,000 deaths, entire towns and villages flattened, tens of thousands of people homeless. Today, much of Indonesia's main island of Java is still in shock as it tries to cope with this weekend's huge earthquake. CNN's Dan Rivers is in one of the hardest hit areas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In the chaotic aftermath of this earthquake, the local hospital is a living hell. Every single piece of floor is occupied by injured survivors waiting for treatment. Corridors and walkways choked with hundreds of patients, many of whom have not seen a doctor yet. Some are now being evacuated to other Indonesian provinces, ferried past those who've been waiting for days.

We were sleeping when the house collapsed and I managed to protect my wife from the falling debris says 35-year-old Hatando (ph). He has a nasty leg fracture. There are no painkillers and he's been waiting out here for two days.

Thirty-five-year-old Junican (ph) has just arrived with a broken hip. She's gently lifted on to a makeshift bed in a parking lot. The vehicles cleared out to make room for patients. Each parking bay marked by an intravenous drip. She's fed by her 14-year-old son. There aren't enough nurses for even the most basic care. She says the roof of her house collapsed on her and she's been too scared of aftershocks to come to hospital.

This hospital is at breaking point. There are only enough beds for 750 patients. But yet there are 1,700 people spilling out into walkways like this awaiting treatment. Five hundred people need urgent operations and there are critical shortages of basic drugs.

And what will happen if they don't get those supplies?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think people will die, but I don't think any of us are expecting that. I mean, certainly there are many humanitarian aid organizations here on the ground and there's also a very strong response from Indonesians.

RIVERS: Help is on the way. But for those writhing in agony, enduring operations without anesthetics, it can't come soon enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And CNN's Dan Rivers joins us now.

Dan, give us a sense, if you would please, of the top priorities, top needs right now in that area.

RIVERS: Well, they clearly need more doctors. As we saw at that hospital, they need doctors to set broken bones, to help stitch wounds and to treat people. There is this huge backlog up there with, as we saw, 1,700 people at that one hospital alone all in desperate need of medical attention and yet there are only 750 beds up there, so they are totally unable to cope.

There is also a need for basic medical supplies, as well as doctors. They were very short of basic painkillers. They were short of bandages and stretchers and beds. So those are, obviously, critical needs.

Going ahead into the medium term, you know, people have food here. There is not a food crisis at the moment. But having said that, the world food program estimates that it will have to set up a feeding program for people for at least a couple of months and is talking about 80,000 people being fed in the first month and 50,000 in the second month.

And then thirdly there is also a need for shelter for the people whose houses have been destroyed. And it's estimated 44,000 houses that have been partially or totally destroyed. They need shelter. They need tarpolins (ph). They need stoves. They need torches and generators.

HARRIS: Dan, before the earthquake there was a lot of concern about Mt. Merapi. Is the volcano, at least right now, behaving? RIVERS: It is behaving at the moment. And, I mean, my goodness, that would be, you know, compounding this catastrophe if that were to erupt. At the moment, from the volcanologists we've spoke to, there is no sign of any increased activity up at the volcano. That's further north from where we are at the moment. So, you know, everyone here is keeping their fingers crossed. The last thing anyone needs here is for the stretched resources to have to be diverted to some thing else.

HARRIS: CNN's Dan Rivers for us. Dan, we appreciate it. Thank you.

And log on to cnn.com for up-to-the-minute information on the Indonesian earthquake and find out how you can help the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Nine months after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans, the body count climbs again. Search crews have found remains of a man in a house in the mid city neighborhood. Flood waters there were nearly chest high. Authorities will use DNA to try to identify the man. More than 200 people are still listed as missing after Katrina. The storm's death toll in Louisiana is at least 1,577.

Civilian bodies. U.S. Marines under investigation. Did American troops slaughter innocent Iraqis. Retired Brigadier General James Spider Marks talks to me live about this developing story. That's next on CNN.

And also this hour, from hateful to hip-hop, the debate over the "n" word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No other group has -- had to tell their people, their community, to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Coming up, a campaign to abolish the "n" word. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The prison abuses at Abu Ghraib inflamed tensions not just in Iraq but throughout much of the Middle East, so it's not surprising that Washington is devoting a lot of attention to an alleged atrocity in Iraq. U.S. Marines are suspected of killing some 24 civilians in the western Iraqi city of Haditha. The incident in question happened last November after a roadside bomb killed a U.S. Marine. Pentagon sources say several Marines could face criminal charges. The military is already investigating and a Senate panel plans to hold hearings. Let's get the perspective from a career military man. Joining us is retired Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks.

Spider, good to see you

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Tony, good morning.

HARRIS: Well, Spider, how bad potentially is this not just for the Marines in question, but how about soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan?

MARKS: Well, I don't think that what occurred in Haditha and the full facts will come out and we'll all know what those facts are -- will make any soldier on the ground, whether it's in Afghanistan or elsewhere in harm's way, in Iraq, hesitate in the execution of their duties. And that's really, I think, what you're asking. Is this investigation now going to cause soldiers or Marines or any service member in harm's way to hesitate or pull back a little bit before they execute their tasks? I don't think that will happen.

HARRIS: But, Spider, they're targets now and I'm wondering once this story, and I'm sure it has already, hits Arab media, does it just inflame the passions of Iraqis and Afghans further?

MARKS: Well, if you understand the Iraqi people, and none of us fully do, we need to spend more time there and we need to understand them more greatly. What we see in Iraq right now is that there is a lot of chaos and the man on the street, the family on the street, in many cases, feels like there's a certain normalcy to the violence. You see the Iraqi forces stepping up to take the lead in terms of security on the street.

So there's a bit of a resignation. And in some cases you'll see where Iraqis might see this as clearly unfortunate but it's part of life in Iraq. So I don't know that this is going to inflame it and it certainly would be speculation on my part to say that this will, in fact, make it worse.

But what will, in fact, make it better, is as a result of a full and open investigation, the sharing of the results with the Iraqis and the sharing of the results internationally will be able to allow all of us to move forward and try to make it better.

HARRIS: Spider, let me ask . . .

MARKS: Tony . . .

HARRIS: No, go ahead. Go ahead.

MARKS: Well, Tony, you know, the real thing is, is that there's such incredible chaos and uncertainty in combat you really don't know what was going through the minds of these Marines. It's easy from a distance for us to look at this and to start to draw our own conclusions. You know, we're all entitled to our own opinions. None of us are entitled to our own facts. And so I would tell you, let's let the facts get out and then we can draw some real conclusions and share those.

HARRIS: Marine Crops Commandant General Michael Hagee goes to visit the Marines. That tells you something, doesn't it? It tells you how serious this is potentially.

MARKS: Sure it does. And what it tells you is that there's the commandant of the Marine Corps who understands how this type of incident can be extremely divisive and how you have to get to the bottom of it. And here's the guy at the top saying, look, I'm in charge. I want to make sure you guys know that we may have an incident here. We have to hold together. We're not going to cover anything up.

In fact, we're going to expose this to an increasingly large, open aperture. We're going to put lights on this thing. We're going to find out what happened. But we want to make sure that none of you guys hesitate and understand that we're going to paint you all with a brush that says you're all guilty. We'll going to hold together and we're going to continue to execute our tasks.

HARRIS: Well, Spider, let me turn to Afghanistan for just a moment here.

MARKS: Sure.

HARRIS: It seems to be heating up again. And is there a sense to you that -- I don't know, what is your sense of what's going on in Afghanistan right now? Is there a need to put more troops on the ground perhaps?

MARKS: Tony, frankly, I think the short answer is, yes. And those troops don't necessarily have to be all U.S. troops. But a couple of things have occurred and we have to acknowledge those.

You know, when the United States and coalition forces were very successful in '01 and the Taliban went away, it really didn't go away. Kind of disappeared for awhile and it is now making a resurgence. You have to look at Afghanistan itself. The terrain -- and there's been a lot of discussion about this -- the terrain is extremely complex, especially in the south along the border with Pakistan, and there have been some lessons learned with the insurgency. They understand they can achieve safe havens in Pakistan and conduct operations into Afghanistan. You have to have a mix of precision and presence. Increased boots on the ground is always important.

HARRIS: Hey, what does it say about tensions in the capital? We're not talking about outlying areas, we're talking about the capital of Kabul, that a traffic accident can turn into a full-scale riot.

MARKS: That's exactly right. I mean clearly we're at a tipping point. And what we saw this morning in Kabul is just an indication of tensions, a whole bunch of, you know, emerging governmental initiatives taking place that haven't really taken root, and you've got a changeover in forces. You've got an increase in NATO forces. U.S. forces have announced a bit of a draw down, maybe as much as 2,000 forces coming up. So there are tensions and there's a lot of unknowns.

HARRIS: Retired Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks with us this morning. Spider, good to see you, as always.

MARKS: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks for your time.

MARKS: Thank you.

HARRIS: Want to take you to Arlington, Virginia, now where a memorial service -- well really the memorial service is underway at Arlington National Cemetery. The U.S. Navy band leading the service this morning with a performance. Later this hour, President Bush and the first lady lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, you see there. The president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make remarks. That's starting at about 11:10 a.m. Eastern Time. And, of course, CNN will take you back to Arlington, Virginia, live.

This Memorial Day, for a lot of folks it's a time to relax a bit, fire up the grill. Gerri Willis joins us with some advice, some thoughts about buying a grill.

Gerri, good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Hey, Tony, good to see you.

I have some thoughts on grilling and I know it's close to your heart.

HARRIS: It is.

WILLIS: Coming up, "Five Tips" on buying the very best grill for the money. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You have the holiday off, the dinner plans are on. If you're missing only the barbecue grill for this Memorial Day feast, we're here to serve. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has some tips on buying the right grill to fit your needs.

Gerri, good to see you.

WILLIS: It's good to see you too, Tony.

You know, you've got to start by determining your grill type, you know what I mean?

HARRIS: What does that mean? No, I don't.

WILLIS: There are three kinds. There's electric, there's gas and there's charcoal.

HARRIS: Oh, OK.

WILLIS: Now electric grills are easy to start. All you do is press a button. And there's an added bonus, electric grills are portable. But gas grills start up instantly. And this type of grill has a nice, even flame. A lot of people like them. You don't have to worry about flare-ups. Finally there's charcoal. This is old school, right?

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: This is the cheapest option of them all. Cleanup can be a pain, but a lot of people believe that is the best flavor.

HARRIS: Yes, there you go.

WILLIS: What do you go for, Tony?

HARRIS: That's what I'm talking about, charcoal. I need the flavor.

WILLIS: Oh, you're old school.

HARRIS: Absolutely. Yes, old school, absolutely.

Now you're telling us that, you know, the idea of spending a lot of money doesn't necessarily get you, well, great quality or better burgers.

WILLIS: It's true. I'm telling you. I have seen reports of gills up to $35,000.

HARRIS: Oh, come on. That's insane.

WILLIS: Can you imagine? Yes, it is insane. You can even spend a thousand easily, easily. But, look, you don't really get that much more by paying about $500 or less according to a survey by "Consumer Reports." If you pay more what you get is bells, whistles some stainless steel burners, maybe some warming shelves. But let me tell you, you don't have to spend that much to have a fine, fine grill.

HARRIS: Well, I'll tell you this, if I'm not going to spend a whole lot of money on the frills, what I do need, Gerri, I need my BTUs. I need my power. I need my BTUs.

WILLIS: See, you know, the industry has sold you on BTUs.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: But I'm not sure it's such a great thing, all right? BTUs are a measure of the potential heat the barbecue can put out. Now salespeople might tell you the more BTUs, that means the fastest warmup.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: But it's not always true. More heat isn't always necessarily better. It doesn't even mean that your grill will get hotter more quickly. So don't go for the biggest BTU. Don't pay more for that because it's not going to make that much difference at the end of the day. HARRIS: All right. You know what, I've got sort of a limited space that I'm working with here on the deck and I've got propane, charcoal, whatever I'm using, I've got to be careful, right?

WILLIS: Oh, you're in trouble. You do indeed. Many city fire codes prohibit grills within 10 to 15 feet of buildings or putting them on patios or decks above the first floor. You've got to check local law. But what you need to know is this. If you live in a condo or an apartment, keep in mind that say a propane leak from a gas grill is a potential threat to neighbors below. And if your area gets extreme weather, you don't want to leave that grill uncovered. Make sure the grill will fit in your shed, if that's where you plant to store it, but you've got to be careful with these things, you're dealing with flame outside. People can get hurt.

HARRIS: No, no, no, you're right. Well this one is -- this tip is the most confusing to me. You're advising folks, when they go and shop for these barbecue grills to take along a magnet?

WILLIS: That's right. Now, listen, there's cheap stainless steel out there. And if you take a magnet to the store, you can see if it sticks to any part of the stainless steel of the grill. And if it does, you want to look for another grill. A magnet that sticks to the metal usually means it's made of cheap stainless steel and cheep stainless steel rusts.

So, Tony, I want to ask your viewers, don't forget, we want to hear from you guys. Send us questions to "Five Tips" at cnn.com because we want to take ideas from the viewers.

HARRIS: Electric or charcoal. Are you old school or new school?

WILLIS: I'm gas.

HARRIS: You're gas.

WILLIS: Yes.

HARRIS: What school is that?

WILLIS: Propane.

HARRIS: Propane.

WILLIS: Got to go propane. Yeah, love that. Fast.

HARRIS: I gotcha. Gotcha.

WILLIS: I can grill every night.

HARRIS: Gerri, good to see you.

WILLIS: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Enjoy the day.

WILLIS: You, too.

HARRIS: And let's get upstairs to the CNN Weather Center now and Rob Marciano for a check of your holiday forecast.

Rob, good to see you, sir.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Well, he's one of the more famous faces of those who died while serving this country, yet questions remain about what happened to pro athlete-turned-soldier Pat Tillman. A special report you'll only see on CNN, coming up. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

And one word, so many views. A campaign is under way to abolish the N word, but not everyone supports it. That debate is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Memorial Day. It's when we stop to remember the names, the faces and the ultimate sacrifice of Americans who died in defense of the country. If I could, let's take you to Atlanta right now. I want to show you the picture of an American flag on the front lawn of a couple's home. The flag is actually made of red, white and blue cards, each carrying the name of a service member killed in Iraq. And the couple behind this says it's not making a political statement, it's not about a political agenda, it's just a moment to reflect on a very solemn day.

You know, it may seem too easy to hold up the well-known story of one famous soldier, but there's a reason we're talking about Pat Tillman today, who was killed in Afghanistan. He was a gifted athlete who left fame and easy money to join the army and fight terrorists. Pat Tillman died violently in Afghanistan, and you may know a little of his story up to that point. But today we know more, and after this report, so will you.

CNN has been investigating what happened to Tillman and what happened when the army started investigating. The details take some time to tell, but as senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports, those details paint a chilling story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At his memorial service two years ago, Pat Tillman was remembered as an inspiration to thousands of Americans. California's first lady, Maria Shriver, was among those supporting the family, recalling how much Tillman gave up to fight for his country in Afghanistan.

MARIA SHRIVER, CALIFORNIA FIRST LADY: Pat had it all, intelligence, movie-star good looks, a loving wife, athletic prowess, fame, a lucrative and promising career. Who among us could walk away from riches and a job we love?

MCINTYRE: But Pat Tillman did just that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lateral to Pat Tillman!

MCINTYRE: The former safety for the Arizona Cardinals gave up a multi-million dollar pro football deal the day after September 11th to enlist as an elite army ranger. Tillman explained his decision in a rare interview just before he went into the army.

PAT TILLMAN, DIED IN AFGHANISTAN: My great grandfather was at Pearl Harbor, and my whole family has gone and fought in wars and I haven't done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that and so I have a great deal of respect for those who have.

MCINTYRE: But his devotion to duty, honor and country, would end with his death in a desolate section in Afghanistan. It would be 26 days after the memorial service, more than a month after his death, before the army would publicly acknowledge what the rangers who were with him in combat knew almost right away. Tillman's death was from friendly fire.

He was hit in the head by three bullets fired by American soldiers, who say they mistook him for the enemy.

(on camera): Much, but not all of the story of what went wrong that April day in 2004, can be found in thousands of army documents obtained by CNN.

(voice-over): Many details from the army documents are being televised here for the first time. And while the heavily-blacked out documents provide some answers, they also raise substantial questions that three separate army investigations have failed to resolve. Tillman's platoon was on a mission in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border. His platoon was trying to flush out enemy Taliban or al Qaeda fighters.

CNN took these army topographic maps of the location where Pat Tillman was killed and independently created the first detailed television animation of what happened to Tillman and the army rangers that day.

The platoon's problems began with a broken-down humvee, which had to be towed by a local truck and was slowing the platoon. The platoon was split into two groups on orders of a commander and a base far away according to army documents.

The split was ordered over the objections of the platoon leader. There was a concern back at the base that the broken humvee was causing unacceptable delays to the mission.

CNN military analyst retired Brigadier General David Grange has commanded rangers himself and also lost a soldier to friendly fire.

GEN. DAVID L. GRANGE, (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Here you had the senior guy on the ground saying, I don't want to split my force. Someone that's not there on the ground, but on a radio in a tactical operations center saying "split it," you know, do you take the word of the guy on the ground or not? You know, usually the guy on the ground knows what's going on.

MCINTYRE: Corporal Tillman was with the first group that pressed on. Moving safely through a deep canyon and arriving at a small village. The second group, with the humvee in tow, included Tillman's younger brother, Kevin, who also enlisted with Pat after September 11th. That second convoy, led by the truck towing the broken humvee, followed a different route, but found the terrain too rugged. So they backtracked and followed the first group, deep into the narrow canyon.

Though they were just a half hour back, the first group was unaware the second group was coming up behind them. In the canyon, the second group was ambushed from above by enemy fighters.

GRANGE: There was confusion in the force. People were scared. Very restricted terrain. Sun's going down. A lot of shadows. So, the light is not dark enough to use night-vision goggles, but it's in between.

MCINTYRE: To add to the confusion, in the deep canyon the two groups lost radio contact. But Pat Tillman's group heard the gunfire back in the canyon and turned back to help. Tillman, as described in his Silver Star citation, showed great courage under fire in leading a small rifle team, including an Afghan soldier, to the top of the ridge to engage the enemy. Down below, a humvee armed with a .50-caliber machine gun and four soldiers with other weapons, pulled out from behind the truck and broken humvee. As they emerged from the canyon, the soldiers in the vehicle were firing with an abandon that one army investigator would later say demonstrated gross negligence.

The soldiers would later say they thought the enemy was all around them. As they fired in all directions, they began hitting U.S. troops. Down in the village, the platoon leader was hit in the face, and another soldier, shot in the leg. From Tillman's position up on the ridge came anguished cries of alarm. First, the friendly Afghan soldier was shot and killed by the soldiers in the ranger vehicle. The soldier standing alongside Tillman described what he witnessed in a sworn statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "A vehicle with a .50-cal rolled into our sight and started to unload on top of us. Tillman and I were yelling, stop, stop, friendlies, friendlies, ceasefire. But they couldn't hear us."

MCINTYRE: According to another sworn statement obtained by CNN, the driver of the humvee was initially confused when he saw the Afghan soldier with Tillman on the ridge, then realized others in his humvee were firing on fellow rangers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE" "I yelled twice, 'We have friendlies on top," and the crew must not have heard me, because my vehicle opened fire on them. I screamed, "No" and then yelled repeatedly several times to cease fire, and no one heard me.

MCINTYRE: Tillman threw a smoke grenade to signal they were rangers and for a few moments it appeared to work. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "We thought the battle was over, so we were relieved, getting up and stretching out and talking with one another, when I heard some rounds coming from the vehicle. They started firing again. That's when I hit the deck and started praying."

MCINTYRE: The soldier hit the deck when the vehicle tired fired on them again, and that's when the soldier said Tillman was hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I know this because I could hear the pain in his voice when he called out, ceasefire, I'm Pat Tillman, damn it, and he said this over and over again until he stopped."

MCINTYRE: Moments later, a sound caught the attention of the soldier next to Tillman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I heard what sounded like water pouring down. I then looked down to see a river of blood coming down from where he was. I had blood all over my shoulder from him, and when I looked at him, I saw his head was gone."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And the investigation into Pat Tillman's death: What went wrong? See more from our Jamie McIntyre later today on LIVE FROM this afternoon at 1:00 Eastern.

Let's take you back now to Arlington, Virginia, where a memorial service under way at Arlington National Cemetery. You see there the Tomb of the Unknowns. Later this hour, President Bush and the first lady Laura Bush will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and then later, the beginning of next hour, about 11:10 Eastern Time, the president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make remarks, and we'll bring those to you live here on CNN.

And for three brothers in Arizona, no kicking back and taking it easy on this Memorial Day. They're packing up and heading off to Iraq. Their story coming up. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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HARRIS: A trial is under way in New York this week in which a white man is accused of beating an African-American while shouting the 'N' word. It has stirred controversy, to be sure. In part, because the defense argues that using the 'N' word does not signify a hate crime. Now a Web site, abolishthenword.com is trying to get rid of the word altogether. We must warn you that the images from their site are graphic, and you might find parts of this segment offensive. CNN understands the sensitivity of this topic, and as a part of our standards or practices, we do not use or write or full spelling of the 'N' word.

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HARRIS (voice-over): You hear the word in music, in movies, too much so for ABOLISHTHENWORD.com founders Jill Merritt and Kovan Flowers.

KOVAN FLOWERS, CO-FOUNDER, ABOLISHTHENWORD.COM The music industry, I feel, is like in a state of emergency.

HARRIS: In fact, it's so commonplace a New York lawyers says he plans to use the word's frequent use to help clear his white client of hate crime charges. Nick Minucci is accused of beating a black man with a baseball bat last June while yelling the n-word during the attack in Brooklyn. Minucci's attorney says use of the word cannot be a criteria for a hate crime, because blacks frequently use it as a term of endearment. Minucci, a fan of rap music, says he hears the word all the time from artists 50 Cent, Jay-Z and others.

MERRITT: It is not a term of endearment. It is a racial, a derogatory racial epithet. It always will be. It always has been.

HARRIS: It's that history of the word the site's founders are found counting on to change public opinion. When you log on, you see pictures of lynchings, beatings and other powerful images of the civil rights era, images put there with one purpose in mind.

MERRITT: Shock.

FLOWERS: Definitely a culture shock.

MERRITT: A wake-up call. Some people cry. I cried when I first saw everything put together.

HARRIS: Merritt says it's important to associate the word with hate and lynchings.

MERRITT: That word was very prevalent. That was the label that was used, the slave owners and plantation masters, they did not use black person. They did not say Negro at that time. That used (EXPLETIVE DELETED). That was the word that they used.

HARRIS: It's a fact they say that has been lost on a generation.

FLOWERS: Saying the n-word is not hip hop. It is so not hip hop. A lot of people think, well, it's not right or wrong unless I say it. I don't see where I can't say it. Come up with an alternate word.

MERRITT: No other group has had to tell their people, their community to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.

HARRIS: Merritt uses an e-mail from the site to sum up her feelings.

MERRITT: This teacher said it perfectly to her student. Every time you use that word, it's like you're relynching someone. Every time you use that word, it damages the person who is hearing it and it damages your soul.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Using the 'N' word. If you'd like to hear more of our debate from the weekend on this issue, I'll be joining Melissa Long at pipeline, CNN/pipeline.com at 12:30 p.m. Eastern today.

Back to Arlington, Virginia now, where we're anticipating the president any moment now. A live shot of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknowns. Later, in just a few minutes, actually, President Bush and the first lady laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. And then shortly after the top of the hour, the president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make remarks. That is set about, oh, about 11:10.

Just 10 past the hour Eastern time. We'll take a break and come back with more CNN LIVE TODAY right after this.

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HARRIS: Memorial Day 2006. Let's take a moment here and give you a bit of the scene as it's being played out as you can see here at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, where in just a couple of moments President Bush and the first lady will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Then shortly after the top of the hour, the president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will make remarks. Of course, we will have those for you live.

To New York now, if we could. And let's take you to the Intrepid Sea and Air and Space Museum. A memorial service is just getting under way on the flight deck of the Intrepid, actually. A wreath laying ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. At 11:40 a.m. Eastern, there will be a 21-gun salute and the unfurling of a 100-foot American flag followed by taps and then a military aircraft flyover in the missing man formation.

And now back to Washington and a shot of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. This in the nation's capital, the wall located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C.. The memorial V-shaped, as you know, consists of, oh, two 250-foot walls, polished black granite. Standing there as a solemn, somber reminder of the 58,000 U.S. men and women who were killed or who went missing in the Vietnam War. And now the gun salute at Arlington National Cemetery.

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