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CNN Live Today
Military Misconduct in Iraq?; Nuclear Diplomacy; Congo Rapes
Aired June 02, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Daryn Kagan. Welcome to the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.
Iran weighing its nuclear options and facing what Secretary Rice calls a moment of truth.
A husband, a father, a son and a soldier's family talks about their pain, the bombing that killed an Army captain and two members of a network news crew and wounded reporter Kimberly Dozier.
There are new allegations of a U.S. military massacre in Iraq. This is a sanitized view of the scene, according to Iraqi police.
Witnesses tell them that 11 civilians were rounded up and killed by American troops who then destroyed the building. The U.S. military has a different account. It does confirm four deaths. An official says U.S. forces came under fire during a raid. Troops returned fire on the ground and from the air.
It happened in the town of Ishaqi back in March. That investigation comes on top of the probe into an alleged Marine massacre of 24 civilians in Haditha and the shooting death of an Iraqi civilian in Hamandiyah near Baghdad. A sources says that military prosecutors will likely file murder charges against several Marines accused in that attack.
Our Kathleen Koch joins me live now more from the Pentagon with more on these disturbing investigations -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, multiple investigations, as you pointed out, now under way into what happened in Haditha, Hamandiyah and now Ishaqi. President Bush himself is troubled by these. His spokesman says he's been briefed on them by one of the top commanding generals in Iraq, and that very general, Brigadier Genera Don Campbell, this morning shared some of his insights with reporters into why these incidents are happening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. DONALD CAMPBELL, MULTINATIONAL CORPS, IRAQ: It's difficult to pin down specifically, but obviously when you're in a combat theater, dealing with enemy combatants who don't abide by the law of war, who do acts of indecency, soldiers become stressed, they become fearful. It's very difficult to determine in some cases on this battlefield who is a combatant and who is a civilian.
It doesn't excuse the acts that have occurred. And we're going to look into them. But I would say it's stress, fear, isolation, and in some cases, they're just upset. They see their buddies getting blown up on occasion and they -- they -- they could snap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now, on the investigation in Hamandiyah, a source familiar with that investigation tells CNN that military prosecutors will likely file murder charges against some seven Marines who are accused in what was an April 26th shooting death of an Iraqi civilian in that town. Reportedly, this man was dragged from his home and shot. Now, The Associated Press quotes one of the defense attorneys saying further that not only will the seven Marines be charged, but also a sailor, and facing additional charges of kidnapping and conspiracy.
And when it comes to the -- this is a very separate incident from the ongoing investigation in what happened -- into what happened in Haditha. And the new news on that front, Daryn, is that "The Washington Post" is reporting that investigators may be wanting to exhume some of the bodies of the 24 civilians who were allegedly killed in that incident, perhaps, again, by U.S. Marines.
That in an effort to uncover forensic evidence, things like the angle of the -- from which the shots were fired, the caliber of bullets that were used. All that, of course, to help determine just what happened and who may have been responsible -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon.
Kathleen, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
KAGAN: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is defending his forces amid these allegations of misconduct, and he says that we soon will have answers about what took place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We know -- we know that 99.9 percent of our forces conduct themselves in an exemplary manner. And we also know that -- that in conflicts, things that shouldn't happen do happen.
In this instance, there's an investigation with respect to what took place, and we'll soon know the answers. There's an investigation with respect to what took place thereafter, and we'll soon know the answers. And my impression is that the Marine Corps is handling it well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Rumsfeld was speaking there at a meeting in Singapore of defense and security officials from 23 countries.
The clock is ticking, but so far it's not clear if Iran is feeling the pressure. It has an international offer on the table, incentives for dumping its nuclear ambitions, and there may not be a lot of time to respond.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not one that's given to timetables, but I think we are talking about a matter of weeks here, not -- we can't -- we can't wait for months while Iran, again, says, on the one hand, maybe they're interested in negotiating, on the other hand, maybe they're not. They need to make a choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Iran says it's only interested in nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton is not so sure about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Do you trust the Iranians? Do you take them at their word?
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Of course not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: U.S. intelligence believes that Iran could be a nuclear weapons power within the next few years.
High stakes, nuclear tests with Iran.
Our senior national correspondent, John Roberts, examines the Bush team strategy. His report from "THE SITUATION ROOM".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Iran's rejection of the White House offer was not just expected, it was part of the plan. According to administration officials, the entire goal of this new overture was meant to heighten awareness of the world to Iran's intransigence.
KEN POLLACK, SABAN CENTER BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: In the eyes of Europe, China, Russia, and in many other countries, it is going to look like Iran is the problem, like Iran is the country that doesn't want to see a peaceful resolution of this process.
ROBERTS: What looks on the surface like a softening of the U.S. position, the offer of face-to-face talks, is actually just another play in their game of diplomat hardball to force Iran to give up its nuclear program.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If they choose not to suspend and verify, if they continue their obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, we really don't care what your opinion is, then the world is going to act in concert. ROBERTS: The tricky part for the White House has been coming up with a set of punitive measures Russia and China could agree to. An oil export ban would have been the harshest, perhaps most effective, penalty. But sanctions expert Gary Hufbauer says, because of its effect on the global economy, that's off the table.
GARY HUFBAUER, INST. FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: If you put sanctions on oil exports, I think the global pain is too great given that we're already a little over $70 a barrel and people are already screaming at the pump.
ROBERTS: Public agreement on punitive measures doesn't ensure they'll actually pass the U.N. Security Council. And there's this question: Would anything short of sanctions against the oil industry have the teeth to bring Iran to the table?
Iraq endured 11 years of crushing sanctions over weapons it didn't even have. For Iran, nuclear muscle is a matter of national pride, their seal of status and power in the region, and one they'll not easily part with.
HUFBAUER: I'm sorry to say, but that's extremely popular throughout Iran. And even amongst Iranians that I have met in this country who do not like the regime, but they like the idea of a grander Iran.
ROBERTS (on camera): With his hands full in Iraq, President Bush is anxious to avoid military action against Iran. He is also just as concerned about what Israel might do. So these next few weeks will be critical in determining whether this showdown continues along a peaceful track or escalates.
John Roberts, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And John is part of the team covering the world for "THE SITUATION ROOM". You can catch them at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, also 7:00 p.m. Eastern, with Wolf Blitzer.
Horror in the heartland. A woman's scream, a burst of gunfire, and a gruesome discovery in this home in Indianapolis. Seven victims shot to death, all members of one extended family. They ranged in age from 5 to 56.
And police are looking for this man as one of at least two suspects. He's 28-year-old Desmond Turner. He lives in Indianapolis and he has an extensive criminal history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF MICHAEL T. SPEARS, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE: It's helpful to get this out to the public. Someone knows where this man is. And we want to know. And I would suggest to anyone who knows where Mr. Turner is that they treat him as armed and dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Police say that Turner apparently grew up in the neighborhood where the killings took place. They say they have no motive for the killings, and they do say the home invasion did not appear to be random.
Mourning a loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not something that I ever thought would happen, but it did. It did, and it's the worst thing imaginable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: You've heard about the CBS crew, but there was an American soldier also killed along side that crew. We'll talk with his family members just ahead.
Also, soldiers using rape as a weapon of war. A CNN correspondent puts Congo's president on the spot. Why aren't these criminals being prosecuted?
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Following up a disturbing story we showed you on CNN where rape was used as a weapon of war. CNN brought you the exclusive report from Congo, where women, girls and at least one boy were systematically raped and maimed by soldiers. Those accounts deeply disturb the Congolese president.
Our Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange, joins me live now from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jeff, the reaction from this story, any kind of changes? Have you seen any kind of changes taking place? Or what has been the reaction?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: The reaction has been just as shocking as it's been anywhere else in the world, Daryn. But here's the thing, you know, first of all, we didn't think we would get the interview with the president. And number two, we didn't want to scare him off by telling him we'd be showing him the package we had shown earlier on CNN.
So what we told his handlers, you know, once we get the interview, you know, hopefully we have something to show him. But we didn't tell him what. Finally, we did get the interview, showed him. And he was just as surprised and shocked as anyone else who had seen it around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSEPH KABILA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO: The shock that you received yourself, the shock that anybody, any human being would definitely feel if and when they see such images. My reaction is that is one of shock, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOINANGE: But Daryn, whether anything is being done, well, you know, the Congo faces its first democratic elections in more than four decades. And officials here don't want to upset the apple cart, if you will.
They're literally tiptoeing around issues until that election is over and done with. That's maybe when we'll see something. But in the meantime, an average of 10 rape and mutilation victims appear at this one hospital alone.
Shocking stuff.
KAGAN: Well, let's look past the elections. What's the balance of power there in Congo? Does the president have the power over the military to make these types of attacks stop?
KOINANGE: Well, the good thing is, analysts predict that Kabila stands the best chance. He stands in a field of 33 candidates. If he does win, he's a former military man. He understands what it's like being down in the trenches.
And when he was head of the military, he was army chief of staff. He ran a very disciplined army, if you will.
Now, well, it's been integrated. And there are many elements in there that are causing a lot of disruption and chaos in these outlying areas. If he is elected, he just may be the best man for the job. But again, that's a big "if" -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So tell me a little bit more about the personal story here. So you get an interview, or you talk your way in to be able to interview the president of Congo. And then you start playing this piece. What was like that like just to even make that happen?
KOINANGE: It was pretty scary at first. Well, I handed him the laptop, I gave him the headphones. He started watching it.
And, you know, his fingers started playing around with the mouse. And he would wince every now and then and he would shuffle in his seat uncomfortably.
And then when it got to the end, he actually went back to the beginning and played it again. And once it ended the second time, I sat down and asked him, "So, what do you think? What are your thoughts? You have a 6-year-old daughter, you have a twin sister, you have a mother. Your thoughts? What would you do if this happened to your family, your relatives?"
And he stared at me for what seemed an eternity, maybe 15, 20 seconds, and didn't say a thing. And then he finally said, you have my answer. And right away, you could tell just exactly what he was saying, but obviously he didn't say it. It was a scary moment.
KAGAN: Fascinating. Jeff, thank you.
Jeff Koinange. We found him in South Africa, but this report coming out of the Congo.
And you'll be able to watch his exclusive report in its entirety tonight on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360". That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
The worst thing that could happen, pain and memories. A soldier's family talks about the attack that killed an Army captain. It was the same bombing that wounded reporter Kimberly Dozier and killed two members of her CBS News crew. You'll have that family and that soldier's story ahead on CNN.
Also, organ donors, before they go under the knife, are they put under the microscope? Some disturbing questions about a system designed to save lives. That's ahead.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Does this masterpiece speak to you? If it does, you might want to listen to Japanese researchers. They say a careful analysis of bone structure can reconstruct any voice. Even that of a woman who is just seen on canvas.
Here is their scientific reproduction of Mona Lisa's voice. And, of course, she is speaking in her native tongue of Italian.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING ITALIAN)
KAGAN: OK. What she's saying is another question for another day. But the chief acoustic expert in the project also has created another sound system. It tries to translate a dog's emotions by analyzing his bark.
That gadget is sold in Japan. It is named Bonelingual (ph). Very funny.
Speaking of funny, holy comic book twist. Batwoman is coming out. I mean, really coming out.
CNN's Jeanne Moos made the most of the situation for "THE SITUATION ROOM".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why come out of the closet when you can come out of the Bat Cave? No, it is not Batman who's coming out.
(on camera): This is the new, gay Batwoman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. OK, heavens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New gay Bat -- that's nice. I guess they've got to have a Batwoman too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She looks hot. Good luck to her.
MOOS (voice-over): D.C. Comics is reintroducing Batwoman. She's been out of circulation since the late '70s.
DAN DIDIO, EXECUTIVE DIR., DC COMICS: This isn't about a lesbian superhero. It is about a character who is a superhero who also happens to be gay.
MOOS: The comic book world has gone multicultural, adding superheroes who are Hispanic, African-American, Asian and now gay Batwoman is due out in July, a far cry from the Batwoman of the '50s who looked more like a Playboy bunny and carried a purse while she fought crime. It reminds us of another pocketbook carrying character some assumed to be gay.
The old Batwoman had the hots for Batman. "If only he knew I'm Batwoman."
The new Batwoman, on the other hand, has an ex who was a female detective.
(on camera): Are we going to see any steamy Batwoman sex?
DIDIO: These are comics for all ages, and that's not really something we do.
MOOS (voice-over): Though you can expect to see Batwoman kiss another woman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a little too feminine to be gay.
MOOS (on camera): She's pretty hot, though, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not into gays, frankly, period.
MOOS: No, but I mean, just...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't care. Don't care.
MOOS (voice-over): Sock. Pow. That was blunt.
What do gay activists think?
ALAN VAN CAPELLE, EXEC. DIR., EMPIRE STATE PRIDE AGENDA: Congratulations to D.C. Comics for doing a great thing.
MOOS: D.C. Comics say they have been getting lots of e-mails, split 50-50, pro and con. It's the comic book culture war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't stop someone being themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I know, but see, there's a purpose for all of us...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I know...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God had a purpose.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe in Jesus Christ myself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you can't go -- when you go against...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe in Jesus Christ myself.
MOOS: Some prefer their superheroes' sexuality to remain a mystery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, because Catwoman, you always had that hint, what's going on with her? Is she into women? Is she into boys? Does she just love herself?
MOOS: The folks at D.C. Comics -- maybe they should change it to AC/DC -- say Batwoman won't be all the way out.
DIDIO: She doesn't tell her family about her sexual orientation.
MOOS: What's wrong, Batwoman?
HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: Cat got your tongue?
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: and you can see more of Jeanne's stories on "THE SITUATION ROOM". Join Wolf Blitzer 4:00 Eastern and in primetime at 7:00.
Runners sometimes go to the extreme to prepare for a race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Legs fine, everything's fine. Just get a little woozy. And it's -- I mean, it's minus four degrees in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: That does not sound like fun. Training for cold weather feats with your feet inside of a commercial freezer.
And a sneak peek, everything you wanted to know about Jennifer Aniston and "The Breakup." Mr. Moviefone joins us this hour on LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's update our top story for you. American troops accused of another massacre in Iraq. This one in the town of Ishaqi.
Iraqi police say that 11 civilians were rounded up and killed by U.S. forces. And they say that five children and four women were among the dead.
The U.S. military does confirm four civilian deaths. A U.S. official says the casualties happened during a raid on a militant site.
The Ishaqi incident happened in March. That investigation comes on top of a probe into the shooting death of an Iraqi civilian in the town of Hamandiyah and an investigation into an alleged Marine massacre of 24 civilians in Haditha. Forensic experts may soon be called in to examine exhumed bodies from that incident.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Jamie MCINTYRE has more.
MCINTYRE (voice over): One of the big questions surrounding the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians at Haditha is why the cover story that they were killed by a roadside bomb and resulting firefight held up for months from November until February when "TIME" magazine began raising questions about it? The answer, according to Pentagon sources familiar with an investigation done by Army Major General Eldon Bargewell is that the Marines involved in the killings allegedly gave false information about what happened and their superior officers allegedly failed to scrutinize their accounts.
There was another failing as well, sources tell CNN. Marines who arrived afterward were confronted and in some cases even photographed bodies that had been shot at close range, but did not challenge the official story. The mother of one Marine, Lance Corporal Ryan Briones, who was assigned to help clean up and document the scene, told CNN her son knew he had witnessed an atrocity.
SUSIE BRIONES, MOTHER OF LANCE CORPORAL RYAN BRIONES: It was horrific. It was a terrible scene. The biggest thing that keeps to his mind is the children, you know, that were there.
MCINTYRE: In the wake of the findings of investigators, all 150,000 U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq are getting refresher training on the law of war and the responsibility to protect non- combatants caught in a war zone. The message is simple and direct.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCE SPOKESMAN: I don't think there is any question in our mind, if you're carrying a locked and loaded weapon, you're not going to pick it up and aim it at somebody unless you feel your life is threatened.
MCINTYRE (on camera): U.S. troops are being told it's not enough for them to follow the law of war themselves. They also have an obligation to speak out if they see others crossing the line.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: Well, she is talking this morning. Hospital workers say that CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier is off of a respirator and now breathing on her own. Dozier was seriously injured in a car bomb blast in Iraq on Monday. She suffered shrapnel wounds to the head and severe leg injuries.
Dozier remains in critical but stable condition at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. She's expected to return to the U.S. this weekend to continue her medical treatment.
The injured CBS reporter now has a Purple Heart at her bedside. The network says that it comes from an American soldier who met Dozier in Iraq two years ago. He gave it to her brother to pass on.
According to CBS, the soldier doesn't want to be identified. He says Dozier has suffered as much as any soldier.
KAGAN: He died doing what he wanted to do. That is what the family is saying about the Army captain that was killed in that same bomb attack along with the CBS crew. He's Captain James Funkhouser, and he's described as a devoted husband, father and son.
Carol Costello now. Her report is from AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER, HUSBAND KILLED IN IRAQ: It's not something that I ever thought would happen, but it did. It did. And it's the worst thing imaginable.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The worst thing imaginable. It's happened so many times. This time, it's the family of Army Captain James Funkhouser Jr. mourning the loss.
JAMES FUNKHOUSER SR., SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Even knowing that he died doing what he loved to do, what he wanted to do, it doesn't take away the pain.
COSTELLO: On Monday, the 35-year-old Army captain was securing a location in Baghdad just across the river from the Green Zone. With them, a CBS news crew. Then it happened. A car bomb exploded. The blast killed Funkhouser, his Iraqi interpreter and two members of the CBS news crew.
Back home in Kilene (ph), Texas, Funkhouser's wife, Jennifer, got the news, in the kind of scene played out more than 2,000 times over the past three years.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I had two army officers come to my front door, and I thought it was a Memorial Day. They were handing out pamphlets, passing out information about soldiers. I opened the door, and I took one look at the major who was there, and you could tell his eyes were red, and he was trembling. It was hard for him to even speak. I knew -- I said, I just talked to him yesterday.
COSTELLO: Funkhouser had been in Iraq since December. His wife and family called him Alex. He was the father of two young girls, and the couple had just celebrated their sixth anniversary.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: He always thought about me. He would write me all the time. This is Valentine's Day. And we just had our wedding anniversary a little over a week ago and he sent me flowers. And I haven't been able to throw them away yet. A T-shirt I was going to send to him for Father's Day. Big Texas man. Little Texas humor.
COSTELLO: Funkhouser was third generation military. His father and grandfather before him, James Sr., spent 31 years in the service.
JAMES FUNKHOUSER: When you lose a child it's always painful. And when you lose your only child, it is especially painful.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I just want his name out there. You know? he was -- he was wonderful. He was a great soldier, a great guy, a great father, a great husband.
COSTELLO: But the attention given to tragedy involving the CBS news crew and her husband is somehow bittersweet. Because so many others die in relative anonymity.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: All of these soldier that is are injured, my husband had a lot of soldiers that were injured with him. They all have names. They all have stories. They're people. They're not just a soldier. They have a life. They have a family, family that mourns them, a family that hurts. Everyone needs to know.
COSTELLO: Jennifer says her husband was proud of what he was doing in Iraq, and now she will carry on.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I'm a strong army wife. My husband trained me to be one. I knew that I was marrying a soldier for life. And death. This is part of it.
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: James Funkhouser Jr. Will be buried with military honors in San Antonio, Texas. His father says, Alex didn't like tears, so they will celebrate her son's life with stories and songs.
Look for more of Carol Costello's reports weekdays on "AMERICAN MORNING," beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
A developing story to share with you. Just minutes ago, a military jury handed down a sentence for a dog handler involved in the prison abuse case in Iraq. Amry Sergeant Santos Cardona will serve 90 days of hard labor for his mistreatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib Prison. He's the 11th soldier convicted of crimes stemming from that scandal.
Organ donors, their generosity saves lives, but is the system doing enough to protect people from themselves? Some disturbing questions ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: More than 100 people die everyday because their bodies sometimes betray them. They were waiting for a donated organ that never showed up. The competition is fierce. More than 92,000 people are on a transplant list.
The good news, a growing number of Americans are responding to the need by becoming living donors.
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at her CNN special presents, "BODY PARTS." Here now is a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... where we all take a moment now to extend our hand towards our sister Kathleen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the depths of winter, a woman prays. In the midst of summer, her prayers are finally answered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lord, we ask you to be with her every day of her life, but most especially this Tuesday.
COHEN: Tuesday is the day Kathleen Sampson (ph) has been praying for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You might feel a warm sensation going up your arm.
COHEN: After months of testing she's giving her kidney to someone who would die without it, someone she's never met.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basically, here's my kidney, do what -- whatever's best. Give it to the best person. And this is just something that i want to do, and I'm hoping that it will have great results.
COHEN: She's not alone. There are 78,000 living donors, and nearly 400 of them are like Kathleen, giving to complete and total strangers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They realize that, hey, I've got two kidneys and really my body will function perfectly well with one kidney.
COHEN: Dr. Robert Montgomery (ph) will be performing her surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Kathleen's son Conner (ph) died several years ago when he was five. Conner died at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Kathleen is now here to give life where she lost it.
Thousands of people would love to get Kathleen's kidney. Some are so desperate they beg on Web sites. This huge demand has some people worried. In the rush to help those who need organs, will doctors be too quick to take them from generous people like Kathleen?
Our investigation found that surgeons have approved donors who some believe are highly questionable, children as young as ten, drug addicts, even people who were mentally ill.
ART CAPLAN, CTR. FOR BIOETHICS, U. OF PENN: I've seen anorexics give organs. I've seen people who are clearly depressed give organs. I've seen people come who have been accepted at programs who are morbidly obese. I've seen people come to programs who have had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Nuclear showdown. Find out what's next in negotiations with Iran. Global news you won't see anywhere else, coming up at the top of the hour. Don't miss "YOUR WORLD TODAY" every weekday at noon Eastern right here on CNN.
A shocking discovery in Tennessee. Police say they have found potentially deadly poison ricin and pipe bombs while searching a home outside of Nashville. The ricin was found in a sealed jar. Police don't believe neighbors are in a dangers, but a hazardous material crew is expected the site today. Police identified the suspect as William Michael Matthews, the home owner. Matthews is in jail on unrelated charges. And so far, he hasn't been charged in this case. Police say Matthew's estranged wife tipped them off.
Well, this one sounds coldly insane, but come December, runners will tackle a double marathon near the South Pole. One cool guy from warm San Diego is training for the competition inside of a freezer.
Here's reporter Jeff Zevely from affiliate KFMB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've done a lot of stupid, crazy things in my life.
JEFF ZEVELY, KFMB REPORTER: With their legs in constant motion, with their bodies going nowhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Willie and I are in a 24-hour spin-a-thon in the freezer.
ZEVELY: You'll find Antarctic Mike and his sidekick One-Armed Willie peddling away next to the frozen orange juice and ice cream. QUESTION: What is wrong with you?
MIKE PIERCE, ANTARCTIC RUNNER: I'm starting to ask myself the same question.
ZEVELY (no camera): What exactly are we doing here?
(voice-over): When I first met Mike Pierce last year, he was training to run an Antarctic marathon, which he did, twice. But now he wants to run even further.
PIERCE: It's 100 kilometers, which is two-and-a-half marathons, which is about 62 miles.
ZEVELY (on camera): In one day?
PIERCE: Yes, in one day.
ZEVELY (voice-over): So with his eyelashes frozen over, he trains.
(on camera): As if this isn't challenging enough, Antarctic Mike has decided to hit himself with this 25 mile-an-hour blower.
PIERCE: So I've got the wind blowing directly into my face just for hours and hours and hours.
ZEVELY (voice-over): And at his side, Willie Stewart, a man who lost his left arm in a construction accident years ago.
(on camera): How are the legs feeling?
WILLIE STEWART, MIKE'S FRIEND: Legs fine. Everything's fine. Just get a little woozy, and it's minus-4 degrees in here.
ZEVELY (voice-over): So why do this? One-Armed Willie is training for his own event, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon this weekend in San Francisco.
(on camera): With all due respect, how do you swim with one arm?
STEWART: I'm not the prettiest swimmer. But I've got a fairly decent pull and a solid kick.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Crazy. Well, just so you know, the guy who owned the freezer made Mike sign a legal waiver just in case he came in one morning and Mike was like a popsicle. Good luck, Mike.
I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. Stay tuned for YOUR WORLD TODAY. And I'll be back with the latest headlines from here in the U.S. in about 20 minutes.
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