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Military Misconduct?; Battle Rules Refresher; Family Slain; Taking Blame; Slow Job Creation; Prepare Your Family

Aired June 02, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, police say he is armed and dangerous and on the run. A gruesome scene inside a home in Indianapolis. Three generations of the family gunned down. We'll have the latest on this developing story.
And staying one step ahead of disasters. Make plans today to protection your family for tomorrow. You'll want to grab a pencil and paper. CNN LIVE TODAY with news you can use.

But first, allegations of atrocities by U.S. forces. Three military investigations now underway in Iraq. This is newly obtained video from the latest alleged massacre. According to Iraqi police, witnesses say 11 civilians were rounded up and killed by American troops who then destroyed the building.

The U.S. military has a different count. It confirms four civilian deaths. An official says U.S. forces came under fire during a raid. Troops returned fire on the ground and from the air. The town of Ishaqi is where it happened back in March.

That's on top of the investigation into an alleged Marine massacre of 24 civilians in Haditha and the shooting death of an Iraqi civilian in another town. A source says military prosecutors will likely file murder charges against several Marines accused in that attack. For the latest on these claims, live to CNN's John Vause who is in Baghdad.

John, hello.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well as you were saying, Iraqi police have told CNN that U.S. forces rounded up 11 civilians in this village of Abu Safa (ph), which is in part of this town of Ishaqi. They kept them in one room for about an hour and then they shot and killed them. Iraqi police also say that they gathered shell casings, bullet casings from inside the home from ammunition which is only used by U.S. forces here in Iraq. All of this information coming to the Iraqi police is coming from accounts by witnesses which are being gathered after this incident happened on March 15th.

Now at the time the U.S. military released a very different version of events. They claimed that they had a tip-off about an al Qaeda operative who was inside the home at this time. They sent the U.S. forces in. There was a firefight which broke out. They called in an air strike. The house was destroyed. And in that, four people were killed. A military investigation is ongoing. But the really important point in all of this, Daryn, right now, how this incident in Ishaqi differs to Haditha is right now there is no alleged motive why these civilians may have been killed by U.S. forces.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And is this list of investigations appears to keep growing, let's kind of put this in perspective here, John. Three investigations versus 130,000 U.S. troops serving currently in Iraq.

VAUSE: Well, U.S. military commanders here stress that right now there's at least three or four investigations involving the deaths of Iraqi civilians. But they say that 99.9 percent of the time U.S. forces, as well as coalition forces, carry out their duty in a professional manner. They say they always do the right thing.

However, there is a perception, though, among many Iraqis that these few investigation, which are ongoing, simply the tip of the iceberg. There is a perception that U.S. forces are brutal and are at times trigger happy. And even from the new Iraqi prime minister (INAUDIBLE), he has said that violence against Iraqi civilians carried out by U.S. forces happens on a daily basis. And Mr. Maliki says that that could be a consideration in deciding how long U.S. forces will be asked to stay in Iraq.

Daryn.

KAGAN: But again, to put those comments in perspective, how much pressure is the prime minister getting to try to please all the different groups there are to please within Iraq?

VAUSE: Well, the prime minister and his national unity government made up of Sunnis and Shiites and Kurds was only sworn in less than two weeks ago. And put this in perspective. These incidents have all happened in Sunni towns. So Mr. Maliki, the new prime minister, is coming under incredible pressure from his Sunni faction to be seen to be doing something simply to try and hold this national unity government together.

Daryn.

KAGAN: John Vause live with us from Baghdad. John, thank you.

Five minutes after the hour we focus news on news here in the U.S. Too soon to jump to conclusions about these attacks, but our military analyst James "Spider" Marks, points out that the vast majority of U.S. troops do conduct themselves properly and the military is aggressively investigating these allegations of misconduct.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): When you hear this you're disgusted but you have to realize that this is abhorrent behavior and the goodness in -- if there's goodness in any of this, it's that the Marines, the Navy are looking very, very deeply and very openly into these charges. This is a wide open aperture and they're shedding a lot of light on it, as they should.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today is defending the training and conduct of U.S. forces. He says 99.9 percent of troops conduct themselves in an exemplary manner.

Core values trainings for troops, a fallout from Haditha. Sounds like a good idea, but many are asking, is it realistic to teach legal, moral and ethical standards on a battlefield? CNN's Brian Todd investigated for "The Situation Room."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): As they try to piece together what happened at Haditha, U.S. military officials say they're determined not to let it happen again, announcing a new program, what they call core warrior values training.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCES-IRAQ SPOKESMAN: A legal, moral and ethical standards that every military member should be adhering to on the battlefield.

TODD: But from Iraq to Vietnam, combat veterans we spoke to say Marines and soldiers have already gotten training in ethics and morality on the battlefield and they have strong opinions on how this new program might work in situations like Haditha.

GARETT REPPENHAGEN, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: This ethical training that they're talking about right now is a temporary band-aid.

TODD: Garett Reppenhagen was an Army sniper in Iraq. In battle zones like Baqubah, he says his unit was ambushed several times. He says he killed civilians he thought were targeting his unit but turned out to be unarmed. And he says moral and ethical training often breaks down in battle.

REPPENHAGEN: You're dealing with guerilla warfare in an heavily urbanized environment where the combatants and the non-combatants are dressed the same way. You're being attacked by weapons with no distinguishable enemy.

TODD: In Vietnam, Rick Weidman served as an Army medic in the same division as Lt. William Callie (ph), who was convicted of murder in the Milai (ph) massacre. Soldiers frustrated by the loss of five of their own entered the village of Milai and killed hundreds of civilians. Weidman was not at Milai, but his unit was booby trapped and ambushed repeatedly with civilians often in the mix. Mention battlefield ethics to him, he recalls the time he worked on a Vietnamese girl of about 12, wounded by American troops. The girl, he says, had no nose left. He was furious with his unit. RICK WEIDMAN, VIETNAM VETERAN: Until I found out that they had pulled her out from -- that she had opened up on our troops and killed four guys and wounded three others. So who's the enemy?

TODD: But Weidman, Reppenhagen and other veterans we spoke to were quick to say none of that stress excuses the alleged conduct of the Marines at Haditha. They say morality training can work, but only if it works hand in hand with the leadership of officers or combat team leaders in the field who can pull their troops back from those situations.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Brian Todd is part of the team covering the world for "The Situation Room." Join Wolf Blitzer at 4:00 Eastern and again in prime time at 7:00 Eastern.

A question for you. Do you recognize this man? Police call him a suspect in a mass killing in Indianapolis. Gunmen burst into a home last night and slaughtered three generations of one family. Seven victims in all. Not a single survivor. One police officer called the crime one of the worst the city has seen in decades. Reporter Russ McQuaid has been on the scene throughout the morning. He's with our affiliate WXIN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSS MCQUAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indianapolis police are investigating the murders of seven people here on the city's east side. I'll step out of the way as you take a look at this house on Hamilton Avenue were seven people, the Emma Valdez (ph) family, ages 56 all the way down to five years old were found shot to death Thursday night. A witness tells me that at about 10:00 he saw a woman run up to the front porch of that house screaming. When she got to that front door, she was dragged inside that house by her assailant. Perhaps 10 or 12 gunshots rang out. That's when officers responded.

At this point, they know who they're looking for. They're looking for a man who literally grew up in this neighborhood. His name is Desmond Turner. And we heard from Indianapolis Police Chief Mike Spears that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

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.

MCQUAID: Chief Spears says investigators are also looking for a second suspect. We do not have his name yet at this time. It looks like this case started out as a home invasion robbery and became very violent, perhaps the most violent mass killing in the history of the city of Indianapolis.

I'm Russ McQuaid. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And this is the latest on the suspect that police say they are looking for. Desmond Turner. You can see the description, 5'9", 150 pounds, brown-hazel eyes, long sideburns and gold teeth. The latest picture and description of the man that police in Indianapolis are looking for.

Crackdown at the border. Two governors speak out on border patrols, both human and high tech. That's ahead on LIVE TODAY.

Also this hour, a mother's anguish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How closely we came to maybe losing her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The mother of a reporter wounded in Iraq talks about seeing her daughter. Their first meeting after the bomb blast. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All eyes will soon be on the immigration battle in Texas. Millions of them, in fact. The state's governor has announced a plan to use webcams at hot border crossings. Surveillance cameras will be installed on private ranches. Residents will be able to watch the live feed on the Internet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR RICK PERRY, (R) TEXAS: This video will be available 24 hours a day because cameras will be equipped with night vision capabilities. When citizens witness a crime taking place, they will be able to call an 800 number that will be rooted to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The governor is comparing it to a neighborhood watch program. Its price tag a little higher, though, about $5 million.

And a truth in an immigration battle between the Bush administration and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. For more than two weeks, Schwarzenegger has balked at the administration's plan to crack down on illegal immigration by using National Guard troops at the Mexican border. The governor's beef? The cost. Schwarzenegger wanted the federal government to foot the bill, but yesterday he backed down and promised to send his state's share of the 6,000 troops that will beef up border security.

ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

KAGAN: Forty years of mistakes and miscalculations laid bare by a storm named Katrina. The Army Corp of Engineers now says it deserves much of the blame for the levees and flood walls that failed to protect New Orleans. And guess what, you the tax payer have been footing the bill. CNN's Joe Johns explains in a story from "Anderson Cooper 360.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In its massive report, the Army Corp of Engineers conclude the obvious about the system of New Orleans levees it was responsible for. "The hurricane protection in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana was a system in name only." Among the findings, pumping stations were not designed to handle major hurricanes, hurricane protection structures were too low, levee section had erodable materials which, well, it's not good. For the chief of planning and policy at the Corp, it's a chance to get it right next time.

THOMAS WATERS, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: I think what we've got is an opportunity to learn a tremendous amount from this report.

JOHNS: An opportunity, yes, but the fact is the Corps has a long history of squandering opportunities. The Government Accountability Office says it's been bungling the basic leg work for years.

ANU MITTAL, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE: What we have found is the Corps's analysis tends to be fraught with errors and miscalculations. They tend to use outdated information and they use invalid assumptions.

JOHNS: In other words, the Corps has a pattern of getting it wrong. In one case, GAO says it found inflated costs of $56 million, a computer error of $4.7 million and erroneous projected benefits of $4.4 million, all in the same river project in the northeast.

On the Gulf Coast, another example. The Corps placed a $40 million order to buy temporary classrooms for Mississippi schools in the wake of Katrina. The original price had been about half that, about $22 million. The GAO says the Corps never even questioned the contractor when it suddenly raised the price.

So what's going on here?

STEVE ELLIS, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: After the hurricane hit, a lot of people's response was, we didn't spend enough money. Well, no, it's really is that we didn't spend enough money wisely.

JOHNS: Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense says the Corps needs to clean up its act.

ELLIS: The problem is, is that it's sort of wrapped in this sort of wonky economic science that people aren't really paying attention to until the levee in your backyard fails and your house is full of water.

JOHNS: The Corps has said it's working on improving the way it does business. WATERS: A lot of what has been brought out, we have already instituted our own methods to improve how we do things.

JOHNS: But the Corps answers to Congress and the White House and says it does what politicians want. Some in Congress say that doesn't include miscalculations and overspending. They want the Corps to get it right before another catastrophe.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: That story first aired on "Anderson Cooper 360." Watch "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.

A big economic number out today. The jobs number. What does that all mean? Our Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with a special guest.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And you know we've been deluged with economic data all week, but perhaps none as important as the monthly jobs report for May. It came out one hour before the opening bell. At this point I'd like to welcome the 73rd Treasury Secretary of the United States John Snow.

Welcome, Mr. Secretary.

JOHN SNOW, TREASURY SECRETARY: Thank you very much. Good to be on with you.

LISOVICZ: It's good to have you.

You know, that jobs report came in showing 75,000 new jobs created last month. That was less than half of what most economists were expecting. It was the third straight month where the numbers did come in lower than expected and, in fact, the worst month overall since last October when the economy was reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. What's going on?

SNOW: Well, remember, one month's numbers or even a couple numbers bounce around a lot. The important thing is to look at the trend. This is the 33rd straight month of rising employment. I'd also focus on the good news on the unemployment. Unemployment fell to a remarkable 4.6 and we're seeing a broad-based strengthening in labor markets among Hispanics, a new record low for unemployment among African-Americans approaching record lows. So I'd say the report tells us that the overall tone of the labor market remains positive and strong but not overheated.

LISOVICZ: OK. Mr. Secretary, but there were a lot of other reports this week, for instance, that showed manufacturing is slowing, that construction spending actually declined for the first time in 10 months and Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, in fact the world's largest retail, said that its customers are starting to get pinched from high gasoline prices. It's forecasting meager sales. So is this merely a moderation that the Federal Reserve is looking for or is this something worse?

SNOW: Well, I think there's just no doubt about the fact that these high energy prices are creating some headwinds for the economy, particularly in the sectors that you mentioned, leisure, hospitality, construction. The sectors that reflect this discretionary income. And we see that in those numbers.

Now, fortunately, the Energy Department is forecasting lower fuel prices in the fall. That's positive. And if we get lower fuel prices in the fall, that's going to help retailing and hospitality and leisure and all those industries.

LISOVICZ: We're hoping for that, Mr. Secretary. Certainly one of the big headlines this week concerned you. After many months of rumors, you are resigning your position as Treasury secretary. The consensus has been you are very well liked, you are very well respected, but that you have been underappreciated. That you have not been given a seat at the table in terms of shaping economic policy within this White House. Is that a fair assessment?

SNOW: Well, I'm going let historians figure that one out. I think we've had a real good impact on policy. The Treasury always has a key seat at the table on economic policy. We did during my tenure and I'm confident that that will continue. No, I would reject that assessment.

LISOVICZ: Well, we wish you the best of luck. You're going back to the private sector, I assume?

SNOW: Well, I'm going to take some time and figure that out, but I look forward to the fact that the labor markets are so strong and maybe there will be something I can find to do.

LISOVICZ: You have a very good history there as well. John Snow, U.S. Treasury secretary, thank you so much for joining us.

SNOW: Thank you.

LISOVICZ: And that's it from here.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Yes, he might have a few job offers out there.

LISOVICZ: I think so. Yes. Absolutely.

KAGAN: Kind of an impressive resume.

LISOVICZ: Not worried about him at all.

KAGAN: If not, maybe he wants to head for south Florida. That's where our Gerri Willis is standing by.

Hey, Gerri. But you're working in south Florida.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn, good to see you.

KAGAN: Tell us what you'll be talking about.

WILLIS: I'm sorry, the second day of hurricane season here in Miami and I'm telling you, Daryn, it's heating up. We're going to tell you what you need to know to be prepared for hurricane season coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's check out the latest numbers on Wall Street on this Friday. They've been open about an hour, the marks have. Well, things started strong, but they definitely have cooled down. You can see the Dow is down 27 points. The Nasdaq pretty much flat, up less than a single point.

ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

KAGAN: Well, as you know, hurricane season started yesterday. If a hurricane is approaching, what do you do? The new season raises an old question, how do you best protect your family? The key is to prepare now, and we're not even just talking hurricanes. So if you're saying, I don't live near the coast, it doesn't apply to me, wrong. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is in Miami today with her "Top Five Tips" about to get ready for an emergency.

Gerri.

WILLIS: Hey, Daryn.

You know, you've got to have that exit strategy even if it's not a hurricane you're worried about, maybe it's just severe weather. You've got to make sure you know where to go and what the evacuation routes are. You can contact our local Red Cross to find that out and that's the easiest way to make sure that you can get your family and yourself out safe.

KAGAN: Gerri, you need to account for all members of your family no matter where they might be during the day.

WILLIS: That's right. You know, nursing homes, day care facilities. You know, your loved ones may not be at home, so you need to make sure that they have an evacuation plan as well. Do those facilities have backup generators? Do they have agreements with buses or some other kind of way of getting your loved ones out and out safe?

KAGAN: What would go in a disaster bag, Gerri?

WILLIS: Well, you've got to have a three-day supply of food and water. Canned food is a good solution because it will stay fresh for a very long time. Make sure that you also have a battery-operated flashlight and radio. That's really going to help you. Make sure you have all of the stuff together in a bag so you can take it out as you walk out the door. Keep it up-to-date with meds that are current. Make sure that they're not expired. And you know what, if you have glasses, you might want to have an extra pair of glasses in that bag.

KAGAN: Good idea.

What about very valuable items you might own?

WILLIS: Well, you know, it always makes sense to protect your valuables. What you want is a fire-rated cabinet to put them into in your house. So we're talking about the deed, your passport, anything that you can't get a copy of readily, especially your insurance policy because you'll absolutely need that if there are real problems. And if it's just items with sentimental value, make sure they're well protected, wrapped in plastic. Whether it's your wedding dress or maybe your wedding album, a photo album that you really want to hold on to.

KAGAN: And finally, you know pets are very important to me. They need their own preparations, don't they?

WILLIS: Well, they're important to you and they're important to so many Americans. And emergency shelters, they don't take pets as so many people in Katrina found out. So be sure to keep yourself and your pets safe. Find a kennel that will take your pet on and be sure not to stay just for the pet because that's when disaster can really happen.

And, Daryn, I just want to remind people, Saturday morning, 9:30 Eastern on CNN, "Open House." We'll talk about these issues and other. We'll tell you how to keep you, your family, yes, your pets safe in the event of an emergency.

KAGAN: One final question, Gerri. Did they add blue dye to the water behind you to make it that beautiful?

WILLIS: This is exactly what it looks like here. It's absolutely gorgeous. But as you know, Daryn, this weather can turn on a dime and people really need to know in the back of their minds what they need to do if emergency strikes.

KAGAN: And they'll be watching "Open House" tomorrow to learn all about it.

Gerri, thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

ANNOUNCER: Stay with CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

KAGAN: Still ahead, a mother's anguish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How closely we came to maybe losing her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The mother of a reporter wounded in Iraq talks about seeing her daughter. Their first meeting after the bomb blast.

And in Afghanistan, U.S. troops are on the offensive against Taliban insurgents. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is there with an exclusive report. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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