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House Votes on War Resolution; Afghanistan: Edge of Danger

Aired June 16, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. A happy Friday to you. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Ahead this hour, war and politics. The debate over Iraq comes down to a vote in the House. It's happening right now. Details live from Capitol Hill.

Also, hired guns. Once mercenaries, now they're contractors. Our Nic Robertson has an exclusive look inside one of the world's biggest security firms.

And the love between a grandfather with physical challenges and a grandson with mental challenges. It's the makings for lessons in life, love, and even loss.

We'll get to that just ahead.

Right now, though, doing battle over Iraq. The political drama is playing out right now on Capitol Hill.

The House, as you see on the other part of your screen, voting on a war resolution. Republicans are calling it a show of support for U.S. troops. Democrats say it's political showmanship.

More on this developing story now. Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel joins me live from Capitol Hill.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, this resolution is expected to pass with the majority of Republicans supporting it. The question is, how many Democrats will cross over to support it? They feel, Democrats, that is, that they've been boxed in, that not to support this resolution could be used as Republicans to say that they are not -- they don't have resolve in fighting the war on terror, that they are soft on terrorists, and that they don't support American troops.

Needless to say, it has provoked sharp emotion, sharp exchanges over the last day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PATRICK MCHENRY (R), NORTH CAROLINA: They're advocating a policy called cut and run. They're advocating a policy of waving the white flag to our enemies. It is a policy, Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it, that the left in this country are advocating. But we are fighting a war. We are fighting a war against Islamic extremists that hate the very fiber of our being as Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Democrat John Murtha, who is known as one of the most vocal critics of the Iraq war in the Democratic Party, responded to the Republican congressman by saying that he was being sanctimonious. He also expressed tremendous frustration, Daryn, because the Democrats, like Murtha, who plan to vote against the resolution say they do support the troops. And the reason they are going to vote against it is they think it is a failed policy and that they think it is time to bring American troops home -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And so how should this play into elections coming up in November?

KOPPEL: Well, Democrats, again, are concerned that if they vote against it, Republicans can use this vote now that it will be on the record against them. That they can use them in attack ads.

As you know, the polls are showing -- every poll that comes back in recent weeks is showing that the American people are increasingly frustrated with the war. Republicans hoping that this debate, by laying out this argument that the war on terror is linked to the war in Iraq, that they are going to be able to allay the concerns of the American people, explain to them why the war is necessary, why the U.S. has to stay in Iraq for the time being, and that this is fundamentally about supporting troops. It is unclear whether or not they're going to be able to win any -- win over any of the -- the doubting voters at this point -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel, live on Capitol Hill.

Thank you.

On to Iraq, where Friday prayers in Baghdad ended with a bomber on a suicide mission. Police say the bomber waded into worshipers and detonated his explosives. Eleven people were killed, another 25 were wounded.

The same Shiite mosque was hit by a series of attacks in April. Dozens were killed in those bombings. All are blamed on sectarian violence. Today's incident further stokes fears that Iraq is sliding into a civil war.

With all this talk about when U.S. troops might come home, there's another side of the Iraq story that we don't hear about that often. There are an estimated 25,000 private military contractors on the ground in Iraq doing jobs that were once performed by U.S. troops.

It's a highly-sensitive industry not much interested in talking to journalists. But CNN's Nic Robertson was able to get unprecedented access to one of the industry giants. It's called Blackwater USA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The company has never let a TV crew in like this before. Blackwater Vice President Chris Taylor escorts us around. He shows us police officers shooting on a practice range. On mock ships, Blackwater trains sailors in force protection after the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.

Would-be private military contractors train to defeat insurgents.

CHRIS TAYLOR, VICE PRESIDENT, BLACKWATER USA: What we're on right now is the country's largest tactical driving track.

ROBERTSON: 2.6 miles. Custom built. Training here matches daily realities in Baghdad.

TAYLOR: We're going to do a little slalom work here. Again, imagine that you're -- you've been attacked and now you're weaving in and out of traffic to get your principal off the X, to get to a safe zone.

ROBERTSON: Blackwater is the brain child of camera-shy multimillionaire Eric Prince.

After 9/11, business boomed. They've just built a brand new headquarters.

(on camera): Thanks. I see the gun barrels on the doors.

TAYLOR: Yes.

ROBERTSON: A nice touch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit of the Blackwater motif.

ROBERTSON: And here it is, as well, Blackwater.

(voice over): Wartime demands allowed them to expand. They're now the second-largest employer in northeastern North Carolina.

TAYLOR: Right, 8,000 square feet in the original building, 64,000 square feet here.

ROBERTSON (on camera): That's a big expansion.

TAYLOR: It's a rather big expansion, but it's needed. Certainly we've left room for growth.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Growth, because Taylor believes Blackwater has a bright future.

TAYLOR: There's opportunities all over the world. Where we think that we can make a very big impact immediately is in peacekeeping operations.

ROBERTSON: The protection of innocents in Darfur, Sudan, is just one of the global hot issues the company says it is ready to tackle. It's so committed to expansion in new markets. Blackwater hired 30- year CIA veteran Cofer Black, who for years headed the U.S. hunt for Osama bin Laden.

COFER BLACK, VICE CHAIRMAN, BLACKWATER USA: My company could deploy a reasonably small force under the guidance and leadership of any established national authority and do a terrific job.

ROBERTSON: As vice chairman of Blackwater, he's using his global contacts to search out new lucrative contracts. And not just in the realm of peacekeeping. The company is developing airships for surveillance. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, heavily-armed Blackwater protection teams were among the first on the scene.

TAYLOR: If you notice, the hull is in a V shape.

ROBERTSON: And frustrated by the high U.S. troop death toll from roadside bombs, Blackwater has built a prototype for an armored alternative to the Humvee.

The company says it can assemble hundreds of battle-ready men. A small private army at a moment's notice.

BLACK: Those companies that limit themselves particularly to providing only security services will be increasingly challenged over time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Nic Robertson joins us live from Baghdad.

Nic, explain to us how this relationship works when you have a private military contractor and the U.S. military. Who is in charge and how does the relationship work when they work together?

ROBERTSON: Well, the U.S. military, the Pentagon, or perhaps the State Department, in some cases, writes a contract, puts it out to tender, and gives it to whichever company makes the best offer on that tender. What happens when it gets in country here in Iraq is really a matter of the -- the sort of events on the ground unfolding.

In the early days of private military contractors here, there were so many contracts. Contracts were being written so quickly, there was very little oversight and ability to control what some private military contractors were doing, in as much as they were absolutely needed and a day's effort of their effort could not be lost. So they couldn't be replaced.

But I think the situation now is a more established, stable situation where the contractors, people like Blackwater, working here now and perhaps slightly more under the more watchful eye of the people who are giving them the contract. Blackwater, of course, is one of the very big names in the private military contracting industry, and they're one of the most more respected in the field at the moment -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad.

Thank you.

You can see more of Nic's exclusive reporting on the private contracting industry. Watch the half-hour special only on CNN this weekend. It airs at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Saturday and again at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

There are troubling allegations against U.S. Marines. This morning, a new development in the Haditha investigation. Military sources say one report on the deaths of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha is now complete. The report focused on whether there was a cover-up. It now goes to the second in command in Iraq for review.

Another probe into possible criminal charges continues. Marines are accused of killing innocent Iraqis after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb.

On the edge of danger. A rare look at the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of helicopter pilots. An inside look at Task Force Knighthawk.

This is a report you'll see only here on CNN.

Also, a grandfather with physical obstacles, a grandson with mental challenges, and the lessons of life, love and loss that you can learn from their story. That's ahead.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It is day three of the anti-Taliban blitz known as Operation Mountain Thrust in Afghanistan. Coalition forces report killing about 40 militants since the start of the large-scale offensive. U.S. helicopters are the backbone of operations in the desolate Afghan mountains and deserts.

Our Brent Sadler talked to fighter pilots on the front lines, including one of the few women in the cockpit. This is a report you'll see only here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Taliban country, southern Afghanistan. U.S.-led forces push hard with a mountain offensive, quickening the pace. Repositioning fire power to blast Taliban insurgents when they hit and run.

Kandahar Air Base, a center of operations, packed with U.S. helicopters from Task Force Knighthawk. Double rotors do the heavy lifting, Apache gun ships fight. Black Hawks join the loop of re- supply. Moving troops and ammo, flying missions on the edge of danger.

COL. MARK PATTERESON, COMMANDER, TASK FORCE KNIGHTHAWK: Each and every day, every time we launch an aircraft from here, it is a combat mission. And we treat it just like a combat mission.

SADLER: Thirty-one-year-old Lieutenant Nicole Smith knows about combat missions. Fresh into this war from flight school, she is the co-pilot gunner of this U.S. Army Apache gun ship.

(on camera): Give me some idea of what it's like from up here when you're facing ground fire from the Taliban.

LT. NICOLE SMITH, APACHE PILOT: It's pretty scary. And you're always a little bit nervous because you never know what your -- what your -- what kind of situation you're going into and what to expect.

SADLER: The Apache was designed to knock out Soviet tanks during the Cold War, but here in Afghanistan, its (INAUDIBLE) against the Taliban is very different.

(voice over): This Apache is training for hard battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right target, 500 meters!

SADLER: Pilots say they get so close to the Taliban, it feels like a knife fight.

CAPT. KEVIN HICKEY, APACHE PILOT: We can see them, they can say us. We try to shoot them before they shoot at us. But there's always fire going both ways.

SMITH: When I get in the aircraft and I strap in, and I'm not letting the adrenaline or seriousness of the situation affect the way that I would normally operate the aircraft, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. This is a dream come true.

SADLER: Her boss, Knighthawk's commander, returns from a grueling nine-hour combat mission. The war, he says, is going well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly, we're winning. We're making a difference here each and every day. There is no doubt in my military mind that we're making a difference.

SADLER: The difference, hopes the U.S. military, between a country that breeds terrorism to one that can defeat it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that was our Brent Sadler reporting.

Now here in the U.S., they terrorized the D.C. area, but their rampage may have started long before those deadly shootings. "The Washington Post" reports that convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo is telling authorities about other shootings. They happened in the month before the October 2002 sniper attacks.

Two men were killed, two others wounded. The paper says that Malvo claims he and John Allen Muhammad were responsible for those shootings in California, Texas, Arizona and Louisiana. House Democrats vote to boot one of their own off of a powerful committee. It is now up to the full House to decide if Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson should be suspended from the Ways and Means Committee. Jefferson is mired in a federal bribery investigation. He has not been charged and he denies any wrongdoing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON (D), LOUISIANA: I pointed out that the punishment is unauthorized, but it also is -- and unnecessary -- but it also is not right for the folks who I represent. Now, back home now...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: There are allegations that Jefferson took $100,000 to help business ventures in Africa. He's expected in court this afternoon to challenge an FBI search of his congressional office.

Remember those tales of so-called Katrina victims blowing federal aid money? Well, one company is offering you, the taxpayer, a refund.

Hooters is sending back the $200 that one free-spending recipient doled out on a bottle of top-shelf champagne. FEMA is gladly accepting the cash back, but the bubbly is just a drop in the bucket. A government probe found that more than $1 billion in relief payments were spent improperly.

Let's go to the floor of the U.S. House. A final vote is just in, 256-153. The resolution passes. It's a resolution that talks about leaving the troops where they are.

It rejects the setting of a timetable for pulling American troops out of Iraq. It is a non-binding resolution saying that the U.S. must stay its course. The Democrats have called this an election-year stunt. But it passes on the floor of the House.

Well, they say everything is big in Texas, so why does Snooky the snake have to go?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't want to get rid of him. Why would I want to get rid of him? I've had him for almost 30 years. And, you k now, he's like part of the family. I've had my wife for over 30 years, I'm not planning on getting rid of her either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: But apparently size does matter. And Snooky, the 20- foot, 200-pound python is now a fugitive.

Details coming up.

And tom Cruise, he jumped on Oprah's couch. Now he leaps ahead of her on one important list. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Hot and dry, fires in the West. Crews in New Mexico are having some success, fighting a 150 fire -- make that a 150-acre fire south of Albuquerque. It jumped the Rio Grande and it shut down Interstate 25 yesterday. It's mostly contained and the highway is open again.

But now a 6,900-acre blaze in southern New Mexico is threatening homes and forcing evacuations there.

And then to northern Arizona, Flagstaff. A wind-driven fire sent residents out of about a thousand homes, fleeing for some kind of cover. That fire, though, is now contained.

Let's check in with Chad Myers.

So it's looking pretty dry there in the Southwest.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. It's hot and dry.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: All right, Chad. Don't go anywhere. I've been wanting to tell you this, but I'm looking at the "Forbes" movers and shakers list...

MYERS: I'm not on it.

KAGAN: Not this year.

MYERS: No.

KAGAN: There's always next year.

MYERS: If there's a bottom 100, I would be close.

KAGAN: Well, let's see who is on it. Let's take a look at who has more clout than others.

"Forbes" magazine listing the 100 most powerful celebrities. Tom Cruise -- no. It's about money, though. "Forbes" deciding his $67 million in earnings last year, as well as his headline-grabbing antics.

Now, Oprah -- remember, he jumped on Oprah's couch.

MYERS: Right.

KAGAN: She slides from first place to third.

Buzz and money also make for some strange bedfellows. Get this, Chad. Angelina Jolie is tied for 35 place...

MYERS: Yes?

KAGAN: ... with guess who?

MYERS: Yes?

KAGAN: Jennifer Aniston.

MYERS: Yes.

KAGAN: Strange.

OK. A different kind of measurement now. He is big and long, and, yes, size matters.

Hold on there, Chad, with your dirty brain. We're talking about a snake. Sweet Snooky posing a bit of a problem because of his size.

Reporter Natalie Tejeda of our affiliate WOAI is in San Antonio -- oh my. She has the details on Snooky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead. Pull.

NATALIE TEJEDA, REPORTER, WOAI (voice over): Inside this Great Dane carrier is Carl Schweikardt's best friend.

CARL SCHWEICKARDT, SNOOKY'S OWNER: We've had him for nearly 30 years. I haven't had my kids that long.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snooky is your friendly neighborhood python.

TEJEDA (on camera): When you hear the word "python," you might think, so what, it's just a snake? But Snooky here is no ordinary snake.

SCHWEICKARDT: I think he's a little bit over 20 feet long. I know he weighs about 200 pounds.

TEJEDA (voice over): Unfortunately, that makes him a fugitive within San Antonio city limits.

ED WRIGHT, ANIMAL CONTROL: According to the city ordinance, any snake, non-poisonous snake over three feet long is not prohibited.

TEJEDA: For years, Snooky and his human, Carl, have been one of the biggest -- no pun intended -- crowd pleasers at the local high school.

SCHWEICKARDT: There's probably been at least a thousand kids through McArthur High School (ph), where they've done exactly what we're doing now.

TEJEDA: But not anymore. An anonymous tip to animal control by a neighbor, a snake snitch, put authorities hot on his tail.

SCHWEICKARDT: That's the end of the (INAUDIBLE). But trust me, this end is far more dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really? Why?

SCHWEICKARDT: He poops.

TEJEDA: And despite his educational value, Snooky is now on the run, or should I say, slither.

SCHWEICKARDT: I really don't want to get rid of him. Why would I want to get rid of him? I've had him for almost 30 years. And, you know, he's like part of the family. I've had my wife for over 30 years and I don't plan on getting rid of her, either.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, I guess that's good news for that guy's wife. She's still in.

Good luck with Snooky there in San Antonio.

Coming up, life changed in an instant when a motorcycle rider had an accident without a helmet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your brain just keeps on moving into the skull, and it tears apart the blood vessels in the brain, tears apart the nerves in the brain, smashes the brain against the skull.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It's a risky ride that can take a deadly turn.

Ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

And a grandfather's love for his grandson is the inspiration for a book that might teach you something about life, love and loss, and make you think about Father's Day. Don't miss it coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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