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Paula Zahn Now
Will President Bush Order U.S. Troop Surge in Iraq?; U.S. Marines Charged in Alleged Massacre of Iraqi Civilians; Combat Stress on the Rise?
Aired December 21, 2006 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: And thanks for joining us. Paula is off tonight.
There is important news, of course, coming in to CNN all the time. Tonight, we are choosing these top stories for a more in-depth look.
The top story in the Iraq war: Is it time for a surge? We will look into a controversial idea that could buy time for Iraq's government to get its act together. But it could also turn more U.S. troops into targets.
They're also a troubling "Top Story" on the home front: troops bringing back demons from the war. We're going in-depth tonight on the alarming increase in violence, even suicide, among men and women veterans.
And the "Top Story" in politics: swearing on the Bible. Tonight, a Virginia congressman isn't apologizing for insisting a newly elected Muslim colleague can't use the Koran at next month's swearing-in ceremony. we will hear from both men.
Tonight's "Top Story" is the war in Iraq. The U.S. military death toll is closing in on a grim milestone. It stands at 2,958, only a little short of 3,000.
But, in an interview with the Associated Press today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the Iraq war worth the investment, in both American lives and dollars. The war has cost $350 billion so far. And the Pentagon reportedly wants another $100 billion early next year.
The Bush administration is in the process of rethinking its Iraq strategy. And one idea gaining -- gaining momentum is called a surge, dramatically increasing the number of U.S. troops. As we speak, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is shopping that idea around Baghdad.
Our in-depth coverage starts with senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. He's the only network TV reporter traveling with Secretary Gates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, why don't we get something to eat? And then we can sit down and have a conversation. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On his fourth day on the job, second in Iraq, America's new defense secretary invited a small group of 15 frontline troops to breakfast. While he didn't call it a surge, Gates asked a cross-section of soldiers what they thought about sending more troops into Baghdad.
To a man and a woman, they said, bring it on, just the opposite of what top commanders have advised until now.
Specialist Jason Glenn's response was typical.
SPECIALIST JASON GLENN, DEPLOYED TO IRAQ: I really think we need more troops here. I really think we need more troops in Iraq. I'm just thinking that maybe, with more presence on the ground, more troops might be able to hold them off long enough to where we can actually get some of the Iraqis trained up strong, so that they can hold it themselves.
MCINTYRE: When Gates went around the room, there seemed to be general agreement: More would be better.
To surge or not to surge is the main question Gates is trying to resolve on his whirlwind visit, so the views of the grunts could carry considerable weight.
How do you say no when the troops you command say they need help?
GATES: They were not hesitant about giving it. I think, like -- like most people on the front lines in a battle, they would always like to have more forces.
MCINTYRE: General John Abizaid argued forcefully in recent months that pouring more U.S. troops into Baghdad would only slow Iraqi process.
Other commanders say, to surge for the sake of surging would do little but to run up the U.S. body count, while providing only temporary relief from the violence.
So, in meetings with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and other members of his government, Gates wanted to find out what Iraq would do if the U.S. buys it more time with an infusion of fresh combat forces.
GATES: One of the strong messages that I received today was the desire of the Iraqi government to take a leadership role in addressing some of the challenges.
MCINTYRE: Following the meetings, Gates said no specific troop numbers were discussed, only broad concepts.
(on camera): Robert Gates told the troops he talked to here in Baghdad that he didn't return to public life to play politics. He told them he is looking for a package of new ways to do things that would include an increased focus on the economy and reconstruction, and, primarily, ensuring that the Iraqi government doesn't fail. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Defense Secretary Gates isn't alone in touring the Middle East right now. To the Bush administration's considerable annoyance, a pair of Democratic senators, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and John Kerry of Massachusetts, are also making the round to talk about Iraq policy.
As Kathleen Koch reports, they stopped in Syria today, a country President Bush would just as soon avoid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The American government won't speak with Syrian leaders, but, today, two Democratic senators were in Damascus doing just that, asking Syria to help calm things down in neighboring Iraq. At first, the White House condemned today's trip by Senators John Kerry and Chris Dodd.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The point is that even lending a further specter of legitimacy to that government undermines the cause of democracy in the region.
KOCH: But a high-profile Republican senator, Arlen Specter, is also scheduled to hold meetings in Syria this week.
And President Bush himself appears to believe there might some value in at least communicating with Syria.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have had visits with the Syrians in the past. Congressmen and senators visit Syria.
KOCH: The U.S. cut off high-level diplomatic contacts with Syria in late 2004. The Bush administration has refused to renew them until Syria stops sending money and weapons into Iraq, and stops interfering in Lebanon.
But the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recently recommended opening a dialogue with Syria and Iran to help stabilize Iraq. So far, there have been no high-profile American visitors to Iran, a longtime antagonist. But the American public seems unsure whether Syria is friend or foe. A new CNN survey by the Opinion Research Corporation finds roughly the same percentage consider it friendly as unfriendly.
And experts are split over whether such visits hurt or help Bush foreign policy.
DANIELLE PLETKA, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: It is a shame when two U.S. senators travel to a foreign country, well within their rights as members of the Foreign Relations Committee, in an effort to undercut the president's foreign policy, in an effort to create another policy, in opposition to his. NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: The administration does not want to begin a formal dialogue with Syria. Having an informal, even back-channel, dialogue is another way of doing this.
KOCH: Still, both Senators Dodd and Kerry may run for president in 2008. So, even if the short-term goal is to improve relations with Syria, there's a clear long-term political motivation for possible presidential contenders brushing up their foreign policy credentials.
(on camera): As to administration displeasure with such high- level diplomatic freelancing, those involved seem little concerned about angering a lame-duck president whose administration, so far, has done nothing to block their trips.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: There's a top legal story associated with the war tonight.
Just hours ago, the U.S. Marines announced an array of criminal charges against eight men. Four of them face multiple counts of murder. They're accused of taking part in a massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians, including children, in a town called Haditha.
Thelma Gutierrez joins us now from Camp Pendleton in California, where the charges were announced -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this was the culmination now of a very long investigating that has been going on for nearly a year.
Earlier today, officials here at Camp Pendleton announced that eight Marines who were involved in the Haditha incident, will have criminal charges filed against them. Four had murder charges filed against them for the deaths of Iraqi civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Anxious moments for the families of the Marines awaiting their fate.
JACLYN SHARRATT, SISTER OF U.S. MARINE: Probably the most terrifying and most stressful thing we will probably ever go through as a family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That he did what he had to do at that time. It's no easy -- no easy thing over there.
GUTIERREZ: Haditha, Iraq, November 19, 2005. It's 7:15 in the morning. The fourth armored vehicle, carrying four Marines, hit a powerful close explosive buried beneath the asphalt. The Humvee is ripped apart.
And a popular Marine, 20-year-old Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas of Kilo Company, is blown in half.
What happens over the next several hours in one neighborhood in Haditha is now the subject of one of the largest criminal investigations to come out of the war in Iraq. According to Marines on the ground that day, immediately following the explosion, they came under enemy fire. They say that, following the rules of engagement, they shot and killed four young men in a taxi and the driver, when they failed to lie on ground, as ordered.
But eyewitnesses say the occupants were pulled out of the taxi and shot. The Marines then claim they pursued the enemy house to house. By the end of the day, 24 Iraqis are dead, nine of them women and children.
Two young survivors, eyewitnesses, allege, the Marines shot their family members in cold blood.
COLONEL STEWART NAVARRE, MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS WEST: Based on the findings of the investigations, various charges have been preferred against four Marines relating to the deaths of the Iraqi civilians on 19 November, 2005.
GUTIERREZ: Four Marines were charged with unpremeditated murder. They are Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, and Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich.
Wuterich was the squad leader. He was charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder, 12 individual killings, and one count of unpremeditated murder for ordering the squad members to use deadly force to clear a house, killing six Iraqis.
Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt's father says his son is still his hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frank isn't that type of person. Like I say, he's a caring person. He's a good father.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And, so Thelma Gutierrez, what happens to these men now, while they await the next step in the legal process?
GUTIERREZ: Well, I can tell you, John, that the Marines aren't restricted in any way.
In fact, we were told by Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt's parents that he will be going home at Christmas. It will be the first time that he is home in two years.
Also, Staff Sergeant Wuterich will remain here at Camp Pendleton. He is expecting his third child. He and his wife are expecting their third child to be born at any time now.
And there will be some kind of a proceeding held in the spring, an Article 32, which is similar to a grand jury investigation. So, a trial is still a ways off. But, during that time, these Marines will be free and unrestricted to move around as they please.
KING: Thelma Gutierrez, thank you very much, Thelma.
Now, the story of the Haditha massacre points to the intense stress of combat and the repercussions that are not limited to war zones -- coming up, tonight's "Top Story" on the home front, an in- depth look at the alarming increase in violence and suicidal depression among both men and women coming home from Iraq.
Later, tonight's "Top Story" in politics: Should a Muslim congressmen be allowed to take a Koran to his swearing-in ceremony?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tonight's top health story is for anyone who intends to toast the holidays. Does a chemical in red wine help you live longer? Don't pop the corks until you see our report in just a little bit.
Right now, though, our "Top Story" on the home front: the growing stress of the Iraq war on soldiers and their families, ominous signs of that in a new U.S. military report.
The Army's Mental Health Advisory Team report found, 45 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported being in life-threatening situations where they were unsure how to respond. And the stress increases as the number of tours increase.
More than 12 percent of soldiers report acute stress in their first tour, with a leap to more than 18 percent in their second tour. And the numbers of soldiers on a third tour could increase as the war goes on next year.
Our Kelli Arena shows us how one military family was torn apart after what should have been a happy homecoming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They grew up together as kids, in the same neighborhood, in a typical American suburb.
"SARAH," EX-WIFE OF IRAQ WAR VETERAN: We went roller-skating, ice-skating.
ARENA: He was a quiet kid, she says, never mean, never got angry.
SARAH: He was very tender-hearted. He was very kind. He was very gentle.
ARENA: He was a boy we will call John. She was a girl we will call Sarah. We agreed not to use their real names to protect their privacy.
Barely out of high school when 9/11 happened, John decided to join the Army. Right after he enlisted, these high school sweethearts got married. But it wasn't long before John was shipped off to Iraq, and the newlyweds for separated for a year.
By the time he came home, Sarah says, her once quiet and gentle husband was a completely different man.
SARAH: He told me that he needed to feel pain. He would take, like, a kitchen utensil, a metal one, and he would put it on the stove and get it hot. And he would run it against his skin. And he would burn himself.
ARENA: But Sarah says that self-inflection of pain soon turned to brutal violence against her.
SARAH: He grabbed me by my arms and held them behind my back, and told me, if I wanted to be treated like a EPW, that he was going to treat me like a EPW.
ARENA: EPW, or enemy prisoner of war, a term the Iraqi war vet was now using to describe his confused wife, a woman he tried to strangle.
(on camera): When he had his hands around your neck, what were you thinking?
SARAH: How could -- how could this be? This was the man that I was in love with since I was 13 years old. Is this the man that I'm still in love with?
ARENA (voice-over): And it got worse. One day, Sarah says she left their infant daughter with John to run a quick errand. Gone just half-an-hour, she returned to find bruises on their baby's buttocks.
SARAH: To this day, I don't know what happened to my daughter. I know he left bruises on her and he did hurt her. But do I know what happened? No, I don't.
ARENA: Sarah rushed the baby to the emergency room, and the incident was documented.
If John were a civilian, it's likely he would have faced criminal assault charges. Instead, he was honorably discharged from the Army, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
John doesn't dispute these facts, but did not want to talk on camera, saying he would rather forget that part of his life.
ARENA (on camera): Sarah is not alone. In ordinary neighborhoods just like this around the United States, members of the military are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan bearing deep emotional scars. And their wives are feeling the pain.
(voice-over): Depending on the study, domestic violence rates in the military are two to five times higher than among civilians. And experts say it can't all be blamed on post-traumatic stress disorder.
Karen Houppert wrote a book about military marriages. KAREN HOUPPERT, AUTHOR, "HOME FIRES BURNING": There's a lot of stress associated with the -- what they call the redeployment, the -- the soldier coming home, and trying to reintegrate to family life. There's a different, clashing set of expectations.
ARENA: The Department of Defense would not provide anyone for an on-camera interview.
In a statement, it says it is "committed to providing family- advocacy programs that prevent, identity, report, treat, and follow up cases of child and spouse abuse," calling it a "preventable crime."
The DOD says it has also deployed contracted licensed clinical providers to installations worldwide to increase the support of resources available.
In Sarah's case, she says the Army sent the couple to marriage counseling and John to anger-management classes.
But some experts say that offering treatment, without punishment, sends the message that the violence will be tolerated.
HOUPPERT: So, they think, you know, send this soldier to couples counseling. We have paid a lot of money to train this guy. He's a good soldier. We don't want to lose him. Let's just, you know, prop him up in this way, and play this down, and maybe it will go away. And -- and they're -- it doesn't.
ARENA: Sarah knows that, all too well.
SARAH: This is not the life that I imagined to have. I thought I would -- I thought we would be a happy family for the rest of my life. But now I have to raise and support two kids on my own. This isn't the life that I imagined that I was going to have.
ARENA: Kelli Arena, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: It isn't just men who are coming back from the war with hidden and potentially deadly problems -- next, more about our "Top Story" on the home front, women who come home from war, only to commit suicide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Our "Top Story" on the home front moves on to look at how the incredible levels of combat stress in Iraq can lead to suicide.
Once again, that newly released U.S. military report sounds the alarm, with the rate of suicide among Iraq veterans doubling between 2004 and 2005, to nearly 20 per 100,000. That means the suicide rate of soldiers serving in Iraq is now nearly twice the American average.
And ever since the military expanded the duties of female soldiers, far more of them are becoming victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.
As Deborah Feyerick found, the effect on families is devastating.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Navy medic Linda Michel came home from Iraq in September, her husband and three kids met her at the airport, overjoyed she was back safe, or so they thought.
FRANTZ MICHEL, WIFE COMMITTED SUICIDE FOLLOWING AFTER IRAQ TOUR: Seemed a little nervous, a little -- I don't know, a little different.
FEYERICK: Linda, a trained nurse, had been treating prisoners at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq for almost a year. Like many women returning from war, the transition would be tough.
MICHEL: She had to kind of get used to these children. She had to kind of get used to -- to the house. There was a lot of difficulty adjusting.
FEYERICK: For Linda, getting readjusted was especially hard. Her husband, Frantz, a lieutenant colonel in the infantry reserve, had searched in Iraq a year earlier. As a result, the couple had been apart for nearly three years.
MICHEL: I think she was afraid that she might not be able to pick up the pieces and get her life back the way it was.
FEYERICK: Two weeks after coming home, Linda Michel, Navy medic and mother of three, sat on her bed and shot herself in the chest with her husband's gun.
FEYERICK (on camera): Were you the one who found her?
MICHEL: Yes. I had no idea at what level, you know, how -- how deep -- how much pain she was in.
FEYERICK (voice-over): About 150,000 women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Experts say, women are more likely than men to feel the emotional effects of the battlefield once they come home.
An Army study this year examined 220 veterans, and found nearly 24 percent of women, compared to 19 percent of men, suffered some mental illness.
HELENA DAVIS, MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE: You know, it is the intensity of pain.
FEYERICK: Helena Davis, a mental health expert, says, Linda's feelings are common among women, who learn how to survive in combat zones, only to lose their identity when the fighting stops.
DAVIS: A woman coming home from war, first of all, has to deal with letting go of her warrior self and coming back to her parent self, caretaker self. FEYERICK: Women may isolate themselves rather than ask for help, which they feel, mistakenly, is a sign of weakness.
(on camera): Do you think your wife hid her vulnerability?
MICHEL: She always wanted to portray herself as being strong. Every job she did, she did it at 110 percent.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Frantz says, in Iraq, Linda was prescribed antidepressants, which she quit when she left. He had no indication how serious the problem was from either his wife or the Defense Department.
The armed forces do not monitor troops who may suffer psychological problems once they get home. Even the symptoms for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder may not surface for weeks. The Veterans Administration says, monitoring vets would be an invasion of privacy.
DR. PATRICIA RESICK, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: Once you're discharged, you're a citizen. I mean, we can't -- we can't mandate citizens of our country to go get mental health care or get checkups, as -- as veterans.
FEYERICK: Frantz Michel says he doesn't blame anyone, and that he and his wife are patriots, proud of their service. Now he's left to pick up the pieces.
(on camera): So, what does the youngest ask you?
MICHEL: When is mom coming back?
FEYERICK: What do you tell her?
MICHEL: Mom is in heaven now. Mom is not coming back. But mom is always with us. And she will always be part of the family.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Albany, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: That's so sad.
So, is the military doing enough to help returning veterans make that critical adjustment back to civilian life?
Joining me now is Paul Rieckhoff. He is the founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and author of "Chasing Ghosts," which is based on his experience in -- in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
The point in Deborah Feyerick's piece, help me, Paul, understand. What should the government do? You come back from a combat situation, whether you're a man or a woman. If you're leaving, and being discharged, you heard the Veterans official saying, well, you are not in the Army anymore. It would be an invasion of privacy.
And, yet, many of these people obviously have psychological problems. What should the government be doing?
PAUL RIECKHOFF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Well, I think that's really passing the buck.
The bottom line is that the government, the Department of Defense, the V.A., all Americans, should be doing more to take care of our soldiers and Marines when they come home. It doesn't matter what part of the country you're serving in. You are going to be adversely affected.
Roughly one in three veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are going to face post-traumatic stress disorder or some other kind of mental health issue. So, the toll, the human toll is going to be substantial.
And, when they come home, there aren't nearly enough transitional care services, job placement, transitional housing. It is just not there. And we are going to see, unfortunately, stories like this increase in the coming years, as more and more veterans come home.
KING: Well, two tragic stories there relayed by Deborah Feyerick and Kelli Arena. I want you to help us understand this through your experience, as you put it, going from Baghdad to Brooklyn. When you came home, did you have problems?
RIECKHOFF: I did.
I had spent just under a year in central Baghdad with an infantry unit. And -- and we were in close contact every day with the Iraqi people. And it is very stressful. You don't know where the next roadside bomb is going to come from.
And, when you come home, America really looks like it's living life uninterrupted. I mean, look at today. People are talking about Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump, as troops are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan every day. It's a very abrupt shift.
And, as such a small percentage of the overall population, you feel like very few people understand your experiences. So, it's very tough.
KING: Well, we're focusing a bit on what you think -- you say the government is passing the buck -- on what should happen after you come home. But what about while you're still there? That is, of course, when you're encountering the stress.
And perhaps you don't realize it yet, because you don't have the shock, the transition of coming home.
RIECKHOFF: Sure.
KING: But is there anything done, if you're on a routine deployment, every two, three months, four months, six months? Are you -- do you ever get any screening at all, so that, at least, if there are warning signs, the government could see them, the Army, the Marines, could see them, before you come home? RIECKHOFF: Well, our group and others have been fighting for a better job -- for the Army to do a better job of screening, both before you leave, while you're there, and when you get home.
But the screening is just not extensive enough. The Army is improving, but they have got a long way to go. And you mentioned the number of suicides in theater. That's significant, a twofold increase over the previous year. But we don't even know how many suicides there are once people come home.
If you leave the Department of Defense, go over to the V.A., and take your own life, you don't go in that count. And that's a number that I'm afraid is much higher, and I think we are going to see continue to rise over the next few years.
KING: Well, help us -- help us understand that, looking forward. I live in Washington.
RIECKHOFF: Sure.
KING: And I go to Washington Wizards basketball games. And they bring in some of the kids who are recovering from their injuries at Walter Reed. And you see the horrible things that happen with the IEDs, the maimings, the physical injuries.
But how do you track -- how do you keep track of the psychological injuries that, perhaps, once these people are put back into society, they might deny?
RIECKHOFF: That's the responsibility of the V.A.
Right now, over 70,000 claims at the V.A. have been waiting for over six months to be processed. There's a tremendous backlog at the V.A. And that is because the V.A. is underfunded by close to $4 billion.
There's something called the independent budget that is put together by leading veterans groups and mental health groups, over 60 total, that say that, right now, the V.A. is $4 billion short. Right now, veterans issues are not a priority in this country. We need them to be. We need the president, we need Congress and all Americans to make veterans a priority. It people really do support the troops, it starts with fully funding the V.A. and making veterans issues a top priority.
KING: We're having this conversation at a time the president is thinking about sending 20,000, perhaps 40,000, more U.S. troops, what is called a surge into Iraq. What about in the active-duty? Is it considered wimpy? Is it considered wrong to say, "I'm having some issues here"?
RIECKHOFF There's a huge stigma that we've all got to overcome within the military. And that's going to take a larger programmatic initiative on the part of all services within the military, to help people overcome that stigma. But it is. It's a culture of toughness. We think we're tough, we can get through it. We need the Army and the V.A. to be more proactive and to reach to us, to check on us and say, "How are you doing, Sergeant? You just got home."
We want to connect with the V.A. Services and have a V.A. that's really proactive so we don't wait for the veterans to come to the doors of the V.A., but we have a program that includes all Americans that reaches out to them. That's the key here.
KING: We saw piece about a woman who committed suicide, a man who committed domestic violence. What are the warning signs, based on your experience, if there is a veteran who's just back, watching tonight or a family member or a friend of someone watching for perhaps someone who's not showing violent behavior or giving outward signs of depression, what are some of the warning signs?
RIECKHOFF Well, you're going to have overall troubles readjusting. You'll have rage issues. Maybe your temper is short. You might pull away from your friends and family, have trouble around crowds, have hard time adapting to living with your wife and children again.
And some of these are standard. But if they proceed over time, you really should go to your local V.A. and try to get some care. Our website and others on the web that can provide resources locally. If you're V.A. is not close enough or if their response has not been quick.
But we all -- everyone watching, everyone around America need to do more, so those resources are broader and more accessible.
KING: All right, Paul Rieckhoff, thank you very much.
RIECKHOFF Thank you, sir.
KING: Difficult issue.
No, thank you, sir.
And we're going to move on to the tonight's story in politics. A Virginia congressman says a Muslim colleague shouldn't bring a Koran to his swearing in. Some U.S. Muslims are furious.
Later, a top story in health. A way to get an ingredient in red wine that may help you live longer without getting drunk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: In this half hour of our top story coverage, red wine's healthy secrets. There's a way to get all the benefits without any of the alcohol.
And get ready for another round in the war of words between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump. The Donald is on "LARRY KING LIVE" at the top of the hour. Our top story in politics is part of our ongoing look at racism and intolerance in America. Lately, we've been reporting on these issues in-depth.
Tonight a brand new controversy where religion and immigration and race all collide. It began where Virginia's Republican Congressman Virgil Goode fired off an angry letter about plans by the first Muslim elected to Congress, Democrat Keith Ellison of Minnesota, to use a Koran instead of a Bible at his swearing in ceremony.
Brian Todd joins us now from Virginia with the latest -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, we came down here to Virgil Goode's home district to find out if the congressman wanted to clarify his remarks in any way. He certainly did. He was not only non- repentant, he was outright defiant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Congressman Virgil Goode is proud to have the Ten Commandments on his office wall. He's not about to take back what wrote about an incoming Muslim congressman, no matter who's offended.
REP. VIRGIL GOODE, (R) VIRGINIA: No, I do not apologize. And I do not retract my letter. The letter stands for itself.
CONGRESSMAN-ELECT KEITH ELLISON, (D) MINNESOTA: My name's Keith Ellison. I'm running for United States Congress.
TODD: The letter was about incoming Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, who plans to use the Koran at his unofficial swearing-in.
Responding to letters from constituents, Goode wrote back, "I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. If American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."
When we pressed Goode on whether against Ellison using the Koran at his swearing in:
GOODE: "That's the call for the voters in that district in Minnesota on whom they elect."
TODD: But then he got to his broader concern.
GOODE: I fear that in the next century, we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt strict immigration policies.
TODD: Reaction is blistering,especially from Muslim groups.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were shocked to learn that Congressman Goode holds these kinds of views against Muslims and immigrants in general. It is appalling to see an elected official to a national office, to hold such bigoted and intolerant views.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And Brian Todd joins us again live from Virginia.
Brian, he speaks of adopting the Virgil Goode position on immigration. What is that position? Does he say no Muslims should be allowed in the United States?
TODD 9on camera): Essentially, he does say that, John. He falls literally just shy of it. His policy, as he outlined in the letter, is he wants to stop illegal immigration completely and end -- completely reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard, he says, by President Clinton.
He reiterated several times in the letter and several times in the news conference that he is against letting more Muslims in the country. And he is very guarded about more Muslims being elected to Congress, as he reiterated several times in the news conference and in his letter.
KING: And, Brian, as you note, he clearly isn't about to apologize. In fact, he seems to be celebrating his position, which has many saying, then, the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives should repudiate Congressman Goode.
Have we heard from the leadership?
TODD: That's a very good question. John, we have been told by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, they want the Republican leadership to repudiate him. They're calling openly for it. We've made repeated phone calls today to the office Outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert and outgoing House Majority Leader John Boehner, repeated calls and e-mails to their press secretaries. We have not heard anything back yet.
KING: And we'll keep waiting for their answer.
Brian Todd, thanks very much.
Now let's get some reaction to his from Ibrahim Hooper. He's the spokesman for the Council on the American-Islamic Relations. He joins us from Washington.
Ibrahim Hooper, Congressman Goode is obviously not going to back down. Your organization demanded an apology from him. You're not going to get it, so what next?
IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUN. ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Well, you know, bigots will pop up every once in a while and we'll always have extremists in our society. But the real test is how the mainstream community deals with it. When we see people repudiating this kind of bigotry and intolerance, it sends a positive message. And when you see the GOP leaders remaining silent on this bigotry, it raises some questions. KING: The man on the receiving end of this, Congressman-elect Ellison, took the high road today. I want you to listen to something he said.
Your group says Congressman Goode should apologize. Mr. Ellison isn't asking for that. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELLISON: All of us are steadfastly opposed to the same people he's opposed to, which is the terrorists. And so there's nothing for him to be afraid of. And that what we should do is to tell our constituents that we should reach to each other, not against each other and we should find ways for common ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Ibrahim Hooper, in your view, is Congressman-elect Ellison being too conciliatory, too kind?
HOOPER: Well, I think as you said, he's taking the high road. He's going to have to work with people in Congress. He's new, he hasn't even taken up his position yet. He's probably the most famous congressman who hasn't even held office yet. So, you know, it's good to see him taking the high road.
But somebody's got to speak out against this kind of bigotry. And unfortunately that's our role.
KING: And what do you expect, Mr. Hooper, from the Republican leadership? Can they get away with staying silent on this issue?
HOOPER: Well, we'll have to wait and see if the mainstream of our society lets them get away with it. Maybe they will. But if people are calling Republican offices and calling their elected officials and saying you've got to speak out against this kind of anti-Muslim bigotry, maybe something will happen.
KING: Let's try to take this up to 5,000 feet, if you will, the bigger picture. This is getting a lot of attention because this is a Republican member of Congress saying something that you call bigoted, I think many Americans would find outrageous and intolerant. This has been an issue since 9/11, as you know. It was an issue before 9/11, but it's an issue much in the news since 9/11, more than five years later, even as we focus the attention on this Republican member of Congress, are things better, are things worse?
HOOPER: It's a mixed bag. Unfortunately, we're seeing a growing level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society. We're seeing increased hostility towards the American Muslim community and towards Islam on talk radio, on the Internet, and from a variety of sources. But by and large, Muslims can live as productive citizens, practicing their faith. And you know, we just try and deal with these bumps in the road and hope it doesn't become a trend.
KING: Still a lack of education, you might say some misinformation in the society. What else needs to be done, and do you think when Congressman-elect Ellison is Congressman Ellison, that perhaps he can be part of this education?
HOOPER: Well, we all have a job to do. The American Muslim community needs to reach out to the larger society and educate the people of all faiths about Islam and the American Muslim experience. And people of other faiths have an obligation to learn more about Islam and Muslims so that these kinds of things don't happen in the future.
KING: Ibrahim Hooper, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much, sir.
HOOPER: Thank you.
KING: Thank you.
And there's an ingredient in red wine that may help you live longer. But before you reach for a glass, stay tuned for our top story in health. There's another way to get what you need.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tonight's top story, "Vital Signs," a new study that offers the promise of a wonder drug in a glass. Could red wine help you live longer, stay thinner, run faster, all with a healthier heart? Not quite, at least not yet. But there are positive tests and promising signs. Here's CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know how some people can eat anything they want and not gain an ounce? You know, the kind of people you hate?
Well, scientists have made it so this mouse, the one on the right, can do just that. He eats a ton of fatty food by mouse standards and he hasn't gotten fat like his friend on the left.
What's the secret? This is. It's a little something called resveratrol, a chemical that occurs naturally in red wine in the grape skins. Though they don't know exactly how it works, scientists think it boosts metabolism.
Now, this isn't the first good news we've heard about the health benefits of red wine. Other studies have shown it's good for the heart, possibly by reducing blood clots.
But this is different. This new study shows that red wine might also have the power to make you lose weight and live longer.
DR. BRENT BAUER, MAYO CLINIC: This may be the best thing since sliced bread. We just don't know yet.
COHEN: Consider this. These mice weighed 30 percent less than other mice, could run double the distance, and in human terms live five to 10 years longer than mice who didn't take resveratrol.
(on camera): What a deal. That's great for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, for that mouse, obviously, not only is he thinner, but he's living longer. So it's pretty exciting for that mouse.
COHEN: He's loving life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
COHEN (voice-over): So how much red wine would you have to drink to get the same effect? Probably hundreds, maybe 1,000 glasses.
(on camera): All at one time? You'd have to sit there and drink hundreds of glasses of red wine.
DR. CHRISTOPH WESTPHAL, SIRTRIS PHARMACEUTICALS: Every day.
COHEN: That's not very practical.
WESTPHAL: No. Exactly.
COHEN (voice-over): And you'd need hundreds of the resveratrol tablets found in health food stores.
That's why Dr. Christoph Westphal and his lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are trying to come up with a super resveratrol. Not everyone is sure it will work.
BAUER: My first thought was, this is great news if you're a mouse.
COHEN: The scientists themselves are the first to say this research is at the infant stages.
(on camera): Have you found the fountain of youth?
WESTPHAL: No, we have definitely not found the fountain of youth.
COHEN (voice-over): But they could be close. The lab is trying resveratrol and other compounds out in humans, for weight loss and long life. They expect study results next year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. Elizabeth, come on, help us. Every now and then, every year or so we hear about this wonder drug or the wonder pill, and then it turns out that the research doesn't quite pan out. They have it this time?
COHEN: They might have it. But you know what, John, we really just don't know. You might remember back in the '90s beta carotene, the vitamin beta carotene. Doctors thought it was going to treat cancer. It turned out when they did studies that when people took a lot of beta carotene, some of them actually were more likely to get cancer. So as the Mayo doctor, the Mayo Clinic doctor, said in our piece, this is great news if you're a mouse. Humans, we just don't know.
KING: And all day long, you've been tracking another to health story. Fill us in.
COHEN: That's right. In today's "New England Journal of Medicine," a very exciting study from UCLA on Alzheimer's Disease. These scientists managed to actually get images of brains of people with Alzheimer's Disease and healthy people.
Take a look at the healthy one. You see, there is no yellow marks, no red marks. Then look at the people with Alzheimer's Disease. Very clear. What you're seeing is the plaques and the tangles that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease.
Now, this middle group, this is where it gets really interesting. These folks have cognitive impairments. Trouble remembering things, trouble recalling events. And you can see that they're starting to get some of that yellow. They're starting to get some of those plaques and tangles.
What this could mean in the future, is that you could possibly go to a neurologist and say, you know, I'm having some memory problems, is it just I'm having senior moments, or am I on my way to getting Alzheimer's? Maybe in a few years, you'll be able to go to your doctor, they could do that kind of imaging, and you could get an answer.
KING: Fascinating. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.
COHEN: Thanks.
KING: And we'll have today's top story about your money in just a minute.
And then, a woman who discovered a new life after work, making a difference in a tough neighborhood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back.
Time for a "Biz Break".
(MARKET REPORT)
We move on now from receiving to giving and a remarkable woman who's spending her retirement as a foot soldier in army of givers.
Ali Velshi has tonight's "Life After Work".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING) ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is Christmas time in Compton, California and Marsha Childs is giving is giving in her unique style.
In this community known for gang violence, Martha is a soldier. But her gang is the Salvation Army.
MARTHA CHILDS, SALVATION ARMY: I train the junior soldiers. I've been the Girl Scout leader her and just a mother of this church. I want to reach out to the public.
Tell me what you need. And if I can help you, then I can help you. You need people to help you do it.
It ain't what you do, it's how you do it.
VELSHI: And Childs has been doing it in Compton for more than 40 years. Before retiring, she worked in a lab at USC Hospital. Now she devotes all her time to outreach, volunteering and to the Salvation Army.
Martha's a deeply religious woman. She comes from a family of ministers. It's a tradition that's evident as she leads her Salvation Army Sunday school program.
CHILDS: Good God Almighty!
My job is to help. So if I couldn't teach Sunday school or give somebody, I don't think -- my living would be anything.
VELSHI: Martha has lost her husband and both her sons to illness. She channels that loss into giving back to her extended family, the people of Compton.
CHILDS: I stand here in the name of Jesus. I just want to say thank you.
I don't know no other life to live. And I want to live a long time. Maybe there is another life. But I'm not looking for nothing.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: A Remarkable woman.
We're just minutes away from some new developments in the battle of wits between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump. And before the Donald come on "LARRY KING LIVE," he'll give you a sample of what he and Rosie have been saying about each other.
And guess what? It isn't pretty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tonight's top story in entertainment has been causing a buzz all day. And it isn't over yet by a long shot.
In a minute Donald Trump will be among the guests on "LARRY KING LIVE."
Stay tuned and see if he'll escalate the war of words that started with Rosie O'Donnell. She made some choice comments about Trumps role in this week's Miss USA controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, "THE VIEW": He held a press conference to announce whether or not she was going to retain her crown. And then she started to cry, "I just want to thank Donald. He's giving me a second chance."
So there he is, hair-looking, going "I think she deserves a second chance."
He's the moral authority. Left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times. But he's the moral compass for 20 year-olds in America.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, Rosie O'Donnell's disgusting. I mean both inside and out. You take a look at her, she's is a slob. She talks like a truck driver. She doesn't have her facts. She'll say anything that comes to her mind. When you look at her and when you see the mind, the mind is weak. I don't see it. I don't get it. I never understood how does she even get on television?
Probably, I'll sue her, because it would be fun. I'd like to take money out of her fat-(CENSORED) pockets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Tomorrow night here, a look at the controversy brewing over possible presidential candidate Barack Obama, his Muslim heritage and his middle name.
But don't go anywhere. The Rosie-Donald escalation could be just ahead on "LARRY KING LIVE".
It starts right now.
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