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The Situation Room
U.S. Soldiers Suspected of Raping, Killing Iraqi Woman and Killing Her Family; New Osama Bin Laden Audiotape; Autopsy Results Released Boy Who Died On Disney Coaster; Ex-Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik Pleading Guilty To Taking Gifts While in Office; America's Spy Satellites Vulnerable To Attack?; Israel Pounding Gaza
Aired June 30, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, disturbing tales of rape and murder.
It's 1:00 a.m. in Iraq, where the U.S. military wants to know if two American soldiers sexually assaulted, then killed an Iraqi woman, along with a child and two others.
Death at Disney World.
It's 5:00 p.m. in Florida, where a roller coaster is rolling again after a boy died on it. If your destination is amusement this holiday weekend, how might you avoid injury, maybe even death?
And a president and a prime minister pay homage to "The King."
It's 4:00 p.m. in Graceland, where Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi does karaoke to his favorite rocker.
Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm John King. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're learning troubling new allegations against U.S. troops in Iraq. In this latest case, two soldiers suspected of raping an Iraqi woman, then killing her and her family.
CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now with the latest -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, at this point the U.S. military says it is investigating the allegations but no one has yet been charged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): Army sources say the allegations came up during combat stress debriefing sessions with soldiers who served in the same unit as privates Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker, the two soldiers abducted and murdered by insurgent two weeks ago.
According to a senior Army official, two soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment told military counselors they heard about an incident in March in which two soldiers supposedly raped an Iraqi woman and then one of the soldiers allegedly killed her and her three family members, including a child. The second-hand account was enough to prompt Major General James Thurman to order a criminal probe.
A brief statement issued by the military in Iraq says, "A preliminary inquiry found sufficient information existed to recommend a criminal investigation into the incident."
An Army official says one of the suspects is confined to base in Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, the same area where it's alleged the four Iraqi civilians were killed in their home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: Army sources say a second suspect was discharged from the Army, but according to officials, the reason for that discharge was not disclosed. He's believed to be in the United States, and the Army would like to talk to him. He's wanted for questioning -- John.
KING: Jamie, as you know, the standard response every time one of these investigations comes up is that 99.9 percent of American troops are performing admirably and with the best character and behavior. But it has to be demoralizing to the Pentagon and especially commanders in the field to do have so many of these investigations back to back to back.
MCINTYRE: Well, it is. This makes, I think, the fifth one we're looking at in which some allegation along these lines.
But one of the things the military points out is that when they get these kinds of allegations and they're -- they are credible, they do investigate them. And they take them seriously. If they find evidence, then people are held accountable.
KING: Jamie McIntyre for us at the Pentagon.
Jamie, thank you very much.
Osama bin Laden is alive, but in a new audiotape he mourns the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, calling the terrorist "a role model." What clues might this new tape tell us about where bin Laden might be?
Joining us now, CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: John, you know, the CIA veterans I've been talking to today, I mean, obviously, they look at these tapes with interest, but the consensus seems to be that when and if they do actually expect to catch bin Laden, they expect it will be a turncoat, not a tape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ENSOR (voice-over): The tape on which Osama bin Laden praises al Qaeda's dead leader in Iraq is its fourth this year alone. Nearly five years after 9/11, he's still at it.
FORIA YOUNIS, FMR. FBI AGENT: I do think that's -- the million dollar question is why we haven't caught Osama bin Laden.
ENSOR: Former FBI counterterrorism agent Foria Younis says it is a good question. But remember how long it took to find the fugitive bomber Eric Rudolph right here in the United States?
YOUNIS: Even having a good idea of who he was and where he was, it was still many years before we caught him. So, in Pakistan, you can imagine multiplying those problems by 100 times, and that's how difficult it is.
ENSOR: Bob Grenier, who left the CIA three weeks go after serving as head of the counterterrorism effort there, says bin Laden has gone to ground in tough territory. And that's not just the terrain.
BOB GRENIER, FMR. CIA OFFICIAL: This is a fundamentally hostile area. It is populated by people who are very sympathetic to the Islamic extremists cause. They are very xenophobic. They are xenophobic toward people in the next valley, let alone, you know, people from the West or the representatives of the federal government in Pakistan.
ENSOR: And lately bin Laden's people have made it more difficult, still, putting tapes on the Internet instead of Arabic language TV.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: I think these guys have wised up to the fact it's smarter just to do it through the jihadi Web sites. A, you don't get "censored" by Al-Jazeera, which they have complained about in the past. And B, it's much less amenable to detection.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: Grenier, the CIA man, says getting bin Laden requires more effort. Work very smart, he says, be persistent, and eventually someone's going to get lucky -- John.
KING: You say, David, turncoat would probably be their best avenue to get him. But how do they try to adapt their investigations to these new efforts by bin Laden, as Peter Bergen was just saying and repeats, use the Internet. How do they try to trace a courier network, any communication network?
ENSOR: Well, I mean, you know, there are people in Peshawar who claim to have been cameramen for some of the Zawahiri tapes. So, clearly, there are avenues worth pursuing there. But as they get smart, as they decide to use the Internet instead of Al-Jazeera, and so on, that route gets harder.
So, the real goal that I'm hearing is to try to find someone in al Qaeda that they can turn who will lead them to bin Laden.
KING: David Ensor, remarkable reporting.
David, thank you very much.
And it's one day after the Supreme Court smacked back the hand of what some call an overreaching Bush administration. The decision centered on detainees at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and military tribunals. While that center receives much of the attention, what about the others?
More now from CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, we recently visited Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, which has a detention facility that has not been in the headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): At Bagram Air Base there is one building off limits to cameras, a sprawling warehouse holding hundreds of suspected terrorists. Unlike Guantanamo Bay, no reporters have ever been allowed inside.
A U.S. official told CNN the building contains hundreds of wire cages, military guards patrol on catwalks. There are also a number of closed rooms for interrogations and to hold high-value prisoners. Among them, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the 9/11 mastermind, has been held there.
The senior U.S. commander at Bagram defends the operation.
MAJ. GEN. BENJAMIN FREAKLEY, U.S. ARMY: The detainees get dental care, they get medical care, they have a Koran, they have good sleeping arrangements. They're fed well, they get exercise.
STARR: Unlike Guantanamo, there are no plans for trials. The Pentagon won't even say how many detainees are at Bagram. The International Committee of the Red Cross says there are 560 prisoners.
Some have been released. This man says, "I am innocent. They had arrested me for no reason."
Last year, a massive security breach at Bagram when four prisoners climbed a fence and got into a waiting van.
(on camera): Since the escape of the four al Qaeda detainees, commanders say security has been tightened here.
(voice-over): While the detainees at Guantanamo Bay remain in legal limbo, the plan at Bagram is to transfer remaining prisoners to the Afghan-run Politarki (ph) prison, the site of a violent riot earlier this year.
(END VIDEOTAPE) STARR: There is another difference between Guantanamo Bay and Bagram. Officials at Bagram, for the first time, are making plans that would allow family members to visit the prisoners -- John.
KING: Barbara Starr.
Thank you very much, Barbara.
And up ahead, a preliminary autopsy report out on a child who died on a Disney roller coaster. We'll have details of what the officials are now saying about that death.
Also, Space Shuttle Discovery set to launch in less than 24 hours. We'll show you why some key NASA officials are questioning whether this mission is safe.
Plus, Japan's prime minister all shook up at Graceland, with a song in his heart and on his lips. We'll show you a one-of-a-kind Elvis impersonation.
Stay right there. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: He'd gone to Disney World for a day of fun, but a 12-year- old boy left Disney World unconscious, pronounced dead a short while later. Right now, the same ride he passed out on is back open. In a moment I'll ask our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, how you can stay safe while visiting theme parks, especially this holiday weekend.
But we begin with CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti, who's in Orlando -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, John.
Yes, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at MGM Studios did reopen this morning when the park reopened after an all day, all night inspection. And Disney pronounced the ride safe, and park visitors were allowed back on it.
And tonight, however, a family is grieving after their 12-year- old son, Michael Russell, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, lost consciousness during the one-minute-long ride.
And tonight, of course, we have the results of the autopsy preliminary findings. Let's read those to you right now. This is from the medical examiner's office.
"No evidence of injury was found, but congenital heart abnormalities were detected which will be further evaluated. The cause of death will be left pending until results of the additional studies are obtained."
John, this family was on vacation from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Mom, dad, 12-year-old son Michael, and a 7-year-old boy, their other son, was also on the ride yesterday morning.
During the ride, the 12-year-old went limp. His father, who serves with the Green Berets based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, immediately -- and served -- and served in Iraq -- administered CPR immediately to his son as soon as they got off the ride. But he never regained consciousness.
Paramedics that were on site responded three minutes after a call came in from 911. They did take over and use a defibrillator. However, none was initially available on site. It's not known whether that would have made a difference. And the boy was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
And so, tonight, there are questions that this family surely must still have, and they are also grieving after this terrible tragedy.
KING: Very much a terrible tragedy, Susan. And I understand as Disney made the decision to reopen that roller coaster today as part of your reporting, you took a ride on it. Tell us about that.
CANDIOTTI: We did. Well, this ride is billed as going from zero to 60 in less than three seconds, and it is fast. It is also very short.
It's in the dark. You go upside down and around a couple of corkscrews. And -- but it's over very quickly. Of course, you couldn't help but think of that youngster and what might have been happening as he was on that ride and what the family must have been going through afterwards.
We talked to the members of the paramedic team that responded on site and said they tried to do everything they could to revive him but were unsuccessful.
KING: Susan Candiotti for us in Orlando.
Susan, thank you very much.
And for more now, we're joined by CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He is at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
Sanjay, the medical examiner's report says the boy may have had congenital heart defects. Are these common? And if it hasn't been diagnosed previously, is there any way for a parent to know going when you're going into a setting like this that your child could be at risk?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, you know, the good news is they're not common, first of all, John. We're talk about some sort of congenital heart defect.
For the most part, that is very hard to detect. I mean, you know, when you take your child in for a routine physical examine, doctors typically do the typical things, including listening to the heart, listening to the chest for the lung sounds and things like that. But in order to detect some of these congenital heart defects -- and we obviously don't know which type this boy had -- you need more sophisticated testing, like an EKG, for example, which isn't routinely done on a young child. It's usually done on people who are somewhat older. Or, even a more sophisticated test like an echocardiogram, sort of an ultrasound of the heart.
It's a difficult question, John, I mean, because you don't know who to screen. If the boy never had any problems at all, there would be no reason to order any of those tests. So it's a little bit of a tough thing. But again, the good news, it's a relatively uncommon thing.
KING: You heard, Sanjay, Susan Candiotti's description of this ride. Roller coasters are getting faster, they're getting higher tech, as the parks are responding to the desires and the wishes of children and others who ride these rides. She talked about the G forces. What effect could they have possibly had in this case?
GUPTA: A significant effect. And really, it's all about the G force, ultimately, when you're talking about possibly causing or unmasking, if you will, some sort of problem, in this case a heart problem.
But let me point out something that's interesting, and maybe not intuitive, John, is that the G forces really not dependent neither on the height nor the speed of a roller coaster. I mean, they do make them high and faster than ever before, but what really decides the G forces is those turns, those corkscrew turns that Susan was describing.
That's really where you get into some of these issues regarding G force and the subsequent pressure that those G forces can place on the heart, sometimes on the brain as well. There have been issues of brain injuries after some of these roller coasters.
But again, very unlikely, very unusual. And usually not so much causing the problem, John, as was suspected already, unmasking a problem that already existed and it just never declared itself.
KING: CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Thank you for your insights, Sanjay. Thank you very much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
KING: Coming up, it's universally condemned, drinking and driving. But is talking and driving just as bad? Our Internet reporter will show you a surprising new study.
Plus, he's a 9/11 hero who almost joined the Bush cabinet. Now he's pleading guilty to some serious charges. Details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: He's a 9/11 icon and was once the president's pick for Homeland Security chief. Now ex-police commissioner Bernard Kerik is pleading guilty to taking thousands of dollars in gifts while he was in office.
CNN's Brian Todd here with details -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, less than two years ago many believed there were no limits to Bernard Kerik's career track. A stark contrast to the image we saw this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): New York City's former top cop, once nominated to be the nation's top security official, walks out of a Bronx courthouse a convicted criminal. Bernard Kerik avoids jail time only by pleading guilty to a pair of misdemeanors and agreeing to pay a $221,000 fine.
BERNARD KERIK, FMR. NYC POLICE COMMISSIONER: The last year and a half has been a tremendous burden on me and my family. There has been ups and downs, but today, as Joe said, this is finality, this is -- you know, it's over.
TODD: Kerik's once meteoric career has long been over.
KERIK: Thank you, Mr. President.
TODD: This plea agreement caps an investigation that began in December 2004 after Kerik withdrew his nomination as Homeland Security secretary.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was disappointed that the nomination of Bernard Kerik didn't go forward.
TODD: That nomination was sunk by questions about the immigration status of Kerik's nanny. This investigation ends with Kerik admitting he received tens of thousands of dollars in apartment renovations from a company seeking contracts with the city, a company that authorities say has ties to organized crime. This occurred while Kerik served as New York's corrections commissioner.
KERIK: It was my fault.
TODD: But he also admits failing to report a personal loan and improperly accepting a gift while he was police commissioner.
ROSE GILL HEARN, NEW YORK DEPT. OF INVESTIGATIONS: It is now a matter of public record that he abused his public position to benefit himself financially.
TODD: Bernard Kerik's rise was as impressive as it was improbable. According to his autobiography, he went from being the son of a prostitute to enlist as a military policeman, became a Manhattan beat cop, New York's top prison official, then the stoic police commissioner who never left Mayor Rudy Giuliani's side in the aftermath of September 11th.
A carefully cultivated image now shattered. KERIK: I should have been more sophisticated in my dealings with the COIB reports, in my discussions with the city officials. But I think today is a way in which I've been held accountable for what I've done or did not do. And from this point on, it's -- it's back to work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: That means back to work as a security consultant in the Middle East, which the plea agreement allows. Before his Homeland Security nomination went bust, Kerik had worked for Rudy Giuliani's firm, continuing an association seen as crucial to Kerik's rise. Now analysts say it is in Kerik's and especially Giuliani's best interests for the two to stay as far a way from each other as possible. But even today, Giuliani praised Kerik's service to the country and to New York -- John.
KING: Brian Todd, interest reporting.
Brian, thank you very much.
And our Zain Verjee joins us now with a look at other stories making news right now.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, John.
Vice President Dick Cheney's headed to the doctor. A spokesman says the vice president will undergo a routine checkup tomorrow in Washington. Doctors are going to examine repaired aneurysms on the backs of Cheney's knees and the condition of a high-tech pacemaker placed in his chest back in 2001. The vice president has had four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery and two angioplasty procedures.
Just hours ago, a judge in Orlando threw out the confession of a man charged with raping and killing a 9-year-old Florida girl last year. John Couey said to have told police that he kidnapped and raped Jessica Lunsford before burying her alive, but in today's decision, the judge says that the confession is inadmissible because Couey requested and was not provided with a lawyer. Prosecutors say that they have enough other evidence to convict him.
And John, it looks worse than it actually was. Four people on board this Chicago Fire Department helicopter when it was forced to make a hard landing on Chicago's south side, near busy Lake Shore Drive.
It's not really clear if it landed upside down or if it actually flipped over. We also don't know what caused the crash. But fortunately there weren't any serious injuries reported -- John.
KING: No serious injuries reported. So it proves the old adage, any landing you walk away from is a good landing.
VERJEE: Sort of.
KING: Thank you, Zain.
Coming up, there is only one king. But the prime minister of Japan does one impressive impersonation. We'll let you judge for yourself.
And in our 7:00 p.m. hour, my talk with one of the president's closest aides. She's leaving the White House. She'll tell us why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm John King.
We want to talk more now about two stories we're following, that new audiotape from Osama bin Laden, mourning and praising the death of another terrorist, and the Bush administration's blasting of "The New York Times" and others in the news media.
Joining me is CNN National Security Adviser John McLaughlin. He is also, of course, the former deputy director of the CIA.
John, let's begin with this condemnation from the White House and the criticism by Republicans in Congress of "The New York Times" decision to publish an account this week of the terrorist financial tracking program. The president quite adamant. He believes, the White House saying that national security has been compromised here.
I want you to listen to something the president said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The disclosure of this valuable program makes it harder for us to identify terrorist cells and their activities. It makes it harder for us to build international cooperation. It makes it harder to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That's the president speaking. I should correct, that was Wednesday, not yesterday.
John, you're still plugged into your sources in the intelligence community. The administration has said repeatedly since 9/11 it is tracking terrorists financing. Did this article in "The New York Times" and then the other articles that came along with it, did they truly compromise national security?
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: You know, I actually think so, John. As someone who used to do this, I can tell you that this was a very effective operation. And you may recall that the 9/11 Commission gave very high marks to this part of the counterterrorism effort. I think they gave it an A, or A minus, at least. And this was an effective tool. And while it's true that terrorists may assume we do this, they never know quite how effective we are. And this puts them on alert, and every time you do it -- frankly, I thought in the last few days the toolkit for fighting terrorists is starting to get pretty depleted with some of these revelations. And I'm someone who believes, of course, in public discussion of intelligence matters, but not necessarily intelligence methods.
KING: Share more what you mean by that, the toolkit is being depleted. What tools have been depleted, damaged, destroyed, in your view?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, this is one, of course. I don't know whether it's destroyed but it certainly -- once they're on alert, then they're more careful. And this is a very stealthy enemy.
You have also the great controversy over the NSA monitoring program, which I understand is a matter of concern to some and probably deserves some public debate. But on the whole, once again, alerts them to the fact that while they may suspect we're listening, while they may suspect we're learning, that in fact here is how we're doing it. And so that's another area where they'll be more careful.
KING: Let me interrupt you. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's a very interesting point you make. You yourself just said the 9/11 Commission gave the administration credit for this program. So you have a document, a report from a public commission, saying this program exists.
The president, the Treasury Department, have highlighted seizure of certain accounts in the past. What specifically in "The New York Times" -- how did they, if you will, disclose the nut and bolts of it, how it works in a way that you found damaging?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's the delving into all of the details. And I don't want to go any further than they did. But it's delving into the details of how you use international financial records and how you access them and where you get them and what specific things you use.
I'm not going to go into the details but into the -- in the "New York Times" article, it's not too hard to figure out which sort of financial instruments are dangerous for them to use. Now, naturally they're careful anyway. But all they have to do is slip up a couple of times and you have clues. The more they tighten up, the harder it is for you to catch them.
KING: I want to turn your attention to this new audiotape from Osama bin Laden. He praises Zarqawi, mourns the passing of Zarqawi in Iraq. He says this in this audiotape. "We will continue, God willing, to fight you and your allies everywhere, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sudan, until we drain your money and kill your men and send you home defeated." Any particular significance, you think, to this message beyond the timeliness, the mourning of Zarqawi, if you will? MCLAUGHLIN: Well, you know, there's a lot going on in this tape, even though the quality of the tape in terms of its substance -- these tapes -- this is the fourth one, as you know, this year from bin Laden, audio. They're starting to have a yadda-yadda quality to them, very predictable in many respects.
But there's still a lot going on here. First, he's wrapping himself in Zarqawi's mantle, even though and Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy, differed with Zarqawi's tactics. But he knows Zarqawi was popular with a certain segment of the extremist world, so he's taking that on.
There's another interesting thing about this tape to me. You know, Zawahiri's issued two and bin Laden has issued one since Zarqawi was killed. Neither one of them mentioned the name of Zarqawi's successor. And I think that's a clue that they don't want to throw a big spotlight on this new guy. We're not even sure absolutely who he is, but they don't want to throw a big spotlight on him and create another rival to them.
The other thing that's going on here is, what's been in the news about counter-terrorism in the last several weeks? Well, it's been focused on places like Canada, Georgia, Miami, earlier on London. So I think they're starting to fear that this movement is now much more about the Internet and about ideology than it is about them and about hierarchy and about their controls.
They're trying to remind the extremist world that, "Hey, we're still here. We're the guys that started this. We printed the first t-shirts." And yet, their relevance, I think, has declined in some respects, and they're sensitive about that. So there's a lot going on here.
Plus, the fact that they're using the Internet the way they are. That shows, first, their attention to security. They can go into a chat room, they can do this in a residence. In recent years, Pakistan has acquired more high-speed Internet connections, if that's where they are, and most people suspect they are up in that neighborhood that your earlier guest talked about.
And the fact that bin Laden's message always lags further behind the news than Zawahiri's message. Notice how long it took bin Laden to get this out about Zarqawi. It also tells you he's probably having a little more trouble getting these messages out. He's probably tucked away in a more secure location. He's probably not moving around very much, which makes it hard to find him.
One reason that Zarqawi was located, of course, is he was moving around and shooting in a country full of Americans and Iraqi security officials. And here you've got bin Laden, I think, tucked away somewhere, not moving, not shooting, talking in a tape recorder.
KING: John McLaughlin, fascinating insights. The former deputy director of the CIA, a CNN security analyst. John, thank you very much for your insights today on both of those stories. And continuing our CNN security watch today, an exclusive look now at America's eyes in the sky. Spy satellites are an integral part of U.S. intelligence gathering. But how vulnerable are they? Once again, here's CNN's national security correspondent, David Ensor -- David.
ENSOR: John, the National Reconnaissance Office -- not a very well known spy agency -- has two keying missions in terms of the future architecture. One is to try to make sure America's spy satellites are not vulnerable to attack, and it's an issue they have to worry about. And two, to try to try to make them better, better eyes the sky.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice-over): U.S. satellites, including the ones used for spying, have sometimes been deployed by the space shuttle. But most of them go up the old-fashioned way, by rocket. This surveillance relay satellite under construction in California will go up that way soon.
(on camera): You're going to take 8,000 pounds and get it 22,000 miles up and get it to a precise place where you would need it to be and hold it there for ten years?
REAR ADM. VICTOR SEE, NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE: Yes.
ENSOR (voiceover): Spy satellites are essential to the national security of the United States. And other countries know it.
(on camera): Are America's spy satellites vulnerable to attack?
DONALD KERR, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE: It's certainly possible to do a direct ascent kinetic attack on a space system, but it's a very hard thing to do. And it would likely be observable for a variety of reasons, particularly if it involved a missile launch.
ENSOR (voiceover): National Reconnaissance Office Director Donald Kerr says adversaries know there would be retaliation. One day, the U.S. will know it's at war, say analysts, when its eye and ears in the sky get hit.
JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: These spy satellites are our glass jaw. They're easy to track, and for a country with rocket capabilities like China, not that difficult to shoot down.
ENSOR: To make that less likely, the NRO, sources say, is working on a new generation of stealthy satellites.
PIKE: I could make it blend into the space debris, the space junk in low earth orbit. That way, an enemy wouldn't know when it was overhead. They wouldn't be able to track it, and they wouldn't be able to shoot it down.
ENSOR: America's spy satellites were crucial in the Cold War, but their role in tracking Al Qaeda is less clear.
(on camera): Some senior officials have said that in the post- 9/11 world, what's really needed now is a lot more and better human intelligence and that satellites are less useful. What do you think about that?
KERR: One of the important things that people need to remember is that, in some cases, the best human is, in fact, that which is supported by technical collection. Because human sources are notoriously unreliable.
ENSOR: Satellites not only take pictures and eavesdrop from hundreds of miles above the Earth, they can also detect heat in an underground hidden nuclear plant using infrared sensors. U.S. scientists are also working on hyper-spectral sensors that can track a hidden weapons plant by finding trace amounts of chemicals in the air.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: How far along are they on that? Don't ask, John. It's top secret.
KING: Top secret. I guess I won't ask. David Ensor, thank you very much. Fascinating reporting. Thank you, David.
And stay tuned to CNN, of course, day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Do you talk on the phone while you drive? If so, a new study by psychologists at the University of Utah says you're just as impaired as a drunk driver. But do the statistics tell whole story? Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner takes a closer look -- Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, John, it was a relatively small scientific study. But what researchers did is put people into a simulator. And what they found out is that people who talked on the phone got into more accidents than people who were legally drunk.
But it's very important to note that we only studied people in this study who are at the .08 legal limit of blood alcohol content. They did not make a comparison to anyone who over that limit. And what researchers tell me this means is that if we consider people who are at .08 a risk, we should also consider people who talk on the phone as a risk.
Now, there was a study released in April, a much larger study about distracted driving, and what this found is that while cell phone use was the most common distraction, things like putting on makeup, reaching for an object, reading in the car were actually more riskier behaviors.
We spoke to the CTIA, the organization that represents the cell phone industry, and they say it's important if you're going to talk on the phone in the car to just practice common sense. Don't dial in traffic. And if you are having an emotional conversation, if there's bad weather, or there's heavy traffic, you should put down the telephone -- John.
KING: Sounds like common sense advice. Jacki Schechner, thank you very much.
And this just in to CNN. Word of a tornado touching down in New York State. Let's go to Zain Verjee now for the latest -- Zain.
VERJEE: John, it touched down in Cheektowaga. The police chief there has confirmed that it touched down at about 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. It lasted just a few minutes, he said. Two people have been injured. They've been taken to hospital but with only minor injuries, fortunately.
It also blew off a roof and windows off a Subway sandwich shop, overturned a couple of trucks. The Buffalo Weather Service is on the scene, trying to assess the damage there. And so are the police and the fire departments -- John.
KING: Zain Verjee, we'll keep an eye on that. Zain, thank you very much.
And still to come, blast off or stay grounded? Why is NASA planning to go ahead with its scheduled liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery when so many experts question its safety?
And there are new developments in the search for the Israeli soldier still missing. Reports say he's alive. We'll have details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Israeli aircraft and artillery kept up the pounding of Palestinian targets in Gaza today, reportedly hitting a militant training camp. Israeli television reports a kidnapped soldier is alive, and Israeli ground forces have held off on a full scale offensive hoping diplomats can gain his release. But the Hamas-led Palestinian government says it won't give into force. CNN's John Vause has the latest live from Gaza City -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, John. The first word that may confirm that the kidnapped soldier is still alive comes from Israeli state-run television, which has reported tonight that a Palestinian doctor has been to see Gilad Shalit, treated him for his wounds. There's no word on how serious his condition may be, only that he is still alive.
This as Israel continues to hold off on a ground offensive in the north of Gaza to try and give diplomats from Egypt more time to negotiate the release of the 19-year-old Israeli corporal.
But still, the Israeli artillery continues to fire hundreds of rounds again today, and the Israeli air force has carried out multiple air strikes, more than 30 in the past 24 hours, the most recent in the last few moments in central Gaza, targeting a Hamas training camp. And right now, John, in the skies above, F-16s as well as Israeli helicopters above us right here in Gaza City, John.
KING: And John, as all this plays out, what are we hearing from the Hamas government?
VAUSE: Well, the embattled Hamas government had a big show of support today from many Palestinians here in Gaza who took to the streets after morning prayers.
And we heard from the Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, defiant, warning that Israel would not topple his government. He says that the Israelis are out to destroy Hamas, saying they have a much broader objective than trying recover the missing soldier. And Haniya warns that this military action is only complicating efforts to secure his release.
KING: John Vause for us live in Gaza City. John, stay safe. Thank you very much.
It's a vote that could impact millions of Americans but hardly any will get a chance to cast a ballot. Mexico is holding a presidential election Sunday. CNN's Chris Lawrence explains why it's so important here in the United States. He joins us live now from Los Angeles -- Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, a few days before the election, Mexico cuts off any media coverage it thinks could influence the vote. We've agreed to follow their rules, which means we can't show you any polls campaigns, can't even talk about the merits of one candidate over another. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Here's why Mexico's selection important to average Americans.
OCTAVIO PESCADOR, UCLA: Mexico is the third largest trading partner of the United States.
LAWRENCE: Why its immigration policies matter.
JACK KYSER, L.A. COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: If you snapped your fingers and undocumenteds disappeared from southern California, our economy would probably grind to a halt.
LAWRENCE: And why Americans may now need to worry about which candidate is elected.
PESCADOR: There is no way that no one, left, center or right, won't threaten the relationship between the U.S.
LAWRENCE: Dr. Octavio Pescador is a college professor. Alberto Aviles, a marketing director. Both are U.S. citizens who moved from Mexico many years ago.
ALBERTO AVILES, VOTER: Just because we left the country, that doesn't mean that we are not Mexicans.
LAWRENCE: Aviles will drive to Tijuana, Sunday. He's one of the few expatriates who will actually cast a vote. More than 10 million Mexicans are living in the United States, less than 1 percent requested absentee ballots.
AVILES: I'm disappointed of the way this process was implemented.
LAWRENCE: Aviles says Mexicans living in the United States had to register in Mexico, inconvenient for people who live far from the border and too risky for those in the U.S. illegally. After the election, Pescador says Mexico's immigration policy could shift one of two ways. One candidate could request more money to create jobs in Mexico.
PESCADOR: In a nutshell is, help us help you.
LAWRENCE: And the other might be more willing to negotiate with the United States on a guest worker program.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, their numbers are small, but people here are committed to this election. Bus caravans will be leaving southern California this weekend taking people across the border to vote on Sunday -- John.
KING: Chris Lawrence live for us in Los Angeles. Immigration debates, I guess, Chris, on both sides of the border. Chris Lawrence, thank you very much for tracking these important Mexican elections.
For a bit more on this related development, let's bring back in our Zain Verjee -- Zain.
VERJEE: John, President Bush called Mexican president Vicente Fox today to express condolences on the death of Fox's 87-year-old mother. Mr. Bush met her when President Fox brought her to Crawford in Texas about five years ago. The White House says Bush, in his conversation with Fox, called the Mexican president's mother a gracious lady.
Yesterday was a day to celebrate for women in Kuwait. For the first time, they were allowed to cast ballots and stand for office in nationwide elections. But now with the votes counted, some of the joy really turning to disappointment. None of the 27 women running for a seat in the 50-member parliament emerged with a victory.
Recently retired Lance Armstrong won't be at the Tour de France this year. And now, neither will two of his main rivals. Just two days before the start of the world's most famous bike race, top riders Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich were suspended amid doping charges. They're among 58 riders charged in Spanish court with using performing enhancing drugs -- John.
KING: Zain Verjee. Thank you very much, Zain.
And up ahead, hoping to be ominous odds. NASA says the space shuttle Discovery crew has a 1 in 100 chance of dying in outer space. But they're planning to launch anyway. We'll tell you about the dissent against it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: There's an unprecedented cloud of controversy shrouding tomorrow's scheduled liftoff of space shuttle Discovery. CNN's space correspondent Miles O'Brien has details now of some serious safety concerns among some of the key players -- Miles?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: John, it is a tense uncertain space shuttle countdown at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the first time ever, a shuttle will be flying with a problem categorized in advance as probable catastrophic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Before a space shuttle can fly, agency brass, engineers, contractors, astronauts must all sign on the dotted line, written proof they believe the launch is as safe as it can be. But this time around, two of the signatures come with a catch. The agency's chief engineer Chris Scolese and chief safety officer Bryan O'Connor penning in they are no go for launch.
CHRIS SCOLESE, NASA CHIEF ENGINEER: Where the community is coming from is if we can prevent the problem or mitigate the problem, that's what we should do.
O'BRIEN: O'Connor and Scolese are concerned about three dozen pieces of foam on Discovery's external fuel tank, so-called ice frost rams, that could fall off during launch, damaging the orbiter, precisely the scenario that inflicted a fatal breech on Columbia's heat shield 3 1/2 years ago, dooming the crew of seven. Shuttle engineers are busy trying to redesign the vulnerable ice frost rams, but NASA administrator Mike Griffin is unwilling to wait.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We are electing to take the risk. We do not believe we're risking crew.
O'BRIEN: Griffin says if falling foam damages Discovery, engineers will know about it this time, and the crew take refuge on the space station pending a rescue mission. O'Connor and Scolese say they will not appeal that decision.
WILLIAM GERSTENMAIER, ASSOCIATE NASA ADMINISTRATOR: They do not object to us flying, and they understand the reasons and the rationale that we laid out in the review for flight.
O'BRIEN: Griffin says he's anxious to fly now because the shuttle program is slated to end in 2010, and NASA is committed to flying at least 16 missions to complete the international space station. He worries delays now will lead to dangerous schedule pressure later.
GRIFFIN: I'm willing to take some programmatic risk now in order to prevent an excessive buildup of programmatic risk later on. This is, in fact, that you pay know do.
O'BRIEN: So Griffin has overruled his worried deputies knowing full well it could mean sudden death for the space shuttle program. GRIFFIN: If we were to lose another vehicle, I will tell you right now that I would be moving to figure out a way to shut the program down. I think at that point, we're done.
O'BRIEN: With that much at stake, the debate over shuttle safety is reaching a boil. Charlie Camarda, an astronaut who flew on the shuttle mission last summer and the most recently, the top engineer in Houston, this week was suddenly reassigned after rubbing senior managers the wrong way and expressing reservations about mission safety. The shuttle's sunset years seem destined to be anything but tranquil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: NASA revealed yesterday it has a worst-case backup plan to bring a damaged shuttle home. Should Discovery's heat shield be breached, the crew will wait for a rescue mission on the space station and have the option of attaching a wiring harness to the controls of Discovery to allow ground controllers to land the shuttle by remote control at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base -- John.
KING: Fascinating plan. Miles, thank you very much. And CNN will, of course, have live coverage of the launch of the shuttle Discovery tomorrow afternoon starting at 3:00 Eastern.
Tomorrow's shuttle launch will bring NASA one step closer to its goal of finishing the international space station and ultimately retiring the shuttle program within the next four years. So then what? According to the plans, it's back to the moon and beyond. Internet reporter Jacki Schechner has more -- Jacki?
SCHNEIDER: John, we're watching the animation from NASA and their plans to go back to the moon and then on to Mars. They'll build a lunar station, and then the idea is to send humans beyond from there.
Well, today, NASA named the rockets that will propel their new spacecraft. They're called Aries 1 and Aries 5, those, of course, being the Greek synonyms for the word "Mars." Now, when we go back to the moon, it'll be the first time since 1972, and it could happen as soon as 2018. There is no timeline yet for that mission to Mars, though -- John.
KING: Jackie, thank you very much.
Up next, an Elvis impersonation the likes of which we're betting you've never seen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: On very public display today, two high profile fans of the world's most famous rocker. Are they bad to the bone? At least one of them thinks he might be. He did a bit of a tryout today.
BUSH: It is such a joy to be here at the Graceland. It's my first visit. JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN: My first visit too.
BUSH: I was hoping the prime minister would want to come to Graceland. He's an Elvis fan. See, he loves Elvis.
KOIZUMI: Thank you very much, American people, for "Love Me Tender."
BUSH: He can sing a pretty good Elvis song.
KOIZUMI: To dream the impossible dream.
BUSH: I didn't realize how much he loved Elvis.
KOIZUMI: Thank you very much for treating me nice. That Elvis song, "Treat Me Nice."
BUSH: All right. We're going to have some barbecue. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And we're here every weekday, sometimes with the music, sometimes without. Every weekday afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 Eastern. And we're back on the air at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. That's just one hour from now. Until then, I'm John King in THE SITUATION ROOM. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Kitty Pilgrim is sitting in for Lou, Kitty?
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