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CNN Sunday Morning
Helicopter Downed in Iraq, No Word on Kidnapped Japanese; Deadly Explosion Rips Apart Mexican Restaurant
Aired April 11, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's Easter Sunday. Happy Easter to you, April 11. Good morning, I'm Holly Firfer.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for spending part of your morning with us.
It is Easter Sunday as Holly mentioned, a joyous day for millions of Christians worldwide. Though conflict and terrorism was on the mind of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. He used his Easter message to oppose the spread of terrorist acts.
And on this day in Iraq, an American Apache helicopter shot down, just west of Baghdad, while a cease-fire seems to be holding in Fallujah.
We'll take you live to Iraq in just a moment. But first this hour's news alerts.
FIRFER: Diplomacy and a desperate moment tops our look at the headlines this hour. The Japanese government keeps pushing for the release of three civilians kidnapped in Iraq, but there's been no word on the location or status, despite reports they would be released today. Family members frantic for information collapsed in tears at a news conference.
The White House has declassified that top-secret presidential memo on Osama bin Laden's plans to strike in the U.S. The document says the FBI had detected patterns of suspicious activity consistent with hijackings before the 9/11 attack. The White House says there was nothing specific in the memo about the 9/11 plot.
And in Mexico, a rescue effort has become a recovery operation. Eight people are dead after a propane tank exploded at a restaurant in the border town of Nuevo Progreso. The victims are all believed to be Mexican nationals.
HILL. Our top story at this hour, the deadly insurgency across Iraq. Still no word on the fate of the crew after the Apache attack helicopter was shot down in western deadline.
But the deadline also has passed for the release of a hostage who is believed to be American. The man has been identified as Thomas Hamill. Militants were threatening harsh treatment if U.S. troops did not withdraw from Fallujah.
And still no word on the status or location of three Japanese hostages. Government officials are working to secure their release.
There is, understandably, so much going on today in Iraq, that we head now to Baghdad for the latest. Our Karl Penhaul is tracking several developments on several fronts.
Karl, what can you tell us at this hour?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erica.
Well, it's been about five hours now since that Apache attack helicopter was shot down by small arms fire just west of Baghdad. And so far, American military sources say they can't confirm to us what happened to that crew. We don't know at this stage whether the crew is dead or alive.
They also say -- a senior U.S. Army source did tell us that small arms fire brought down that very sophisticated $25 million helicopter. And we are told that Iraqi deployment forces was sent to the area to try to pick up the crew. Those are members of the 1st Cavalry Division, which are placed out of Fort Hood, Texas.
Now a little west of the area where that helicopter went down, the flashpoint city of Fallujah, as you'll remember this is where U.S. Marines have been fighting against Iraqi insurgents for the last six days. A high number of casualties there.
But members of the Iraqi Governing Council have been visiting the town over the last 48 hours. A delegation traveled there again today, and they're trying to broker a cease-fire between the two sides.
There are conflicting reports as to how that cease-fire is holding. An eyewitness has told us that this morning the city of about 300,000 people was echoing to the sound of loud explosions and heavy machine gunfire, but he said that in the course of the afternoon, the situation appeared to have calmed down somewhat.
It seems that the Iraqi insurgents have been demanding a full pull-out from Fallujah, but U.S. Marine sources we've spoken to have said they have no intention of ceding an inch of ground that they've gained in the last few days.
Fighting, though, in the last few days has been very fierce there. In the words of one Marine officer, "It seems that every man in the city has taken up arms against us," he said.
Now the other development, as you mentioned, that we are tracking is the fate of four international hostages being held here in Iraq at the moment. At a press conference, the Japanese embassy in Amman, Jordan, this morning Japanese diplomats said they have no news -- no fresh news about the whereabouts of three Japanese people, two humanitarian aid workers and a photojournalist currently being held.
Media reports had suggested that those hostages would be released sometime in the course of the day. Iraqi insurgents have been demanding a pullout of the 500-strong Japanese force from Iraq. That obviously hasn't happened.
The fourth hostage being held by a different insurgent cell, Thomas Hamill. He's believed to be an American. We know that he was working for a U.S. contractor and was seized during an ambush on Friday. Insurgents there have been threatening to kill him if U.S. force didn't pull out of Fallujah. And as I say, troops have not yet pulled out of Fallujah, Erica.
HILL: Karl, we appreciate you staying on top of all of it for us, thanks.
You can, of course, keep it right here for the latest information. We'll be bringing you live coverage of a coalition briefing from Baghdad. That should start at 8:30 Eastern.
FIRFER: For more on that downed helicopter and the hostage situations in Iraq, we're joined now by our terrorism expert, CNN contributor Kelly McCann.
And Kelly, let's first talk about that Apache helicopter down. What are the rescue operations under way right now?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: People should remember that any time you engage in ground combat operations, there's many eventualities that are taken into account. And this is one of them.
It's called CSAR, or Combat Search and Rescue. It's an annex to the operation order. And basically specialized forces with specialized equipment are staged during the operation for this very kind of situation.
The Apache has a very survivable airframe. Most of the ways that they're being attacked are not by the standard former Soviet kind of heavy weapons, but more typically by AK fire and RPG, which is -- can be devastating. However, it's not going to be as devastating as some of the rockets that were used during the war.
FIRFER: And you had mentioned there's many levels of -- follow to that effect.
MCCANN: Absolutely.
FIRFER: Explain those to us, if you will.
MCCANN: Well, on the ground, of course, you've got the ground forces, and with them is a forward air controller. He controls everything that's going on in the air.
One level above is the close air support, and that would be the attack helicopters that can actually go in and fire on targets that are identified by the ground forces.
A step above that is the combat search and rescue capability that hovers on the battlefield and is responsive as soon as something happens.
Now remember that the people that do go down in aircraft have electronic emitters. And basically they can start emitting their actual location on the ground very quickly so that both ground forces can move to help them and potentially save them, as well as the specialized forces, that can go right to the point of impact and recover or rescue them.
FIRFER: And let's move on to the kidnapping situations. The three Japanese kidnap victims. We have not yet heard from these hostages where they are, what might be happening. The American also hostage we're concerned about.
Why haven't we heard anything about these Japanese hostages? And why are we hearing more about this American hostage?
MCCANN: Any time you're talking about hostages, it's a little bit like standing on top of a basketball, I mean, trying to find your balance point and keep it. And there is some delicateness that we should exercise in talking about ongoing negotiations, et cetera.
But I would like to think that no news is good news, and in fact, if they had been harmed or if they had been killed, they might want to promote that quickly. So I hope that this is a good sign.
FIRFER: And these contractors, civilians have to go in there because the Iraqi people, they need water. They need food. They need electricity. But how do you protect these civilians? They don't always travel with security, do they?
MCCANN: No. I mean, there's an impression on the battlefield that, when you look at this map for instance, each one of these points is totally controlled by the U.S. military.
In fact, it's strong pointing. There's a military presence in Baghdad. There's a military presence each one of these places. But they can't, the military, reconstruct the cities. So they basically bring contractors in.
It was said at the beginning of the war that the contractors would be responsibility for their own security. They contract that out to contractor security. And usually those are former Special Operations personnel; former police personnel that have worldly experience and can go in here and make people safer.
FIRFER: OK, Kelly McCann, thanks for your insight. We'll check back with you later this hour.
MCCANN: Thank you.
FIRFER: For more on that -- on one of the four American contractors brutally killed last month in Iraq, is being remembered as a warrior devoted to his country.
Family and friends paid their final respects to 38-year-old Michael Teague Saturday in Clarksville, Tennessee. Teague was a 12- year veteran in Army Special Operations who was working as a security consultant when he and three others were ambushed in Fallujah.
Cheers and celebrations greet returning troops in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The National Guard units have spent 12 months in Baghdad. More than 200 of them coming home Saturday, the largest group to return at one time since the Korean War. More troops are due home Tuesday.
Well, a new CNN/"TIME" magazine poll shows a close division of U.S. public opinion on current military policy in Iraq. Thirty percent strongly approve of that policy. Eighteen percent somewhat approve. And 33 percent strongly disapprove. Twelve percent were somewhat -- believed they somewhat disapprove.
Was the U.S. right or wrong on going to war with Iraq? Fifty- three percent said right; 41 percent said wrong; five percent not sure.
And does the Bush administration have a clear, well thought out plan to deal with Iraq? Forty-three percent said yes; 51 percent said no.
And we want to know what you think about this conflict in Iraq. E-mail us at WAM -- W-A-M- at CNN.com. We're going to share some of your thoughts later this hour.
HILL: Turn our attention to Mexico now, where numerous casualties after a gas leak explosion ripped apart two buildings just across the Texas border in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.
Alina Cho is live now in Progreso (ph), Texas, with the details.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, good morning to you.
The major development overnight is that this has been changed from a rescue to a recovery mission. That means that officials no longer believe that there are any survivors.
The other major development is that rescuers have temporarily halted their search for bodies, due to the bad weather. It is quite windy and rainy here. Officials do expect to resume the search later today, but of course, that will depend on whether the weather improves.
Here is the very latest at this hour. Eight people are confirmed dead. Twelve people are reported injured, and between seven and 15 people are believed to be still trapped in the rubble.
We can tell you that last night rescuers, before they halted the search, had used heavy equipment, including a crane, also shovels, even their bare hands to try to clear out the debris.
Here is what we can tell you about what happened. Twenty-three hours ago, approximately, a propane tank exploded at a restaurant, leveling that three-story building, including the restaurant and the building next to it, which housed a tortilla factory. Several other buildings, including an apartment building, was damaged. So it is quite possible that the casualty count will rise. The damage is said to be bigger than the size of a football field. The victims are all said to be Mexican nationals.
Now one of the emergency management officials we talked to said that this community has not ever seen anything like this. And had this happened in the middle of the day, say noontime, the death toll would have been much high, possibly as high as 100.
That is the very latest for now. Erica, back to you.
HILL: All right, Alina. Alina Cho, live for us in Progreso, Texas.
We're going bring you up-to-date on developments in Iraq when we return. Plus stay with us for a live military briefing out of Baghdad.
And it turns out the future is now. Check that out. You can pick up a phone and see who you're talking to. Examples of technology on a budget right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FIRFER: Here are the latest developments out of Iraq.
A U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down west of Baghdad within the last several hours. Military sources say a search is under way for the crew.
Iraqi insurgents warn of dire consequences for a hostage they say is an American unless U.S. forces pull out of Fallujah. He's been identified as Thomas Hamill of Mississippi.
Germany says two of its security personnel missing in Iraq are likely dead.
Japanese officials say they have heard nothing about the fate of three Japanese hostages. Al-Jazeera TV reported they would be released today. But captors earlier said they would be killed unless Japanese troops left Iraq.
Will the fresh violence undermine the quest for democracy in Iraq. Tonight, CNN presents "HOPE AND FEAR: JOURNEYS IN THE NEW IRAQ." CNN's Nic Robertson explores the lives of six people who will play central roles in the future of Iraq. That's tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
HILL: And speaking of Iraq, we've been asking you all morning how you feel about the conflict in that country. You've been sending us your e-mails. And we have a couple we'd like to share with you now.
FIRFER: Desiree writes in and says, "I am 15 years old and I plan on going into either United States Marines or the United States Army. When I see such events as bombings there, it makes me in a way want to do it more. I think that Bush and the rest of the coalition should be more focused on our soldiers and finishing what they started in Iraq."
Thanks, Desiree.
HILL: And Kathie from Williston, Florida, writes in, "President Bush ought to just bite the bullet, gather the respective heads of each region, give each tribe and/or religion their current respective region and ask the United Nations to be the overseeing control. We have more pressing issues at home like unemployment, a limping economy, et cetera, within our own borders. Bring our soldiers home."
We thank you all for sending in your responses. You can continue to send us your thoughts at WAM@CNN.
We here at CNN use it all the time from all over the world, so you've seen it a lot. It's videophone technology.
Well, now you can read all about it in "Popular Science" magazine or better yet, you can see them here on CNN this morning.
Joining us from our New York bureau is Suzanne Kantra. She is technology editor for "Popular Science."
Good morning; good to have you with us.
SUZANNE KANTRA, TECHNOLOGY EDITOR, "POPULAR SCIENCE": Good morning.
HILL: This stuff is great. I think a lot of people -- I know I get excited when I see the videophone technology from our correspondents overseas, but it is really is something that's coming down to the consumer and fairly reasonable. Tell us a little bit about it.
KANTRA: It certainly is. And you know, videophone technology has been around since, I think, the 1940s. AT&T was showing off a videophone at the world's fair, but as you were saying, the prices are really coming down.
If you want something that's very affordable, you can look at the Vialta Beamer TV. This makes use of your regular phone line, and you just hook this up to your television. Somebody at the other side has one, as well. And you can make a phone call and be able to share your kids. It's a great thing for grandparents, actually.
HILL: And there's no service fee on that either, right?
KANTRA: There isn't. It's $149 per unit and you just make a phone call, a regular phone call.
HILL: It is kind of small. You also have with you the ViaVideo 2. This is for video conferencing.
KANTRA: It is. And this is going to be much higher end. You've seen is the little web cams that you can put on top of your computer. Those cost about $30, $40. And they're going to be giving you sort of a jerky motion in terms of the video.
This one from Polycom, the ViaVideo 2, gives you high resolution, full frame, full motion. It's just like watching a television signal across your computer to somebody on the other end.
HILL: And that one is a little bit more pricey. This one goes for about $600, but as you said this is more for businesses. It's not really for the consumer.
KANTRA: True.
HILL: So that's one to keep in mind. Also Packet8 VoIP, voice- over IP. This is a stand-alone videophone. You're going to need a broadband connection for it. This sounds really cool.
KANTRA: Well, you're also going to need to subscribe to the Packet8 service. But the good news about that is it's going to be unlimited videophone capabilities.
So you have your broadband connection. You have access to the service and then you can talk as much as you want. So again, this is going to be a little bit more expensive, but if you want to be able to keep in touch with friends and family, this might be a good option as well.
HILL: Could be a good option on the other end, too.
KANTRA: Exactly.
HILL: There is something a little bit more portable. We actually saw a lot of great stuff coming out of the recent CCIA wireless show here in Atlanta, a lot of video on your cell phone being shown. And you have one of them with you.
KANTRA: I do. And one of the great things about these new videophones is that you can send clips, but we're waiting for the high-speed data services. Verizon is going to be launching their nationwide, their very high-speed service, which is comparable to our cable modems and our DSL modems today.
So with a phone like this on either end, somebody who's a business traveler would have this integrated into their cell phone anyway. It's a great way to call home and have people be able to see what's going on.
HILL: You mentioned it's going to support that high-speed network that's coming from Verizon. Real quickly, when can you get the phone?
KANTRA: Well, we have to wait until Verizon actually announces that they're going to be carrying this phone, but you know, one might guess that this is going to happen around the same time frame, which would be later this summer.
HILL: OK. Well, hey, not too far off. Good to have you with us, and thanks for bringing in the toys on a Sunday morning.
KANTRA: Thank you.
HILL: Suzanne Kantra, technology editor for "Popular Science."
FIRFER: For some, it's a wet soggy Sunday morning after the storm. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is up next to tell you what Easter surprises might be heading your way.
And there's no hiding the eggs from this little critter. The hunt is on right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Please come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HILL: We'll check in our top stories now this morning.
A search is on for the crew of an Army Apache helicopter. Military sources say the AH-64 was brought down by small arms fire west of Baghdad.
The death toll from a coal mine explosion in Siberia has reached at least 40. That's according to the Associated Press. The methane blast sealed the shaft, forcing rescuers to detour three miles through another mine. Eight miners were rescued yesterday. Seven others are still missing.
It wouldn't be Easter without pictures of animals eating colored eggs. Forget the kids. We're going to the animals. This reports comes from the Columbo Zoo -- Columbus Zoo, rather, where they actually had to search their enclosures for the eggs. No freebies there. While the smaller animals got some eggs to hunt, the elephants were given a few melons to squash. They'd rather have the melons.
All right. How lucky do you have to feel to gamble your entire life savings on one spin of the roulette wheel? One British man must be feeling very lucky. Ashley Revell cashed out his life savings, totaling about $138,000. Today he is in Las Vegas, where he will let it all ride -- every penny -- on just one spin.
FIRFER: The sniffling and runny nose season is upon us. Allergies run amok every year at about this time. And next on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows how to survive it.
Then at 9, a new overnight development in Iraq. We're going to take you live to Baghdad for the very latest.
Plus, it's Easter Sunday, and we're going to take you live to the Vatican, where tens of thousands gathered to hear Pope John Paul II's Easter message.
And we also want to remind you that a military briefing from Baghdad is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern with Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt and coalition spokesman Dan Senor. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts.
Today's top stories are right after the break.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 11, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's Easter Sunday. Happy Easter to you, April 11. Good morning, I'm Holly Firfer.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for spending part of your morning with us.
It is Easter Sunday as Holly mentioned, a joyous day for millions of Christians worldwide. Though conflict and terrorism was on the mind of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. He used his Easter message to oppose the spread of terrorist acts.
And on this day in Iraq, an American Apache helicopter shot down, just west of Baghdad, while a cease-fire seems to be holding in Fallujah.
We'll take you live to Iraq in just a moment. But first this hour's news alerts.
FIRFER: Diplomacy and a desperate moment tops our look at the headlines this hour. The Japanese government keeps pushing for the release of three civilians kidnapped in Iraq, but there's been no word on the location or status, despite reports they would be released today. Family members frantic for information collapsed in tears at a news conference.
The White House has declassified that top-secret presidential memo on Osama bin Laden's plans to strike in the U.S. The document says the FBI had detected patterns of suspicious activity consistent with hijackings before the 9/11 attack. The White House says there was nothing specific in the memo about the 9/11 plot.
And in Mexico, a rescue effort has become a recovery operation. Eight people are dead after a propane tank exploded at a restaurant in the border town of Nuevo Progreso. The victims are all believed to be Mexican nationals.
HILL. Our top story at this hour, the deadly insurgency across Iraq. Still no word on the fate of the crew after the Apache attack helicopter was shot down in western deadline.
But the deadline also has passed for the release of a hostage who is believed to be American. The man has been identified as Thomas Hamill. Militants were threatening harsh treatment if U.S. troops did not withdraw from Fallujah.
And still no word on the status or location of three Japanese hostages. Government officials are working to secure their release.
There is, understandably, so much going on today in Iraq, that we head now to Baghdad for the latest. Our Karl Penhaul is tracking several developments on several fronts.
Karl, what can you tell us at this hour?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Erica.
Well, it's been about five hours now since that Apache attack helicopter was shot down by small arms fire just west of Baghdad. And so far, American military sources say they can't confirm to us what happened to that crew. We don't know at this stage whether the crew is dead or alive.
They also say -- a senior U.S. Army source did tell us that small arms fire brought down that very sophisticated $25 million helicopter. And we are told that Iraqi deployment forces was sent to the area to try to pick up the crew. Those are members of the 1st Cavalry Division, which are placed out of Fort Hood, Texas.
Now a little west of the area where that helicopter went down, the flashpoint city of Fallujah, as you'll remember this is where U.S. Marines have been fighting against Iraqi insurgents for the last six days. A high number of casualties there.
But members of the Iraqi Governing Council have been visiting the town over the last 48 hours. A delegation traveled there again today, and they're trying to broker a cease-fire between the two sides.
There are conflicting reports as to how that cease-fire is holding. An eyewitness has told us that this morning the city of about 300,000 people was echoing to the sound of loud explosions and heavy machine gunfire, but he said that in the course of the afternoon, the situation appeared to have calmed down somewhat.
It seems that the Iraqi insurgents have been demanding a full pull-out from Fallujah, but U.S. Marine sources we've spoken to have said they have no intention of ceding an inch of ground that they've gained in the last few days.
Fighting, though, in the last few days has been very fierce there. In the words of one Marine officer, "It seems that every man in the city has taken up arms against us," he said.
Now the other development, as you mentioned, that we are tracking is the fate of four international hostages being held here in Iraq at the moment. At a press conference, the Japanese embassy in Amman, Jordan, this morning Japanese diplomats said they have no news -- no fresh news about the whereabouts of three Japanese people, two humanitarian aid workers and a photojournalist currently being held.
Media reports had suggested that those hostages would be released sometime in the course of the day. Iraqi insurgents have been demanding a pullout of the 500-strong Japanese force from Iraq. That obviously hasn't happened.
The fourth hostage being held by a different insurgent cell, Thomas Hamill. He's believed to be an American. We know that he was working for a U.S. contractor and was seized during an ambush on Friday. Insurgents there have been threatening to kill him if U.S. force didn't pull out of Fallujah. And as I say, troops have not yet pulled out of Fallujah, Erica.
HILL: Karl, we appreciate you staying on top of all of it for us, thanks.
You can, of course, keep it right here for the latest information. We'll be bringing you live coverage of a coalition briefing from Baghdad. That should start at 8:30 Eastern.
FIRFER: For more on that downed helicopter and the hostage situations in Iraq, we're joined now by our terrorism expert, CNN contributor Kelly McCann.
And Kelly, let's first talk about that Apache helicopter down. What are the rescue operations under way right now?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: People should remember that any time you engage in ground combat operations, there's many eventualities that are taken into account. And this is one of them.
It's called CSAR, or Combat Search and Rescue. It's an annex to the operation order. And basically specialized forces with specialized equipment are staged during the operation for this very kind of situation.
The Apache has a very survivable airframe. Most of the ways that they're being attacked are not by the standard former Soviet kind of heavy weapons, but more typically by AK fire and RPG, which is -- can be devastating. However, it's not going to be as devastating as some of the rockets that were used during the war.
FIRFER: And you had mentioned there's many levels of -- follow to that effect.
MCCANN: Absolutely.
FIRFER: Explain those to us, if you will.
MCCANN: Well, on the ground, of course, you've got the ground forces, and with them is a forward air controller. He controls everything that's going on in the air.
One level above is the close air support, and that would be the attack helicopters that can actually go in and fire on targets that are identified by the ground forces.
A step above that is the combat search and rescue capability that hovers on the battlefield and is responsive as soon as something happens.
Now remember that the people that do go down in aircraft have electronic emitters. And basically they can start emitting their actual location on the ground very quickly so that both ground forces can move to help them and potentially save them, as well as the specialized forces, that can go right to the point of impact and recover or rescue them.
FIRFER: And let's move on to the kidnapping situations. The three Japanese kidnap victims. We have not yet heard from these hostages where they are, what might be happening. The American also hostage we're concerned about.
Why haven't we heard anything about these Japanese hostages? And why are we hearing more about this American hostage?
MCCANN: Any time you're talking about hostages, it's a little bit like standing on top of a basketball, I mean, trying to find your balance point and keep it. And there is some delicateness that we should exercise in talking about ongoing negotiations, et cetera.
But I would like to think that no news is good news, and in fact, if they had been harmed or if they had been killed, they might want to promote that quickly. So I hope that this is a good sign.
FIRFER: And these contractors, civilians have to go in there because the Iraqi people, they need water. They need food. They need electricity. But how do you protect these civilians? They don't always travel with security, do they?
MCCANN: No. I mean, there's an impression on the battlefield that, when you look at this map for instance, each one of these points is totally controlled by the U.S. military.
In fact, it's strong pointing. There's a military presence in Baghdad. There's a military presence each one of these places. But they can't, the military, reconstruct the cities. So they basically bring contractors in.
It was said at the beginning of the war that the contractors would be responsibility for their own security. They contract that out to contractor security. And usually those are former Special Operations personnel; former police personnel that have worldly experience and can go in here and make people safer.
FIRFER: OK, Kelly McCann, thanks for your insight. We'll check back with you later this hour.
MCCANN: Thank you.
FIRFER: For more on that -- on one of the four American contractors brutally killed last month in Iraq, is being remembered as a warrior devoted to his country.
Family and friends paid their final respects to 38-year-old Michael Teague Saturday in Clarksville, Tennessee. Teague was a 12- year veteran in Army Special Operations who was working as a security consultant when he and three others were ambushed in Fallujah.
Cheers and celebrations greet returning troops in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The National Guard units have spent 12 months in Baghdad. More than 200 of them coming home Saturday, the largest group to return at one time since the Korean War. More troops are due home Tuesday.
Well, a new CNN/"TIME" magazine poll shows a close division of U.S. public opinion on current military policy in Iraq. Thirty percent strongly approve of that policy. Eighteen percent somewhat approve. And 33 percent strongly disapprove. Twelve percent were somewhat -- believed they somewhat disapprove.
Was the U.S. right or wrong on going to war with Iraq? Fifty- three percent said right; 41 percent said wrong; five percent not sure.
And does the Bush administration have a clear, well thought out plan to deal with Iraq? Forty-three percent said yes; 51 percent said no.
And we want to know what you think about this conflict in Iraq. E-mail us at WAM -- W-A-M- at CNN.com. We're going to share some of your thoughts later this hour.
HILL: Turn our attention to Mexico now, where numerous casualties after a gas leak explosion ripped apart two buildings just across the Texas border in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.
Alina Cho is live now in Progreso (ph), Texas, with the details.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, good morning to you.
The major development overnight is that this has been changed from a rescue to a recovery mission. That means that officials no longer believe that there are any survivors.
The other major development is that rescuers have temporarily halted their search for bodies, due to the bad weather. It is quite windy and rainy here. Officials do expect to resume the search later today, but of course, that will depend on whether the weather improves.
Here is the very latest at this hour. Eight people are confirmed dead. Twelve people are reported injured, and between seven and 15 people are believed to be still trapped in the rubble.
We can tell you that last night rescuers, before they halted the search, had used heavy equipment, including a crane, also shovels, even their bare hands to try to clear out the debris.
Here is what we can tell you about what happened. Twenty-three hours ago, approximately, a propane tank exploded at a restaurant, leveling that three-story building, including the restaurant and the building next to it, which housed a tortilla factory. Several other buildings, including an apartment building, was damaged. So it is quite possible that the casualty count will rise. The damage is said to be bigger than the size of a football field. The victims are all said to be Mexican nationals.
Now one of the emergency management officials we talked to said that this community has not ever seen anything like this. And had this happened in the middle of the day, say noontime, the death toll would have been much high, possibly as high as 100.
That is the very latest for now. Erica, back to you.
HILL: All right, Alina. Alina Cho, live for us in Progreso, Texas.
We're going bring you up-to-date on developments in Iraq when we return. Plus stay with us for a live military briefing out of Baghdad.
And it turns out the future is now. Check that out. You can pick up a phone and see who you're talking to. Examples of technology on a budget right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
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FIRFER: Here are the latest developments out of Iraq.
A U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down west of Baghdad within the last several hours. Military sources say a search is under way for the crew.
Iraqi insurgents warn of dire consequences for a hostage they say is an American unless U.S. forces pull out of Fallujah. He's been identified as Thomas Hamill of Mississippi.
Germany says two of its security personnel missing in Iraq are likely dead.
Japanese officials say they have heard nothing about the fate of three Japanese hostages. Al-Jazeera TV reported they would be released today. But captors earlier said they would be killed unless Japanese troops left Iraq.
Will the fresh violence undermine the quest for democracy in Iraq. Tonight, CNN presents "HOPE AND FEAR: JOURNEYS IN THE NEW IRAQ." CNN's Nic Robertson explores the lives of six people who will play central roles in the future of Iraq. That's tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
HILL: And speaking of Iraq, we've been asking you all morning how you feel about the conflict in that country. You've been sending us your e-mails. And we have a couple we'd like to share with you now.
FIRFER: Desiree writes in and says, "I am 15 years old and I plan on going into either United States Marines or the United States Army. When I see such events as bombings there, it makes me in a way want to do it more. I think that Bush and the rest of the coalition should be more focused on our soldiers and finishing what they started in Iraq."
Thanks, Desiree.
HILL: And Kathie from Williston, Florida, writes in, "President Bush ought to just bite the bullet, gather the respective heads of each region, give each tribe and/or religion their current respective region and ask the United Nations to be the overseeing control. We have more pressing issues at home like unemployment, a limping economy, et cetera, within our own borders. Bring our soldiers home."
We thank you all for sending in your responses. You can continue to send us your thoughts at WAM@CNN.
We here at CNN use it all the time from all over the world, so you've seen it a lot. It's videophone technology.
Well, now you can read all about it in "Popular Science" magazine or better yet, you can see them here on CNN this morning.
Joining us from our New York bureau is Suzanne Kantra. She is technology editor for "Popular Science."
Good morning; good to have you with us.
SUZANNE KANTRA, TECHNOLOGY EDITOR, "POPULAR SCIENCE": Good morning.
HILL: This stuff is great. I think a lot of people -- I know I get excited when I see the videophone technology from our correspondents overseas, but it is really is something that's coming down to the consumer and fairly reasonable. Tell us a little bit about it.
KANTRA: It certainly is. And you know, videophone technology has been around since, I think, the 1940s. AT&T was showing off a videophone at the world's fair, but as you were saying, the prices are really coming down.
If you want something that's very affordable, you can look at the Vialta Beamer TV. This makes use of your regular phone line, and you just hook this up to your television. Somebody at the other side has one, as well. And you can make a phone call and be able to share your kids. It's a great thing for grandparents, actually.
HILL: And there's no service fee on that either, right?
KANTRA: There isn't. It's $149 per unit and you just make a phone call, a regular phone call.
HILL: It is kind of small. You also have with you the ViaVideo 2. This is for video conferencing.
KANTRA: It is. And this is going to be much higher end. You've seen is the little web cams that you can put on top of your computer. Those cost about $30, $40. And they're going to be giving you sort of a jerky motion in terms of the video.
This one from Polycom, the ViaVideo 2, gives you high resolution, full frame, full motion. It's just like watching a television signal across your computer to somebody on the other end.
HILL: And that one is a little bit more pricey. This one goes for about $600, but as you said this is more for businesses. It's not really for the consumer.
KANTRA: True.
HILL: So that's one to keep in mind. Also Packet8 VoIP, voice- over IP. This is a stand-alone videophone. You're going to need a broadband connection for it. This sounds really cool.
KANTRA: Well, you're also going to need to subscribe to the Packet8 service. But the good news about that is it's going to be unlimited videophone capabilities.
So you have your broadband connection. You have access to the service and then you can talk as much as you want. So again, this is going to be a little bit more expensive, but if you want to be able to keep in touch with friends and family, this might be a good option as well.
HILL: Could be a good option on the other end, too.
KANTRA: Exactly.
HILL: There is something a little bit more portable. We actually saw a lot of great stuff coming out of the recent CCIA wireless show here in Atlanta, a lot of video on your cell phone being shown. And you have one of them with you.
KANTRA: I do. And one of the great things about these new videophones is that you can send clips, but we're waiting for the high-speed data services. Verizon is going to be launching their nationwide, their very high-speed service, which is comparable to our cable modems and our DSL modems today.
So with a phone like this on either end, somebody who's a business traveler would have this integrated into their cell phone anyway. It's a great way to call home and have people be able to see what's going on.
HILL: You mentioned it's going to support that high-speed network that's coming from Verizon. Real quickly, when can you get the phone?
KANTRA: Well, we have to wait until Verizon actually announces that they're going to be carrying this phone, but you know, one might guess that this is going to happen around the same time frame, which would be later this summer.
HILL: OK. Well, hey, not too far off. Good to have you with us, and thanks for bringing in the toys on a Sunday morning.
KANTRA: Thank you.
HILL: Suzanne Kantra, technology editor for "Popular Science."
FIRFER: For some, it's a wet soggy Sunday morning after the storm. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is up next to tell you what Easter surprises might be heading your way.
And there's no hiding the eggs from this little critter. The hunt is on right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Please come back.
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HILL: We'll check in our top stories now this morning.
A search is on for the crew of an Army Apache helicopter. Military sources say the AH-64 was brought down by small arms fire west of Baghdad.
The death toll from a coal mine explosion in Siberia has reached at least 40. That's according to the Associated Press. The methane blast sealed the shaft, forcing rescuers to detour three miles through another mine. Eight miners were rescued yesterday. Seven others are still missing.
It wouldn't be Easter without pictures of animals eating colored eggs. Forget the kids. We're going to the animals. This reports comes from the Columbo Zoo -- Columbus Zoo, rather, where they actually had to search their enclosures for the eggs. No freebies there. While the smaller animals got some eggs to hunt, the elephants were given a few melons to squash. They'd rather have the melons.
All right. How lucky do you have to feel to gamble your entire life savings on one spin of the roulette wheel? One British man must be feeling very lucky. Ashley Revell cashed out his life savings, totaling about $138,000. Today he is in Las Vegas, where he will let it all ride -- every penny -- on just one spin.
FIRFER: The sniffling and runny nose season is upon us. Allergies run amok every year at about this time. And next on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows how to survive it.
Then at 9, a new overnight development in Iraq. We're going to take you live to Baghdad for the very latest.
Plus, it's Easter Sunday, and we're going to take you live to the Vatican, where tens of thousands gathered to hear Pope John Paul II's Easter message.
And we also want to remind you that a military briefing from Baghdad is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Eastern with Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt and coalition spokesman Dan Senor. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts.
Today's top stories are right after the break.
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