Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Murder Suspect Captured in Indianapolis; Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan?
Aired June 04, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everyone.
Funerals are set for Wednesday for six of the seven Indianapolis family members killed Thursday in a home invasion. Twenty eight year old Desmond Turner has been charged with seven murder counts. The ex- convicts surrendered last night capping an intense manhunt. A full report straight ahead.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Kandahar, Afghanistan a suicide attack on a Canadian military convoy kills four civilians and wounds more than a dozen others. No coalition forces were hurt in that attack. We will get a first-hand account next hour from a reporter in that very convoy.
HARRIS: In Iraq, more sectarian violence today. Gunmen pulled people out of three vehicles and shot them. Twenty Shiites were killed. It happened about 40 miles northeast of Baquba. In Baghdad's Sadr City four workers with a telecommunications company were gunned down, what is described as a drive by shooting.
NGUYEN: And in Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium has two new VIP residents. Take a look at this; there are some live pictures right now. Trixie and Alice are their names; they are female whale sharks from Taiwan flown in overnight on a specially equipped jumbo jet. They join male whale sharks Ralph and Norton. Get it? They are couples here, the aquarium's new star attraction that you might also say. Drew Griffin will have a live report from the aquarium in just a few minutes. Stay tuned for that. CNN the most trusted name in news.
Good morning. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, you got it together my friend?
HARRIS: Just moving parts, a lot of moving parts here.
NGUYEN: It's Sunday morning, 7 a.m. here in Atlanta, 3 p.m. in Baghdad; we are going to go there shortly. Good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: Good morning everyone, I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. Coming up this morning, rape used as a weapon of war. A CNN reporter confronts the president of Congo with video evidence. The reaction in our next half hour.
In 45 minutes killer earthquakes, crimes against children, the toll of war keeping faith when disaster strikes, we will talk to the author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." Rabbi Harold Kushner joins us live for "Faces of Faith."
And just after 8:00 p.m. Eastern this morning a live conversation with CNN's Brent Sadler on the ground in Afghanistan. He will talk about the resurgence of the Taliban and what that means to the war on terror.
NGUYEN: But we begin in Indianapolis. A city on edge until this surrender last night of an alleged mass killer. Desmond Turner is now charged with seven counts of felony murder in what appears to have been a senseless act of brutality. CNN's Keith Oppenheim has been covering this story since it broke last Thursday and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He was on the loose for two full days. But Indianapolis police said their prime murder suspect, Desmond Turner, wouldn't get far.
DEP. CHIEF CLIFFORD MYERS, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE: He is still considered armed and dangerous. We will pursue every single lead that we get.
OPPENHEIM: They were right. After more than 100 officers worked the case, serving warrants, following tips and searching homes, Desmond Turner gave up. By Saturday evening, a confidential informant called authorities and said Turner was ready to surrender. Police say at a fast food restaurant, Turner showed up with his minister and was arrested.
DEP. CHIEF TIM FOLEY, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE: It is my judgment that Mr. Turner had no place to go. He didn't turn himself in out of remorse. He turned himself in because he had nowhere to go.
OPPENHEIM: It was on Thursday evening that seven people in one family were shot with assault rifles in this east side Indianapolis home. Police called it a robbery. But have not determined what, if anything was taken. Alberto Covarevious (ph), his wife Emma, their four children and one 5-year-old grandson, three generations were all dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It can't be real.
OPPENHEIM: Family members poured out their grief. On Friday they would learn police arrested an accomplice, 30-year-old James Stewart. But it wasn't until the prime suspect was in custody that relatives could express a small sense of relief. If you could say something to Mr. Turner what would you say?
LUIS JUAREZ, RELATIVE OF VICTIM: What he did. This guy will pay for what he did.
OPPENHEIM: Residents in Indianapolis have been shocked and frightened by these murders.
LACEY ROADRUCK, NEIGHBOR: To think that anybody could come in your house like that and do anything like that? The mind of that, it's just scary.
OPPENHEIM: Once in custody police say Desmond Turner did not talk much but did ask one question. Charged with seven counts of felony murder he apparently wanted to know if the maximum penalty is life without parole. Turner was told, no the maximum in Indiana is the death penalty.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Indianapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Funeral services for six of the seven victims who represent three generations of one Hispanic family are scheduled for Wednesday.
HARRIS: In our "Security Watch" this morning 17 terror suspects, all Muslims under arrest in Canada caught in a counterterroism sweep. Police say the group posed a real and serious threat capable of carrying out an attack more severe than the Oklahoma City bombing. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The federal building in Oklahoma City, 168 dead killed by one ton of ammonium nitrate. Canadian police say a terror cell snagged in Toronto tried to get three times that amount.
MIKE MCDONNELL, ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE: Three tons of ammonium nitrate was ordered by these individuals and delivered to them. It was their intent to use it for a terrorist attack.
LAH: Under heavy guard, Canadian authorities took 17 suspects into custody, 12 men, and five minors. Their goal according to Canadian police, detonate targets in Canada. Authorities say they also found a cell phone wired to what appears to be an explosive detonator. The suspects are all Canadian citizens or residents from various backgrounds.
LUC PORTELANCE, CANADIAN SEC. INTEL SERVICE: For various reasons they appear to be inspired by Al Qaeda.
STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Their target, their alleged target was Canada. Canadian institutions, the Canadian economy, the Canadian people.
LAH: Is there a U.S. connection? Canadian officials tell CNN there's no indication that the suspects planned to hit the U.S. But the FBI says some of the Canadian suspects may have had limited contact with two American citizens from Georgia arrested this spring. According to a federal affidavit, the men met with three Islamic extremists in Canada and discussed striking oil refineries and military bases in the U.S. It's unclear if they were from the same group now rounded up. The American defense attorneys could not be reached by CNN.
Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King says that the Canadian arrests are a wake-up call to Americans.
REP. PETER KING, (R) HOMELAND SECURITY CHMN: It's a very close border. We have to be concerned about Al Qaeda coming across into New York, coming into Michigan.
LAH: CNN national security analyst John McLaughlin says international law enforcement faces a growing challenge of homegrown terror cells.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: It's typical of what we're seeing in the new phase of international terrorist movements where the action is carried out by home grown groups who get their inspiration through the Internet in many cases and in Jihadist chat rooms. A lot of this is traceable back to Bin Laden.
LAH: A department of homeland security spokesman says that the U.S. has a strong posture at the Canadian border and will continue to do so adding that no additional security measures are being taken.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Michael Wilson, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S. will be Wolf Blitzer's guest on "Late Edition" at 11 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. Be sure to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable information on your safety and security.
NGUYEN: Here are some other stories making headlines across America this morning. Still on the run, police in the nation's capital are searching for two murder suspects. They escaped from a jail yesterday. Both were waiting to stand trial for a shooting last July. They are also wanted in North Carolina for an alleged shooting there.
A fiery scene along a Florida highway. Check this out. This brush fire shut down a 25-mile stretch of U.S. 27 in Broward County near the Everglades. About 6,000 acres scorched. No injuries reported and no structures threatened. Authorities say the blaze was likely started by lightning.
Same-sex marriage gets ready for fireworks on this issue. Supporters of gay marriage hit the streets marching across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco yesterday. Hundreds of demonstrators braved the rain in New York calling for equal marriage rights. The Senate is poised to vote this week on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
That brings us to our e-mail question this morning. Should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Send us your thoughts to WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We are going to read some of those responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: Still ahead, the American dream, owning your own home at an affordable rate. But for some Americans that investment isn't paying off. Coming up the soaring price of adjustable rate mortgages. NGUYEN: And in the dead of night, a mysterious special delivery to the Georgia Aquarium. What's inside these trucks? You have to see this. It could be a match made under the sea.
Good morning Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know any love is good love. It sounds like a beautiful thing. Partly cloudy skies right here in the Deep South. However parts of the eastern seaboard could see showers and storms and excessive heat in the southwest. We'll talk more about that coming up in a few moments right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We are talking about love this morning. Oh, yeah. They traveled 8,000 miles to make a possible love connection. Still waiting on that. They arrived under the cover of darkness in that big truck you see there. There's something fishy about this whole thing. In fact it's a whale of a fish tail. CNN's Drew Griffin joins us live from the Georgia Aquarium with all these details. So is this a love connection? Have they met yet, Drew?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to tell with whale sharks whether they met or not. They just kind of cruise around, right now Betty you are looking into the window of this 6.2 million gallon fish tank, the ocean voyager. Right up top is one of the new arrivals. Let's see. That's either Alice or Trixie I think. But they arrived last night on a special flight, 8,000-mile flight from Taiwan and were placed in this exhibit along with two other whale sharks. These are the largest fish in the world.
There are now four of them. The two males have been here for, since the aquarium opened in November. Now Alice and Trixie -- I can't tell if they're getting along. I can't even tell them apart. All I know is they're in here. Look at how this journey went over the last few days. They had to load these whale sharks in Taiwan into these special containers and put them on a 747 and then ever so gently fly them all the way across to Atlanta, 8,000 miles. Take a listen to Captain Bob Crumb on how he to bring this flight down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. BOB CRUM, UPS PILOT: As we were doing a decent, we had to start sooner. Not to make things too uncomfortable back they're for the whale sharks. We took all of that into consideration. As if we were having first class people back there with a cup of coffee that we didn't want to spill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: They didn't spill a thing. Then they loaded them on to trucks and drove them here to the aquarium which is downtown Atlanta. If we hang on for one second, you will get a picture of one of these. Greg, upper right is one of these whale sharks. They are incredibly beautiful, graceful animals. Ever so slowly cruising this football- sized tank. And I guess this is how they kind of meet each other, they just kind of swim towards each other. Swim away from each other. Very hard to tell if they're getting along and very hard to tell them apart. I wish they would wear --
NGUYEN: Name tags maybe? That would help you out. So no hanky panky so far?
GRIFFIN: Wait a minute.
NGUYEN: That's the point of it all, right? To get them together and to have some babies?
GRIFFIN: Well that's the point. Try to figure out how they -- they are very rare to see in the wild, so they want to be able to study them in a natural environment to see how they live and mate and get along. There's two there. Aren't they beautiful?
NGUYEN: Really majestic to watch. Drew, correct me if I'm wrong. These are the only ones in captivity?
GRIFFIN: The only ones in captivity in the United States. In fact the only ones in captivity outside of Asia. This is the only spot where there are now four altogether in one exhibit. This exhibit is so huge. It can hold up to six whale sharks. They have four now. You know, you can tell how big it is because these fish, Betty, they come in you see them, and then they just take off into the deep, blue sea.
NGUYEN: That mating process takes a while. They have to warm up, exchange numbers first, right?
GRIFFIN: I imagine they dump them in, party starts.
NGUYEN: I don't think so. These are ladies we are talking about.
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: We have a Norman --
HARRIS: We have Ralph and Ed Norton.
GRIFFIN: Norton is here.
HARRIS: Norton is there?
GRIFFIN: Yes.
HARRIS: I figured that --
GRIFFIN: Alice and Trixie. They came last night. Ralph and Norton have been here a long time waiting for Alice and Trixie.
NGUYEN: They have been lonely. What a long distance relationship from Taiwan. Good stuff. All right. Talk to soon. Thank you Drew.
WOLF: Thank heavens they have their own airplane. Could you imagine having to sit next to one of those guys in coach? They will let you use the restroom. Not good conversationalists. These darn whale sharks. They made it here safely.
NGUYEN: Wet blankets is really all they would be.
WOLF: That is exactly what I'm talking about.
HARRIS: Nice graphic. That's the trip right there.
WOLF: That was the trip.
NGUYEN: 8,000 miles.
WOLF: That's a long, long flight.
NGUYEN: Finally they're there.
WOLF: And they're here with mostly sunny skies which I guess doesn't matter if they're under water.
NGUYEN: And they're inside.
WOLF: It's great in the southeast. We are going to take a quick look at your forecast around the nation. Lets get things started. Looking at your forecast. Let's get started with this great map. A few scattered showers through the central Plains. Nothing big in terms of severe weather right now, just a few thunder boomers. However the rain continues to fall over portions of the northeast. That will continue through much of the afternoon. We will see today in Chicago beautiful conditions, high temperature of 75, high pressure building in. Detroit pretty much the same deal mainly into the mid 70s, 86 in Memphis. A beautiful day out on Long Island, for Dallas, Ft. Worth, 93 degrees, 111 in Phoenix. Death Valley going up to 120 degrees today, 81 in Kansas City with a chance of those showers, 88 in Tampa. Good times with the whale sharks. Great story.
NGUYEN: We'll be watching to see if there is a love connection. Thank you. Talk to you soon.
Well so many Americans are hungry to own a home but are they biting off more than they can chew? Coming up the high price of adjustable rate mortgages.
HARRIS: Plus we will take you to Congo where a war has ended but rape and murder goes on. We showed the evidence to Congo's president. Hear what he had to say. Stay with CNN the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: No matter where you live you have probably seen the explosive growth in residential construction, as you know many of those new homes are large, custom built mini mansions that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. You may wonder how can anyone afford to buy one. The answer is the adjustable rate mortgage or A.R.M. Unfortunately many of those loans are now costing the owners an arm and a leg. Allan Chernoff explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rosemary Knick recently bought this New Jersey townhouse as an investment to finance the $360,000 purchase, she took out an adjustable rate mortgage.
ROSEMARIE KNICK, HOMEOWNER: I'm betting that the interest rates are going to remain at a reasonable rate. And that my adjustable rate mortgage is not going to be affected.
CHERNOFF: Rosemary is gambling, especially now that interest rates are rising.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty fixed --
CHERNOFF: Home buys whom finance with purchases with traditional fixed rate mortgages have nothing to worry about. They will make the same monthly payment for the life of their loan. Often in a 30 year period. It's home buys who borrowed with adjustable rate mortgages who are now facing the possibility of higher monthly payments and there are millions of them. Even as home prices soared in the past few years, many Americans still wanted to buy as much house as possible. Big beautiful homes just like this. But adjustable rate mortgages made it affordable by minimizing monthly payments.
Exactly three years ago the national average for a mortgage that would adjust every year was 3.8 percent, far below the cost of borrowing at a fixed rate. That meant a $200,000 mortgage required a monthly payment of $934. But only for the first 12 months of the loan.
JENNIFER PLINIO, WEICHERT FINANCIAL SERVICES: After the initial period is over, the interest rate will adjust each year.
CHERNOFF: And it has adjusted upwards. Today that same loan carries a rate of 7.25 percent, which translates into a payment of $1337. About $200 higher than the monthly payment on a $200,000 fixed rate mortgage that could have been locked in three years ago.
KEITH GUMBINGER, HSH ASSOCIATES: Monthly payments have gone up several hundred dollars per month for some borrowers. That might be enough to put them in a bit of stress.
CHERNOFF: Blame the Federal Reserve, the nation's central bank. When the Fed raises the rate at which banks borrow, mortgage lenders in turn raise adjustable rates. Though they typically limit the change to 2 percent a year. If the Fed continues pushing rates higher, Rosemary Knick and many other homeowners will find mortgage payments taking a bigger bite out of their pocketbook.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well today is National Cancer Survivor's Day. There is encouraging news about research involving two experimental cancer drugs. A pharmaceutical company says its drug to treat advanced kidney cancer shows promise. They say it increases survival times. Another company promises results for a drug to treat head and neck cancer. Researchers say it raises the odds of survival by at least three years when added to standard chemotherapy.
HARRIS: Face to face with Congo's president, coming up our own Jeff Koinange challenges the man in charge about allegations on military soldiers that rape women. What would he do if his daughter were attacked? His response coming up.
NGUYEN: Plus natural disasters, abductions, murders, other tragedies. Why do bad things happen to good people? We explore the question that is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Now in the news. In Iraq today 20 people were killed northeast of Baqubah. Police say gunmen pulled Shiite victims out of three vehicles and then shot them.
In Baghdad, four employees of a telecommunications company were shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
Desmond Turner, the prime suspect in the murder of seven family members surrenders to police in a fast food restaurant in Indianapolis. Police believe robbery was the motive. The bodies were discovered on Thursday. Three of the victims were children. Funeral services for six of the seven victims are set for Wednesday.
The brother of one of 17 Canadians arrested on suspicion of plotting terror attacks says the suspects are good people but Canadian authorities say the group was inspired by Al Qaeda and posed a real and serious threat. Authorities say the suspects tried to obtain three times the amount of explosive ingredient used in the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.
Well thousands of hotels.com customers could be at risk for credit card fraud. A laptop containing personal information was reportedly stolen from an auditor's locked car. That laptop was password protected. The hotel.com spokesperson said there is no information that any of the credit card numbers have been used for fraudulent activity.
And Alice and Trixie take a look, two of the world's largest whale sharks are settling in to their new home at the Georgia Aquarium. They came by that truck that you see right there. They arrived from Taiwan and are meeting their male companions, shall we say, Ralph and Norton. Yes, here is a live look now at the aquarium and we will see if there's going to be a love connection out of all this. That is the hope. Researchers want to watch their mating habits and their behavioral habits and see how these two couples get along.
HARRIS: Students taken off a bus and shot. Workers gunned down in a drive-by shooting, all part of another bloody, violent day in Iraq. CNN's John Vause is tracking today's developments and he joins us now live from Baghdad. John, good morning.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Tony. There have been a number of deadly attacks across Iraq this weekend. The one just earlier today apparently 20 people were killed in the -- not far from Baquba, north of Baghdad. Apparently, they were all shot execution style. Iraqi police say they were traveling in two minibuses and a car when they were stopped by gunmen, ordered out of the vehicle. Now one of the reports says they were separated into two groups. The Shiites were separated from the Sunnis. The Shiites were all killed. The Sunnis were released unharmed. Among the dead, five students -- sorry, seven students and five elderly men.
Meantime in Basra, police have stormed a Sunni mosque. They say they are looking for insurgents. This all began late last night, Saturday night. There is a fire fight broke out as Iraqi police went into this mosque. They say they are looking for militants. They're looking for explosives. Iraqi police say nine people were killed during this raid on a mosque. But the Iraqi Islamic party is very putting a different version forward. This is a Sunni group. They say that seven guards at the mosque were killed. Nine people were arrested and then they were later killed. The Iraqi police say they found cars packed full of explosives and also made six arrests.
Meantime, here in Baghdad, four workers from a telecommunications company have been gunned down, apparently in what appears to be a drive-by shooting in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. Tony.
HARRIS: Wow John. We were also expecting today to get some appointments to key ministry positions in the new government. But my understanding is it didn't happen today.
VAUSE: Yeah. Absolutely Tony. As this violence seems to be escalating across the country, it is very crucial for this new national unity government to fill these two key ministries of defense which controls the army and the interior which controls the police. We were expecting the Iraqi parliament to convene today to finally approve the men who have been nominated by the Iraqi prime minister. He decided to put forward two nominations after weeks of haggling. But a few hours ago, the deputy speaker of the parliament came out and said this parliamentary session has been postponed indefinitely because there is still no agreement. They don't want to vote on these two nominations. So once again, these two crucial portfolios within the national unity government will go unfilled. Tony?
HARRIS: CNN's John Vause in Baghdad for us, John, appreciate it, thank you.
NGUYEN: Staying on the subject of Iraq, Haditha is where U.S. Marines allegedly massacred 2 4 Iraqi civilians. So, where exactly is this place and what is the controversy. CNN.com's Nicole Lapin joins us with more on this. Welcome to the show.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. If you are jumping on this story a little late, I know you guys aren't, but maybe some people at home could be. They are hearing catch phrases that this could be more scandalous than Abu Ghraib, maybe a little bit less. That's OK. Don't be shy, just go to cnn.com for a little bit more info. First off, where is Haditha? It's a city on the Euphrates River about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad. CNN correspondent Arwa Damon was actually in Haditha and with the Marines caught up in this investigation. Go behind the scenes with a peek at Damon's experiences in her reporter's notebook. And this may be a little bit graphic, but you can also watch some of the video shot on the day that Marines allegedly killed the Iraqi civilians.
You saw a little reference to Arwa Damon's notebook. And I actually had the great privilege of chatting with her this week on CNN's pipeline. Her story is really incredible. She was traveling with the Marines in question. They were hit by an IED. She survived of course, but she really can't speculate on the Marines activities in Haditha but she's such a great reference for us here at CNN. She's giving us a really great, unique perspective on the story that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. If you want to check that out, just go to cnn.com/iraq.
NGUYEN: Of course, the investigations are under way. So we're all waiting to see how that plays out. Thank you so much. Tony.
HARRIS: Rape as a weapon of war. CNN brought you the exclusive report from Congo, women, girls, at least one boy systematically raped and maimed by soldiers. Even Congo's president didn't seem to know how bad it was until we showed him. CNN's Jeff Koinange has the story that first aired on "AC 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunday morning mass in a make-shift church in eastern Congo. This is no ordinary service. It's not only about faith, but also about healing the human spirit. When you hear this boy's story, you will wonder, is it really possible? Because they are all victims of rape and mutilation, they are all here to console each other and to seek answers from a higher authority.
In this congregation alone, more than half say they have been raped or mutilated or both by men in uniform, men of the military. Congo's civil war ended three years ago, but these atrocities continue today. Locals here say soldiers from one ethnic group are systematically raping and mutilating women from another group with the intention they say of destroying their child bearing capabilities. The U.N. calls it ethnic cleansing. And it's not just women being violated.
As for the boy, he's a teenager. He would only give us his name, Olivea. About a year ago, he tells us more than 20 soldiers smashed into his home. His parents and four uncles fought back, but they were all slaughtered as Olivea and his two sisters, 12 and 10 years old looked on. The men in uniform then took the two girls outside. Olivea says he heard screams for a long time. Then the soldiers came back into the house and grabbed him, saying his sisters had died without satisfying them. That's when they tore off my trousers and started sodomizing me, he says. They raped me until I passed out and when I woke up, they were still taking turns with me. I have never felt such pain in my life. The pain would last another six months as doctors stitched him back together.
They say his recovery has been a miraculous. Miracles are one thing, justice another. Why is no one being prosecuted for these crimes? We went to ask the man who should be in control, Congo's young president. Five years ago he was catapulted to power after his father was assassinated in a coup attempt. He was just 29 and the army's chief of staff. Now he's facing elections, Congo's first democratic test in 40 years. He says he'll make public safety a top priority if elected. We wanted to know why his soldiers seem to be raping at will. We showed the young president the story we aired on victims of rape and mutilation by the military. As he watches, he winces every now and then, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He had just one word to describe what he had seen.
PRES. JOSEPH KABILA, CONGO: The shock, shock that you -- you see this yourself, the shock that anybody, any human being would definitely feel if -- when they see such images. My reaction is one of shock, of course.
KOINANGE: Mr. President, you have a six-year-old daughter. You have a twin sister. You have a mother. If something like this were to happen to you, what would you do, sir?
KABILA: You definitely have the answer that. You definitely have the answer to that.
KOINANGE: In other words, he would hunt down the soldiers and execute them. Isn't this shameful to see soldiers doing this, sir?
KABILA: It's shameful to see anybody in uniform doing anything that is contrary to the reasons why he's, in fact, in uniform. So yes, it's shameful.
KOINANGE: Kabila says more than 300 soldiers have been convicted on rape charges in the last two years. He promises others will be punished. Back at the make-shift church, the congregation knows that many have not been punished. 15-year-old Olivea is now an orphan with little education and an uncertain future. The church's pastor has given him temporary shelter in his home. Some two million people died during Congo's civil war. Those who escaped death didn't escape pain. A generation of women and children have been so emotionally scarred, who can make them feel safe again? Jeff Koinange, CNN, Bukabu (ph), in eastern Congo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And you can see more reports from Jeff Koinange on "Anderson Cooper 360." Watch "AC 360" weeknights at 10:00, 7:00 Pacific.
NGUYEN: Such a powerful and important story. Really glad that Jeff was able to share that with us.
Here's something else I want to talk about. A lot of people say why me, why them? Why now? Where is God in all of this? Life's inexplicable tragedies often leave us with more questions than answers.
HARRIS: Especially when we look at images like these coming up in our "faces of faith" segment. We will talk with a rabbi who has asked a lot of these same questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: This is not an abstract book about God and theology. It does not try to use big words or clever ways of rephrasing questions in an effort to convince us that our problems are not really problems, but that we only think they are. This is a very personal book written by someone who believes in God and in the goodness of the world, someone who has spent most of his life giving to help other people believe and was compelled by a personal tragedy to rethink everything that he had been taught about God and God's ways. All of us at one time or another have asked the question "why do bad things happen to good people?" The book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" was written by Rabbi Harold Kushner. Rabbi Kushner, good to see you this morning. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
RABBI HAROLD KUSHNER, AUTHOR, "WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN": Good to be here with you Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Rabbi, I guess I want to first make this personal and then we will talk about some other things in the news and maybe talk about the Congo story from Jeff Koinange just a couple of moments ago. You lost your son, you and your wife, lost your son to a rare disease in 1977. Talk to us about your own personal experience of overcoming that loss of someone so precious to you.
KUSHNER: When our son was three years old and not growing the way he was supposed to, the doctors told us he had this very rare condition called progeria. The rapid aging syndrome that would cause him to stop growing and start growing old and cause his death in his early teens.
I have to tell you, it was quite a shock. He was an innocent, happy child in what was arguably the most religious family in town. And it just didn't make sense. This is not the way I'd been taught the world worked. I did not want to be angry at God. My faith was very important to me.
And the conclusion I came to is that I came to believe in a God who was awesomely powerful, but not all controlling. That there are two areas of life that God has no power over. One is forces of nature, whether you are talking about hurricanes or malignant tumors or genetic inheritances like progeria, nature has no conscience and that's outside of the power of God.
And secondly the other area was the freedom of human beings to choose to be good or to be cruel. What we have seen in the last several minutes on your show, this terrible story out of the Congo, the story out of Iraq, is how little it takes to strip the veneer of humanity from a human being. You have to really believe in a God who demands righteousness and be part of a community that will not tolerate that. Otherwise people will feel free to hurt their neighbors and God, whether you talk about an individual crime or the holocaust, God is not going to come down and prevent us from misusing our freedom.
HARRIS: I have to ask you, we often think of -- you come to the conclusion that there are a couple things that God just doesn't control. But doesn't that run counter to the belief that many of us have that God is the ultimate planner? He is the master planner.
KUSHNER: I still believe in that basically, Tony. But there's a part of us that wants to believe there is a reason for everything.
HARRIS: Yes.
KUSHNER: Darn it, sometimes there is no reason, but we have trouble accepting randomness. I can believe that at the outset of creation, God could have held all power in his own hands and chose to share that power with us. I can believe that God could have reserved the right to interfere with laws of nature and chose not to. How could you live in a world where you never knew if the law of gravity was going to affect you or not, if chemical reactions were going to work for you or not?
HARRIS: I have to ask you. We are looking at pictures now from hurricane Katrina and all the devastation there. I'm wondering, we are just embarking on a new hurricane season. And we spent a lot of time talking about how you should prepare your home, your belongings, this that and the other. Maybe we should start to prepare our minds, our emotions for what we know will come. We know there will be storms. We know that people will lose much in some cases, much of what they own. In some cases people will lose their lives. How do we begin to prepare ourselves for what is inevitable in this new hurricane season?
KUSHNER: Tony, you're right. This has been an abstract issue. Our grandson is scheduled to be bar mitzvahed in Miami in October and we are terribly concerned about a hurricane that weekend. Go back and read Chapter 19 of the first book of Kings. Elijah goes back to Mt. Sinai, looks for God. There's a storm; there's a hurricane. God is not in the storm or the earthquake. God is in the still small voice. Yes. Prepare for nature not having a conscience, nature being destructive. Prepare for it and also human beings have to be prepared to help each other.
God is not found in the storm. God is found in the impulse to reach out and help your neighbor. God is found in the communities coming together to protect themselves to prepare for this and to clean up and rebuild afterwards. It takes a very special kind of courage for New Orleans to rebuild itself when it's going to be in the same location that it was before and be just as vulnerable. But for people to say we will not be intimidated from living where we want to live; we will prepare; we will make all contingency plans; we will rebuild when the storm strikes.
HARRIS: How do we -- so I'm thinking about Kimberly Dozier, the CBS reporter who was injured so critically last week and she lost two of her crew members, James Brolan and Paul Douglas to an attack in Iraq. How does someone like Kimberly Dozier keep herself from asking the question why me? Why did this happen? How could this happen to two of my most trusted friends, co-workers, James Brolan and Paul Douglas?
KUSHNER: Tony, the most important thing I've learned in decades of dealing with these tragedies is that why me is really not a question. It's a cry of pain. Kimberly Dozier is not looking for explanation. She's looking for consolation. She wants to be given a reason to go on living in a world like where things like this happen and she will find that in the good people who come and hold her hand who do not try to minimize her loss, her tragedy, do not try to give her reasons why it happened to her. But say you're a good person. They were good people. Life is unfair. Let's be strong enough not to be broken by it. Why is a cry of pain. It is not a question looking for an explanation.
HARRIS: Rabbi Kushner. That was wonderful. That was wonderful. Thanks for your time this morning.
KUSHNER: Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: And speaking of the ambush that killed the two CBS crew members and injured Kimberly Dozier, CNN spoke to the wife of a soldier who died in that same attack. Listen to what she says about the moment she got the knock on her door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER, WIFE OF SOLDIER KILLED: I opened the door, and I took one look at the major who was there, and you could tell his eyes were red and he was trembling. It was hard for him to even speak and I knew. I just said, I just talked to him yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We will air the entire interview in our soldiers' story segment in the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Don't miss it.
NGUYEN: All right. We're going to move on now. As difficult as it is to talk about another subject that people are talking about. A proposal to ban same-sex marriages is a hot debate this week on Capitol Hill which brings us to our e-mail question of the day. Should there be a constitutional amendment banning such marriages? We invite you to e-mail us at cnn.com -- weekends@cnn.com. We're going to read those responses right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: OK folks, time for a quick check on your forecast this morning. In the Carolinas, fog is going to be the issue, but later on today, there will be the potential of some showers and storms, some could be severe. Also the possibility of severe weather out to the west towards parts of Idaho.
Meanwhile, temperatures today going up into the triple digits for Las Vegas as well as Phoenix, Denver, about 88 degrees, 91 in Houston, 90 in New Orleans. Meanwhile for New York, 66 degrees, the mix of sunshine and clouds and 57 in Boston. The rain finally ending in Boston later on today. That's the latest in your forecast. Let's send it back to you again.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) Finally the rain is out. All right, Reynolds. Thank you. Here's the question this morning, our e-mail question. We've been asking should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? And Gabrielle of Seattle says there should not be a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. Gay and lesbian couples have just as much right to be miserable as the rest of us.
HARRIS: Hey, hey, hey. This from Tiffany who writes that people who want gay marriage to be banned usually say they are trying to protect the family and protect children. I would believe them if they tried to ban the right to marry for people who are the real threats to family and children, rapists, child molesters and wife beaters. Here's the thing. We are getting a lot of e-mails but it all seems to be -- you just have one view of this? Is there just one view out there of the same-sex marriage debate?
NGUYEN: I'm sure there are many, a multitude of views. So send us what you think about the question which is right here on your screen, one more time. Should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? Let us know what you think. Do you agree with the two e-mails that we read? Do you disagree? What are your thoughts?
HARRIS: And if you do, you do.
NGUYEN: Yeah, there's no problem with it. We just want to hear from you. We want to hear all these differing views out there, so send them in. Come in. It's all right.
HARRIS: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the prime suspect in custody. This man wanted in the killings of five family members in Indianapolis turned himself in to police last night. Desmond Turner faces seven counts of murder. Police say robbery was the motive for the killings based on false reports of valuables in the home.
Meanwhile, the manhunt is on for two escapees from a jail in the nation's capital. Both are charged in a fatal shooting, one of them with murder. Authorities say the men broke through an office window and got away on a city shuttle bus. They were wearing blue prison jumpsuit when they escaped.
Seventeen suspects arrested in an alleged terror plot in Canada are due back in court Tuesday. Police say the suspects were planning to blow up targets in southern Ontario. They tried to acquire three tons of ammonium nitrate. That is triple the amount used in a 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City. HARRIS: Two dozen people are dead from shootings today in Iraq. In Baghdad police say gunmen opened fire on a minibus carrying telecommunications workers. Four were killed in that incident northeast of the capital. At least 20 people were shot dead near Baquba. Among the dead students and elderly men.
A suicide bomb attack killed four civilians and 13 wounded others in Afghanistan today. The navy military convoy was the target of the attack. No coalition forces were hurt.
British aid workers say bird flu is a risk among the survivors of a recent earthquake in Indonesia. Workers say many people who lost their homes are living in unsanitary chicken sheds. Some 37 people have died in Indonesia from bird flu.
Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He turned himself in because he had nowhere to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: A massive manhunt ends in Indianapolis with the surrender of the main suspect; we have a live report in just a few minutes.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, June 4th, halfway through the year. Can you believe it? Like that.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Halfway. All right. A little slow this morning, Tony. 8:00 a.m. at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: Hey wait a minute it's my son's birthday. Happy birthday, Miguel.
NGUYEN: You are just now remembering that.
HARRIS: No you just reminded me. June, June.
NGUYEN: You got to get those parts moving.
HARRIS: Good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Thanks for being with us this morning.
Out top story this hour is the end to the manhunt in Indianapolis after two days on the run. Suspect Desmond Turner surrendered to police at a fast-food restaurant in downtown Indianapolis. The suspected accomplish was arrested on Friday this after seven members of one family were found shot to death late Thursday. Relatives of those killed are stricken with grief, as you can understand. Reporter Alex Sanz of our affiliate station WTHR joins us with more. Alex good morning to you.
ALEX SANZ, WTHR: Good morning, Tony. I've got to start off by saying that there is really a tremendous sense of relief here today in central Indianapolis with the news that, in fact, Desmond Turner is off the streets. This, as you said, was really the end of a two-day manhunt that took police across the greater part of central Indiana. He turned himself into police last night just before 7:00 accompanied by friends and some family members.
Really, the end of what was a terrible string of two days for the city of Indianapolis. A crime that shook the city, but especially shook to the core here on the east side of Indianapolis where the murders happened. For much of the last 48 hours, we have seen memorial services taking place here in Indianapolis where the family members lived. Many of them here coming from different parts of the country. They have traveled here from all over the country for this, and this is really what they were hoping for. Neighbors here are relieved. The family is relieved.
That, of course, does very little to ease their pain. For many, it the healing process will begin later on tonight at 6:00 when another service will take place outside of the family's home here on the east side of Indianapolis, and, of course, now the process for them continues with having to bury their seven family members, their loved ones. As for Desmond Turner this morning, he is in jail facing seven counts of murder and seven felony counts of murder. That, of course, in connection with what happened here just two days ago. The man that the police consider his accomplice, James Stewart, he is also in jail. He was arrested Friday night. We understand, Tony, that both men could make their first court appearance as early as tomorrow morning.
HARRIS: Hey, Alex, I have a real sense that the community played a really active role in eventually capturing both of these guys, and particularly in catching Desmond. There's a sense that they made calls, they were actively involved. Is that true?
SANZ: To a great deal it is. When the murders happened, there was a neighbor who was actually outside of his front yard at 10:00 at night on Thursday night when this happened. He immediately went inside the house when he heard the gunshots, called 911, and that set off what was going to be a manhunt that lasted close to 48 hours. In the time since that began, literally hundreds of Indianapolis police officers canvassed a great part of the city chasing down leads pretty much at every corner. There were many sightings of Desmond Turner. In some cases there were several swat situations that took place throughout the day on Friday and Saturday.
In the case of James Stewart the man considered by police to be Desmond Turner's accomplice, he was actually caught Friday night and arrested. It was, of course, a call to police from a family friend that ended up with Desmond Turner turning himself in. They made the arrangement. He was accompanied by a close friend of the family, some family members, and just before 7:00 last night, at 6:45, he turned himself into police at a fast-food restaurant just east of downtown Indianapolis. So without a doubt, without the calls from all the neighbors and all the people who were close to the family, there's a good chance that Desmond Turner might still be walking the streets here in Indianapolis this morning.
HARRIS: That is exactly what you wanted in a situation like that. It's just great that people in that community work so well with the police. Alex we appreciate it, Alex Sanz with our affiliate WTHR. Alex thanks.
NGUYEN: And down it goes. Oh, how I love to watch the buildings go boom, don't we? It just amazes me every single time. This one is going down in Fort Meyer, Virginia, and are you witnessing a first because this type of demolition has never been done on a military installation before. The structure is a 40-year-old, 12-story apartment building at Fort Meyer that served military personnel and the families. Now, if that was exciting, check this out.
From Taiwan with love. Oh, yes. Take a look at the newest deliveries to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Talk about overnight delivery. The two female whale sharks were flown in overnight on a specially equipped jumbo jet. They will join the aquarium star attractions, whale sharks, and they're hoping to make some kind of love connection.
And can't go in front of a government building, so how about the rear? Religious groups are renewing the battle over the displays of the Ten Commandments in public places. The group faith in action, but this outside its Washington office, facing the rear of the Supreme Court justice building. Now, justices will pass it daily as they enter the court's parking garage.
Hundreds of demonstrators braved the rain in New York calling for equal marriage rights. The Senate is poised to vote this week on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. President Bush has asked the Senate to approve the ban.
So should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? This is our email question today. We've got lots of responses in favor of it. Want to know what you think. Are you in favor of it? Are you against it? What are your thoughts? Send them to WEEKENDS@CNN.com we are going to read those responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: In our "Security Watch" this morning we continue to follow the arrest of terror suspects at our neighbor next door, 17 in arrested in Canada, all Muslims. Police say the group posed a real and serious threat capable of carrying out an attack more severe than the Oklahoma City bombing. CNN's Kyung Lah joins us from Washington. Kyung good morning.
LAH: Good morning Tony. What we are learning from the FBI here in Washington is that they are being kept in the loop. They're going to review any intelligence that's gathered by the Canadian authorities. Right now, though, the FBI special agent in charge here says primarily what the FBI is doing is that they're kind of just overseeing or being a partner with Canada. The suspects themselves, you are looking at some pictures of them now, 15 of 17 are currently in custody. All 17 are expected to be in a bail hearing on Tuesday.
What the Canadian authorities have said about this particular group, and we are learning a little bit more about them, is they're telling CNN that the suspects were a self-contained group and connected via the Internet. The Canadian government had been watching these suspects for some time and decided to move in Friday night, early Saturday morning, and make these sweeping arrests. Exactly why, though, the Canadian authorities are not releasing to us, but here is what is most troubling is that they believe these suspects had obtained three times the amount of ammonium nitrate, a very potent explosive, used to explode the federal building in Oklahoma City. That is really what is concerning the agents in Canada. Tony.
HARRIS: You do wonder how you go about getting three tons of ammonium nitrate. Kyung Lah in Washington D.C. for us. Kyung thank you.
Michael Wilson the Canadian ambassador to the U.N. will be Wolf Blitzer's guest on "Late Edition" tune in 11:00 a.m. Eastern here on CNN, and stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable information on your safety and security.
NGUYEN: Moving overseas. Two dozen people dead that is the toll today alone from violence around two Iraqi cities. It is the latest in a bloody weekend of shootings, bomb attacks, and abductions. CNN's John Vause joins us live from Baghdad with the details on all this. John bring us up to speed on all of this violence that's occurred within 24 hours.
VAUSE: Absolutely Betty. It's been a number of deadly attacks across Iraq. It seems they've been mostly directed at Iraqi civilians. Earlier today 20 people were shot and killed. Apparently execution- style. According to Iraqi police, they were traveling in two mini buses and one car. Not far from the city of Baquba north of Baghdad. They were stopped by gunmen, all got out of their vehicles. According to one report, they were separated into Shiites and Sunnis. The Shiites have shot were shot and killed, four Sunnis who were released unharmed. Among the dead, seven students and five elderly men.
To the south in Basra, police had stormed a Sunni mosque. There was a firefight. Officials say nine people there were killed. Police surrounded the mosque late on Saturday night apparently searching for suspected militants. After the gun battle, police say they arrested six people and found two vehicles packed full of explosives. But the Iraqis Islamic party, which is a Sunni group, has a different version of what happened. They claim the police shot and killed seven guards from the mosque. They arrested nine people. Those nine people were later found dead.
Here in Baghdad in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, there's been a drive-by shooting which has left four workers from a telecommunications company dead.
Betty.
NGUYEN: John, this doesn't even include what happened yesterday with the Russian diplomat that was killed, the others who were kidnapped. Do you know the latest on those kidnapped diplomats?
VAUSE: Well, earlier today there were a number of reports on Iraqi TV quoting the interior minister that or the ministry rather, that all of these kidnapped diplomats had, in fact, been freed. We've contacted the embassy here and we've spoken to the interior minister, and they all deny these claims that these diplomats have been released, but we have been told from a statement coming from the foreign ministry in Moscow that they are working, they are negotiating with someone trying to free these four diplomats.
Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN John Vause in Baghdad. Thank you so much, we will be checking in.
HARRIS: And there is this, a suicide car bomber killed four people in Afghanistan today. Officials say the attack in Kandahar targeted a Canadian military convoy. The victims were all civilian. A Canadian television reporter traveling with the convoy describes what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANIS MACKEY FRAYER, CTV CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We were traveling through Kandahar. A pickup truck, or an SUV, came from out of an alley. It tried to wedge its way into the convoy, one vehicle behind the one that we were traveling in. He wasn't able to do so. The Canadian vehicles were able to point at a tourist in his direction. They believe that he reacted as such, detonated his explosives earlier than he may have planned. There was not a lot of damage caused to the Canadian convoy. We kept rolling through.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: In addition to the four civilians who died, 13 others were wounded.
NGUYEN: Coalition forces fight fierce battles on almost a daily basis. Suicide attacks plague Afghanistan. The Taliban is back. How could this happen? There's a report from our Brent Sadler in Kandahar in just about two minutes from now. That's live right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Don't miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You need to take a look at this. This is Broward County, brush fires shot down 25 miles of U.S. 27 in that county. About 6000 acres scorched near the Everglades. No injuries reported. Authorities say the blaze was likely started by lighting.
NGUYEN: All right. So you got a dry area, then you put lightening en the mix and of course you are going to see grass fires. The thing is Reynolds when are they going to get some rain?
WOLF: It's probably going to be a while. The deal about Florida is you get a lot of the daytime thunderstorms, but that's really not what they need. What they need is what they have been experiencing up in New England. That would be just the scattered showers that just continue, just the soaking showers. Those showers are going to fizzle out in parts of the Northeast. Thankfully they are going to start drying out. Showers are going to continue for portions of Detroit back over to Commerce Township.
Meanwhile, over towards St. Louis, just to the east, we're seeing a few scattered showers. A rumble of thunder or two out towards Kansas City. Nothing severe at this point, but into the afternoon there certainly is that potential, and back over to Washington State. Some light to moderate showers extending all the way along I5 down to Portland, even into Salem. Eugene getting a little bit of shower activity this morning as well. What about temperatures? What you can you expect for the day today?
Try 88 degrees in Denver, 81 in Kansas City, 93 in Dallas, and 66 for New York. That's the latest in the forecast.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet you.
NGUYEN: Well the resurgence of violence in Afghanistan as you see right here has occurred, it's occurring right now as we speak. The Taliban seem to be gaining ground and momentum. That poses fresh challenges for U.S. troops on the ground.
Joining us by phone with some insight is CNN's senior international correspondent Brent Sadler. Brent, first of all, let me ask you after five years it appears the Taliban is back at full force. What's happening over there?
Can you hear us Brent? All right. Apparently we're having some technical difficulties getting Brent over the phone, but we will try again throughout the morning so you want to stay with us for that. He has a great update on the situation over there, and, in fact, how NATO is getting involved. We may see troop deployment, and we'll talk to Brent about that a little later.
HARRIS: We talked about that last week with James Spider Marks. We asked the question, Spider, are we getting to the point now in Afghanistan where we might see more troops going in, and he said, you know what, I hate to say it, but, yes. We're at a point now where we may actually need more troops.
NGUYEN: NATO has said that it's going to deploy twice as many troops to southern Afghanistan as the U.S.-led forces there are just dealing with the insurgency and the Taliban, ramping up in both power and strength, and the number of people that it has on the ground. We'll see how that plays out, and we'll talk to Brent a little more about that when we can get him up on the phone line.
OK, so you have waited patiently, and now it is almost time to read a few of your email responses. Here is the question for you. Should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? Send us your thoughts. You still have time to get them in. Here's the email address WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We'll be reading those replies in about three minutes.
HARRIS: It's like a telethon. Until the last minute you can still make that call and send it in.
At the bottom of the hour time for your house call. Today with Elizabeth Cohen, the topic, live organ donation and the complications of these life-saving surgeries. "House Call" at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Looking at pictures from what's going in Afghanistan. Our Brent Sadler is on the ground there, and we do have him back via phone to talk about the Taliban and how the Taliban has ramped up in the violence over there. Brent, the first thing I want to ask you is after five years, how is it that the Taliban, in fact, is at full force?
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, the Taliban are pretty in the southern part of Afghanistan, which has been neglected. All the attention has gone into other parts of this country. There's been little reconstruction, little money. It's been pretty easy for the Taliban to be coming across the border from Pakistan, say, U.S. commanders into the south bringing new recruits, new training, new weapons, and newly trained suicide bombers that cause havoc in remote areas of the south, and now we've seen more attacks in Kandahar, another one today. This is a growing problem that's happening right now, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well I think the key is they've also grown in numbers, and you've touched on that. In fact, the Taliban is able to cover such a wide area now. Is that surprising at all to you that in this amount of time that they have grown so much in the numbers?
SADLER: Well, certainly it's a different picture to what it was a year ago. The Taliban and other anti-government forces have been making a lot of use of the illicit drugs trade here, the opium poppies. It's been here in the season, so there's a lot of money around, a lot of cash around. The Taliban are using that because they're linked up with drug barrens and they've paid for recruits to join this anti-U.S.-led coalition force battling its Taliban anti-- government insurgency across a wide area, and take Arizona and think desert, high mountains, and the total force down here that the U.S. is leaving, 33,000 troops against a widely scattered Taliban and other criminal community arms and operating in various places and attacking troops and planting IEDS in remote locations, and we're seeing a lot of close support. I saw a U.S. air force e-10 in action the other night attacking a Taliban group that had launched an attack against coalition forces.
NGUYEN: Hey Brent let me jump in just really quickly because we're running out of time, and I want to make sure that you get this in because there is movement by NATO. Talk to me about how NATO is going to increase the troops over there to aid the U.S. coalition. SADLER: NATO forces will bring in more troops, double the numbers here. The U.S. will still be very little involved in ground activity in one area in smaller numbers, but essentially U.S. air support will be very much evident, and you will see a widen support against the Taliban to try to cut down their number ahead of this NATO take over and Afghanistan (INAUDIBLE). This story, I think, will get more international attention, more U.S. attention as this action goes on. Betty.
NGUYEN: You will be there, and we will be watching. Brent Sadler in Afghanistan. Thank you so much for that. We'll be checking in with you.
For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, you want to stay with CNN the most trusted name in news.
HARRIS: OK let's put that email question out. All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on the question should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage?
And Steve from Naples writes, "The Republicans and our "bring 'em on President" use the phrase "the sanctity of marriage." Define that! What does that mean when over 50 percent of hetero marriages end in divorce?"
NGUYEN: Hetero.
HARRIS: Thank you. "When a large percentage of hetero have extra marital affairs? Where is the "Sanctity" in Marriage? Let the gay couple alone!"
NGUYEN: Christy in Virginia says, "Yes! Same sex marriages should be banned. Not because I have anything against individuals who are homosexual, but because it is so contrary to the way God created things to be. When he created man, he intended for his mate to be female."
All right. So got a little bit of both sides this time around. Here's the question again. Should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? Doesn't matter what you think. We still want to know is on either side of this issue. Bring it on. Send it to WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We'll read those responses on the air.
HARRIS: Can we do that over?
NGUYEN: We didn't do so well. We are having problems reading around here.
Ahead, a rare mating game. The story behind why two female whale sharks were brought from Taiwan all the way to America and what it takes to pack up and move the biggest fish in the world halfway across the world.
HARRIS: And minutes away now, "House Call" with Elizabeth Cohen, and a focus on living organ donation. Your top stories straight ahead.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
