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CNN Live Sunday

Senior Marine on Scene in Haditha Speaks Out; Iraq is Top Priority at Summit for President Bush; U.S. Begins World Cup Quest

Aired June 11, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Tracking Alberto, the first- named storm of the hurricane season. We'll tell you where it's headed.
Also a young marine dies in Iraq. Protesters disrupt his funeral. Now his father is fighting back.

And kickoff, the U.S. begins their World Cup quest. We'll take you to Germany for a preview.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Tropical storm Alberto is churning in the Gulf of Mexico. It's already dumped heavy rains in Cuba and now it's heading for the U.S. A live report on the storm in one minute.

Four Iraqis have been killed in a car bombing in central Baghdad. Ten others were wounded. The blast happened in a commercial district just hours after an al Qaeda threat to ramp up the violence.

Some 230 Iraqi prisoners have their freedom today. A total of 2,500 are being released under a reconciliation plan aimed at relieving sectarian tensions. Most are believed to be minority Sunnis.

Hoping to put pressure on Iran, the U.S. and Europe are lobbying other nations to urge Tehran to start nuclear talks. Iran says it finds parts of the Western incentives package acceptable and others ambiguous. A counteroffer is expected.

Three people were killed and one wounded when Israel fired a missile into northern Gaza. The Israeli military says the air strike targeted a terror cell about to launch rockets at Israelis.

Waiting and watching Alberto. The first-named storm of the season is dumping rain in the Gulf of Mexico and onto Cuba. Residents in southern Florida are already preparing for Alberto. In the next 24 hours, we could see some important changes. For that, let's turn to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And join us tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern for a special "CNN PRESENTS: Sudden Fury in Katrina's Deadly Wake." Relive the disaster as seen through the eyes of survivors only on CNN. ANNOUNCER: Stay with CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

WHITFIELD: And now to Iraq and a new twist on the alleged civilian massacre by U.S. marines. The man who led the operation is putting out word that what's been reported and what really happened are two entirely different things. Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now with more on the story from Washington. Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the senior marine on the scene when those killings took place in Haditha back in November of last year has told his attorney that he is, quote, "terribly sorrowful for what happened to those 24 civilians but that all of the deaths were inadvertent." The lawyer for that marine at the scene of the killing says the marines followed, quote, "the standard rules of engagement and that the 24 civilians were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Neal Puckett represents then sergeant, now staff sergeant Frank Wuterich, the leader of a small four-man team that killed the occupants of two houses that day. Wuterich is at Camp Pendleton. He's been charged with nothing so far while the investigation is still under way. But he told his attorney that several marines witnessed fire coming from one of the houses and that's what started it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEAL PUCKETT, WUTERICH'S ATTORNEY: Everything that happened that day happened in response to the IED explosion. The marines operated according to their training. They had certain checklists they had to follow when those sorts of things happened. They provided security immediately and then when while they were on the scene, took fire from the south. Went to clear the houses where that fire was coming from. And the result unfortunately was innocent civilians were killed. But to represent it as a massacre is just totally wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Neal Puckett is a retired marine lieutenant colonel himself. He is representing Sergeant Wuterich. He make a couple of points. He admits that the marines went into the houses and killed the civilians, but he said they were following the standard procedure for clearing a house once they had taken hostile fire from one of the houses.

He also says his client fired no shots at two of the houses and only fired shots at a car that was a taxicab carrying five males in it. They were shot, he says, when they refused orders in Arabic to lie down and instead ran away -- something that the marines interpreted as a hostile act.

And here's the other thing. He insists that his client accurately reported what happened that day up the chain of command and made no attempt to misrepresent or cover up what happened. And he says he hopes that when the investigation is completed later this summer sometime probably in August, that his client will not be charged with anything remotely as serious as murder. In fact he believes that the marines there should be exonerated -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Jamie, in this investigation, how much pressure is there on the U.S. military to in some way appease Iraqi officials who have already said publicly they want some sort of accountability here?

MCINTYRE: Well the investigators who are doing the investigation -- there are two separate investigations. One by navy criminal investigators and one from a separate military investigation into who knew what when.

They insist they are completely insulated from that kind of pressure. They feel under no pressure to do anything except follow where the facts lead. And they insist that they are taking every step to do that including reinterviewing some of the witnesses and going back and trying to exhume the bodies of the victims so that they can get additional forensic evidence. And that's one of the reasons the investigation is dragging into the summer.

WHITFIELD: Jamie McIntyre from Washington, thanks so much.

Al Qaeda in Iraq is vowing today to avenge the death of its leader. It's believed to be the group's first statement since the attack that killed Iraq's most notorious terrorist, Abu Musab al- Zarqawi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): With a promise of large-scale operations that will, quote, "shake the enemy and rob them of sleep," a group calling itself al Qaeda in Iraq sent a message. Despite the death of their leader, they will continue to attack their enemy. While CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the statement, it was posted on a Web site that has carried messages from the group in the past.

MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: They're trying to make up for the huge loss and the disorientation they are suffering from because there is a huge vacuum of power, now within al Qaeda.

WHITFIELD: The statement mentioned no replacement for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But the posting claimed the group would continue attacks and renewed allegiance to Osama bin Laden.

JAMES WALSH, SECURITY ANALYST: Whether al-Zarqawi was dead or alive, they'd still be trying to mount a big attack against U.S. forces or more likely against the Shiite Muslim community, with the purpose of trying to encourage a civil war.

WHITFIELD: The statement also warned that the group will not be acting alone, but will coordinate with other members of the Mujahadin council to launch future operations.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think this is very important because they are here reiterating that they're not only the al-Zarqawi group if you like, quote, unquote, they are also some other militants who are supporters of al-Zarqawi.

WHITFIELD: The White House has been cautious about what impact al-Zarqawi's death may have, but U.S. leaders have said before that further attacks are inevitable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Iraq is front and center during a summit between President Bush and his top advisers this week at Camp David. Ed Henry joins us live from the White House with more. And what do we know about specific points at issue, Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well good afternoon, Fred. Of course the White House wants to strategize about how they can continue to train more Iraqi troops and police. They also want to figure out how to get more electricity to the Iraqi people so they feel more tangible results.

And of course they want to try to find a way to capitalize on al- Zarqawi's death to make sure that there's a way to in fact start reducing the level of violence in Iraq.

But the problem is with all this kicking up speculation that this could reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq, the White House wants to keep all these developments in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): As President Bush gathers his top advisers for two days of high-level talks on Iraq strategy at Camp David, the Iraqi national security adviser is predicting U.S. troop levels will drop below 100,000 by the end of this year.

AL-RUBAIE: By the end of next year, most of the multinational forces would have gone home. And by the middle of 2008, we will not see a lot of visibility neither in the cities nor in the town of the multinational forces.

HENRY: President Bush is downplaying expectations of U.S. troop cutbacks while touting the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a major blow to al Qaeda.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He killed a lot of people. And it's a big deal to have brought him to justice. Having said that, I don't want the American people to think that a war is won with the death of one person, that we have still more work to do.

HENRY: The top U.S. commander in Iraq, who will participate in the Camp David talks by video conference, suggests U.S. forces will come home over time.

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: I think as long as the Iraqi security forces continue to progress, and as long as this national unit government continues to operate that way and move the country forward, I think we're going to be able to see continued gradual reductions of coalition forces over the coming months and into next year.

HENRY: Experts say the death of al-Zarqawi coupled with the filling out of a new Iraqi cabinet sets the stage for more progress at Camp David.

PAUL BREMER, FMR. US AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The opportunity now is to design a military strategy to defeat the insurgency which is the core of the problem in Iraq. And once that is done, once a strategy is in place, it makes it possible to deal with the problems of the Shia militia, the problems of reconstruction of the economy and so forth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: A senior administration official said the president wants to leave this summit feeling that every level of the U.S. government has a specific strategy to help the Iraqi government succeed. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Ed Henry at the White House, thanks so much.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's name has been crossed off the list, but Osama bin Laden and his top deputy are still out there. "The World's Most Wanted" profiles this trio of terror. Watch CNN tonight at 8:00 and again at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Eighteen years ago, just minutes old she was abandoned on the side of a road. Today she is very much a survivor and now a high school graduate. Her remarkable story coming up.

World Cup soccer. The U.S. team kicks into high gear tomorrow. We'll have a preview. And sports in the buff? Naked bike riding time? No banana seats, please.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi folks, I'm Reynolds Wolf with a look at today's allergy report. And if you happen to be in central or west Texas or in parts of say southern New Mexico, Arizona, even southern California, Nevada, things will be great for you. You'll be breathing easy also in the Northern Plains. However you may have more of a difficult day with sniffing and sneezing and parts of the central and northern Rockies, also out towards the Pacific Northwest. That's a look at today's allergy report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The World Cup, billions watching around the world, stoking a range of emotions. Before Mexico's 3-1 win over Iran today, crowds flocked to a church in Mexico City to pray for a win. Inside, a statue of the baby Jesus, that's right, dressed in a Mexican soccer uniform.

In Nuremberg, German Jews and politicians protested a possible visit to the World Cup by Iran's president. The president has doubted publicly the Holocaust ever occurred. Neo-Nazis in Germany have chosen to root for the Iranian team.

The U.S. team joins the World Cup's group of 32 finalists this year. It's first match is tomorrow against the Czech Republic. CNN's sports Mark McKay is in Berlin, and a short time ago, I asked him about the expectations for the U.S. team.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well maybe we ought to, Fredricka, begin with setting the stage for people that what, are maybe paying attention to the NBA finals or major league baseball or maybe just getting ready for summer.

The United States is playing in a group of four. There are 32 nations here. They are playing out of what is called World Cup Group E. Now of their two other opponents, only Ghana should be the one that they should be able to push over. Ghana is a first timer here.

But as you mention, they are going to begin on Monday against the Czech Republic now. Now this is a team, a veteran team that has made eight previous World Cup appearances, but they did under the name Czechoslovakia.

Now the United States may have a good shot Monday in this one, Fredricka. The Czech Republic is a very old team. They have been battered by injuries. The United States young, they have experience. So they could very well get past the Czech Republic, perhaps easily on Monday.

But then they have to face eventually in the tournament, another group foe Italy. Italy is a team that is very deep in every position. They have basically star players who star on the European club scene. So Italy at least in my mind, Italy is a team that certainly could if not go all the way, certainly give the United States fits.

So to say the U.S. team, Fred, could get out of the opening round, yes, like they did four years ago in Asia. But I wouldn't put the mortgage on it.

WHITFIELD: All right, the atmosphere overall, emotionally charged. We know also that FIFA has been asked to do something about the racist undertones of a number of the fans or at least groups of people assembling there.

MCKAY: Well let me give you the sense of the atmosphere. We are outside of the Brandenburg Gate and what is just behind me is called a fan fest mile. And each and every day, at least initially, there are three matches that are played all across Germany. And huge big screen video screens are set up. And hundreds of thousands of people come here, and they're here from around the world.

You're seeing of course the German flag, you're seeing the jerseys and flags from other nations, most prominently Brazil. They are the World Cup holders. But it's a very festive, carnival-like atmosphere here in Berlin. Now to touch on the other issue, FIFA, they are world soccer's governing body -- they are very sensitive to any racial issue that's out there. We've mainly seen it over the past couple of years in Spain, prominently in Spain and in Italy recently, we've had problems.

But we're not expecting to see it here at the World Cup, Fredricka. What you have, you have stadiums that are filled with people from all around the world. And in fact Germans are very sensitive to this nature. There was a far right political protest this Sunday in the German city of Gelsenkirchen. And the counter protesters outweighed the actual protesters, so the German people don't want anything to do with it.

And FIFA, at least on the club scene, they have cracked down - - they are going to take away points from teams and prevent the actual club teams from playing in competitions if their fans have bad behavior.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mark McKay, thanks so much. Our eyes on the World Cup in Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And perhaps you can't get enough of the World Cup. Well check out our Web site. We've got profiles of all the teams and the players. Just log on to CNN.com/Worldcup.

Well he's the guru when it comes to hurricane forecasts. But what does professor William Gray have to say about global warming? His views might surprise you. That story when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News across America now. A Coast Guard search is underway for newspaper publisher Philip Merrill who went missing in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. Authorities believe 72-year-old Merrill, a former diplomat, may have fallen overboard. His sailboat was found adrift with no one on board and its engine running.

And now to a rescue from California, near Malibu, where four people are now safe after being plunked from this sinking ship this morning. It's unknown why the craft sank.

When William Gray talks about hurricanes, people listen. But when the scientist speaks about global warming, he says he gets the cold shoulder. CNN's Mary Snow filed this story for "THE SITUATION ROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In one corner, former vice president Al Gore making the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" to focus attention on a global crisis.

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: The Arctic is experiencing faster melting. If this were to go, sea level world wide would go up 20 feet.

SNOW: In the other corner, renowned forecaster Dr. William Gray, who accurately predicted last year's hurricane season better than the National Hurricane Center. Two men with a focus on the environment with a divide over the science of global warming, with Gray skeptical that humans are having a major impact on the warming of the planet.

WILLIAM GRAY, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY: I think this threat of human-induced global warming is largely manufactured. I don't think it's real.

SNOW: That puts Dr. Gray at odd odds not only with former vice president Al Gore, but with over 2,000 of the world's leading climate scientists. They say, yes, because humans are burning things like oil and coal, it is contributing to global warming. So why aren't there more skeptics?

Dr. Gray claims that scientists, especially younger ones, are afraid to voice skepticism.

GRAY: There has been, I might say, a mild McCarthyism running against skeptics like me. I believe I lost some government money and funds over the years because I have been a skeptic on this topic.

SNOW: Not so says one of those younger scientists who said she is surprised by Gray's global warming claims.

BRENDA EKWURZEL, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: If we wait until every last person understands the data as most of the scientists do, then it may be too late.

SNOW: Just last month a scientific panel set up by the Bush administration concluded there is no more debate, the Earth's climate is burning up and there's only one explanation, human burning of oil and coal. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And go inside the biggest issues in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Join Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4:00 Eastern and again at prime time at 7:00 p.m.

Coming up, inside Guantanamo. We visited the prison last year. Then this is what one guard had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of the detainees that I deal with day in and day out want to kill me. They want to kill you. Some of the detainees have told me point blank, when I leave here I will kill every American that I possibly can until I myself am killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Here's what is happening right now in the news. The first official storm of the hurricane season is churning in the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical storm Alberto is expected to hit Florida Tuesday. A full report is just a minute away. Stay tuned to CNN your hurricane headquarters.

A new threat from al Qaeda in Iraq on an Islamic Website. The group threatens to carry out a large attack that will "shake the enemy and rob them of sleep." The threat follows the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was killed in a U.S. air strike on Wednesday.

Four Iraqis have been killed in a roadside bombing in central Baghdad. Ten others were wounded. The blast happened in a commercial district. Just hours after an Al Qaeda threat to ramp up the violence.

Presenting a firm united front in nuclear negotiations with Iran, the U.S. and Europe are reportedly lobbying other nations to join them in encouraging Iran to accept their latest nuclear package. If Tehran rejects it then threaten U.N. action. The package would give Iran nuclear technology among other things if it suspended uranium enrichment.

Now tracking tropical storm Alberto. It's the first named storm of the season and bringing heavy rain to Cuba, Florida is next. Let's go straight to the Weather Center with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi Fredricka. Literally just got this off the wire here. We have an update for you, very important for everybody. On Florida's west side a tropical storm watch has just been issued for the west coast of Florida from north of Bonita Beach extending up to Steamhachee. So tropical storm watch, what does that mean to you? It means that tropical storm conditions are possible in about 36 hours. And you can see we're already getting the rain across this areas, and we are expecting those winds to be arriving we think sometime by tomorrow afternoon. Certainly tropical storm force wind gusts if not sustained winds, now the system still remains very poorly organized. Having a tough time getting itself together. A lot of different factors fighting against the storm, which is good news actually for us.

Looks like the maximum sustained winds are holding steady at 45 miles per hour and it looks like the track has turned a little bit farther up to the north. It's been tracking northeasterly all day long. Now it's pulling up to the north at 7 miles an hour. We do fully expect it to then start to ride on up to the northeast and make its approach towards Florida's Peninsula. The rainfall is going to be quite heavy and really is the big story with this system. Showers and thundershowers could produce as much as four to eight inches of rain over the next 48 plus hours.

But you can see a computer model forecast here showing the worst of the rains will be offshore but into central parts of Florida. We are very concerned about that. There are flood watches now, which have been posted across the area for the potential of that very heavy rain. But we certainly do need some of the rain across this area. There's a moderate drought. Straying a couple of them. The overall consensus is bringing it in toward Florida big bend area sometime we think on Tuesday.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jacqui thank you so much.

Now to the apparent suicides at Gauntanamo Bay, today bitter reaction from U.S. allies and growing calls for the Bush administration to change the way it handles terrorism suspects. Britain, Germany and Saudi Arabia all renewed their disapproval today. And Senate Republican Arlen Specter called Gauntanamo Bay a "grave problem." The camp is holding some 460 suspected terrorist, only ten of whom have been charged, eight now are involved in a hunger strike.

Well there are new calls for shutting down the detention camp at Gitmo. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed tells CNN the United States must find another way to keep Gauntanamo prisoners off the streets. His call comes after three detainees committed suicide yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FRIEDMAN, "NEW YORK TIMES:" Gauntanamo Bay and the three suicides just reported. Gauntanamo Bay to me is the anti-statue of liberty. It has become a horrible advertisement for what should be the best of American values. How we treat prisoners of war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Bush administration maintains prisoners are not being abused at Guantanamo. CNN's Ben Wedeman visited the camp last year and at the time filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The invitation from the president himself.

BUSH: These people are being treated humanely. Very few prison systems around the world that have received such scrutiny as this one. For those of you here in the country I suggest buying an airplane ticket and going down and taking a look for yourself.

WEDEMAN: So we did. Spending four days visiting Gauntanamo Bay our military escorts took us to camps one and four set aside for so- called compliant detainees those that obey the camp's posted rules and regulations. The most compliant are given white clothing and deck shoes, plus playing cards, books, chess, backgammon and checker boards, even access to books. The somewhat less cooperative are given tan outfits. And some of the least cooperative are given orange uniforms. The only permitted diversion the Loran. And across the board flat denials prisoners have ever been abused.

COL. MICHAEL BUMGARNER, U.S. ARMY: The policy here is no abuse. I can't state it any stronger. That is not allowed and that is not a part of procedures here. WEDEMAN: Being fluent in Arabic I was hoping to have some sort of contact with the detainees but that is strictly forbidden. I was able to overhear snippets of conversation.

I heard two inmates say they missed each other in Arabic with heavy gulf accents. The two men were unaware reporters were present. In the hospital wing one prisoner shouted in English we take the torture in here. It wasn't possible to talk to the prisoner about his allegation.

According to the ground rules for reporters all videotape must be screened by an employee of the defense department who erased any of our video showing detainee's faces or profiles. We're told this is done to protect detainees and their relatives from reprisal in their home country.

Lawyer Clive Smith represents some of the detainees here. He describes media visits as a properganda stunt.

CLIVE SMITH, DETAINEE LAWYER: It's simply not true to say this is some sort of club med where everyone is treated well. I'm not saying the people here are unpleasant folk in any way. They are not. Quite pleasant people doing terrible things.

WEDEMAN: It certainly isn't club med for the young men and women guarding Gauntanamo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our biggest problem has been recently the throwing of feces and urine and cocktail number four.

WEDEMAN: Cocktail number four is what the detainees themselves call a knock shous mix of sperm, spit, fecal matter and urine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell you many of the detainees that I deal with day in and day out want to kill me, they want to kill you. Some of the detainees have told me point blank when I leave here I will kill every American that I possibly can until I myself am killed.

WEDEMAN: Even critics of Guantanamo agree, there are some very dangerous detainees. But with the media restrictions a journalist accepting the president's invitation to get the full picture on what is happening here may be on a mission impossible.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Somalia for many Americans it conjures up memories of the Blackhawk down tragedy in the early 1990'2. Including pictures of dead U.S. soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadesio (ph).

U.S. forces pulled out soon after, and the country has been in a state of anarchy ever since. This week Islam fighters took control of the capital with promises to do the same throughout the country. That has President Bush rethinking U.S. policy to war at Somalia and how it relates to the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Obviously when there is instability anywhere in the world where we are concerned there's instability in Somalia. The first concern would be to make sure Somalia doesn't become an Al Qaeda safe haven, to become a place where they can plot and plan. We're watching very carefully the development there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For the latest on the situation in Somalia CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh reports from neighboring Kenya.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After months of heavy fighting in Somalia and hundreds of civilians killed a lull in violence in Mogadishu. Fighters say they are in control of the capital and they have driven out secular warlords who kept Somalia a lawless state for more than 15 years.

Now the Islamist militia says it wants to work with Somalia's U.N. backed but largely powerless government to bring stability nationwide. Next door at Kenya at Nirobies (ph) Somalies in exile welcome the news.

JAMIL ABDULAAHI, SOMALI IN EXILE: What we like to see Somalia get peace again.

VAN MARSH: Most Somalis say the Islamist fighters will remove the warlords from power. And they say the international community shouldn't worry that the Islamic courts union will turn Somalia into a radical Islamic state.

AHMED BOUSERI, SOMALI REFUGEE: I don't know why the people are more sensitive --

VAN MARSH: In Kenya that sensitivity might be linked to the 1998 Al Qaeda bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi that killed more than 200 Kenyans. The Bush administration according to diplomats and a former high-ranking U.S. officials supported warlords in the Somalia conflict as part of its anti-terrorism strategy and has accused elements of the Muslim militia of harboring Al Qaeda suspects.

Now it says it is reserving judgment on the ability of the Islamic court union to help bring about stability. In Nairobi piles of blankets, medicines and school materials await children in need. UNICEF is one of three major aid agencies storing food and supplies at the warehouse here in Nairobi. Food and supplies that will make their way over to Somalia. A top U.N. official says he's hopeful developments in Somalia will make it an easier place to work.

CHRISTIAN BALSLEY-OLESEN, UNICEF SOMALIA: We have had kidnappings, we had roadblocks, and we have thefts to our staff. It is very difficult. We're hoping and praying this is now going to be better. But again we have to be very cautious.

VAN MARSH: Caution seems to be the operative word for U.N. agencies as well as for African, European and U.S. officials. A hastily arranged international conference is scheduled in New York next week to address concerns over the tightening grip of the Islamic militia in Somalia.

Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that gathering in New York will mark the inaugural meeting of what will be known as the Somalia contact group. The summit begins tomorrow and next hour we'll take a closer look at the prospects of an Islamic-based government in Somalia.

We have seen protests against the war in Iraq before but protesters at military funerals. Find out what is behind the anger and what one grieving father is doing to fight back.

Also, born baby Jane Doe, abandoned at birth. Now she is all grown up and ready to graduate high school. Her story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. In southern China they are hosing down and cleaning up from monsoon rains that caused serious flooding. As many as half a million people had to be evacuated. The death toll topped 50.

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano is active again. Officials say burst of red-hot lava spewed from it earlier today following Friday's blast of gas that collapsed a portion of the volcano's lava dome. Experts say the escaping gas could prevent or delay a full-blown eruption. But the danger remains.

Adding insult to heartbreak. Protesters show up at funerals for Americans killed in Iraq not to mourn but to gloat. Now the father of one serviceman is fighting back. Allan Chernoff looked at the situation for "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The pain is still raw for Al Snyder. Just 12 weeks ago two marines arrived at his doorstep with news his son Matt a marine had been killed in Iraq.

AL SNYDER, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I knew as soon as I saw them what they were there for. The worst night of my life. It just - you can't describe how it is to lose a child. You can't even explain to anybody what it is like. You know I just felt like somebody had taken a piece of my heart and I still feel that way.

CHERNOFF: What could possibly bring more pain? Having a group of strangers protesting outside the funeral claiming Matt died because Snyder raised him with evil values. FRED PHELPS, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: Each one of them are going to hell.

CHERNOFF: The followers of Fred Phelps all family members claim American servicemen are being killed because the country promotes homosexuality and abortion. They run the Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.

SNYDER: But I did go to the funeral hoping to get closure and instead I got hatred from this group of people. My son didn't deserve that. No one deserves what they do.

CHERNOFF: So Al Snyder decided to sue the Westboro Church and its members for falsely claiming his son was gay and a sinner. Did you ever know Matt Snyder? Did you ever meet him?

SHIRLEY PHELPS -ROPER, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: I know him by some facts.

CHERNOFF: You never met him. How do you have the nerve to make these claims against him? You don't know these people.

PHELPS-ROPER: I know them by their deeds.

CHERNOFF: The first amendment gives powerful protection to freedom of speech even to people like the Phelps but it doesn't give the right to intentionally spread lies about someone. So Snyder's attorneys are suing on the grounds of deaflamtion. The Phelps say they plan to counter sue.

PHELPS-ROPER: What they want to do is they want to -- what they want to do is they want to litigate our religious doctrine. Well you don't do that in America.

CHERNOFF: Though he still mourning Al Snyder is ready to fight for his son's honor. And he wants other families of fallen soldiers to follow his lead.

SNYDER: This will be the last thing I do for my son. I'm doing it for my son. And you know not just for my son but I'm doing it for all his brothers.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, York, Pennsylvania.

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WHITFIELD: And that story comes to us from "AMERICAN MORNING." Join Soledad and Miles weekday mornings bright and early, 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

They called her a miracle baby. Hard to believe one of these teenagers was abandoned at birth left in a brown paper bag. Her story of survival and success when we come right back.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deep fried foods, a diet nightmare. What if the fryer oil could be turned into something good for you?

BRUCE BARBOUR, OWNER, BIODIESEL WORKS: This is a biodiesel machine that actually takes vegetable oil and turns it into a fuel you can put into your car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is called biodiesel. A fuel that many experts call environmentally friendly because it reduces harmful emissions. The project in America's Pacific northwest is dedicated to producing biodiesel for use in commercial utility trucks. Restaurants provide their used cooking oil and 12,000 gallons are processed each month.

BARBOUR: Chemically biodiesel is very similar to petroleum diesel. It just doesn't have a lot of the toxins attached. It would be a lot healthier for our kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the first biodiesel venture to receive funding from the environmental protection agency. One of the goals is to create it as an industry for years to come.

JEFF MORRIS, DIRECTOR, BIO49 PROJECT: If we want to be energy independent have to be able to secure some of our own fuel sources and this is something the American farmer can grow and we can keep our energy expenses from a day-to-day basis here instead of shipping it overseas and moving it offshore.

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WHITFIELD: Abandoned at birth 18 years ago. Now she's a healthy, happy teenager and the family that raised her is celebrating her graduation from high school. Vicky Liviakis with our affiliate KRON has her story.

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VICKY LIVIAKIS, KRON: Born baby Jane Doe. Abandoned in a brown paper bag on a cold lonely road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The baby was wrapped in a towel inside the bag. There was a portion of the umbilical cord still attached to the baby.

LIVIAKIS: Rushed to the E.R. near death from hyperthermia. She would have a second chance at life. The nurses here at the hospital called her miraculous Mary. A miracle she was alive. Little did they know back then what would ever become of that abandoned baby. Now baby Jane Doe is 18 and ready to graduate high school.

ASHLEY HERMANN, ABANDONED & ADOPTED: My prom dress.

LIVIAKIS: Her name is Ashley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone that meets Ashley loves her. She is a special kid. LIVIAKIS: Ashley was adopted by the Hermanns.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ignore the past and look forward to her future. That's what we tried to do.

A. HERMANN: Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry but I kind of think that what happened made me to be who I want to be and make me be a better person.

LIVIAKIS: That CHP officer who saved her, he is now her god father who visits all the time. Nothing from her real mom and dad, not ever, not in 18 years. It's a mystery.

A. HERMANN: I have never been contacted. I do think a lot about it more of who they are and where like my ethnic background and why this all happened. But at the same time I want to know all the things but I wouldn't want a perfect relationship. I have my family now. I don't need another one.

LIVIAKIS: For anyone that might think Ashley got dealt a bad hand in life, Ashley says she is lucky.

A. HERMANN: I feel like I am. I feel like only good has come from all this.

LIVIAKIS: In Redwood City, Vicky Liviakis.

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WHITFIELD: Vicky is with our affiliate KRON.

Environmentalist use nudity and pedal power to make their case against pollution. Bike riders in the birthday suits took to the streets of London, Mexico City and Madrid to demonstrate against gas driven vehicles. The nude cyclists appeared a little cooler than their fully clad counter parts.

We're tracking tropical storm Alberto. And we will the latest on where the storm is headed in our next hour.

Also the long haul in the heartland where drivers regularly log hundreds of miles a day. Find out how they are coping with high gas prices on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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