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CNN Live Sunday

Administration Considers Troop Cuts in Iraq; Iraq's Prime Minister Offers Blueprint for Peace; Israeli Troops Deployed in Gaza after Palestinian Attack; Technology Lets Families Reunite Across the Border

Aired June 25, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're now the property of the U.S. Marine Corps. This is your final destination.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On the road at Guantanamo. My conversation with the director of a controversial new movie about the U.S. military prison. Reasons why, he said, it should close.

Plus, falling asleep on the job. This caught on camera clip is a big hit on the Internet, but it's no laughing matter for the cable guy in the chair there. Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Important developments on the war front according to a new report. The U.S. commander in charge of coalition forces in Iraq says American troops could begin coming home later this year. A live report from the White House in a moment.

An al Qaeda linked group in Iraq says it killed four Russian diplomats. It posted video online appearing to show the hostages' death. The group issued a statement saying three were beheaded and a fourth was shot. The diplomats were kidnapped earlier this month in an ambush. One of their colleagues was killed in that attack.

Tomorrow the remains of private Kristian Menchaca will arrive in his hometown of Brownsville, Texas. Friday a prayer service was held for him. Menchaca and private Thomas Tucker were captured and killed by insurgents in Iraq. Tucker's remains will be flown to his home state of Oregon tomorrow. Funerals for both men are scheduled for later in the week.

A group of homegrown terror suspects is expected to be arraigned this week. The seven men are accused of plotting attacks in the U.S., despite a lack of resources. Federal officials say their plans were in the talking stage.

There could be a big change in the way the NSA conducts eavesdropping. Senator Arlen Specter says the White House is close to agreeing with Congress about how wiretaps should be handled. Critics say the NSA's ongoing use of warrantless wiretaps defies a law requiring court approval.

The world's second richest man, Warren Buffett says, he'll begin giving away most of his money to charity next month. He is reported to be worth $44 billion. Much of it will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which helps fund programs around the world.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Uncle Sam from publicizing a credit monitoring offer from veterans whose personal data was stolen. Lawyers have filed a class action suit in the case seeking a longer monitoring period and money for each of the vets. They say if any veterans accepted the government's offer, it could jeopardize payouts in their privacy suit.

Up first, the U.S. troop cuts. "The New York Times" says America's top general in Iraq has drafted a timetable to sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House with more on that -- Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fred. The White House is now facing charges of hypocrisy because the administration is considering major troop cuts just days after Republicans declared such plans would only embolden terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): Military sources tell CNN General Casey is considering pulling two combat brigades, up to 10,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq this fall with even deeper troop cuts on the horizon in 2007, according to a "New York Times" report of Casey's recent classified briefing at the Pentagon.

Democrats charged the White House, which has repeatedly refused to set a timetable, is giving in to the political pressures of the midterm elections.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: I don't think there's the slightest doubt that there will be reductions in American troops before the elections. The Casey plan has a reduction prior to November. And I think it's kind of the worst kept secret around here that the administration is going to find a way, one way or the other, to reduce American troop presence in Iraq.

HENRY: Senior Republicans insist General Casey does not have a formal plan to withdraw U.S. troops. And facts on the ground, not politics, will dictate any redeployment.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES CMTE: We will move to reduce our troops as soon as this new government gets up and gains the full confidence of its military to direct them to put down the insurgency.

HENRY: Democrat Russ Feingold's plan to bring U.S. troops home by next July was soundly defeated in the Senate last week, amid Republican charges it was cut and run. Feingold, a potential presidential candidate, says it appears the White House has a timetable after all.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: I wonder what all this talk was about how a timeline was a bad idea, we can't tell the terrorists what we're going to do. Well General Casey just told them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: But Republicans insist there's a big difference between the Kerry/Feingold proposal and the so-called Casey plan. The general has no firm deadline giving the military full flexibility making sure Iraqis can take over security before there's a full handover of responsibility -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: So the White House is saying that loosely by the end of this year or even earlier part of next year is not giving a definitive timetable?

HENRY: They're saying there's more flexibility because all they're talking about is two brigades by the end of this year. More troops unspecified, how many by the end of '07, whereas what the Democrats were talking about, at least some Democrats, like Feingold and Kerry last week, was a specific time, all troops out by next July. Fred?

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

Iraq's prime minister offers a blueprint for peace. It includes an olive branch to insurgents to get his nation back on track. A tall order on the best of days, which today definitely was not. CNN's Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four Russian diplomats taken hostage on June 3rd in Baghdad have been killed. This according to an Internet statement and a video posted on a militant Web site portraying their gruesome deaths.

The Mujahideen Shura Council, an Qaeda linked group, the same group that claimed responsibility for kidnapping and killing two U.S. soldiers, has claimed responsibility. Earlier in the week the group says it had kidnapped these hostages and that is was requesting that the Russian government withdraw all its troops from Chechnya and free male and female prisoners from Chechnyan prisons.

Now all this coming as violence raged across Iraq, 32 Iraqis killed in about a dozen bombings. This coming as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki unveiled his long-awaited national reconciliation plan. This intended to put an end to the ugly picture that is Iraq today.

The prime minister offered no details as to how his government would specifically implement all of the issues that are outlined in his plan. He spoke of training Iraqi security forces and the need to build up Iraqi security forces so they could eventually take over from coalition troops, but did not detail a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

He spoke of disarming the militias, but did not specify exactly how that process would unfold, other than to mention that it needed to happen on both an economic and a political level. And he extended something of an olive branch to insurgents. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have extended our hand to all those good people to join us and to work together for a better future. And we say to all those criminals that we will not relent or waiver in our fight against you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: By extending his hand, the prime minister means to insurgents or former regime elements, but only those who do not have Iraqi blood on their hands, only those who have not committed crimes against humanity, who have not been responsible for violence.

Also part of this national reconciliation plan, the release of detainees. Again, only those who do not have blood on their hands. This is a process that actually has already been underway with the release of at least 2,000 Iraqi detainees from prisons.

Now this plan has been met with a certain amount of hope from Iraqis in the streets, but also with a certain amount of skepticism. Many here have heard these promises, have heard these words from their government before.

What they are waiting for right now is the details as to how these points are all going to be implemented, how this is going to turn into reality, how these specific issues that the prime minister has outlined are going to better Iraqi's lives, how they are actually going to bring security and stability. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The military has charged two U.S. soldiers in the death of an Iraqi civilian. The unarmed man was shot and killed near Ramadi back in February. The military says one of the soldiers shot the man, then conspired to plant a gun near the dying Iraqi's body. Worldwide reaction to the Yusafiya checkpoint attack, the abduction, murder and mutilation of the two U.S. soldiers. John Roberts hosts "Iraq: A Week at War" tonight at 6:00 Eastern.

Israeli tanks and troops roll into southern Gaza. They deployed after a bold attack by Palestinian militants, which included the capture of an Israeli soldier. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The moment of the explosion captured by local cameras. Israeli security sources say Palestinian militants entered Israel from Gaza through an 800-meter tunnel dug under the border. They threw hand grenades and fired an anti-tank missile killing two Israeli soldiers, kidnapping another. Three of the militants were killed during the gun battle that followed. The Israeli government places the blame firmly at the door of the Hamas government. LT. GEN. DAN HALUTZ, ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF (through translator): Hamas is involved in this thing from head to foot, from head to foot. The second thing is that the kidnapped soldier is alive and we hold Hamas responsible for his safety.

HANCOCKS: Israeli tanks and bulldozers supported in the air by helicopters entered southern Gaza in a search for the missing soldier, the largest incursion into Gaza since the unilateral pullout last summer.

Israeli officials believe the tunnel would have taken several weeks to dig. They call the attack a coordinated effort between three militant groups, including Hamas, a charge the Palestinian governing party does not refute.

SAMI ABU ZUHRI, HAMAS SPOKESMAN (voice-over): This retaliation is normal, due to the Israelis continuous killing of children and women and Palestinian civilians.

HANCOCKS: Abu Zuhri said the attack was also to retaliate against the Israeli killings of two militant leaders recently. The involvement of Hamas in this attack makes a resumption of its cease fire with Israel even less likely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This operation is not the end. This operation comes at a last warning to design this enemy not to commit any crimes or massacres or assassinations in Gaza.

HANCOCKS: A planned meeting between the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president is now in doubt.

(on camera): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is personally negotiating with militants along with the help of Egyptian mediators to try and secure the release of the Israeli soldier. Abbas, this Sunday, was meant to be talking to the Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to try and persuade Hamas to resume a cease fire with Israel, a prospect that is looking far less likely after this attack. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And despite a spike in insurgent violence and a new audiotape said to be from former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the ousted militant group is in no position to make a comeback. Mr. Karzai blasted Omar, who is still in hiding, in an exclusive interview with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT, AFGHANISTAN: A man that sends, through the instruction of other people, through the instruction of foreign enemies, to Afghanistan, young Afghans, out of desperation and ignorance, to death, and not show up himself, means he has no guts. If he believes in what he's doing -- if he believes in what he's saying, then he should show up himself, the way I showed up when I was resisting them. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In Afghanistan this weekend, two coalition members in 45 Taliban were killed in fighting in Kandahar Province. Afghan and coalition forces came under small armed and RPG fire. The battle was part of Operation Mountain Thrust, aimed at routing Taliban fighters holed up in lawless parts of that country.

Five aid workers have been kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan. It happened Thursday, according to police. A government official says police and Afghan troops are searching for them and that local residents are cooperating.

Hundreds of miles from home, desperate to make a connection, the magic of technology at 4:18 Eastern. Plus, wild weather still on fire out west, while an already soggy New England braces for yet more rain. Your forecast coming up next.

And if you've ever been stuck waiting around for the cable guy, well you're going to want to stick around for this story at 4:53 Eastern. You are watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In news across America, a warm welcome and an emotional farewell all in one mass. Washington D.C.'s new archbishop Donald Wuerl said his first Sunday mass today. HE was officially welcomed by the man he is replacing, retiring archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Real life jail birds right here, four pelicans are being detained in California on suspicions that they were drunk, on of all things, toxic sea algae. One of the birds flew into a car, the others were wandering dazed in the streets. The birds are undergoing testing. The same type of poisoning is thought to have caused seabirds to attack a California town back in 1961. Sound familiar? Well it was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's horror flicks "The Birds."

Fighting fire with fire. Crews battling a 4,200-acre wildfire in Sedona, Arizona are making some progress. They are using controlled burns to help contain the blaze. About a third of the fire is now under control. So far, no homes have been lost and officials expect all evacuated residents will be allowed back in a couple of days.

The opposite problem however on the opposite end of the country, a stalled storm front is drenching much of the northeast, already saturated from recent downpours. The flooding is so bad in Ohio, the governor has declared an emergency in two counties.

Let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with more on these extremes across the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Families divided, separated for years at a time. A heavy price that many illegal immigrants choose to pay to be able to live in the U.S. Well now there's a way these families can reunite without risking capture at the border. CNN's Kareen Wynter has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are about to see the magic of technology, how a television and teleconferencing system have become powerful links for some unlikely users.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hola, coma estan, how are you?

WYNTER: Illegal immigrants, desperate to reconnect with loved ones thousands away.

ZONIA DE LEON, IMMIGRANT: We don't have a drinker to go back to, so that's why we come here, to talk to you guys.

WYNTER: Zonia De Leon slipped across the Mexico border into the U.S. 25 years ago. She hasn't seen her relatives in Guatemala in a decade. Her nephew, Richard Rueda last saw his daughters, 9-year-old Jennifer and 4-year-old Candy a year ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WYNTER: Families like the Ruedas and De Leons say border crossing has become more difficult and dangerous. Many illegal workers are reluctant to visit relatives at home, too afraid they won't be able to return. Amigolatino, a Los Angeles company with offices and affiliates across the U.S. and Latin America provides electronic reunions through teleconferencing technology.

GABRIEL BIGURIA, AMIGOLATINO: Families can see each other live in a private room the same way we're speaking right now, live in real time. It's the closet thing to being able to be there with them.

WYNTER: So close, some families literally try to reach out to those on the other side of the screen. The emotions are too just much for a dad and his daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your dad is going to work here and then he's going to send you things, clothes and a lot of things so you can be happy, OK? Don't cry, Jennifer.

WYNTER (on camera): And at one point you reached out and you tried to touch them.

RICHARD RUEDA, IMMIGRANT: Yes, on the T.V.

WYNTER: What was that like?

RUEDA: Yes, it's beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They wanted to come out of the T.V. and hug us.

WYNTER: They did that, almost.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we touch by hand. WYNTER (voice-over): They leave with smiles and new memories of loved ones back home, feeling like despite the distance, they are closer than they think. Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: From the ashes of the World Trade Center to the bow of a new war ship. A look at the USS New York next.

Plus, we're awaiting the results of a new Justice Department report on police brutality in the U.S. We will bring you those as soon as they are released.

And she's going to the chapel in her latest role as a bride. A peek inside Nicole Kidman's movie star wedding straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New York and New Orleans, two cities that have faced disaster and tragedy. Now a special project ties them together. CNN's Sean Callebs filed this report for "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOMMY DUFRENE, CONSTRUCTION SUPERINTENDENT: Ship building is hard, hot dirty work.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Extremely hot, dirty work for more than 400 folks at Northrop-Grumman's shipyard outside of New Orleans, but motivation isn't a problem. Crews just need to look at the bow of the ship, the small, white section covered by primer. It came from the remains of the World Trade Center and weighs seven and a half tons. The steel is now the centerpiece on a billion-dollar warship that dubbed the USS New York.

JOHN LOTSHAW, DIRECTOR, SHIP DELIVERY: The bow stem (ph) leads the way. It's the point. The World Trade Center comes back, if you will. The people, spirit of the United States, the people of New York leading the way in the fight against terrorism.

CALLEBS: The legions, welding and working, called the 684 feet of ship The 21. It will carry close to 700 Marines. And all the equipment needed for an amphibious attack.

TONY QUAGLINO, CRANE SUPERINTENDENT: This winds it up.

CALLEBS: Tony has logged 41 years here in the yard. He was set to retire a couple of years ago, but says that a chance to work on the ship with steel from ground zero was something he couldn't walk away from.

QUAGLINO: I'm one of those people that cry at the national anthem and just enjoy being American.

CALLEBS: Retirement went on hold. QUAGLINO: I personally felt as though it was in some ways sanctified by those folks that perished on that day. And it was very symbolic that this ship would be built to their memory.

CALLEBS: Chances are, you have seen nothing like it. Make no mistake, this ship is being built to go into harm's way.

CMDR. CHRIS MERCER, U.S. NAVY PRODUCTION OFFICER: It is designed to operate very close to land. So we've put a lot of different survivability enhancements in this ship.

CALLEBS: The hull is designed to make it hard to pick up by radar, stealth-like. Attack helicopters will line the flight deck. It's still two years away from being complete and Tony Quaglino will have retired by then, but none of that seems to matter.

QUAGLINO: It's the one ship I want to remember. It's the one ship I want to tell my grandchildren that I worked on.

CALLEBS (on camera): The New York is special to this entire shipyard. People like Tony Howard here, who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. He's now living on trailer at this work site, but the crew of 400 was back working on this ship within two weeks of Hurricane Katrina hitting this area. That's how important they think this mission is. Sean Callebs, CNN, Avondale, Louisiana

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Well it may be the most infamous prison in the world: Guantanamo. We'll show you what it looks like from former prisoners points of view.

Also billionaire Warren Buffett is giving his fortune away. Find out how much and to whom? Plus in trouble, this cable guy really did need a nap, now he's infamous on the Internet. The rest of the story coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Summer is in full swing and weather experts say this season is likely to be a scorcher. Here are some ways to beat the heat. Keep your air conditioner at peak performance. It's just one way to stay cool and save you money at the same time. Position your air conditioner on the shady side of your home and use a central window or wall opening to maximize your air flow.

Now if it's an older unit, be sure to clean or replace the filter before it's first used. A few bucks on a new filter could save more than that in electricity costs over the summer. And don't forget about the air conditioner in your car. Now if it's not blowing cool air, check on getting it recharged before investing in a whole new unit. Recharging will still run you about $200, but that's fraction of what a new A.C. could cost. And if air conditioning isn't for you, you can always cool yourself the old fashioned way, hit the pool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An Iraqi militant group says it's killed four Russian diplomats it took hostage. It posted video to show the death of the hostages. Russian authorities are trying to confirm the claim.

The men were kidnapped in an ambush more than three weeks ago in Baghdad. A colleague was killed in that attack.

More violence and kidnapping today in Iraq. Police say at least 32 people were killed across the country, another 16 were abducted. This as Iraq's prime minister offers amnesty to insurgents willing to renounce violence.

The Israeli military rolls into Gaza after a sneak attack by Palestinian militants. Israel says militants tunneled under the border and attacked several army posts, killing two soldiers and kidnapping another. Three militant groups have claimed responsibility.

And new video just into CNN, a flooding in the Northeast. This is the scene in Seaford, d Delaware, one of the hardest hit areas, many cars are stuck in flooded intersections and people are being told to stay off the streets. Ten to 15 homes, by the way, have been evacuated and so far no reports of injuries.

And just in case you missed it. Here's a quick look at some of the back and forth on the Sunday talk shows today. Today's hot topic the war in Iraq and the Iraqi government's newly announced reconciliation plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARNER: We will, our government, be in consultation, not dictating but in consultation on the points, all 24 points, as well as the one questioning how you treat those who fought in various ways against the forces that we had when they came in and today fighting the insurgency. So I think at this point, it wasn't clearly defined, and it will be and we will have, I'm sure, in consultation of voice and how that's defined.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Now we learn that Mr. Maliki is asking us to leave, showing us the door, and on the way out, by the way, saying that he's going to grant amnesty to the people who hurt our troops and we are going to have to pay compensation. This thing is a mess, it's a humiliation, it's a mess, and in my opinion, we have lost control of an exit strategy.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: The whole point of defeating the withdrawal resolutions by overwhelming majorities is that the Congress ought not to be dictating to the generals what the tactics are. That was the point. We want the conditions on the ground and the decisions of our commanders in conjunction with the new Iraqi democratic government to dictate the process, not the Congress trying to act like armchair generals.

FEINGOLD: The White House has done a terrible job of running the fight against terrorism, a terrible job in Iraq but they've done a brilliant job of intimidating Democrats, somehow Democrats are afraid to say look, not only was this a mistake but it continues to be a mistake and it's being run in a mistaken way and I cannot understand why the structure of the Democratic Party. The consultants here in Washington constantly advise Democrats not to take a strong stand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Senate Democrat Russ Feingold urging fellow Democrats to take a stronger stand against the war in Iraq.

Here's a first -- the Justice Department taking a closer look at police brutality and how departments handle citizen complaints, a federal survey on police brutality was released just in the past hour. The Justice Department found one this four complaints was ruled completely unfounded and of the more than 26,000 abuse complaints filed in 2002, eight percent turned up enough evidence to justify disciplining an officer.

Well, it could be the Supreme Court's most important ruling of the year, this week justices are expected to decide the fate of a driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden. The ruling may impact the cases of other detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Kyung Lah has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the center of the Supreme Court case, this man, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, arrested in Afghanistan two months after the 9/11 attacks, Hamdan has sat in Guantanamo Bay for at least three and a half years, waiting to be tried by a military court. President Bush calls him an enemy combatant, not a prisoner of war, meaning he would not have any rights under the Geneva Conventions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will hear argument in 05184, Hamdan against Rumsfeld.

LAH: The case lay before the Supreme Court. The justices may issue a decision this week that affects whether Hamdan and at least 400 prisoners in Guantanamo are being held lawfully under a presidential order.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also recognize that we are holding some people that are darn dangerous and that we better have a plan to deal with them in our courts. And the best way to handle -- in my judgment handle these people is through our military courts.

LAH: But Hamdan's attorneys say the president is overstepping his authority. DAVID REMES, COVINGTON & BURLING: He's exercising the powers of a monarch or a dictator, he's ignoring the system of checks and balances. He doesn't want the executive to be accountable to anyone, not the judiciary, not Congress.

LAH: But the rules in this post-9/11 world are different argue layers and Republicans who support the president.

DAVID RIVKIN, BAKER & HOSTETLER: These people are lawful enemy combatants. They are not ordinary criminals. And to put them in civilian courts would fundamentally remove that sigma.

WARNER: We simply can not take the key and unlock the door and disburse them all over the country, it would be wrong.

LAH: The court could rule in a number of ways. The high court may decide it doesn't have any jurisdiction in this area. That would be a major victory for the White House. The justices may also rule narrowly, rejecting parts of the White House's argument but not throwing open the doors of Guantanamo. Court watchers say what's really at stake is how much power the commander in chief should hold.

TONI MASSARO, DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA LAW SCHOOL: Under what circumstances do we consider national security for the trumping move for other interests that we hold dear and what role should the court play in this.

LAH: In Washington, Kyung Lah, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And with the Supreme Court expected to weigh in on Guantanamo as soon as tomorrow, a new documentary is taking a controversial look at the U.S. military prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't let him look. Don't let him look.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are now the property of the U.S. Marine Corps. This is your final destination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In the "Road to Guantanamo" three British Muslim men describe how they were held for more than two years without charges. Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom retraces their footsteps as their trip to Pakistan for a wedding ends at the desolate military outpost in Cuba. I talked to Winterbottom about his film and his strong views about Guantanamo earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM, FILMMAKER: I think all the images you see of Guantanamo, all the images I had seen of Guantanamo were of anonymous prisoners, people in orange jump suits seen in the distance, with hoods over their heads, covers over their heads and you didn't know who the individuals were. So reading their story just seemed like this would be a good chance to see three individuals and let them tell a story, let them say what happened to them.

WHITFIELD: And what did they say happened to them?

WINTERBOTTOM: Well, they went to Pakistan from Britain for Atta's (ph) wedding, he was going to get married in Pakistan, and whilst they were there, they went to a mosque in Karachi and the preacher was saying it's the duty of Muslims, good Muslims to help their Muslim brothers in Afghanistan and naively foolishly, whatever, they decided to go with a bus doing charity work to Afghanistan.

Once they got there, of course, they didn't speak Pashtun, they didn't speak Dari, they were 18, 19 years old, very young British guys in a country that was in the middle of that war. Two days later they were in Kabul. From that point on they wanted out but if you are in the middle of a war, you're very naive and young, you can't speak the language, it's hard and they got caught up in the war.

WHITFIELD: And then while they were in Guantanamo, they describe their time there as how?

WINTERBOTTOM: Well, you know, we spent -- we had hundreds of hours of transcripts of their descriptions so it's very hard to boil it down. But basically, what I would say is when we showed the film to people who have been to Guantanamo, like Clive Stafford-Smith, their lawyer who represents a lot of the detainees, what he said, is that A, it was accurate, but also, B, their experience were actually some of the luckiest experiences. So what they described, interrogation techniques that are very normal of short shackling, stress positions, strobe lights, loud music, all of these things are part of the normal repertoire of interrogation techniques.

They were lucky they had a specific charge alleged against them which they could prove was wrong and because they were British, they could speak to the guards so they had better communication than most people. And also in the end they were released because the British did a deal with the American government so they had a relatively lucky experience at Guantanamo, but even so I think if you watch the film and imagine yourself being caught up in that system, it's pretty horrific.

WHITFIELD: Did they feel based on the number of people they got a chance to know, there are 450 detainees there, I don't imagine they got to know all of them, but of the ones they did get to know in Guantanamo, did they get a sense these were all combatants of the Taliban or even had any links to al Qaeda or were a good number of detainees in situations like them.

WINTERBOTTOM: I think they feel that lot of people were like them. You have to make a distinction between on the one hand the Taliban, on the other hand al Qaeda. If you are an Afghan citizen, the Taliban was effectively your government. If you were fighting for the Taliban, you were fighting for your government. So that doesn't make you a terrorist. Similarly, for outsiders, if you are supporting the Afghan people, you are supporting the Taliban.

That's a big distinction from being al Qaeda and wanting to blow up the rest of the world. I think, one of the justification was these were the most dangerous people in the world, these were the worst of the worse, these people will destroy our civilization unless we put them in this prison.

I think if you talk to Raulasif (ph) and Jeff (ph), one thing that is clear, they are not dangerous. They were teenagers from Britain who got caught up in the war, maybe stupidly got caught up in the world and they are certainly not people who threaten our civilization.

WHITFIELD: There are lots of twists and turns you convey in "The Road to Guantanamo" but if there is one particular message you hope viewers, moviegoers walk away with, what are you hoping it is?

WINTERBOTTOM: Well, that Guantanamo should close. Guantanamo should never have been invented and Guantanamo should close. You can't have a prison which is outside the law. The reason the prison is in Cuba is that it's trying to be outside international law and outside American law. And if these people need to be held, they should be brought to court and they should be in America and they should basically have the protection of the American judicial system.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The three men in the movie, Shafik Razul (ph), Ruhal Ahmed (ph) and Asif Iqabal (ph) were released from Guantanamo in March of 2004, they have filed a lawsuit against the United States seeking $10 million each in damages. "The Road to Guantanamo" is now playing in movie theaters across the country.

Time now to go global with headlines from around the world.

We begin in Kashmir with violence flairs and an India, Pakistan peace initiative founders. Flounders, rather. Eight civilians were hurt yesterday in a suspected militant attack is Sprinigar (ph) in Indian controlled Kashmir. The region is at the center of a decades long dispute between the two countries.

A man reportedly wearing an explosive belt prompts a partial evacuation of the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Authorities cordoned off the area as the safely talked the man down. No one was hurt. Police won't say if the man actually had a real bomb.

And a bloody day - or, rather it's a been a great - it's a nice day for the queen to celebrate her birthday with a tea party at Buckingham palace. The queen invited 2,000 school kids and some of their favorite literary characters for her 80th birthday bash. The queen specifically wanted to highlight British literature at the festivities.

Population explosion. In nine minutes we will check out the most popular stories this hour, including the U.S. population's coming milestone, 300 million. And from millions to billions. The world's second richest man is giving away his cash. We'll tell you who is getting the dough, straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Well, a familiar face appears this week on the cover of a major news weekly, if you look behind Brad Pitt, take a look at that picture, that's CNN's Soledad O'Brien who has received a "Newsweek" giving back award. Soledad is honored for her reporting during Hurricane Katrina. Among the other honorees, Pitt for publicizing issues affecting Africa, the Target chain for its contributions to charity and Boys and Girls Clubs for 100 years of helping kids from disadvantaged communities.

Speaking of giving back, the world's second richest man dropped a bombshell today. Warren Buffett said that beginning next month he plans to give away most of his $44 billion fortune. Buffett tells "Fortune" magazine he will divest his holdings by 85 percent with host of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hear more tomorrow about Buffett's big plans on "AMERICAN MORNING," tomorrow beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood were there but they weren't in Hollywood. A celebrity "I do" down under, coming up. Then find out how this sleepy cable guy became an Internet celebrity. You'll see him a minute. The dot com details in a minute after this. There he is.

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WHITFIELD: Among the most popular stories on CNN.com, the apparent suicide of Denise D. Denton, a University of California chancellor. Police in San Francisco say she apparently jumped from a 43-story apartment building.

The mother of Jon Benet Ramsey is to be buried next to her daughter. Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer yesterday in Atlanta.

The U.S. population approaches 300 million. It's likely to happen this fall. The Census Bureau says the growth of the population is being driven by Latino immigration.

Well, it's a hit on the Internet and a bad break for one sleepy cable guy.

That's cold-blooded. The Comcast fired the cable repair man who fell asleep on Brian Finkelstein's couch. It happened during a D.C. area house call. Finkelstein says the Comcast call for repair was put on hold for more than an hour and then he nodded off, so Finkelstein videotaped the dozing repairman, added a little music and put it on- line. Comcast has apologized to Finkelstein for the unsatisfactory customer service but we don't understand Comcast will give an apology to the tech worker who had to wait for so long.

Now to the buzz about a celebrity wedding down under. The chapel was historic. The ceremony traditional. And the bride, Nicole Kidman beaming in white, she married country singer Keith Urban in a Sydney suburb as a group of Aussie A-listers looked on. Tim Backshall reports.

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TIM BACKSHALL, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The speculation about exactly when they would get married finally ended as Nicole Kidman was seen leaving for the church with her father ahead of what's being called the celebrity wedding of the year. The details were supposed to have been secret but clearly not a well-kept one. A huge marquee outside this Catholic chapel in the Manlee Bay (ph) area of Sydney left no one in any doubt that the wedding was imminent.

Only the timing had remained a mystery. Guests were being notified at the last minute by text message. It turned out to be a wedding ceremony at twilight. The bride wore an elegant ivory covered dress and carried a simple posy of white roses. Her husband Keith Urban is a celebrity in his own write, a Grammy Award wining country music singer.

The night before he had been out about the wedding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you feeling about tomorrow?

KEITH URBAN, COUNTRY SINGER: I'm ready.

BACKSHALL: The paparazzi had followed Nicole's every move since she and Keith announced on Monday they were getting married. And local people queued outside the chapel for a glimpse as the area became Aussiewood for a day.

This grainy image shows Nicole going up the aisle. The couple met four years after her marriage to Tom Cruise ended. She's played many unforgettable characters, now she's getting used to her latest role as a wife, again.

Tim Backshall, ITV News.

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WHITFIELD: And coming up next, it's the interview that made headlines all week. Angelina Jolie being interviewed by Anderson Cooper about her fight for refugee relief and how motherhood has changed her life but first here's Reynolds Wolf with a look at our changing earth.

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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: President Bush has turned part of a dream vacation spot into a protected sanctuary. The northwestern Hawaiian Islands have become the United States 75th national monument and the world's largest protected marine area.

BUSH: This is more than 100 times larger than Yosemite National Park, larger than 46 of our 50 states.

WOLF: Its new status means within five years it will be illegal to fish in the 140,000 square mile area. Conservationists re thrilled. Hawaii's coral reefs are home to 7,000 different kinds of marine life and many threatened and endangered species, including the Hawaiian monk seal and the green sea turtle.

But the fishing industry claims the Bush administration is going too far, banning fishing even in areas where there are no protected coral reefs. And visitors to the area must also follow a new set of guidelines by obtaining permits for snorkeling, diving and photography. Reynolds Wolf, CNN Atlanta.

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