Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Who Is Behind Attacks in Iraq?; Interview With Gray Davis; Young Surfing Star Loses Arm in Shark Attack

Aired November 03, 2003 - 17:00   ET

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

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


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now the pain setting in for military families all around the country and for tens of thousands of others that fear they live with every day that their loved ones in Iraq could be next.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): From missiles to mortars, Americans under fire.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The enemy in Iraq believes America will run.

BLITZER: Who's behind the stepped up attacks? I'll ask the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

California calamity, is the worst over? I'll ask Governor Gray Davis.

Shark attack, a young surfing star loses an arm. Did she lose her future?

And Rosie O'Donnell outbursts in the conference room, a face-off in the courtroom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, November 03, 2003.

BLITZER: American troops are still reeling from one of their bloodiest days in Iraq and they're still under fire right now. A 4th Infantry Division soldier was killed when his vehicle hit a mine in Tikrit, the heartland of Saddam Hussein's supporters.

And mortar fire raining down on the heart of Baghdad today, the so-called Green Zone, which houses the U.S.-led coalition, no casualties there but it comes a day after 16 United States soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded in the downing of a Chinook helicopter apparently by a missile and that's raising new questions about the vulnerability of U.S. forces and the capability of the Iraqi resistance. We begin with U.S. forces facing a stepped up insurgency, one that is clearly able to take a heavy toll among Americans in Iraq. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the injured are moved to a medical facility in Germany, the U.S. can reflect on a bleak day for its forces in Iraq, the bloodiest since President Bush declared an end to major combat six months ago.

COL. RHONDA CORNUM, U.S. ARMY: The actual medical condition of the people in the ICU was still under - being evaluated as we speak. Currently, everyone is considered stable.

CHANCE: As many as 16 soldiers are now confirmed dead and 20 others injured. The helicopter was blasted from the skies near the flashpoint town of Fallujah in western Iraq. Eyewitnesses say a surface-to-air missile was responsible; residents have little sympathy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): One helicopter was down. Tomorrow there will be another and it will continue until the Americans leave our country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All the Muslims in Fallujah are happy about this incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The flight came over from the direction of Habaniya (ph) and the strike happened about an hour ago. The area is surrounded now. Helicopters are flying all over the place and there are American soldiers all around. More than ten helicopters have already landed in the location.

CHANCE: On the ground more killings struck at U.S. resolve. Two convoys were hit by separate roadside bombs detonated as they drove past. This one in central Fallujah was celebrated by onlookers. One held up the helmet of a U.S. soldier. Officials say the U.S. will not be deterred.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMIN. IN IRAQ: The enemies of freedom in this country will stop at nothing and now this week, which started with killing lots of Iraqis has ended with killing Americans and we've mingled our blood together in this war on terrorism and, as you just said, we're not going to be deterred. We're going to win this war and we're going to win it right here in Iraq.

CHANCE: But here in Iraq what officials admit is an increasingly sophisticated insurgency is gathering pace. Winning here will mean a fight.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The helicopter which went down in Iraq is a vital cog in the U.S. military machine. Various models of the Chinook have gone into service since it first appeared during the Vietnam War.

The Chinook is used to ferry troops and to transport supplies, ammunition, and artillery to the battlefield. It can carry up to 44 troops and has a normal cruising speed of 150 miles per hour.

While the Chinooks have played a vital role in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in previous wars their slow speed may make them sitting ducks for a well-armed foe.

Let's go live to our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre, Jamie exactly how vulnerable are these troops right now?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, after reviewing the known information, Pentagon officials say that it's unlikely this helicopter could have done much to avoid this attack. As you said, the helicopters are not that fast and they're going against a missile which is supersonic, traveling at nearly twice the speed of sound.

They fly at a low altitude. This one, we were told, was flying just a couple hundred feet over the ground. That gives them -- reduces the time that they're a target, makes them a little bit harder to hit but it also gave the crew almost no time to react, to dispense flares or take other evasive maneuvers.

Operating at night would make it safer but the U.S. military says it's not going to ban daytime flights. They are reviewing the flight patterns to make sure they're not doing something that makes those patterns too predictable -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie, the whole nature of getting around Iraq is dangerous, especially in this Sunni Triangle in the central part of the country. It's dangerous to drive on the ground. It's dangerous to fly in the air unless you're way up in the sky. Are they thinking perhaps maybe it's time to dig deeper into various positions in this Sunni Triangle area?

MCINTYRE: Well, no. They're not thinking about hunkering down and they still insist that helicopter flight is the fastest and safest way to go even though it does carry this risk against portable antiaircraft missiles.

They are going to change their tactics in a way they're not describing to try to reduce that risk but they admit they can't eliminate it. There are just too many of those missiles in Iraq.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon, thanks Jamie very much.

In his first comments since the downing of the Chinook, President Bush today said, and I'm quoting now: "The enemy in Iraq believes America will run" but he added, "America will never run." The president made no direct reference to the latest casualties but he did pay tribute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: And some of the best have fallen in service to our fellow Americans. We mourn every loss. We honor every name. We grieve with every family and we will always be grateful that liberty has found such brave defenders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And within the past few minutes, the United States Senate following the House of Representatives' lead has now approved the approximately $85-$86 billion grant for U.S. military forces as well as the $20 billion, $20 billion to reconstruct Iraq. That will now go to the president for his signature, the Senate following the House Representatives' lead that just in to CNN.

Word of yesterday's deadly helicopter crash in Iraq spread quickly through Fort Campbell, Kentucky. One of the victims was attached to the 101st Airborne Division that's based at Fort Campbell.

CNN's Art Harris has reaction from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): War is written on faces at this pancake house. Many customers are veterans of Iraq.

SPEC. RICHARD MORGAN, U.S. ARMY: You're always thinking about what's coming around that corner. It could be the bullet that gets you and it could be the little kid handing you a piece of candy. You never know.

HARRIS: Fort Campbell has sent 19,000 soldiers to Iraq, 80 percent of the troops here. Business is slow in places like this barber shop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know several of the soldiers that's gotten killed over there.

HARRIS: Were they customers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of our customers yes, sir.

HARRIS: Thirty soldiers from Fort Campbell have died in Iraq not counting one reservist killed in Sunday's helicopter crash.

STAFF SGT. CHARITY LANKFORD, U.S. ARMY: It scares me a lot because my husband is due to come home the middle of this month and I know he's been secure where he's at but I know that it seems that more incidents are happening where soldiers are traveling so I'm scared because I want my husband home safe and sound.

HARRIS: Major David Giammona is a chaplain at Fort Campbell.

MAJ. DAVID GIAMMONA, U.S. ARMY: That's the biggest stresser is just waiting and not knowing exactly when their loved one is going to come home.

HARRIS: Most people here still support the war but now with some reservations.

BILL FOLZ, FARMER: I hope that it comes to an end soon, bring our soldiers home.

HARRIS: Art Harris CNN, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election, is it Iraq or is it the U.S. economy"? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

While you're there I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Chopper down and now plenty of questions raised about the U.S. mission in Iraq. I'll speak live with two United States Senators, Senators Jay Rockefeller and Pat Roberts, the chairman and the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

And body of evidence, the hair and the other woman, both taking center stage in the Scott Peterson murder case, we'll go live to Modesto.

Rising star attack, a young surfer loses her arm to a shark, her amazing outlook following this traumatic attack. We'll hear the latest from Hawaii. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Behind the scenes of Rosie O'Donnell's magazine, the prosecution painting a not-so-nice picture in court today. We'll have details. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Those are nine of the U.S. troops killed in that Chinook helicopter attack yesterday, our deepest condolences, of course to their loved ones, to their families.

Who's targeting these U.S. troops in Iraq? Six months after President Bush declared an end to major combat, Americans are paying an ever higher price and facing an increasingly sophisticated foe. This comes as lawmakers are pressing the administration for its pre- war intelligence information on Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill, two special guests, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Pat Roberts and the Vice Chairman Senator Jay Rockefeller. Senators, thanks once again for joining us.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), INTELLIGENCE CHMN.: It's our pleasure.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, let's begin on this tragic incident yesterday, the attack on this helicopter. You've suggested that it may be reckless to be flying over areas like Fallujah in the Sunni Triangle with these slow moving helicopters. Have you been briefed on what happened?

ROBERTS: No, not yet but we intend to be on the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee. I know Senator Rockefeller shares our concern and expresses our condolences and our prayers to the families.

I don't think it's reckless. I think they have to take evasive action and there is some question in my mind in regards to the routes they're taking over the Sunni Triangle where these kind of attacks will be most prevalent, now having said that there are surface-to-air missiles all throughout the country.

BLITZER: Senator Rockefeller, what if anything can the U.S. military do to deal with the situation assuming they still want to use helicopters, slow flying helicopters at relatively low altitudes?

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), INTELLIGENCE VICE CHMN.: You can't obviously outfit helicopters with the anti missile devices in the same extent you can with some larger aircraft. That obviously would be ideal.

Secondly, I think it really points back to the fact that it would be so good if we were not in this war all by ourselves, if we had somehow gone to the United Nations in a more open embracing way, been willing to share a little bit more with them and have their troops sharing these perils with us.

And the third thought it gives to me, Wolf, is that I really think that Ambassador Bremer made a very fundamental, maybe the most fundamental mistake of the post so-called mission accomplished period of the war when he simply disbanded all of the Iraqi troops many of whom could be helping us.

BLITZER: All right, I think on that point Ambassador Bremer, Senator Roberts, is trying to improve the situation there moving as quickly, he says, as they can to bring a lot of these former Iraqi soldiers into some security units to help out and he says they're moving relatively quickly on that front. Is that the information you're getting?

ROBERTS: I think they're trying to concentrate on (unintelligible) colonel and below rank in terms of getting them up and standing as an army that as he pointed our on your show yesterday, Wolf, he indicated that when they first came in there wasn't any army to be found. They went back home. It's a little difficult to reconstitute but they're trying to concentrate on the lower ranks and get that done as fast as possible.

BLITZER: Yesterday, Senator Roberts, Senator Rockefeller said the White House has assured him that you guys on the Intelligence Committee were finally going to get everything you wanted in terms of the pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Have you looked into that over these past 24 hours? Are you satisfied that the cooperation is there?

ROBERTS: Well, basically I just talk again with the White House. They have entered into a spirit of cooperation. We are making progress on the documents we want and the interviews we want. We're still working on other information but with a spirit of cooperation that they have indicated I feel sure that we will get everything that we do want, yes.

BLITZER: All right, what about that Senator Rockefeller, are you as confident?

ROCKEFELLER: Well, I'm all for the spirit of cooperation. I think that's a good thing in life and amongst peoples but I'm frankly a lot more interested in getting literally all of the information that we asked for because that was what was indicated when we were talking yesterday that all of the information that we asked for was going to be forthcoming.

ROBERTS: I think it will, Jay. I think -- all I'm saying is, is that there is a spirit of cooperation. We have made progress. We're working on the rest of it. To my way of thinking we are going to get the information that has been requested.

ROCKEFELLER: It's important that we do because we're looking not just at the pre-war intelligence but also the use of intelligence and its effect on policy making and it's very complex, interwoven, and the American people need to know.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, how concerned are you about these widespread reports that are now trickling out over the past several days, including a lengthy piece in the "New York Times Magazine" yesterday that the State Department had a very detailed plan to deal with the post war environment in Iraq that was totally ignored by the Pentagon?

ROBERTS: Basically, the State Department did have a plan. It's on a CD and I think Ambassador Bremer has it on a CD right now. We'll get into that in regards to our final report and I might add the State Department has been very forthcoming in terms of the information that we have requested from them, as has the CIA, as has the DOD.

The bad news is or I guess the challenge it is going to take us a little more time to add this information to what I thought was about a 90 percent done report. It will take more time to do that but, yes, the State Department did have, what, a warning or a comprehensive report and obviously in hindsight 20/20 you would have hoped that we would have seen a lot more of that.

BLITZER: There was expressed, a lot of fear expressed by a lot of critics of the war, Senator Rockefeller, that the Pentagon was simply determined to go about what it wanted to do irrespective of advice coming from others at the CIA, the State Department, who may have had a lot of expertise in Iraq. ROCKEFELLER: I think that that concern is shared by a lot of people. I share some of that concern. I can't prove it yet. I'm not trying to prove it but I need to know about it and that's I think one of the really important reasons that we get this information that Senator Roberts and I have both requested and requested I might say quite a long time ago and that we look at what was done with intelligence once it worked its way into the policymaking arena.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, is George Tenet, the CIA Director, as far as you're concerned on thin ice right now?

ROBERTS: I wouldn't say he's on thin ice as long as he has the support of the president of the United States and the confidence of the president of the United States he will remain as the DCI and he will continue to do his work.

BLITZER: I'll give you the final word, Senator Rockefeller.

ROCKEFELLER: I think he should stay and I've said that to him. I think George Tenet is doing a good job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

BLITZER: Senator Rockefeller, thank you very much. Senator Roberts, thanks to you as well.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

BLITZER: Shaky science or hard evidence, it's all about the hair as the preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson continues. We'll go live to Modesto, California.

And facing a new reality with those vast California wildfires now largely contained residents return to what was once home and they're struggling with starting over. I'll speak with the outgoing Governor Gray Davis.

One ton attack, a huge shark strikes a young surfer, her survival story will shock you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson, accused of killing his wife and unborn child is bogging down as both sides spar over DNA evidence.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is on the story for us. She's joining us now live from Modesto, California. Rusty, what happened today?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as the day goes on it's looking less and less like this judge is going to make a decision about that single strand of hair and whether it can be admitted as evidence.

We've been hearing most of the day from a DNA defense expert who's trying to poke holes in mitochondrial DNA. That's the type of DNA that was extracted from the hair found in pliers at the bottom of Scott Peterson's boat.

He's claiming that it's unreliable. There is too many chances for mutation and contamination and he also says that the methods the FBI used to measure this is biased against the defendant and he said he feels that that is wrong.

Prosecutors have yet to cross-examine this witness. We're in a break right now. Defense attorney Mark Geragos has been called out of court several times today because a verdict on another murder trial in Los Angeles is coming forth and he's had to step out of the courtroom.

But, prosecutors will cross-examine this witness and then they must bring forth another rebuttal witness, their own DNA expert to also talk about this DNA and whether it can be admitted so we're not expecting the judge to make a decision today, hopefully sometime tomorrow.

Again, the prosecution's witnesses are still up. We are still expecting Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's former girlfriend, to testify as well as other investigators but it doesn't look like any other witnesses are going to be testifying today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: This form of mitochondrial DNA it's a lot different than the normal DNA that a lot of our viewers are familiar with, the nuclear DNA if you will, the accuracy, the scientific research, the knowledge of all these.

A lot of our viewers confused because they assume DNA evidence is routinely admitted in court in a murder case like this one. But as you pointed out to me earlier today there's only been one case, a murder case in California, where this form of DNA has been admitted.

DORNIN: That's right. If they can use the other forms they're going to use that because you can ID a person like one in a billion. You can absolutely say it's this person. That's usually from blood and tissue samples.

But from mitochondrial DNA from hair it's just not as easy to match up. It could be perhaps one in nine or one in 112, which is a very, very bad statistic. They don't like to use that. It's not as reliable.

However, the FBI and the U.S. military have been using this form of identification since the mid-'90s and they have testified that they feel it can be used at least to trace between mother and child.

So, they used the hair, they thought it was Laci Peterson's, as well as a genetic sample from Sharon Rocha and the prosecutor is saying that there could be a match.

BLITZER: All right, CNN's Rusty Dornin following this trial for us. It's going to go on at least the rest of this week and probably into next as well, this proceeding, this preliminary hearing. Thanks Rusty very much. Did someone break a publishing pact? Rosie O'Donnell's case enters court and we've got details that have never made it into print, at least not in these pages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every one of those people in that crash have a family somewhere and that's tough and those from the military community, and I'm retired military, feel that pain very strongly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The human loss from that helicopter crash in Iraq.

And they moved the commandments but will the debate in Alabama move into the Supreme Court. We'll let you know what happened today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Magazine court clash, Rosie O'Donnell faces her editor.

And, it's a blast, this is a real blast from the past, why is Linda Tripp, yes Linda Tripp re-emerging from the Lewinsky files right now, what the government owes her. We have details. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

Deadly attack on U.S. troops sending shock waves through military posts all around the United States. We're live from Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

First, though, let's have a quick check of the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Joining the steady flow of medical evacuees from Iraq, 16 of those wounded in the Chinook downing -- they've arrived early today at the Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. Officials at the U.S. Army's regional medical center say 11 of the 16 are in intensive care right now, but all are reported to be in stable condition. And all are expected to survive their injuries.

One of the U.S. posts hit hardest by the Chinook downing is Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Six of its soldiers were killed in that incident and others were wounded.

Let's go live to Fort Sill. CNN's Kris Osborn is standing by -- Kris.

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.

Well, certainly, it is visible on many faces here on post at Fort Sill. As you mentioned, six of the 16 who died in that Chinook flash in Iraq are based here.

This is the home of the 3rd Corps artillery. And just within the last several hours, four of the six names have been released by DOD and officials at the Pentagon.

Earlier we mentioned Paul A. Velasquez, 29, from California. He was described earlier by his commanding officers as very well-liked, very much respected. In addition to that, Sergeant Ross A. Pennanen, 36, from Oklahoma; Staff Sergeant Joe N. Wilson from Mississippi; Sergeant Keelan L. Moss from Houston.

Now, this loss, of course, impacting the entire community here on post. And earlier, the commanding officers here at Fort Sill, including Brigadier General Formica, talked about the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. RICHARD FORMICA, U.S. ARMY: We were tragically reminded yesterday that our soldiers are serving their country and its cause in harm's way in Iraq; that our ranks are filled with great soldiers and selfless, giving families. We are mindful of their sacrifice, and we are proud of their service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Now, two have yet to be named who are from Fort Sill, meaning that the primary and secondary next of kin have yet to be notified in person.

Along with that, though, Wolf, there was a lot of focus in the briefing from the generals here on the families. In fact, some of the wives have agreed to volunteer to help out this grieving community and there have been discussions about making chaplains, psychologists and psychiatrists available so people can somehow find their way through this pain -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Kris Osborn in Fort Sill, in Oklahoma. Our deepest condolences to all the family members. Our heart goes out to them.

Let's move on now to the crisis in California. It's still a crisis. Fire crews hope to have the largest Southern California wildfire, the Cedar Fire, contained by tonight. Thanks to cool, rainy weather they have now have a handle on all the blazes that ravaged the reason -- region only last week.

Now, thousands of people who were evacuated are returning home, or at least they're trying to return home. There was a long line of cars trying to get back to the mountain communities in San Bernardino County, for example. In all, the fires burned more than 800,000 acres and destroyed 3,400 homes.

Earlier, I talked about the disaster with the outgoing California governor, Gray Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Governor Davis, thanks very much for joining us. I assume the worst is now over.

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: I believe it is, Wolf. This fire was driven by weather and high winds and, happily, we've gotten some rain and some higher humidity. So the worst is definitely behind us.

BLITZER: There's a lot of fear, though, this could set the stage for bad mudslides in California. There's often a pattern, a cycle of fires and then mudslides. How worried are you about this?

DAVIS: I think that's a real possibility. We've already begun to take measures to take steps to stabilize the hillsides on a short- term basis as well as look at what we can do over the next four or five months.

But there's not question, when you have serious fires like this, the hillsides and the mountains are vulnerable to both erosion and mudslides.

BLITZER: You had asked the federal government earlier this year, FEMA, in particular, for some help in dealing with the potential of these wildfires. They apparently didn't do what you wanted. Are you getting the help you need now from the federal government?

DAVIS: Well, I'm grateful for the 40 million they gave us. I asked for 10 times that much, 400 million.

The federal law has a quirk in that -- you can understand their position. They say a diseased tree, because of the bark beetle infestation, is not a disaster, per se, even though we know it's a disaster ready to happen. So today I'm commissioning a group of distinguished firefighters at the federal, state and local level and local officials, with the assistance of Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger, to see if we can identify what we could have done better and what laws need to be changed.

BLITZER: Is Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger ready to go? Is he up to speed? Because it's only a matter of days when he takes over.

DAVIS: Yes, he takes over in two weeks. And our office talks to him several times a day. I talk to him every day. He'll be fully up to speed and we're cooperating fully, we're working hand in glove.

BLITZER: How much is this going to cost California, this disastrous fire?

DAVIS: It depends how you define cost. If you look at the total loss, property values, the loss to public infrastructure, the cost of putting out the fire, it will be considerably over $2 billion. If you talk about the exact cost to locals and state government, it will be considerably less than that.

BLITZER: What's the most important lesson you've learned, Governor Davis, from this fire in California? DAVIS: First of all, I'm enormously proud of the firefighters who did an extraordinary job and the citizens of this state who opened their heart, went into evacuation centers, gave food and toys and foods and hugged the people who had lost their homes.

But clearly, we still have to work out some chinks between state and federal government. For example, there were some military aircraft that might have been helpful in the early stages of the fires in San Diego, for instance. But the law on the federal side requires us to hire all the civilian contractors who want us to use their planes before we can use a federal plane. I think the law ought to say the head of the U.S. Forest Service should determine what's the most important asset, and wherever it is, get a hold of it, and deploy it to put out the fires.

BLITZER: Governor Davis, good luck to you and good luck to everybody in California. Especially good luck in the next chapter of your life. Thanks for joining us.

DAVIS: Thank you, Wolf. Best to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Behind the scenes battles at "Rosie" magazine. Details emerging right now in the bitter trial between Rosie O'Donnell and her former publishers.

An up-and-coming surfing star attacked by a shark. This is a heart-wrenching story. How she survived a violent ordeal. We'll have details for you.

And Kobe Bryant's first home game of the season. How did fans treat the NBA star accused of rape?

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): U.N. ambassadors from U.S., Britain, Spain, Germany, part of a high-profile delegation in Afghanistan showing support for rebuilding efforts. The visit comes as a draft version of the country's new constitution was unveiled.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel is willing to make concessions for peace, but not on the issue of security. He met today in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said his country is intent on taking an active role in the peace process.

A not-so-warm welcome for a British cruise ship that's had a stomach virus spreading among passengers. The Aurora docked in Gibraltar, prompting Spain to close its border with the country for the first time in decades. Last week, the ship was denied permission to dock at the Port of Athens.

A deadly accident at a stadium in Baranquilla, Colombia. A balcony railing gave way during postgame celebrations, sending some fans plummeting to the level below. One person died and at least 35 were hurt, some seriously.

A royal wedding in the works. Spain's Crown Prince Felipe surprised the country when he announced his engagement to an anchor woman for Spanish National Television. Support for the future queen is high, despite the fact she's been divorced.

Spanish and French matadors were in Peru to kick off bull fighting season. They took part in the 57th annual competition known as the Festival of the Gentleman of Miracles. And that's our look "Around the World."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Some emotional testimony in the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad. That story tops our justice report.

A federal agent who took part in the arrest says he found his rifle loaded and in the fire mode. The widow of the last sniper victim testified about hearing of the shooting on television, then franticly trying to reach him. He died in the hospital before she could see 6.

A former U.S. Marine is pleading not guilty to charges he kidnap add 12-year-old British girl. 32-year-old Studebaker, met her over the Internet and traveled to France and Germany with her over the summer. He says he thought she was 18 and he maintains they did not have sex.

New details of the behind the scenes battle between Rosie O'Donnell and her magazine staff are emerging right now. The publishers and O'Donnell are suing each other and blaming each other for the magazine's demise.

CNN's Mary Snow is covering the case, she is joining us live from New York -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, and that business deal gone sour being fought out in court where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. And in court testimony inside the court house, testimony of a behind the scenes power struggle over everything from celebrity covers to cake recipes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Rosie O'Donnell was all smiles going into court.

ROSIE O'DONNELL, ACTRESS: I think the truth is going to come out. The judge is a smart man. He is going to make decision and I'll abide by whatever he decides.

SNOW: Inside the courtroom, a picture was painted of the brasher side of the woman once dubbed the queen of nice. The editor in chief of what was "Rosie Magazine," Susan Toepfer, testified about a clash she says she had with O'Donnell shortly after joining the magazine in July of 2002. Toepfer said O'Donnell called her screaming about a cover photo she didn't like. She quoted O'Donnell as saying, quote, "You're trying to destroy me. I don't want my fat F'ing body on the cover." Toepfer said that O'Donnell later apologized for yelling. In cross examination O'Donnell's lawyers questioned Toepfer about claims she didn't give O'Donnell much involvement in the choice of cover photos. They are saying Toepfer was trying to seize editorial control of the magazine, what they say was granted to O'Donnell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: A court session that just ended a short time ago, O'Donnell came out saying she is expecting to testify on Thursday. She says she's looking forward to telling her side of the story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, she's covering the case for us. Thanks, Mary, very much.

The surfer and the shark. A rising star loses her arm to a huge tiger shark, and remains conscious through the entire ordeal. Her story up next.

First, though, a few stories you may have missed this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Fatal shooting arrest. Two men are jail indeed Miami in connection with the fatal shooting after bank employee in the Atlanta area last month. The suspects were arrested yesterday.

Back on the court. NBA star Kobe Bryant drew cheers in his first home game of the season. He scored 21 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors. Bryant's first game back in a Laker's uniform this season was Saturday night in know Phoenix where he cheers and jeers. He is awaiting trial in Colorado on sexual assault charges.

Kenyan's rule. The top spots in the New York City Marathon once again go to Kenyan's. This year's male and female champions are both from the African nations. Yesterday's race drew more than 35,000 runners.

Marathon men, British explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud also ran yesterday in New York City Marathon. Their 7th marathon in seven days. The two men ran races on every continent except Antarctica.

Hair raising event. Some of the most hairiest men strutted their stuff Saturday at the World's Beard and Mustache Championships in Carson City, Nevada. It's the first time the event has been held outside Europe. Germans captured most of the top honors. And that's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

A young surfing star is recovering from a terrifying ordeal. The 13-year-old girl lost one of her arms in a shark attack in Hawaii. It's the fourth shark attack in that state this year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): No one saw the shark before the attack. No one has seen it since. But the beast may be responsible for derailing the career of a surfing star.

13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, winner of several amateur events in Hawaii routinely outsurfed older competitors, had already secured sponsorships and was about to turn pro. Early Friday morning, about a quarter mile off the north shore of Kauai, Hamilton was lying flat on her board, arms dangling in the body. One motion, one bite, and her left arm was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no movement. There was a clean (UNINTELLIGIBLE), just took a bite and split.

BLITZER: Hamilton somehow got to shore. A friend's father, who was nearby, used a surfboard leash as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He may have saved her life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole way through it, she remained conscious And she was trying to paddle in by herself, and she kept it together. The whole way in, she never cried. I didn't see her cry. She was a trooper.

BLITZER: Measuring the size of the bite, authorities told local media they think this was the work of a tiger shark, 12 to 15 feet long. Hamilton is now in a local hospital, and her family says, in good spirits. A second surgery was planned for today. Her mother was quoted in one newspaper as saying Hamilton would take up underwater photography. But her brother, Noah, told CNN she plans to return to competitive surfing with or without a prosthetic. Either way, it seems Bethany Hamilton is destined to return to the water.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Pod Banuelos is with us now on the phone from Kauai to talk a little bit more about Bethany Hamilton's terrifying ordeal. He is a member of the Reef Coral team and promotions manager. Pod, thanks very much for joining us. First of all, how is she doing right now?

POD BANUELOS, TEAM MANAGER: She's preparing to go back in for her -- what would hopefully be her last surgery right now, just to clean it up and tighten her up. And she should be able to go home Wednesday or Thursday.

BLITZER: Have you had a chance to speak with her or her parents?

BANUELOS: Yeah, I have.

BLITZER: With her? Did you speak directly with her?

BANUELOS: Yes. She's incredible. Just such a strong girl. So positive. It's their family that's probably more tore up by it than her. She's just handling it incredible.

BLITZER: And what did she say to you, I mean, without getting into any privacy matters, what was her outlook?

BANUELOS: I just kind of asked her, you know, if she's had time to think about what she might do in the future, and she said she wanted to take up some new sports. She would like to take up photography. She's never been snowboarding. She's never seen the snow. That's something that she can do. Play soccer. She has got all kinds of ideas going on.

BLITZER: And what about her parents and her family? How are they doing?

BANUELOS: They're doing very good. They have got a very strong support group here with their local church and the surfing community in Hanolay (ph) Bay on the north shore of Kauai.

BLITZER: Well, does this mean her surfing career, for those of us who are not necessarily experts on surfing, her surfing career is over now?

BANUELOS: That kind of remains to be seen. It all depends on if she can catch waves under her own power. Once she gets up, she's got the ability to compete, obviously. She's got to work through it, you know, not having the arm, and it remains to be seen if a prosthetic is capable of allowing her to paddle into a wave.

BLITZER: You need both arms, basically, to paddle, to build up speed, and then once you stand, you can theoretically stand obviously with one arm. Are there any surfers out there, competitive, in this profession right now, professional sports with one arm?

BANUELOS: Not in surfing, that I know of. No. Recreationally there are, and I actually think in body boarding, there's a lady in body that has one leg. But you don't have to paddle into that wave and push yourself up like you do in surfing.

BLITZER: What you're telling us is that she's -- mentally she's getting ready to move on with her life and, perhaps, move into another direction. Her mom says underwater photography might be something she would enjoy.

BANUELOS: Yeah. Absolutely. She was born and raised in the ocean. And she'll continue to go back into the ocean, regardless of that tragic accident.

BLITZER: A lot of people thought Bethany had a huge future ahead of her in surfing. Give us your perspective, how big a future in terms of endorsements, competitive events did she have?

BANUELOS: Well, I work for a company called (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They're a huge global surfing company. And we identify talent at a very young age. And she was identified as a very high caliber amateur athlete. She's won numerous national competitions and was on the right path to become a professional. She definitely -- I foresaw her as being a solid professional.

BLITZER: Pod Banuelos, if you speak with her, give her our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Thank you very much. A remarkable young girl. Thank you very much for joining us. Good luck to Bethany.

Solo at sea. Our hot Web question of the day is coming up. Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election? Is it Iraq or economy? We'll have the result when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Our picture of the day takes us to the South Pacific, where a French woman set a new windsurfing record. She's completed the first solo crossing of the Pacific from Peru to Tahiti by a wind surfer. The 43-year-old woman traveled almost 4,500 nautical miles. The trip took her more than 89 days. Wow.

Here is how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election, is it Iraq or the economy? Look at this, 31 percent of you say Iraq; 69 percent of you say the economy. As always, we tell you this is not, repeat not, a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail right now. Anne writes this: "We have supposedly won the war, yet more soldiers are dying now than during the war. This is an issue that needs to be explained to the public."

John writes: "Why does the media keep inflating the losses of the war? Sure there have been casualties, but there were more killed during the Korean War and the Vietnam War."

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5 p.m. Eastern. I'm also on every weekday noon Eastern as well.

See you tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" with John King sitting in starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Young Surfing Star Loses Arm in Shark Attack>


Aired November 3, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now the pain setting in for military families all around the country and for tens of thousands of others that fear they live with every day that their loved ones in Iraq could be next.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): From missiles to mortars, Americans under fire.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The enemy in Iraq believes America will run.

BLITZER: Who's behind the stepped up attacks? I'll ask the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

California calamity, is the worst over? I'll ask Governor Gray Davis.

Shark attack, a young surfing star loses an arm. Did she lose her future?

And Rosie O'Donnell outbursts in the conference room, a face-off in the courtroom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, November 03, 2003.

BLITZER: American troops are still reeling from one of their bloodiest days in Iraq and they're still under fire right now. A 4th Infantry Division soldier was killed when his vehicle hit a mine in Tikrit, the heartland of Saddam Hussein's supporters.

And mortar fire raining down on the heart of Baghdad today, the so-called Green Zone, which houses the U.S.-led coalition, no casualties there but it comes a day after 16 United States soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded in the downing of a Chinook helicopter apparently by a missile and that's raising new questions about the vulnerability of U.S. forces and the capability of the Iraqi resistance. We begin with U.S. forces facing a stepped up insurgency, one that is clearly able to take a heavy toll among Americans in Iraq. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the injured are moved to a medical facility in Germany, the U.S. can reflect on a bleak day for its forces in Iraq, the bloodiest since President Bush declared an end to major combat six months ago.

COL. RHONDA CORNUM, U.S. ARMY: The actual medical condition of the people in the ICU was still under - being evaluated as we speak. Currently, everyone is considered stable.

CHANCE: As many as 16 soldiers are now confirmed dead and 20 others injured. The helicopter was blasted from the skies near the flashpoint town of Fallujah in western Iraq. Eyewitnesses say a surface-to-air missile was responsible; residents have little sympathy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): One helicopter was down. Tomorrow there will be another and it will continue until the Americans leave our country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All the Muslims in Fallujah are happy about this incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The flight came over from the direction of Habaniya (ph) and the strike happened about an hour ago. The area is surrounded now. Helicopters are flying all over the place and there are American soldiers all around. More than ten helicopters have already landed in the location.

CHANCE: On the ground more killings struck at U.S. resolve. Two convoys were hit by separate roadside bombs detonated as they drove past. This one in central Fallujah was celebrated by onlookers. One held up the helmet of a U.S. soldier. Officials say the U.S. will not be deterred.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMIN. IN IRAQ: The enemies of freedom in this country will stop at nothing and now this week, which started with killing lots of Iraqis has ended with killing Americans and we've mingled our blood together in this war on terrorism and, as you just said, we're not going to be deterred. We're going to win this war and we're going to win it right here in Iraq.

CHANCE: But here in Iraq what officials admit is an increasingly sophisticated insurgency is gathering pace. Winning here will mean a fight.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The helicopter which went down in Iraq is a vital cog in the U.S. military machine. Various models of the Chinook have gone into service since it first appeared during the Vietnam War.

The Chinook is used to ferry troops and to transport supplies, ammunition, and artillery to the battlefield. It can carry up to 44 troops and has a normal cruising speed of 150 miles per hour.

While the Chinooks have played a vital role in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in previous wars their slow speed may make them sitting ducks for a well-armed foe.

Let's go live to our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre, Jamie exactly how vulnerable are these troops right now?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, after reviewing the known information, Pentagon officials say that it's unlikely this helicopter could have done much to avoid this attack. As you said, the helicopters are not that fast and they're going against a missile which is supersonic, traveling at nearly twice the speed of sound.

They fly at a low altitude. This one, we were told, was flying just a couple hundred feet over the ground. That gives them -- reduces the time that they're a target, makes them a little bit harder to hit but it also gave the crew almost no time to react, to dispense flares or take other evasive maneuvers.

Operating at night would make it safer but the U.S. military says it's not going to ban daytime flights. They are reviewing the flight patterns to make sure they're not doing something that makes those patterns too predictable -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie, the whole nature of getting around Iraq is dangerous, especially in this Sunni Triangle in the central part of the country. It's dangerous to drive on the ground. It's dangerous to fly in the air unless you're way up in the sky. Are they thinking perhaps maybe it's time to dig deeper into various positions in this Sunni Triangle area?

MCINTYRE: Well, no. They're not thinking about hunkering down and they still insist that helicopter flight is the fastest and safest way to go even though it does carry this risk against portable antiaircraft missiles.

They are going to change their tactics in a way they're not describing to try to reduce that risk but they admit they can't eliminate it. There are just too many of those missiles in Iraq.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon, thanks Jamie very much.

In his first comments since the downing of the Chinook, President Bush today said, and I'm quoting now: "The enemy in Iraq believes America will run" but he added, "America will never run." The president made no direct reference to the latest casualties but he did pay tribute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: And some of the best have fallen in service to our fellow Americans. We mourn every loss. We honor every name. We grieve with every family and we will always be grateful that liberty has found such brave defenders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And within the past few minutes, the United States Senate following the House of Representatives' lead has now approved the approximately $85-$86 billion grant for U.S. military forces as well as the $20 billion, $20 billion to reconstruct Iraq. That will now go to the president for his signature, the Senate following the House Representatives' lead that just in to CNN.

Word of yesterday's deadly helicopter crash in Iraq spread quickly through Fort Campbell, Kentucky. One of the victims was attached to the 101st Airborne Division that's based at Fort Campbell.

CNN's Art Harris has reaction from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): War is written on faces at this pancake house. Many customers are veterans of Iraq.

SPEC. RICHARD MORGAN, U.S. ARMY: You're always thinking about what's coming around that corner. It could be the bullet that gets you and it could be the little kid handing you a piece of candy. You never know.

HARRIS: Fort Campbell has sent 19,000 soldiers to Iraq, 80 percent of the troops here. Business is slow in places like this barber shop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know several of the soldiers that's gotten killed over there.

HARRIS: Were they customers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of our customers yes, sir.

HARRIS: Thirty soldiers from Fort Campbell have died in Iraq not counting one reservist killed in Sunday's helicopter crash.

STAFF SGT. CHARITY LANKFORD, U.S. ARMY: It scares me a lot because my husband is due to come home the middle of this month and I know he's been secure where he's at but I know that it seems that more incidents are happening where soldiers are traveling so I'm scared because I want my husband home safe and sound.

HARRIS: Major David Giammona is a chaplain at Fort Campbell.

MAJ. DAVID GIAMMONA, U.S. ARMY: That's the biggest stresser is just waiting and not knowing exactly when their loved one is going to come home.

HARRIS: Most people here still support the war but now with some reservations.

BILL FOLZ, FARMER: I hope that it comes to an end soon, bring our soldiers home.

HARRIS: Art Harris CNN, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election, is it Iraq or is it the U.S. economy"? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

While you're there I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Chopper down and now plenty of questions raised about the U.S. mission in Iraq. I'll speak live with two United States Senators, Senators Jay Rockefeller and Pat Roberts, the chairman and the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

And body of evidence, the hair and the other woman, both taking center stage in the Scott Peterson murder case, we'll go live to Modesto.

Rising star attack, a young surfer loses her arm to a shark, her amazing outlook following this traumatic attack. We'll hear the latest from Hawaii. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Behind the scenes of Rosie O'Donnell's magazine, the prosecution painting a not-so-nice picture in court today. We'll have details. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Those are nine of the U.S. troops killed in that Chinook helicopter attack yesterday, our deepest condolences, of course to their loved ones, to their families.

Who's targeting these U.S. troops in Iraq? Six months after President Bush declared an end to major combat, Americans are paying an ever higher price and facing an increasingly sophisticated foe. This comes as lawmakers are pressing the administration for its pre- war intelligence information on Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction.

Joining us now from Capitol Hill, two special guests, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Pat Roberts and the Vice Chairman Senator Jay Rockefeller. Senators, thanks once again for joining us.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), INTELLIGENCE CHMN.: It's our pleasure.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, let's begin on this tragic incident yesterday, the attack on this helicopter. You've suggested that it may be reckless to be flying over areas like Fallujah in the Sunni Triangle with these slow moving helicopters. Have you been briefed on what happened?

ROBERTS: No, not yet but we intend to be on the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee. I know Senator Rockefeller shares our concern and expresses our condolences and our prayers to the families.

I don't think it's reckless. I think they have to take evasive action and there is some question in my mind in regards to the routes they're taking over the Sunni Triangle where these kind of attacks will be most prevalent, now having said that there are surface-to-air missiles all throughout the country.

BLITZER: Senator Rockefeller, what if anything can the U.S. military do to deal with the situation assuming they still want to use helicopters, slow flying helicopters at relatively low altitudes?

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), INTELLIGENCE VICE CHMN.: You can't obviously outfit helicopters with the anti missile devices in the same extent you can with some larger aircraft. That obviously would be ideal.

Secondly, I think it really points back to the fact that it would be so good if we were not in this war all by ourselves, if we had somehow gone to the United Nations in a more open embracing way, been willing to share a little bit more with them and have their troops sharing these perils with us.

And the third thought it gives to me, Wolf, is that I really think that Ambassador Bremer made a very fundamental, maybe the most fundamental mistake of the post so-called mission accomplished period of the war when he simply disbanded all of the Iraqi troops many of whom could be helping us.

BLITZER: All right, I think on that point Ambassador Bremer, Senator Roberts, is trying to improve the situation there moving as quickly, he says, as they can to bring a lot of these former Iraqi soldiers into some security units to help out and he says they're moving relatively quickly on that front. Is that the information you're getting?

ROBERTS: I think they're trying to concentrate on (unintelligible) colonel and below rank in terms of getting them up and standing as an army that as he pointed our on your show yesterday, Wolf, he indicated that when they first came in there wasn't any army to be found. They went back home. It's a little difficult to reconstitute but they're trying to concentrate on the lower ranks and get that done as fast as possible.

BLITZER: Yesterday, Senator Roberts, Senator Rockefeller said the White House has assured him that you guys on the Intelligence Committee were finally going to get everything you wanted in terms of the pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Have you looked into that over these past 24 hours? Are you satisfied that the cooperation is there?

ROBERTS: Well, basically I just talk again with the White House. They have entered into a spirit of cooperation. We are making progress on the documents we want and the interviews we want. We're still working on other information but with a spirit of cooperation that they have indicated I feel sure that we will get everything that we do want, yes.

BLITZER: All right, what about that Senator Rockefeller, are you as confident?

ROCKEFELLER: Well, I'm all for the spirit of cooperation. I think that's a good thing in life and amongst peoples but I'm frankly a lot more interested in getting literally all of the information that we asked for because that was what was indicated when we were talking yesterday that all of the information that we asked for was going to be forthcoming.

ROBERTS: I think it will, Jay. I think -- all I'm saying is, is that there is a spirit of cooperation. We have made progress. We're working on the rest of it. To my way of thinking we are going to get the information that has been requested.

ROCKEFELLER: It's important that we do because we're looking not just at the pre-war intelligence but also the use of intelligence and its effect on policy making and it's very complex, interwoven, and the American people need to know.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, how concerned are you about these widespread reports that are now trickling out over the past several days, including a lengthy piece in the "New York Times Magazine" yesterday that the State Department had a very detailed plan to deal with the post war environment in Iraq that was totally ignored by the Pentagon?

ROBERTS: Basically, the State Department did have a plan. It's on a CD and I think Ambassador Bremer has it on a CD right now. We'll get into that in regards to our final report and I might add the State Department has been very forthcoming in terms of the information that we have requested from them, as has the CIA, as has the DOD.

The bad news is or I guess the challenge it is going to take us a little more time to add this information to what I thought was about a 90 percent done report. It will take more time to do that but, yes, the State Department did have, what, a warning or a comprehensive report and obviously in hindsight 20/20 you would have hoped that we would have seen a lot more of that.

BLITZER: There was expressed, a lot of fear expressed by a lot of critics of the war, Senator Rockefeller, that the Pentagon was simply determined to go about what it wanted to do irrespective of advice coming from others at the CIA, the State Department, who may have had a lot of expertise in Iraq. ROCKEFELLER: I think that that concern is shared by a lot of people. I share some of that concern. I can't prove it yet. I'm not trying to prove it but I need to know about it and that's I think one of the really important reasons that we get this information that Senator Roberts and I have both requested and requested I might say quite a long time ago and that we look at what was done with intelligence once it worked its way into the policymaking arena.

BLITZER: Senator Roberts, is George Tenet, the CIA Director, as far as you're concerned on thin ice right now?

ROBERTS: I wouldn't say he's on thin ice as long as he has the support of the president of the United States and the confidence of the president of the United States he will remain as the DCI and he will continue to do his work.

BLITZER: I'll give you the final word, Senator Rockefeller.

ROCKEFELLER: I think he should stay and I've said that to him. I think George Tenet is doing a good job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

BLITZER: Senator Rockefeller, thank you very much. Senator Roberts, thanks to you as well.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

BLITZER: Shaky science or hard evidence, it's all about the hair as the preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson continues. We'll go live to Modesto, California.

And facing a new reality with those vast California wildfires now largely contained residents return to what was once home and they're struggling with starting over. I'll speak with the outgoing Governor Gray Davis.

One ton attack, a huge shark strikes a young surfer, her survival story will shock you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The preliminary hearing for Scott Peterson, accused of killing his wife and unborn child is bogging down as both sides spar over DNA evidence.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is on the story for us. She's joining us now live from Modesto, California. Rusty, what happened today?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as the day goes on it's looking less and less like this judge is going to make a decision about that single strand of hair and whether it can be admitted as evidence.

We've been hearing most of the day from a DNA defense expert who's trying to poke holes in mitochondrial DNA. That's the type of DNA that was extracted from the hair found in pliers at the bottom of Scott Peterson's boat.

He's claiming that it's unreliable. There is too many chances for mutation and contamination and he also says that the methods the FBI used to measure this is biased against the defendant and he said he feels that that is wrong.

Prosecutors have yet to cross-examine this witness. We're in a break right now. Defense attorney Mark Geragos has been called out of court several times today because a verdict on another murder trial in Los Angeles is coming forth and he's had to step out of the courtroom.

But, prosecutors will cross-examine this witness and then they must bring forth another rebuttal witness, their own DNA expert to also talk about this DNA and whether it can be admitted so we're not expecting the judge to make a decision today, hopefully sometime tomorrow.

Again, the prosecution's witnesses are still up. We are still expecting Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's former girlfriend, to testify as well as other investigators but it doesn't look like any other witnesses are going to be testifying today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: This form of mitochondrial DNA it's a lot different than the normal DNA that a lot of our viewers are familiar with, the nuclear DNA if you will, the accuracy, the scientific research, the knowledge of all these.

A lot of our viewers confused because they assume DNA evidence is routinely admitted in court in a murder case like this one. But as you pointed out to me earlier today there's only been one case, a murder case in California, where this form of DNA has been admitted.

DORNIN: That's right. If they can use the other forms they're going to use that because you can ID a person like one in a billion. You can absolutely say it's this person. That's usually from blood and tissue samples.

But from mitochondrial DNA from hair it's just not as easy to match up. It could be perhaps one in nine or one in 112, which is a very, very bad statistic. They don't like to use that. It's not as reliable.

However, the FBI and the U.S. military have been using this form of identification since the mid-'90s and they have testified that they feel it can be used at least to trace between mother and child.

So, they used the hair, they thought it was Laci Peterson's, as well as a genetic sample from Sharon Rocha and the prosecutor is saying that there could be a match.

BLITZER: All right, CNN's Rusty Dornin following this trial for us. It's going to go on at least the rest of this week and probably into next as well, this proceeding, this preliminary hearing. Thanks Rusty very much. Did someone break a publishing pact? Rosie O'Donnell's case enters court and we've got details that have never made it into print, at least not in these pages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every one of those people in that crash have a family somewhere and that's tough and those from the military community, and I'm retired military, feel that pain very strongly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The human loss from that helicopter crash in Iraq.

And they moved the commandments but will the debate in Alabama move into the Supreme Court. We'll let you know what happened today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Magazine court clash, Rosie O'Donnell faces her editor.

And, it's a blast, this is a real blast from the past, why is Linda Tripp, yes Linda Tripp re-emerging from the Lewinsky files right now, what the government owes her. We have details. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

Deadly attack on U.S. troops sending shock waves through military posts all around the United States. We're live from Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

First, though, let's have a quick check of the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Joining the steady flow of medical evacuees from Iraq, 16 of those wounded in the Chinook downing -- they've arrived early today at the Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. Officials at the U.S. Army's regional medical center say 11 of the 16 are in intensive care right now, but all are reported to be in stable condition. And all are expected to survive their injuries.

One of the U.S. posts hit hardest by the Chinook downing is Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Six of its soldiers were killed in that incident and others were wounded.

Let's go live to Fort Sill. CNN's Kris Osborn is standing by -- Kris.

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.

Well, certainly, it is visible on many faces here on post at Fort Sill. As you mentioned, six of the 16 who died in that Chinook flash in Iraq are based here.

This is the home of the 3rd Corps artillery. And just within the last several hours, four of the six names have been released by DOD and officials at the Pentagon.

Earlier we mentioned Paul A. Velasquez, 29, from California. He was described earlier by his commanding officers as very well-liked, very much respected. In addition to that, Sergeant Ross A. Pennanen, 36, from Oklahoma; Staff Sergeant Joe N. Wilson from Mississippi; Sergeant Keelan L. Moss from Houston.

Now, this loss, of course, impacting the entire community here on post. And earlier, the commanding officers here at Fort Sill, including Brigadier General Formica, talked about the loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. RICHARD FORMICA, U.S. ARMY: We were tragically reminded yesterday that our soldiers are serving their country and its cause in harm's way in Iraq; that our ranks are filled with great soldiers and selfless, giving families. We are mindful of their sacrifice, and we are proud of their service.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Now, two have yet to be named who are from Fort Sill, meaning that the primary and secondary next of kin have yet to be notified in person.

Along with that, though, Wolf, there was a lot of focus in the briefing from the generals here on the families. In fact, some of the wives have agreed to volunteer to help out this grieving community and there have been discussions about making chaplains, psychologists and psychiatrists available so people can somehow find their way through this pain -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Kris Osborn in Fort Sill, in Oklahoma. Our deepest condolences to all the family members. Our heart goes out to them.

Let's move on now to the crisis in California. It's still a crisis. Fire crews hope to have the largest Southern California wildfire, the Cedar Fire, contained by tonight. Thanks to cool, rainy weather they have now have a handle on all the blazes that ravaged the reason -- region only last week.

Now, thousands of people who were evacuated are returning home, or at least they're trying to return home. There was a long line of cars trying to get back to the mountain communities in San Bernardino County, for example. In all, the fires burned more than 800,000 acres and destroyed 3,400 homes.

Earlier, I talked about the disaster with the outgoing California governor, Gray Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Governor Davis, thanks very much for joining us. I assume the worst is now over.

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: I believe it is, Wolf. This fire was driven by weather and high winds and, happily, we've gotten some rain and some higher humidity. So the worst is definitely behind us.

BLITZER: There's a lot of fear, though, this could set the stage for bad mudslides in California. There's often a pattern, a cycle of fires and then mudslides. How worried are you about this?

DAVIS: I think that's a real possibility. We've already begun to take measures to take steps to stabilize the hillsides on a short- term basis as well as look at what we can do over the next four or five months.

But there's not question, when you have serious fires like this, the hillsides and the mountains are vulnerable to both erosion and mudslides.

BLITZER: You had asked the federal government earlier this year, FEMA, in particular, for some help in dealing with the potential of these wildfires. They apparently didn't do what you wanted. Are you getting the help you need now from the federal government?

DAVIS: Well, I'm grateful for the 40 million they gave us. I asked for 10 times that much, 400 million.

The federal law has a quirk in that -- you can understand their position. They say a diseased tree, because of the bark beetle infestation, is not a disaster, per se, even though we know it's a disaster ready to happen. So today I'm commissioning a group of distinguished firefighters at the federal, state and local level and local officials, with the assistance of Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger, to see if we can identify what we could have done better and what laws need to be changed.

BLITZER: Is Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger ready to go? Is he up to speed? Because it's only a matter of days when he takes over.

DAVIS: Yes, he takes over in two weeks. And our office talks to him several times a day. I talk to him every day. He'll be fully up to speed and we're cooperating fully, we're working hand in glove.

BLITZER: How much is this going to cost California, this disastrous fire?

DAVIS: It depends how you define cost. If you look at the total loss, property values, the loss to public infrastructure, the cost of putting out the fire, it will be considerably over $2 billion. If you talk about the exact cost to locals and state government, it will be considerably less than that.

BLITZER: What's the most important lesson you've learned, Governor Davis, from this fire in California? DAVIS: First of all, I'm enormously proud of the firefighters who did an extraordinary job and the citizens of this state who opened their heart, went into evacuation centers, gave food and toys and foods and hugged the people who had lost their homes.

But clearly, we still have to work out some chinks between state and federal government. For example, there were some military aircraft that might have been helpful in the early stages of the fires in San Diego, for instance. But the law on the federal side requires us to hire all the civilian contractors who want us to use their planes before we can use a federal plane. I think the law ought to say the head of the U.S. Forest Service should determine what's the most important asset, and wherever it is, get a hold of it, and deploy it to put out the fires.

BLITZER: Governor Davis, good luck to you and good luck to everybody in California. Especially good luck in the next chapter of your life. Thanks for joining us.

DAVIS: Thank you, Wolf. Best to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Behind the scenes battles at "Rosie" magazine. Details emerging right now in the bitter trial between Rosie O'Donnell and her former publishers.

An up-and-coming surfing star attacked by a shark. This is a heart-wrenching story. How she survived a violent ordeal. We'll have details for you.

And Kobe Bryant's first home game of the season. How did fans treat the NBA star accused of rape?

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): U.N. ambassadors from U.S., Britain, Spain, Germany, part of a high-profile delegation in Afghanistan showing support for rebuilding efforts. The visit comes as a draft version of the country's new constitution was unveiled.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel is willing to make concessions for peace, but not on the issue of security. He met today in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said his country is intent on taking an active role in the peace process.

A not-so-warm welcome for a British cruise ship that's had a stomach virus spreading among passengers. The Aurora docked in Gibraltar, prompting Spain to close its border with the country for the first time in decades. Last week, the ship was denied permission to dock at the Port of Athens.

A deadly accident at a stadium in Baranquilla, Colombia. A balcony railing gave way during postgame celebrations, sending some fans plummeting to the level below. One person died and at least 35 were hurt, some seriously.

A royal wedding in the works. Spain's Crown Prince Felipe surprised the country when he announced his engagement to an anchor woman for Spanish National Television. Support for the future queen is high, despite the fact she's been divorced.

Spanish and French matadors were in Peru to kick off bull fighting season. They took part in the 57th annual competition known as the Festival of the Gentleman of Miracles. And that's our look "Around the World."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Some emotional testimony in the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad. That story tops our justice report.

A federal agent who took part in the arrest says he found his rifle loaded and in the fire mode. The widow of the last sniper victim testified about hearing of the shooting on television, then franticly trying to reach him. He died in the hospital before she could see 6.

A former U.S. Marine is pleading not guilty to charges he kidnap add 12-year-old British girl. 32-year-old Studebaker, met her over the Internet and traveled to France and Germany with her over the summer. He says he thought she was 18 and he maintains they did not have sex.

New details of the behind the scenes battle between Rosie O'Donnell and her magazine staff are emerging right now. The publishers and O'Donnell are suing each other and blaming each other for the magazine's demise.

CNN's Mary Snow is covering the case, she is joining us live from New York -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, and that business deal gone sour being fought out in court where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. And in court testimony inside the court house, testimony of a behind the scenes power struggle over everything from celebrity covers to cake recipes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Rosie O'Donnell was all smiles going into court.

ROSIE O'DONNELL, ACTRESS: I think the truth is going to come out. The judge is a smart man. He is going to make decision and I'll abide by whatever he decides.

SNOW: Inside the courtroom, a picture was painted of the brasher side of the woman once dubbed the queen of nice. The editor in chief of what was "Rosie Magazine," Susan Toepfer, testified about a clash she says she had with O'Donnell shortly after joining the magazine in July of 2002. Toepfer said O'Donnell called her screaming about a cover photo she didn't like. She quoted O'Donnell as saying, quote, "You're trying to destroy me. I don't want my fat F'ing body on the cover." Toepfer said that O'Donnell later apologized for yelling. In cross examination O'Donnell's lawyers questioned Toepfer about claims she didn't give O'Donnell much involvement in the choice of cover photos. They are saying Toepfer was trying to seize editorial control of the magazine, what they say was granted to O'Donnell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: A court session that just ended a short time ago, O'Donnell came out saying she is expecting to testify on Thursday. She says she's looking forward to telling her side of the story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, she's covering the case for us. Thanks, Mary, very much.

The surfer and the shark. A rising star loses her arm to a huge tiger shark, and remains conscious through the entire ordeal. Her story up next.

First, though, a few stories you may have missed this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Fatal shooting arrest. Two men are jail indeed Miami in connection with the fatal shooting after bank employee in the Atlanta area last month. The suspects were arrested yesterday.

Back on the court. NBA star Kobe Bryant drew cheers in his first home game of the season. He scored 21 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors. Bryant's first game back in a Laker's uniform this season was Saturday night in know Phoenix where he cheers and jeers. He is awaiting trial in Colorado on sexual assault charges.

Kenyan's rule. The top spots in the New York City Marathon once again go to Kenyan's. This year's male and female champions are both from the African nations. Yesterday's race drew more than 35,000 runners.

Marathon men, British explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud also ran yesterday in New York City Marathon. Their 7th marathon in seven days. The two men ran races on every continent except Antarctica.

Hair raising event. Some of the most hairiest men strutted their stuff Saturday at the World's Beard and Mustache Championships in Carson City, Nevada. It's the first time the event has been held outside Europe. Germans captured most of the top honors. And that's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

A young surfing star is recovering from a terrifying ordeal. The 13-year-old girl lost one of her arms in a shark attack in Hawaii. It's the fourth shark attack in that state this year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): No one saw the shark before the attack. No one has seen it since. But the beast may be responsible for derailing the career of a surfing star.

13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, winner of several amateur events in Hawaii routinely outsurfed older competitors, had already secured sponsorships and was about to turn pro. Early Friday morning, about a quarter mile off the north shore of Kauai, Hamilton was lying flat on her board, arms dangling in the body. One motion, one bite, and her left arm was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no movement. There was a clean (UNINTELLIGIBLE), just took a bite and split.

BLITZER: Hamilton somehow got to shore. A friend's father, who was nearby, used a surfboard leash as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He may have saved her life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole way through it, she remained conscious And she was trying to paddle in by herself, and she kept it together. The whole way in, she never cried. I didn't see her cry. She was a trooper.

BLITZER: Measuring the size of the bite, authorities told local media they think this was the work of a tiger shark, 12 to 15 feet long. Hamilton is now in a local hospital, and her family says, in good spirits. A second surgery was planned for today. Her mother was quoted in one newspaper as saying Hamilton would take up underwater photography. But her brother, Noah, told CNN she plans to return to competitive surfing with or without a prosthetic. Either way, it seems Bethany Hamilton is destined to return to the water.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Pod Banuelos is with us now on the phone from Kauai to talk a little bit more about Bethany Hamilton's terrifying ordeal. He is a member of the Reef Coral team and promotions manager. Pod, thanks very much for joining us. First of all, how is she doing right now?

POD BANUELOS, TEAM MANAGER: She's preparing to go back in for her -- what would hopefully be her last surgery right now, just to clean it up and tighten her up. And she should be able to go home Wednesday or Thursday.

BLITZER: Have you had a chance to speak with her or her parents?

BANUELOS: Yeah, I have.

BLITZER: With her? Did you speak directly with her?

BANUELOS: Yes. She's incredible. Just such a strong girl. So positive. It's their family that's probably more tore up by it than her. She's just handling it incredible.

BLITZER: And what did she say to you, I mean, without getting into any privacy matters, what was her outlook?

BANUELOS: I just kind of asked her, you know, if she's had time to think about what she might do in the future, and she said she wanted to take up some new sports. She would like to take up photography. She's never been snowboarding. She's never seen the snow. That's something that she can do. Play soccer. She has got all kinds of ideas going on.

BLITZER: And what about her parents and her family? How are they doing?

BANUELOS: They're doing very good. They have got a very strong support group here with their local church and the surfing community in Hanolay (ph) Bay on the north shore of Kauai.

BLITZER: Well, does this mean her surfing career, for those of us who are not necessarily experts on surfing, her surfing career is over now?

BANUELOS: That kind of remains to be seen. It all depends on if she can catch waves under her own power. Once she gets up, she's got the ability to compete, obviously. She's got to work through it, you know, not having the arm, and it remains to be seen if a prosthetic is capable of allowing her to paddle into a wave.

BLITZER: You need both arms, basically, to paddle, to build up speed, and then once you stand, you can theoretically stand obviously with one arm. Are there any surfers out there, competitive, in this profession right now, professional sports with one arm?

BANUELOS: Not in surfing, that I know of. No. Recreationally there are, and I actually think in body boarding, there's a lady in body that has one leg. But you don't have to paddle into that wave and push yourself up like you do in surfing.

BLITZER: What you're telling us is that she's -- mentally she's getting ready to move on with her life and, perhaps, move into another direction. Her mom says underwater photography might be something she would enjoy.

BANUELOS: Yeah. Absolutely. She was born and raised in the ocean. And she'll continue to go back into the ocean, regardless of that tragic accident.

BLITZER: A lot of people thought Bethany had a huge future ahead of her in surfing. Give us your perspective, how big a future in terms of endorsements, competitive events did she have?

BANUELOS: Well, I work for a company called (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They're a huge global surfing company. And we identify talent at a very young age. And she was identified as a very high caliber amateur athlete. She's won numerous national competitions and was on the right path to become a professional. She definitely -- I foresaw her as being a solid professional.

BLITZER: Pod Banuelos, if you speak with her, give her our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Thank you very much. A remarkable young girl. Thank you very much for joining us. Good luck to Bethany.

Solo at sea. Our hot Web question of the day is coming up. Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election? Is it Iraq or economy? We'll have the result when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Our picture of the day takes us to the South Pacific, where a French woman set a new windsurfing record. She's completed the first solo crossing of the Pacific from Peru to Tahiti by a wind surfer. The 43-year-old woman traveled almost 4,500 nautical miles. The trip took her more than 89 days. Wow.

Here is how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Which issue is more important to you in the 2004 election, is it Iraq or the economy? Look at this, 31 percent of you say Iraq; 69 percent of you say the economy. As always, we tell you this is not, repeat not, a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail right now. Anne writes this: "We have supposedly won the war, yet more soldiers are dying now than during the war. This is an issue that needs to be explained to the public."

John writes: "Why does the media keep inflating the losses of the war? Sure there have been casualties, but there were more killed during the Korean War and the Vietnam War."

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5 p.m. Eastern. I'm also on every weekday noon Eastern as well.

See you tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" with John King sitting in starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Young Surfing Star Loses Arm in Shark Attack>