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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Images of abuse rock U.S. military.; U.S. troops make show of force in Najaf.; Thomas Hamill escpaes from captors.; Medicare undergoes change.; Is Sudanese government responsible for 10,000 deaths?
Aired May 03, 2004 - 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Shockwaves. Images of abuse rock the U.S. military. But the impact on the Muslim world may be much more ominous.
Fire fight. Under attack for hours by Shi'ite radicals. U.S. troops make a show of force in Najaf.
Out of Iraq.
JOE MERRILL, U.S. ARMY: He was yelling, "I'm an American. I'm an American, I'm an American POW."
BLITZER: He walked away from his captors. Now this American is another step closer to home.
Nightmare in Africa. Once a hideout for Osama bin Laden, this vast nation has another claim to infamy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now.
BLITZER: Can the world prevent a new genocide?
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, May 3, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We'll get to the latest on the Iraqi prisoner abuse investigation in just a moment. First, though, we're getting some dramatic new developments in on the fighting in Iraq right now. They were attacked from all sides in the battle went on for hours. U.S. troops in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf were caught up in a furious fire fight today. CNN's Jane Arraf was there and has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: U.S. military officials say this was the most intense attack on this U.S. Army base in Najaf since they got here about three weeks ago.
It started at about 1:00 in the afternoon with a barrage of mortar fire. Over the next few hours, between 20 and 30 mortar rounds were fired, including the commander officer here says mortar rounds that they have pinpointed coming from the courtyard of a mosque in nearby Kufa. They say they did not fire back.
Attack helicopters were sent in from a nearby base. They took fire from Rocket-Propelled Grenades. They returned safely to base, according to officials. There were no coalition casualties.
But officials here say they killed at least seven suspected members of the banned militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr including four people they say who were firing mortars from a nearby field.
Now firing has come from almost all directions of this base which also houses the Coalition Provisional Authority civilian officials who are here trying to set up Iraqi control and Iraqi government again.
Now those negotiations now seem a distant hope with these ongoing attacks by suspected members of the militia that are not expected to end as evening falls.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from a U.S. Army base in Najaf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And on to the prisoner abuse investigation. The photos have been shown around the world. And the shockwaves are spreading just as far. The apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of Americans may have enormous repercussions. And President Bush has told the Pentagon to crackdown on any guilty soldier.
Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. U.S. officials from the president on down have been roundly denouncing these photographs which show the sexual humiliation and potential abuse of prisoners at the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison.
The Pentagon insists it began investigating this abuse back in January immediately after dozens of the photographs were turned over by a concerned U.S. soldier, months before they were first aired by CBS's "60 Minutes."
So far six soldiers have been reprimanded, effectively ending their military careers. And six others, all military police have also facing possible court-martial on criminal charges.
That as the fifth investigation into this incident, the first one to concentrate on the role of military intelligence and private contractors, just got underway April 23, about ten days ago.
Now, some of the soldiers and even in fact their commanding officer have suggested that their actions were taken on behalf of military intelligence officers who were trying to use these tactics to soften up the prisoners.
Here's what General Karpinski, who was the commander in charge of the prison, told CNN today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. JANICE KARPINSKI, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: One of the most despicable aspects of those pictures, those faces on those soldiers, those soldiers who belong to one of my MP companies, absolutely.
I don't know how they do this. I don't know how they allowed it, aloud these activities to get so out of control. But I do know with almost absolute confidence that they didn't wake up one day and decide to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Nevertheless, U.S. military commanders say the soldiers involved in those actions should have known that what they were doing was wrong even if they were following orders. Here' what Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: I don't know if we should be focusing on specific organizations as much as individual conduct that we saw in those photos. I'm not sure what organization those people were from. But I can tell you that what they were doing in those photos is absolutely wrong. Deplorable. And they should be investigated and prosecuted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: As I said, five separate investigations underway now and General Kimmitt himself insisted that the U.S. military will leave no stone unturned. They are well aware the devastating impact this has on the entire U.S. policy in Iraq and the way it's perceived by the Iraqi people -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre. Thanks, Jamie, very much.
The Iraqi prison scandal is a blow to the U.S. military. A blow to coalition efforts to arrange a peaceful transition in Iraq. And judging by the furious reaction throughout the region it may turn out to be a serious setback in the overall war against terrorism as well.
Joining us now with some analysis Ken Robinson. You just back from the Pentagon. How big of a setback is this?
KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: People that we have been speaking to in the Pentagon consider this an enormous bomb going off. They feel that the ripple effects of that are immeasurable, what is going to happen on the Arab street.
Because now they find themselves in a situation where at the time when we're struggling to legitimacy, in the region, and with the Coalition Provisional Authority as it moves toward a hand-over, it now has this huge sucking chest wound that appears to be self-inflicted. BLITZER: How concerned are they there may turn out to be evidence -- this wasn't a one-shot deal, but this was part of a much wider abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
ROBINSON: The sources that we spoke to today insisted that this was a personal failure on the part of individuals, and that that's how they felt the final reports would come out, that this was not a policy issue, it did not represent tactics which are approved or which are taught.
I certainly know from my own experience in my previous profession that this is completely 180 degrees from what is taught professionally.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... General Karpinski, the woman who was in charge, the reservist in charge of the Abu Ghraib Prison, now she's back home in the United States, suggesting these soldiers, these young MPs didn't simply wake up one morning and decide, you know what? Let's abuse these prisoners.
ROBINSON: Well, from my analysis it doesn't appear anyone was in charge of that prison. And it appears that the individuals were let to run amok because these are individual failures. I mean as General Kimmitt said in his response, wrong is wrong. Depending, you know, regardless of who you are.
And it's clear from these photographs that any reasonable person would know that what they were doing was an unlawful order even if someone allegedly gave that order.
BLITZER: The issue of the MPs, the reservists who have now been reprimanded, the issue of military intelligence officers who were there, CIA officers who may have been there, as well as military contractors, civilian contractors all of a sudden, they are playing a role in this as well. What is going on?
ROBINSON: Contractors are used simply because they are -- the force structure is drawn down so much that they need to out source and they need linguistic capability and they need contractor support.
The question that's being investigated right now are are these contractors subject to the same rule of law, the same law of land warfare, Geneva Convention? The answer is yes they are. The question is did they adhere to that? That is what two CIA investigators are looking at right now. And that is what the Article 32 investigation being done by the Department of Defense is doing right now.
They insist they are on this. That they are taking corrective action. And that they believe this is personal failures.
However, they also insist that this is a huge monstrous problem and they have got a huge apology to make to the Mideast.
BLITZER: Ken Robinson, thanks very much. Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this -- should the U.S. military use private contractors to interrogate prisoners in Iraq? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.
Just one day after escaping from his Iraqi captors, Thomas Hamill has arrived at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The 43-year-old Mississippi truck driver is being treated at a U.S. military hospital for a gunshot wound. CNN's Chris Burns is joining us now from Landstuhl, Germany. That's where the hospital is located -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Mr. Hamill arrived here in a bus from Ramstein Air Base, arrived here at the hospital earlier today to under go tests.
He was shot in the right arm when he was ambushed in a fuel convoy in Iraq on April 9. He was taken hostage. And he was held in a house, at least until yesterday. Take a look at that house, if you can. That house where he was hiding along with or being held by his captors, and earlier on Sunday, his captors were getting a bit nervous that there was a U.S. patrol outside. And as they got nervous, that apparently gave Mr. Hamill a chance to try to break out and he ran toward that patrol. This is what he told them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. JOSEPH MERRILL, U.S. ARMY: He was waving his hand and shouting, he fell a couple of times. He walked up to the truck and, you know, I don't know exactly what he said when he got here -- when he got to my soldiers, but he was obviously very glad to see us. And once we found out, we recognized who he was, we knew we had gotten somebody good.
He was obviously very relieved once he realized we were Americans. He was yelling, "I'm an American. I'm an American. I'm an American P.O.W." At a distance it was obvious he was unarmed so we did not have our weapons trained on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Thomas Hamill undergoing tests here at the Landstuhl Hospital. Doctors should have some sort of a prognosis and diagnosis sometime tomorrow. We'll get that to you when we can -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Chris Burns in Germany for us. Thanks, Chris very much.
About 200 people including Thomas Hamill's wife Kellie gathered in Hamill's hometown in Mississippi last night to celebrate his escape. Family members say Hamill had slipped away from his captors once before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON HIGGINBOTHAM, THOMAS HAMILL'S COUSIN: He escaped one time about three days earlier and he was out in the middle of the desert and the helicopter came over and he trying to flag it down but they evidently didn't see him. And he decided, you know, he didn't have any food and water and he'd more than likely die in the desert trying to make it on his own. They were taking fairly good care of him. So he went and put himself back in captivity without them knowing. And then three days later they moved him to Tikrit and he heard a military convoy coming down the road and he pried the door open and he went and caught that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they didn't know he had escaped originally.
HIGGINBOTHAM: Not that we know of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: It's not clear yet when Hamill will be returning to the United States, when that happens Macon's mayor promises in her words, "a parade that will not end."
The war in Iraq and the prisoner abuse controversy, we'll get the views of the former defense secretary, William Cohen. Also ahead -- he almost lost his life while saving the lives of others. One of the first interviews with "TIME" magazine's senior correspondent, Michael Weisskopf. That is coming up.
And if you depend on Medicare, there are changes you need to know. We'll have the details for you.
And later -- experts call it the worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now. What has gone so wrong and what, if anything, can be done about it. We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Reports of prisoner abuse have added a disturbing new dimension to the debate over Iraq. It's time for our weekly talk with world affairs analyst William Cohen, the former defense secretary, he's currently chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group here in Washington. Are we exaggerating the importance of this prisoner abuse investigation? Because it seems like the consequences are enormous. Are we going too far?
WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think it's impossible to exaggerate the gravity of what has taken place. It was degrading, debasing, and ultimately it was dishonorable. It was dishonoring the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have served honorably in this conflict. For them to now be painted with a broad brush that this takes place at all I think it's a great dishonor to those who have served.
BLITZER: Do six or seven young MPs, reservists, who happen to be there at the Abu Ghraib prison, do they do it because they are bad or is there a culture or is there some sort of environment that creates this?
COHEN: This is a command problem that those officers who were in charge had an absolute responsibility to make sure that this kind of abuse never took place. I spoke earlier with General Shelton, former chairman of the joint chiefs. He reminded me that when we went into Haiti, he was, of course, the lead officer on that. The first thing he did was set up a secure operation where they would have prisoners of war and he invited the Red Cross to make sure everybody understood we were going to comply with international standards, Geneva Convention so that no one would be under any apprehension this kind of abuse could possibly take place.
BLITZER: Yesterday I smoke with Seymour Hersh who's written a devastating piece in the new issue of the "New Yorker" in which he has the actual document a major general went ahead and documented all of these alleged abuses months ago. Yesterday the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Richard Myers, goes on television and says he hasn't yet read this report. What does that say to you?
COHEN: There is obviously some kind of a problem in terms of getting the information up to the chain of command. At the command level, certainly in Iraq, the officers either knew or they had to know. Failure to know is just as much a dereliction of duty and knowing and allowing this to take place. I think it can't be too severe in terms of the consequences of this. You can't press a delete button and erase this from the mind's eye of the Iraqi people and throughout the Arab world. This is something that can be very dangerous for us in terms of trying to build coalition support. It can be dangerous for us in the sense that we promised we were going to relieve the Iraqi people of torture. And then we engage in similar types of tactics. I think it's very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Is this a matter that this Brigadier General Karpinski that was the reservist, she was in charge of the Abu Ghraib prison, she is now back here in the United States, does she take the fall or does it go higher? There's been some suggestion, General Ricardo Sanchez is the commanding general in charge of all Iraq or perhaps even the central command General Abizaid, could take a hit as a result of this. How high do you believe this investigation could reach?
COHEN: Hard to say at this point. I think the investigation has to go forward with all due deliberate speed. This is not something that can be delayed for weeks and months and going through a lot of legal entanglements and such. Very clear coming straight from the secretary of defense, chairman of the joint chiefs. This has to be dealt with quickly, with all due course for rights under the circumstance. But this is not something we can allow to languish in any kind of delaying tactic.
BLITZER: Because it doesn't only have political ramifications in the Arab world, so-called Arab street or in Iraq, but it has real military implications in terms of morale. Right now the fighting men and women in Iraq.
COHEN: It has, as I said, I think it's a dishonor to them. They are putting their lives on the line fighting for a cause that we believe to be just, mainly the liberation of the people of Iraq, to provide for a stable democracy. This kind of conduct can only undermine that sense of morale and duty. So as soon as they see that strong actions are going to follow, I think that there's a hope that that morale can certainly be repaired.
BLITZER: Secretary Cohen, as usual, thanks very much.
COHEN: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Have you signed up for your new Medicare drug benefit card? The program starts today. We'll tell you what the changes mean for you. This is news that you can use.
He became a casualty of the war in Iraq while covering the war in Iraq. "TIME" magazine's Michael Weisskopf in one of his first interviews since recovering. He'll join me here live.
And a people on the verge of genocide. Who is to blame? A devastating report. We'll have that. First, though, our weekend snapshots.
The body of an 18-month-old boy was found yesterday in the side of a Texas creek. Thunderstorms led to flooding in north Texas this weekend. The car carrying the toddler was swept away in a low-water crossing. His mother and brother also drowned. Authorities say six people died in the high waters.
Also in Texas, a double-decker party boat tipped over yesterday leaving two of the 57 people onboard with minor injuries. According to authorities, people onboard moved to one side of the barge trying to get a glimpse of sunbathers on Hippy Hollow, the only nude beach in Texas.
It could be a month before police decide whether to charge Alexander Perezhogin for a vicious hit against an opponent during an American Hockey League playoff game in Hamilton, Ontario, on Friday. Perezhogin, a forward with the Hamilton Bulldogs took a baseball style swing at Garrett Stafford of the Cleveland Barons opening a huge gash in Stafford's face and knocking out several teeth. Perezhogin's been suspended indefinitely. Stafford attended yesterday's game after getting stitches.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first international trip as California governor this weekend paying tribute to the millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust and helping to dedicate a museum of tolerance in Jerusalem after criticism from Arabs in California, Schwarzenegger made a quick stop in Jordan today to visit King Abdulla.
And in the run for the roses. Smarty Jones won Saturday' Kentucky Derby outpacing the rest of the field on a muddy track. The chestnut colt is the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1997. That's our weekend snapshot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now to important information that could save many of you some serious money. Enrollment begins today in a new federal program designed to make it easier for seniors to get discounts on prescription drugs. It's up to consumers to decide which one of several dozen discount cards to use for the discount. There are different rules and different costs to consider. CNN's Sean Callebs is here to help sort all of this out for us. Pretty complicated but it's potentially significant.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It can be difficult. To many that's what they say the major drawback is. According to many the process is simply too complex and in the end it does nothing to keep the price of prescription medication in check.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): Seniors know all too well the golden years cut into their green. As they grow older many rely on prescription medication. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says the new drug benefit card will cut the cost of medication anywhere from 10 to 25 percent.
The card is part of the Medicare prescription drug law and the savings begin on June 1 but before signing up for a benefit card, it would benefit seniors to do some research. There are more than 70 different cards available. Seniors can only get one card, HHS is offering price comparisons on its website. But some say it's just too much to digest.
ALVIN KRAKOV, SENIOR: That would be complicated. Because as many, many of us are not that computer-savvy. A lot of us don't even have computers. So, yes, that would be difficult.
CALLEBS: The Bush administration says at least 7 million people could benefit from the discount cards, especially the millions considered low income. While some discount cards are free, others approved by Medicare can cost $30. They are free for the low income. And anyone making less than $12,600 gets a $600 drug credit. Pharmacies will split the cost of a discount with drug manufacturers and that bothers some Democrats.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: The big drug companies and insurance companies control what discount seniors will get and how much they will pay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And senior citizen organizations also point out this is a stop gap measure. A new drug benefit program for seniors kicks in in the year 2006 -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for that information.
It's a dangerous assignment for journalists covering war from the battlefield. So dangerous that it almost cost one journalist his life. Up next, I'll speak live with Michael Weisskopf of "TIME" magazine about how he survived an enemy ambush.
Settlements strike. Some Israelis are rejoicing over the rejection of Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, but is it too early to celebrate. Blame for bloodshed. Is the Sudanese government behind the death of 10,000 people? An in depth look at an African country in crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: He saved his life and several others, but reporter Michael Weisskopf lost one of his hands to an Iraqi hand grenade. He's joining us live. That's coming up next.
Also, Medicare changes its prescription drug plan. We'll sort it out for you.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
He went to Iraq to cover the fighting. He came back a hero for saving several lives. But he paid a price. We'll talk with "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf in one of his first television interviews since returning in December.
But, first, a quick check of the latest headlines.
A guilty verdict in the retrial of former star investment banker Frank Quattrone. A New York jury convicted him today of obstructing justice and witness tampering during the government investigation of his old company. Credit Suisse First Boston Bank. Quattrone could be sentenced up to 25 years in jail.
An accused al Qaeda leader has been sentenced to 22 years for stabbing a prison guard in the eye in November 2000. Mamdouh Mahmud Salim has been in U.S. custody since 1998 in connection with that year's bombing of two U.S. Embassies in Africa. No trial date has been set yet for that case.
President Bush is on a two-day campaign swing through the two battleground states of Michigan and Ohio. At a rally in Niles, Michigan, he told supporters he couldn't win the state without their help. Bush lost Michigan to Al Gore by five points in 2000. The state has lost 300,000 jobs since then.
And Senator John Kerry is out with two new ads aimed at defining himself to voters. Neither mention President Bush. Both focus on positive messages, with one concentrating on Kerry's military service and the other on family. Campaign officials say the ads will air for three weeks in 17 battleground states at a cost of some $25 million.
The war in Iraq has taken a heavy toll not only on members of the U.S. military and the civilian population, but also on those whose job it is to cover the horrors of war to the rest of the world.
Michael Weisskopf is one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It's the most dangerous assignment a journalist can face, covering war from the battlefield. The war in Iraq and the subsequent tumultuous occupation has been no exception. At least 25 journalists have died covering the Iraqi conflict. Michael Weisskopf was almost one of them.
The senior correspondent for "TIME" magazine was on patrol with four American soldiers and a photographer in early December when someone lobbed a hand grenade into their roofless Humvee. Weisskopf grabbed the grenade and threw it out of the vehicle. It exploded as he did, and Weisskopf lost his right hand. But there's no doubt he saved not only his own life, but those of five other people inside the Humvee. On Saturday night at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner, President Bush paid tribute to Weisskopf.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Others like Michael Weisskopf have shown incredible presence of mind and courage that have won our admiration. This generation -- this generation of wartime journalists has done fine work and much more. And they will be remembered long after the first draft of history is completed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf is joining us here in Washington.
Great to have you back in Washington, Michael. We have known each other for many, many years.
MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "TIME": Indeed.
BLITZER: All right, first of all, tell our viewers how you are doing right now.
WEISSKOPF: I'm doing very well. I've been back to work for several weeks and getting back on the horse.
BLITZER: Well, I don't know if you're getting back on the horse, literally, but you are writing. you're writing for "TIME" magazine. You're also working on a book.
WEISSKOPF: Well, I am hoping to write a little bit more about my personal experience, yes.
BLITZER: What was -- i know you want to save some of the stuff for your book, but tell our viewers what you can about what happened and what it was like the days and months that followed.
WEISSKOPF: Well, as you say, Wolf, I'm going to write this for myself and for the readers.
But I can tell you that about 9:00 on December 10, at the end of a patrol with the 1st Armored Division -- and I was covering a platoon of that division to feature it for our person of the year. We were writing about the American soldier. At the end of this patrol, in a roofless Humvee, I was parked with four American soldiers and my photographer in front of a mosque in a marketplace.
And somebody threw a grenade inside the Humvee and I picked it up and threw it out. And in the process as it was leaving my hand it exploded took my hand with it.
BLITZER: And there's no doubt that all of you would have been dead or at least most of you would have been dead if you hadn't have done that.
WEISSKOPF: The military experts say that a grenade of this sort -- it was a phosphorus grenade -- has a kill zone of about five meters. And, certainly, it would have covered everyone in that Humvee.
BLITZER: A lot of people always ask me -- and I'll ask you -- when you went to Iraq, you knew how dangerous the situation was.
WEISSKOPF: That's right. Journalists generally try to follow the story. And this was, of course, the best story in the world. And I was given a top assignment, that for the most important story of the year at "TIME," the person of the year story. It seemed like a great challenge and a good opportunity.
BLITZER: That wasn't the first time you went. You went earlier on as well.
WEISSKOPF: That's right. I was there at a very different time in the spring, just after Saddam was toppled, not arrested yet, but certainly after he was removed from the scene. And it was a very different place then, a very friendly place for Americans.
BLITZER: Now, a lot of journalists have been killed in this war, Michael Bloom -- David Bloom and Michael Kelly, as many of our viewers remember. They, unfortunately died. You survived. You are of the only journalists that took a serious hit like this and survived.
WEISSKOPF: I was lucky. That's right. I am the only journalist who has survived. I think the number of 25 was given earlier, but I think believe it was more like 17. It was almost 18.
BLITZER: Not only Americans, but international journalists as well.
WEISSKOPF: That's right, internationally.
BLITZER: The treatment, the surgery, the recovery, how has it gone on?
WEISSKOPF: It's going very well. I was at Walter Reed Hospital, perhaps the only journalist to be admitted there. And it was a very interesting learning experience, living and being treated as if I were in the military. And it was a first-class medical facility. And my recovery is complete and so that they did very well. BLITZER: There are probably 4,000 wounded U.S. troops who have been recovering back here in the United States. Seeing what -- knowing what you have gone through, you're confident they are getting excellent treatment?
WEISSKOPF: Yes, first rate. And it is a place now that's become quite expert in prosthesis, which is, of course, the new arms and legs which have been outfitted on people like me.
BLITZER: You got a new right hand, if you will.
WEISSKOPF: Right arm, partly, yes.
BLITZER: A right arm that you are working with.
WEISSKOPF: Right.
BLITZER: And you are learning how to use that whole new procedure. It's a difficult procedure.
WEISSKOPF: Yes.
BLITZER: Give us your overview. Knowing what you know now, what you personally have gone through, this whole current situation in Iraq right now, you still cover it. You still work on it. What are your thoughts?
WEISSKOPF: It's going to be very difficult to shift power in anything more than a nominal way on June 30, simply because there remains pockets to the country which are no longer under our control. One of them, of course, is in Fallujah, but more dangerously from our perspective in Najaf, which is a great center for the Shia religion. And implanted in Najaf is a cleric who -- a young cleric who is committed to destroying our presence there.
And so it creates a great obstacle, of course, for anybody hoping to rule that country.
BLITZER: Any plans of heading back over there? I guess you have been asked that question a lot.
WEISSKOPF: I would like to go back to Iraq. I don't think I'll get in a Humvee for a while.
BLITZER: I can't tell you how happy we are that you are here with us here in Washington, D.C., Michael Weisskopf, a great reporter. We have known him for many years. Good to have you back.
WEISSKOPF: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank God you are OK.
A major blow this weekend for Ariel Sharon, as Israel's Likud Party defeats his settlement proposal. Up next, why for some the vote is a cause for celebration.
Plus this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY FOWLER, COMMITTEE ON CONSCIENCE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: There's a grave threat of genocide in Darfur right now.
KHIDIR HAROUN AHMED, SUDANESE AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES: It is totally untrue. We have nothing to hide here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A nation on the brink. The government of Africa's largest country accused of backing a bloodbath. But is it really to blame? We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): In Turkey, 16 suspected Islamic militants have been detained. It's believed they were planning a bomb attack during a NATO summit President Bush is expected to attend in June. A Turkish governor said weapons and explosives were seized.
Police in Pakistan don't know what caused a car to employed in a port city. Three Chinese were killed in the blast. Four other people were injured. Authorities say it could have been a bomb or the compressed natural gas used to power the vehicle.
Tensions are high between the Republic of Georgia and the autonomous Adzharian region. Bridges linking the province to the rest of the country were blown up this weekend. Train tracks near the border were also pulled up. The region's leader says he fears a military invasion by Georgian forces. Georgia was holding army maneuvers when the bridges were destroyed.
Harsh words from Cuban leader Fidel Castro precipitate a diplomatic crisis. Mr. Castro blasted Mexico and Peru in a May Day speech criticizes both after they support add United Nations vote condemning Cuba's human rights records. Both countries responded by recalling their ambassador to Cuba. Mexico gave the Cuban ambassador 48 hours to leave the country.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A sprawling barren land, a clash of cultures, a country caught up in the seemingly endless civil war, and now a new catastrophe, as the specter of genocide looms in Sudan.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Africa's largest country, gutted by civil war for a generation, a place so chaotic, Osama bin Laden once found it the ideal place to hide, another calamity unfolds.
ANDREW NATSIOS, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: The worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now.
TODD: This all takes place in Sudan just as a cease-fire between the Muslim government in the north and southern Christian rebels takes hold after 21 years and more than two million lives lost. Now, in the Darfur region, three provinces in western Sudan, so many disasters converge at once, starvation, a refugee crisis, intense combat and charges of mass murder, mass graves, systematic rape, ethnic cleansing.
FOWLER: There is a grave threat of genocide in Darfur right now.
TODD: Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development tell CNN they would not characterize this as genocide right now. But consider what has already happened. Since the fighting in Darfur started just a little more than a year ago, at least 10,000 people have been killed, some 400 villages burned to the ground, one million people displaced, about 100,000 of those spilling over the border into neighboring Chad.
SAMANTHA POWER, KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: There is really no way of knowing how they are going to actually survive in the coming months, when they have no means, again, of caring for themselves.
TODD: Who is perpetrating it?
(on camera): In Darfur, unlike the broader Sudanese civil war, the conflict is not religious, but ethnic. Sudan's Muslim government, made up mostly of Arabs, is accused of backing Arab militias there, who, according to many observers, are trying to push black Muslim tribes out.
(voice-over): And many aid groups on the ground believe the Arab militias, called the janjaweed, are getting much more than just ideological support from the Sudanese government.
POWER: I mean, some janjaweed attacks are just local. Some rely upon airpower from above, again, and that would be Sudanese air force support. The Sudanese government has done almost nothing to rein in people who have committed excesses.
TODD: We confronted the top Sudanese diplomat in Washington about charges that, at the very least, his government is looking the other way.
AHMED: It is totally untrue. We have nothing to hide. It doesn't make any sense that the government at such a critical time would open a new front in order to tarnish its image before the international community.
TODD: Sudanese charge d'affaires says his government is cooperating with aid group and the United Nations. Those groups and the displaced villagers they are trying to help are facing ominous development. The rainy season is starting.
ROGER WINTER, USAID: They get wet, they get measles, they get everything else. That's where your big body count arises.
TODD: Projections for that body count just for the coming months are staggering. Some human rights groups say several hundred thousand people could die. But the U.N. says all six million people in the area are at risk of starvation unless food gets to them. In the rainy season, aid convoys get bogged down, can't move. Then add bureaucratic complications.
The Sudanese government is accused of stalling the visa process for U.S. aid groups and others.
AHMED: You should not imagine that, just in one day, you will be given a visa, too. So this is part of this sensational campaign against the government.
TODD: The charge d'affaires says his government will grant visas for USAID and other groups to go into Darfur. Officials at USAID tell us they don't have those visas in hand yet and will also need travel permits, a process that could take several days. If and when they are allowed in, will help come too late for a people suffering on what aid groups say is a catastrophic and familiar scale?
FOWLER: Ten years from now, will we look back and say Darfur was another failure? Or will we say that we responded in a way that we didn't respond to the Holocaust and we didn't respond to Rwanda?
TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And this footnote. Sudan has been in civil war for all but 10 of its 48 years of independence.
Even in a land beset by violence and tragedy, it was a shocking attack, a pregnant woman and her four daughters killed. Their deaths could figure into Ariel Sharon's political future.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TODD: The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, says he will retool his plan to remove settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. The reassessment comes a day after his own Likud Party rejected the pull-out plan in a nonbinding vote. But Gaza's Jewish settlers were mourning today. Shortly before the vote, a young mother and her four children were shot dead by Palestinian gunmen.
CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eliza Hetwell (ph) grieves for her pregnant daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Her son has lost his wife and all four of his children.
In their garden, a sign that was made by those children still stands. It reads, "Gush Katif is our home." The five family members were killed Sunday by two Palestinian gunmen. Hali Hetwell (ph) and her daughters were killed in their car on their way from their settlement in Israel to campaign against Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. Hours later, one by one, they were laid to rest.
EZRA MAIDU, ISRAELI SETTLER: Four kids, a 2 years old baby, the terrorists, to kill the kids and to go and shoot every girl in her head, it's like -- it's incredible.
HANCOCKS: Less than four hours after the funeral Sunday night, some gathered around television in the Gush Katif town square and applauded at news that they had apparently won their political battle, the rejection of Sharon's plan to withdraw their settlements.
MAIDU: This time, he was wrong. I hope he will learn this message. And we don't want him to resign. We never had nothing personal against him.
HANCOCKS: The settlers still hope Sharon will completely reverse his disengagement plan, returning to his former role as grandfather of the settlements.
DINA ABRAMSON, ISRAELI SETTLER: Come on, Sharon. You're the government. We show you now the way. You saw now what people want. And be strong.
HANCOCKS (on camera): Even while grieving, the settlers here say in Gush Katif say that they will continue campaigning to stay here. And they know that Sunday's victory was only the first step. In fact, just this morning, settlers laid down a cornerstone for a new development of 21 hour houses to prove their determination.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, at the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And we'll have the results of our "Web Question of the Day" when we come back.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Size proves to be no detriment to beauty or talent in our picture of the day. The increasingly popular Jumbo Queen Contest named a winner in Thailand over the weekend. There's a talent category, questions about social and environmental issues. And every contestant has to weigh at least 175 pounds. The 28-year-old winner weighed in at 370 pounds.
Here's how your weighing in our "Web question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you this question: Should the U.S. military use private contractors to interrogate prisoners in Iraq? Seventeen percent of you said yes; 83 percent of you said no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Let's read a couple of your e-mails. Peg writes this: "I don't understand why people are so upset over these pictures of the Iraqi prisoners. This is nothing compared to what some of the Iraqis have done to our contractors, who they burned and hung from a bridge."
Terry writes: "The personnel involved in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, up to and including the commanding general of the prison, clearly derelict in their duty, should at least be court-martialed. Punishments should range from dishonorable discharge, up to retirement and a lower rank. The armed forces should never condone acts of this sort."
A reminder, we're on weekdays 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks very much for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" 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
Aired May 3, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Shockwaves. Images of abuse rock the U.S. military. But the impact on the Muslim world may be much more ominous.
Fire fight. Under attack for hours by Shi'ite radicals. U.S. troops make a show of force in Najaf.
Out of Iraq.
JOE MERRILL, U.S. ARMY: He was yelling, "I'm an American. I'm an American, I'm an American POW."
BLITZER: He walked away from his captors. Now this American is another step closer to home.
Nightmare in Africa. Once a hideout for Osama bin Laden, this vast nation has another claim to infamy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now.
BLITZER: Can the world prevent a new genocide?
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, May 3, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We'll get to the latest on the Iraqi prisoner abuse investigation in just a moment. First, though, we're getting some dramatic new developments in on the fighting in Iraq right now. They were attacked from all sides in the battle went on for hours. U.S. troops in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf were caught up in a furious fire fight today. CNN's Jane Arraf was there and has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: U.S. military officials say this was the most intense attack on this U.S. Army base in Najaf since they got here about three weeks ago.
It started at about 1:00 in the afternoon with a barrage of mortar fire. Over the next few hours, between 20 and 30 mortar rounds were fired, including the commander officer here says mortar rounds that they have pinpointed coming from the courtyard of a mosque in nearby Kufa. They say they did not fire back.
Attack helicopters were sent in from a nearby base. They took fire from Rocket-Propelled Grenades. They returned safely to base, according to officials. There were no coalition casualties.
But officials here say they killed at least seven suspected members of the banned militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr including four people they say who were firing mortars from a nearby field.
Now firing has come from almost all directions of this base which also houses the Coalition Provisional Authority civilian officials who are here trying to set up Iraqi control and Iraqi government again.
Now those negotiations now seem a distant hope with these ongoing attacks by suspected members of the militia that are not expected to end as evening falls.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from a U.S. Army base in Najaf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And on to the prisoner abuse investigation. The photos have been shown around the world. And the shockwaves are spreading just as far. The apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of Americans may have enormous repercussions. And President Bush has told the Pentagon to crackdown on any guilty soldier.
Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. U.S. officials from the president on down have been roundly denouncing these photographs which show the sexual humiliation and potential abuse of prisoners at the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison.
The Pentagon insists it began investigating this abuse back in January immediately after dozens of the photographs were turned over by a concerned U.S. soldier, months before they were first aired by CBS's "60 Minutes."
So far six soldiers have been reprimanded, effectively ending their military careers. And six others, all military police have also facing possible court-martial on criminal charges.
That as the fifth investigation into this incident, the first one to concentrate on the role of military intelligence and private contractors, just got underway April 23, about ten days ago.
Now, some of the soldiers and even in fact their commanding officer have suggested that their actions were taken on behalf of military intelligence officers who were trying to use these tactics to soften up the prisoners.
Here's what General Karpinski, who was the commander in charge of the prison, told CNN today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. JANICE KARPINSKI, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: One of the most despicable aspects of those pictures, those faces on those soldiers, those soldiers who belong to one of my MP companies, absolutely.
I don't know how they do this. I don't know how they allowed it, aloud these activities to get so out of control. But I do know with almost absolute confidence that they didn't wake up one day and decide to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Nevertheless, U.S. military commanders say the soldiers involved in those actions should have known that what they were doing was wrong even if they were following orders. Here' what Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: I don't know if we should be focusing on specific organizations as much as individual conduct that we saw in those photos. I'm not sure what organization those people were from. But I can tell you that what they were doing in those photos is absolutely wrong. Deplorable. And they should be investigated and prosecuted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: As I said, five separate investigations underway now and General Kimmitt himself insisted that the U.S. military will leave no stone unturned. They are well aware the devastating impact this has on the entire U.S. policy in Iraq and the way it's perceived by the Iraqi people -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre. Thanks, Jamie, very much.
The Iraqi prison scandal is a blow to the U.S. military. A blow to coalition efforts to arrange a peaceful transition in Iraq. And judging by the furious reaction throughout the region it may turn out to be a serious setback in the overall war against terrorism as well.
Joining us now with some analysis Ken Robinson. You just back from the Pentagon. How big of a setback is this?
KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: People that we have been speaking to in the Pentagon consider this an enormous bomb going off. They feel that the ripple effects of that are immeasurable, what is going to happen on the Arab street.
Because now they find themselves in a situation where at the time when we're struggling to legitimacy, in the region, and with the Coalition Provisional Authority as it moves toward a hand-over, it now has this huge sucking chest wound that appears to be self-inflicted. BLITZER: How concerned are they there may turn out to be evidence -- this wasn't a one-shot deal, but this was part of a much wider abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
ROBINSON: The sources that we spoke to today insisted that this was a personal failure on the part of individuals, and that that's how they felt the final reports would come out, that this was not a policy issue, it did not represent tactics which are approved or which are taught.
I certainly know from my own experience in my previous profession that this is completely 180 degrees from what is taught professionally.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... General Karpinski, the woman who was in charge, the reservist in charge of the Abu Ghraib Prison, now she's back home in the United States, suggesting these soldiers, these young MPs didn't simply wake up one morning and decide, you know what? Let's abuse these prisoners.
ROBINSON: Well, from my analysis it doesn't appear anyone was in charge of that prison. And it appears that the individuals were let to run amok because these are individual failures. I mean as General Kimmitt said in his response, wrong is wrong. Depending, you know, regardless of who you are.
And it's clear from these photographs that any reasonable person would know that what they were doing was an unlawful order even if someone allegedly gave that order.
BLITZER: The issue of the MPs, the reservists who have now been reprimanded, the issue of military intelligence officers who were there, CIA officers who may have been there, as well as military contractors, civilian contractors all of a sudden, they are playing a role in this as well. What is going on?
ROBINSON: Contractors are used simply because they are -- the force structure is drawn down so much that they need to out source and they need linguistic capability and they need contractor support.
The question that's being investigated right now are are these contractors subject to the same rule of law, the same law of land warfare, Geneva Convention? The answer is yes they are. The question is did they adhere to that? That is what two CIA investigators are looking at right now. And that is what the Article 32 investigation being done by the Department of Defense is doing right now.
They insist they are on this. That they are taking corrective action. And that they believe this is personal failures.
However, they also insist that this is a huge monstrous problem and they have got a huge apology to make to the Mideast.
BLITZER: Ken Robinson, thanks very much. Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this -- should the U.S. military use private contractors to interrogate prisoners in Iraq? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.
Just one day after escaping from his Iraqi captors, Thomas Hamill has arrived at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The 43-year-old Mississippi truck driver is being treated at a U.S. military hospital for a gunshot wound. CNN's Chris Burns is joining us now from Landstuhl, Germany. That's where the hospital is located -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Mr. Hamill arrived here in a bus from Ramstein Air Base, arrived here at the hospital earlier today to under go tests.
He was shot in the right arm when he was ambushed in a fuel convoy in Iraq on April 9. He was taken hostage. And he was held in a house, at least until yesterday. Take a look at that house, if you can. That house where he was hiding along with or being held by his captors, and earlier on Sunday, his captors were getting a bit nervous that there was a U.S. patrol outside. And as they got nervous, that apparently gave Mr. Hamill a chance to try to break out and he ran toward that patrol. This is what he told them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. JOSEPH MERRILL, U.S. ARMY: He was waving his hand and shouting, he fell a couple of times. He walked up to the truck and, you know, I don't know exactly what he said when he got here -- when he got to my soldiers, but he was obviously very glad to see us. And once we found out, we recognized who he was, we knew we had gotten somebody good.
He was obviously very relieved once he realized we were Americans. He was yelling, "I'm an American. I'm an American. I'm an American P.O.W." At a distance it was obvious he was unarmed so we did not have our weapons trained on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Thomas Hamill undergoing tests here at the Landstuhl Hospital. Doctors should have some sort of a prognosis and diagnosis sometime tomorrow. We'll get that to you when we can -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Chris Burns in Germany for us. Thanks, Chris very much.
About 200 people including Thomas Hamill's wife Kellie gathered in Hamill's hometown in Mississippi last night to celebrate his escape. Family members say Hamill had slipped away from his captors once before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON HIGGINBOTHAM, THOMAS HAMILL'S COUSIN: He escaped one time about three days earlier and he was out in the middle of the desert and the helicopter came over and he trying to flag it down but they evidently didn't see him. And he decided, you know, he didn't have any food and water and he'd more than likely die in the desert trying to make it on his own. They were taking fairly good care of him. So he went and put himself back in captivity without them knowing. And then three days later they moved him to Tikrit and he heard a military convoy coming down the road and he pried the door open and he went and caught that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they didn't know he had escaped originally.
HIGGINBOTHAM: Not that we know of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: It's not clear yet when Hamill will be returning to the United States, when that happens Macon's mayor promises in her words, "a parade that will not end."
The war in Iraq and the prisoner abuse controversy, we'll get the views of the former defense secretary, William Cohen. Also ahead -- he almost lost his life while saving the lives of others. One of the first interviews with "TIME" magazine's senior correspondent, Michael Weisskopf. That is coming up.
And if you depend on Medicare, there are changes you need to know. We'll have the details for you.
And later -- experts call it the worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now. What has gone so wrong and what, if anything, can be done about it. We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Reports of prisoner abuse have added a disturbing new dimension to the debate over Iraq. It's time for our weekly talk with world affairs analyst William Cohen, the former defense secretary, he's currently chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group here in Washington. Are we exaggerating the importance of this prisoner abuse investigation? Because it seems like the consequences are enormous. Are we going too far?
WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think it's impossible to exaggerate the gravity of what has taken place. It was degrading, debasing, and ultimately it was dishonorable. It was dishonoring the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have served honorably in this conflict. For them to now be painted with a broad brush that this takes place at all I think it's a great dishonor to those who have served.
BLITZER: Do six or seven young MPs, reservists, who happen to be there at the Abu Ghraib prison, do they do it because they are bad or is there a culture or is there some sort of environment that creates this?
COHEN: This is a command problem that those officers who were in charge had an absolute responsibility to make sure that this kind of abuse never took place. I spoke earlier with General Shelton, former chairman of the joint chiefs. He reminded me that when we went into Haiti, he was, of course, the lead officer on that. The first thing he did was set up a secure operation where they would have prisoners of war and he invited the Red Cross to make sure everybody understood we were going to comply with international standards, Geneva Convention so that no one would be under any apprehension this kind of abuse could possibly take place.
BLITZER: Yesterday I smoke with Seymour Hersh who's written a devastating piece in the new issue of the "New Yorker" in which he has the actual document a major general went ahead and documented all of these alleged abuses months ago. Yesterday the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Richard Myers, goes on television and says he hasn't yet read this report. What does that say to you?
COHEN: There is obviously some kind of a problem in terms of getting the information up to the chain of command. At the command level, certainly in Iraq, the officers either knew or they had to know. Failure to know is just as much a dereliction of duty and knowing and allowing this to take place. I think it can't be too severe in terms of the consequences of this. You can't press a delete button and erase this from the mind's eye of the Iraqi people and throughout the Arab world. This is something that can be very dangerous for us in terms of trying to build coalition support. It can be dangerous for us in the sense that we promised we were going to relieve the Iraqi people of torture. And then we engage in similar types of tactics. I think it's very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Is this a matter that this Brigadier General Karpinski that was the reservist, she was in charge of the Abu Ghraib prison, she is now back here in the United States, does she take the fall or does it go higher? There's been some suggestion, General Ricardo Sanchez is the commanding general in charge of all Iraq or perhaps even the central command General Abizaid, could take a hit as a result of this. How high do you believe this investigation could reach?
COHEN: Hard to say at this point. I think the investigation has to go forward with all due deliberate speed. This is not something that can be delayed for weeks and months and going through a lot of legal entanglements and such. Very clear coming straight from the secretary of defense, chairman of the joint chiefs. This has to be dealt with quickly, with all due course for rights under the circumstance. But this is not something we can allow to languish in any kind of delaying tactic.
BLITZER: Because it doesn't only have political ramifications in the Arab world, so-called Arab street or in Iraq, but it has real military implications in terms of morale. Right now the fighting men and women in Iraq.
COHEN: It has, as I said, I think it's a dishonor to them. They are putting their lives on the line fighting for a cause that we believe to be just, mainly the liberation of the people of Iraq, to provide for a stable democracy. This kind of conduct can only undermine that sense of morale and duty. So as soon as they see that strong actions are going to follow, I think that there's a hope that that morale can certainly be repaired.
BLITZER: Secretary Cohen, as usual, thanks very much.
COHEN: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Have you signed up for your new Medicare drug benefit card? The program starts today. We'll tell you what the changes mean for you. This is news that you can use.
He became a casualty of the war in Iraq while covering the war in Iraq. "TIME" magazine's Michael Weisskopf in one of his first interviews since recovering. He'll join me here live.
And a people on the verge of genocide. Who is to blame? A devastating report. We'll have that. First, though, our weekend snapshots.
The body of an 18-month-old boy was found yesterday in the side of a Texas creek. Thunderstorms led to flooding in north Texas this weekend. The car carrying the toddler was swept away in a low-water crossing. His mother and brother also drowned. Authorities say six people died in the high waters.
Also in Texas, a double-decker party boat tipped over yesterday leaving two of the 57 people onboard with minor injuries. According to authorities, people onboard moved to one side of the barge trying to get a glimpse of sunbathers on Hippy Hollow, the only nude beach in Texas.
It could be a month before police decide whether to charge Alexander Perezhogin for a vicious hit against an opponent during an American Hockey League playoff game in Hamilton, Ontario, on Friday. Perezhogin, a forward with the Hamilton Bulldogs took a baseball style swing at Garrett Stafford of the Cleveland Barons opening a huge gash in Stafford's face and knocking out several teeth. Perezhogin's been suspended indefinitely. Stafford attended yesterday's game after getting stitches.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first international trip as California governor this weekend paying tribute to the millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust and helping to dedicate a museum of tolerance in Jerusalem after criticism from Arabs in California, Schwarzenegger made a quick stop in Jordan today to visit King Abdulla.
And in the run for the roses. Smarty Jones won Saturday' Kentucky Derby outpacing the rest of the field on a muddy track. The chestnut colt is the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1997. That's our weekend snapshot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now to important information that could save many of you some serious money. Enrollment begins today in a new federal program designed to make it easier for seniors to get discounts on prescription drugs. It's up to consumers to decide which one of several dozen discount cards to use for the discount. There are different rules and different costs to consider. CNN's Sean Callebs is here to help sort all of this out for us. Pretty complicated but it's potentially significant.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It can be difficult. To many that's what they say the major drawback is. According to many the process is simply too complex and in the end it does nothing to keep the price of prescription medication in check.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): Seniors know all too well the golden years cut into their green. As they grow older many rely on prescription medication. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says the new drug benefit card will cut the cost of medication anywhere from 10 to 25 percent.
The card is part of the Medicare prescription drug law and the savings begin on June 1 but before signing up for a benefit card, it would benefit seniors to do some research. There are more than 70 different cards available. Seniors can only get one card, HHS is offering price comparisons on its website. But some say it's just too much to digest.
ALVIN KRAKOV, SENIOR: That would be complicated. Because as many, many of us are not that computer-savvy. A lot of us don't even have computers. So, yes, that would be difficult.
CALLEBS: The Bush administration says at least 7 million people could benefit from the discount cards, especially the millions considered low income. While some discount cards are free, others approved by Medicare can cost $30. They are free for the low income. And anyone making less than $12,600 gets a $600 drug credit. Pharmacies will split the cost of a discount with drug manufacturers and that bothers some Democrats.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: The big drug companies and insurance companies control what discount seniors will get and how much they will pay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And senior citizen organizations also point out this is a stop gap measure. A new drug benefit program for seniors kicks in in the year 2006 -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for that information.
It's a dangerous assignment for journalists covering war from the battlefield. So dangerous that it almost cost one journalist his life. Up next, I'll speak live with Michael Weisskopf of "TIME" magazine about how he survived an enemy ambush.
Settlements strike. Some Israelis are rejoicing over the rejection of Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, but is it too early to celebrate. Blame for bloodshed. Is the Sudanese government behind the death of 10,000 people? An in depth look at an African country in crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: He saved his life and several others, but reporter Michael Weisskopf lost one of his hands to an Iraqi hand grenade. He's joining us live. That's coming up next.
Also, Medicare changes its prescription drug plan. We'll sort it out for you.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
He went to Iraq to cover the fighting. He came back a hero for saving several lives. But he paid a price. We'll talk with "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf in one of his first television interviews since returning in December.
But, first, a quick check of the latest headlines.
A guilty verdict in the retrial of former star investment banker Frank Quattrone. A New York jury convicted him today of obstructing justice and witness tampering during the government investigation of his old company. Credit Suisse First Boston Bank. Quattrone could be sentenced up to 25 years in jail.
An accused al Qaeda leader has been sentenced to 22 years for stabbing a prison guard in the eye in November 2000. Mamdouh Mahmud Salim has been in U.S. custody since 1998 in connection with that year's bombing of two U.S. Embassies in Africa. No trial date has been set yet for that case.
President Bush is on a two-day campaign swing through the two battleground states of Michigan and Ohio. At a rally in Niles, Michigan, he told supporters he couldn't win the state without their help. Bush lost Michigan to Al Gore by five points in 2000. The state has lost 300,000 jobs since then.
And Senator John Kerry is out with two new ads aimed at defining himself to voters. Neither mention President Bush. Both focus on positive messages, with one concentrating on Kerry's military service and the other on family. Campaign officials say the ads will air for three weeks in 17 battleground states at a cost of some $25 million.
The war in Iraq has taken a heavy toll not only on members of the U.S. military and the civilian population, but also on those whose job it is to cover the horrors of war to the rest of the world.
Michael Weisskopf is one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It's the most dangerous assignment a journalist can face, covering war from the battlefield. The war in Iraq and the subsequent tumultuous occupation has been no exception. At least 25 journalists have died covering the Iraqi conflict. Michael Weisskopf was almost one of them.
The senior correspondent for "TIME" magazine was on patrol with four American soldiers and a photographer in early December when someone lobbed a hand grenade into their roofless Humvee. Weisskopf grabbed the grenade and threw it out of the vehicle. It exploded as he did, and Weisskopf lost his right hand. But there's no doubt he saved not only his own life, but those of five other people inside the Humvee. On Saturday night at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner, President Bush paid tribute to Weisskopf.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Others like Michael Weisskopf have shown incredible presence of mind and courage that have won our admiration. This generation -- this generation of wartime journalists has done fine work and much more. And they will be remembered long after the first draft of history is completed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: "TIME" magazine senior correspondent Michael Weisskopf is joining us here in Washington.
Great to have you back in Washington, Michael. We have known each other for many, many years.
MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "TIME": Indeed.
BLITZER: All right, first of all, tell our viewers how you are doing right now.
WEISSKOPF: I'm doing very well. I've been back to work for several weeks and getting back on the horse.
BLITZER: Well, I don't know if you're getting back on the horse, literally, but you are writing. you're writing for "TIME" magazine. You're also working on a book.
WEISSKOPF: Well, I am hoping to write a little bit more about my personal experience, yes.
BLITZER: What was -- i know you want to save some of the stuff for your book, but tell our viewers what you can about what happened and what it was like the days and months that followed.
WEISSKOPF: Well, as you say, Wolf, I'm going to write this for myself and for the readers.
But I can tell you that about 9:00 on December 10, at the end of a patrol with the 1st Armored Division -- and I was covering a platoon of that division to feature it for our person of the year. We were writing about the American soldier. At the end of this patrol, in a roofless Humvee, I was parked with four American soldiers and my photographer in front of a mosque in a marketplace.
And somebody threw a grenade inside the Humvee and I picked it up and threw it out. And in the process as it was leaving my hand it exploded took my hand with it.
BLITZER: And there's no doubt that all of you would have been dead or at least most of you would have been dead if you hadn't have done that.
WEISSKOPF: The military experts say that a grenade of this sort -- it was a phosphorus grenade -- has a kill zone of about five meters. And, certainly, it would have covered everyone in that Humvee.
BLITZER: A lot of people always ask me -- and I'll ask you -- when you went to Iraq, you knew how dangerous the situation was.
WEISSKOPF: That's right. Journalists generally try to follow the story. And this was, of course, the best story in the world. And I was given a top assignment, that for the most important story of the year at "TIME," the person of the year story. It seemed like a great challenge and a good opportunity.
BLITZER: That wasn't the first time you went. You went earlier on as well.
WEISSKOPF: That's right. I was there at a very different time in the spring, just after Saddam was toppled, not arrested yet, but certainly after he was removed from the scene. And it was a very different place then, a very friendly place for Americans.
BLITZER: Now, a lot of journalists have been killed in this war, Michael Bloom -- David Bloom and Michael Kelly, as many of our viewers remember. They, unfortunately died. You survived. You are of the only journalists that took a serious hit like this and survived.
WEISSKOPF: I was lucky. That's right. I am the only journalist who has survived. I think the number of 25 was given earlier, but I think believe it was more like 17. It was almost 18.
BLITZER: Not only Americans, but international journalists as well.
WEISSKOPF: That's right, internationally.
BLITZER: The treatment, the surgery, the recovery, how has it gone on?
WEISSKOPF: It's going very well. I was at Walter Reed Hospital, perhaps the only journalist to be admitted there. And it was a very interesting learning experience, living and being treated as if I were in the military. And it was a first-class medical facility. And my recovery is complete and so that they did very well. BLITZER: There are probably 4,000 wounded U.S. troops who have been recovering back here in the United States. Seeing what -- knowing what you have gone through, you're confident they are getting excellent treatment?
WEISSKOPF: Yes, first rate. And it is a place now that's become quite expert in prosthesis, which is, of course, the new arms and legs which have been outfitted on people like me.
BLITZER: You got a new right hand, if you will.
WEISSKOPF: Right arm, partly, yes.
BLITZER: A right arm that you are working with.
WEISSKOPF: Right.
BLITZER: And you are learning how to use that whole new procedure. It's a difficult procedure.
WEISSKOPF: Yes.
BLITZER: Give us your overview. Knowing what you know now, what you personally have gone through, this whole current situation in Iraq right now, you still cover it. You still work on it. What are your thoughts?
WEISSKOPF: It's going to be very difficult to shift power in anything more than a nominal way on June 30, simply because there remains pockets to the country which are no longer under our control. One of them, of course, is in Fallujah, but more dangerously from our perspective in Najaf, which is a great center for the Shia religion. And implanted in Najaf is a cleric who -- a young cleric who is committed to destroying our presence there.
And so it creates a great obstacle, of course, for anybody hoping to rule that country.
BLITZER: Any plans of heading back over there? I guess you have been asked that question a lot.
WEISSKOPF: I would like to go back to Iraq. I don't think I'll get in a Humvee for a while.
BLITZER: I can't tell you how happy we are that you are here with us here in Washington, D.C., Michael Weisskopf, a great reporter. We have known him for many years. Good to have you back.
WEISSKOPF: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank God you are OK.
A major blow this weekend for Ariel Sharon, as Israel's Likud Party defeats his settlement proposal. Up next, why for some the vote is a cause for celebration.
Plus this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY FOWLER, COMMITTEE ON CONSCIENCE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM: There's a grave threat of genocide in Darfur right now.
KHIDIR HAROUN AHMED, SUDANESE AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES: It is totally untrue. We have nothing to hide here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A nation on the brink. The government of Africa's largest country accused of backing a bloodbath. But is it really to blame? We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): In Turkey, 16 suspected Islamic militants have been detained. It's believed they were planning a bomb attack during a NATO summit President Bush is expected to attend in June. A Turkish governor said weapons and explosives were seized.
Police in Pakistan don't know what caused a car to employed in a port city. Three Chinese were killed in the blast. Four other people were injured. Authorities say it could have been a bomb or the compressed natural gas used to power the vehicle.
Tensions are high between the Republic of Georgia and the autonomous Adzharian region. Bridges linking the province to the rest of the country were blown up this weekend. Train tracks near the border were also pulled up. The region's leader says he fears a military invasion by Georgian forces. Georgia was holding army maneuvers when the bridges were destroyed.
Harsh words from Cuban leader Fidel Castro precipitate a diplomatic crisis. Mr. Castro blasted Mexico and Peru in a May Day speech criticizes both after they support add United Nations vote condemning Cuba's human rights records. Both countries responded by recalling their ambassador to Cuba. Mexico gave the Cuban ambassador 48 hours to leave the country.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A sprawling barren land, a clash of cultures, a country caught up in the seemingly endless civil war, and now a new catastrophe, as the specter of genocide looms in Sudan.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Africa's largest country, gutted by civil war for a generation, a place so chaotic, Osama bin Laden once found it the ideal place to hide, another calamity unfolds.
ANDREW NATSIOS, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: The worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now.
TODD: This all takes place in Sudan just as a cease-fire between the Muslim government in the north and southern Christian rebels takes hold after 21 years and more than two million lives lost. Now, in the Darfur region, three provinces in western Sudan, so many disasters converge at once, starvation, a refugee crisis, intense combat and charges of mass murder, mass graves, systematic rape, ethnic cleansing.
FOWLER: There is a grave threat of genocide in Darfur right now.
TODD: Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development tell CNN they would not characterize this as genocide right now. But consider what has already happened. Since the fighting in Darfur started just a little more than a year ago, at least 10,000 people have been killed, some 400 villages burned to the ground, one million people displaced, about 100,000 of those spilling over the border into neighboring Chad.
SAMANTHA POWER, KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: There is really no way of knowing how they are going to actually survive in the coming months, when they have no means, again, of caring for themselves.
TODD: Who is perpetrating it?
(on camera): In Darfur, unlike the broader Sudanese civil war, the conflict is not religious, but ethnic. Sudan's Muslim government, made up mostly of Arabs, is accused of backing Arab militias there, who, according to many observers, are trying to push black Muslim tribes out.
(voice-over): And many aid groups on the ground believe the Arab militias, called the janjaweed, are getting much more than just ideological support from the Sudanese government.
POWER: I mean, some janjaweed attacks are just local. Some rely upon airpower from above, again, and that would be Sudanese air force support. The Sudanese government has done almost nothing to rein in people who have committed excesses.
TODD: We confronted the top Sudanese diplomat in Washington about charges that, at the very least, his government is looking the other way.
AHMED: It is totally untrue. We have nothing to hide. It doesn't make any sense that the government at such a critical time would open a new front in order to tarnish its image before the international community.
TODD: Sudanese charge d'affaires says his government is cooperating with aid group and the United Nations. Those groups and the displaced villagers they are trying to help are facing ominous development. The rainy season is starting.
ROGER WINTER, USAID: They get wet, they get measles, they get everything else. That's where your big body count arises.
TODD: Projections for that body count just for the coming months are staggering. Some human rights groups say several hundred thousand people could die. But the U.N. says all six million people in the area are at risk of starvation unless food gets to them. In the rainy season, aid convoys get bogged down, can't move. Then add bureaucratic complications.
The Sudanese government is accused of stalling the visa process for U.S. aid groups and others.
AHMED: You should not imagine that, just in one day, you will be given a visa, too. So this is part of this sensational campaign against the government.
TODD: The charge d'affaires says his government will grant visas for USAID and other groups to go into Darfur. Officials at USAID tell us they don't have those visas in hand yet and will also need travel permits, a process that could take several days. If and when they are allowed in, will help come too late for a people suffering on what aid groups say is a catastrophic and familiar scale?
FOWLER: Ten years from now, will we look back and say Darfur was another failure? Or will we say that we responded in a way that we didn't respond to the Holocaust and we didn't respond to Rwanda?
TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And this footnote. Sudan has been in civil war for all but 10 of its 48 years of independence.
Even in a land beset by violence and tragedy, it was a shocking attack, a pregnant woman and her four daughters killed. Their deaths could figure into Ariel Sharon's political future.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TODD: The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, says he will retool his plan to remove settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. The reassessment comes a day after his own Likud Party rejected the pull-out plan in a nonbinding vote. But Gaza's Jewish settlers were mourning today. Shortly before the vote, a young mother and her four children were shot dead by Palestinian gunmen.
CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eliza Hetwell (ph) grieves for her pregnant daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Her son has lost his wife and all four of his children.
In their garden, a sign that was made by those children still stands. It reads, "Gush Katif is our home." The five family members were killed Sunday by two Palestinian gunmen. Hali Hetwell (ph) and her daughters were killed in their car on their way from their settlement in Israel to campaign against Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. Hours later, one by one, they were laid to rest.
EZRA MAIDU, ISRAELI SETTLER: Four kids, a 2 years old baby, the terrorists, to kill the kids and to go and shoot every girl in her head, it's like -- it's incredible.
HANCOCKS: Less than four hours after the funeral Sunday night, some gathered around television in the Gush Katif town square and applauded at news that they had apparently won their political battle, the rejection of Sharon's plan to withdraw their settlements.
MAIDU: This time, he was wrong. I hope he will learn this message. And we don't want him to resign. We never had nothing personal against him.
HANCOCKS: The settlers still hope Sharon will completely reverse his disengagement plan, returning to his former role as grandfather of the settlements.
DINA ABRAMSON, ISRAELI SETTLER: Come on, Sharon. You're the government. We show you now the way. You saw now what people want. And be strong.
HANCOCKS (on camera): Even while grieving, the settlers here say in Gush Katif say that they will continue campaigning to stay here. And they know that Sunday's victory was only the first step. In fact, just this morning, settlers laid down a cornerstone for a new development of 21 hour houses to prove their determination.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, at the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And we'll have the results of our "Web Question of the Day" when we come back.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Size proves to be no detriment to beauty or talent in our picture of the day. The increasingly popular Jumbo Queen Contest named a winner in Thailand over the weekend. There's a talent category, questions about social and environmental issues. And every contestant has to weigh at least 175 pounds. The 28-year-old winner weighed in at 370 pounds.
Here's how your weighing in our "Web question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you this question: Should the U.S. military use private contractors to interrogate prisoners in Iraq? Seventeen percent of you said yes; 83 percent of you said no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Let's read a couple of your e-mails. Peg writes this: "I don't understand why people are so upset over these pictures of the Iraqi prisoners. This is nothing compared to what some of the Iraqis have done to our contractors, who they burned and hung from a bridge."
Terry writes: "The personnel involved in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, up to and including the commanding general of the prison, clearly derelict in their duty, should at least be court-martialed. Punishments should range from dishonorable discharge, up to retirement and a lower rank. The armed forces should never condone acts of this sort."
A reminder, we're on weekdays 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks very much for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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