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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Attack on U.S. Military Base in Mosul Leaves 22 Dead; Pain Pill Warning; Stolen Baby Leaves Hospital, Mother Laid to Rest

Aired December 21, 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.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now, assessing the deadliest single attack on U.S. troops since the start of the war in Iraq. This, amid fears the insurgency there could even intensify between now and Iraq's elections scheduled for January 30. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Death in the dining hall. Insurgents attack a U.S. base at lunchtime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The killed include U.S. military personnel, U.S. contractors, foreign national contractors and Iraqi army.

BLITZER: Flashpoint. Will Mosul be a melting pot or ethnic battleground? What's at stake for U.S. troops?

Pain pill warning. This time, it's a drug anyone can buy. Is the government doing enough to protect you?

Midwest murder. A stolen baby is released from the hospital as her mother is laid to rest.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, December 21, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It stood in the middle of a military base, but it was a soft target, a giant mess tent, which was literally ripped apart by a rocket during lunchtime. At least 22 people are dead and military officials say 19 of them are United States troops. Dozens more are wounded. Let's go straight to CNN's Chris Lawrence. He is watching all of this unfold. He is live in Baghdad -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this was the single deadliest attack on American troops since the war started. Even more than the sheer number of people killed, this attack proves to soldiers there is no time, no place that is ever completely safe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the war against insurgents in Iraq, the battlefield has no boundaries and attacks can occur anywhere.

BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: It is, indeed, a very, very sad thing.

LAWRENCE: A photographer took these pictures Tuesday at Camp Marez, an American military base in Mosul. They show a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) covered in a cloud of smoke, a hole ripped in the tent's soft top, soldiers dragging away the wounded. Witnesses say an explosion knocked soldiers out of their seats and sprayed shrapnel everywhere. Survivors slung their rifles and manned the stretchers carrying soldiers and civilians, Americans and Iraqis alike.

HAM: They were all brothers in arms, taking care of one another.

LAWRENCE: The pictures show how soldiers can support one another without firing a shot. One minute, Corporal Nathan Arnquist (ph) was alone, standing over the body of a fellow soldier. Then, another member of his unit did the only thing she could think of.

HAM: Our hearts go to out to the families, friends and fellow soldiers who lost comrades in arms today.

LAWRENCE: Husbands, fathers and brothers, both American and Iraqi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now, what these pictures don't show is that insurgents have targeted this dining hall before. A few weeks ago, one soldier told us it was just a matter of time before they got hit. But even before this happened, workers had already started building a new chow hall made of concrete and steel -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Chris Lawrence in Baghdad for us. Thank you, Chris, very much.

There were scenes of carnage and courage, horror and heroism. Here is a look at what happened in Mosul, described by eyewitnesses to the attack and its aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were hundreds of soldiers in there having lunch at the time. I remember it was a bright blue sky, very few clouds. People were cheery, they were having lunch, enjoying themselves when it happened. As soon as the explosion and the fireball occurred, scores of soldiers ran out of the tent and crammed into these concrete glass barriers. Then I ran out and observing what was going on. There were folks that were in shock. There was blood all over the floor, food, trays. It tore a pretty large hole in the roof of the tent. Outside, they had set up -- several medics had showed up and set up an area where they were working on the soldiers in the parking lot. It was really a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just truly remarkable what these soldiers were doing. I saw a triage area immediately take form outside the entrance to the dining facility. I saw soldiers, both Iraqi and American, carrying people out, civilians doing that as well. You might think at first glance it was a chaotic scene, but the more you looked at it the more you could see the order of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Those eyewitness accounts from embedded U.S. journalists on the scene. As we noted, military officials say 19 U.S. troops were killed in that Mosul attack. That represents the single deadliest incident for American troops in Iraq. On March 23, 2003, only days into the war, 18 marines were killed and in another incident, 11 soldiers were killed in a convoy attack, making that the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Iraq. President Bush voiced his deep sorrow after visiting troops right here in Washington. Let's go live to our senior White House correspondent, John King.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That trip by the president to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was designed, the president and the first lady traveling out there, designed to bring some holiday Christmas season cheer to some troops back from Iraq who had been wounded, to members of their families who were standing by at Walter Reed to spend this holiday season with them. Instead though after that visit today Mr. Bush did stop outside the medical center to talk about the tragedy in Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we had a rocket attack that took a lot of lives. Any time of the year is a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose loss of life. This time of year is particularly sorrowful for the families as we head into the Christmas season. We pray for them. We send our heartfelt condolences for the loved ones who have suffered today. We want them to know that the mission is a vital mission for peace. The idea of democracy taking hold in what was a place of tyranny and hatred and destruction is such a hopeful moment in the history of the world. I want to thank the soldiers who are there, thank those who have sacrificed and the families who are worried about them during this Christmas season for their sacrifices. It's a very important and vital mission. I'm confident democracy will prevail in Iraq. I know a free Iraq will lead to a more peaceful world. So, we ask for God's blessings on all who were involved in that vital mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The president, as he had so many times before, saying those deaths will not be in vain defending the mission in Iraq. The president and other White House officials, Wolf, saying it is critical now, that the elections go forward, a little more than five weeks from now. Others say that the fact that the insurgents were able to launch such a deadly attack on a presumably secure military installation raises even more questions about whether the United States and Iraqi forces can protect all those polling stations across the country -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are they saying at the White House, top officials, John, about getting ready for the January 30 elections? Is there anything else the U.S. can do, adding yet more troops? What else can the U.S. do to get those elections in place?

KING: Very modest measures are in the works, a slight increase in the number of troops on the ground will take place in Iraq between now and the elections a little more than five weeks from now. They are trying to accelerate the training of the Iraqi forces, they are trying to get better intelligence about the insurgents. Wolf, they say here, though that psychologically, it would be a crippling blow to Iraq's democracy if you delay these elections because the insurgents then would have a victory. At the same time they acknowledge that they have some serious questions when it comes to making sure those elections can be secure and making sure that the Iraqi people feel safe enough to get out and vote.

BLITZER: CNN's John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.

A closer look now at the troops currently serving in Mosul. According to the United States Army, approximately 8,500 U.S. military personnel are in the Mosul area. 4,000 troops are from the Stryker Brigade out of Fort Lewis in Washington state. 4,500 other troops are from other units around the country. Camp Marez is a joint base shared with the Iraqi national guard but it's not clear just how many Iraqis are now at that base.

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today. The trip was not announced ahead of time for security reasons. He met with Iraq's interim prime minister Ayad Allawi and with members of Iraq's election commission whom he called heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: When I meet the people working alongside the United Nations, Iraqis in fear of their life every day, because they are trying to bring freedom and democracy to their people, when I see their courage and their determination and know that they speak for the vast majority of people in Iraq who want that democracy and freedom, then I know that we are doing the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The prime minister later met with British troops near Basra in the southern part of Iraq before flying to Israel.

Our coverage of the deadly attack in Mosul continues ahead. I'll speak live with a retired U.S. Army general, George Joulwan, the former NATO supreme allied commander, on what he believes can be done to better protect U.S. troops serving in Iraq.

Also ahead, details of the latest painkiller found to have potentially deadly side effects. This one, over-the-counter.

Pharmaceuticals under financial fire. How could that impact your bottom line?

And hundreds turn out for the funeral of a murdered young woman whose baby was stolen from her womb. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. First, there was Vioxx, then Celebrex, now there is word that another pain reliever may increase risk of heart attack and stroke, but unlike the other two, this one is a very popular, over-the-counter medicine, no prescription needed. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is standing by at the CNN Center with details -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the drug is called Aleve. And as you said, this one is over-the-counter. What doctors did is they took a look at the active ingredient, it's called Naproxen. That is what's in Aleve, it's also in the prescription drug, Naprosyn. And they look to see if when folks took it for a while, if they had heart attacks and strokes.

And here is what they found. When compared to people who were not taking the drug, people who were taking Aleve were 50 percent likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. Now, there's two important things to remember about this study, to put it in perspective. First of all, patients took two pills a day for up to three years in some instances. So these people were taking this drug for quite a long time, day after day. Also, the patients were 70 years old and older, which obviously puts them at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke to begin with.

Now what's interesting, this National Institutes of Health study also looked at the drug Celebrex, which of course last week there was a study saying that it, too, put people at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. This more recent study says they did not see heart attack and stroke problems with Celebrex -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth, so what should people do, a lot of people are taking this drug, what should they do?

COHEN: Right, this news is very confusing. And so yesterday the Food and Drug Administration tried to put down some very simple rules about what people should do if they're taking Celebrex or if they're taking Aleve. Let's take a look first at Aleve about what people should do. The FDA says don't take it for longer than 10 days. If you need more than 10 days to control your pain, talk to your doctor about trying something else.

And Celebrex, they said, try to use another drug first. If Celebrex is the only thing that your doctor says will really work for you, the FDA says use it at the lowest effective dose, because what the study show, the higher the dose, the more likely someone is to get heart disease and stroke -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A lot of people use Advil, it's another over-the- counter painkiller, is Advil it next on this list, what's the story with that?

COHEN: Well, certainly, people hope it isn't. But the FDA has said that Advil is in the same class of drugs as Celebrex and Aleve. They're all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And while there's no data about Advil causing any kind of problems, the FDA has said, look, it's in the same class of drugs. It certainly does bring up questions.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen helping us understand this complicated subject, but very important subject. Elizabeth, thank you very much. With warnings issued on several drugs in just two months, pharmaceutical companies are reeling. CNN's Mary Snow is in New York with a closer look at what this means for our long-term health, especially our financial health -- Mary.

MARY SNOW CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Patients aren't the only ones concerned. So are investors. Drug companies stand to lose billions. And that takes a toll on the average investor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Ads not only made them household names, but the companies that make these drugs are often household investments. First came problems with Merck's Vioxx, then Celebrex from Pfizer. Now, safety questions about Aleve from Bayer. You don't have to be taking these drugs to feel their effects. You may be feeling the pain in your portfolio.

CHRISTOPHER DAVIS, MORNINGSTAR: Just about any investor out there, and more than half of all Americans are invested in mutual funds, probably own a drug company or two in their portfolio.

SNOW: Drug companies stand to lose billions in sales when safety concerns are raised. On Wall Street, where drug stocks have traditionally been seen as safe bets, there is now increased concern about lawsuits and liabilities.

ART HOGAN, JEFFERIES & CO.: The bottom line is investors are losing money, investors that thought they were in safe haven certainly haven't fared well over the last 12 to 18 months.

SNOW: Merck's stock plunged more than 25 percent the day they announced they were going to pull Vioxx from the market, dragging it down 32 percent for the year.

Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex and Bextra, has seen its stock fall 31 percent since January. Many of the problem drugs of late are widely known, and that's thanks in part to the estimated nearly $4 billion spent by the drug industry in ads each year.

BILL KOENIGSBERG, HORIZON MEDIA: It is an enormous pie, and it's probably double what it was five years ago.

SNOW: And some analysts say the increased publicity has made investing in drug companies more appealing.

HOGAN: Investors now have a wider-spread understanding because of advertising of what these drug companies do. So I certainly think that's made them more popular investments, albeit more dangerous ones as well.

SNOW: While investors may be hesitant in the future, the outlook for ad spending by drug companies isn't expected to slow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And observers actually expect drug companies to increase money on ad spending to try and build up demand for the drugs that are on the market -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow reporting for us, Mary, thank you very much. Mary is in New York. To our viewers, here is your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Do you use over- the-counter pain relievers on a regular basis? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Getting back to our top story, a deadly attack on American troops and civilian contractors in Iraq, for the United States, the largest loss of life in a single incident in the Iraq war. Why Mosul has become the new flashpoint for violence.

Small survivor. An infant goes home on the same day her murdered mother is buried.

And later, speaking out. It's what people expect from Ted Turner. My interview with CNN's founder as we look back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Another sad chapter today in a tragedy that's been unfolding since Thursday. A funeral was held today for the Missouri woman who was murdered and whose fetus was stolen from her womb. CNN's Jonathan Freed is in Mariville, Missouri with the story -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing here in front of the funeral home in Mariville. This place has gone through a transformation a couple of times today. Very quiet this morning, we were here before daybreak, just a few media present. Then packed with mourners, people coming to pay their respects, family, friends. Felt like the entire town of Skidmore was here. Skidmore is about 12 miles away, Wolf, and a town of just a few hundred people. They were expecting a large crowd, because Bobbie Jo Stinnett was the type of person you really warmed to we're told the second that you met her. Today her pastor from the Skidmore Christian Church, the man who married Bobbie Jo and her husband Kevin not too long ago delivered eulogy and among other things he focused on the image he had in his mind of them on their wedding day and how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. Not long ago within the hour the hearse left here to go to the cemetery in Skidmore and Bobbie Jo Stinnett being laid to rest -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jonathan Freed reporting for us on this sad day. Thank you very much. Also in our justic report more arrests and court appearances in a growing arson case. Three of the six suspects now in custody were in court today, including 21-year-old Erin Speed (ph). He was a security guard at the new suburban Washington, D.C., subdivision where dozens of homes were burned December 6 causing some $10 million dollars in damage. Also in court, two suspects arrested yesterday. They've been ordered held pending a detention hearing. Prosecutors say more arrests are likely and racism, revenge and gang activity are among the possible motives they are investigating.

Taken off guard in Iraq. A rocket rips through a mess hall at a U.S. military base in Mosul. Could the attack have been prevented? I'll talk live with the former NATO supreme allied commander retired U.S. army general George Joulwan. He'll join me here.

Enemy focus on Mosul. Why insurgents are targeting this city in Iraq ahead of the election.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think about the other Christmases when he was here and we've been able to laugh at some of the memories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Killed in action, a supreme loss for the families left behind. A grief magnified by this holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. More now on our top story. A deadly rocket attack on a U.S. military base in the Iraqi city of Mosul. At least 22 people were killed, most of them American troops. In fact, 19 of them, American troops dead. At least 57 other people were wounded, many of them very seriously. A militant Muslim group is claiming responsibility for the attack. There has been a surge of violence in Mosul in recent weeks for several reasons. For details, let's go to CNN's Zain Verjee. She joins us from the CNN Center. Zain, what's happening?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraqi insurgents appear to be targeting Mosul as the city to challenge the authority of the Iraqi government and U.S. forces. Securing Mosul especially ahead of elections in January is being seen as vital by the U.S. military.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Why is the U.S. military paying so much attention to Mosul? Because it is a potential flashpoint for bloody ethnic confrontation, primarily between Kurds, Turks and Sunni Arabs and the ultimate prize, oil. Mosul is strategically positioned close to the northern oil fields. In Kurdish areas whoever controls Mosul can control the oil. A point apparently not lost on the insurgents who have been repeatedly attacking the pipelines. BULENT ALIRIZA, CSIS: If we go down the road toward ethnic conflict, control of those oil resources within Iraq as well as the protection of interest of the outside will obviously be one of the major factors in the confrontation itself.

VERJEE: With 2 million inhabitants, Mosul is the country's third largest city and, in many ways, a microcosm of Iraq's complicated ethnic mix. Kurds that lived here were driven out of Mosul when Saddam Hussein launched a program to Arabize the city, adding to the Sunni Muslim population there. Now that Kurds can move freely again, many have returned to reclaim Mosul. Sunni Arabs fear for their future, accusing the U.S. of handing the city's security to the Kurdish militia. Sunni Arabs and Kurds are not the only ones competing for control. Minority ethnic Turks there see Mosul as a Turkish city. They don't want to see the Kurds in charge either.

ALIRIZA: But he is very worried about the emergence of the Kurdish state because of the impact it might have on his own people.

VERJEE: Turkey has already said it would go to war to prevent a Kurdish state. U.S.-based Turkish and Kurdish analysts say the insurgency in Mosul could destabilize the already complicated mix and that U.S.-led operations in Mosul are riskier than in Falluja, because:

NAJMALDIN KARIM, WASHINGTON KURDISH INSTITUTE: Regardless of U.S. intervention, it will be viewed as a conflict between Arabs and Kurds. And that is very dangerous.

ALIRIZA: The bulk of the Iraqi forces in the area are Kurdish. There is an anti-Kurdish sentiment developing within the Sunni population.

VERJEE: A potent mix that the U.S. military is taking seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a population that clearly wants to try to achieve peace, but you have a vacuum that is sucking in, and it's an opportunity for jihadists of various ilk to plant themselves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And, Wolf, one of the goals of the U.S. is essentially to plant the seeds of cooperation between the various competing factions before the insurgents can exploit the divisions.

BLITZER: CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us -- thank you, Zain. Very informative.

First the lack of armor on vehicles. Now the Mosul mess hall attack. Just how vulnerable are U.S. troops serving in Iraq?

Joining us for some answers, the former NATO supreme allied commander, retired U.S. Army General George Joulwan.

General Joulwan, it looks like they concentrated a big number of U.S. troops in the middle of this base chowing down in a tent. Isn't that a prescription potentially for disaster?

RETIRED GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN, U.S. ARMY: Yes, it is.

And I think part of the problem is we also dispersed a lot of troops out of that area toward Falluja and Baghdad of what was there originally. So we drew down forces there as well. But to concentrate forces in a mess tent in what we used to call a big fest tent with hundreds of people makes them extremely vulnerable and something that needs to be taken into consideration by our military leaders in the region.

BLITZER: Because you and I well remember -- you were there -- the U.S. Marine barracks outside of Beirut, 1983. More than 200 Marines were killed, 241, I think. They were concentrated in an area. And a suicide truck bomber simply drove in.

I thought, after that, they had learned that lesson. You don't concentrate these forces in a vulnerable situation like that.

JOULWAN: Particularly on an airfield, because you have a grid on an airfield. You can precisely locate for mortars, artillery, rockets, much more precision than you would have elsewhere. So, it is a lesson we're relearning again about concentrating forces and concentrating them at an airfield.

BLITZER: So, how do you not concentrate them? If you were the commander in Iraq, what would you do?

JOULWAN: Well, you disperse your force. I think that's going to be very important here. That's easier said than done, because, as you disperse the force, you have more vulnerability elsewhere to your troops. But dispersing the force, I think, is going to be necessary, also, increasing the patrolling in a wider arc.

We have what are called countermortar, counterartillery radar that picks up incoming missiles, rockets, artillery, etcetera. I'm not sure what's going to come out of this as lessons learned, whether any of that was picked up. But you need to get an arc around wherever you are, wherever your base camp is, of some protection, where you have increased patrolling. You have overhead technology, all of that to protect the forces on the ground.

BLITZER: You know this northern part of Iraq quite well. When you were the European commander, you monitored the no-fly zones in the north.

JOULWAN: Yes. Yes.

BLITZER: You heard Zain Verjee's report on the complicated political ethnic situation there. Can you concur with that?

JOULWAN: Absolutely. And this was one of Saddam Hussein's major military establishments, that air base there. It's a 9,000-foot runway. He had a concentration of air defense, as well as army troops there. So, this was a major installation for Saddam Hussein. And many of -- I'm not sure how much dispersion took place of those forces, but a lot of the top commanders lived in the Mosul area, the top Saddam Hussein commanders. So, it's a very -- it's a very dangerous area for our forces.

BLITZER: This was the single deadliest attack against U.S. troops since the start of the war, 19 soldiers killed in one incident. Imagine all those families out there who have troops serving in Iraq who are worried about getting a knock on the door or a telephone call, a telegram, whatever they do nowadays, to just show up at their house and inform them.

And think of all those families on the eve of Christmas bracing for potentially horrible news.

JOULWAN: I used to be one of those officers during the Vietnam War that had to inform families. And I know what that's all about and the impact it has.

But, Wolf, we have lost soldiers before. Our American people are tough. They could take losses. What we need here is clarity. The president said whatever it takes to get the job done. We need to commit whatever it takes in manpower, armored forces, whatever it takes to have free elections or elections here in January. And whatever that is going to take to get a secure environment, we need to commit that force to be able to get it done.

BLITZER: The critics say this is what happens when you try to fight a war on the cheap. You don't commit the hundreds of thousands of troops you committed during the first Gulf War, half a million. You don't commit the manpower and the equipment that you really need. You try to do it on the cheap.

JOULWAN: You need a balance here.

And more troops is not solely the answer. The idea of how do you get Iraqi police and military up to standard, you can't do it in two or three or six months, even a year. They have to have confidence. So, you have to have Iraqi and coalition or American forces working together until they're ready to take over. They are not ready to take over.

And what I am afraid of is, the confidence between the Iraqi security forces and U.S. forces may be hampered, may be hindered by all of this now, where there's going to be suspicion. And that is creeping in to some of our forces. Now, that's what we have to guard against. We cannot allow the Iraqi forces to fail, the ones that we've trained.

BLITZER: General Joulwan, thanks, as usual, for joining us.

JOULWAN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Important subject. Thank you.

JOULWAN: Happy holidays. BLITZER: The Federal Aviation Administration has a 10-year plan to replace thousands of air traffic controllers who will retire in the next decade. The FAA plans to hire 12,500 people to replace departing controllers, many of whom were hired in the wake of President Region's showdown with the PATCO union back in 1981. The FAA also wants to allow medically fit controllers to keep working past the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport complain they haven't gotten extra staff the FAA called for. There was nearly a collision between two jets at LAX in August, which prompted the FAA to call for more controllers in the tower. An FAA spokesman blames the short staffing on controllers who have been calling in sick.

People are going into the Christmas holiday season with some concerns about terrorism, possible terrorism right here in the United States. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows 48 percent of those asked believe it is likely that there could be acts of terrorism in the U.S. in the next several weeks; 51 percent don't think it's likely. Concerns drop over the longer term. Only 36 percent believe a major terrorist attack will occur in the United States next year, while 59 percent don't think an attack will take place.

And right now, about half of Americans, 49 percent, believe terrorism is an extremely important issue. That's down from 59 percent who thought so last year.

This note. In tomorrow's security watch, we'll take a closer look at terrorism threats during this holiday season. Are the nation's airports prepared to handle the high volume of travelers? I'll speak live with Brian Jenkins, the terror expert at the RAND Corporation. He'll join me tomorrow.

And please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

One of the most powerful rockets ever launched in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one, zero. Plus one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liftoff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liftoff for the first flight of the Delta 4.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It happened less than an hour ago at Florida's Cape Canaveral. The 4 Heavy made by Boeing can carry larger payloads than the space shuttle and it could be modified to carry crews to the moon and perhaps even on to Mars. There it goes.

A family's worst pain only magnified by this holiday season, how relatives of the brave men and women killed in action are coping with their losses.

And later, the always outspoken Ted Turner sounds off on Iraq, women and much more as we look back at some of the best interviews we did here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS during this past year.

Plus, paratroopers on a charity mission give some children a special holiday surprise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In time of war, the killing rarely, if ever, stops during holidays. The war in Iraq and this holiday season are certainly no exception.

For more on how some American families are trying to cope, here is CNN's Brian Todd -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, shortly after you see that news out of Mosul today, you're hit with the realization so many families are going to be notified of a loved one's death just before the holidays.

We looked at some recent cases and put together a snapshot of this agonizing process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Decorating trees, savoring memories.

MARIA BUECHE, MOTHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: This one right here, his first Christmas.

TODD: For many American families, these simple rituals bring unimaginable pain. This is Maria Bueche's second Christmas going through this. Her son, 19-year-old Army Specialist Paul Bueche killed in October 2003 in a maintenance accident in Iraq.

BUECHE: I think about the other Christmases when he was here. And you remember to laugh at some of the things that -- some of the memories.

TODD: For the Blanton family, it's too fresh. Just last month, their 23-year-old son, Marine Corporal Jeffrey Blanton, newly married, due to come home in March, called to tell them he had been shot in the foot.

DONNA BLANTON, MOTHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: And I said, well, good. I said maybe you will be here for Christmas. And he said, no. He said, I'll still be here. And I said, well, you're not going to come home? And he said, no. He said, I need to be with my men.

TODD: December 12th, two days after returning to the battlefield, Jeffrey Blanton was killed during a security sweep in Falluja. Now dozens of families watch the news for Mosul and await more news. During the earliest stages, information trickles out an excruciating pace, frustration acknowledged by officers at their loved ones' bases.

LT. COL. BILL COSTELLO, U.S. ARMY: Any time there's a loss of life, whether it's December or whether it's August, people are on edge and they want to know as much information as they can.

TODD: I spoke with a Marine officer who notifies families when relatives are killed in Iraq. He says they don't approach them any differently during the holidays. One longtime combat veteran says there's still an added pain this time of year.

RETIRED MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPHERD, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's especially difficult at holiday times. No matter what you do or what you say, there is no answer to, why did this happen? Why did it happen to my loved one? It's the toughest thing you do.

TODD: Marine Corporal Michael D. Anderson's dad just got that visit a few days ago. There's something about watching a father describe getting the news with a Christmas tree in the background.

MICHAEL ANDERSON, FATHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: The guy asks me, he says, are you Michael D. Anderson? I looked at him, yes. I said, please don't tell me what I don't want to hear. I said, yes, I am. He said, do you have a son Michael D. Anderson? I said, yes, I do. He said, he was killed in action this morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: U.S. Marine and Army officials tell us they help families of those killed get their loved one's bodies back home, help them with funeral arrangement and benefits information. That's a process that takes several weeks. So, many of the families involved in the Mosul attack will be going through all of that over the holidays.

The Army and Marines also try to notify loved ones within 24 to 48 hours of a death. So some of them, Wolf, are getting the news right about now, or they're about to.

BLITZER: Can't be more painful than that.

TODD: No.

BLITZER: Thanks, Brian, very much.

Let's take a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Palestinian officials today mark the end of the 40-day Muslim mourning period for Yasser Arafat, who died in Paris last month. The event took place at Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Elections to replace Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority are scheduled for January 9.

Marketplace fire. A fire fanned by strong winds swept through a market in central China, injuring more than 60 people and damaging hundreds of businesses. Firefighters were hampered by a water shortage.

Record heist. Thieves made off with more than $39 million from a Belfast bank in what's believed to be the biggest bank robbery in Northern Ireland history. They gained access after taking two senior bank officials hostage in their homes the day before.

Santa's early visit. Christmas arrived ahead of schedule for children in Serb province of Kosovo. French peacekeepers dressed as the jolly old elf handed out presents to Serb and Albanian children from two divided communities.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we'll take a look back at some of the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS from this past year, my interview with the man who built the network you're watching right now. CNN founder Ted Turner talks when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Through the end of this year, we're looking back at some of the more fascinating people we have interviewed in 2004 in a series we're calling the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Ted Turner certainly changed the way people around the world get news and information, while trying to protect the environment and promote world peace. On July 15 of this year, I talked to the man who created this network. And, as CNN nears its 25th anniversary, here is some of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ted, thanks very much for joining us. This full disclosure, you hired me here at CNN way back in 1990, and for that, I will forever be grateful. But what did you mean when you said that men should be barred from public office. That was tongue-in-cheek? Do you think that women should be in charge?

TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: Yes. I really feel like that men have been running the world from a governmental basis since the beginning of time, and we still are living with war and weapons of mass destruction and high military budgets all over the world.

And I think if women ran the world for 100 years, we would see more money going into education and health care and home for the homeless, and so forth, and less into the military, and I think we'd be a safer and better world with women in charge for a while.

BLITZER: Speaking of war, what do you make of the war in Iraq? Is the world better off right now without Saddam Hussein in power?

TURNER: Well, yes, I think that Saddam Hussein is pretty well -- everyone agrees, he was a very bad person, but there are a lot of countries run by bad people, and we didn't attack them. I think it was -- you know, I don't really understand why Iraq exactly. But I'm against war, and particularly wars that are not necessary, and I do not believe this war was necessary.

I didn't believe it at the time, and I don't believe it now. And I think the world is less safe and more of a mess today than it was before we started dropping the bomb.

BLITZER: But you admit that there are some wars that are just. For example, World War II against Hitler, that was a just war? TURNER: Sure. Yes, and in that war, we were attacked, too. We were attacked. We did not enter that war for several years after it began. We didn't enter until we were bombed at Pearl Harbor, so we not jump into that war by any manner of means. We waited until we were attacked. And that certainly is a difference. When you are attacked, you have to fight back.

BLITZER: Ted, let's talk a little bit about what you created, cable news, CNN. The world of cable news, 24-hour news television has changed dramatically since 1980 when you started CNN. What do you make of the current state of it?

TURNER: Well, as I understand it, more people now get their news from cable than from -- their network news, anyway -- than they do from the broadcast networks and that is a big change and a very positive one for CNN.

BLITZER: Are you happy with the way CNN has evolved? Obviously, you're no longer involved in the leadership of CNN but since you left, are you happy with what you're seeing?

TURNER: Well, quite frankly, Wolf, as you can imagine, I really miss it, miss it terribly but I think CNN generally is doing a very good job. I watch it all the time.

BLITZER: You caused quite an uproar when you made those comments before the war about Connie Chung. Do you remember that? You didn't like the way that show was developing on CNN.

TURNER: No, it was way too tabloid for prime time on CNN, I felt.

BLITZER: What about getting back involved in the world of television news? Do you have any desire to try to do that? There have been rumors, speculation you might want to do something, buy something. You still have a few billion dollars.

TURNER: No, I don't. I've got a little over one. I don't really have enough money and I've already done that but I'm emotionally very involved with CNN and Headline News and CNN International and CNNfn, and you and all the rest of the gang that were such good friends of mine.

BLITZER: When you say you just have a little bit more than $1 billion, years ago I used to read that you had $5 billion or $8 billion. What happened to all that money? TURNER: Well, you know, the AOL merger destroyed 85 percent of my wealth along with most of the other Time Warner shareholders.

BLITZER: So that's it. So how does it feel to lose billions, of dollars, literally?

TURNER: Well, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference except that I had to cut back my giving some. I haven't with the United Nations Foundation but I had to cut back on the Turner Foundation and the nuclear threat initiative, and I'm sorry about that, but I've learned to live with it. It was kind of easy come, easy go. While I did have billions, I gave half of it away anyway so it really doesn't make that much difference.

BLITZER: So what are you doing nowadays? What keeps you busiest?

TURNER: Well, I'm out here at a conference on global affairs that Fortune is hosting. We've got 250 leaders from all over the world and it's been -- I spoke last night, or at least I was interviewed by Charlie Rose and I've been attending the sessions.

I keep up with what's going on in the world. I read the magazines, I keep up with what's going on in the broadcast and the entertainment business because I'm still a major shareholder of Time Warner. Then I've got a restaurant business with a partner and we've got 25 restaurants and we're expanding rapidly and that's a lot of fun and gives me -- that lets me express my entrepreneurial instincts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ted Turner speaking with me last July, Ted Turner, the founder of CNN.

Tomorrow, the real estate mogul and the host of the hit reality show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump. We'll take a look back at the interview I did with him this past year.

Results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next. Plus, Santa trades his sled for skis in our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here is how you're weighing in on our web question of the day. Take a look at this. Remember, though, it's not -- not -- a scientific poll.

No doubt about it. Santa is a very busy man this time of the year, but he knows how to work in a little time for fun and games. That's our picture of the day. For the 15th straight year, Saint Nick slipped away from the North Pole to the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia. Among those joining him -- take a look -- Mrs. Claus and the bad-guy-turned-good guy the Grinch.

That's all the time we have today. 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 December 21, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now, assessing the deadliest single attack on U.S. troops since the start of the war in Iraq. This, amid fears the insurgency there could even intensify between now and Iraq's elections scheduled for January 30. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Death in the dining hall. Insurgents attack a U.S. base at lunchtime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The killed include U.S. military personnel, U.S. contractors, foreign national contractors and Iraqi army.

BLITZER: Flashpoint. Will Mosul be a melting pot or ethnic battleground? What's at stake for U.S. troops?

Pain pill warning. This time, it's a drug anyone can buy. Is the government doing enough to protect you?

Midwest murder. A stolen baby is released from the hospital as her mother is laid to rest.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, December 21, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It stood in the middle of a military base, but it was a soft target, a giant mess tent, which was literally ripped apart by a rocket during lunchtime. At least 22 people are dead and military officials say 19 of them are United States troops. Dozens more are wounded. Let's go straight to CNN's Chris Lawrence. He is watching all of this unfold. He is live in Baghdad -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this was the single deadliest attack on American troops since the war started. Even more than the sheer number of people killed, this attack proves to soldiers there is no time, no place that is ever completely safe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the war against insurgents in Iraq, the battlefield has no boundaries and attacks can occur anywhere.

BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: It is, indeed, a very, very sad thing.

LAWRENCE: A photographer took these pictures Tuesday at Camp Marez, an American military base in Mosul. They show a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) covered in a cloud of smoke, a hole ripped in the tent's soft top, soldiers dragging away the wounded. Witnesses say an explosion knocked soldiers out of their seats and sprayed shrapnel everywhere. Survivors slung their rifles and manned the stretchers carrying soldiers and civilians, Americans and Iraqis alike.

HAM: They were all brothers in arms, taking care of one another.

LAWRENCE: The pictures show how soldiers can support one another without firing a shot. One minute, Corporal Nathan Arnquist (ph) was alone, standing over the body of a fellow soldier. Then, another member of his unit did the only thing she could think of.

HAM: Our hearts go to out to the families, friends and fellow soldiers who lost comrades in arms today.

LAWRENCE: Husbands, fathers and brothers, both American and Iraqi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now, what these pictures don't show is that insurgents have targeted this dining hall before. A few weeks ago, one soldier told us it was just a matter of time before they got hit. But even before this happened, workers had already started building a new chow hall made of concrete and steel -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Chris Lawrence in Baghdad for us. Thank you, Chris, very much.

There were scenes of carnage and courage, horror and heroism. Here is a look at what happened in Mosul, described by eyewitnesses to the attack and its aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were hundreds of soldiers in there having lunch at the time. I remember it was a bright blue sky, very few clouds. People were cheery, they were having lunch, enjoying themselves when it happened. As soon as the explosion and the fireball occurred, scores of soldiers ran out of the tent and crammed into these concrete glass barriers. Then I ran out and observing what was going on. There were folks that were in shock. There was blood all over the floor, food, trays. It tore a pretty large hole in the roof of the tent. Outside, they had set up -- several medics had showed up and set up an area where they were working on the soldiers in the parking lot. It was really a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just truly remarkable what these soldiers were doing. I saw a triage area immediately take form outside the entrance to the dining facility. I saw soldiers, both Iraqi and American, carrying people out, civilians doing that as well. You might think at first glance it was a chaotic scene, but the more you looked at it the more you could see the order of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Those eyewitness accounts from embedded U.S. journalists on the scene. As we noted, military officials say 19 U.S. troops were killed in that Mosul attack. That represents the single deadliest incident for American troops in Iraq. On March 23, 2003, only days into the war, 18 marines were killed and in another incident, 11 soldiers were killed in a convoy attack, making that the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Iraq. President Bush voiced his deep sorrow after visiting troops right here in Washington. Let's go live to our senior White House correspondent, John King.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That trip by the president to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was designed, the president and the first lady traveling out there, designed to bring some holiday Christmas season cheer to some troops back from Iraq who had been wounded, to members of their families who were standing by at Walter Reed to spend this holiday season with them. Instead though after that visit today Mr. Bush did stop outside the medical center to talk about the tragedy in Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we had a rocket attack that took a lot of lives. Any time of the year is a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose loss of life. This time of year is particularly sorrowful for the families as we head into the Christmas season. We pray for them. We send our heartfelt condolences for the loved ones who have suffered today. We want them to know that the mission is a vital mission for peace. The idea of democracy taking hold in what was a place of tyranny and hatred and destruction is such a hopeful moment in the history of the world. I want to thank the soldiers who are there, thank those who have sacrificed and the families who are worried about them during this Christmas season for their sacrifices. It's a very important and vital mission. I'm confident democracy will prevail in Iraq. I know a free Iraq will lead to a more peaceful world. So, we ask for God's blessings on all who were involved in that vital mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The president, as he had so many times before, saying those deaths will not be in vain defending the mission in Iraq. The president and other White House officials, Wolf, saying it is critical now, that the elections go forward, a little more than five weeks from now. Others say that the fact that the insurgents were able to launch such a deadly attack on a presumably secure military installation raises even more questions about whether the United States and Iraqi forces can protect all those polling stations across the country -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are they saying at the White House, top officials, John, about getting ready for the January 30 elections? Is there anything else the U.S. can do, adding yet more troops? What else can the U.S. do to get those elections in place?

KING: Very modest measures are in the works, a slight increase in the number of troops on the ground will take place in Iraq between now and the elections a little more than five weeks from now. They are trying to accelerate the training of the Iraqi forces, they are trying to get better intelligence about the insurgents. Wolf, they say here, though that psychologically, it would be a crippling blow to Iraq's democracy if you delay these elections because the insurgents then would have a victory. At the same time they acknowledge that they have some serious questions when it comes to making sure those elections can be secure and making sure that the Iraqi people feel safe enough to get out and vote.

BLITZER: CNN's John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.

A closer look now at the troops currently serving in Mosul. According to the United States Army, approximately 8,500 U.S. military personnel are in the Mosul area. 4,000 troops are from the Stryker Brigade out of Fort Lewis in Washington state. 4,500 other troops are from other units around the country. Camp Marez is a joint base shared with the Iraqi national guard but it's not clear just how many Iraqis are now at that base.

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today. The trip was not announced ahead of time for security reasons. He met with Iraq's interim prime minister Ayad Allawi and with members of Iraq's election commission whom he called heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: When I meet the people working alongside the United Nations, Iraqis in fear of their life every day, because they are trying to bring freedom and democracy to their people, when I see their courage and their determination and know that they speak for the vast majority of people in Iraq who want that democracy and freedom, then I know that we are doing the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The prime minister later met with British troops near Basra in the southern part of Iraq before flying to Israel.

Our coverage of the deadly attack in Mosul continues ahead. I'll speak live with a retired U.S. Army general, George Joulwan, the former NATO supreme allied commander, on what he believes can be done to better protect U.S. troops serving in Iraq.

Also ahead, details of the latest painkiller found to have potentially deadly side effects. This one, over-the-counter.

Pharmaceuticals under financial fire. How could that impact your bottom line?

And hundreds turn out for the funeral of a murdered young woman whose baby was stolen from her womb. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. First, there was Vioxx, then Celebrex, now there is word that another pain reliever may increase risk of heart attack and stroke, but unlike the other two, this one is a very popular, over-the-counter medicine, no prescription needed. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is standing by at the CNN Center with details -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the drug is called Aleve. And as you said, this one is over-the-counter. What doctors did is they took a look at the active ingredient, it's called Naproxen. That is what's in Aleve, it's also in the prescription drug, Naprosyn. And they look to see if when folks took it for a while, if they had heart attacks and strokes.

And here is what they found. When compared to people who were not taking the drug, people who were taking Aleve were 50 percent likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. Now, there's two important things to remember about this study, to put it in perspective. First of all, patients took two pills a day for up to three years in some instances. So these people were taking this drug for quite a long time, day after day. Also, the patients were 70 years old and older, which obviously puts them at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke to begin with.

Now what's interesting, this National Institutes of Health study also looked at the drug Celebrex, which of course last week there was a study saying that it, too, put people at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. This more recent study says they did not see heart attack and stroke problems with Celebrex -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth, so what should people do, a lot of people are taking this drug, what should they do?

COHEN: Right, this news is very confusing. And so yesterday the Food and Drug Administration tried to put down some very simple rules about what people should do if they're taking Celebrex or if they're taking Aleve. Let's take a look first at Aleve about what people should do. The FDA says don't take it for longer than 10 days. If you need more than 10 days to control your pain, talk to your doctor about trying something else.

And Celebrex, they said, try to use another drug first. If Celebrex is the only thing that your doctor says will really work for you, the FDA says use it at the lowest effective dose, because what the study show, the higher the dose, the more likely someone is to get heart disease and stroke -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A lot of people use Advil, it's another over-the- counter painkiller, is Advil it next on this list, what's the story with that?

COHEN: Well, certainly, people hope it isn't. But the FDA has said that Advil is in the same class of drugs as Celebrex and Aleve. They're all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And while there's no data about Advil causing any kind of problems, the FDA has said, look, it's in the same class of drugs. It certainly does bring up questions.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen helping us understand this complicated subject, but very important subject. Elizabeth, thank you very much. With warnings issued on several drugs in just two months, pharmaceutical companies are reeling. CNN's Mary Snow is in New York with a closer look at what this means for our long-term health, especially our financial health -- Mary.

MARY SNOW CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Patients aren't the only ones concerned. So are investors. Drug companies stand to lose billions. And that takes a toll on the average investor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Ads not only made them household names, but the companies that make these drugs are often household investments. First came problems with Merck's Vioxx, then Celebrex from Pfizer. Now, safety questions about Aleve from Bayer. You don't have to be taking these drugs to feel their effects. You may be feeling the pain in your portfolio.

CHRISTOPHER DAVIS, MORNINGSTAR: Just about any investor out there, and more than half of all Americans are invested in mutual funds, probably own a drug company or two in their portfolio.

SNOW: Drug companies stand to lose billions in sales when safety concerns are raised. On Wall Street, where drug stocks have traditionally been seen as safe bets, there is now increased concern about lawsuits and liabilities.

ART HOGAN, JEFFERIES & CO.: The bottom line is investors are losing money, investors that thought they were in safe haven certainly haven't fared well over the last 12 to 18 months.

SNOW: Merck's stock plunged more than 25 percent the day they announced they were going to pull Vioxx from the market, dragging it down 32 percent for the year.

Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex and Bextra, has seen its stock fall 31 percent since January. Many of the problem drugs of late are widely known, and that's thanks in part to the estimated nearly $4 billion spent by the drug industry in ads each year.

BILL KOENIGSBERG, HORIZON MEDIA: It is an enormous pie, and it's probably double what it was five years ago.

SNOW: And some analysts say the increased publicity has made investing in drug companies more appealing.

HOGAN: Investors now have a wider-spread understanding because of advertising of what these drug companies do. So I certainly think that's made them more popular investments, albeit more dangerous ones as well.

SNOW: While investors may be hesitant in the future, the outlook for ad spending by drug companies isn't expected to slow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And observers actually expect drug companies to increase money on ad spending to try and build up demand for the drugs that are on the market -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow reporting for us, Mary, thank you very much. Mary is in New York. To our viewers, here is your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Do you use over- the-counter pain relievers on a regular basis? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Getting back to our top story, a deadly attack on American troops and civilian contractors in Iraq, for the United States, the largest loss of life in a single incident in the Iraq war. Why Mosul has become the new flashpoint for violence.

Small survivor. An infant goes home on the same day her murdered mother is buried.

And later, speaking out. It's what people expect from Ted Turner. My interview with CNN's founder as we look back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Another sad chapter today in a tragedy that's been unfolding since Thursday. A funeral was held today for the Missouri woman who was murdered and whose fetus was stolen from her womb. CNN's Jonathan Freed is in Mariville, Missouri with the story -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing here in front of the funeral home in Mariville. This place has gone through a transformation a couple of times today. Very quiet this morning, we were here before daybreak, just a few media present. Then packed with mourners, people coming to pay their respects, family, friends. Felt like the entire town of Skidmore was here. Skidmore is about 12 miles away, Wolf, and a town of just a few hundred people. They were expecting a large crowd, because Bobbie Jo Stinnett was the type of person you really warmed to we're told the second that you met her. Today her pastor from the Skidmore Christian Church, the man who married Bobbie Jo and her husband Kevin not too long ago delivered eulogy and among other things he focused on the image he had in his mind of them on their wedding day and how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. Not long ago within the hour the hearse left here to go to the cemetery in Skidmore and Bobbie Jo Stinnett being laid to rest -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jonathan Freed reporting for us on this sad day. Thank you very much. Also in our justic report more arrests and court appearances in a growing arson case. Three of the six suspects now in custody were in court today, including 21-year-old Erin Speed (ph). He was a security guard at the new suburban Washington, D.C., subdivision where dozens of homes were burned December 6 causing some $10 million dollars in damage. Also in court, two suspects arrested yesterday. They've been ordered held pending a detention hearing. Prosecutors say more arrests are likely and racism, revenge and gang activity are among the possible motives they are investigating.

Taken off guard in Iraq. A rocket rips through a mess hall at a U.S. military base in Mosul. Could the attack have been prevented? I'll talk live with the former NATO supreme allied commander retired U.S. army general George Joulwan. He'll join me here.

Enemy focus on Mosul. Why insurgents are targeting this city in Iraq ahead of the election.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think about the other Christmases when he was here and we've been able to laugh at some of the memories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Killed in action, a supreme loss for the families left behind. A grief magnified by this holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. More now on our top story. A deadly rocket attack on a U.S. military base in the Iraqi city of Mosul. At least 22 people were killed, most of them American troops. In fact, 19 of them, American troops dead. At least 57 other people were wounded, many of them very seriously. A militant Muslim group is claiming responsibility for the attack. There has been a surge of violence in Mosul in recent weeks for several reasons. For details, let's go to CNN's Zain Verjee. She joins us from the CNN Center. Zain, what's happening?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraqi insurgents appear to be targeting Mosul as the city to challenge the authority of the Iraqi government and U.S. forces. Securing Mosul especially ahead of elections in January is being seen as vital by the U.S. military.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Why is the U.S. military paying so much attention to Mosul? Because it is a potential flashpoint for bloody ethnic confrontation, primarily between Kurds, Turks and Sunni Arabs and the ultimate prize, oil. Mosul is strategically positioned close to the northern oil fields. In Kurdish areas whoever controls Mosul can control the oil. A point apparently not lost on the insurgents who have been repeatedly attacking the pipelines. BULENT ALIRIZA, CSIS: If we go down the road toward ethnic conflict, control of those oil resources within Iraq as well as the protection of interest of the outside will obviously be one of the major factors in the confrontation itself.

VERJEE: With 2 million inhabitants, Mosul is the country's third largest city and, in many ways, a microcosm of Iraq's complicated ethnic mix. Kurds that lived here were driven out of Mosul when Saddam Hussein launched a program to Arabize the city, adding to the Sunni Muslim population there. Now that Kurds can move freely again, many have returned to reclaim Mosul. Sunni Arabs fear for their future, accusing the U.S. of handing the city's security to the Kurdish militia. Sunni Arabs and Kurds are not the only ones competing for control. Minority ethnic Turks there see Mosul as a Turkish city. They don't want to see the Kurds in charge either.

ALIRIZA: But he is very worried about the emergence of the Kurdish state because of the impact it might have on his own people.

VERJEE: Turkey has already said it would go to war to prevent a Kurdish state. U.S.-based Turkish and Kurdish analysts say the insurgency in Mosul could destabilize the already complicated mix and that U.S.-led operations in Mosul are riskier than in Falluja, because:

NAJMALDIN KARIM, WASHINGTON KURDISH INSTITUTE: Regardless of U.S. intervention, it will be viewed as a conflict between Arabs and Kurds. And that is very dangerous.

ALIRIZA: The bulk of the Iraqi forces in the area are Kurdish. There is an anti-Kurdish sentiment developing within the Sunni population.

VERJEE: A potent mix that the U.S. military is taking seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a population that clearly wants to try to achieve peace, but you have a vacuum that is sucking in, and it's an opportunity for jihadists of various ilk to plant themselves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And, Wolf, one of the goals of the U.S. is essentially to plant the seeds of cooperation between the various competing factions before the insurgents can exploit the divisions.

BLITZER: CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us -- thank you, Zain. Very informative.

First the lack of armor on vehicles. Now the Mosul mess hall attack. Just how vulnerable are U.S. troops serving in Iraq?

Joining us for some answers, the former NATO supreme allied commander, retired U.S. Army General George Joulwan.

General Joulwan, it looks like they concentrated a big number of U.S. troops in the middle of this base chowing down in a tent. Isn't that a prescription potentially for disaster?

RETIRED GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN, U.S. ARMY: Yes, it is.

And I think part of the problem is we also dispersed a lot of troops out of that area toward Falluja and Baghdad of what was there originally. So we drew down forces there as well. But to concentrate forces in a mess tent in what we used to call a big fest tent with hundreds of people makes them extremely vulnerable and something that needs to be taken into consideration by our military leaders in the region.

BLITZER: Because you and I well remember -- you were there -- the U.S. Marine barracks outside of Beirut, 1983. More than 200 Marines were killed, 241, I think. They were concentrated in an area. And a suicide truck bomber simply drove in.

I thought, after that, they had learned that lesson. You don't concentrate these forces in a vulnerable situation like that.

JOULWAN: Particularly on an airfield, because you have a grid on an airfield. You can precisely locate for mortars, artillery, rockets, much more precision than you would have elsewhere. So, it is a lesson we're relearning again about concentrating forces and concentrating them at an airfield.

BLITZER: So, how do you not concentrate them? If you were the commander in Iraq, what would you do?

JOULWAN: Well, you disperse your force. I think that's going to be very important here. That's easier said than done, because, as you disperse the force, you have more vulnerability elsewhere to your troops. But dispersing the force, I think, is going to be necessary, also, increasing the patrolling in a wider arc.

We have what are called countermortar, counterartillery radar that picks up incoming missiles, rockets, artillery, etcetera. I'm not sure what's going to come out of this as lessons learned, whether any of that was picked up. But you need to get an arc around wherever you are, wherever your base camp is, of some protection, where you have increased patrolling. You have overhead technology, all of that to protect the forces on the ground.

BLITZER: You know this northern part of Iraq quite well. When you were the European commander, you monitored the no-fly zones in the north.

JOULWAN: Yes. Yes.

BLITZER: You heard Zain Verjee's report on the complicated political ethnic situation there. Can you concur with that?

JOULWAN: Absolutely. And this was one of Saddam Hussein's major military establishments, that air base there. It's a 9,000-foot runway. He had a concentration of air defense, as well as army troops there. So, this was a major installation for Saddam Hussein. And many of -- I'm not sure how much dispersion took place of those forces, but a lot of the top commanders lived in the Mosul area, the top Saddam Hussein commanders. So, it's a very -- it's a very dangerous area for our forces.

BLITZER: This was the single deadliest attack against U.S. troops since the start of the war, 19 soldiers killed in one incident. Imagine all those families out there who have troops serving in Iraq who are worried about getting a knock on the door or a telephone call, a telegram, whatever they do nowadays, to just show up at their house and inform them.

And think of all those families on the eve of Christmas bracing for potentially horrible news.

JOULWAN: I used to be one of those officers during the Vietnam War that had to inform families. And I know what that's all about and the impact it has.

But, Wolf, we have lost soldiers before. Our American people are tough. They could take losses. What we need here is clarity. The president said whatever it takes to get the job done. We need to commit whatever it takes in manpower, armored forces, whatever it takes to have free elections or elections here in January. And whatever that is going to take to get a secure environment, we need to commit that force to be able to get it done.

BLITZER: The critics say this is what happens when you try to fight a war on the cheap. You don't commit the hundreds of thousands of troops you committed during the first Gulf War, half a million. You don't commit the manpower and the equipment that you really need. You try to do it on the cheap.

JOULWAN: You need a balance here.

And more troops is not solely the answer. The idea of how do you get Iraqi police and military up to standard, you can't do it in two or three or six months, even a year. They have to have confidence. So, you have to have Iraqi and coalition or American forces working together until they're ready to take over. They are not ready to take over.

And what I am afraid of is, the confidence between the Iraqi security forces and U.S. forces may be hampered, may be hindered by all of this now, where there's going to be suspicion. And that is creeping in to some of our forces. Now, that's what we have to guard against. We cannot allow the Iraqi forces to fail, the ones that we've trained.

BLITZER: General Joulwan, thanks, as usual, for joining us.

JOULWAN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Important subject. Thank you.

JOULWAN: Happy holidays. BLITZER: The Federal Aviation Administration has a 10-year plan to replace thousands of air traffic controllers who will retire in the next decade. The FAA plans to hire 12,500 people to replace departing controllers, many of whom were hired in the wake of President Region's showdown with the PATCO union back in 1981. The FAA also wants to allow medically fit controllers to keep working past the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport complain they haven't gotten extra staff the FAA called for. There was nearly a collision between two jets at LAX in August, which prompted the FAA to call for more controllers in the tower. An FAA spokesman blames the short staffing on controllers who have been calling in sick.

People are going into the Christmas holiday season with some concerns about terrorism, possible terrorism right here in the United States. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows 48 percent of those asked believe it is likely that there could be acts of terrorism in the U.S. in the next several weeks; 51 percent don't think it's likely. Concerns drop over the longer term. Only 36 percent believe a major terrorist attack will occur in the United States next year, while 59 percent don't think an attack will take place.

And right now, about half of Americans, 49 percent, believe terrorism is an extremely important issue. That's down from 59 percent who thought so last year.

This note. In tomorrow's security watch, we'll take a closer look at terrorism threats during this holiday season. Are the nation's airports prepared to handle the high volume of travelers? I'll speak live with Brian Jenkins, the terror expert at the RAND Corporation. He'll join me tomorrow.

And please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

One of the most powerful rockets ever launched in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one, zero. Plus one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liftoff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liftoff for the first flight of the Delta 4.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It happened less than an hour ago at Florida's Cape Canaveral. The 4 Heavy made by Boeing can carry larger payloads than the space shuttle and it could be modified to carry crews to the moon and perhaps even on to Mars. There it goes.

A family's worst pain only magnified by this holiday season, how relatives of the brave men and women killed in action are coping with their losses.

And later, the always outspoken Ted Turner sounds off on Iraq, women and much more as we look back at some of the best interviews we did here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS during this past year.

Plus, paratroopers on a charity mission give some children a special holiday surprise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In time of war, the killing rarely, if ever, stops during holidays. The war in Iraq and this holiday season are certainly no exception.

For more on how some American families are trying to cope, here is CNN's Brian Todd -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, shortly after you see that news out of Mosul today, you're hit with the realization so many families are going to be notified of a loved one's death just before the holidays.

We looked at some recent cases and put together a snapshot of this agonizing process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Decorating trees, savoring memories.

MARIA BUECHE, MOTHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: This one right here, his first Christmas.

TODD: For many American families, these simple rituals bring unimaginable pain. This is Maria Bueche's second Christmas going through this. Her son, 19-year-old Army Specialist Paul Bueche killed in October 2003 in a maintenance accident in Iraq.

BUECHE: I think about the other Christmases when he was here. And you remember to laugh at some of the things that -- some of the memories.

TODD: For the Blanton family, it's too fresh. Just last month, their 23-year-old son, Marine Corporal Jeffrey Blanton, newly married, due to come home in March, called to tell them he had been shot in the foot.

DONNA BLANTON, MOTHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: And I said, well, good. I said maybe you will be here for Christmas. And he said, no. He said, I'll still be here. And I said, well, you're not going to come home? And he said, no. He said, I need to be with my men.

TODD: December 12th, two days after returning to the battlefield, Jeffrey Blanton was killed during a security sweep in Falluja. Now dozens of families watch the news for Mosul and await more news. During the earliest stages, information trickles out an excruciating pace, frustration acknowledged by officers at their loved ones' bases.

LT. COL. BILL COSTELLO, U.S. ARMY: Any time there's a loss of life, whether it's December or whether it's August, people are on edge and they want to know as much information as they can.

TODD: I spoke with a Marine officer who notifies families when relatives are killed in Iraq. He says they don't approach them any differently during the holidays. One longtime combat veteran says there's still an added pain this time of year.

RETIRED MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPHERD, U.S. AIR FORCE: It's especially difficult at holiday times. No matter what you do or what you say, there is no answer to, why did this happen? Why did it happen to my loved one? It's the toughest thing you do.

TODD: Marine Corporal Michael D. Anderson's dad just got that visit a few days ago. There's something about watching a father describe getting the news with a Christmas tree in the background.

MICHAEL ANDERSON, FATHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: The guy asks me, he says, are you Michael D. Anderson? I looked at him, yes. I said, please don't tell me what I don't want to hear. I said, yes, I am. He said, do you have a son Michael D. Anderson? I said, yes, I do. He said, he was killed in action this morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: U.S. Marine and Army officials tell us they help families of those killed get their loved one's bodies back home, help them with funeral arrangement and benefits information. That's a process that takes several weeks. So, many of the families involved in the Mosul attack will be going through all of that over the holidays.

The Army and Marines also try to notify loved ones within 24 to 48 hours of a death. So some of them, Wolf, are getting the news right about now, or they're about to.

BLITZER: Can't be more painful than that.

TODD: No.

BLITZER: Thanks, Brian, very much.

Let's take a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Palestinian officials today mark the end of the 40-day Muslim mourning period for Yasser Arafat, who died in Paris last month. The event took place at Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Elections to replace Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority are scheduled for January 9.

Marketplace fire. A fire fanned by strong winds swept through a market in central China, injuring more than 60 people and damaging hundreds of businesses. Firefighters were hampered by a water shortage.

Record heist. Thieves made off with more than $39 million from a Belfast bank in what's believed to be the biggest bank robbery in Northern Ireland history. They gained access after taking two senior bank officials hostage in their homes the day before.

Santa's early visit. Christmas arrived ahead of schedule for children in Serb province of Kosovo. French peacekeepers dressed as the jolly old elf handed out presents to Serb and Albanian children from two divided communities.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we'll take a look back at some of the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS from this past year, my interview with the man who built the network you're watching right now. CNN founder Ted Turner talks when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Through the end of this year, we're looking back at some of the more fascinating people we have interviewed in 2004 in a series we're calling the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Ted Turner certainly changed the way people around the world get news and information, while trying to protect the environment and promote world peace. On July 15 of this year, I talked to the man who created this network. And, as CNN nears its 25th anniversary, here is some of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ted, thanks very much for joining us. This full disclosure, you hired me here at CNN way back in 1990, and for that, I will forever be grateful. But what did you mean when you said that men should be barred from public office. That was tongue-in-cheek? Do you think that women should be in charge?

TED TURNER, CNN FOUNDER: Yes. I really feel like that men have been running the world from a governmental basis since the beginning of time, and we still are living with war and weapons of mass destruction and high military budgets all over the world.

And I think if women ran the world for 100 years, we would see more money going into education and health care and home for the homeless, and so forth, and less into the military, and I think we'd be a safer and better world with women in charge for a while.

BLITZER: Speaking of war, what do you make of the war in Iraq? Is the world better off right now without Saddam Hussein in power?

TURNER: Well, yes, I think that Saddam Hussein is pretty well -- everyone agrees, he was a very bad person, but there are a lot of countries run by bad people, and we didn't attack them. I think it was -- you know, I don't really understand why Iraq exactly. But I'm against war, and particularly wars that are not necessary, and I do not believe this war was necessary.

I didn't believe it at the time, and I don't believe it now. And I think the world is less safe and more of a mess today than it was before we started dropping the bomb.

BLITZER: But you admit that there are some wars that are just. For example, World War II against Hitler, that was a just war? TURNER: Sure. Yes, and in that war, we were attacked, too. We were attacked. We did not enter that war for several years after it began. We didn't enter until we were bombed at Pearl Harbor, so we not jump into that war by any manner of means. We waited until we were attacked. And that certainly is a difference. When you are attacked, you have to fight back.

BLITZER: Ted, let's talk a little bit about what you created, cable news, CNN. The world of cable news, 24-hour news television has changed dramatically since 1980 when you started CNN. What do you make of the current state of it?

TURNER: Well, as I understand it, more people now get their news from cable than from -- their network news, anyway -- than they do from the broadcast networks and that is a big change and a very positive one for CNN.

BLITZER: Are you happy with the way CNN has evolved? Obviously, you're no longer involved in the leadership of CNN but since you left, are you happy with what you're seeing?

TURNER: Well, quite frankly, Wolf, as you can imagine, I really miss it, miss it terribly but I think CNN generally is doing a very good job. I watch it all the time.

BLITZER: You caused quite an uproar when you made those comments before the war about Connie Chung. Do you remember that? You didn't like the way that show was developing on CNN.

TURNER: No, it was way too tabloid for prime time on CNN, I felt.

BLITZER: What about getting back involved in the world of television news? Do you have any desire to try to do that? There have been rumors, speculation you might want to do something, buy something. You still have a few billion dollars.

TURNER: No, I don't. I've got a little over one. I don't really have enough money and I've already done that but I'm emotionally very involved with CNN and Headline News and CNN International and CNNfn, and you and all the rest of the gang that were such good friends of mine.

BLITZER: When you say you just have a little bit more than $1 billion, years ago I used to read that you had $5 billion or $8 billion. What happened to all that money? TURNER: Well, you know, the AOL merger destroyed 85 percent of my wealth along with most of the other Time Warner shareholders.

BLITZER: So that's it. So how does it feel to lose billions, of dollars, literally?

TURNER: Well, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference except that I had to cut back my giving some. I haven't with the United Nations Foundation but I had to cut back on the Turner Foundation and the nuclear threat initiative, and I'm sorry about that, but I've learned to live with it. It was kind of easy come, easy go. While I did have billions, I gave half of it away anyway so it really doesn't make that much difference.

BLITZER: So what are you doing nowadays? What keeps you busiest?

TURNER: Well, I'm out here at a conference on global affairs that Fortune is hosting. We've got 250 leaders from all over the world and it's been -- I spoke last night, or at least I was interviewed by Charlie Rose and I've been attending the sessions.

I keep up with what's going on in the world. I read the magazines, I keep up with what's going on in the broadcast and the entertainment business because I'm still a major shareholder of Time Warner. Then I've got a restaurant business with a partner and we've got 25 restaurants and we're expanding rapidly and that's a lot of fun and gives me -- that lets me express my entrepreneurial instincts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ted Turner speaking with me last July, Ted Turner, the founder of CNN.

Tomorrow, the real estate mogul and the host of the hit reality show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump. We'll take a look back at the interview I did with him this past year.

Results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next. Plus, Santa trades his sled for skis in our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here is how you're weighing in on our web question of the day. Take a look at this. Remember, though, it's not -- not -- a scientific poll.

No doubt about it. Santa is a very busy man this time of the year, but he knows how to work in a little time for fun and games. That's our picture of the day. For the 15th straight year, Saint Nick slipped away from the North Pole to the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia. Among those joining him -- take a look -- Mrs. Claus and the bad-guy-turned-good guy the Grinch.

That's all the time we have today. Thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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