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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Missing Girl Found in Coeur D'Alene, Brother Feared Dead; Battles Begin Over Potential Supreme Court Nominees; Afghanistan Four Years Later
Aired July 04, 2005 - 16:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John King in Washington. Happening now, a developing story. We're waiting to hear from the Kootenai County sheriff in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where a kidnapped girl was rescued. Her brother is missing and presumed dead.
As we wait for this news conference to begin, CNN's Sean Callebs is in Coeur d'Alene, and he joins us now live.
Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we had a bit of information just a few hours ago. The authorities have really been focusing their search on nine-year Dylan Groene in areas of northern Idaho and western Montana. Authorities will not say exactly why they are looking there or where specifically they are looking, but this news conference coming up right now popped up just a matter of moments ago.
One significant aspect of this, the Kootenai County sheriff, Rocky Watson is here. And in all the other briefings this past week and really, once the crime that spawned this entire search started May 16 began, the sheriff really has made very few appearances. So the fact he is here certainly got the attention of the collection of media out here.
You can also see to the sheriff's right, FBI Special Agent in Charge Tim Fuhrman. He recently accepted a job in Salt Lake City three months ago. Now, he spent most of that time here.
Now, let's listen to what they have to say. This is Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office.
CAPTAIN BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: ... to the entire gamut of e-mails I have for all of the media. It's nice to see Shasta so vibrant.
Second, this is going to be a statement only. There will be no question-and-answer afterwards. On my left, Captain Wayne Longo with the state police. Directly behind me, Sheriff Rocky Watson from Kootenai County. And the SAIC out of Salt Lake City, Tim Fuhrman.
I'll turn this over to Sheriff Watson.
SHERIFF ROCKY WATSON, KOOTENAI COUNTY: Good afternoon. And thank you for coming. During the search of one of the possible locations in western Montana, investigators have located what they believe to be human remains. The remains are being collected and sent to the FBI lab in Quantico for DNA analysis to confirm the identity.
Investigators continue to follow all the other leads in this complex case. This case continues to be the number-one priority of all agencies involved. There will be no changes of resources devoted to this case until final resolution.
As more information becomes available, we'll get it to you at our regular 11:00 news release tomorrow. Thank you for coming.
WOLFINGER: Thank you.
KING: No questions there as the sheriff refuses to take questions after reading that statement. Sean Callebs with us in Coeur d'Alene.
Sean, the sheriff did not say so, but it certainly would lead you to believe that they believe, pending the investigation at the FBI lab, that those remains are indeed of Dylan Groene.
CALLEBS: Without question. Really, that is something authorities have said since early-morning hours of Saturday, after eight-year-old Shasta Groene was found alive and well in a nearby Denny's restaurant.
Almost immediately once investigators began coming out and talking with the media, they said that they had information that led them to believe that nine-year-old Dylan Groene was, indeed, dead. They were repeatedly asked, how did they get this information? Did it come from Shasta? Did it come from Duncan?
Joseph Duncan, he is a suspect who is in custody charged with kidnapping Shasta Groene. Authorities have made it clear more charges could be filed against that 42-year-old. This is someone who does have a history of being a sexual predator. He has spent much of his adult life in prison for sexually assaulting children.
But when specifically asked how they got this information, we do know that Duncan simply hasn't been cooperating or talking with investigators. He is invoking his right not to speak until he receives an attorney. He will not receive an attorney until he makes his first court appearance. That is scheduled tomorrow afternoon, John, here in Kootenai County.
Certainly, very somber, very disappointing news for the community here that has really embraced the search for these two children and really the kind of news that no one really expected to hear when they found out Shasta was, indeed, alive and well on Saturday morning.
John?
KING: And, Sean, I saw Captain Wolfinger, who introduced the sheriff, in an interview earlier today confirming that there had been some physical evidence taken from the Jeep, the stolen Jeep that the suspect was in. Help our viewers understand what we know, what little they have said about the investigation, the evidence so far, and the geographical area in which they have been searching.
CALLEBS: Exactly. The way the patrons and the employees at Denny's first noticed Shasta from all the missing persons posters, they went into this Denny's around 2:00 in the morning. They said something just seemed odd.
They went and looked at the red 2005 Jeep Laredo with Missouri license plates. Well, after Duncan was arrested, they found out that that vehicle had actually been rented some time ago, apparently by Duncan, and never returned. That's why it was reported as stolen.
They have been going through that vehicle the best they can trying to glean any kind of information on that. And they've also asked this community, this entire area, northern Idaho, western Montana, to try and see if anybody remembers seeing that 2005 red Jeep Laredo in this area.
They're trying to set up some kind of timeline that would put Duncan in this region and perhaps connect him with the crimes that led to these two children being abducted.
Now, why they were searching northern Idaho, western Montana? We don't know how they got that information specifically, John. We do know that investigators did spend a great deal of time talking with eight-year-old Shasta, taking, of course, her physical and emotional condition into play.
But they were able to talk with her and apparently garner some information that led the 60 or so investigators who have been working on this case to fan out, really, all over the area, even back in Fargo, North Dakota, where Duncan had been living, to see what kind of information they could get.
John?
KING: Sean Callebs for us on a major developing case in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We will get back to you if developments warrant. Thank you very much, Sean.
Also, major developments in Aruba in another compelling investigation, the Natalee Holloway case. Two suspects in the Alabama teen's disappearance have been released, while a third has been ordered held for another 60 days.
CNN's Chris Lawrence joins us live from Aruba with the latest details.
Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the judge ruled there simply was not enough evidence to hold two of the suspects any longer. And just within the last five minutes, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe arrived back at home together free and clear once again to be with their mother.
That third suspect, Joran Van Der Sloot, has been ordered to remain in custody for up to two more months.
Now, all three of these young men initially told police that they dropped Natalee Holloway off back here at her hotel. Then they changed their stories.
Deepak and Satish Kalpoe then said they dropped Natalee and Joran off at a nearby beach. Joran said he spent some time with her there but eventually left her alone and came home. We're now getting some new information about some of the arguments that prosecutors made in court today trying to keep all of them in custody. Prosecutors say the suspects' changing statements are not sustained by other evidence in witness statements. They pointed to phone calls, e-mails and text messages as some examples.
But the mother of the Kalpoe brothers says the only thing her sons were guilty of was initially telling a lie to protect their friend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADIRA RAMIREZ, KALPOE BROTHERS' MOTHER: I should have been worried, yes, but why? Why? I mean, (INAUDIBLE) we had patience. The boy had patience. Hired lawyers, myself, father, sister. And we tried to hold up and give them their time to do their work, you know. But I know that they were innocent and they will be out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Now, prosecutors obviously were not happy with the decision to release the Kalpoe brothers. They are considering whether to appeal the judge's decision. Also, we have learned that Joran Van Der Sloot, if he doesn't agree with the decision to keep him detained, he has up to three days to appeal that judge's decision also.
John?
KING: Chris Lawrence for us in Aruba on a day of major developments in the Natalee Holloway case. Thank you very much, Chris.
And yet another developing story this afternoon, this one out of eastern Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have been searching for members of a Special Forces team that went missing in the mountains after a battle with insurgents.
Let's go live now to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.
Jamie?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: And, John, as that search has stretched into its sixth day, three Navy SEALs remain unaccounted for in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: So far, only one member of the four-man SEAL team has been found alive. A statement confirming the Saturday rescue said the U.S. commando was given medical treatment at Bagram Airfield and was listed in stable condition. Sources told CNN his wounds were superficial and said he had provided some details about what happened to the rest of the team.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): This is a team that is very close to each other, because of the conditions they have to go through to survive. And so picking up the one individual gives them some very interesting information.
MCINTYRE: Meanwhile, the U.S. military is confirming a number of Afghan civilians were killed Friday when a U.S. B-52 bomber dropped six satellite-guided bombs on a compound believed to be an operating base for militants who shot down a U.S. helicopter last week as it attempted to extract the Navy SEALs.
LT. CINDY MOORE, SPOKESWOMAN, U.S. FORCES, AFGHANISTAN: I think, certainly, U.S. forces regret that if there is a loss of innocent life. And we follow very stringent rules of engagement, specifically to ensure that non-combatants are safe.
MCINTYRE: A statement put out by the U.S. military blamed the deaths on the militants. When enemy forces moved their families into locations where they conduct terrorist operations, it said, they put these innocent civilians at risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The U.S. military knows a lot more than what it's saying about the fate of the missing SEALs, but says making that information public now would serve no purpose while the rescue-and- recovery operation is still under way.
John?
KING: Jamie McIntyre for us at the Pentagon. Thank you, Jamie.
Collision course, NASA tries to smash into a comet on purpose. The pictures tell you part of the story of what happens the next time Earth is in danger of being struck.
Fourth of July R&R. See how U.S. troops in Iraq are spending this holiday and what the commander in chief is saying about the fate of the insurgency.
And behind the scenes in the fight over who will be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. We're live at the White House. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: President Bush delivered a Fourth of July speech in West Virginia today. Praise for the troops in public, and behind the scenes urgent work to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us live from the White House.
Bob?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, John, when the president boarded his helicopter to go to Morgantown, West Virginia, some aides were carrying what was perceived to be a valise full of information on Sandra Day O'Connor. It looks like that's going to accompany him wherever he goes.
And where he went today was West Virginia, the third time in the last four years that he has gone to West Virginia to celebrate Independence Day. White House officials explain it's nice in West Virginia. It was an opportunity for him once again to give the nation a pep talk on Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorists tried to intimidate the Iraqi Governing Council and they failed. They tried to delay the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq and they failed. They tried to stop the free Iraqi elections and they failed. They continue to kill in the hope that they will break the resolve of the American people, but they will fail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: It was a quick trip, a brief helicopter ride back from Andrews Air Force Base back to the White House. The president will be watching fireworks in a private gathering here this evening.
In addition to that, he will continue to be thinking, as certainly his aides will be, about possible replacements for Sandra Day O'Connor. The justice, the swing vote, considered such a vital part of that delicate balance in the Supreme Court, announced on Friday that she's going retire. And what she guaranteed is that there will be a huge battle between now and October over her possible replacement.
John?
KING: And Bob, just to check, no change in the White House guidance that we will not get the choice from the president until after he returns from this trip he's taking to Europe?
FRANKEN: Which makes an awful lot of sense, because he's going to have a full plate with matters European.
KING: All right. Bob Franken for us at the White House. Thank you, Bob.
And one early battle-line in the Supreme Court fight is whether it is appropriate to ask the president's eventual nominee whether he or she favors overturning the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade. It is a question President Bush himself has faced repeatedly in recent years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): He is a president who unabashedly promotes a culture of life, but who has chosen his words more carefully when it comes to the landmark abortion case that will take center stage in the looming Supreme Court confirmation battle.
Five years ago as a candidate for president, campaigning in Iowa.
BUSH: Roe v. Wade was a reach, overstepped the constitutional bounds.
KING: Later that year, the Supreme Court was a key debating point.
BUSH: The voters will know I put competent judges on the bench, people who will strictly interpret the Constitution and will not use the bench to write social policy.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those are code words. And nobody should mistake this for saying that the governor would appoint people who would overturn Roe v. Wade.
KING: That is certainly what social conservatives expect now that Mr. Bush has a Supreme Court vacancy to fill. And the fear of an ideological tilt to the right is a major rallying point for abortion rights supporters.
As president, Mr. Bush has cut funding to international family planning groups that provide abortion counseling, backed health insurance for fetuses, supported double assault charges for attacks on pregnant women, and signed legislation banning certain late-term abortions.
BUSH: This right to life cannot be granted or denied by government, because it does not come from government. It comes from the creator of life.
(APPLAUSE)
KING: Mr. Bush says his personal view is abortion should be legal only in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. But he has not directly called for reversing Roe v. Wade and has, on a number of occasions, said he does not believe the country is ready for a dramatic shift. In last year's reelection run, he emphasized restrictions, such as parental notification.
BUSH: This is an issue that divides America, but certainly reasonable people can agree how to reduce abortions in America.
KING: In the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 65 percent of respondents wanted a new justice to uphold Roe v. Wade; 29 percent want a justice who would overturn the ruling.
Count First Lady Laura Bush in the majority. She is on record saying she does not favor overturning Roe v. Wade.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: But we should note this one vacancy is not considered enough to tip the balance. Not counting Justice O'Connor, there are five justices on the nine-member high court who have indicated they would not overturn Roe v. Wade.
We'll go back live to Idaho just ahead. We have some major news this hour on the search for Dylan Groene, the young boy missing since last month. I'll talk live with the sheriff's captain on the scene.
Also, a rare look at life inside Afghanistan. Our Barbara Starr shows us what daily living is like in the post-Taliban era.
And NASA is celebrating a big hit this Fourth of July after a space probe crashes into a comet on purpose.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The search for missing American servicemen in the mountains of northeastern Afghanistan is a reminder the U.S. military mission there continues and remains quite dangerous almost four years after the fall of the Taliban.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr recently traveled throughout the country, beginning in the capital, and found that for all the changes, much remains the same.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment one arrives at the airport in Kabul, a reminder. There are still some 20,000 U.S. troops in the country. But this is now a place where Afghans see signs of hope.
In this class, young girls learn to become midwives. They will provide urgently needed care to mothers and newborns.
At this nursery school, a proud rendition of the national anthem. But one child is inconsolable after his mother leaves for work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the boy's first day. So that's why he's a little upset.
STARR: The smallest Afghan citizens are carefully looked after here. At this school for street children, it is their eyes one remembers, smiling eyes of a young girl, but a 13-year-old boy with eyes of an old man. We cannot know his worries.
For the men of this still conservative Islamic country, an ancient ritual. The washing of their feet before entering the mosque. But nearby, in this post-Taliban era, women, some still in burqas, now move easily through markets full of produce.
These young men are making butter. They churn to a modern beat. Music was banned during the Taliban.
The market streets of Kabul have never been busier. The traffic jams in this city of five million people are now legendary. But underneath the surface, there is great concern that violence is once again on the rise in this country.
Lieutenant General Carl Eikenberry is the U.S. commander here. He is worried there will be continued attacks prior to the September parliamentary elections. But on this day, his first concern is about an outbreak of disease.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL CARL EIKENBERRY, COMMANDER OF U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: It's not uncommon for cholera to come up at this time of year.
STARR: The journey moves south to Gardez, once a Taliban stronghold. Eikenberry leaves his security detail behind and walks through the town with the local governor, meeting Afghans directly.
But another reality of Afghanistan emerges. We join a combat patrol into the mountains with U.S. troops and Afghan militiamen. It is rough terrain. Almost immediately, the convoy stops. The Afghans worry there is an al Qaeda ambush ahead. Soon, we get the all-clear and proceed.
At this fire base, matters take another turn. Insurgents fire rockets at us. U.S. troops immediately return mortar fire.
But the ultimate sign of hope, the new Afghan army, the men who fought against the Soviets, fought against the Taliban, are now fighting for their country.
Barbara Starr, with CNN cameraman Tomas Setzler (ph), Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And now a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING (voice-over): Police scuffled with protesters in Edinburgh, Scotland, the site of this week's G-8 conference. The protesters were described as a mixture of anarchists and anti-globalization demonstrators.
India floods. Monsoon rains are blamed for 132 deaths. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. Thousands more have been stranded and military helicopters have been dropping food.
New witnesses. An Australian woman will get another chance to avoid 20 years in an Indonesian prison. Twenty-seven-year-old Schapelle Corby was convicting of smuggling nine pounds of marijuana. A judge has agreed to hear new defense witnesses who are expected to testify that airport workers planted the pot in Corby's luggage. And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: And when we come back on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIDA NUNEZ, CPL. VALDEZ'S MOTHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): They won't send women to war. I won't be at the battlefront. I'll be in an office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: She joined the Marines to help her family. She gave her life serving her country.
Also, we'll go back live to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There are new developments in the search for a missing nine-year-old boy, Dylan Groene. And I'll talk live with the sheriff's captain on the scene.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back on this Fourth of July. New developments in the case of those Idaho missing children. Just after his sister was found alive, investigators fear now they've uncovered grim clues about what happened to her brother.
But first, a check of other stories "Now in the News".
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected on the Washington Mall to watch tonight's traditional fireworks display. As they leave, they'll be taking part in a terrorism drill. The city will adjust traffic signals to see how quickly the area can be evacuated.
The United Church of Christ has voted overwhelmingly to endorse same-sex marriage. About 80 percent of the 900-member general synod approved the resolution which is not binding on individual congregations. With almost 1.3 million members, the church becomes the largest Christian denomination to back gay unions.
Just this hour, researchers in St. Louis are reporting a potentially important cancer discovery. They say they've found a chemical marker that can identify some particularly aggressive lung, thyroid and prostate tumors before they spread. That chemical is known as GABA.
You can check out CNN's most popular video of the day at CNN.com. Just click on the video link and watch it as many times as you want, whenever you want. It's a whole new way to experience the power of CNN video, and it's free.
More now in the search for Dylan Groene, whose sister Shasta was found over the weekend, six weeks after the siblings vanished.
For the latest, we're joined by Captain Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department in Idaho.
Captain, thank you very much for joining us. The sheriff at the top of the hour read a statement. He did not answer questions from reporters. But he said human remains had been found, that they would be analyzed at the FBI lab. One has to assume that you believe -- you believe -- that is young Dylan.
WOLFINGER: Well, what we can say is that we had several sites in northern Idaho and western Montana, that we were checking possible sites where they had been staying looking for Dylan. One of those sites we found remains that are possibly human remains and those have been sent to the FBI lab for analysis.
Unfortunately, we believe Dylan to be deceased. And certainly, we're continuing to look at all the other sites and follow those other leads.
KING: As you continue to follow the leads, though, I want to make clear, you say human remains or possibly human remains. Is there a certainty here? Or is there still an open question as to whether these remains are human, and are they a young boy, sir, even if you can't say for sure it's Dylan?
WOLFINGER: Well, we can't say exactly what they are. Right now, they're possibly human remains. That's where we're going to leave it until the lab has a chance to check it. We'll run through DNA testing and whatnot. At this point, that's where we're going to leave this statement.
KING: And, sir, can you tell us, have you gained any new valuable information on the investigation, on the path the family took, young Shasta took with Mr. Duncan, either from talking to her or any other evidence gathered in the past 24 hours or so?
WOLFINGER: Well, actually, we've had over 100 calls come into the tip line in the last two days, about the last 60-65 hours now, from people in this region who report seeing that Jeep Laredo with the Missouri plates with Joseph Duncan at the wheel. That is helping the investigators track the course of travel that they've had and possibly where they've been staying over the last six or seven weeks.
KING: And have the developments today affected at all the charges, the posture of the sheriff's department, in terms of holding Mr. Duncan?
WOLFINGER: Well, we're certainly going to hold Mr. Duncan. The charges haven't changed. That charging decision isn't really the sheriff's department. It's the decision of the prosecuting attorney.
Now, the prosecuting attorney's office, along with the federal prosecutor, were here meeting with the investigators yesterday for several hours. And I'm sure that they will make that decision in the near future in the days to come.
KING: Let's move a bit off the grimmer part of this investigation, sir. We have some new pictures we want to show our viewers of young Shasta who has been reunited with her father. And you see the pictures here. Any information you can share with us at all about how she is doing? This obviously had to take an enormous, traumatic effect on her.
WOLFINGER: Well, you're absolutely right. It had to take an enormous effect. And God only knows what the effect really is and what she's been through over that last seven-week period of time.
But as you can see in the photographs, she's happy. We know she's extremely happy being with her father. The hospital medical condition is good. And so she's going to remain at the hospital for a while longer until they're ready to medically release her. But as you can see, she's a much happier little girl right now.
KING: And as she adjusts, sir, are the sheriff's deputies speaking to her, investigators speaking to her more frequently trying to get information or are you leaving her alone for the time being to just simply let her spend some time with her dad and have the doctors check her out?
WOLFINGER: Well, we're letting her primarily spend time with her father and with some of the family members. Investigators have talked to her a couple of times and will no doubt talk to her again before this entire situation's resolved.
KING: And, Captain, there is obviously the larger issue. You have Shasta recovering. You have the remains that, at least for now, you believe to be Dylan Groene. There is the question of who killed Shasta's mother, another sibling, and her boyfriend? Any progress in the broader investigation and perhaps any links between Mr. Duncan and those murders?
WOLFINGER: Well, you're certainly right. That's certainly the next big question the investigators have to focus on once we confirm these remains.
We're still searching for Dylan. We're still going to wait to confirm that. But the parallel of that, all along we've been working this homicide investigation trying to find the link. The investigators are continuing to do that.
The lab has the evidence out of the vehicle. They're continuing to analyze that. So we've got a lot of work yet to do, a lot of questions unanswered, but a lot of evidence to go through.
KING: And lastly, Captain, how long do you think it will take the lab in Quantico to tell you whether indeed these remains that have been uncovered and discovered are those of Dylan?
WOLFINGER: When we first discovered this crime and started collecting evidence, they told us it was 72 hours to process DNA evidence. That hasn't changed. Unfortunately, it's not like television where it can all be done in an hour. So we'll have to wait those 72 hours.
KING: It may seem a grim question, sir, but in terms of the discovery, clothing, any other physical aspects of the discovery that would lead you to believe what you have here is the body of Dylan Groene?
WOLFINGER: Well, we're not going to get into exactly what was discovered at the scene. They're still processing that scene. And we're going to let the investigators do their part of it. Once that's done, we may be able to release more details of what was exactly found at that western Montana site.
KING: Captain Ben Wolfinger at the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. Sir, we thank you for your time on this very important day in your investigation.
WOLFINGER: Thank you.
KING: Thank you, sir.
Deep Impact. A NASA probe hits a comet millions of miles away. How this historic mission could save lives here on Earth.
Also, one woman's ultimate sacrifice for her family and her country.
Plus, the one band that may have done more than any other to put rock and roll on the map.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: NASA scientists call it a smashing success. In a historic mission, they slammed a probe into a comet 83 million miles from Earth last night. Soon they'll begin looking at the data they hope will yield new information about the comets and possibly the origin of the universe.
CNN's Brian Todd is here with the details.
Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the study of comets is a long-term project at NASA. And in addition to finding more about the origins of the universe, teams of scientists are closely tracking where these objects are headed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: At Mission Control, celebrations of a direct hit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Team, we've got a confirmation.
TODD: Followed by first images of a huge dust cloud, evidence of the success of the unmanned Deep Impact space probe after it slammed into the massive comet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We touched the comet, and we touched it hard.
TODD: While scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab looked for the crater carved at impact, members of the observation team tell CNN this comet, called Tempel One, roughly half the size of Manhattan, is not a threat to Earth. Its orbit is beyond Mars, about 83 million miles away.
But we asked the head of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program how many comets or asteroids are out there that could potentially threaten Earth.
DON YEOMANS, MANAGER, NEAR EARTH OBJECT PROGRAM: The near-Earth asteroid population is not well understood, but we think there's about 1,100 near-Earth asteroids larger than a kilometer.
TODD: Those are the objects, he says, that could cause global damage. Of those 1,100, NASA's actually located about 750. In order to make it through the Earth's atmosphere and cause damage, Don Yeomans says, an object has to be about 140 yards in diameter. NASA says there are hundreds of thousands of comets that size or bigger, and they've only discovered a fraction of them.
According to NASA, there's one of this size that's just come within 7 million miles of Earth. Within 5 million is considered close. But NASA's tracking these comets with five full-time search programs using high-tech telescopes, and Don Yeomans says they've not found one that is considered a real threat to Earth. Also, he says, they can often find them decades in advance of any potential impact.
YEOMANS: Once we find them, we can predict whether they will or will not cause a threat to Earth over the next 50 to 100 years.
TODD: If a smaller object, about 140 meters wide, is found and deemed a threat, NASA says, it could send up a probe like the Deep Impact spacecraft, about the size of a washing machine, to collide with it and change its path.
But if a comet as big as Tempel One comes near Earth...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any serious attempt to deflect the comet with an impact however, requires a much, much larger impact than we delivered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Now, again, Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program says there's nothing to lose sleep over regarding these comets. He says the next one to get close enough to cause any concern will not approach until the year 2029. NASA projects that one will come extremely close, within 20,000 miles of Earth, but it will not hit Earth.
John?
KING: Fascinating stuff, Brian Todd. Well, let's hope they're right. Thank you very much.
Holiday far from home. We'll visit U.S. troops celebrating this Fourth of July in Iraq. Plus, they rocked around the clock and helped spread rock around the world. The legacy of Bill Haley and the Comets, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: U.S. and Iraqi troops today swept through a Baghdad neighborhood searching for insurgents. And U.S. officials say about 100 suspects were rounded up. Some other American troops got a rare day off.
CNN's Aneesh Raman spent the Fourth of July at a base in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A holiday weekend away from home, but a holiday weekend nonetheless, for the troops here in Baghdad.
We're in eastern Baghdad where the Third Infantry Division, Second Brigade calls home. They're based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia. In charge here of Sadr City, a place that'll you remember a year ago was the site of a pitched house-to-house battle.
Today, things much more calm. Today, for the troops, a day off from their daily duties, a day to take a break.
They've been playing basketball, a tournament of American football, as well. Also, some fire and maneuver contests. All of this a distraction from what they deal with on a daily basis. We only need to look to the weekend to see what lies beyond these walls, a spate of suicide bombings, as well as a very high-profile kidnapping.
But again today, a day to commemorate the independence of the United States.
Joining me, Staff Sergeant Shantavis Smith and Specialist Rick Blair.
Staff Sergeant Smith, we'll start with you. You came in, in the initial push to Baghdad. You're now here a couple years later. In your mind, what has changed and what hasn't?
STAFF SGT. SHANTAVIS SMITH, U.S. ARMY: Things that have changed, the first time we was here to liberate Iraq. This time it's more humanitarian aid, more civil aid being conducted by the Iraqis themselves. And they're making an effort to run the country.
RAMAN: And you're working with a lot of these Iraqi forces, especially in Sadr City. How is that going?
SMITH: It's going pretty good. They're learning discipline. They're learning how to conduct their own operations on their own. So it's going pretty good.
RAMAN: Specialist Blair, it's your first tour out here. Before you came, you must have seen a lot of images of Iraq back home. How does it compare to having been on the ground now?
SPC. RICK BLAIR, U.S. ARMY: Well, it's totally different. I mean, the pictures don't really say all the words that are out here. If you're actually living here, it's a totally different story.
RAMAN: In what way?
BLAIR: It's kind of laid back. I mean, not a lot has been happening around Sadr City lately. But before, it was a lot worse.
RAMAN: And days like this, where you're probably used to being at home having barbecues, whatnot, on Independence Day, is it tough to be here on holidays like this?
BLAIR: Well, today's activities sort of took my mind off of that. So I had fun today.
RAMAN: And anybody you want to say hi to back home?
BLAIR: My mom, my dad, my brothers and sisters, and my wife, Ashley (ph).
RAMAN: And how about you?
SMITH: My family in Hinesville, and my family at Rivera Beach, Florida.
RAMAN: All right. Well, thank you guys both so much and for your work that you're doing.
A day off for these servicemen. At the end of the day, they've got a big dinner planned, some lobster, some steak, and some fireworks. They're not real. They'll be put up on a projection screen.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: It was the bloodiest day for American women in Iraq. June 23, a suicide car bomber struck a military convoy killing six U.S. service members, three of them women. Another 11 women were wounded. Among the fallen, Marine Corporal Ramona Valdez.
CNN's Jason Carroll looks back at her dedication and ultimate sacrifice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ramona Valdez grew up in the Bronx watching her mother, a single parent, work 12 hours a day, every day, as a home health care worker. She joined the marines to help her family out.
ELIDA NUNEZ, CPL. VALDEZ'S MOTHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Since I was alone with three children, she decided she wanted to do something. I told her, you can do it without joining the Marines. You can do other things.
She said no. I want more. I want to do my best.
CARROLL: Elida Nunez says the decision to allow her 17-year-old daughter to enlist wasn't easy. But her daughter assured her it would be safe.
NUNEZ: She told me, mommy, they don't send women to war. I won't be at the battlefront. I'll be in an office. I'll be doing different things. I won't be with a rifle in hand.
CARROLL: Ramona's sister Fiorela says one of her greatest wishes had been to get her family away from the city.
FIORELA VALDEZ, CPL. VALDEZ'S SISTER: She wanted my mother to move out of New York so my mother could be in a more quiet place.
CARROLL: Shortly after Ramona left for Iraq in February, her family, with the extra income from her military pay, was finally able to move to Reading, Pennsylvania, a new home that she was never able to see, but where she will return to be buried.
Corporal Ramona Valdez was killed June 23, when a suicide car bomber attacked her convoy returning from her assignment manning a checkpoint outside Fallujah. Elida Nunez said she opposed U.S. military action in Iraq from beginning. Now her doubts are absolute.
NUNEZ: I don't think this war has any meaning. What I see is that, every day, there are mothers like me in pain who have lost their children, and that today, tomorrow, and every day we're suffering.
CARROLL: Ramona Valdez died just a few days short of her 21st birthday.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: She's sometimes called a patient of war, a young Army private critically injured and taken prisoner in Iraq. As part of CNN's anniversary series "THEN AND NOW," we look back at Jessica Lynch and where she is today.
Here's CNN's Miles O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The story of saving Private Lynch lifted the spirit of Americans in the early days of the war in Iraq. Nineteen-year-old Jessica Lynch was a supply clerk in the Army's 507th Maintenance Company when it was ambushed. Her dramatic recovery nine days later from an Iraqi hospital became instant legend. But later some of the facts surrounding her capture and rescue were stretched by the military.
PRIVATE JESSICA LYNCH, RESCUED DURING IRAQ WAR: I was definitely a little angry at the whole stories, because it wasn't the truth, and I wasn't going to allow myself to sit there and let a lie kind of build.
O'BRIEN: She came home with a broken body but a new-found celebrity status. Jessica was everywhere. She helped write a book called "I Am a Soldier, Too" and was the subject of a TV movie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see that, First Sergeant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LYNCH: I don't consider myself a hero. I don't consider myself anything higher than a soldier who was doing my job in the military.
O'BRIEN: Jessica is now 22 years old and will soon retire from the military. She plans on attending college this fall to become a teacher. She still walks with a cane, has no feeling in her left foot, and undergoes daily physical therapy.
LYNCH: I am the former prisoner of war. That is how people recognize me, but that's not all I am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Musician Bob Geldof, who organized Live 8, called the weekend event the greatest concert ever. Dozens of big name entertainers performed at venues around the world, including Philadelphia here in the United States. But it will take some time to determine whether Live 8 will achieved its goal, persuading officials at this week's G-8 Conference in Scotland to do more and put up more money to fight poverty in Africa.
Fifty years ago, people were rocking around the clock to an almost forgotten band, one that may have done more than any other to put rock and roll on the map.
Once again, CNN's Brian Todd now with the story of Bill Haley and the Comets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): These guys were not part of Live 8, but maybe they should have been. Some prominent names on the bill at Live 8 got their earliest inspirations from this group that now looks ready to shake it up at your local bingo hall.
The early '50s, seven guys from around Philadelphia, led by a transplanted Midwesterner with a spit curl, hit on something. They begin as a country and western band wearing cowboy suits, but fused that with rhythm and blues.
JIM DAWSON, ROCK HISTORIAN: You started seeing it come together about 1951, 1952, with Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, which later became Bill Haley and the Comets. TODD: Around this time, someone dubbed their music rock and roll.
DICK RICHARDS, COMETS DRUMMER: I don't think any of us realized the impact this was really going to have at the time.
TODD: March 1955, the Comets' hit, "Rock Around the Clock," makes the soundtrack of the movie everyone's talking about, the teenage rebellion flick, "Blackboard Jungle." In early July 1955, exactly 50 years ago, "Rock Around the Clock" makes it to the top of the Billboard chart, the first rock and roll song ever to hit number one.
Rock is catapulted and will never turn back. But it doesn't really hit these guys for a couple of weeks.
JOEY AMBROSE, COMETS SAXOPHONIST: We just really didn't realize until it was being played all over the place and we were getting calls from Ed Sullivan.
ED SULLIVAN, FORMER TELEVISION HOST: Now, more in my groove perhaps is this number-one band, the number-one record seller in the band field, Bill Haley and his Comets. So strike up the band there, boys.
TODD: "Rock Around the Clock" stays at number one for eight weeks, sells millions. Today, it remains the third biggest selling single ever. Dick Clark calls it the national anthem of rock and roll.
The Comets would have other hits, but as quickly as they built their success, it crumbles. Larger bands give ways to rising solo acts like Chuck Berry and Elvis with more of the edge teenagers are looking for. By 1963, the Comets break up, but not before leaving their imprint on music. In a European tour in the late '50s, they played before audiences that included Paul McCartney, Pete Townsend, and Graham Nash. All would later say that experience defined them.
MARSHALL LYTLE, COMETS BASSIST, SINGER: It's really an honor that we know that we inspired a lot of the English groups to go on and become the big stars that they became.
TODD: Most of the Comets go on to other careers, all but forgotten in rock lore. Bill Haley dies of a heart attack in 1981. When the five surviving Comets reunite years later, they don't recognize each other. But somehow, they regain relevance, get popular again in Europe, and now these five grandfathers in their 70s and 80s are booked solid and winning new fans in the U.S. not even alive 50 years ago.
RICHARDS: "Man, you guys rock." And that's says it.
(CROSSTALK)
AMBROSE: That's the biggest compliment we could ever have is by young people saying, "You guys rock."
(END VIDEOTAPE) KING: Our thanks there to CNN's Brian Todd. And this note, those seemingly forever young Comets will be at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tomorrow to perform for the scientists who guided a space probe to a collision with that other comet.
Remember, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS right here at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for joining us. I'm John King in Washington. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" is up next after one quick check of the headlines.
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