Search Continues for Two Missing Soldiers in Iraq; Department of Homeland Security Concludes Majority of States Not Prepared For Emergency
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing soldiers.</s>BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, the search continues at this hour for two U.S. soldiers missing in Iraq. Another soldier was killed in the attack south of Baghdad. We're going to hear more from the military about this search in just a moment. Despite a massive security crack down in Baghdad, there has been no letup in the violence. At least 23 people were killed in attacks today, including this one at a crowded market. We'll have reports from the Pentagon and Baghdad. Plus, a new report says U.S. Special Operations Forces mistreated some Iraqi detainees. The Associated Press quotes a Pentagon study as saying that detainees lived on bread and water for up to 17 days and were subjected to unapproved practices, including sleep deprivation. According to the A.P. the Pentagon study called the treatment wrong but not illegal. Well, the Georgia congresswoman who got into a scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer is off the hook. The grand jury that's been Iraqi government the confrontation that has decided against indicting Representative Cynthia McKinney. Hey there, everybody, it is Saturday, June 17th. Good morning. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.</s>RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, a very good morning to you. I'm Richard Lui. Tony Harris, he is off for this weekend.</s>NGUYEN: He is vacationing, but glad to have you here.</s>LUI: Thanks for having me. I hope, Tony, you're having a great time.</s>NGUYEN: You know he is.</s>LUI: Lots of stories making headlines for you this morning. Straight ahead, what would happen if your hometown had to handle a major disaster? Would it be ready? Probably not, according to a troubling new report from the Department of Homeland Security. American men clueless about health concerns, also. We'll hear from a doctor who's an expert on men's health issues. Plus, the crossword puzzle craze. We'll hear from the star of the new movie, "Word Play." He's also the crossword editor for the "New York Times." Those stories and much more coming up. But first...</s>NGUYEN: A desperate hunt is underway in Iraq at this hour. One American soldier is dead and U.S. commanders say they are using every means at their disposal to find two other U.S. soldiers missing after an insurgent attack south of Baghdad.</s>CALDWELL: Good afternoon. Last night, a coalition force soldier was killed and two others are currently listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown after their security element came under attack at a traffic control point south of Yusufiya, Iraq, at approximately 7:55 p.m. local time Friday, June 16th. The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin. Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces initiated a search operation within minutes to determine the status of these soldiers and we are currently using every means at our disposal, on the ground, in the air and in the water, to find them. The specifics of this situation currently available for release are as follows. Coalition forces at an adjacent traffic control point heard an explosion and small arms fire at approximately 7:55 p.m. last night in the vicinity of the missing soldiers' checkpoint at a canal crossing near the Euphrates River in the vicinity of Yusufiya. After being unable to communicate with the checkpoint, a quick reaction force was launched, arriving on scene within 15 minutes. The quick reaction force reported finding one soldier killed in action and two soldiers duty status and whereabouts unknown. All traffic control points were notified to stop civilian traffic and increase security. Helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle and fixed wing assets provided reconnaissance over and around the site. A dive team was requested. Within an hour of the incident, blocking positions were established throughout the area and a concerted effort to focus a search and prevent movement of suspects out of the area. Three raids were conducted during the night on suspected possible locations and a fourth operation was conducted this morning. Coalition forces engaged with local leaders in the area to enlist the support of civilians in providing any information they could and these engagements continue. Dive teams are now on site working the canal and river. There is cross-coordination amongst adjacent units to develop actionable intelligence on our soldiers' whereabouts. We are using all available assets -- coalition and Iraqi, ground, air and water, to locate and determine the duty status of our soldiers. We continue today to search for Sergeant Matt Maupin, captured in April of 2004. We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing soldiers. Make no mistake -- we never stop looking for our service members until their status is definitively determined. And we continue to pray for their safe return.</s>NGUYEN: Now, the other soldier General Caldwell mentioned, Sergeant Keith Matthew Maupin was in a convoy that was ambushed west of Baghdad more than two years ago. He was later shown as a hostage on an insurgent videotape. A later insurgent videotape suggested that Maupin had been executed. But the Pentagon says his status remains unknown. With another look at today's developments in Iraq, we want to go to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, who is on the phone from Washington -- Barbara, obviously time is just a crucial element in the search for these soldiers.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Betty, it really is. You know, this is such a delicate, sensitive and very serious situation for the U.S. military. The U.S. military really does live by the motto leave no one behind. They really feel this is a fundamental tenet of how they operate. And I can tell you, we have spoken to sources in the military. The all out hunt for these two soldiers is on. They are using all available means. It is a very serious situation at the moment. The incident happened when it was nighttime in Iraq, so they were somewhat hindered from conducting the full search of the river that they wanted to. A dive team, as General Caldwell said, continues onsite, looking for any clues about what happened to these two soldiers. At the moment, what our understanding is, is they are looking at all possible avenues, all possible outcomes of where these soldiers might be and what might have happened to them. But at the moment it is so serious that they simply don't want to say very much about it for fear of risking any situation, of missing any clue, of missing any bit of information. I think one of the things that General Caldwell said that was extremely important to the military is they are working with local Iraqis in the area, civilians, people who live in the area, talking to them, trying to determine if they may have seen anything last night, any clues about what might have happened to these two soldiers -- Betty.</s>NGUYEN: Yes, finding those clues is very important. But at the same time, the area in which they went missing is also an important key to this. Talk to me about that area and how it has connections to al Qaeda.</s>STARR: Well, Yusufiya, south of Baghdad, is an area where U.S. forces and coalition forces have been operating for some time. It is an area where, at various points in the past, they strongly believe there were al Qaeda, possibly even people loyal to Zarqawi, down in that area. So that has been an area of greater concern. But apparently these three soldiers last night were at a bridge area, a bridge crossing the Euphrates River. This was apparently one of these U.S. military mechanical unfolding type bridges. The U.S. military had laid this bridge across the river so that they could use it. What we believe happened is the bridge had suffered some sort of mechanical failure on the east side of the river so these three soldiers were at a checkpoint on the east side, warning units not to try and cross the river on this bridge at this point, that the bridge was faulty. There were other troops in the area. How close by they may have been is something we will learn, I suppose, in the days ahead. But apparently these three, at least, were by themselves in this very particular area when this attack occurred.</s>NGUYEN: Well, I think the bridge information is very key, too. That's something that we are learning now from you about the faulty bridge and why -- it leads us to understand now why they're searching those canals in the way that they are searching them. Barbara Starr, thank you for that insight. Of course, we're going to some of this story throughout the day. So you don't want to miss it, right here on CNN. Today's disturbing news from Iraq does end a week that started off on a note of optimism, President Bush's top secret trip to Baghdad. You want to join us tonight for "A WEEK AT WAR." CNN's team of correspondents all around the world will look at the president's trip, al Qaeda in Iraq's new number one man and much, much more. John Roberts hosts the only in-depth look at the week's major events in the war on terror. That is tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN. Well, President Bush made a surprise trip to Iraq this week, as we just mentioned. How is the situation there affecting his approval ratings? We're going to have the results of a new CNN poll at the half hour.</s>LUI: Not ready to handle a major disaster -- that's the key finding of a new study by the Department of Homeland Security. It looked at emergency plans drawn up by states and cities across the country. CNN's Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has a report for us, which first aired on "THE SITUATION ROOM."</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly five years after 9/11, nearly one year after Katrina, after $18 billion in federal grants to state and local governments, the Department of Homeland Security has concluded the majority of state and local emergency plans are not adequate, feasible or acceptable to manage catastrophic events.</s>GEORGE FORESMAN, UNDERSECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: The ordinary doesn't mean that you're ready for the extraordinary, and we've got to do a better job of taking our catastrophic planning to the next level.</s>MESERVE: The assessment found many states and cities lacked a clear command structure or plans on how to keep government operating in a catastrophe. Evacuation remains a profound concern, with inadequate planning for large numbers of evacuees and particularly for people with special needs. Among the states with the lowest assessments, West Virginia, Oregon, Louisiana and Montana. Though the cities of New York and Washington had plans that were rated far from perfect, they were much better than many, including Oklahoma City, which rated poorly despite its experience with the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. And New Orleans -- a majority of that city's emergency plan got the lowest possible rating.</s>FORESMAN: They were going through this nationwide plan review at the same time that they were still responding to and recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.</s>MESERVE: The organization that represents emergency managers says hundreds of local jurisdictions do not have a full time emergency management program because of federal funding shortfalls. Further, there is no national planning guidance or standards. (on camera): DHS agrees state and local governments have not gotten all of the tools they need from the federal government, but says this assessment will be used to measure progress from here on out. Jean Meserve, CNN, Washington.</s>LUI: Jeanne Meserve is just one of the reporters covering the world for "THE SITUATION ROOM." You can catch Wolf Blitzer weeknights in "THE SITUATION ROOM," of course. That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern and 4:00 p.m. Pacific. Well, remember to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.</s>NGUYEN: As you might have noticed, Richard Lui from CNN's Pipeline is sitting in for Tony Harris this morning. Glad to have you on board.</s>LUI: Yes. Thanks for having me. We've had a good Saturday so far. Have you...</s>NGUYEN: Not too bad.</s>LUI: ... used Pipeline before?</s>NGUYEN: You know, I have a little bit, but I'm not expert when it comes to the computer. So for the folks at home who aren't familiar -- there you are popping up there on Pipeline...</s>LUI: Yes.</s>NGUYEN: ... tell us all about how Pipeline works.</s>LUI: That's actually the Dot-Com Desk. Pipeline is a broadband news service where you've got not only a main anchored stream, you've also got three other streams. So if you wanted to watch, for instance, let's say, President Bush, who is having a trip to Texas. He's in Crawford, for instance, right now. And you also want to watch Tony Snow, you can click on all of those. That's all streaming live in addition to the anchored stream.</s>NGUYEN: Well, the great thing about it, too, is a lot of times we will take news conferences live and then...</s>LUI: Yes.</s>NGUYEN: ... for programming reasons, we have to pull out of it and all you have to do if you want to continue watching it in its entirety is just click on Pipeline and there it is.</s>LUI: And a last one pitch, 25,000 online video.</s>NGUYEN: Really?</s>LUI: So if you miss a report, you can always just go ahead and go to Pipeline.</s>NGUYEN: Any time you want.</s>LUI: Any time.</s>NGUYEN: That easy. Loving it, Richard. We're glad...</s>LUI: Like Jeanne Meserve's package.</s>NGUYEN: Exactly.</s>LUI: There you go.</s>NGUYEN: Good to have you here this morning. Ahead, we're going to talk about the military. It says it is using every means necessary to find those two missing soldiers in Iraq, so we're following the story for you all hour here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And we're going to bring you continuous updates.</s>LUI: Plus, it is Father's Day weekend and we're giving the gift of good health for you. What dads of all ages need to know to stay healthy. That's ahead.</s>NGUYEN: And a Texas neighborhood is being overtaken -- ooh. Ooh. Who wants to see -- being overtaken by that, apparently.</s>LUI: Not that.</s>NGUYEN: We're going to tell you more right here on CNN.