joining me now, my friend barbara starr, cnn's pentagon correspondent. she's seen these injuries firsthand and has ridden from the troops in afghanistan back to the states and a lot of hospitals around the united states. i know you're fascinated with this topic. let me start with pain. this is a vexing problem for military and civilian doctors alike. you've talked to the dalters at walter reed. what are they telling you about their approaches? >> they're telling me just what you described, a new way to address pain, pain management. whether you suffered from a traumatic injury from war or pain from a disease or something you're dealing with as a regular civilian. looking at it, not just as a symptom. but as a disease, if you will of the nervous system. how do you interrupt that pain signal that goes to your brain. you get injured, you have a problem, the pain signal goes to your pain. how do you very quickly interrupt it so it doesn't become a neurological pattern? they're looking at things like regionalan anc regional, anesthetics, nerve blocks, if you

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr went to ft.ell in kentucky for a first-hand look. >> reporter: this is an intense simulation. it's hot, loud, and stressful. staff agent aaron potter and other troops are voluntarily putting themselves through this grueling episode of fake blood and plastic wounded models for one reason, after weeks of behavioral therapy, all of these soldiers are trying to show they can't get back to their daily work, combat. these are only paint ball guns, but these troops all brain injured in the war, are determined to succeed. this is just one example of how the war may be affecting your medical care. doctors here at ft. campbell have developed a new approach to treating the type of war zone brain injuries that these troops are trying to recover from. it's a treatment you may find some day at your local hospital. in 2009 potter was knocked unconscious when hit by three ieds at once in iraq. he tells us during the first round of therapy he broke down under the stress. now, as he drives a convoy simulator, he i

>> barbara starr, great new details, fascinating details on this case of private first class naser abdohank you very much. >>> and for many more details on this soldier, what was found and what's expected to happen next, go to our security clearance blog at cnn.com/security. >>> a developing story that we're following this hour. new jersey governor chris christie checked into the hospital this morning after he experienced some difficulty breathing. his press secretary issued a statement that said out of an abundance of caution the governor went to the hospital and was given routine tests to check his asthma. the governor is being treated at somerset medical center in new jersey, and we'll bring you updates as soon as we get them. >>> polygamist leader warren jeffs fires all his attorneys and will be making his own case, it turns out. the very latest on that coming up. with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her d

procedures i need to get my skills back up. >> joining us is barbara starr. you know, it is one of the things i wonder, no matter how much you prepare, it will be completely different. you have seen this firsthand in afghanistan and iraq. were they nervous? did they feel well prepared? >> i think the doctors were happy to have the 30--day tour of duty before they went to the combat zone. it began to show them what they will be facing over there. as you saw in the piece, one of the doctors is an oncologist. he treats cancer patients. he is learning how to put in chest tubes and control bleeding and restore breathing when someone may be so traumatically injured. they have that trouble. it is the kind of thing doctors may not have done since they were interns or residents. they are getting back to the basic skills and learning how to step it up and move fast and make decisions fast. >> people forget that. as an oncologist, you are not taking care of traumatic patients on a daily basis. when you go to afghanistan, you cannot paint it with one broad brush. do they

he will relinquish his command in afghanistan in just a few hours and barbara starr is with me now. barbara, you have traveled with general petraeus many times. you know him personally. what do you suppose his feelings are about his mission there? >> well, i think for general petraeus it's probably bittersweet, fredricka. he has served in the u.s. military for more than three decades. everybody has got to retire at some time. finally he will take off the uniform, retire, and go on to his next job, of course. the chain of command ceremony will happen tomorrow in kabul. what he leaves behind is certainly a very tenuous situation in that country. petraeus both in iraq and afghanistan really was the godfather of this face of modern warfare that we call counter insurgency. rebuilding a country politically, economically, militarily it costs billions of dollars and can take decades. the u.s. will be out of both iraq and afghanistan but nothing to say that those countries won't remain very troubled in terms of their security, fred. >> all right. so talk about the security issues and how thin

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr spent time with a group of doctors, medics, nurses and medical teches who are all themselves now getting ready to deploy. for these men and women heading off to war, a big city hospital like the one where i work, can be a perfect training ground. >> reporter: dr. john renshaw stops to check on one of his patients. he suffered massive injuries at his job when he was caught in a conveyer belt. his cousin translates into their native haiti. renshaw is an oncologist. he treats cancer. why is he here? dr. john renshaw is major john renshaw, united states air force. he's deploying to the front lines of afghanistan to treat the war wound. but before he goes, he along with other military medical personnel will complete a tour of duty here at the university of maryland shock trauma center in baltimore. sharpening their ability to deal with critical trauma patients. >> the wounds appear to be superficial. >> category "a" now. >> trauma. >> trooper one. 15 up, 10 minutes back, fall from tree. category "a," priority 1. >> every day, dozens of trauma patients

barbara starr, you and i and our viewers will all be watching for that news conference. supposed to happen any minute now. i'm told that it's yet to begin. killeen, texas police will be giving it, and we'll be standing by for that. barbara starr, as always, thank you so much. >>> staying on the story here now on the line is the gun store sales clerk who so astutely alerted police to this man in killeen, texas. his name is greg ebert. he's also a former law enforcement officer and greg, quite a story here and i'm sure you're being inundated by media types like me and i appreciate you taking time. on tuesday you had this awol soldier, little did you know, comes into your gun store. do me a favor and begin with his behavior. can you describe, it anything odd or pretty normal guy? >> well, the only -- the only thing that drew our attention to this young man initially is the fact that he arrived here in a taxi. after he entered the store his purchase raised a red flag with me, and when i say red flag, he bought six one-pound canisters of smokeless gunpowder to the counter, an

check with the pentagon correspondent barbara starr. that a typo. ara, you can handle both beats, i'm sure, on the other hand. >> reporter: i would always refer to my friend dan lothian. if you think the phone hacking scandal in britain is grabbing world headlines, wait until you hear what is going on at the pentagon. that story is coming up. >>> i'm susan candiotti in new york. the fbi as barbara said is into their investigation into that possible phone hacking scandal in the u.s. and reaction from the 9/11 families. that in the next hour. >> reporter: president obama will be holding the second press conference this week here at the white house. a chance to not only prod congressional leaders to get an agreement on deficit deduction but explain to people what is happening here in washington. i'll have more on that story in the next hour. >>> also ahead, retirement. doesn't that word sound fantastic? but if you're single, you might not be saving enough to relax on that beach. we will explain. and he gives me a variety of options. would you like to ha

barbara starr is over at the pentagon. we'll check in with her.nuing the breaking news coverage right after this. ♪ ♪ look at that car, well, it goes fast ♪ ♪ givin' my dad a heart attack ♪ [ friend ] that is so awesome. ♪ i love my car [ engine revving ] [ male announcer ] that first chevy, yea, it gets under your skin. ♪ on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> lots of confusion about what will happen to the united states military if the u.s. can't pay its bills come due starting on tuesday. a spokesman for admiral mike mullen telling cnn the admiral doesn't know what the impact would be for the military as far as pay and compensation are concerned. he reinforced defense secretary leon pan

barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> all right.you're world cup champions. that is the mission of the u.s. women's soccer team tomorrow. but they have to go through japan. even if it means they have to listen to a little bit of this. ♪ slow down, you move to fast ♪ you've got to make the morning last ♪ ♪ yes, kicking down the cobblestone ♪ ♪ looking for fun and feeling groovy ♪ >> you've got to love that. that is the u.s. soccer team coach, and she actually sings to the team to try to relax them. we're getting a live report from germany. that is next. stay with me. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> all right. we want to head now to germany. zain verjee about to get hit by a vehicle there, it seems. zain, we just saw a c

cnn's pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, though with the details. >> reporter: it was here in thern afghanistan that army master sergeant benjamin stevenson was killed on his tenth combat tour of duty. this is the only photo the army will release of the soldier from ft. bragg's army special operations command. the military will say little about his extraordinary record. but cnn has been told by military sources stevenson was a veteran of the army's deeply classified world of special operations forces, highly trained in counterterrorist assault missions, the army equivalent of the navy s.e.a.l.s who killed osama bin laden. on july 21st, stevenson and others helicoptered at night into the mountains. the target, a camp of foreign fighters. the americans quickly came under fire and returned fire, killing nearly 50 insurgents. but at dawn, two more waves of insurgent s attacked. the u.s. repeatedly brought in reinforcements. precision bombs were dropped, helicopters fired, drones flew overhead. 30 more insurgents were killed. the u.s. troops found weapon stockpiles and these caves and

official telling cnn cia operatives are secretly working in somalia. >> barbara starr found out why. good morning to both of you. a u.s. official confirming to cnn this morning that cia personnel, indeed, have traveled to somalia, recently, to help with the interrogation of terror suspects in that country, people being held by somalis. this situation is described to us as being very rare, perhaps just a couple of cases where cia personnel have gone to somalia, but confirming that they are operating out of the airport there when personnel and u.s. aircraft go in and out of mogadishu, the capital of that troubled, very dangerous country, in east africa. so why is this happening? why this increase secret u.s. war in somalia with using both the cia and u.s. military commandos? well you just really have to look at that map. somalia is home to al shabaab, the al qaeda affiliate which is said by the united states to be increasing its ties to al qaeda. next door in yemen, the al shabaab, a very violent insurgent group in somalia. the u.s. is doing this because they want to support the somali

barbara starr is live for us at the pentagon. hey, barbara. >> good morning, soledad. of the 33,000 surge forces, in fact, yes, on their way home out of afghanistan now. u.s. officials are confirming about 650 troops mainly from the iowa national guard, left afghanistan on wednesday. they will not be replaced and that's how they're going to begin to achieve this draw down that president obama ordered. bring troops home as scheduled, don't send in new troops. soledad. >> the administration is jumping back into the don't ask, don't tell debate. what's happening now? >> well, this is really very interesting, but legally, a bit murky. the obama administration has asked a federal appeals court to suspend its ruling that would end enforcement of don't ask, don't tell in the u.s. military. what the obama administration says, it wants, is to keep to the new status quo, if you will, to follow that congressional law where the military will lift the ban on don't ask, don't tell. they're already working on it. they expect it within days to be able to tell the pentagon the services

for that side of the story, we turn to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, what can you tell us about this islamic militant group controlling large pieces of somalia? >> well, they are in control of the very area where millions of people are now at risk, fredricka. and the obama administration is making it very clear it wants this terrorist group to stay out of the way of international aid workers. >> reporter: nearly 4 million somalis are now facing famine. and in the middle of it all? the terrorist group known as al shabab. the al qaeda affiliate the u.s. has been targeting with air strikes and raids. al shabab which controls much of southern somalia says it will now allow outside aid groups back in. it banned them two years ago calling them western spies and crusade crusaders. u.s. officials worry trouble is ahead. >> neither the united states or others in the international community are prepared to pay bribes or taxes to al shabab chil it starves its own people. >> reporter: al shabab while fighting in recent years attacked aid convoys, seized fo

let's talk with barbara starr.head for panetta. >> reporter: as he came up the stairs, sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense, facing a host of issues around the world, of course. but, you know, a lot of what he may be doing here behind the scenes, after the handshakes and the smiles all around will be very reminiscent of his issues at the cia where he just left. secret wars really unfolding in places like somalia and yemen where al qaeda is on the rise and the cia where general david petraeus will be taking over. and the pentagon, both agencies in a strong partnership to conduct raids, air strikes and covert operations in both of those countries. think of it all as the war on terror 2.0. that's what panetta will be dealing with. >> he's going to be faced with getting troops out of two wars and of course a budget, a number of slashes to the department. >> reporter: a lot on his plate. you're absolutely right, of course. he's going to have to come up with a plan to cut $400 billion in defense spending over the ne

barbara starr is at the pentagon. barbara, what are the feds looking at specifically? >> reporter: well, you know, ever since the killing of osama bin laden, certainly a lot of concern and worry about what al qaeda might be up to next. a lot of concern about their focus on targeting u.s. interests abroad. this is the latest report from the department of homeland security. a bulletin warning that public utilities here at home may be at risk. and you're right. we are talking about everything from water, sewer, to power plant, including nuclear power plant utilities. the department of homeland security warning power plant operators to be on the lookout. let me tell you what dhs, the department of homeland security is saying about all of this. i want to quote very specifically. a department official telling cnn, quote, while dhs has no specific, credible, intelligence of an imminent threat posed to private-sector utilities several recent incidents highlight the ongoing threat to infrastructure from insiders and outsiders seeking facility specific information that might be

cnn correspondent, barbara starr, got a look at the technology and techniques firsthand.ow does this help military doctors in the war zone? >> well, randi, as part of the special report we were looking for sanjay gupta's morning show, we had a look at a very unique program where military doctors who are headed for the war zone are actually training at this civilian hospital. we hope nobody needs this kind of care, but they are learning to deal with the kinds of battlefield injuries, accidents, traumas, that they may see once they get to afghanistan. we want you to listen and watch some of the things that we saw when we went there. >> the wounds appear to be superficial. >> 15 up, and ten minutes back. category a, priority one. >> reporter: every day, dozens of trauma patients are wheeled here. this man came from multiple stab wounds. but right alongside the civilian trauma doctors, nurses and techs, military personnel. >> the injuries that i have treated here and see here at this hospital are the closest thing to the injuries that i saw in iraq that i experienced in the c

bash asta barbara starr is live at the pentagon. what does today's certification mean?the obama administration, later today, will certify. you're going to their word certification a lot to capitol hill to congress that once and for all, they are ready to lift the ban on gays openly serving in the u.s. military. what this means is the president, the secretary of defense, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the top military officer, will notify congress they are ready for the ban to be lifted, that recruiting and retention of the force will be just fine. that there will be nothing, obviously, that will harm readiness of the force. that they have trained the force to be able to deal with this, they have educated people and rewritten any of the regulations they need to re-write. a major advocacy group has come out and applauded this. i want to read to you what they said. quote, we are glad to see three weeks into his tenure as secretary of defense, he, obviously, leon panetta, is already confident that this policy change can take place with little or no disruptio

barbara starr from the pentagon.ure. >>> told is nelson mandela's birthday. he turns 93, and millions of school children around the country saying happy birthday to mandela before lessons begin today. take a listen. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ happy birthday dear nelson >> how else are people celebrating mandela on this special day? >> reporter: well, it is a special day for south africans, and there was, as you could hear, quite a lot of singing when i dropped my 4-year-old off at school this morning. it was quite touching to think that more than 12 million school children in south africa were at the same time singing happy birthday birthday. they view him as a member of the family, and of course as the grandfather of this nation. so for his birthday for 67 minutes everybody is encouraged here and also around the world to do 67 minutes of volunteering for your community. basically he and his people have said, don't give me a gift. rather, look next door and help somebody who needs a little bit

our barbara starr joins us from the pentagon. barbara, always good to see you.s kind of odd here. it seems like tough to get training here that will prepare you for the battlefields, and then you go to the battlefield, and it actually trains you to come back here and be better at your job as well, but you spent some time with doctors, medics and nurses that were going to be deployed? >> reporter: yeah. you know, it really is a medical two-way street, if you will. >> yeah. >> reporter: a lot of techniques being developed in the war to help people back home, if they suffer trauma, accidents, injuries here back home, there's been an awful lot of learning, sadly, about how to deal with all of this after all of these years of war, but for the sanjay gupta show we went to the baltimore shock trauma hospital quite close to washington here to have a look at a very unique training program that they have there where medical personnel, military medical personnel, about to go to the war zone first go to this local civilian trauma hospital to learn how to deal with some of t

>> barbara starr, thanks, barbara.es across the country now, kids in memphis, tennessee may be doing a little celebrating today. that's because the school district is keeping schools closed till the city ponies up 140 million bucks that the cities owes it. schools are to open august 8th. >>> in new york, the fire truck from ladder company three is returning to ground zero. it's been almost ten years since it was used to respond to the scene of the attacks. truck's going to be permanently installed in the 9/11 memorial museum. >>> talk about a close call. a woman had to be rescued from the niagara river right near the false. she had been hiking along the shore and slipped into the water. luckily for her, there was a tour boat nearby that swooped in for the rescue. >>> coming up, with more and more people embracing e books,ing are regular books virtually doomed? and she's been on sesame veet," "iron chef," now first lady michelle obama will appear on "extreme makeover home edition" and for a great cause. don't forget, if

. >> i'm barbara starr at the pentagon.d petraeus on monday will leave afghanistan as commander of the war and be replaced by marine general john allen. petraeus will retire from the army after decades of service, come back to washington and head the central intelligence agency. >> i'm paul steinhauser. tomorrow tim pawlenty begins a swing through iowa doing well in the state that holds the first contest in the race for the white house is crucial to winning the nomination. wednesday, what's billed as the first ever twitter presidential debate. six candidates say they will take part in the event put on by a tea party group. >> i'm poppy harlow in new york. a watch dog association in washington opens its doors on thursday. the consumer financial protection bureau inspects the books of the biggest banks to ensure they are abiding by credit card laws and respond to consumer complaints. the white house has yet to appoint a director due to opposition in congress. we'll get key reports on the housing market and also earnings from

other correspondent barbara starr is working the story. explain what this catch 22 is all about?reporter: there's a long standing group operating in southern somalia. they are an al qaeda affiliate and they have been gaining strength in controlling territory in that part of somalia for some time. this is the region where so many somalis are at risk. and the group banned aid groups from two years ago coming into the region and offering help. a few weeks ago they said okay they would let aide groups in. but within the last few hours now they said no, they reversed their position and they once again are banning international aid groups from coming in to somalia and help these people. the obama administration says it will not cut a deal with this group. it will not support aid going in if it means paying bribes, paying their so-called taxes. the catch 22 here fundamentally is that u.s. entities cannot deal with declared terrorist groups, that's what it is. and that's what making it even complicated now to get aid to these desperate people. >> are other european, other african countri

. >> i'm barbara starr at the pentagon.s this week, general david petraeus on monday will leave afghanistan as commander of that war, and be replaced by marine general john allen. petraeus will retire from the army after decades of service, come back to washington, and head the central intelligence agency. >>> i'm paul steinhauser. tim pawlenty tomorrow will begin a five-day swing through iowa. doing well there is crucial for his hopes of winning the republican presidential nomination. wednesday, what's being billed as the first-ever twitter presidential debate. six candidates will take part in the event. >>> i'm poppy har low in new york. a long awaited watch dog agency in new york opens its doors on monday. they will inspect the books of the country's biggest banks to be sure they are abiding by current credit card laws and respond to consumer complaints. but the white house has yet to appoint the director due to opposition in congress. also key reports this week on the housing market and also earnings from ge, coca-cola,

and in fact, a source close to rumsfeld told our own barbara starr that rumsfeld will actually meet withican presidential nomination to talk about these serious issues. the fact that rick perry is reaching out and really looking into domestic issues and talking more about foreign policy is a significant step. >> all right. we're watching this closely because rick perry is polling in recent polls third after mitt romney and michele bachmann and hasn't even declared. a distant third, but he's being talked about. thank you, i love that guy, mark preston. >>> we're following closely, less than 15 minutes from the loftlanding of the -- loftlanding of the space shuttle "atlantis" and the last landing of any landing at all. it will enter florida airspace at naples, florida, crossing over to the other side and landing at kennedy space center at 5:56 a.m. eastern time. we're getting very close to folks in florida hearing those twin sonic booms. and we're looking at -- that map says that it is over cuba right now. so we're getting very, very close. we'll stay on that for you live. >>> first, let's

let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. she's following this story for us. ell, wolf, millions of veterans are increasingly concerned about what might happen to their benefits if the government defaults. they say the big problem is no one in washington is telling them what's going on. 3 million american veterans receive government disability checks. the advocacy group disabled american veterans is now using soeshlg media in what they call a virtual march on washington. gathering messages from veterans worried those checks may disappear if washington can't agree on raising the debt ceiling and the government defaults. more than 15,000 people have logged on to the facebook site. >> mr. president, congress, veterans come to you today, this virtual march to let you know we stand arm and arm with each other, asking you and the politicians to throw away that "r" and that "d" and help the people, not your party. >> we heard from people concerned nationwide they're not going to get their checks. disability checks, gi checks, retirement checks, even paychecks. we're h

barbara starr is joining us live from the pentagon. tell us more about this pretty usa young man. >> reporter: he will receive the medal of honor later today from president obama in the white house what they call acting above and beyond the call of duty. it was a very daring daylight raid that they were on. usually, these types of compound raids take place under the cover of darkness. they went in during the day after insurgents. when they got in the compound, heavy fire end. the only place to find cover was a chicken coop and where they tried to fire back from. petree, a grenade tossed to his area in the chicken coop. he picked it up, already wounded and threw it back at the insurgents. it went off in his hand and he lost his right hand. but according to other troops who were there with him under fire, they very much credit him with saving their lives. if you just want to understand something about this 32-year-old soldier, consider this. he's now been in the war zone on eight different tours of duty in iraq and afghanistan. he is sti

barbara starr has seen these advancements firsthand. hem, barbara. >> well, kyra, you wouldn't think military medicine and care we traveled to a hospital a few miles away from washington, d.c., to look at a program where military doctors about to deploy to the war zone first go to this hospital to get crucial training in how to deal with battlefield injuries. you know, back home they might be reservice or regular military docs dealing with the sore throats. it's all about blast injuries and burns and life-threatening injuries so they need to brush up on the medical skills. i want to you listen for a minute to one of the military doctors at the baltimore hospital telling us about some of the cases he's dealing with stateside. >> category a, priority one. >> reporter: every day, dozens of trauma patients are wheeled into these bays. some are accident victims. this young man came with multiple stab wounds. but right alongside the civilian trauma doctors and nurses and techs, military personnel. a surgeon runs the military training program h

but i want to look at the challenge of walter reed living up to its path with barbara starr at the pentagon, he's a u.s. marine, i will not say former, there's no such thing. but todd, what does walter reed mean to the men and women in uniform? >> the best way to sum it up is that it's history, but at the end it's something that's very powerful because when you first arrive at walter reid, obviously you've been injured, and to be able to make that next step and see where you're going to move on in life makes it a scary place, but it's the best place that the military has to offer. >> tell us about this decision to pack it up and move it. what's behind this? >> this has been going on for years, this is part of what the pentagon calls base closure, they try and shut down either out of date or inefficient bases. in the case of walter reed, it was an aging facility showing its age, there was plenty of new medical technology that needed to be brought in for the troops and they decided rather than spending the money refurbishing the the hospital, they would move it to bethesda, build a new facili

barbara starr is live at the pentagon. rbara, i think we can assume this is about potentially an impact on their benefits in the next week or so if the country defaults on its bills? >> reporter: absolutely, suzanne. veterans groups tell us they started getting phone calls from the white house late last night asking them to come to a 4:30 briefing at the white house this afternoon to talk about what will happen to veterans benefits if the debt ceiling is not raised and also, the broader implication of the potential budget cutting, the deficit reduction talks that will go along most likely with any debt ceiling agreement. veterans groups tell us they are very concerned because they say for them, this is unprecedented. if the debt ceiling is not raised, there is no promise at this point that their disability checks, their benefits checks and benefits to some veterans' families will remain intact. they simply don't know what will happen to them. they say that is the major concern. one veterans advocate saying he is getting e-m

now, barbara starr's contacts are saying that this has happened very rarely, the cia agents are there they might get the interrogators to ask a question, they're not directly involved, it's only happened a couple of times, but what it really does point to is growing concern in the u.s. intelligence area that they're getting too cozy and they're worried about more terror coming out of somalia. >> it really says something about how concerned they really are and how serious the situation is if they're putting cia members in somalia. we know how dangerous it can be for our own people. >> it's one of the most dangerous places to be. it's still a country largely run by warlords and clans and militias as well. to have cia people in there to even observe interrogations, i can't imagine how worried they really are. >> how forthcoming are these people going to be? >> what we've heard is they haven't had a lot of success. no actionable information has come out of these interrogations, but the fact they're happening is the relevant thing, which is interesting. >> i also want to talk about this st

barbara starr, let's begin there at the pentagon.t was sent out last month regarding the navy. >> that's right, brooke. the chief naval operations, the head officer in the u.s. navy, not very happy right now. the commander of an air squadron was relieved of duty for what's described as an alcohol-related incident while on port call in the middle east. that is just the latest. so far this year, 14 commanding officers in the united states navy, relieved of duty for misconduct. 14 wrapping up july. but that compares to 17 also of last year. that has led admiral gary roughhead, the ceo to write a blunt four-page memo reminding commanding officers, and i quote, you will be held accountable to the highest scan dards of conduct. that from the cno to the fleet, reminding them not to misbehave. brooke? >> so we're still in july here. you mentioned alcohol incidents. what else have some of these guys been up to? >> there have been alcohol incidents, allegations of inappropriate relationships. there was an incident when a commanding officer was

barbara starr will join us to discuss how a terrorists group tied to al qaeda is affecting international crisis. >>> in the meantime, can you go to cnn.com/impact on find out how can you help. honey bunny. [ babbles ] [ laughs ] we would do anything for her. my name is kim bryant and my husband and i made a will on legalzoom. it was really easy to do. [ spits ] [ both laugh ] [ shapiro ] we created legal zoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. ♪ ♪ i'm back in the saddle again ♪ ♪ out where a friend is a friend ♪ [ gulps ] ♪ where the longhorn cattle feed ♪ ♪ on the lowly gypsum weed ♪ back in the saddle again see how affordable an rv vacation can be. visit gorving.com and watch a free video. go affordably. go rving. >>> here's a run down of some of the stories we're working on. the bright issue prime minister is doing all he can to distance himself with the news corp prices. >>> and then the grid iron gridlock finally over? we have the latest on the nfl lockout. later, chec

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is following this story for us, following the money, full. rbara? >> reporter: look, wolf, it seems like we are standing here every week chatting about another case of corruption in the war zone. this time a military review of a trucking contract, a $2 billion-plus trucking contract in afghanistan that moves more than 70% of the goods and materiel that u.s. troops need at their remote fire bases, moves it all across afghanistan. the military in kabul looked at this $2 billion plus contract and found payoffs and corruption. one u.s. official telling us, and we quote from what he explained to us, that when they looked at it there were concerns about, quote, fraudulent paperwork and behavior, indications dollars were flowing to criminals and the enemy. what we are talking about is a web of payoffs. the contractors who run the trucking companies, hire subcontractors, the subcontractors then pay or police and security officials who pay off the taliban or criminals so that their trucks get safe passage across insurgent zones in afghanistan. is it re

i'm going to talk much more about this this weekend with our pentagon correspondent barbara starr, incredible stories to share. back to you. >> thanks, as always, sanjay gupta. >>> egypt's tahrir scaquare the scene of a new protest. we used to bet who could get closest to the edge. took some crazy risks as a kid. but i was still over the edge with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. 80% of people who have had heart attacks have high cholesterol. lipitor is a cholesterol lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if y

. >>> and then want to bring in our own barbara starr, who has a story of a texas soldier of having bomb-making materials near ft. hood, texas. what do we know about that? >> a matter of concern to the u.s. military and local law enforcement. 21-year-old army private 1st class abdo was arrested outside ft. hood texas. it all came because of a local tip-off from a gun shop owner, and he was acting suspicious, and they stopped him and when they searched his hotel room, they found weapons, and 18 pounds of sugar, and a pressure cooker, and ammunition magazines, and officials tell us it could be construed as bomb-making material. they know of no direct threat of ft. hood, texas, but ft. hood, texas is always of concern and sensitivity because in 2009 there was a mass shooting there, and 12 killed and 31 wounded by a psychiatrist. we're told they may face federal charges an soon as today. they are looking into any evidence they can find any threats he might have made against ft. hood. at this time officials are not revealing any public threat, and the army officials are saying ft. hood is safe at th

barbara starr joins me from the pentagon. tell us what happened that day.2008, but walk us through it. >> well, you know, randi, this was in eastern afghanistan when sergeant petrrie's unit went into a compound to conduct a rare daylight raids. usually things in high threat areas where they encounter opposition happen at night. they went in at the daytime and entered a compound area and came under heavy fire. the only place it to take cover was in a chicken coop. so the sergeant and a couple of his army buddies went in there under fire. he gets wounded, others are wounded. still, the fire keeps coming. the insurgents tossed a grenade into the area. the sergeant already wounded picks up the grenade to save his buddies and tosses it back. it exploded in his hand causing catastrophic amputation of his right hand. people who were there say that they feel they owed their lives to him. this is why the medal of honor is awarded for what the military calls conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty. that's what the sergeant did that day. just

barbara starr is live at the pentagon this morning. how is he being received at the cia?rward to this? >> he is taking off that uniform after 37 years. he will take a couple of weeks off and spend some time with his family. then the plan is for him to arrive at the cia essentially at the beginning of september. petraeus is going to have the same challenge there that so many incoming cia directors have. he's going to have to show that work force he is one of them, he understands their problems and challenges. at the cia the war on terror is shifting. we are seeing a lot of the developments and operations really pick up in places like yemen and somalia. of course, top concerns always pakistan and what's going on inside that country and north korea and perhaps the number one target, if you will, for gathering intelligence about what they are up to may well be iran. the u.s. believes iran is really trying to extend its influence in both afghanistan and iraq and around the world. there will be a lot of effort over the coming years to see what iran is up to. general petraeus in

our barbara starr is there and joins us live. what should we be watching for today, barbara? him walking up the stairs of the pentagon this morning. to become defense secretary. there will be lots of handshakes and smiles in public but we want to tell you what will be happening in the shadows around the pentagon. think of it as the war on terror 2.0. leon panetta and david petraeus, who will be taking over for him at cia as we continue to watch the picture and wait for him to arrive. both of those men are very big into the new war on terror. these secret covert operations in places like somalia and yemen will al qaeda is on the rise and making a lot of effort to try and strike in europe or in the united states. so these new secret operations, the war on terror 2.0, front and center, for both of these men. but for panetta, also, he has to find a way to cut $400 billion from the defense budget' get u.s. troops out of afghanistan and out of iraq and speaking of iraq, june has been the deadliest month for u.s. troops in iraq in two years. a fact not lost on the new secretary of d

barbara starr live at the pentagon for the story. these guys are one more impressive than the next.way and it cost him his hand. >> it did, indeed, ali and kiran. when the sergeant steps up to the podium at the white house later this afternoon next to the president of the united states he truly will step into history. we hear the words conspicuous gal lantry, we hear the words above and beyond the call of duty but for sergeant first class leeroy pettry, to hear what happened to this young man, 2008 in eastern afghanistan, they were in the middle of a brutal fire fight in a daylight raid. the only place they could take cover in this compound was in a chicken coup. so he and some other soldiers took cover in there, under fire. he is wounded. then the insurgents throw a grenade right at him and his buddies. already wounded he picks up the grenade, with disregard for his own safety, of course, own life, he picks up that live grenade and throws it back at the insurgents. the grenade detonated in his hands, catastrophically amputating one of his hands. he has a prosthetic. he remains on d