ivan watson is in afghanistan. >> reporter: they are not releasing the nationality of the passengers,ne of the passengers or crew were military personnel. they are also saying that this was not a result of any kind of hostile fire. there will be an investigation into this. this is the third crash in the last two days. earlier today there was also a hard landing, an emergency landing by a u.s. military helicopter in eastern afghanistan in the kunar province. we are told the passen jers and crew were being treated for injuries. we don't have further injuries on that except there was not hostile fire. yesterday, we had an f-15 war plane that crashed in the predawn hours with two crew members killed, so a difficult day for aviation. despite that, we traveled with marine helicopters and i believe we have video to show you, we traveled around hellman province. i traveled with 10,000 marines that have moved into the area. 4,000 launched an offensive earlier this month moving into the area that the taliban soldiers had control. during the trip, we stopped at several bases and it was very clea

there's our ivan watson. can you hear me okay? you hearing me okay? ent appear ivan is hearing me. ivan this is t. j. and betty in atlanta. >> reporter: i hear you fine. there's, unfortunately, a long delay in our satellite communications. i'm in a remote -- i hear you fine, t. j. unfortunately there's a long delay here. about this helicopter crash, it occurred before noon local time at kandahar air field, to the east of where i'm located now. a civilian helicopter crashed. the spokesman for that air base is not giving any details about whether there were any injuries or deaths at all. he has not even identified really what kind of a helicopter it was, aside being a civilian contractor. and he did say, though, this was not as a result of hostile fire. this has been a difficult day for aircraft around afghanistan. we're getting reports from the u.s. military of a military helicopter making a hard landing, t. j., in eastern kunar province and there were injuries, some of the crew have been treated, have been rushed to medical care after that took place.

ivan watson embed would the u.s. troops. thanks, ivan. >>> we want to update you on the latest casualties. 37 u.s. troops have died this month in afghanistan alone. at least ten of those deaths came in held mand province in southern afghanistan. the marines began the push this month and since 2001, 666 u.s. troops have died in afghanstep. >>> head over to the severe weather center right now and rob marciano is standing by. almost the weekend, time to go. >> a lot of folks out west or maybe you're going there. flood warning in effect for vegas and southern arizona, already seeing showers pop up. the monsoon, this time of year you'll see more humidity and a flow from the south and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon and some could come down in a hurry and flooding always a possibility with that. minneapolis, east across the river and towards wisconsin, heavy thunderstorms here. haywood, wisconsin, want to point that out. lumberjack championships. >> i have seen it, been there, experienced it. >> i can just see you in your

our ivan watson is embedded with u.s. marines. we'll talk to him as soon as he becomes available to us. >>> first off, protecting your health. are you willing to pay more to reinvent the nation's health care system? if your answer's no, then who should foot the bill? and later this hour, we'll hear from the head of the republican party. >>> first, though, new signs of compromise in washington. here's suzanne malveaux. >>> facing a tough week ahead, president obama is trying to recapture the spotlight in the health care debate. >> i will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade. >> reporter: this after a devastating announcement on friday by the congressional budget office that the administration's health care bill would raise health care costs and add $239 billion to the deficit over ten years. the white house dispatched their head of health care kathleen sebelius. >> this is a work in progress, the good news is the health and senate are actively working and share the president's goal that over

we get the latest now from our ivan watson in helmand province. >> reporter: they're not releasing the nationality of these passengers but they say none of the passengers or crew were military personnel. they are also saying this was not the result of any kind of hostile fire. there will be an investigation into this. this is the third crash in the last two days. earlier today there was also a hard landing, an emergency landing, by a u.s. military helicopter in eastern afghanistan, in kunar province, and we're told that the passengers and crew were being atreated for injuries. we don't have further details on that except there wasn't hostile fire. yesterday we had an f-15 strike eagle, the first we believe u.s. sixth wing warplane that crashed in the predawn hours with two crew members killed. it's a very difficult day for aviation. despite that, we traveled with marine helicopters, and i believe we have some video that we can show you, traveled around helmand province. this is a very difficult province in the south of afghanistan today, i traveled with u.s. marines as some 10,000 mari

we'll hear more from gretchen peters and ivan watson again. and now feels absolutely close to afghanistan. breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day

our ivan watson embedded with them as they hit back at heroin, a deadly harvest for the war-torn country reporter: the marines that i'm with right now from the second armored reconnaissance battalion, they took a step this week that they believe will try to limit the number of deadly roadside bombs that the taliban has access to. they have been moving through a nearby market and gathering tons, literally tons of poppy seeds for that cash crop, which grows opium and can be used to make heroin. those are 1,000-pound bombs dropped on more than 1,600 sacks of poppy seed. it's going to definitely put a dent into the poppy harvest here in southern afghanistan, which can be described as the opium capital of the world. >> reporting for cnn's ivan watson. back on our shores, tonight a few thousand voters could have a huge say in the battle to legalize pot. votes are now being counted in a referendum that would tax medical marijuana. if it's approved, it would be the first tax on the drug. in the meantime california residents looking to toke up can use their iphone to find out where. check out thi

ivan watson embedded with the u.s. marines there. we sure do appreciate the reporting. thanks so much, ivan. >>> two brothers risk their lives to save a mother and her two children. the dramatic rescue is all caught on tape. >>> in milwaukee, wisconsin, two brothers also offduty firefighters are being called heroes after they helped save a mother and her two young children. and a quick warning here, even though this is a great story, the video may be difficult for some people to watch. police say the woman hit a tree and her suv burst into flames. everyone inside was trapped. the men immediately jumped into action. >> step back! there's a baby in there. >> the men broke the windshield and quickly pulled the mother and her 2-year-old daughter out from the flames. the 4-year-old boy had to be cut free from his car seat. and the boy has burns now on 30% of his body and is still in critical condition. and an envir. between consuming less and conserving more. there is one important word: how. and it is the how that makes all the difference. to the planet we all share. >>> hea

cnn's ivan watson reports from helmand province, afghanistan. >> the search is on. the story about how this american soldier was captured, it is still kind of fuzzy. there are different accounts the taliban has give than the private gave in his hostage video and the u.s. military have given. the basic facts are that he went missing at the end of june and he was declared captured probably by the u.s. military around july 2nd. and he has been missing since then. i think one of the remarkable things about this, frederica, this conflict in afghanistan has been going to on for nearly eight years, eight years since the taliban was overthrown. the remarkable thing is that we don't have previous cases of american soldiers being capture aid live up until this point. that is really remarkable. of course that is not going to help this young man who has been taken hostage and unfortunately, the insurgents have been known to kill their captives in the past. that's going to be threat for this young man. >> ivan watson reporting there. >>> the white house has a packed schedule thi

ivan watson, thank you so much. of course we'll talk more about what is taking place in afghanistan at 4:00 eastern today -- we are taking an indepth look at the u.s.-led offensive in the country. the faces of the conflict. the drug trade fueling it. and the u.s. strategy in what is dubbed obama's war. as you watch this war evolve what are your observations your concerns, questions. post your comments on our blog at cnn.com/fredericka. or on facebook. you can call us -- we may use your comments today in the 4:00 eastern hour. >>> backing democracy in iran. human rights supporters in some 100 cities worldwide are taking to the streets to kay to show the iranian people that they're not alone. they're calling for the release of hundreds of iranians, arrested during last month's demonstrations against the country's disputed election. president mahmoud ahmadinejad is set to be sworn into office in less than two weeks. >>> finding the lessons in the arrest of a harvard professor, amid charges of racial profiling. lzoom. m

afghanistan, ivan watson is in kabul, the capital. returned from being embedded with marines in southern afghanistan and it's been a really hard hit in that area and it's been a very difficult month for the marines and other international forces. >> absolutely. what you had on the ground there, tony. a major u.s. military offensive to try to push the taliban out of some of its safe havens in southern afghanistan. summer is the fighting season here in afghanistan, traditionally, tony. the deadliest month yet for u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan, tony. some 40 american forces killed this month, more than 30 nato forces in addition to that killed. the bloodiest, deadliest month for nato and u.s. forces since this war began some eight years ago. and the taliban tactics have evolved over these years. what we have seen over the past couple weeks, taliban insurgents strapped with suicide bomb vests attacking a number of eastern cities armed that same time. and they run in and they blow up the bombs and they shoot at the same time. it's a

. >>> all week we've been bringing you powerful reporting from cnn's ivan watson.e's embedded with the marines in afghanistan. have you seen some of this stuff? well, today he filed a real moving story of sacrifice. >> reporter: in an all-but-forgotten corner of afghanistan, u.s. marines have taken residence in a centuries-old mud/brick fort they call the castle. they captured the fortress from the taliban earlier this month, but the insurgents have not given up. on thursday, they attacked the castle with mortars, mortally wounding this man, sergeant ryan lane. >> we nicknamed sergeant lane the little guy. he's a little guy. always talking about his heighth. >> reporter: before shipping out on this tour, lane studied dari and pashto better communicate with the locals. it's been a bloody summer for delta company. he's the third marine from the cass toll be killed in just two weeks. >> what great reporting from cnn's ivan watson in afghanis n afghanistan. >>> world's away in los angeles, a blazing scene and a good samaritan. what a great story. check this out it's fr

reporter ivan watson is with them.ate on a young boy rescued with family members from a burping vehicle. you will hear the emotional thanks to bystanders from a very grateful father. i'm wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." >>> as the president steps up pressure to congress to quickly put up health care reform, he is also feeling the heat from a skeptical public. up on capitol hill, senators are behind closed doors and cnn's senior congressional correspondent dana bash is live outside the office of the senate finance committee chairman. a lot of stuff going on behind that door behind you, dana. >> reporter: that is right, wolf. the democratic leadership, they had hoped that the work that has been going on behind these doors for months now would bear fruit in time for the president's prime time news conference tomorrow night. but that is looking very unlikelism and i can tell you that a senior democratic source tells cnn that there is some frustration if the words of this source that have been repeatedly misse

ivan watson, cnn, reporting from helmand province in southern afghanistan. >>> well, afghanistan just hasn't cornered the world's heroin market, it owns. since 9/11, it is reported that afghans have been responsible for 90% of the hair wayne sold worldwide. it's fertile ground for the dea and that what brings me to my guest in arlington, virginia, thomas harrigan is assistant administrator and chief of operations. he's going to be sending a number of more agents to afghanistan. tom, i just have to ask you, learning about this, reading about this, seeing these reports coming out of afghanistan from our ivan watson are should be more concerned about terrorists breeding in afghanistan and coming here and killing us, or the growth of heroin getting into the hands of drug dealers over here and killing us that way? >> well, obviously, kyra, both of those are major concerns to us. what we're trying to do in the dea, in close consultation with the department of state, with ambassador holbrooke with ambassador eichenberry is send several additional agents to afghanistan, not just to kabul, but

ivan watson is on the ground now in afghanistan. he's in the area. know you have been making phone calls. give us the latest on what you have been able to find out. >> reporter: i'm far from where this action is taking place. i'm in the south of the country. cnn is working the story. what we have gotten so far from khost was an attack mounted. a suicide bomber attacking near an afghan military hospital and there are fears that there are other suicide bombers out on the loose right now and we're getting reports from the sources that afghan troops are out in force in the streets trying to crack down and trying to maintain security in those streets. those accounts don't match with what the associated press has been reporting, t.j., quoting the defense ministry spokesman who described up to three suicide bombers launching a series of attacks on government buildings in that town backed up by other fighters using rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles in that attack. that fits a pattern we've seen in the past evolving in afghanistan. sophisticated at

. >> we sent ivan watson there, his look at how a government is coming together behind the ancient mudthere is a timeless quality to afghanistan, sometimes you really feel like you're going back in time when you visit here and now more than ever, because we're walking on the ramparts of a century as old afghan fortress. and the remarkable thing about this structure is that the u.s. marines, a modern fighting force are using this as a military base. they are protecting themselves behind these walls from insurgents who have been operating out in the fields and the canals and gullies out there. the insurgents have fired rocket propelled grenades at this lotion, fired small arms and lobbed deadly mortars into this castle. we had a loud night in the castle last night because the marines were hunting for a suspected insurgent more star team outbeyond the walls. to help the patrols they were firing illumination round. the work that's being done here is so important because there's an experiment underway. within the walls of the castle are the beginnings of a fledgling district government. afg

ivan watson there embed would the u.s. marine down there in helmand province. we'll stay in contact with ivan. >>> doctor's care. what you look like, could that affect the way doctors treat you? how to tell if your doctor might have a hidden bias. >>> in our empowered patient segment, a new study finds at least one large new york city health care network, more than 40% of doctors react negatively to obese patients. doctors said they felt frustrated treating obese patients, but obese people are not the only one experiencing differences. troubling statistics. first off, why would doctors be frustrated with obese patients? >> part of it is they get frustrated because they want to help these people. they teld their obese patients to lose weight and then it doesn't happen because we all know how hard it is to lose weight and the doctors feel frustrated like their job is to help these people and it's not happening. that's one reason. but another reason that's interesting, when we talked to the study authors they said, look, some people are just bias towards fat people

a cnn exclusive, our ivan watson shows what u.s. marines are up against in the afghan desert.he traders at td ameritrade are a demanding bunch. that's why td ameritrade's proprietary order routing technology consistently seeks the best available price. command center 2.0 lets you customize your trading space, and it's free. with superior tools like these, traders get what they want. td ameritrade. independence is the spirit that drives america's most successful investors. announcer: trade commission free for 30 days, plus, get $100 cash when you open an account. (announcer) illness doesn't care where you live... ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on. >>> a republican on the senate judiciary committee puts aside doubts on sonia sotomayor and supports he

ivan watson, cnn, afghanistan.

ivan watson for us in helmand province. thank you. >>> and a surprise confession from the lone surviving suspect in the terrorist attacks on mumbai last year. an indian court, the man seen in this picture, muhammad kasab changes his plea to guilty. he was one of ten gunmen who terrorized india's financial capital for several days last november. more than 160 people, as you'll remember, were killed. police say the other suspects died in the attacks. >>> president obama's push for health care reform tops his agenda today. he meets next hour with health care providers and he makes remarks in about two hours. but the president's push for reform is running into road blocks. details from white house correspondent suzanne malveaux. >> reporter: facing a tough week ahead, president obama is trying to recapture the spotlight in the health care debate. >> i will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade. >> reporter: this after a devastating announcement on friday by the congressional budget office

>> our ivan watson keeping us in touch with the ongoing war there in afghanistan. embedded with the marines in the helmand province. great work, ivan. appreciate it. >>> meanwhile, hollywood megastar, angelina jolie, is in iraq, part of her ongoing role as a goodwill ambassador the united nations. today she visited a refugee cam top draw attention to iraqis still displaced by the religious violence that decimated so many neighborhoods around that country. in an exclusive interview with cnn, jolie said now is not the time for the outside world to turn its back on the people of iraq. >> this region of the world, the stability of this region, is important to all of us. there are still 3 million people displaced, innocent families. we have still many young men and women from our country who are fighting every day. there are many men and women from all countries who have lost their lives, and this is a time to try to make some positive change. and so we have to -- this is -- this is -- in working in cambodia and other areas of the world that i've worked in, that so often

ivan watson joining us live from afghanistan. thank you, ivan. >>> a video has surfaced that appears to show a missing american soldier in afghanistan. the taliban is claiming to be holding the man. let's take a look at it here. the associated press reporting that u.s. military officials confirm this is the american soldier who has been missing since june 30th. no name has been released publicly. the ap provided a portion of the video to cnn. the ap says the 28-minute video shows the man's military dog tag with his name and i.d. number. cnn has not been able to confirm this information. in this video that we're seeing, when the man speaks, he addresses several topics. he also includes his thoughts on being held captive. >> scared i won't be able to go home. it is very unnerving to be a prisoner. >> our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is on the phone with us this morning. barbara, what's the pentagon saying about this video? >> reporter: t.j., there is no official comment, yet we do expect one in the coming hours. i can tell

ivan watson, cnn, khan neshen, afghanistan. >>> and coming up in the 2:00 p.m., right here in the "cnn newsroom," we are expecting connecticut senator chris dodd to tell all of us in a news conference what he told his local paper at the "hartford courant" that he has early stage prostate cancer. we want to talk about this with our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, and elizabeth, what's ahead for the senator? >> well, what's ahead for the senator is we're told that he's going to have surgery. >> yes. >> which is a not uncommon approach for prostate cancer. it's an interesting cancer in that people do different things. some men actually choose to do watchful waiting, mean that they don't actually do a therapy or a surgery. other people have surgery. sometimes people will do surgery and radiation. people do all sorts of different approaches. however, the good news about prostate cancer is that especially if it is -- if it is caught at the right time, it is quite survivable. if that's a word. >> survival rates are high? >> survival rates are high. ten y

. >> ivan watson in afghanistan. >>> the french president nicolas sarkozy is in the hospital after suddenly becoming ill this weekend. the 54-year-old became faint while jogging near his official residence. sarkozy did not lose consciousness and initial tests show nothing abnormal there. but he will be understandard heart monitoring until tomorrow morning. >>> still ahead -- >> i called michael, the archangel of sound, song and dance. >> also, stick around, live here on cnn, we'll take you to fairbanks, alaska and sarah palin's farewell speech. but is it a farewell? >>> about 37 minutes, sarah palin expected to make her farewell speech live in fairbanks, alaska. cnn will have it for you. if it happens before 7:00 eastern though, we'll have it as well so stick around. >>> a white police officer and a black harvard professor are keeping a low profile this weekend after the arrest that sparked a racially charged political tore rent that even rattled the white house. cambridge police sergeant james crowley and professor henry louis gates have been asked to sit down for a beer with the president

ivan watson, cnn, in southern afghanistan. >>> that does it for us. i'll be back tomorrow. meanwhile, t.j. holmes is filling in for rick sanchez today. >>> coming at you now, sarah palin says farewell with a couple parting shots. >> how about in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up. >> point taken. but what we really want to know is what's next for the ex-governor? one of rick's regulars weighs in with republican strategy. >>> i've been in the army for ten years. didn't even know it. >> okay, that's a problem. especially if you just want to go home but airport security thinks you're a deserter. >>> i would have a lot more money if i take this kid's tonsils out. >> the president of the american medical association says that's not exactly true. he's here to sort that out. while we're on that topic, the long hot summer of health care debate losing steam as we approach the recess. who will win, who will lose? your national conversation this monday, july 27th, starts right monday, july 27th, starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good aft

. >> ivan watson joining us by phone, and as he noted the deadliest month for u.s.ces in the afghan war. we are waiting for word on the two crew members of that f-15 fighter jet that went down in afghanistan. we're following this story very closely. >>> from the cnn center, this is "cnn saturday morning." it is july 18th. good morning, everybody. >> hello there. 7:00 here in atlanta, georgia, where with we sit. it is 6:00 in st. louis, four:00 a.m. in phoenix. we're glad you could start your day with us. we are remembering a man who meant so much to us in this business, meant so much to the country for so many years, walter cronkite dead at the age of 92. we're going to be looking back at his extraordinary career and also talking to his friends this morning. >>> and senators, they tried to pin her down on race and discrimination, but judge sonia sotomayor, she survived it all. armed with strong support from democrats and even a few republicans, the question is, what is next for her as she awaits the august vote? >>> also, you can buy all kinds of stuff online these

ivan watson joined us earlier from the phone from afghanistan. >> reporter: what we've got so far, from an afghan military official and some of the residents of khost is there is some kind of attack mounted. at least one confirmed suicide bomber attacking here, an afghan military hospital in that eastern town and there are fears that there are other suicide bombers out on the loose right now and we're getting reports from these sources that afghan troops are out in force in the streets trying to crack down, trying to maintain security in those streets. those accounts don't quite match with what the associated press has been reporting, quoting the defense ministry spokesman, who has described up to three suicide bombers launching a series of attacks on government buildings in that town, backed up by other fighters using grenades and assault rifles as well in that attack. that fits a pattern we've seen in the past evolving in afghanistan, increasingly sophisticated attacks where there are waves of fighters initially with suicide bombers who break open the defenses and they are followed so

. >> ivan watson reporting from camp dwyer in afghanistan. 50 coalition troops have died this month.hat's the highest of any month since the 2001 invasion. >>> investigators are trying to figure out what caused a train crash in san francisco. dozens of people were injured when one city train slammed right into another at a boarding platform here. three people are now hospitalized in serious condition. a transit system spokesman says investigators are looking into possible mechanical and human errors. one witness says that a train operator wasn't even looking where he was going. >> barreling in, not slowing down. the driver's head was down. he looked like he was asleep or passed out or -- couldn't tell, but he was not looking up. he was not slow slowing down or braking or -- no signals, nothing. you could tell he was not going to stop. just crashed right into the rear of the train. >> this is the third serious crash on u.s. transit systems since may. other two were in boston and washington, d.c. >>> a 30-year-old man is in custody in connection with the killings of six people in two s

our ivan watson shows and tells in afghanistan. >>> hello, everyone, i'm kyra phillips live in the cnn headquarters in atlanta. and you're live in the "cnn and you're live in the "cnn newsroom." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> so, how often does congress do something that affects the well-being, physical and financial, of every person in america? almost never. but that's what's happening as lawmakers try to make health care available to everybody while reining in costs. it hasn't been happening as quickly or as smoothly as president obama would like, so tonight he'll do what ordinary lobbyists can't and hold a prime-time, nationally televised news conference. you'll see it live right here on cnn. >>> but before that you'll see the problems, the possibilities, through the eyes of a family doctor. a doctor who turned down his own employer's insurance coverage. he'll tell us what he has learned as a health care consumer. >>> the president's not the only one doing news conferences, but the real work is taking place far out of siting of the cameras, and that's the focus of our sen

ivan watson is embedded with those troops in helmand province. >> after living four days in the desert the reconssentence is heading back to its convoy outpost. it's been a bumpy, long ride. our vehicles have gotten stuck in deep sand while traveling through the desert trying to avoid those deadly improvised explosive devices that killed two men from this unit last week. the trip is far from hoerve. after days in the desert, seeing the waters of the helmand river, incredibly refreshing sight. you may not know this, but these vehicles are amphibious and everybody is impatient to get back to their outposts now. the combat outposts. and everybody's tired, sweaty and filthy and probably hoping to maybe take a dip in that river. >> home, sweet, home. >> we're in the helmand river and the kind marines who have been taking us around town, i guess what is this going to be, the first bath in a while. >> oh, yeah, couple days. >> all right, not only are these marines enjoying the swim, but they're also washing their clothes and i think i'm going to partake, as well. cnn, helmand river, in afghan

the exclusive video was shot by cnn's ivan watson embedded with marines in afghanistan. afghanistan accounts for 90% of the world's heroin supply and the profits are often used to fund the insurgency. >>> the u.s. army is about to get a bit bigger. defense secretary robert gates just announced plans to add an additional 20,000 troops to the military. gates says the expansion is needed to help meet needs around the world and he says it'll help meet the strain of deployment which has forced many service members to serve lengthy and repeated rotations in afghanistan or iraq. right now the army has a total troop strength of 547,000. >>> 40 years ago today the eagle lunar module landed on the surface of the moon. neil armstrong took one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, and accomplished something americans had only dreamed of. president obama met with the apollo 11 astronauts this afterno afternoon. he called them american heroes. >> i think on this 40th anniversary we are -- all of us are i think grateful to all of you for what you've done and we expect that th

our ivan watson was recently embedded with troops in one of the country's most dangerous areas. he is joining us live on this. iv ivan, what were the soldiers you were with talking about, some of their greatest concerns? >> well, compared to last year, with the u.s. marines and southern afghanistan when a lot of the marines were complaining about being on a forgotten war, now it seemed like the marines were much more confident, that they have the backing of the u.s. government, the number of american troops on the ground have nearly doubled since last year and some of the interesting things that i heard over the last month, you had one of the largest american military operations in this eight-year war and some of the marine officers that i spoke with were concerned that the news coverage of that back in america had been overshadowed by the death of michael jackson and they clearly wanted more attention to what they felt was a history-making moment. now, heidi, many of these soldiers and marines i saw on the ground, some of them 20 years old, have already done previous tours in ir

ivan watson takes us offroading to show us how they deal with the biggest threats of their lives. marines blazing a trail in the desert and sometimes getting stuck in the sand. they are offroading to avoid ieds. >> it's the best way to go. there are not too many ways to go. we know it's the best place to catch us. >> over the course of the ieds that have killed coalition forces. >> the second recon zans ba tal general, he tries to think like a taliban bomb maker. i'm curious about who they are after. they are smart as well. they try to take out key assets. >> this photo shows an ied on foot patrol earlier this month. two marines were killed in the blast. cheap, easy to make roadside bombs have taken their toll on american and nato forces. this has been the deadliest month yet of this eight-year war. >> like you hear a pop and then all of a sudden you hear -- the explosion and all you see is dust and your ears are ringing. your body, your adrenaline is rushing. body is so tense at the time. you like have no time like trying to kree act. you don't know what to do. >> corporal charle

ivan watson on the front lines during the afghanistan-pakistan border where u.s. troops are gathering and destroying chemicals used to produce opium. what can you tell us about the drug trafficking ring? >> reporter: i'm standing in front of 1500 bags of poppy seed assembled by this battalion. these have been gathered in raids where the taliban believed to control the area up until this marine push into the area. marine offensive into southern hellmann province which could be described as the opium capital of the world. more than 90% comes from afghanistan and a lot from hellmann province. significant portions of this province in southern afghanistan were controlled by the taliban. this is a major shift for the u.s. military which has argued in the past that it is not into the drug interdiction business. it is focused on combating insurgency. kiran, last night we went out with the marines on the raid into the this. let's take a look at part of that visit. >> reporter: we're on a night operation in hellmann provence. right now the marines back here are rigging thes

ivan watson, cnn, in helmand province in southern afghanistan. >>> look at this fireball.hat happened when the pa maa recents blew up those captured chemicals. >>> the plot thickens in the case of a murdered florida couple. evidence comes to light that they knew one of the seven people arrested in connection with their death. >>> and michael vick released from federal custody. will the nfl allow him to come back to football? en singing our songs since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage. or the worry my pipes might leak... compromise what i like to do... like hunting for bargains, not always bathrooms. i take care with vesicare. (announcer) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to reduce frequent, sudden urges and leaks... day and night... if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take

cnn's ivan watson traveling with marines in southern afghanistan explains the concept of sock water.the heat in the afghan desert is so intense storing water bottles in wet socks keeps them cool. any way to keep them cool, of course, is much needed in that heat. >>> ransacked by baboons? employees of a state park in england said you could be in your pajamas if you pack them in your roof top luggage. the demo meant to explain why the park is pushing visitors to pack their bags inside the car. check that out. looks like every year when, what is it, harrods has the sale on the wedding gowns and everyone goes running. filings. rummages around for their size and hoping for the best. bab booms. >> how do you beat a terrorist at their own game? by thinking like them. this bomb, this bomb you're going to see here, was born in a homeland security laboratory. >> look at the damage it can do. federal officials are trying to build explosives, even they can't detect, in hopes of closing gaps in homeland security. jeanne meserve takes us inside the operation. >> reporter: john, kiran, i'm in a war

cnn's ivan watson reports on the death yesterday of a u.s. marine and combat in the country's province. >> reporter: it's a difficult day for the marines at the delta company after they lost one of their comrades yesterday. due to mortyer fire. sergeant ryan lang. 25 years old. mortally wounded. hit in this very area. this man, he was committed to afghanistan. he had done one tour here before. and chose to come back to be with his platoon. he studied the languages in his free time to better communicate with the local population and to teach fellow marines how to win the hearts and minds of the people here. the marines have moved to the southernmost point of an offensive that began earlier this month toward the pakistani border into safe havens of the taliban. the castle where i'm standing now a couple weeks ago was trolled by the taliban. there was no afghan government presence here for more than four years until the marines arrived here with afghan national army soldiers coming in behind them. with afghan government officials coming behind t