our own martha raddatz knows first hand what it's like to go up in one of those f-15s. she even trained for what you do in an emergency just like the one that unfolded in the skies over libya. and we ask her to tell us about it. here's martha again. >> reporter: the f-15 strike eagle that crashed is identical to the one i flew in for combat missions over afghanistan last year. our aircraft also laden with thousands of pounds of bombs, which we could see as we passed under our wingman. like the crew over libya last night, all crews train for whatever emergency might force them to ditch their aircraft, dramatic and dangerous no matter what the reason. >> all of a sudden some kind of alarm goes off in the cockpit and for that brief second, you think, "uh-oh, what happens if i have to eject over enemy territory? who's on the ground? are they going to be helpful? are they going to want to shoot me? are they going to capture me? am i going to be tortured?" >> reporter: crews constantly train for that moment of ejection. we had to do the same before heading out to combat. >> l

so, there's still a lot to work out here, david. >> all right, martha raddatz leading the way on this operation again for us tonight. martha, thank you. >>> and back here at home, and to the planes flying over this country now. last night here, we broke the story of that air traffic controller alone and falling asleep on the job. two planes having to land in washington, d.c. without any help. and tonight, a look at the skies. every small plane there in the air right now over the u.s. this evening, your correspondent asks, just how many of these planes are relying on air traffic controllers working alone? and we've learned there could be major changes because of this. jim sciutto on it again tonight. jim, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. we found out today that controller, a supervisor with 20 years experience, 17 here in the tower at reagan national, was asleep on the job. and it is raising hard questions, when you're flying in, particularly at night, how many people are on duty and crucially, are they ready? the controller, a 20-year veteran with a previously unblemish

. >>> more from martha raddatz. good to see you again. so playing off ariel lex's piece there, if we're not really sure who the rebels are, what happens if they start attacking civilians in tripoli, for example? who is calling the shots? >> reporter: well, that's really a key question because the general who is in charge right now, the u.s. general carter ham said today that's a real problem. some of the rebels are civilian, others have help weapons so if those rebels started moving towards tripoli, will they protect civilians in tripoli? he basically said we don't really know the answer to that question. >> and is general ham ultimately the man in charge at this moment and how long will that last? >> reporter: he's the man in charge this moment but what he basically does is kind of like a pickup basketball game. you got the british, you got the french and they've all got their different ideas about what they're doing in libya. in fact, the first day they started on saturday, the u.s. really didn't know the french were sending up fighter

i'm martha raddatz for "nightline" in washington. >> our thanks to martha for that. and with so many questions squirreling over america's role in this fight, and how quickly we get out, secretary of state hillary clinton sat down for an exclusive interview with diane sawyer. >> i think it's moving well. the work that the united states and our allies have been doing to take out the air defense systems will enable the united states to do what we said we would do, which is to fulfill this initial phase and then to transition to the no-fly zone and the work that will be led by our partners. >> reporter: will it be nato? >> nato will be involved. we do have a lot of nato members who are committed to this process and, you know, they want to see command and control that is organized. but we also are integrating others from outside of nato. but i'm very relaxed about it, diane. i think it is -- it's proceeding it's moving forward in the right direction and we will have what we need in the next few days. >> reporter: moammar gadhafi. will this intervention be a success if he'

our team on it again tonight, leading us off, martha raddatz in washington. martha, good evening. what's the latest? >> reporter: good evening, david. u.s. military attacks on libya have only intensified in the last 24 hours. targeting not just gadhafi's air defenses but his troops and war planes as well. throughout the night and into the dawn, u.s. war planes, including marine corps jets launched from u.s. ships in the mediterranean and air force fighter jets took aim at gadhafi's troops advancing from the southwest to benghazi. the rebel stronghold the libyan leader has vowed to take back. >> benghazi is not completely safe from attack. but it is certainly under less threat than it was yesterday. we believe his forces are under significant stress and suffering from both isolation and a good deal of confusion. >> reporter: while fighter jets were pounding gadhafi's forces in the east, three b-2 stealth bombers dropped 45 2,000-pound bombs on a military airfield near misrata, striking multiple shelters housing gadhafi's war planes. these are images before the strike. this is the a

let's turn to the pentagon and our senior foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz. martha, what about that, they want help. so, what is the u.s. to do? what would it take to enforce a no-fly zone? >> reporter: well, this would be a huge endeavor. it would probably be a couple of squadrons of fighter jets. there are 12 jets in a squadron. plus an aircraft carrier with dozens of fighters on board. then you would need tankers, aerial refueling, you would need awacs, airborn warning and control planes, and first, you could have to go in and take out the anti-aircraft batteriebatte just in case. and by that, i mean, bomb them in libya. >> should the u.s. be getting into this? is this a u.n., european matter? >> reporter: well, you would really need a u.n. security council resolution or at the very least, nato unanimity, and we don't have either of those. but you do want to leave your options open. the president said that today. because if things in libya took a terrible turn for the worse, you do want contingency plans. but diane, i think this is very unlikely that they'l

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> grim news here. japanese officials say the death toll could climb beyond 10,000 in the destroyed towns that, 5 days later, are still inaccessible. >> that's right. >>> meanwhile, our bill weir was able to make it to one of the hardest-hit towns in the quake zone. >> reporter: every passing day brings more images of the tsunami's wrath. like this stunning, new video of the crushing wave taking out the entire town of minami sanriku. about 50 miles away from our location. 10,000 people, nearly half the population, are feared dead. and there are gruesome reports that crematorium, which can only handle 18 bodies a day, is completely overwhelmed. and everywhere you go, the ongoing, exhausting search for loved ones. this man has been searching for his wife, the only way he can. riding his bicycle with her name on a paper sign. we push on to ishinomaki and find the only working hospital for miles. a steady stream of wounded arrive by air and ground. and fill nearly every bit of the floor space inside. i have

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> thanks, martha. i want to turn now to our medical editor dr. richard besser with questions about radiation and the body, rich. we heard david muir tell us that those who are right around the worst of the site could see immediately the effects of radiation poisoning. what do you do if that happens? >> reporter: well, diane, what you're going to see, radiation effects your entire body. what you're going to see early on is radiation effecting the parts of the body where cells divide very quickly. that's your gastrointestinal track. you're going to see nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. the same kinds of things people have when they're going through radiation treatment for cancer. that will let you know you've had a big dose of radiation. >> and again, we're talking about acute radiation poisoning, with those symptoms. i want to move out to the wider circumference of people who have been told to stay inside or try to evacuate. what are the effects on small children and what about pregnant women and wh

>> martha raddatz, we thank you. i'll have much more from japan in just a moment. but first, dan harris and dr. besser standing by in new york with more on the dangers from the radiation here in japan and so much concern about the children tonight. 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. [ male announcer ] when the food we eat has nutritional gaps... so do we. but with more key nutrients than one-a-day essential, centrum fills those gaps better. centrum. complete from a to zinc. centrum fills those gaps better. everything is better with swanson broth in it. an essential ingredient in any kitchen. swanson 100% natural chicken broth. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. it o

>> martha raddatz reporting in again tonight. martha, thank you. >>> and back in this country, a headline generating a lot of outrage. at you may know, the ceo of general electric is now president obama's point man on jobs and economic growth. and yet, today, we learned that ge, his company, pays less in taxes than the rest of us. nothing, in fact. how is this so? jake tapper gets answers. >> reporter: for two years, president obama's been talking about the need for corporate tax reform. >> simplify, eliminate loopholes. treat everybody fairly. >> reporter: and for both those years, the ceo of general electric, jeff immelt, has served on what the president now calls his council on jobs and competitiveness. immelt is now the chairman. at the same time, that, despite $14 billion in worldwide profits, general electric is paying no federal taxes. in fact, for 2010, ge got a $3.2 billion tax benefit. >> for most people on the street, they see large profits. they cannot understand why there isn't tax commencerate to those profits. >> re

>> our thanks to martha raddatz for weighing in. at the top of the broadcast, we told you about the iodine tablets being prepared here to be handed out to the children if needed, which got us to thinking about the children of japan, and tonight, the medical community weighs in on that. the chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 was the worst nuclear power accident on record. 200,000 people had to leave their homes never to return. when we visited the area 20 years after the accident, an 18-mile area around the site was abandoned. scientists said it would take 100 years before it was safe. but beyond the radiation zone, we discovered new communities, new schools, and a lesson learned about protecting children from the effects of radioactive fallout. more than 6,000 cases of childhood thyroid cancer. when the particles fall into a bodies, they settle in the thyroid. >> radio activity is bad for children because it can damage dna and affect the way cells divide. and children have cells that divide more rapidly than adults because they're g

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> and as we know, the force of this storm, the force of this earthquake was so strong that it actually moved this island some eight feet closer to the united states, and today we got word it's been upgraded from an 8.9 earthquake to a 9.0, and our clarissa ward is up north where entire villages were obliterated. clarissa? >> reporter: diane, behind me is a high school, which is now acting as a temporary shelter for some 400 people, and we passed dozens of shelters like this as we made our journey across some of the hardest hit areas. pushing up north the chaos and clamor of traffic-filled streets give way to ghost towns. so we're just now getting to some of the most devastated areas, and the first thing you notice is how eerily quiet it is here. this place literally feels deserted, and the devastation is just enormous. i mean, there are trees uprooted, houses crumpled, doorways blocked completely and another thing we're really noticing now is we push up into the north is the smell. more and more i can smell ais we push up into the north is the

the american general who has been leading the charge spoke exclusively to abc's martha raddatz aboutrogress being made so far. >> reporter: general carter ham took charge of africa command on march 9th. ten days later he was at war. now, he is here, in the middle of the fight, touring the u.s. warships off the coast of libya. he brought the sailors and marines encouragement from their commander in chief. >> he said, how are the attacks going? and i said, mr. president, the marines are hammering the [ bleep ] out of them. >> reporter: general ham for the first time saw colonel gadhafi daring to violate the no-fly zone. putting up an aircraft. >> we saw libyan fighter jet taking off that was detected by a french aircraft and with standing rules of engagement, appropriately attacked that aircraft. >> reporter: this is the ship that sent rescue teams to pick up the downed f-15 pilot. these are the two marine osprey pilots who picked him up after he and his weapons officer ejected at 22,000 feet in the dead of night. it is the first time they have told their story. how did he describe the

but martha raddatz has information on how long it took to get to the pilots.rning, david. the f-15 went down last night about 6:00 p.m. eastern time. both the pilot and the weapons officer in the backseat were able to eject. the wreckage looks really catastrophic. but they were obviously out of the aircraft well before it went down. the air crew reported an equipment malfunction when they were about 25 miles east of benghazi. that is rebel-held territory, which means the crew was in friendly territory. but it took about 14 hours for both of them to be recovered. some of the local people helped the pilot and the backseater, before the crew got there. so, they are safe, david, this morning. but it took a long time to get to them. >> martha, you and i have been e-mailing all morning long. you mentioned you flew with this squadron. and these two pilots did exactly what they're supposed to do in this situation. >> reporter: they sure did. they're based in lakenheath, england. i trained with them in afghanistan last may. they are trained on all the time how to eject

martha raddatz reports now on the u.s. response. >> reporter: dozens of helicopters from the carrier "uss ronald reagan" are delivering food and supplies nonstop. others are searching for the thousands still missing or stranded by the quake. and the ravaging waters that followed. seven u.s. ships with thousands of sailors aboard are now taking part in the effort with four more ships on the way. >> we're first to respond to anything that goes on in this world. i feel that we are -- we put our best effort forward and we give them all the resources that we would give anybody in america. >> reporter: marines from okinawa and dozens more transport helicopters have moved up the coast of japan. at least 100 air force personnel are working to restore electricity to an air base near the most effected areas. and the 150-member search and rescue teams from virginia and california that have been called upon in so many tragedies, will be moving out into the stricken towns. an indication just how desperate the japanese are for aid, in t

martha raddatz is joining us.spite japanese officials saying we've got this under control, even though they're evacuating many people, they're quite worried about this. >> they are. the official i spoke to very early this morning said the japanese are worried about this. of course, they do not want the population to panic. there are no leaks right now, but they have declared a nuclear emergency. now, these reactors at the fukushima nuclear power plants are boiling water reactors which means the reactors continue to produce heat even after fusion stops. as you've been saying all morning, dr. kaku says, the backup system is not working right now because there is no power. but the prime minister in japan said regarding our nuclear power facility, so far no radioactive material has been leaked to the outside. again, elizabeth, they are nervous about that. watching that very, very closely at this time. u.s. officials are as well. >> obviously, the big concern, martha, about a leak of radiation. george, they said earlie

here is martha raddatz. >>> the air force bus was parked just outside the international terminal.at least a dozen u.s. air force security personnel who arrived in england on their way to a u.s. base in germany. according to law enforcement officials the gunman walked up to the bus and pulled out a semi automatic weapon and began firing again and again shouting in arabic for god is great. two airmen were killed including the driver and two more critically injured when after nine rounds the gun jammed. some grabbed the shooter as he continued shooting jihad, jihad. a german police officer then took the man into custody. >> i'm saddened and outraged by this attack. i want everybody to understand that we will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place. >> law enforcement officials say the shooter is a 21-year-old whose parents moved to germany decades ago from kosovo. an uncle told the associated press he is a devout muslim who forked at the frankfort airport. security has been beefed up at the airport after an informant said a group linked to al-qaeda was planning

now, abc's martha raddatz with the latest on the last ditch effort to saint planet. >>> 50 workers inside the plant working in the dark with nothing but flash lights wearing overalls and heavy hazardous suits, trying to put out toxic fires with a hose. we are told it is like a horror movie, fighting a monster you cannot see, you cannot touch but you know is coming to get you. tonight, new pictures of the destruction at the reactor building burned out from fires. europe's energy commissioner saying there is talk of apocalypse and i think that word is particularly well chosen. here is what is so worrying. at reactor one, 70% of the fuel rods are damaged and reactor number three, smoke is billowing out. an explosion blew out the roof and outer walls, likely cracking the critical containment stress that will holds the nuclear material in. at reactor are two, smoke seeing out. explosion there also believed to have cracked that container around the vessel that holds the red hot nuclear core and reactor four you can see it damaged by fire, even out of use fuel rods in a critical state, the pool

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we'll start with martha raddatz who is in washington. martha, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. there is no question we are at war once again, and the first phase of this war is to go after gadhafi's air defenses. throughout the night, the u.s. pounded libya. the strikes began with more than 110 tomahawk missiles launched mostly from u.s. ships and submarines aiming at more than 20 targets including surface-to-air missile sites, and this morning reports that the u.s. took out a major libyan airfield using b-2 bombers flown from a base in the u.s. the ship-launched missiles were fired from some 500 miles away in the mediterranean sea hitting libyan soil an hour later. >> these strikes were carefully coordinated with our coalition partners. >> reporter: before the tomahawks were launched, 20 french fighter jets flew over rebel-held benghazi in a show of force taking out one libyan armored personnel carrier. but moammar gadhafi remains defiant calling in to state tv to say if the u.s. wants a long war, they will get it. he

martha raddatz is reporting this morning that there are some fears in the american government that perhaps the japanese government is playing down the level of danger here. do you think that's a possibility? >> definite possibility. it's happened in the past on a number of occasions. we've had nuclear accidents in the japanese industry because they're heavily nuclearized. each time the industry poo poos the claims of environmentalists, each time it comes out much later that they low-balled the estimates of radiation and damage and injuries to workers. >> let's go back to the plant and that danger zone. if we pull up a map, showing the evacuation zone from 6 mile radius to 12 miles, in your opinion is that sufficient? >> i would go even further. right now, remember, it's stable. it's on a knife's edge, but it's still stable. evacuations went from 2 miles to 6 miles, now it's 12 miles. i think 20 miles would be good for a very cautious, prudent way of analyzing the crisis. but it does seem to be stable at least temporarily, but who knows. >> there are a lot of us that don't have a thorough u

. >>> joining me to discuss this is joe cirincione and abc's jake tapper and martha raddatz. let me start with you, mr. cirincione, how bad is this nuclear meltdown and the fears there may be another explosion here at one of the reactors? >> this is already one of the worst nuclear accidents in history if it stops right now. we're dealing with multiple meltdown possibilities. at reactor number one, at reactor number two. daiichi site. there are concerns about the daini site. there's concerns about reactors at multiple sites. other facilities would have been significant problems themselves, but they're caught in the wake of these nuclear reactors that possibly will melt down in the next couple of days. >> jake, how worried is the u.s. administration that this could reach the united states? >> as of now, the concerns are minor that it would reach guam or the mariamarianis islands or hawaii. there's minor concern. administration officials are concerned in general about the potential for the spreading of radioactive material. they've sent a whole number of experts to the region t

our team has been reporting on the big events all day, and we'll begin with martha raddatz in washington. martha. >> reporter: the u.s. and its allies said they would protect the people of libya, and that's what they're trying to do tonight, but there's no question we're at war once again, and the u.s. for now is in the lead. the first volley of missiles a withering attack on gadhafi's air defenses. more than 110 missiles launched from mostly u.s. ships and submarines, pounded libyan surface to air missile sites, aiming at more than 20 targets around tripoli. the missiles were fired from some 500 miles away in the mediterranean sea just after 2:00 p.m. eastern time, hitting libyan soil an hour later. >> these strikes were carefully coordinated with our partners. the targets themselves were selective basedong a collective assessment that these sides pose a direct threat to the pilots or through the use of the regime, pose a direct threat to the people of libya. >> there were no u.s. aircraft involved in today's strikes before the tomahawks were launched, 20 french fighter jets flew over b

the marine pilots told their story for the first time to our martha raddatz, onboard their ship. >> they talked about exactly what happened as soon as they got into that area. >> we saw his flare on the ground. and we got eyes on his position. and an airplane way up overhead, at about 25,000 feet, was able to shine a laser down. >> as soon as we set up for our approach to land, he just started bolting to the airport. so, i think he said he as in as iloud by the time we landed. >> he also said the successful rescue was probably the coolest thing he's done since joining the marines. >>> now, to the grim news from japan, two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami hit. the number of confirmed dead has passed 10,000. officials suspect that the reactor core at one of the troubled fukushima power plants may have been breached. >> that raises the possibility that more radiation may have been released into the environment. meanwhile, some u.s. marines are now helping in the cleanup efforts in the hard-hit city of sendai. they even had to use bulldozers to shift damaged cars at the airport. >>> an

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> incredibly frightening. >>> well, as we mentioned at the topuating family members of american embassy personnel. the president told japan's prime minister about that decision to evacuate those americans in a phone call just hours ago. as martha raddatz mentioned, there was an earlier order from the white house, telling americans in japan to stay at least 50 miles away from the fukushima nuclear plant. the australian, british and german governments also told their citizens they should consider leaving japan, but they did not order an evacuation. >>> and back here at home, there are new questions about the safety of nuclear power plants. >> lawmakers are weighing in on the issue. john hendren is joining us from washington this morning with more details. >> reporter: good morning, mike and peggy. a series of hearings on capitol hill explored the question, could it happen here? there is no clear consensus on the answer. the japanese nuclear meltdown has americans asking, are u.s. nuclear plants safe? >> i can't reach that conclusion nor can anybody

we have team coverage from washington to libya beginning with martha raddatz on what is happening right now. martha? >> reporter: diane, the no-fly zone is officially in place but only in the eastern part of the country, but that should expand over the coming days as more of gadhafi's air defenses are taken out. in the last 24 hours, at least a dozen cruise missiles have hammered libyan targets, two of them slamming into a command and control facility smack in the middle of one of gadhafi's compounds. since this air assault began, there have been 136 cruise missile strikes. those strikes alone totaling well over $136 million, and more than 50 attacks from warplanes aimed at gadhafi's surface-to-air missile sites and military airfields. three b-2 stealth bombers dropped 45 2,000-pound bombs on the hardened structures that shelter gadhafi's fighter jets. here is what it looked like before and after. some of the structures completely demolished. >> we have not observed libyan military aircraft operating since the beginning of coalition military operations. >> reporter: with the libyan troo

but first, let's head to martha raddatz who has been talking all day to the u.s. officials who are now helping the japanese. martha? >> reporter: diane, every day, the nuclear monster seems to get more frightening. but there is some hope tonight from that big u.s. push to send in water pumps. this coming after last ditch efforts by the japanese failed. one expert told us it's like using a squirt gun to put out a forest fire. japanese fire trucks using riot control water hoses to tackle red hot nuclear reactors. helicopters swooping overhead, dropping bucket after bucket. every effort falling short. but here is the encouraging news. japanese plant operators have connected a new electric power line to the plant. this entire crisis began when the power was knocked out. if the japanese flip the switch but those critical water pumps to cool the reactors don't work, then it's american pumps to the rescue. the pentagon has shipped high pressure pumps, but no u.s. personnel. once again, the japanese will have workers willing to risk their lives operating them. today, for t

but martha raddatz leads us off, she spent the day with experts asking about the reality of what is happening tonight. martha? >> reporter: diane, the u.s. is now urgently trying to get the japanese government to find more volunteers to go into the nuclear reactors to try to stop multiple meltdowns. the next 48 hours are absolutely critical. one official told me there is a recognition this is a suicide mission, but this is where we are right now. 50 workers inside the plant, working in the dark with nothing but flashlights, wearing overalls and heavy hazardous suits, trying to put out toxic fires with a hose. we are told it is like a horror movie, fighting a monster you cannot see, you cannot touch but you know is coming to get you. tonight, new pictures of the destruction at the reactor buildings. burnt out from fires. europe's energy commissioner saying, "there is talk of apocalypse, and i think that world is particularly well chosen." here is what is so worrying. at reactor one, 70% of the fuel rods are damaged. at reactor number three, smoke is billowing out. an explosion there blew out t

here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: the air force bus was parked just outside the international terminalson board, at least a dozen u.s. air force security personnel who had arrived from england on their way to a u.s. base in germany. according to law enforcement officials, the gunman walked up to the bus, pulled out a semiautomatic weapon and began firing again and again, all the while, shouting "allahu akbar," arabic for "god is great." two airmen were killed, including a driver, and two more critically injured. after nine rounds, the gun jammed. some of the surviving airmen grabbed the shooter as he continued shouting "allahu akbar" and "jihad." a german police officer took the man into custody. >> i'm saddened and outraged by this attack. i want everybody to understand that we will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place. >> reporter: law enforcement officials say the shooter is 21-year-old arid uka, whose parents moved to germany decades ago from coe sew have to. an uncle told the associated press he is a devout muslim who worked at the frankfurt airport. secur

martha raddatz covers national security and she takes that for us tonight. martha? >> reporter: diane, american forces are already stretched thin with the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. so, it is the british, french and other allies who will likely take the lead role in enforcing any large no-fly zone, a mission that would begin with air strikstrike s into libya. libya has a robust and sophisticated array of surface to air missile batteries, more than 30, with the bulk around tripoli. if u.s. and allied fighter jets were sent to patrol all of libya, every one of those missile sites would have to be taken out first to eliminate the threat. >> on paper, it's a very difficult threat. what the libyans are capable of is another story. but we still have to honor the threat that we know exists before we go in there and risk the lives of air crews. >> reporter: that could mean launching tomahawk missiles at the sites from ships in the mediterranean. but there is an easier option. a smaller no-fly zone, over benghazi, which is controlled by the rebels. so the surface to

martha raddatz breaks them down. >> reporter: president obama sounded clear enough. >> the violence mustp. moammar gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave. >> reporter: but that looks less and less likely. what if gadhafi wins his battle with the rebels? you could see a blood bath with the libyan leader seeking revenge against the thousands who are opposing him. what is the u.s. willing to do to stop him? none of the options are appealing. setting up a no-fly zone to stop gadhafi's fighter jets -- that would require hundreds of war planes and take months to get going. sending in ground forces -- no way the u.s. is committing to that. and what about arming the rebels? almost impossible, since officials say they aren't certain who the rebels are. and, remember, the u.s. helped arm mujahadin fighters in afghanistan in the '80s. today, some of those same armed fighters are terrorists. gadhafi has managed to survive where other dictators have failed because he still has his army. the rebels are disorganized. and, george, he seems downright delusional and doesn't seem to care wha

>> martha raddatz, leading the way with her reporting all weekend long. martha, thank you. >>> we want to get to the "gma" smart screen now. take a look at this military buildup in the mediterranean. the b-2, that martha mentioned, there were three of them. they're back in the u.s. after a 25-hour round-trip. the orange here, that's the british contingent. and we wanted to show you the ground offenses they were targeting all weekend long, along the coastline there, in the effort to create the no-fly zone. we don't know the exact perimeters. but this is believed to be the area of that no-fly zone. from tripoli, this is the newest image out of the building that was targeted. the pentagon confirms that gadhafi himself is not a target. >>> we want to go east this morning where the rebels are. alex marquardt traveling through the night for us. alex, good morning. >> reporter: this city has been the rebel stronghold since the uprising began. attacks by gadhafi forces have rattled the rebels here. the city is tense, scared. but thanks to the air strikes optimist

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> they'll be back for protests at washington state capitol.t the worst of it with police when he tried to enter the building. it came after judge ruled protesters could no longer spend the night there. dozens exited the building peacefully. no one was arrested. demonstrators are opposed to a plan from wisconsin's governor that would strip state employees of their bargaining rights. >>> and now to the punishments being handed out after a lengthy investigation into those controversial videos made on a u.s. aircraft carrier. >> john hendren has the details in washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, peggy and mike. the navy found 25 raunchy videos were made aboard the "uss enterprise" and concluded senior officers fell far short of the standards the navy holds for professional behavior and conduct. from ship to shore, it was a national embarrassment. crude language, risque shower scenes and one gay slur after another. >> let's ask the checkmates about being gay. oh, that's not a very good idea, is it? >> reporter: the man in the

let's bring in martha raddatz, who joins us live from washington. martha, what are the primary concerns of the administration, where it's concerned right now? >> reporter: robin, the level of concern is so much greater this morning than it was last night, with the third explosion. i've been tracking this all through the night. getting phone calls from a u.s. official, that were more and more alarming. the last phone call saying the situation is, quote, catastrophic. and that they do believe the containment vessel has been breached. and the dangerous radiation is leaking into the air. it's also very disturbing that most of the plant workers have been told to get out of there. not only for what that tells you about radiation levels. but only 50 emergency workers are now left at the plant, trying desperately to keep water pumping into multiple reactors. so, this does get more worrisome by the hour, robin. >> so, what can the u.s. do right now, with these experts that are arriving? exactly what are the plans? >> reporter: well, they'll offer any expertis

as martha raddatz reports, there's a limited list of options. >> reporter: president obama sounded clearhafi has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave. >> reporter: but that looks less and less likely. what if gadhafi wins his battle with the rebels? you could see a blood bath with the libyan leader seeking revenge against the thousands who are opposing him. what is the u.s. willing to do to stop him? none of the options are appealing. setting up a no-fly zone to stop gadhafi's fighter jets. that would require hundreds of warplanes and take months to get going. sending in ground forces. no way the u.s. is committing to that. and what about arming the rebels? almost impossible since officials say they aren't certain who the rebels are. and remember, the u.s. helped arm mujahideen fighters in afghanistan in the '80s and some and some of those same armed fighters are terrorists. gadhafi has managed to survive where other dictators have failed because he still has his army, the rebels are disorganized and he seems downright delusional and doesn't seem to care what the rest of the world t

and martha raddatz continues to track all of this. good morning, martha. >> reporter: charter planes will soon begin to evacuate any americans who live within 50 miles of the plant. a u.s. official saying, you should, you must, for your own safety, get out of that danger zone. this morning, japanese military helicopters began dumping sea water on the damaged reactors at the fukushima nuclear plant. a hail mary-type attempt. and a likely suicide mission for pilots. plant operators say they are close to finishing a new power line that could restore the cooling system. but a u.s. official tells abc news, they are not working nearly fast enough. reactor four, the most threatening, may be on the verge of spewing even more radioactive material. >> it is my great hope that the information that we have is not accurate. i would hope for the sake of everyone that the situation is not in the state that we think it is. >> reporter: one official told abc news, that they are urging the japanese to get more people to help the 50 workers inside the pl

martha raddatz puts all those fears in perspective. >> reporter: how bad could it get?ng the reactor core gets so hot, it turns into a radioactive molten mass, breaking through the containment vessel, spewing radioactivity through the air, ground and water. in the hollywood "china syndrome" version they claim the mass could melt through a steel floor, through the earth, to china. no one thinks that could happen. but the reality for japanese reactors? >> this is way past three mile island and we're heading into chernobyl territory. >> reporter: the difference, three mile island was only a partial meltdown that stayed inside a containment vessel. result, no injuries, no serious radiation leak. chernobyl, total meltdown, no containment vessel, radiation spewing for thousands of miles, leaving death and increased cancer rates in its trail. in japan, there are six-foot thick concrete and steel containment vessels with that one now believed to be cracked and leaking. which means that if there is a nuclear meltdown, more radiation escapes and it could happen in more than one r

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> thousands of libyans have rallied to show support for theirathered last night in the heart of tripoli waving flags and carrying pictures of gadhafi. meanwhile, pro-gadhafi militiamen launched a wave of raids to snatch people who participated in antigovernment protests in the past week. >> with the country in chaos it's been difficult for libyans to get the straight story on what's really happening there but now rebels are finding new ways to communicate. lama hasan reports from benghazi. >> reporter: the libyans have found their voice from the streets to the airwaves. here in this very small room with this basic equipment, it is turned into a makeshift news channel. people come here, they record their statements, they give out information, because they don't have transmission capabilities, they prerecord the information and then they send it out. an emotional father tells the story of his son who had been missing for three days. he said they found out he had died fighting to free libya. with a free libya comes freedom of speech. that's what we

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> aid workers and earthquake survivors are pleading for helpne and other necessities run short. police estimate nearly 500,000 japanese are homeless. nearly 2 million homes are without water, and search crews say chances of finding more survivors are dwindling. more than 10,000 people are still missing, and 6,406 are now confirmed dead. >>> meanwhile, president obama is trying to calm fears about radiation threats here at home. but the first plumes from japan set to hit the west coast today, the president has deployed dozens of monitors to make sure radiation levels stay in the safe zone. neal karlinksy explains exactly how they work. >> reporter: it may not look like much, but if radiation from japan makes its way into the air over the western u.s., this sensor south of seattle will be among the first to know it. >> this disk right here that you can see is the filter that is monitoring -- that is pulling air through it. >> reporter: the federal government has 100 of these sensors running around the clock, covering about 70% of the country's po

let's go to martha raddatz. the u.s. is pledging, as jake said, to step back to a support role? is it realistic to go into a support role? it's unusual. in these kinds of military interventions. >> reporter: it's unusual for the u.s. right now, a u.s. general is in charge of the operation, general carter ham. and you have an admiral, admiral sam locklear, on a ship. the tactical commander. mean he is coordinating all the air strikes. in a few days, the hope is, the u.s. hopes that general carter ham can turn over his responsibility to one of the coalition members. that is the plan right now. i don't think they know who that will be. but in this initial phase, the u.s. has the unique capabilities, as the president said, the stealth bombers, b-2 bombers, the tomahawk missiles on the ships. so the president felt the u.s. had to take the lead in this phase. the next phase will be the no-fly zone. i believe the u.s. will be involved somewhat. but the bulk of the no-fly zone will be flown by british, french, and other allies. >> martha, thank you so much. >>> joining me next, admiral

abc's martha raddatz went looking for answers. >> reporter: we wanted to know what is the worst caseor cores in several reactors get so hot, they fuse into a molten mass that bursts through the containment structures, spewing radioactivity into the water, air and ground. >> reporter: unlike chernobyl, these japanese reactors are surrounded by six-foot steel and concrete containment vessels, so even multiple reactor meltdowns would not likely be as bad as chernobyl, but if there were meltdowns, how far could the radiation travel? >> if the wind is blowing out to the ocean, as it usually does, then most of the contamination goes out there. if the wind shifts south, well, then all that -- some of the most heavily populated areas of japan are at risk including tokyo itself. >> reporter: how about the u.s.? >> the fires could be so hot that it would send radioactive particles carrying it across the pacific. >> reporter: the nuclear regulatory commission says even if that happened, there is a low likelihood that any harmful radiation would reach the u.s. or its territories. but uncertainty

and our martha raddatz got exclusive access aboard the aircraft carrier where u.s. planes are taking off. and martha joins us from the u.s. air base in italy. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, robin. general carter ham had been on the job as africa commander only ten days before this war began. and he has been going nonstop ever since. in the last 24 hours, the coalition targeted gadhafi's forces with air strikes in five cities. but stopping attacks against civilians with air power alone is proving a difficult task. we traveled with general carter ham, commander of this mission, for an exclusive interview aboard the "uss kearsarge," packed with war planes and helicopters that have been used in libya. >> does it bother me that there's innocent civilian people who's been slaughtered by these people while it's my job to protect them? i absolutely take that to heart. >> reporter: but the general says his mission is not to oust gadhafi. >> i don't think about him. i really don't. it's not in my mission set. what i do try to do is disrupt the ability of the

martha raddatz is in washington with the latest. good morning. >>> good morning, robin. one of those growing crises where there are no easy answers and certainly no quick fixes. but that does not take the pressure off the administration. >> reporter: while rebels celebrated after pushing gadhafi's forces out of northern libya, this appears to be a fight no one is winning. a chess game that has stalled now prompting more calms for the u.s. to step in with a big move, enforcing a no-fly zone. >> this would be a signal to gadhafi that the president is serious when he says, we need for gadhafi to go. >> reporter: but it would require a 24/7 air control. dozens of fighter jets that would attempt to keep gadhafi's war planes grounded. a no-fly zone could allow rebels to take a decisive step forward, stopping gadhafi's ability to launch air attacks. but it could also require u.s. bombing inside libya. to take out air defense systems. defense secretary robert gates has tried to shut the idea down. and was joined sunday by president obama's chief of staff. >> well, lots of people

martha raddatz has the details and joins us from washington. good morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, robin. it's an indication of how serious the attack was, that president obama made an unannounced visit to the white house briefing room to talk about it. and a congressman has already called it a terrorist attack. at least a dozen u.s. air force security personnel were onboard this air force bus outside a terminal at the frankfurt international airport. they were coming from lakenheath, their base in england, on their way to ramstein air base in germany, to conduct what the military said were overseas contingency operations. likely in iraq, kuwait, or afghanistan. according to law enforcement officials, the gunman walked up to the bus, pulled out a semi automatic weapon and began firing over and over. and constantly shouting allahu akbar, arabic for god is great. the shooter got off nine rounds, killing two airmen including the bus driver and critically wounding two others. he made his way in the terminal and was tackled by a u.s. airma

first, let's bring in martha raddatz has been watching this through the night.nd what may be the first bit of good news since the crisis began. officials here and in japan, starting to see some progress at the reactor site. >> reporter: that's true, george. i've heard a phrase this morning that i have not heard since this crisis began one week ago. that's cautiously optimistic. that how the head of u.s. pacific command described the situation now that an all-out effort is under way to cool down those reactors and hopefully avoid a meltdown. this morning, it is japanese soldiers and elite firefighters who are spraying water on the damaged reactors at the fukushima nuclear plant. water drops from helicopters, which did little good, have ceased. now, the battle against the scorching reactors is from the ground. firefighters focused on reactor three, spraying 50 tons of water in an effort to cool down that boiling storage pool where spent fuel rods are stored. every one of these firefighters, a volunteer, for this mission, that could very well end their lives. the t

martha raddatz is in washington. has the latest on all of this. od morning, martha. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this war is not dying down. and gadhafi's forces are not backing off, with vicious attacks overnight on opposition forces. as the military operation enters its fifth day, at least in public, moammar gadhafi shows little sign of giving up. delivering a fiery speech to supporters on state tv. it was his first appearance since the air strikes. saying, we will be victorious in the end. about r but, in fact sources tell me, that he's moving around all of the time. he is paranoid. he is very anxious and i don't blame him, robin, with awful those cruce miss cruise those cruise missiles coming down. >> let's talk about the pilot rescue yesterday. you have details. >> reporter: i do. there's one fascinating note about the rescue of the pie lost the downed u.s. fighter jet. since then we've learned that the rescue of the weapons officer that took most of the day was facilitated by this incredible stroke of luck. turns out a libyan citizen tha

but martha raddatz spoke with u.s. officials. what are you hearing? >> reporter: this has been such a confusing and uncertain time. and for the u.s. crisis team, a period of growing and deep concern. but we have learned that the u.s. may be sending in a special nuclear team, a large team, made up of hundreds of u.s. military and civilians, trained specifically for nuclear emergencies. a team put together after 9/11. we've also learned something about why those backup systems failed after the quake. one of the regular plant workers was told to make certain there was diesel fuel in the backup generators to keep the power going. but a u.s. official tells me that that worker apparently walked away and began doing something else, forgetting the generator, which soon shut down and could not be restarted. there is also some good news. the u.s. has done very detailed plume analysis. and that most of the radiation that had drifted away from the plant itself, some of that towards tokyo, has now gone north and out to sea. but of course, robin, there could be mor