tonight, muhammad, thank you. >>> i want to bring in our senior national security correspondent, martha raddatz who's just back from the region, and, martha, you saw what the white house put out today, that image of president obama on the phone reaching out to afghan president karzai and the president releasing a statement saying "this is tragic and shocking and does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the united states has for the people of afghanistan," but, martha, it's impossible as you and i were saying earlier to overstate what this could do to an already fragile relationship. >> reporter: that's right, david. just a couple of weeks ago we were talking about the burning of the koran, but the u.s. can say that was inadvertent. the soldiers who burned those korans, it was a mistake. this was not a mistake. it was a cold-blooded murder. a one-man massacre, and the taliban will take advantage of this. we are supposed to be winning the hearts and minds of the people. this is a huge setback, a terrible, terrible tragedy. >> martha, you've been there so m

thank you. >>> i want to bring in martha raddatz who's back from the region and, martha, you saw whatite house put out today, that image of president obama on the phone reaching out to president karzai and the president releasing a statement saying this is tragic and shocking and does not represent thele exceptional character of our military and the respect that the united states has for the people of afghanistan. martha, you and a were talking earlier, impossible to overstate what this could do to an already fragile relationship. >> reporter: that's right, david. this is really unprecedented. and you and were talking several weeks ago about the burning of the korans, how serious that was, but that was a mistake, that was inadvertent and the u.s. could say that again and again. this is not a mistake. it was a murder. and this is a society that rulers will spread. it will get worse. there will be protests. they are extremely worried tonight about what the reaction will be from the people. this is supposed to be a hearts and mind campaign. instead you had a one-man massacre, david. >> m

here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: when he wasn't at war, the 38-year-old staff sergeant accusedf massacring innocent afghans was based here, joint base lewis-mcchord outside tacoma, washington. a base that is seen as one of the most troubled in the military. a history of violence during deployment and after. sergeant calvin gibbs, convicted of murdering afghans for sport, leading and organized soldiers into what was called a kill squad. 24-year-old iraq veteran benjamin barnes made it back to lewis-mcchord but after a shootout at a new year's party this year, he fled to nearby mt. rainier and gunned down a park ranger. last year, this sergeant poured lighter fluid on his wife and set her on fire. and the list goes on. but now the community is faced with the worst crime of all. trying to understand how a married father of two could, as officials say he did, slaughter afghan women and children. >> i can't think of anybody in the world who would say going and killing 16, 18 civilians, children, is okay, anywhere in the world. much less when you're wearing that american flag and tha

let's turn right to abc's martha raddatz in our washington bureau tonight. martha, what are you learning. >> reporter: the soldier has been identified as staff sergeant robert bails. we are reading quotes from bales in iraq. we once started clearing the town. we started carrying people back out. he was a team leader then. he said, we go in, find some people we could help. because there was a bunch of dead people, we couldn't throw them on a litter and bring them to the casualty collection point. this is a man who has seen a lot of combat. but tomorrow, he will likely be officially charged with 16 counts of murder. >> reporter: staff sergeant bales arrived back in the u.s. this evening, where his lawyer is already working on the case. >> i don't know if he did anything. >> reporter: he says the accused soldier is highly decorated, nominated for a bronze star. also, that he was wounded twice during his four deployments. a brain injury from a vehicle rollover. and another wound, so serious, part of his foot was removed. browne says the day before the murders, th

here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: the details of the charges are so stark and horrific. 17 peopledered and six horribly wounded. the majority, women and children, shot in the head, the chest, the groin. >> the government is alleging that this is a premeditated act, that sergeant bales thought about for at least an instant, that he didn't make a mistake. >> reporter: if staff sergeant robert bales is convicted, the best he can hope for is life in prison with the possibility of parole. the worst, death. bales' lawyer insilss the case against his client is weak. >> there's no crime scene, there's no csi stuff, there's no fingerprints, no ballistics. >> reporter: but images from that first day tell another story. >> there are investigators looking through the grounds, presumably looking for shell casings, looking for other identifying information that tie sergeant bales to the location. >> reporter: bales' attorney has also said that his client does not remember anything between the time he left the base and returned. but the attorney for bales' wife kari told abc news that the sergea

and abc's martha raddatz has been asking questions about him all day. martha. >> reporter: diane, the soldier is expected to face multiple murder charges in the coming days, which would carry the death penalty if he is convicted. that is also when his name will be made public. we are learning compelling details about his life at a troubled army base and his forward deployments to war zones. it was two months after terrorists brought down the world trade towers when the suspected shooter joined the army. he would spend much of the next decade at war as part of a brigade from washington state. that brigade first deployed to iraq in november 2003. it was back in iraq in 2006 for 15 months, suffering major causalities in the final months of the tour. back home in 2008, the soldier went through a full mental health screening to become a sniper. he passed. at some point, an official told abc news the soldier suffered a mild brain injury, after hitting his head but was treated successfully. an official tells abc news, after his last deployment in 2009, the sold

abc's martha raddatz spoke with the general as he tries to navigate this turbulent time. >> reporter: we traveled nearly a thousand miles today with general john allen across afghanistan in the back of an osprey on a dizzying ride, with another osprey trailing close behind over the battlefields below. general allen is a passionate officer who bristles at the criticism aimed at him and president obama for apologizing for the burning of the korans. >> why wouldn't we? why wouldn't we? this is the central word of god for them. why wouldn't we? we didn't do it on purpose, but we should apologize. and now we get on with the relationship. >> reporter: yet, there is still a great deal of healing to be done. one of the six american service members killed in retaliation for the burning of the korans was from the same battalion as these young marines. >> it's moments like these when you feel as though there is no trust or confidence that you have to reach down inside. you understand that this is the time for professionalism, and this is not the time for revenge. >> reporter: but it may not be e

abc's martha raddatz spoke with the general and reports now from kabul. >> reporter: we traveled nearlyiles with general john allen across afghanistan in the back of an osprey on a dizzying ride with another osprey trailing close behind over the battlefields below. general allen is a passionate officer who bristles at the criticism aimed at him and president obama for apologizing for the burning of the korans. >> why wouldn't we? why wouldn't we? this is the central word of god for them. why wouldn't we? we didn't do it on purpose, but we should apologize. and now we get on with the relationship. >> reporter: yet there is still a great deal of healing to be done. one of the six american service members killed in retaliation for the burning of the korans was from the same battalion as these young marines. >> it's moments like these when -- when you feel as though there is no trust or confidence that you have to reach down inside. you understand that this is the time for professionalism and this is not the time for revenge. >> but it may not be easy to convince some afghans of that. the k

martha raddatz on the story again tonight. martha, thank you. >>> tonight, "world news" getting answers. as you know for the last week here, diane and the team reporting on that pink slime in ground beef, that filler used to pump up the meat. tonight, here, the big change in school lunches. the usda telling schools this fall they can choose ground beef without it. tonight, abc's david kerley on what this means, as we ask, is your supermarket next? >> reporter: thousands of you posted questions. >> which retail chains carry it? >> reporter: demanding answers. >> which brands are not putting pink slime in their beef products? >> reporter: parents, schools, state officials, insisting the government do something about pink slime. trimmings, which are slightly cooked, spun down to remove fat and then sprayed with ammonia and added back into ground beef. today, action. the usda announcing that, due to consumer demand, it will offer a choice to schools. they can buy patties with or without the pink slime, also known as lean, finely te

. >> well, and our excellent journalist martha raddatz, who has spent so much time in the war zones, says that the army right now are looking into mental health issues for that soldier being complication. and i think that it's a definite possibility, if not likely when he's got two kids of his own at home and has spent about half of their lives away from them fighting overseas. >> post-traumatic stress disorder. this was his fourth tour of duty. three in iraq, his first in afghanistan. >> very troubling. we'll have more on that story later. but first, a joint u.n.-arab league push to end the bloodshed in syria has deadlocked. a two-day peacemaking mission was led off by special envoy kofi annan. he left damascus after both government and opposition leaders rejected all proposals. this morning syrian forces are still pounding the central city of homs and battling rebel fighters across the country. >>> well, israelis and palestinians in gaza are vowing to say they will not let up in an intense round of cross-border fighting now in its fourth day. this morning israeli warplanes have car

abc's martha raddatz has more. we have seen the images of the bodies in trucks. the numbers are stunning. 17 dead, 6 horribly wounded, all of them shot. women and young children. bullets ripping through the head, the chest, the groin. >> the government is alleging that this was a premeditated act. that sergeant bales thought about it for at least an instant. it was something he meant to do. >> reporter: the maximum penalty is death. the minimum, life in prison, with eligible for parole a long way away. bales' lawyer insists the case against his client is weak. >> there's no cream scene. there's no csi stuff. there's no fingerprints. there's no ballistics. >> reporter: but images from that first day tell another story. you can see investigators gathering shell casings. and the six survivals could provide evidence, as well. bales' attorney says his client does not remember anything between the time he left the base and returned. but the attorney for his wife, kary, told abc news, that the agent called kary right after the shooting from jail and said that something

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> we talk so much about the ripple effect of war.ychological toll on those who come home, but the psychology of those still there. now opens this -- >> staggering. >> it opens the door to those questions, too. and how they're being treated. this guy passed screenings. >> it's really, really sad. leon panetta was saying that it's important that all of us, the u.s., afghanistan, the isaf forces all stick to the strategy laid out, war is hell, these kinds of incidents are going to take place. it's hard to imagine anything -- there's nothing positive that can come out of this except for potentially, you know, further mental health screening and getting these guys right and not putting them back in the situation if they're not ready for it. >> how far can you push someone in the middle of war? that's really the issue here. lots more on that story coming up. >>> shifting gears now. two serious school bus crashes are now raising some new questions about the safety of children who rely on these rides every day. in rural washington state a sc

. >> abc news' martha raddatz says all of this will figure into the investigation. >> reporter: think about it, in the last eight or nine year, this soldier has been gone about half the time from his own family. there's absolutely no excuse for what happened, but they are going to look into mental stability. was he suffering from posttraumatic stress? you've seen in the military over the years, a huge spike in suicides, a huge spike in posttraumatic stress. so, yes, that's exactly what they'll be looking at. >> so many questions still to be answered. we'll get a live update from the white house later this morning on "good morning america." >>> and rising gas prices are hurting president obama in the polls. an abc news poll released overnight finds that 65% disapprove of the way mr. obama is handling the issue. just 38% approve of the way he's handling the economy. but it doesn't seem to be hurting the president's re-election chances. 54% of those polled thought that mr. obama would win in november. only 40% thought that republicans would win. and the president's most likely opponents

gwen: covering the week in policy and politics, martha raddatz and alexis simendinger and karen tumulty. >> award winning annual is, covering history as it happens. live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week" with gwen ifill. corporate funding is provided by -- >> since 1875, we have been there for our clients through good times and bad. when their needs changed, we were there to meet them. from insurance to investment management to real estate and retirement solutions, we developed new ideas for the financial challenges ahead. this rock has never stood still. and that's one thing that will never change. peru detentional. -- prudential. >> we know why we are here, to protect our forces when they need it. >> to help troops see danger before it sees them. >> to answer the call of the brave and bring them safely home. >> around the globe, the people of boeing are working together to support and protect all those who serve. that's why we're here. >> corporate funding is also provided by norfolk southern. additional funding is provided by the annenburg foundation and public bro

let's turn to martha raddatz. what are you learning? >> abc news can identify the soldier as staff sergeant robert bales. 38 years old, likely be officially charged with 16 counts of murder tomorrow, but tonight we are learning a great deal more about him. >> reporter: if staff sergeant bales gunned down 16 innocent civilians as he is accused of doing, one can only ask, what happened to this soldier? listen to this quote from an army release from 2007 about a battle in which bales took part to recover a downed helicopter. bales said, i've never been more proud to be a part of this unit than that day, for the simple fact that we discriminated between the bad guys and the non-combatants. and then afterward ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us. i think that's the real difference between being an american as opposed to being a bad guy. someone who puts his family in harm's way like that. bales has been deployed four times, and didn't want to go back to afghanistan, according to his new civilian

abc's martha raddatz spoke with the general and reports now from kabul. >> reporter: we traveled nearly 1,000 miles with general john allen across afghanistan in the back of an osprey on a dizzying ride with another osprey trailing close behind over the battlefields below. general allen is a passionate officer who bristles at the criticism aimed at him and president obama for apologizing for the burning of the korans. >> why wouldn't we? why wouldn't we? this is the central word of god for them. why wouldn't we? we didn't do it on purpose, but we should apologize. and now we get on with the relationship. >> reporter: yet there is still a great deal of healing to be done. one of the six american service members killed in retaliation for the burning of the korans was from the same battalion as these young marines. >> it's moments like these when -- when you feel as though there is no trust or confidence that you have to reach down inside. you understand that this is the time for professionalism and this is not the time for revenge. >> but it may not be easy to convince some afghans of tha

abc's martha raddatz joins us now with the very latest. good morning to you, martha. >> reporter: good morning, josh. the u.s. has been bracing for reaction to the killings, and this morning it came in a violent outburst in the very village where the massacre took place. you can hear the gunfire coming from all sides. afghan officials including two brothers of afghan president hamid karzai were inside a mosque offering condolences. they were able to escape unharmed. while in eastern afghanistan, hundreds of students gathered to protest the killings. meanwhile, in washington state, the family of the 38-year-old staff sergeant accused in the murders has been moved to the secure army base lewis-mcchord for their own protection. abc news has learned the staff sergeant had marital problems since at least 2010, tied in part, sources say, to his military deployment. the trained sniper had three deployments to iraq. it was in 2010 that he rolled over in a vehicle and suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. but just over a year later, he was back in

abc's martha raddatz is back from afghanistan. martha, all suggests that this is methodical and cold-blooded almost like an execution? >> really just horrific, george. this morning, the soldier is not talking. he demanded la but the taliban is vowing revenge. the images are heartbreaking. children shot dead. men losing entire families in mourning. he killed a child says this mother. was this child part of the taliban? nine children in all, slaughtered. the man who officials say did it. an american soldier. a father of two himself. a husband. it was in the middle of the night when the 38-year-old staff sergeant they say donned night vision goggles, sneaked off the base walking a mile to the local village. there, while families slept, he broke into house after house, gunning down anyone inside. >> we just simply don't know what motivated this individual. >> reporter: the staff sergeant is based in ft. lewis, washington. he had been deployed three times to iraq. this was his first to afghanistan. just days ago we were with general joh

martha raddatz has more on that. he was under stress and alcohol may have been involved. >> reporter: john henry brown is the lawyer. brown said the soldier was injured twice. one we previously reported, a concussion in the rollover of his vehicle in iraq. and a serious injury to his foot, resulting in the removal of part of it. after three deployments to iraq, the soldier did not want to go to afghanistan and was originally told he did not have to. the night before the shooting spree, the soldier saw a friend have his leg blown off, which he said was traumatizing. >> they brought the soldier to kuwa kuwait. now he'll come to the u.s. for proceedings? >> reporter: probably ft. leavenworth. we'll learn his name when he's charged. we don't know when that will happen. it could be today. possibly next week. >> doe wido we have any idea of the scope? >> reporter: i think we'll probably see multiple murder charges. they'll probably carry the death pe penalty. >> thanks. >>> josh is off today. bianna golodryga is here with

martha raddatz joins us with the latest. >> reporter: the u.s. has been bracing for reaction to the killings. this morning, it came in a violent outburst in the village where the massacre took place. you can hear the gunfire coming from all sides. two brothers of hamid karzai were inside a mosque offering codoc don do condolences. in washington state, the family of the 38-year-old staff sergeant accused in the murders has been moved to the secure ar my base lewis-mcchord. the staff sar jept had marital problems since at least 2010, tied in part to his military deployment. the trained sniper had three deployments to iraq. in 2010, he rolled over in a vehicle and suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. just over a year later, he was back in combat. >> what caused him to snap will need to be determined in days and weeks to come. conditions of constant combat could have had a role. >> it's important to make sure that as we transition to the afghan lead, we don't rush for the exits. >> reporter: the sergeant was provided a lawyer. he's providing littl

and abc's martha raddatz joins us with the latest. martha, officials now say he will face 17 counts of murder? >> that's right. 17 counts. that's one more than we were originally told. one of the wounded may have died or there was a miscount in the beginning. he will also face six charges of attempted murder. the military trial will be held at his home base of ft. lewis, washington. bales talked to his wife for the first time since the murder accusation. they spoke for about ten minutes but were told not to discuss the case because the call was being monitored. they instead talked about, quote, family matters. and we learned of a new incident where bales was allegedly involved. a sheriff's report from washington state says in 2008, bales was accused of grabbing a woman and then punching and kicking her boyfriend. it described bales, at the time, as extremely intoxicated. bianna? >> martha, thanks to you. >>> time for the economy. people at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure may be getting a new option. we learned overnight that

we're going to bring in abc's martha raddatz. every time you see that video, martha, what are you hearing? what's the latest on what could have caused that. >> incredible video. a military official tells me this morning that investigators will look at what they call any factors behind the incident. that's an official way of saying, what the heck were they doing? this is what they will concentrate on. a very low pass when the helicopter first comes into view. passing extremely low. as one official says, yes. we will look to see if they were showing off for those on the ground. look. the helicopter looks in control. but when it banks up, it appears to lose air speed and never get it back. that's far more likely to happen at high altitudes where the air is thin. so, they probably know that is what likely caused the crash. but they want to know why they were doing that in the first place, robin. >> i know. you could hear people laughing on the ground. no one was seriously injured onboard or on the ground. but can you tell us a little

martha raddatz has the latest on the developing story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this morning we have learned the attacker, a once trusted afghan sbre interpreter has died from massive burns. if he hadn't accidentally driven into a ditch, this could have had a very different and terrible ending. when the defense secretary landed -- >> welcome to our humble home. >> reporter: he had no idea that as hi plane approaches, the afghan attacker was speeding toward the runway. he was wearing a camouflage marine corps top. he ran over a soldier and broke his pelvis. the truck hit a ditch. fell in. the interpreter had a container of gasoline in the truck and when he jumped out, he was on fire. the attacker jumps on to the running board of the security vehicle before being wrestled to the ground. this morning, the deputy commander of forces in afghanistan say he believes the attacker was aiming for a go up of marines. another official said he could have been trying to hit the crowd of military officials there to greet panetta o