The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

I'm Jim Lara, today's news. Two years after Katrina, the Craig scandal and negotiating with the Taliban all tonight on the news hour. Good evening, I'm Jim Lara.

On the news hour tonight, the news of this Wednesday. Gonna look at the Gulf Coast on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The latest on the scandal involving Idaho Senator Larry Craig. And two takes on South Korea's negotiations to free hostages in Afghanistan. Major funding for the news hour with Jim Lara is provided by. Retirement isn't just about spending endless hours enjoying warm tropical waters. It's not even just about leaping and jumping for joy because you plan to head smartly. And it's not even about sharing time with family and friends over a great meal whenever

you want. Or is it? It's time to start thinking about tomorrow. Pacific Live. The power to help you succeed. And by Chevron. The new AT&T. The National Science Foundation. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you. The Gulf Coast marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina today and vowed again to rebuild.

In New Orleans bells rang out as people remembered the dead protesters demanded more federal help to speed up the recovery. Mayor Ray Negan joined that appeal but said the city will persevere no matter what. My message is that New Orleans is the city of resilient people and we are coming back with struggling but we're going to come back and the money that's been promised hadn't made it here but we're still overcoming. President Bush saw a block after a block of ruined homes as he visited New Orleans today. He acknowledged problems but he insisted we're still paying attention. Mr. Bush also traveled to Mississippi where Governor Haley Barber hailed a progress there. We'll have more on this story right after the news summary. Senator Larry Craig of Idaho gave up his committee post today but fellow Republicans pressed him to resign over his arrest in an airport bathroom. Two senators John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota said Craig should step down.

A similar call came from Republican Congressman Pete Hochstra of Michigan. Craig was arrested in June at the Minneapolis airport as police investigated sexual activity in a bathroom. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight. In Afghanistan the Taliban released 12 South Korean church workers today. They were handed over to Red Cross officials at three separate sites. In return South Korea promised again that its troops would leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. The seven remaining captives could be released by tomorrow. We'll have more on this story later in the program tonight. U.S. forces in Iraq released eight Iranians today in Baghdad. Two were diplomats. They were detained last night in a hotel raid. An authorized weapons had been found in their cars at a nearby checkpoint. Later Iraqi officials said the Iranians were there to discuss building a power plant. Today in Washington, U.S. officials offered no apologies.

State Department spoke to him Tom Casey called the incident routine. I think Iranian nationals as well as Iraqi nationals as well as any countries nationals should also expect that coalition forces without respect to their nationality are going to enforce Iraqi laws to the extent that they are involved directly in that and that they are also going to continue in a very standard and regular fashion to do what they can and what is their mandate, which is to help provide security for the people of Baghdad and for the people of Iraq. In Baghdad, an adviser to the top U.S. commander in Iraq Army General David Petraeus said the episode was regrettable. Iraqi Prime Minister Al Maliki went to Kabul today trying to restore order a Shiite religious festival had been disrupted by deadly clashes between rival factions. The city was locked down today as sporadic violence continued and thousands of pilgrims were still trapped waiting for a way out.

Iraqi officials blamed the mighty army militia for starting the trouble. Its leader, Mokhtada Al-Sada, announced today he is suspending the group's activities for six months he ordered gunmen to stop attacking U.S. and coalition troops. Pakistan appeared close today to a power-sharing deal. The South Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said President Musharraf agreed to step down as army chief and corruption charges against Bhutto and others would be dropped. Bhutto wants to return to Pakistan and contest parliamentary elections next month. Musharraf took power in a military coup in 1999. Cooler weather helped thousands of firefighters control wildfires across southern Greece today. The flames had raged for the past week, killing at least 64 people. They were fanned by high winds and triple-digit heat, hundreds of people who lost homes and other property headed to banks today. The government promised them up to $18,000 per family in rebuilding aid.

A NASA review has found no evidence of astronauts drinking heavily before any space launch. The Space Agency released those findings today, and independent panel had reported claims that astronauts flew drunk on at least two occasions, but NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said interviews with 90 people going back 20 years found no proof. There was not an impaired crew member. There was not a flight surgeon who felt that he or she had to stay with the crew member and monitor his or her status to prevent them from injuring themselves. That did not happen. The NASA report did recommend drug and alcohol screenings for astronauts and other employees and greater oversight on launch days. Richard Jewell, who was wrongly accused of bombing the Atlanta Olympics, died today at

his Georgia home, he suffered kidney problems. Jewell became the center of a media storm after his name was leaked as the focus of the 1996 bombing. He was never charged and was later cleared. At his death, Richard Jewell was 44 years old. Wall Street surged back today, making up most of yesterday's losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 247 points to close at 13,289. The Nasdaq rose 62 points to close at 25, 63. And that's it for the news summary tonight. Now Katrina, two years later, the Senator Craig's story and the Taliban hostages deal. When Eiffel has our coverage of the Katrina anniversary, beginning with the report on today's events. It was a day of observance along the Gulf Coast, sad, angry, hopeful, as residents and

officials gathered to mark Hurricane Katrina's second anniversary. In wavelength, Mississippi, it began with an interfaith service at Daybreak, the same time the hurricane came ashore. Down the coast in Biloxi also hit hard, the sentiments were similar. We have a new outlook on life and a new appreciation for what's really important in life. It's not your car or your clothes or your possessions. It's being alive and knowing the importance of family and friends. In New Orleans, hundreds gathered and rang bells outside Charity Hospital, which has been closed since the storm.

Mayor Ray Negan helped break ground on a memorial at the hospital that will be the final resting place for more than two dozen unidentified victims. Negan conceded that his city has not rebounded as much as he would like. I know it's hard and we struggle and we fight with insurance companies and we fight with road home people and we fight each other, but at the end of the day, let's come together in this third year. Across town, President Bush marked the anniversary by visiting the region for the second time this year, the 15th time since Katrina hit. We're still paying attention. We understand. The president spoke at a rebuilt charter school in the lower ninth ward. New Orleans, better days are ahead. It's sometimes hard for people to see progress when you live in a community all the time. Lauren, I get to come. We don't live here. We come on occasion and it's easy to think about what it was like when we first came here after the hurricane and what it's like today.

And this town's coming back. This town is better today than it was yesterday and it's going to be better tomorrow than it was today. Mr. Bush also toured a new home development in the city before heading east to Mississippi where he applauded the construction of a new bridge in Bay St. Louis. More than 1,600 people died in the storm's aftermath throughout the Gulf Coast. Nearly 800,000 lost homes. It was the worst natural disaster in the nation's history. Federal recovery officials say the government has committed $114 billion in aid, 96 billion of which has been made available to local governments. Much of that was spent on immediate disaster relief rather than long-term recovery and many residents say they have not received enough of it. Several neighborhoods in this city remain in ruins and cleanup is still a daily ritual. Today, the population in New Orleans is just under two-thirds of what it was before

the storm. They asked us to come back home, but sometimes I wonder if it's a reason. Why? Why are we back here? You know? I don't feel safe. I want to cry sometime and I come out and just look at the houses, the homes, you know. Don't look like people ever coming back. Many of the residents feel stranded. I'm not used to living like this. I want to get away. The only thing is, I just don't have to money to get away, but I wish I could get away. It's a different story along the Mississippi coast where 11 of the state's 13 casinos have reopened, providing jobs for 18,000 people. That's about a thousand more than before Katrina. Many residents in the six affected Mississippi counties have now returned. The population is now 450,000, about 12,000 fewer than before. But many residents share the same concerns their neighbors in Louisiana do about getting the money to rebuild.

It was gone. Those locations were gone. It took a year for Darlene Kimball to finally reopen one of her restaurants. I said, well, they don't want to help me. I don't need it. Volunteers continue to flock to the Gulf Coast, helping communities and families rebuild their lives. Meeting all these people and finding so much love for being here down here enough. It's a great presidential candidate's critical of the federal recovery effort flocked to New Orleans this week. I just don't think that there is a sense of urgency in the White House where the president is cracking the whip. Fellow Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and John Edwards attended a Katrina anniversary forum. We need to make sure that the levees are built in a way that the people of New Orleans both feel secure and are secure. I will pledge to you this. If we don't get done, what you deserve to have done by the time I'm president, then when I'm president, this will be one of my highest priorities. Republican candidate Mike Huckabee said Katrina cost his party credibility.

How do you calculate what it takes to rebuild confidence in a person who has essentially felt that they were abandoned by their own government? And that's one of the realities that we have to address. Two years on the rebuilding, the recrimination and the remembrance are part of the fabric of the Gulf Coast. Memorial observances continued in New Orleans this evening. So how do things look on the ground for the residents of the Gulf Coast? For that, we turn to four community leaders in Louisiana and Mississippi. Jim Amos is editor of the New Orleans Times Picky Eun, Latoya Cantrell is president of the Broadmore Neighborhoods Improving Association in New Orleans. Brian Sanderson is president of the Gulf Coast Business Council in Gulfport, Mississippi. And Felicia Dunn-Birks is an attorney in Gulfport, Mississippi, although tonight she joins us from New Orleans. Welcome to you all. Latoya Cantrell, I want to start with you telling me the story of your neighborhood, the Broadmore Neighborhood in New Orleans, and how it came back.

Well, broadmore in January of 2006, a recommendation was made to the mayor by the Bring New Orleans back commission that broadmore be slated to be a green space, a drainage park of some sort. And so residents galvanize ourselves. We proclaim that broadmore would not be a green dot that our homes would not be raised in terms of being mowed down. And we would come back and be viable and be stronger than we were pre-Katrina. And that has, it's been proven. Today we have, we're implementing our redevelopment plan that was completed by the community in July of 2006. We have over 66% of our residents or properties that have been restored and are under active renovation.

So there is indeed progress that have been made. We are united. We are back. We are viable. However, there are some things that still need attention. Well, let's talk about some of those things, Jim Amos. Today and today's edition of New Orleans Times, PIKIUM, among other things in your anniversary cover carries this headline, treat us fairly Mr. President. Well, President Bush was in New Orleans today, and maybe you can explain to us what you meant by that. That was the headline of an editorial that we published in today's paper, and it referred to the federal aid that is flowed to Louisiana, and while much of the country has been generous, especially in the kind of volunteer efforts that have been shown, by comparison to some of the other damaged areas, and in particular by comparison to Mississippi, Louisiana has not received aid that was commensurate with the damage. For example, we had well over 90% of the severely damaged homes in the New Orleans area,

and yet only 60% of the federal housing relief money flowed to Louisiana, flowed to New Orleans. And likewise, about 97% of the hospital beds that were lost were in New Orleans, and yet only 50% of that medical relief aid flowed. And so we think that fair and distinct dates, that that'd be righted. Brian Sanderson, have it looked similarly to you on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi? You know, to a certain extent certainly, the Mississippi was ground zero for Katrina. The hurricane hit Mississippi over an 80-mile stretch from Waveland in Hancock County, 80 miles to the East in my hometown of Pascagula. And the level of federal aid that the American taxpayers have been generous in giving us is appreciated.

It has certainly, we wish it has flowed faster than it has, but we have to understand under the Stafford Act that governs any other natural disaster. And Mississippi would have received seven to eight billion dollars in federal aid, but through the generosity of the taxpayers. Mississippi has been allocated $24 billion, certainly not all of those dollars have flowed yet. But from day one, Mississippi from the local officials to our congressional delegation, and certainly at the state level, had a reasonable, well thought out plan of how they were going to use the money. And our homeowners grant assistance program, 87%, almost nine out of every 10 people that were eligible to receive those funds have received those to date. And that's because of the steadfastness of our local leaders and our state leaders in making sure that happens. We're proud of that. We still have a long way to go, but we've made significant gains in the two years. Felicia Dunn Brooks, can you give us a sense of what the biggest challenge you would identify that are facing

the residents of the hurricane zone in Mississippi now? I think it's not just Mississippi, but throughout the hurricane affected areas, our biggest challenge clearly is insurance. People are still battling insurance claims that have not been yet resolved, where they felt they had coverage. And insurance companies have denied coverage or questioned coverage or niggled and dime coverage. And then for those that are beyond the coverage question and in the rebuilding, repairing, remodeling mode, the difficulty in securing affordable insurance coverage on new construction or rehabilitated construction is almost insurmountable. Many insurance companies have quit writing in all of the Gulf Coast areas that are directly affected by hurricanes. It sounds like a vicious circle in some respects. People who could not get insurance coverage to cover their lost property now also can't get it to build something new.

That is correct. So what is underway to do something about that? Senator Lott and Congressman Taylor, particularly Congressman Jane Taylor from Mississippi, has introduced multi-parrow legislation into the legislature. We had a town hall meeting in Bay St. Louis approximately two weeks ago, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Whip James Clyburn and other members of the Congressional delegation came down, met with property owners, business owners and homeowners, and were able to create a record to take back to Congress to talk about how sorely needed this multi-parrow insurance legislation from a federal standpoint is to get in. Making all areas that are subject to and have been devastated by hurricanes back on their feet. Latoya Cantrell, let's go back to New Orleans for a moment.

Tell me if you can, what you consider to be the biggest improvement in your situation that maybe many of us have not heard about. Well, the biggest improvement is the fact that people have galvanized themselves to rebuild their lives. As I stated, we're about 66% of our homeowners that have come home and have been able to secure their properties and put their kids in school. So things in that regard are happening. We have been able to form a public and private partnerships in order to seek the additional resources that are necessary simply because there is a lack of resources from the federal level. We have a partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative that committed over $5 million to the redevelopment of Broadmore in 2006 and active partnership with the Kennedy School of Government that has allowed us to the assistance to help us plan and rebuild. So, the people are resilient and it is because of residents and also volunteers that have poured throughout our community and other communities throughout the city to help us regain our lives.

What about the biggest drawbacks? The biggest drawback is the, I would say one right now that we're dealing with neighborhoods like Broadmore have to submit a proposal to the state to make a plea for your public school that's in your neighborhood to be rebuilt simply because there's not enough dollars to rebuild all of the educational facilities throughout the city of New Orleans. So, we are down with five that will be placed on a fast track prior to the end of this year and other communities would have to wait until about 2010 to 2012 to see a rebuild school in their neighborhoods. So, because of the lack of adequate funding, these are the pressures that have been put on communities. Jim Amos, the same question to you, but in the context of what in particular the local government and the federal government and the state government's responsibilities ought to be in helping build up the things that are going doing well and support the things that aren't.

Well, I think the thing that's foremost in the minds of people who live in our area is protection from future storms and the federal government's record is spotty in that regard. On the one hand, we have floodgates that have improved our protection since Katrina and I don't think anybody who's seen them can argue with that. On the other hand, we are protected from a 100 year storm and while that sounds grandiose, if you compare it to the Netherlands, they enjoy protection through a system of dikes and levees and barriers and sleuces from a 10,000 year storm. So, it's many, many times more of the protection than the United States affords one of its prime cities and I think the long term goal of our community and we think it should be something that the federal government would value is to ultimately provide us with that system of protection. And in my view, everything flows from that, repopulation and bringing the economy back up all are derivative of people's confidence that they can live in this community and not have to constantly think about the next hurricane season.

Brian Sanderson, one of the things that seems to be going right in New Orleans is the rebuilt tourist areas. Is that the same thing that's happening with the revival of the casino district districts along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi? It is going, the gaming industry has certainly been a leader in our economic recovery. We had 13 gaming facilities before Hurricane Katrina. Today we have 11 gaming industries invested over $1.7 billion in investing and the real story is not what's happening on the gaming floor, it's the multiplier effect that has in our community. It means 18,000 jobs for the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It means great source of funding for our schools and so that's certainly been a driver in our economy. The casinos have been great corporate citizens and we've been able to rebuild our non gaming attractions. I'll mention that over three-fourths of today's gaming customers and our casinos come from out of state.

It's not our local residents there. It's people that are coming back to visit the state. We brought in over 36 million tourists last year to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They enjoy our $100 million a year of golf industry, the cultural attractions, the museums that were devastated by Katrina or returning, Frank Gehry's or O'Keefe Museum is rebuilding in Biloxi and so that's certainly a high mark of what we've attribute our success to over the past two years. Felicia Dunberg tells us a little bit about the volunteerism which we have seen. We have heard a lot about the number of people who have packed up churches and other groups to go down to help rebuild. Has that been a critical part of what you've seen happening in your community? It has been absolutely essential. Again, because of the problems with insurance and particularly denial of insurance claims, many people who are in their homes post-Katrina are well on the way to getting back into their homes post-Katrina are at the point of recovery that they are because of volunteerism. We have groups that make it their mission to come down in droves that have been here for the whole two-year time period post-Katrina.

We have organizations that donate materials. We have organizations that donate free volunteer labor and it is through that volunteer spirit that is one of the treasures of the American culture. We all look out for and support each other when we're down. That volunteer spirit has brought the Mississippi Gulf Coast and I would dare say residents of the city of New Orleans a lot further than they would be if we had not had the volunteers that we have had to come into our areas. Latoya Cantrell, I want to ask you and each of you, finally briefly, if you had to look forward to the next year before we celebrate another anniversary of this storm and you wanted to be able to look back on the things you would most like to have seen accomplished in that year, what would it be? Well, surely as Jim mentioned, more progress on the levees. Our protection is essential and I would say that would be number one and also the resources to pour into communities to help us continue to rebuild and restore our lives. Jim Amos, same question to you. Well, I agree absolutely with Latoya and also with Felicia Dunn Brooks who said that who made the remarks about volunteerism. People think of that as a footnote to the main action, but here it has been, it has been absolutely essential as she said and I hope that America continues to support us and doesn't give up on us.

We're a bootstrap community as Latoya Cantrell exemplifies and I think an investment in New Orleans will pay off. Brian Sanderson, same question to you. Sure, and I'll echo what Felicia mentioned a minute ago during this next year. We hope to see lower insurance rates. Insurance is really the linchpin. I try to continue to recovery along those same lines, more affordable housing for our workforce, for those residents of our communities who cannot afford to be back in the same homes or apartments that they were before the storm, more capacity for that rental market as well as the home ownership market. And lastly, a rebuilding that recognizes the confidence that the American taxpayers have placed in us to rebuild stronger and better in a smarter way.

One that recognizes the dangers we live have by living on a coastal area. So, and we're doing that, the state has committed that and the local governments have committed to enacting tougher building codes. So, we're being good stewards of the money, stewards of the money that's been generously given to us and we'll see more of that over the next year. Felicia Dunbergs. Thank you, Gwen. Insurance is absolutely the most essential accomplishment that has to be achieved over the next 12 months. If any of the coastal areas that have been devastated by Katrina, hope to rebound, because you cannot get a construction loan if you don't have insurance to secure that loan. And then the other thing is, as Jim indicated, we need, and we hope and we pray that Americans across this country will not forget us, will be mindful and be vigilant, and continue to send their volunteers here to the assist us in our effort to rebuild, because this is your America to New Orleans. It's one of the greatest cities in the world.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is just blossoming into a beautiful resort area for all of us to enjoy. I think the two areas enhance each other and it is in America's best interest to see both the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the City of New Orleans come back. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next, the latest on the Senator Craig story, and a Ray Suarez. Idaho Senator Larry Craig plans to be back at work in Washington when Congress returns from summer break next week. That word came this afternoon from a Craig spokesman as the Senator fought to save a political career that spans four decades. But this week's revelation that Craig was arrested in June, making a sexual advance to an undercover police officer in a Minneapolis airport men's room, today triggered the first calls from colleagues for his resignation. Senate Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota joined House Republican Peter Hookstra of Michigan, urging that Craig stepped aside immediately.

And a White House spokesman said the president was disappointed in Craig's behavior and hoped the Senate Ethics Committee would do its work quickly in the best interests of the Senate and the people of Idaho. While I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct at the Minneapolis airport or anywhere else. Craig yesterday denied any wrongdoing, but in August he did sign a guilty plea stating that he, quote, engaged in conduct which I knew or should have known tended to arouse alarm or resentment. I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away. The three-term Senator said he had hoped to keep the episode out of the newspapers, especially the Idaho statesman, which had conducted an eight-month investigation into similar charges against Craig. In pleading guilty, I overreacted in Minneapolis because of the stress the Idaho statesman investigation and the rumors it has fueled all around Idaho. The statesman published its story yesterday, which included a May 14 interview with Craig in which he denied several previous trusts with men.

Responding to one anonymous claim that he cruised or followed a man around a Boise sporting good store in 1994, Craig told the paper, The Senator then went on to say, Craig also denied a claim from a gay blogger last fall that he had sexual contact with another man in a bathroom at Washington, D.C.'s Union station. The revelations have forced Craig to resign as co-chairman of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Very disappointing. He's no longer associated with my campaign, as you can imagine. He resigned just today. And, you know, he was one of those who was helping my effort, and I'm sorry to see that he has fallen short. A popular political figure in Idaho, Craig also served as the fourth highest ranking Republican in the Senate from 1996 until 2002. He's been a long time opponent of gay rights, voting in favor of a federal ban on same-sex marriage several times in recent years.

Now we hear from the reporter who investigated and wrote yesterday's Idaho statesman story, Dan Popkey is the politics and government columnist for the newspaper. And, Dan, it's been one full day since Senator Craig came before the cameras. What's the reaction been in Idaho? I guess, somber, crestfallen even, people trusted Larry Craig. He had responded to rumors like this for decades, and, you know, most Idahoans who were in the political elite anyway, and had heard these stories believed him. And they're sad. Well, he's been in Congress since 1980 in Idaho politics for even longer. What are elected officials saying, if they are saying anything on the record? Well, not much. The governor today said that people make mistakes, and they need to be given room to recover from them and heal.

The governor himself speaks from his own experiences having a DUI, so that was very public. The rest of the congressional delegation has been fairly quiet. Senator Crapo, his junior colleague, said, you know, remember, this guy has done a lot of good things for Idaho, and let's cut him a little slack in essence. As we heard earlier in the broadcast, Senator Craig blames the Idaho statesman in part for having to go public, and for making the guilty plea, which he says, he now regrets. What was the nature of the investigation into his past that your paper was doing? Well, let me start off by saying that we were very careful, cautious, methodical about this. We didn't publish anything about this, unlike other media, when you mentioned the blogger earlier, when the bloggers report was published on the web.

In October, we did some work, but we declined to publish anything because we didn't want to rely on somebody else's anonymous sources. We did, however, put a lot of work into it, and thought that this was a newsworthy, if it were true, or if we could disprove it because of its long history as part of the mythology of Idaho politics. So, you mentioned eight months in the open there. I've actually spent about five months since October, divided my time doing other things. And I've talked to about 300 people. I've run down dozens and dozens of leads. We published yesterday the accounts of three people who I spoke with who I asked to remain anonymous. One of them is the Union Station, rail station, toilet incident, I guess, in which the gentleman says that he had sexual contact with Senator Craig. The other two were cruising situations or hit. One was in 1967 at the University of Idaho, where the Senator was student body president and president of his paternity house.

And the person I spoke with said that he believed that he had been hit on. In 1994, at the REI store here in Boise, a different man said that Craig had cruised him, followed him around the REI, and that this was a gay man who said that it was clear that it was an invitation to sex. So let me understand, in the presentation of these stories in the statesmen, do you merely repeat what these men said or does the story itself conclude that what they say is credible? I repeat what they said, but I mean the fact that we published it obviously suggests that we believe they're credible and we do believe they're credible. But I need to emphasize this. Our decision to publish was made only after the arrest and the guilty plea. It was the guilty plea and the news of the guilty plea that added weight to the claims of these three men that we didn't have before.

We had made the decision after that May 14 interview that you ran those excerpts from. We'd made the decision that we couldn't publish anything at that time because we weren't comfortable giving the senators very vociferous denials of these claims, putting this in the paper when what we had were three men who wouldn't put their names out there and the senator was denying it. That changed with his guilty plea. Well one thing that didn't change, he not only denied yesterday but denied in a long sit down with your newspaper that these encounters ever happened in the first place, didn't he? Oh yes, absolutely. Denied them and denied any homosexual conduct in his lifetime. But when we read the police report, we read the document in which he pleaded guilty. That was the trigger, I suppose, for us publishing. You described the mood in Idaho as somber. Does the existence of the guilty plea really change this qualitatively from just rumors that have swirled around Senator Craig in the past?

Yes, there are a lot of very long faces and it's very hard for people to understand why he would have pleaded guilty to something that he now says he didn't do. Read the document. It's very plain. It says that I am pleading guilty to something I did, I am not innocent. And it's very sobering to people here. And it does change it from the scurrilous rumors that have been passed around and many of the rumors are false. We've run them down and that was part of our thinking as well. Far more of the leads turned out to be dead ends or inconclusive or false than they did to lead to these three cases I've just described. And Larry Popkey, before we go, have you been able to determine in your reporting whether Senator Craig's intention to revisit or reopen in some way the Minnesota case is even legally feasible?

That he can overturn unwind this conviction. That's what they say. I will see. I think it's going to be very interesting to watch how he responds. I don't know if we've got time. One thing that I think Idahoans are asking themselves today is can Larry Craig be effective? He was very effective. He brought home the bacon into Idaho as an appropriations committee member. He's really had a major impact on public policy in this state of historic proportions. And with his colleagues starting to peel away with his losing his seats on the appropriations committee. You didn't mention this. But the Republican conference asked him to leave the committees upon which he sits that helps Idaho. And this is a big blow for Idaho as a small western state that relies on the Congress to deliver subsidy and protect our water and so forth.

Larry Popkey, thanks for joining us. Thanks. Thank you. Negotiating with the Taliban Judy Woodruff has our story. The 12 South Korean Christian aid workers were released in several groups this afternoon outside the southern Afghan city of Ghazni. After a nearly six-week ordeal dressed in Afghan tribal where this group of four women and one man were taken into the care of the international Red Cross. Earlier a trio of women had been freed. Outside Seoul, the brother of one former hostage rejoiced upon seeing his sister. The release of the first three people include my sister. I talked to our parents on the phone and they cried and said their daughter is coming back alive.

The initial group of 23 South Koreans was captured on July 19 and route from the Capitol Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar. The group's leader and another man were executed at the end of July. Two female captives were released earlier this month. The release of the remaining 19 captives was secured yesterday after extensive negotiations mediated by the Red Cross between South Korean diplomats and the Taliban, which controls large swaths of southern Afghanistan. The Afghan government had no role in the talks. The Taliban had demanded after the abduction that the Afghan government released one Taliban prisoner for every South Korean. That demand was later rescinded. The final deal included a reaffirmation of the South Korean government's previously announced pledge to pull its contingent of 200 troops out of Afghanistan. The Taliban also gained assurances from the South Korean government that it would ban Christian missionaries from traveling to Afghanistan.

The hostages and their families had long insisted they were aid workers, not missionaries. At the United Nations today, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon himself, a former South Korean foreign minister, praised the release. First of all, I am pleased to hear their news and I welcome their news that both Korean government and the Taliban representatives have agreed to release remaining 19 hostages. It must have been very difficult to deal for those hostages, as well as people of the Republic of Korea. The Afghan government, however, criticized the deal, saying it might lend the Taliban undeserved legitimacy emboldened the deposed regime and ultimately lead to more hostage-taking. For more on all of this, we get two views. Seth Jones is a political scientist at the Rand Corporation and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He frequently travels to Afghanistan.

And Donald Greg, a former CIA official, and ambassador to South Korea during the first Bush administration. He is now chairman of the Korea Society. Gentlemen, thank you both for being with us. Seth Jones, do you first? What do you make of this deal? What do you think of it? Well, I think there are at least two questions. One is, why did the South Korean government agree to a deal where they stated as part of the agreement to commit to downsizing their forces? Even if they were already going to downsize forces in the future anyway, why did they make this part of their negotiations? Why did they publicly state this? And second, my conversation is recently with Afghan government officials this morning, and United States and other NATO officials indicated that there is a high likelihood that the South Korean government paid for the release of these hostages. There was money that was transferred to the Taliban. That was at a dangerous precedent.

Now, the South Korean government has denied that. What information did you get there? Did you hear that is it credible information? It is credible information which poses a strong likelihood that there was a money transferred to the Taliban from the South Koreans directly or through intermediaries. But it's a deep concern. Don't Greg, Ambassador Greg, you know the South Korean, well, you served as Ambassador from the United States to South Korea. That surprised you. Do you think it's true? Two young Korean girls were killed accidentally in 2002 by American troops, and that was a matter of immense concern. I take seriously to South Korean denial that money was paid. I think if money was paid, that casts a very different light on this. But if you can rule out that.

I think that apart from the original kidnapping and the death of the two hostages, the results have been better than almost anyone might have expected. And I think we learned something about the Taliban in this process. I think hardliners captured them. Hardliners killed two of them. They got nothing for that. The world held firm. But then, later on, they released two ill women. And I think that said a very clear signal that negotiations were possible. And I think that the Koreans carried out the negotiations very well. And I very much hope that Ransom was not paid. So you're saying you think one should think more highly of the Taliban as a result of this. I think what we have learned is that within the Taliban, there are those who realize that they had bitten off more than they could chew. And that if they were not going to just absolutely paint themselves into a corner, the sanity had to prevail, which I think in the end it has.

So I think that we've learned that there is not monolithic leadership within the Taliban. And I think that's a very important bit of intelligence. Seth Jones, you've studied Afghanistan, you've studied the Taliban. Is that what you're gleaning from this? Well, I think one important note here is that the South Korean hostages were taken on the major road between Kabul and Kandahar, the major highway. It's a very strong indication that the Taliban and, frankly, other insurgent groups are able to control significant parts of the East, the South, and now the West of Afghanistan outside of major cities. What this does show is that the central government, its police, army, and an auxiliary police forces do not have the ability to establish security in much of the country. So you're saying what? That the Taliban is stronger than we've been led to believe? I think the Taliban in rural areas of eastern, southern, and western Afghanistan is much stronger than most people who have not been to these areas recognize.

And you're saying that's a bad thing? That's a terrible thing. If that's the case, Ambassador Greg, then is it such, should it be seen as a same when, as a good development, that the South Koreans were able to cut this deal? Well, put yourself in the position of the South Koreans. You have 23 of your citizens held in hostile hands. The United States will give no help. The Afghan government will give no help. There is immense political pressure put on the South Korean President to gain their release. He has now gained their release by saying he will continue a troop withdrawal that was already planned, and by stopping proselytizing by religious groups, which I think is a very sensible move. If that is all there was to it, my hats off to the Koreans. If they had to pay money along the way, I think that casts a very different light on it. But I think the Kabul government is very fearful of the increased strengths that the Taliban is manifesting, and I regret to say I think they were rather indifferent to the fate of the South Korean citizens,

preferring that nothing be done, which in any way would legitimize the Taliban. Coming back to the Taliban, Seth Jones, when you have this Afghan official, the Commerce Minister of Afghanistan saying we fear this decision could become a precedent that the Taliban will continue now to try to take hostages to attain their aims. Is this something that one should be concerned about? This should unquestionably be a deep concern for Canadians, British, Germans, Americans, other NGO workers in key parts of Afghanistan, where the insurgency is being fought. This sense of very dangerous President, there have been multiple kidnappings. It is very clear that the Taliban and other insurgent groups are willing to do this. And by cutting a deal, and especially if there was money that was transferred, this sets a terrible precedent for the continuation of this activity.

And you're laying the responsibility on the shoulders of the South Korean government? I think part of the responsibility is the South Korean government. Let's also not forget that these appear to be have been Christian missionaries in an area, which is a dangerous province, in an insurgency that is a Muslim, a Sunni Muslim extremist insurgency. Why they were there was irresponsible for them to have been there anyway. So it was partly responsibility of the Korean government, I think, to have not allowed them to have gone. So to come back to this point, Ambassador Greg, if this strengthens the Taliban, the Taliban being a more dangerous force in Afghanistan, was it in that respect, the right thing for the South Korean government to do? Well, it's a very difficult question to answer. If nothing had been done, probably eventually you would have 23 Koreans dead Koreans on your hand. Now we have concerns that perhaps by this, there may be future accidents that will be undertaken.

That may happen, or on the other hand, as a former intelligence officer, I think that the way the Taliban conducted themselves during this is very revealing of their own inner workings. And I think we ought to learn from that and try to deal with it and try to see if there are people within the Taliban who are less fanatical than the people who originally sees the hostages. Well, they killed too. I rejoice in the fact that the people are still alive, but I certainly agree that a difficult president may have been set if money was involved. Forgive me for interrupting, I was just saying, and they did kill two of the hostages. Absolutely. And that should not be forgotten. And the Taliban should not be given any additional legitimacy by what they have done. Seth Jones, to you finally. So does this leave the Afghan government? If it strengthens the Taliban, then does it naturally then weaken the Afghan government?

Well, it strengthens the Taliban government, the Taliban probably to some degree. The Afghan government, frankly, is already weak in rural areas of the country. So how much this actually weakens the Afghan government of the long run is an open question. But I think there are already clear problems with the provision of essential services and the establishment of law and order in rural areas of Afghanistan. This just highlights those deficiencies. And we should point out that the Taliban still holds several other hostages to Germans, I believe, in an Afghan. Well, gentlemen, we are going to leave it there. Seth Jones, Rand Corporation, Ambassador Donald Gregg. Thank you both. Thank you. Thank you. And again, the other major developments of this day, residents of the Gulf Coast marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and vowed again to rebuild. And Republicans began calling for Senator Larry Craig of Idaho to resign over his arrest in an airport men's room.

We'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. I'm Jim Lara. Thank you and good night. Major funding for the news hour with Jim Lara is provided by some say that by 2020 we'll have used up half the world's oil. Some say we already have, making the other half last longer will take innovation, conservation and collaboration. Will you join us? The new AT&T. Pacific Life. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world.

And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.