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Behind The Scene

Behind the Scenes: On front lines of drug war

Two people are shot dead in broad daylight Wednesday in a city lost in a drug war between rival cartels over the lucrative drug route into the United States.

updated Thu Dec 10 2009 15:15:15

Behind the Scenes: On front lines of drug war

Two people are shot dead in broad daylight Wednesday in a city lost in a drug war between rival cartels over the lucrative drug route into the United States.

updated Sat Aug 15 2009 22:17:51

Behind the scenes: A refugee camp for Pakistani Christians

A mother of two sobs as she tells us, "I have no money. No money for books or uniforms to send my children to school." It's around 110 degrees Fahrenheit in this squalid camp in downtown Islamabad, where 2,000 Christians have settled, literally in the middle of the road.

updated Wed Jun 10 2009 21:14:56

The day I held a sobbing WWII medic in my arms

I held his hand and hugged him until he calmed. I had asked what I thought was a simple question. "When I say the name Erwin Metz, what comes to your mind?"

updated Thu Apr 16 2009 20:49:07

Behind the scenes: Will Latin America welcome Obama?

Obama's relationship with Mexico started on shaky ground, although the first foreign leader he met with as president-elect was Mexican President Felipe Calderón. Reports from the Pentagon and the CIA considered that Mexico was at risk of becoming a failed state, something that didn't sit well with the Calderón government.

updated Mon Dec 08 2008 18:10:47

McIntyre: Myth of Shinseki lingers

But many others have elevated his now-famous February 2003 testimony to the level of Scripture.

updated Fri Nov 14 2008 22:07:06

Behind the Scenes: Saluting a female general

The cavernous Pentagon auditorium was packed with a constellation of multistarred senior officers, mostly men. The mood was festive. There were broad smiles everywhere.

updated Mon Oct 27 2008 17:38:31

Behind the Scenes: Trying to get 'the building that speaks' off mute

But the building is mute over the weekend attack in Syria, where it's reported, and widely believed, that U.S. special operations forces launched a helicopter attack from in Iraq five miles across the border into Syrian territory.

updated Mon Aug 25 2008 11:03:16

A glimpse of the young Obama in action

I was a summer intern in Illinois at the Chicago Tribune newspaper. An editor dispatched me to City Hall to cover a demonstration. When I arrived, I found a group of angry African-American women shouting at a group of white city officials in a crowded waiting room.

updated Fri Aug 22 2008 17:04:21

Buchenwald liberator's death moves CNN.com readers

"They put us on what you call the Hitler Highway. On the highway, we saw massacres of people being slaughtered off the highway," Anthony Acevedo said.

updated Mon Aug 11 2008 15:50:06

Behind the Scenes: Out of Bushwick

a community of about 109,000 people only five miles from Manhattan.

updated Mon Jun 16 2008 11:46:42

Behind the Scenes: Debating guns in national parks

I didn't notice it before because Summer is wearing a large plaid shirt, not tucked in, covering his navy blue polo shirt.

updated Fri Jun 13 2008 11:39:59

Behind the Scenes: Star's bloody stunt flopped

"Do you know the person pictured in the following video," it read. "If so, please contact me immediately. Your life might be in danger." The sender claimed to be a Detective James Nicholas, Director of Crime Prevention for the Universal Crime Network.

updated Fri Jun 06 2008 21:05:27

Behind the Scenes: Demand for change strong 40 years later

These photos marked a dramatic moment as 2 million people lined the railroad tracks from New York to Washington. They came to watch the funeral train carrying the body of Sen. Robert Kennedy, the Democratic presidential candidate who had been assassinated days earlier.

updated Tue May 27 2008 16:19:51

Mexican drug cartel trots out boy as warning to cops

The tune was an ode to Edgar Guzman, the son of a local drug kingpin who was killed by a rival drug gang in a shootout May 10.

updated Thu May 22 2008 14:14:12

Behind the Scenes: Indiana Jones comes to Harlem

The AMC Magic Johnson Theatre complex on 125th Street? Not so much.

updated Tue May 13 2008 09:56:15

Behind the Scenes: Clock ticking on Mideast peace deal

On that morning in January, members of the press corps boarded bulletproof buses for the journey from Jerusalem to Ramallah for Bush's press conference at the former compound of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which had been bombed by Israeli forces many years ago.

updated Sat May 10 2008 06:46:47

Behind the Scenes: Escaping cyclone-ravaged Myanmar

It sounds like a spy movie. But CNN's Dan Rivers, who sneaked into storm-ravaged Myanmar without the knowledge of the nation's secretive ruling junta, says the reality is even more frightening than it appears on the silver screen.

updated Fri May 09 2008 07:52:19

Behind the Scenes: Body hunt at Manson ranch

Now, thanks to a small-town detective and his cadaver dog, Manson's hideout might be searched for more murder victims.

updated Thu May 08 2008 14:44:10

Behind the Scenes: Amanpour's notes from North Korea

literally and figuratively closed off to the real world. It is so isolated, it's called the "hermit kingdom."

updated Fri May 02 2008 10:54:56

France milks cheese for all its worth

But for the milk industry in general, it's another story. It has now a larger annual turnover than the steel industry in France (which admittedly is in decline.)

updated Tue Apr 29 2008 15:54:05

Behind the Scenes: Walking amid 2,000 al Qaeda suspects

These inmates are kept behind a maze of chain-link fences, topped with barbed wire, and are guarded by heavily armed men in military fatigues who hold shields. We're escorted through Camp Bucca, the United States' biggest detention facility in Iraq, by Marine Gen. Douglas Stone, who runs the camp.

updated Thu Apr 17 2008 17:13:03

Behind the Scenes: Thrilling day covering the pope

a baseball cathedral transformed into a church thanks to a 50-by-50-foot altar in centerfield.

updated Wed Apr 16 2008 09:54:54

Behind the Scenes: Watch for political fallout from pope's visit

Here's a typical example from early April: "The pope is not coming to get mixed up in the local political process," said Italian Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the pope's ambassador to America, in an interview with the National Catholic Reporter. "His presence is about something more universal and, at the same time, more personal."

updated Sat Feb 09 2008 19:16:56

Touring Tennessee with Bush

But that excitement was leavened with sadness on Friday, because this time I was part of a small group of reporters traveling with the president to Tennessee, one of five states struck by deadly tornadoes this week.

updated Tue Jan 29 2008 16:41:23

Fence that fell brought Arabs together -- briefly

It was breathtaking to watch as tens of thousands of people poured over what once was a towering Israeli-built iron wall, a seemingly insurmountable barrier between Gaza and the world, now a walkway through which Palestinians strolled into Egypt.

updated Mon Jan 28 2008 17:38:42

Pulling pork can be unappetizing

Earmarks are those nearly secret pet projects that are added onto the government's spending bills year after year. On Monday night, President Bush will announce what are being called "unprecedented changes" in the way lawmakers earmark money for special projects that benefit their districts or campaign contributors.

updated Fri Jan 11 2008 11:40:18

Reporter offers Bush a Gaza, West Bank misery tour

But he's trapped inside his security bubble, his every step mapped out in great and precise detail by teams of security experts and handlers. In the end he'll see a side of this unhappy land that bears as much resemblance to reality as Hollywood does to real life.

updated Thu Dec 20 2007 10:47:24

Tuchman: Hitting the road (literally) with some faithful

Now, is it possible that this "highway" mentioned in Chapter 35 is actually Interstate 35 that runs through six U.S. states, from southern Texas to northern Minnesota? Some Christians have faith that is indeed the case.

updated Wed Dec 19 2007 00:24:02

Robertson: An ambush that can't be forgotten

We'd landed on boulders in the middle of two fast-flowing rivers, in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, just 15 miles from the Pakistan border on September 12. Mountains towered over us, incredibly steep and imposing, on all sides. The sun sets early here.

updated Thu Nov 29 2007 18:03:10

Behind the scenes: Death of a hero

My son Ricky, who is 17, idolized Sean Taylor during his All-America days at the University of Miami, through his promising early years with the Washington Redskins, and right up until he died from a gunshot wound early Tuesday morning.

updated Mon Nov 05 2007 16:29:37

Pakistan crisis: 'It ain't easy' for U.S.

Even before Saturday's crackdown, U.S. State Department officials said they had struggled with what to do if Musharraf went through with his threat. They didn't know then, and they don't know now.

updated Fri Nov 02 2007 14:44:47

Rice faces tall order mending fences in Turkey

Warm feelings toward the United States on the streets of Turkey are in short supply, and the welcome mat is not out for Rice. This week, protesters in Ankara threw darts at a photograph of Rice and held signs that read, "Terrorist Rice, take your bloody hands from Turkey" and "Go home Rice."

updated Fri Oct 19 2007 19:33:28

Sex suspect mum behind shades

a suspected pedophile accused of abusing a dozen underage Asian boys in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

updated Fri Oct 12 2007 19:33:59

Free from White House, former counselor tells tales

He was tanned and rested from a long summer vacation, thrilled to be spending more time with his family and eager to start reaping the greener pastures of the private sector after leaving the White House in July.

updated Thu Oct 11 2007 17:14:07

Oppenheim: Immigration showdown in Texas

So, it came as a surprise to me when I learned some Latino men, day laborers who were standing around and hoping to get some work, thought I was a federal immigration officer.

updated Wed Sep 19 2007 14:06:46

Behind the scenes: Kanye rises to the top

Listen to his current album, "Graduation," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, besting 50 Cent's "Curtis" in a much ballyhooed face-off, and you're more likely to hear the sounds of chests being thumped than backs being patted.

updated Tue Sep 18 2007 08:26:15

A firsthand look at removing a nuclear threat

The institute is not a romantic place. Located in a cylindrical, concrete building, it contains a 500-kilowatt, pool-type reactor that had only recently been loaded with Soviet WWR-M2 fuel assemblies.

updated Fri Sep 14 2007 17:15:24

Reporters get first look inside mysterious Supermax prison

It's not what one would expect of a place that houses 473 notorious terrorists, vicious murderers and violent, disruptive escape-prone inmates brought in from other federal penitentiaries.

updated Thu Sep 13 2007 22:56:08

Analysis: Bush buys time with speech full of contradictions

The president said the surge of forces in Iraq is succeeding from a security standpoint, though not succeeding enough to forge the political reconciliation that was a primary goal of the increase of troops.

updated Wed Aug 29 2007 23:04:03

Katrina 'children' share emotional stories of New Orleans

She looks shell-shocked, as if she has survived a war, and in a way that is exactly what has happened. Amanda and her grandmother lost their home and their livelihood as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

updated Tue Aug 28 2007 17:33:57

Face-to-face with top Hamas leader in secret location

And, of course, it is no surprise why Israel has Khaled Meshaal at the top of its hit list. He is known to have ordered bombings that have targeted Israeli civilians, blowing up cafés, markets and malls across Israel.

updated Fri Aug 17 2007 16:37:29

Faith unshaken after mourners killed in Peru church collapse

The nuns were standing at the edge of the ruins of the San Clemente church in downtown Pisco, waiting for word on two of their sisters who were buried in the rubble.

updated Thu Aug 09 2007 20:36:36

Tuchman: Journey into collapsed mine was nerve-racking

But something changed Wednesday, and mine owner Bob Murray told five of us that we could go into the mine as far as we wanted and provide information, video and photographs for all the news media present. This was noteworthy, considering that mines are incredibly difficult places for reporters to get access to, even in normal circumstances.

updated Wed Aug 08 2007 12:56:13

Shuttle commander: Alcohol report lacks facts

The shuttle Endeavour commander called CNN Space Correspondent Miles O'Brien on Monday from the astronaut crew quarters here at the Cape.

updated Tue Aug 07 2007 15:35:12

Family seeks answers in son's Virgin Islands slaying

Bill and Jeanie Cockayne -- have grown uneasy with the island's law enforcement officials who, they claim, have been slow to act and slow to give them information about the case.

updated Thu Jul 26 2007 09:40:57

Ordering food in Beijing makes me nervous

But these days, the joy of anticipation of what the next dish will bring has been replaced with, well, the dread of what the next dish may contain.

updated Fri Jul 13 2007 20:32:00

The mentally ill -- jailed and desperate for help

charges that Judge Steven Leifman says are usually "avoidable felonies." He says the arrests often result from confrontations with police. Mentally ill people often won't do what they're told when police arrive on the scene -- confrontation seems to exacerbate their illness and they become more paranoid, delusional, and less likely to follow directions, according to Leifman.

updated Wed Jul 04 2007 22:51:40

Johnston: Thank you all

Speaking live from Jerusalem, Johnston thanked his supporters and promised "to stay out of trouble," saying he was moved by all the people who took the time to support him when he needed it most.

updated Wed Jul 04 2007 22:11:45

Relief, glee over reporter's freedom

something that brings relief to all us who've reported in the region.

updated Fri Jun 29 2007 09:57:57

Flying with the first lady: Smiles, but not much news

I see the first lady two sections up chatting casually with her staff, sitting comfortably with her seat facing the back of the plane. There is a clear view of her, and my colleague beside me can't help but take a few pictures during this candid moment.

updated Fri Jun 29 2007 09:57:00

In Africa with first lady, Jenna Bush steals the show

I first saw her at our stop at the Fann Hospital for HIV/AIDS patients in Dakar, Senegal. She was with her mother, the first lady, getting a tour of the garden that provides the hospital's patients with vegetables.

updated Thu Jun 28 2007 12:59:24

U.S. sees headway in fight against roadside bombs in Iraq

Potholes. Piles of trash. Dead animals. All places where improvised bombs can be hidden, and almost from the moment we leave base, there is shouting and swerving to avoid things in the road that just don't look right. Or look different from the last time through.

updated Wed Jun 27 2007 03:14:08

Day 2 with the first lady: On the run in Senegal

We've gathered in a small room inside the Le Meridien President hotel where we're told to drop our morning coffee and run.

updated Mon Jun 25 2007 06:58:40

Behind the Scenes: Chilled by words of hatred

But she insisted the police had sanctioned a face-to-face meeting with Jemaah Islamiyah's military commander, at a secret location somewhere in Java. We scrambled to the airport and less than 24 hours later I found myself nervously pacing up and down an empty, echoing corridor of a police building, waiting for a convoy carrying the most dangerous terrorist in Southeast Asia.

updated Thu Jun 21 2007 07:38:25

Navy needs more SEALs

The target is a total SEAL force of 3,038 in five years.

updated Thu May 31 2007 14:23:14

Larry King on Reagans: 'Theirs was an absorbing love'

Larry will also read excerpts from the book on the 9 p.m. ET show.

updated Wed May 30 2007 08:05:11

Retired priest denies role in 1960 slaying

We met the 74-year-old retired priest in a grocery store parking lot in Phoenix. We had some questions, and he isn't the kind of person to grant interviews, at least not on the topic we wanted to talk about: Murder.

updated Wed May 16 2007 20:42:56

Wolfowitz interview goes nowhere fast

Let me explain.

updated Sat May 12 2007 22:04:54

U.S. general keeps reminders of killed soldiers

Center.

updated Fri May 11 2007 09:11:27

Gloom, despair on display at Iraqi women's prison

The prison has an almost surreal feel. The first floor is well-lit, filled with official offices and a medical room for the inmates. Pasted on the walls are drawings of women and children. In almost each picture, there's one or two teardrops on their faces.

updated Wed May 09 2007 20:03:08

Cheney's 'bad cop' act in Iraq: What's really going on

Journalists traveling with the vice president reported that aboard Air Force Two en route to Iraq, someone identified only as a "senior administration official" said Cheney's message to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki would be clear.

updated Thu May 03 2007 01:48:27

Progress in Iraq hard to define, hard to measure

These are mostly the same goals that a similar group tried to achieve at a summit in 2004. The final summit communique reached three conclusions: The U.S. presence in Iraq is not open-ended, the Iraqi government needed to do more to include more political parties (i.e. Sunnis) in the political process and more efforts needed to be made to curb the violence.

updated Tue May 01 2007 21:26:57

Kate Moss wannabes mob London store

all hellbent on getting a piece of clothing designed by supermodel Kate Moss.

updated Thu Apr 26 2007 14:17:54

Viewers' guide to Democratic debate

Don't bet on huge pyrotechnics between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

updated Wed Apr 25 2007 13:45:50

Can McCain campaign get traction?

not to be confused with the announcement he made on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in March or his "Straight Talk Express" tour two weeks later.

updated Mon Apr 23 2007 19:25:15

Remembering a fallen hero

Headline News anchor Robin Meade and meteorologist Bob Van Dillen got to know Davis personally last year, when the pilot welcomed the "Robin & Company" team for a couple of in-flight demonstrations. Here, Meade and Van Dillen share their personal memories of the 11-year Navy veteran.

updated Thu Apr 19 2007 12:40:35

Koinange: Mugabe smashed dreams of Zimbabwe, all Africans

I remember the British flag being lowered and the Zimbabwean one being raised. To me, it seemed there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd at Rufaru Stadium in the country's newly named capital, Harare, previously known as Salisbury.

updated Fri Apr 13 2007 07:07:20

Bombings rattle classroom, unite students

and what it's like to live in a war zone when it's unknown if a trip to school will be your last.

updated Fri Apr 06 2007 15:42:26

From the campaign trail: Iowans basking in '08 love

Three days in Iowa this week and stops with five presidential candidates showed that even though some are lamenting the 2008 race's early start, the Hawkeye State is basking in the attention from White House hopefuls.

updated Wed Mar 28 2007 13:38:33

Perry: A Baghdad bomb site everyone should see

security guards for the now seriously wounded deputy prime minister.

updated Fri Mar 23 2007 12:53:18

The anatomy of "Grady's Anatomy"

well, several CNN crews -- have been tailing him through the past 24 hours at Grady Memorial Hospital. It's been a typically busy weekend at Grady, so he hasn't had a chance to sleep yet.

updated Wed Mar 21 2007 16:47:59

Quade: Secretive military team allows reporter inside

They do not usually let outsiders into their world. And rightly so: they must be able to continue to do their high-risk work behind enemy lines without fear of compromise or capture. Because it's not just downed aircrews the teams go after. They also recover other special targets and go on other missions they can't discuss.

updated Wed Mar 21 2007 10:14:26

Soldier fathers child two years after dying in Iraq

like my mouth.

updated Tue Mar 20 2007 14:42:28

CNN's Wedeman: Gaza kidnapping gives me chills

I've been to Gaza more times than I can count, first in 1993, and several dozen times ever since. As one of CNN's Jerusalem-based correspondents, Gaza is my beat. I know almost every inch of the place and, although conditions are often difficult, I enjoy working there.

updated Tue Mar 20 2007 13:47:35

Pay to play a border crosser in bizarre tourist attraction

the indigenous Nanu Indians who live near this national park and operate the mock border crossing.

updated Fri Mar 16 2007 15:39:48

Bush trip may have started healing Latin America rift

contrary to what some critics say -- he hasn't neglected the region.

updated Fri Mar 09 2007 15:41:07

A more conciliatory Farrakhan: 'I've evolved'

He says he now wants to work together with all people and all religions to bring about peace in the world.

updated Thu Feb 22 2007 21:09:58

Libby trial watchers wonder what may have been

But it never happened.

updated Wed Feb 21 2007 11:07:42

Iranian official offers glimpse from within: A desire for U.S. ally

''Natural allies,'' this official said.

updated Fri Feb 16 2007 20:41:31

Lawlessness turns Baquba into ghost town

Shops were shuttered, and mountains of trash were piled everywhere. I felt a wave of shock.

updated Wed Feb 14 2007 20:18:14

China diplomat: North Korea gets 'money and respect'

"There are a lot of mysteries about North Korea," said a Chinese diplomat, who asked not to be identified. "But it's no mystery that what they want most are money and respect."

updated Mon Feb 12 2007 09:40:36

Koinange: Friend gunned down by child soldiers

"Myles is dead! Myles is dead!" he shouted, wailing uncontrollably.

updated Sat Feb 10 2007 14:10:08

Koinange: Big guns, big oil collide in Nigeria

We hit the deck, shouting, "We are press! We are press!" Eventually, the bullets stopped flying and the gunmen approached our boat, demanding to know who we were.

updated Fri Feb 09 2007 19:58:01

Libby trial provides a rare look inside the grand jury

It is a rare occurrence: a defendant's grand jury testimony being played for the jury weighing whether he is guilty or innocent.

updated Fri Feb 09 2007 10:59:30

Soledad O'Brien: Katrina kids, Spike Lee, and hope

Almost 180,000 students were registered in New Orleans public schools before Katrina, according to the Louisiana Department of Education. As of October 2006, that number was down to 108,000.

updated Sat Feb 03 2007 22:44:41

Mummified baby haunts police

Investigators showed me photos of the remains. The boy is curled in a fetal position, with light-colored curly hair covering his head. The remains measure just under a foot and weigh only 13 ounces.

updated Sat Feb 03 2007 02:03:05

Libby trial reveals what prosecutor wouldn't

Fitzgerald was appointed in December 2003 to oversee the probe, which originally was being led by the Justice Department's criminal division.

updated Thu Feb 01 2007 10:49:38

Tuchman: Alleged con artist baffles police ... and me

Reed, who was born in Montana, had officially been missing for about seven years. But this summer, police in New York City came across her. The catch is they didn't know it was her at the time.

updated Fri Jan 26 2007 00:25:14

If you drink, some cabbies won't drive

On this story, I crossed such a threshold.

updated Mon Jan 22 2007 16:36:54

Amanpour: Radical, moderate Muslims battle for young English minds

We could not understand what would drive them to kill themselves and their fellow citizens.

updated Mon Jan 08 2007 18:51:00

Koinange: Oprah provides ray of hope to Africa

As a reporter, I've been in parts of Africa that can only be described as Godforsaken, covering stories as varied as famines in Niger, civil wars in devastated regions like Darfur and the victims of civil wars in Uganda and Sierra Leone and mass rapes in the Congo.

updated Thu Dec 21 2006 18:44:51

De Klerk told Mandela: Timing of release not negotiable

He said the two even got into an argument about the timing of Mandela's release, set for February 11, 1990. Mandela, he said, objected, saying, "We need more time to prepare."

updated Thu Dec 21 2006 18:23:55

Van Marsh: Town reels from serial killings

all prostitutes -- were discovered in rural areas here this month. Now the season's best sellers are so-called "rape alerts," pocket-sized sirens sold at department stores as personal alarms.

updated Tue Dec 19 2006 22:57:41

Zahn: Show on racism provokes strong reaction

This discussion raised a series of questions we decided to explore on our program: Is there an inner racist in many of us, just waiting to explode? And is racism thriving today, just underneath a well-masked surface of political correctness and civility?

updated Wed Dec 13 2006 21:44:13

Texas city haunted by 'no blacks after dark' past

When it comes to relations between blacks and whites, it's no surprise to me that we are, in many places, still separated, despite a desire for better relations. African-Americans often live in one neighborhood, whites in another.

updated Tue Dec 12 2006 11:49:39

Warning signs marked Kim family's journey

Sgt. Joel Heller, Josephine County Sheriff's office, and John James, owner of the Black Bar Lodge -- both had the same exact thought: Why did the Kims continue down such a desolate path when they so clearly did not know where they were going?

updated Fri Nov 17 2006 12:31:57

Iran in the forefront when it comes to stem cell research

But when it comes to stem cell research, Iran is cutting edge. Iran has some of the most liberal laws on stem cell research. Scientists say the clergy here define life as beginning three months after conception, which gives scientists access to human embryonic stem cells left over from fertilization trials.

updated Tue Nov 14 2006 04:21:48

Iranians hope change in U.S. means change for them

The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking to huge crowds in a province outside the capital, recently said. "The winning [of Democrats in the U.S. elections] is not solely a domestic event of America. It means the failure of the pro-war and aggressive policies of the present president of America."

updated Fri Nov 10 2006 20:00:40

After his death, Sgt. Mock's words mean even more

That's when I came across the name of Army Sgt. Willsun Mock, 23, of Harper, Kansas.

updated Fri Nov 03 2006 11:01:41

Ortega might just win this time around

Daniel Ortega is back. Big time.

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