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American Morning
America Strikes Back: Following September 11 Attacks, Security Stepped Up Across Country
Aired October 09, 2001 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In Washington, day two on the job for Homeland Security and Tom Ridge. That new post posted yesterday.
Let's get to John King, at the White House, watching Homeland Security.
John, good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. A busy day for the president at the White House. In just a few minutes, he will sit down with his national security team, the secretary of state and the secretary of Defense among those on their way to the White House to update the president on the latest on the diplomatic front, and more importantly to the president, the latest on the war effort overnight in Afghanistan.
Also today, from conversations with senior administration officials this morning, they are playing down the prospect of any long-term, significant U.S. ground force deployment in Afghanistan, one official saying there will be a first wave, then an assessment; there may well be a pause before further action is taken. This official was saying there certainly will be a role for ground troops in Afghanistan in the very near future, but saying anyone suggesting any sort of a large occupation force is greatly exaggerating U.S. military planning.
Also from senior administration officials, they say they are generally pleased so far with the international coalition. There's a lot of talk that there has not been strong words of support from key Arab leaders, like Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials they expected that, and they are heaping praise on one man who has come under a great deal of criticism from the Bush White House in the past, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They say Mr. Arafat is taking a prominent role in cracking down on anti- American protests in the Palestinian territories.
As you noted, Bill, security is a major concern at the White House. The president today will round out his Homeland Security team, if you will -- two new appointments to the Homeland Security team, that team led by the Pennsylvania governor, Tom Ridge, who tried to assure the American people yesterday he would do all he could to end communication and coordination problems between federal agencies charged with dealing with terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There may be gaps in the system. The job of the Office of Homeland Security will be to identify those gaps and work to close them. The size and scope of this challenge are immense. The president's executive order states that we must detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks -- an extraordinary mission, but we will carry it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: As Gov. Ridge puts his staff together and gets the Office of Homeland Security up and running, CNN's Jeanne Meserve takes a look at security precautions under way here in the capitol and around the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. Capitol, a symbol showing signs of caution, shatterproof Mylar being applied to windows for protection in case of a blast. Attorney General John Ashcroft says all across the nation strong precautions are being taken against the threat of a possible terrorist reprisal.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have instructed federal law enforcement to be at the and on the highest state of alert, to strengthen America's protections.
MESERVE: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has in turn advised 18,000 law enforcement organizations, 27,000 corporate security managers, and representatives of key industries, asking them to evaluate the need for additional security measures.
Some are taking them. In New York, where vehicles entering the Lincoln Tunnel are being searched, the governor announced additional steps.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: We will have National Guard troops at Grand Central and at Penn Station providing additional eyes, ears, and security.
MESERVE: On the opposite coast, ramped up security on the Bay Area transit system and at a famous landmark.
MARY CURRIE, SPOKESWOMAN, GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE: In a moment's notice, basically, we can stop traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. We can clear the bridge within two minutes.
MESERVE: The Federal Aviation Administration is limiting all airline travelers to one carry-on bag and one personal item. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has implemented a heightened border security plan. Nuclear facilities are on the highest state of alert. And the Environmental Protection Agency is working to safeguard chemical and petrochemical facilities. CSX Railroad says it has changed its handling of hazardous materials, and additional security forces have been hired to supplement its police force.
In spite of it all, security scares continue.
(on camera): Monday afternoon, two F-16s were scrambled to assist an American Airlines jet when a passenger tried to get into the cockpit. Other passengers wrestled the man to the ground down, and the plane landed safely in Chicago. Authorities now believe they were dealing not with a hijacker, but with someone who was mentally ill.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: We will have in just a moment more on the security preparations here in Washington and around the country, but for now, let's take it back to Paula Zahn, in New York.
ZAHN: Thanks, John.
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