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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

America Strikes Back

Aired October 16, 2001 - 17:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Today on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, "America Strikes Back."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We've asked Americans to go about their lives with a new sense of awareness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: As the Justice Department warns it will crack down hard on anthrax hoaxes, bioterrorism is all too real.

In the nation's capital, authorities close off an entire wing of a Senate office building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: It is possible that through the ventilation systems, some of the anthrax bacteria could have been disseminated to other parts of the office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's mood on Capitol Hill? We'll ask Senator Evan Bayh of the Intelligence Committee.

In Pakistan, where there have been protests, a new pledge of support, while U.S. looks to lower the temperature between nuclear neighbors.

In Afghanistan, anti-Taliban forces look to make a move and the U.S. unleashes a deadly weapon as "America Strikes Back."

Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington, where we're keeping an eye on the widening investigation into the anthrax threats. We'll have extensive coverage of that shortly, but first we go to Joie Chen in Atlanta for a check of the latest developments in America's war on terrorism -- Joie.

JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thanks. We want to begin by talking about the latest developments in the anthrax scare. It slows legislative work on Capitol Hill today. Twelve U.S. senators have now closed their offices near the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Experts there are checking on ventilation systems, to see if anthrax found in Daschle's office yesterday might have spread to any other offices as well. Daschle says that Senate operations are being affected.

Baby son of an ABC News employee is expected to make a full recovery from skin-contracted anthrax. This boy may have been exposed during a visit last month to network headquarters in New York. Overnight CNN here, CBS and the Associated Press all underwent workplace inspections as precaution.

A Senate Democrat is voicing concern about supplies of the anthrax antidote. New York's Charles Schumer asked the federal government to let non-patent holders make generic versions of cipro to purchase by the government.

Attorney General John Ashcroft says a Connecticut man has been indicted in connection with an anthrax hoax last week. Ashcroft says that similar hoaxes around the country are costing millions of dollars, and are adding to the burdens now facing law enforcement officials.

And in Afghanistan, a Red Cross warehouse explodes and burns. A spokesman says he believes the building was hit by a missile, and Washington says it is looking into this.

More heavy airstrikes are reported today and the Pentagon confirms the highly lethal C-130 gunship is being used against Taliban troops with the AC-130. We will continue to follow up on that.

Now let's go back to Wolf in Washington.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Joie.

It appears the various anthrax scares, whether real or imagined, are blurring the nation's focus on the fight against terrorism. For the second day in a row, work on Capitol Hill was slowed, and the nation's top law enforcement official complained the hoaxes and false alarms are diverting assets that might be used against the terrorists.

At the same time, officials said the warning issued last week that the nation faces a higher than usual terrorist threat remains in effect. To help sort all of this out, we turn now to CNN's Eileen O'Connor, who has some new information on the government's search for answers -- Eileen.

EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Justice Department has released copies of the envelopes of the letters sent to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw and to Senate majority leader Tom Daschle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHCROFT: We believe that there may be other envelopes, that this would kind of give people a hint, that if you see an envelope like this, that you don't recognize, you might want to be careful.

(END VIDEO CLIP) O'CONNOR: Investigators are focusing on similarities between the handwriting in each. The fact that they were both mailed from the same post office in New Jersey, and the language in each, which sources say was threatening. And the substance contained in each.

By determining how sophisticated that substance was, they can determine where it might have been produced, in what kind of lab. So far sources say that the anthrax found in the letter to Senator Daschle is a higher grade form. Some question whether that indicates it was made in a government lab -- Wolf?

BLITZER: And what about, Eileen, the whole issue of the hoaxes, the false alarms. We know the attorney general was outraged. The FBI director Robert Mueller said, "this is outrageous." They're going to prosecute people who engage in this to the fullest extent possible.

O'CONNOR: Absolutely. They're bringing a prosecution against one man in Connecticut for a hoax. Maximum sentence could be five years and he could be charged as much as $3 million -- that's the cost that it would cost taxpayers, or $1.5 million for shutting down an EPA office up there. They say the fines run twice the cost of the hoax.

Now, they say that the reason they are doing this is because these hoaxes are widespread, and they say they're unpatriotic. And in fact, some officials across the country have called them downright treasonous in this time, basically trading on the fear that is infecting America.

Also, Wolf, of course really stretching the investigative resources and the public health resources very thin.

BLITZER: Eileen O'Connor reporting to us today from Washington. Thank you very much.

And as we reported, a dozen U.S. senators had offices closed today in the wake of the incident yesterday in the office of the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle. Senator Daschle said direct contact with an envelope containing anthrax was limited to a single individual, but a number of Senate staffers are being monitored.

CNN Congressional correspondent Kate Snow brings us now up to date with the latest from Capitol Hill -- Kate?

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Capitol Police and lawmakers all say that they want to be cautious about this, but they also want to make sure that business as usual and normal life can exist here in the Senate and on Capitol Hill.

It has been anything but normal, though, in the Hart Senate office building. That's a building about two blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, where Senator Daschle's office is. And today, more than a thousand people lined up in the line you see here, waiting for up to an hour, having samples taken to be tested for exposure to anthrax.

These are all people who were in the vicinity yesterday when that suspicious letter was opened, the letter later confirmed to contain anthrax. Initial tests on 40 or 50 people who were actually in the senator's office showed that they had not had any sign of having the infection, having anthrax. That's the good news.

But there are still more tests being done, and there are still some concerns that potentially some of this could have gotten into the ventilation system in the building, and that's what could have affected some of these other folks you see standing in line.

Still, a lot of questions and a lot of people who just want to simply make sure that they're OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here just to take a precaution, since they're offering the test. I think it's wise to take advantage of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I'll take it. I mean, I'm -- I'm not going to be macho and say I'm invincible. I mean, if we're affected, we're affected. You know, just follow what they say, trust in what they say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Still, 12 offices around Senator Daschle's office that are closed at this hour in the Hart office building were told they're closed indefinitely. Mail service to the U.S. Capitol and the surrounding buildings is also suspended. When it does eventually resume, we're told that both in the House and the Senate mailrooms there will be new technology in place, meant to be able to screen for biological or chemical threats.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kate, it would appear that the staffers are taking all this in stride. There's no sense of panic or anything like that. Is that the impression that you're getting?

SNOW: Absolutely. I was there for many hours today, and people are sort of numb to it all, if you will. I mean, they're obviously not happy with the circumstance, but they feel that things are under control. And I think a lot of people feel better that they could go through that line, that they can be tested, and then have an actual result in hand to say, Look, I'm fine. That's going to make them feel better than anything else.

BLITZER: Kate Snow on Capitol Hill. Thank you very much.

Meanwhile, in Boca Raton, Florida, the condition of the man exposed to anthrax has worsened today. The man had been listed in good condition. He's now classified as being in stable condition. CNN's Mark Potter is in Boca Raton and he has the latest -- Mark.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. We'll talk about that case in a second. There is a little bit of controversy now surrounding Ernesto Blanco. Let me tell you first about the FBI investigation. As the FBI operates under the theory that the anthrax in the American Media Building came in through the mail, a spokesman for the FBI concedes that agents may now never find the letter or letters involved. That's because so much mail was thrown away before the investigation began. Such a letter would be considered a critical piece of evidence. But so far, nothing has been found.

Meanwhile, on another front, that of Mr. Blanco, the Florida Secretary of Health disagrees with the CDC announcement that AMI mailroom employee, Ernesto Blanco, shown here, now has a confirmed case of anthrax. Before, Blanco was described as being exposed to the disease, but the Secretary of Health, Dr. John Agwunobi, says Blanco has a probable case -- a possible case, but it cannot, he says, be confirmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOHN AGWUNOBI, FLORIDA HEALTH SECRETARY: We're classifying Mr. Blanco as possibly having anthrax infection.

QUESTION: What are your findings that indicate that (OFF-MIKE)?

AGWUNOBI: His clinical symptomology is very atypical, and we haven't been able to locate the germ itself in his body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POTTER: Now, Mr. Blanco is still in a Miami hospital in an intensive care unit. A couple of other notes here, Wolf. Florida officials say they will use the full extent of Florida law to crack down on people who commit bioterrorism-related hoaxes. They are on the rise around the country, and certainly here in Florida. And they are taxing the resources of police, fire and health officials.

A new law includes prison terms of up to 15 years for people convicted of committing those sorts of hoaxes. And finally, officials at American Media itself say that they will not be returning to that building, the building where anthrax has been found. They are looking for a new facility now. A spokesperson says many people are concerned about returning to work there.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. Mark Potter, in Boca Raton.

And we're now joined by an expert in the field of infectious diseases who says the United States is totally unprepared to defend itself against germ warfare. Dr. Sanford Kuvin is a former vice chairman of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. He joins us now live from Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. Kuvin, thank you so much for joining us. Why do you believe the United States is unprepared for this crisis?

DR. SANFORD KUVIN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: Wolf, the bad news is that is the United States is unprepared for significant bioterrorism. The good news is that the example of anthrax, which is a noncontagious disease, fortunately only one person has died, the handful of people that have gotten anthrax will all be cured. It's a benign form of the disease.

But from this, the United States should take not a wake-up call, but a shake-up call, as to threat of bioterrorism, which is not a question of "if," but "when." We're dealing with germs, including anthrax, which don't infect necessarily a handful of people, but given correctly, can affect thousands of people.

So instead of dealing with 10 or 20 or 30, with germs like -- particularly like smallpox, botulism, tularemia, plague, the hemmorhagic fevers, just to list a few -- and I'm leaving out the whole threat to agriculture and livestock -- the point is that these germs act quickly and in a devastating way. With this paradigm of anthrax, we've had what I would call an example of how to get organized.

And the way to get organized is from the top down. The point is that the authority for bioterrorism rests within two agencies of the United States government: United States Public Health Service and the Department of Defense. What we don't have is someone in Washington to deal with this, to integrate, to coordinate all the activities with the 7,000 public health agencies, the NIH, the CDC -- all wonderful talents and physicians across the nation, public health servants.

BLITZER: Dr. Kuvin, if I hear you right, you're saying that the country, the health services are prepared to deal with anthrax, but smallpox, some of these other germ warfare germs, the country is not prepared to deal with that.

What, specifically, from the top down, would the president have to do immediately to get the country ready for that nightmare?

KUVIN: Well, first of all, although we're dealing with anthrax situation now on a very limited scale, that, by aerosol spray could cause devastation in the thousands and thousands of people, which we have no capability to respond to. In answer to your question of what the government can do, we need increased capacity within our public health institutions. In every -- in any average city in the United States, there may be two to eights isolation beds, no quarantine facilities to speak of.

The problem goes back to 1995, when the presidential directive came out, in response to the Oklahoma bombing, for first responders. And that did not include bioterrorism, and it included mainly lights and sirens, which are going across the nation today because of the unfortunate, terrible hoaxes that are occurring.

BLITZER: Let me interrupt you for you a second because our time is limited. As far as smallpox is concerned, people stopped getting vaccinations for smallpox in the early 1970's. Smallpox has basically been eradicated.

Would it be your recommendation at this point for people to begin once again getting smallpox vaccinations? KUVIN: In my opinion, yes. And the reason why is that Russia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, North Korea -- the experts have testified as to their probability of having smallpox. It's going to take us about three years to get adequate amounts of a safe, effective vaccine, available. The NIH is doing a great job on that right now. And, yes, smallpox vaccine must be made available. It is not available right now.

BLITZER: OK, Dr. Kuvin, I want to thank you for joining us. Good to get your insight, even though it is somewhat alarming.

Joining us now is a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana.

You just heard Dr. Kuvin give an alarming report. Is he right?

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: He's generally correct, Wolf, but we're not nearly as prepared for a bioterrorist attack as we need to be, particularly at the state and local level. An analysis just earlier this year indicated that most states, who would be the first responders, are inadequately prepared.

There are a number of other areas we need to look at as well, but food supply -- for example, we only inspect 1 percent of all the food coming into this country. Clearly, we need to do better there.

BLITZER: When you say "we," you mean the U.S. Congress and the executive branch of the president.

BAYH: U.S. government. There have been proposals on the table for the last couple of years to step up the amount of inspection of our food, but it just languished. And I hope we move forward with that now. In addition to some of the things he touched upon. Smallpox is the nightmare scenario. We're in the process of ramping up our production of vaccines, so we're going to add to our supplies. But in the short term, we need to do better.

BLITZER: So you would agree with him, that vaccines for smallpox, pretty good idea to start taking them.

BAYH: Well, unless you've had chemotherapy for cancer or you're HIV-positive. If there is something that's impaired your immune system, you have a much greater chance of an adverse reaction. But we may move forward with vaccination at some point in the future.

BLITZER: You've just come from the Senate, where there is an anthrax investigation under way. As you know, how are your colleagues dealing with this situation?

BAYH: Well, they're dealing with it. I think the primary feeling, Wolf, is concern for the employees. We're dedicated to getting on with the business as usual, and it's -- Dr. Kuvin was right. We need to be more prepared, but not panic, not overreact to this. The American people need to get on with the ordinary business of the country. Because after all, one of the things that terrorists hope to accomplish is disrupting the fabric of our society, our ordinary course of commerce and so forth, the government. And we shouldn't give them that victory. So prudent, precautions, moving forward with protections, yes. Overreaction, panic, no.

BLITZER: Senator Daschle says this was a pure form of anthrax, a professional grade of anthrax, that was mailed to him. What does that say to you about the possibility of state sponsorship?

BAYH: Well, it says whoever produced this was very, very good. They either had assistance from experts -- one thing that leaps to mind are the 30,000 some people who were working on the former Soviet biological research project, many of whom have left that country now.

Or, perhaps, Wolf -- and it's only a hypothesis, I'm sure we'll be investigating very intently, the hypothesis that perhaps there was a state component here, one of the nations Dr. Kuvin mentioned.

BLITZER: You know, the former CIA Director Jim Woolsey was on CNN last night. I want you to listen to what he said specifically about this. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: It looks to me as if someone substantially more sophisticated than folks sitting out in the middle of the hills in Afghanistan are involved in this in some way. My first nominee would probably be the government of Iraq, but I think Iran is not impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is he correct in his assumption?

BAYH: Wolf, I don't know. But frankly, if I were making an educated guess, I'd say that there is a possibility of some merit to what he is saying. Iraq has been very aggressive, and so I think you know, in their research in the area of biological agents, chemical warfare, they've shown a willingness to use it against their own citizens, the Kurds, in at least one case.

And I think that that's not -- that's a hypothesis we should follow up on very, very carefully.

BLITZER: Does the U.S. government, as far as you know, have any direct evidence linking the anthrax mailings to Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organization?

BAYH: No, not yet. But obviously, that's going to be an area of very intensive inquiry. We do know that there was an animal vaccine facility in Afghanistan. There has always been a real question as to whether that was a dual use facility, meaning it could be used for biological weapons production.

There are some other interesting facts around that particular site I shouldn't mention here. But we're going to follow up on that to see if there is a connection. I wouldn't put it past him, as the president said. This man has shown he's willing to kill innocent women and children. Sponsoring terror through biological weapons would be certainly part of his M.O.

BLITZER: Senator Bayh, member of the intelligence committee, thanks for joining us.

BAYH: Thank you.

BLITZER: And now the anthrax scare at a second network news division, and this one involves an infant -- the son of a news producer at ABC News. With the latest on that, here is CNN's Jason Carroll in New York -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, ABC has confirmed that that baby is out of the hospital, the 7-month-old baby. It is doing well. He is responding to the antibiotics that doctors have been giving him. He is suffering from a skin form of anthrax, and that is very treatable with antibiotics.

Now, the way officials tell us that the baby may have contracted the disease -- way back on September 28th, he was apparently here at ABC for a birthday party. Shortly after the visit, the baby became sick. His parents noticed that his arm was swollen. At first they thought it was a spider bite. They took him to the hospital, doctors finally figuring out, after a test was done through the CDC, that he did in fact have a form of anthrax.

Given what has happened at ABC and at NBC, health officials have been conducting environmental searches of several news organizations. At ABC they're really concentrating on the second and third floors, as well as some of the editing bays.

But they've also bee checking out some of the various mailrooms. Our own mailroom at CNN, also mailrooms at CBS, also the Associated Press, just to name a few. Earlier today, New York City's Mayor Rudy Giuliani was a guest on CNN, and he talked about the progress of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI (R), NEW YORK: We don't know yet where the agent was released, if it was at all at ABC. There are no symptoms at ABC -- in other words, there aren't any people that are describing symptoms. If people have contracted cutaneous anthrax as a result of something happening on September 28th, we would be seeing evidence of that, at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: A little earlier, we did have an opportunity to speak with several ABC employees. Some of them say that they are not worried about coming back to work. Others were saying, though, that they do have some concerns. They are concerned that they are not being tested like the employees over at NBC were tested, just as a precaution -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jason Carroll in New York, thank you very much for that update.

And in about an hour and half or so from now, I'll talk to the Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, whose office was targeted by an anthrax-laced letter. That's on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. That would be 4:00 p.m. Pacific.

And is there a connection between the anthrax investigation and Iraq? Discover where the possible links are in my on-line column, cnn.com/wolf.

President Bush will be leaving the country tomorrow. We'll go live to John King at the White House for details on the trip, and more, when we come back.

Also, the latest on Secretary Powell's diplomatic mission to Pakistan and India.

And we'll take you to our map room, where Joie Chen will describe the border war between those nuclear powers.

And later, poking fun at ourselves in the crisis we're living with. Bill Schneider on the return of political humor.

You're watching WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Let's check some of our international stories.

(VIDEO GAP)

BLITZER: ... among other things, it defines terrorist acts as those threatening India's unity.

One day after shelling Pakistani positions across the Kashmir cease-fire line, India today vowed that it will be ruthless in dealing with Islamic militants who cross into India from Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming Muslim guerrillas operating in Kashmir. Pakistan denies the charge.

BLITZER: Before leaving Pakistan, Secretary of State Powell held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. CNN's John Vause is in the capital, Islamabad, with the outcome of that meeting.

John, first of all, tell us how it went.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just to begin with, we have some new information about airstrikes on Kabul. We are told that there are airstrikes under way in Kabul. The first wave began about four hours ago, 10:45 local time. The second wave, about two hours after that. All the usual targets being hit, the airport, some explosions reported within the city.

Now, an interesting figure. The Defense Department says Afghanistan has been hit by more than 2,000 bombs and missiles since this campaign began. To that end, Secretary of State Colin Powell said today that the Taliban regime is coming under increasing pressure. Not surprising, with that kind of firepower being leveled at the country.

They made those comments at a press conference with Pakistan President Musharraf. That meeting, by all accounts, went very well. Secretary of State Colin Powell received the assurances from President Musharraf that he was looking for. Namely, that Pakistan would stay the course, that they're on the same page, with regard to this campaign.

And answering a question from CNN's Andrea Koppel, whether or not there was some kind of deadline to Pakistan's support, President Musharraf said no, there will be no deadline. He would prefer this to be shorter rather than longer. He said that about five times during his press conference, to try and keep that anti-U.S. sentiment in check. There has been growing unrest here, as we know, the last 10 days or so, since those airstrikes began.

But just an indication of how President Musharraf is trying to keep this situation under control. Earlier tonight we received word that the leader of the JUI Islamic Party has been indicted for sedition and incitement. Fezla Rahman (ph), he was already under house arrest. He has been seen as one of the leaders of these anti- U.S. protests. He was put under house arrest, and now he's found guilty of these sedition and incitement charges. He could face the death penalty.

So that's just another example of President Musharraf trying to stay the course with the United States, trying to keep those anti-U.S. protests in check -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, is it your sense -- and you've been there all these days -- that the anti-U.S. sentiment on the streets of Pakistan is getting worse, or staying the same, or easing up somewhat, over these past several days?

VAUSE: It seems to be gradually ratcheting up slightly. What we've seen with those protests, it seems to be the same number of people, but the rhetoric is being ratcheted up. It seems to be getting more intense, the rhetoric, And the violence seems to be getting worse. But still, the numbers are not growing, which is some consolation, some small comfort to the government here.

But you talk to the average Pakistani, like which we have been doing for several days, and they're not pleased. They're seeing pictures coming out of Afghanistan. Yesterday we saw the video of that international committee for the Red Cross, that warehouse which was bombed in Kabul.

There have also been those pictures of children and women and innocent civilians, which have been the victims of these airstrikes in Afghanistan. That doesn't play well here, as you can imagine. And that makes it even harder for President Musharraf to try and keep a check, to try and keep a lid on those feelings of anti-U.S. sentiment, which have been growing here over the last few days.

But, yes, answer to your question, it does seem that there are growing problems here. Although it certainly is not out of control.

BLITZER: John Vause in Islamabad. Once again, thank you very much.

And ever since President Bush began building the antiterrorism coalition, India and Pakistan have been seen as key players. But a big question mark hangs over these bitter rivals: will their deeply rooted animosity toward each other jeopardize the campaign against Osama bin Laden and other terrorists?

Joie Chen rejoins us once again for some perspective on this issue -- Joie.

CHEN: Yes, Wolf. Just a few minutes ago you mentioned the fighting at the Kashmir border, and there has been a great deal of worry that a problem on the Kashmir side of Pakistan might be a significant distraction, might even be destabilizing to Pakistan, right when the United States most needs its focus and support.

Take a look at the players in the region, and where things fall into place. You see the red line outlined there. That helps you outline where Kashmir is, that red line up at the top of your screen there. Now, the fight for Kashmir is really one not over resources. It is over people.

Kashmir, you see here, is the only predominantly Muslim province in India, so Pakistan, understandably, which is Muslim, wants Kashmir to become part of Pakistan. On the other hand, India argues that in the beginning, when India and Pakistan were first formed, the Maharaja, the ruling prince in Kashmir at the time, signed over Kashmir to India in the form of a treaty there. And then subsequent agreements kept much of Kashmir in India.

The debate has raged on ever since, and there has been a great deal of bloodshed over Kashmir -- two wars, and other battles as well, since Pakistan and India divided in 1947. This is one of the most beautiful, and yet one of the most forbidding places on earth for a war.

The fighting has been very, very fierce here over time, but more people are actually said to die of the cold up in Kashmir, than of the fighting. Very high altitudes along the Himalayan and the Hindu Kush ranges, as well.

It is also a very politicized region. Just this week there were anti- American protests in Srinagar. And much of the concern about Pakistan and India, of course, is their nuclear weapons capabilities. Both have acknowledged doing weapons tests, and even conservative estimates say that India has 65 nuclear weapons, Pakistan today, another 10. Those would be conservative estimates. Nobody can say exactly for sure at this point.

Another issue is a much more political one. Consider again where Kashmir is, where that red outline is. Both countries say they support -- both India and Pakistan say they support the United States in the war against terrorism. But bear in mind that, for these folks in India, Kashmir -- some of those militant groups in Kashmir are considered to be terrorist groups, and they're quite concerned about that.

The question then, Wolf, is would India ask the United States for help in fighting those Kashmiri militant groups?

BLITZER: Good work, Joie. I just learned something. Thank you very much.

And up next, an update on today's developments and a live report from the Pentagon, on how America is striking back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. In just a moment we'll have a live report from the Pentagon on today's U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan.

But first, let's go back to Joie Chen in Atlanta, for a check of the latest developments -- Joie?

CHEN: Wolf, we do want to update our viewers now on another day of very heavy U.S. airstrikes, as you know, in Afghanistan.

Among the targets, Taliban military positions in the capital, Kabul, and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

An unconfirmed report from Al Jazeera television says that five civilians were killed. A Pentagon spokesman says that for the second straight day, the heavily-armed AC-130 gunship took part in the attacks.

In Kabul, a warehouse belonging to the International Red Cross went up in flames today. A Red Cross spokesman says it's believed that the building was hit by a U.S. strike. One guard was injured. A Pentagon official says the report is being checked, but so far it has not been confirmed.

Iran, in a limited way, is joining the coalition against terrorism. In a letter to the United States, Iran says it will rescue U.S. military personnel in trouble in Iranian territory. A U.S. official says the Irani move was in response to a U.S. request for cooperation. But the official says Iranian help is unlikely, since the United States does not have permission to use Iranian airspace for the military strikes on Afghanistan.

The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in India now after a stop in Pakistan, to shore up support for the coalition against terrorism. Powell is urging the two neighbors to diffuse their conflict over Kashmir. India shelled Pakistan yesterday -- shelled positions from the Pakistanis in Kashmir, after they say that Islamic militants crossed over from the Kashmir area.

The offices of 12 senators in the Hart Senate office building are closed. That action was taken after tests confirmed that an envelope delivered yesterday to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office contained anthrax.

And the baby son of an ABC News producer is expected to make a full recovery after being diagnosed with anthrax. The boy visited the network's New York headquarters on September 28th. He became ill soon after the visit.

Continued follow-up on all fronts. Now let's go back to Washington and to Wolf, standing by there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks, Joie.

The Pentagon says it's been another day of heavy airstrikes against Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. CNN military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now live from the Pentagon with the latest details -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Pentagon sources tell CNN that the United States has sent its fearsome AC-130 gunships back into action today over Afghanistan in greater numbers than yesterday. Yesterday, we know that two of the special operations C-130 planes were firing at targets on the ground.

But more than 100 airplanes are now taking part in today's strikes, flying mostly from two carriers. A second day of very heavy attacks against Taliban troops and military positions, such as we're seeing here now, including a collection of armored vehicles at a Taliban training facility in the south.

In these videos, we also see at Mazar-i-Sharif, a key city in the north, a tank guarding an airfield was taken out with two laser-guided bombs. All of this, the Pentagon claims, is shifting the balance of power on the ground in favor of the Taliban's foes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We are striking Afghan Taliban military positions around Kabul, including those that protect the capital. We're striking -- we struck, in this day of the campaign, targets up near Mazar-i-Sharif, as you saw in the video clips -- protecting that very important crossroads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Now, in 10 days of air attacks, the United States has dropped well over 2,000 bombs and missiles on Afghanistan, not including the thousands of rounds that have come from the AC-130 gunship. But the Pentagon still says it does not know whether it was responsible for a bomb that hit an international Red Cross warehouse in Kabul -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie, as you and I know, from our days covering the Gulf War, the AC-130 is a powerful warplane, but at the same time it is vulnerable. It flies at relatively low altitudes. One of those AC-130s was lost during the Gulf War in the Persian Gulf.

Tell us why this plane is so special, though.

MCINTYRE: Well, this has the ability to deliver a devastating amount of firepower in a very controlled space. I talked to somebody who flew on a training flight with one of these, and they were aiming at a truck three miles away. And they were able to hit that truck, with this cannon that's in the side on the airplane, seven straight times from three miles away.

You mentioned the vulnerability. These planes can fly and operate above the effective range of shoulder-fired missiles, which is pretty much all the United States thinks that the Taliban has left.

So the idea that these planes were brought shows that A, they wanted to deliver some devastating firepower on a controlled target, they wanted to demoralize the troops on the ground. And it also shows they believe they can do it in relative safety, from above the effective range of shoulder-fired missiles.

BLITZER: Jamie, stand by for a second. The Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has just granted an interview to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite television channel. He spoke about the issue of the U.S. perhaps bombing that Red Cross facility in Afghanistan.

Listen to Donald Rumsfeld.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: There will inevitably be some unintended casualties. Now, if you think about it, it's true. The coalition aircraft are dropping some bombs on military targets. It is also true that there is a great deal of antiaircraft fire coming up from the ground by Taliban, against those aircraft.

And that munition also kills people. It kills people on the ground, when it comes back down. In addition, there is a war going on in Afghanistan, and has been for many, many years. And so you have the various tribes and the opposition in the north, the Northern Alliance, all shooting at each other. So it is very difficult to know in any instance exactly what may have caused an unintended casualty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Jamie, yesterday, Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, granted an interview to Al Jazeera. Today Defense Secretary Rumsfeld granted an interview to Al Jazeera.

Tell our viewers what's going on.

MCINTYRE: Well, this is an effort by the United States, again, to reach out to the Arab audience that is increasingly turning to Al Jazeera for complete news of the area. Al Jazeera, in its short time, is developing a reputation for telling a lot of different sides of a story.

And the U.S. is trying to reach out to that audience through that medium, again, to deliver the message that is not a campaign against any ethnic group, any nationality, any religious group -- that it's a war against terrorism, and to try to make the case and take it directly to people in the Arab world.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.

And while the U.S. military pounds Taliban positions in Afghanistan, rivals of the Taliban regime are watching the airstrikes, and waiting. CNN's Chris Burns is in northern Afghanistan, the area controlled by the opposition Northern Alliance. And he has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Burns, reporting from northern Afghanistan.

The Northern Alliance is focusing on the northern city of Mazar- i-Sharif. That is the Taliban stronghold up there, where the Northern Alliance says they are within five to seven kilometers, that's three to five miles just outside of the airport there.

They say they have taken some 20 prisoners and killed 10 Taliban fighters. And they say some 200 Taliban fighters have defected to the other side. Now, of course, it's very difficult for us to confirm from this end, because it's very remote, mountainous region up there.

However, this comes in the wake of U.S.-led airstrikes that have softened those Taliban positions at the airport. That could indicate, and also have paved the way for a Northern Alliance advance toward that city. If they do seize that city, that does mean a serious blow to the Taliban up there. In fact, it could consolidate the Northern Alliance's positions.

Down here on the front, between here and Kabul, very little movement. However, there is nightly exchange of gunfire, artillery fire and mortar fire, as we've witnessed in recent days.

Chris Burns reporting from northern Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And our correspondents abroad are filing frequent dispatches on the Internet as well. Go to cnn.com and look for the words "on the scene." You'll be brought to this map of Afghanistan and Pakistan. And from there, just point and click. The AOL keyword is CNN.

We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. As you probably know by now, Al Jazeera is the Arabic-language news channel that has played such a prominent role in reporting on the U.S.-led attack against Afghanistan. Based in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, Al Jazeera has been reporting live from inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan throughout the past week.

It has provided most of the video you have seen from inside Afghanistan, and it has been the outlet for the three video statements released last week by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. Now someone claiming to represent Al Qaeda has asked Al Jazeera and CNN to submit written questions for Osama bin Laden -- questions that he says bin Laden will answer on videotape and send back to Al Jazeera.

This proposal came in to Al Jazeera, which then notified CNN. We do have some questions we would like to put to Osama bin Laden, but first we want to be absolutely clear about this process. We want to stress that CNN has no information about where bin Laden is, or whether he's alive or dead.

We do not know how Al Qaeda communicates with Al Jazeera, or how Al Jazeera plans to get the questions to bin Laden. And we agreed to no prohibitions or preconditions from Osama bin Laden's organization, or from the Al Jazeera television channel. By submitting our questions, we are making no commitment to air bin Laden's response. We will look at the tape, if there is a tape, and decide how much or how little to run.

If we believe his comments are not newsworthy, we will not run any of them. We claim no exclusivity over this tape, and we will allow other news organizations to make their own judgments on how to use bin Laden's answers.

We have submitted six questions to Al Jazeera. We want to share those with our viewers right now.

"Your spokesman has praised the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands of innocent people and threatened to carry out more attacks involving planes and tall buildings. How can you and your followers advocate the killing of innocent people?"

"What was your role and the role of the al Qaeda organization in the September 11 attacks?"

"What was your role and the role of your organization in the subsequent anthrax attacks in the United States?

"Did any of the September 11 hijackers or their accomplices receive al Qaeda financial support or training at al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, and was any other government or organization involved?"

"In the past, you called on your followers to acquire weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Do you or your followers have any such weapons and if so, will those weapons be used?"

"The vast majority of Muslim and Arab leaders, including Muslim clerics and Yasser Arafat, say there is no justification in Islam for the terrorist attacks you advocate, and they have denounced you, your followers and your self-declared holy war. How do you respond to that criticism?"

We have no idea if bin Laden will answer any of these questions, and we intend to run only what we think is newsworthy. We will report back to you as this process unfolds.

A final word in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The terrorist attacks took place five weeks ago today. And, while the grieving is far from over, it appears many Americans are trying to smile again.

CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now, to look at the role of humor in this time of crisis -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, finally some good news, Wolf. Americans are beginning to laugh again. Mostly dry, ironic humor, and cautious, very cautious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): President Bush showed the way at his press conference Thursday evening. What's the oldest surefire target for American political humor? The vice president, of course.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I shook hands with the vice president today in the Oval Office. I welcomed him out of his secure location.

SCHNEIDER: "Saturday Night Live" picked up the cue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR (AS DICK CHENEY): As you know, for the past two weeks, I've been off an undisclosed location. Well, I'm here tonight to disclose that location: Kandahar, Afghanistan.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR (AS DICK CHENEY): Yep. As I've always said, if you want a job done right, you've got to do it yourself. And trust me, people, I'm all over this thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Hey, wasn't that a subtle dig at President Bush? Sure. Keyword: subtle.

The safest humor is defiant and jeering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": These are some possible names that the government has been mulling over, in case that happens. For example, it could be called this: Halfghanistan. Pothole-istan. Jenniferanistan, Assbackwardstan, Bye-bye-Talibanistan, Ass-Kicked- istan.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: New Yorkers are once again laughing at themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW")

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": Security here in New York City is still very, very intense, very, very tight. Hookers in Times Square now are demanding two forms of fake ID.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: How are editorial cartoonists dealing with the anthrax scare? One word: irony. "I miss the Cold War," this one says.

Or this one, where the wife complains to her husband, "'Let's get out of the city,' you said. 'New York's too dangerous,' you said. 'Let's go to Boca,' you said."

For risky political satire, baby boomers used to turn to "Doonesbury." It says something that, as baby boomers have aged, "Doonesbury" has turned gentle and, yes, ironic. Like on Saturday, when Michael Doonesbury reassures an African-American airline passenger about his Muslim seatmate.

"OK, so this must be weird for you," Doonesbury says.

"Yeah! I don't need this kind of irony in my life," the black man replies.

If you're looking for edge, try "The Boondocks," a strip with black characters, who have militant, sometimes bitter views.

"So not criticizing Bush would kind of be like letting the terrorists win, right?" the boy says.

"I'm going to remind you of this conversation when we're exiled to Cuba," his friend replies.

Ouch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Here's the rule: You can't laugh about tragedy, you can't laugh about war, but you can still make fun of politicians, even those with a 90 percent approval rating. BLITZER: Politicians, though, are still being very gingerly about the humor side. President Bush at his news conference last week did have a little jokes about the disappearance, if you will, of Vice President Cheney, but on the whole, I haven't seen a lot of humor coming from politicians.

SCHNEIDER: No. Even behind the scenes, they're very serious about this. They're not engaging in humor. And here's the news: They're not even engaging in very much politics, because that's bad form right now. And they're wondering whatever happened to politics? There are campaigns going on, but not a lot of politicking.

BLITZER: And at least -- I can't remember a historic precedent for a time like this, where there is so much anxiety, and people are beginning to deal with humor.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. I mean, you have to go back to the Cuban missile crisis, when Americans felt so fearful. That only lasted a week or two before it was resolved, and there was a tremendous sense of relief. But I can't remember really any humor about the Cuban missile crisis, when I was young.

BLITZER: And I guess, in Hollywood, you spent some time in Los Angeles. They're beginning to come back to a certain degree, but also with some restraint.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. They're very worried in Hollywood about what kind of movies and television shows people are going to watch. Are they going to reject action adventures? Are they going to look for light, humorous things, the way they did during the Depression? Hollywood doesn't know what people are going to watch, or what would be appropriate in times of anxiety like this.

BLITZER: Bill Schneider, thanks for joining us.

That's all the time we have. Remember, we're now on twice a day during the week, at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll be back in one hour with more coverage, including a special interview with the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. For Joie Chen, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. CNN's coverage of "America's New War" continues next with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE."

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