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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
More Suspected Anthrax Cases Among Postal Employees; Could Anthrax Vaccine be Dangerous?; Taliban Placing Civilians in Danger?
Aired October 24, 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."
More suspected anthrax cases among postal employees, while tests continue among White House mail workers. Some senators return to their offices, but the nation's mayors are warned that more attacks are possible. We'll check in with three of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, everybody is on the frontlines now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Should all Americans receive the anthrax vaccine? We'll hear from the highest ranking military officer, who refused the vaccine.
U.S. jets pound Taliban frontlines and city strongholds. Are the Taliban putting civilians in harm's way? We'll get updates from northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Pentagon, as "America Strikes Back."
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington, where about 100 mayors have been hearing about the possibility of more attacks against the United States. This hour we'll speak to three of them -- mayors of places you've visited or may visit down the road.
But first let's get a quick check on the latest developments. Here's Joie Chen in Atlanta -- Joie.
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon, Wolf.
President Bush said today that the nation has responded with bravery and courage to the anthrax attacks on U.S. soil. And during a speech this afternoon in Maryland, Mr. Bush said the war on terror is showing signs of progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You need to be proud of the United States military. It's doing its job. It is slowly but surely encircling the terrorists, so that we'll bring them to justice. We're patient. We're firm. We have got a strategy that is going to work. And make no mistake about it, justice will be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: The president, in his visit to Maryland, also called for new tax relief to boost the sagging economy. Wolf, we'll have details on that in just a moment.
Meantime, anti-terror legislation passes the House of Representatives and heads on to the Senate. This measure would ease restrictions on FBI eavesdropping. It also calls for tougher punishment of terrorists and those who help them.
The top postal official said today there are no guarantees the U.S. mail is safe. Postmaster General John Potter is urging people to wash their hands after handling mail. But he said there is no reason to halt service. In a moment, we'll have some new numbers on the anthrax scare among postal workers in Washington.
In New York, meantime, a second case of skin-related anthrax now has been confirmed at the "New York Post." Officials say the case involves a mailroom worker. They say the worker began taking antibiotics several days ago.
A Florida man afflicted with inhalation anthrax has been released from a hospital there. The daughter of Ernesto Blanco says her father is doing just great. Blanco works for American Media in Boca Raton, where anthrax killed another employee, one of three who died of anthrax nationwide.
In Afghanistan, meantime, U.S. warplanes attack Taliban mountain hideouts today. Explosions were seen on the ground in the mountains above Kabul. Anti-aircraft fire was heard as well. An Arab correspondent in the Afghan capital said a residential area was also hit, and many people were injured.
And the Taliban leaders held a meeting today in Pakistan. Secretary of State Colin Powell said a successor regime to the Taliban must represent all of Afghanistan. Powell said organizational meetings similar to the one in Pakistan are taking place in Turkey, and he suggested that Afghanistan's exiled king could play a central role in the new government.
Now more on the anthrax situation. We go back to Wolf in Washington -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Joie.
United States forces are turning up the heat in the war on terror today, but once again, the biggest stories may be taking place here on U.S. soil against bioterrorism. The source of the terror, still unknown. For the latest now on the anthrax scare here in the nation's capital, we turn to CNN medical correspondent, Rea Blakey.
Rea, provide us with the details.
REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the latest in regards to the Brentwood mail facility and the postal employees who work here, and the District employees, is there's been an extended treatment area. Also, there's a change in the numbers.
Let me start with the extended treatment area. A news conference that was held today indicating that anyone who was inside the back loading dock area of this Brentwood mail facility, where some 14 hot spots were already found, of the 29 that were tested -- anyone who was in that back loading dock area is to seek treatment with Cipro. That was announced today.
Now, an update on the numbers. The numbers have bounced around here. But basically the D.C. Public Health Department is the charge organization for that. They are working with the CDC. And there is a total at this point, we're told, of 35 cases. That includes the two deaths, the two people who are hospitalized in Virginia, and a number of cases scattered around the Maryland-D.C. area.
For more specifics on how the breakdown works on those cases, here is D.C.'s Mayor Tony Williams.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ANTHONY WILLIAMS, WASHINGTON: There remain our four confirmed cases of inhalation anthrax. We know of the two cases over at Inova Fairfax Hospital, where the patients remain in serious but stable condition.
Two, unfortunately, as we all know -- and our prayers are with their families, and we pray for them -- the two deaths with confirmed diagnosis case of inhalation anthrax. There are zero suspected cases at this time in that suspected category. There are 11 cases of clinical illness, warranting further precautionary investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLAKEY: Those cases obviously represent people who have some type of symptom, whether it be some kind of respiratory distress, or something that makes them think that they may be symptomatic. At this point however, public health officials do not suspect that those cases are anthrax related -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Rea Blakey here in Washington, thank you very much.
And as Joie Chen reported earlier, the U.S. postmaster general refused today to vouch for the safety of the mail you find in your mailbox. Meanwhile, the chief postal inspector of the U.S. Postal Service, Ken Weaver, says virtually all of the nation's postal inspectors are now assigned to the anthrax mail investigation.
Ken Weaver joins me now live. Mr. Weaver, thank you very much. What did the postmaster general, Jack Potter, mean when he said he can't vouch for the safety of the American public's mail?
KEN WEAVER, CHIEF POSTAL INSPECTOR: Well, I think fundamentally the mail is safe, but I think what the postmaster general is saying, there is no 100 percent guarantee that every one of the 680 million pieces of mail that enter the system every day might not contain something injurious.
BLITZER: And did he really mean to say that all -- everyone in America, after they touch their mail, should go and immediately wash their hands?
WEAVER: Well, I think -- my parents always taught me to wash my hands a lot. And I think that's a good safety guard to do, regardless. But yeah, I think that is a good thing to tell the American people.
BLITZER: Why did -- a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking, a lot of second guessing, why those postal workers here in Washington, at the main processing facility, didn't get tested and treated at the same time that that anthrax-laced letter was discovered on Capitol Hill in the office of the Senate majority leader.
WEAVER: Well, at that time we were of course working in concert with the CDC and the experts in that field. And based on their recommendations, I think we were following it. I think everybody's learning a lot from this situation. I don't think it's time to be pointing fingers at anybody. We operated on the best information we had at the time.
BLITZER: But those two postal workers who died might be alive right now, had they started what was called the prophylactic treatment, with Cipro.
WEAVER: Well, that's speculation. It's unfortunate that they did pass away. We're all grieving very much. The Postmaster General has ordered all flags to fly at half-staff until the funerals are conducted.
BLITZER: You're taking some immediate steps right away to deal with the safety of the mail. Some low-tech steps like gloves, masks. High-tech steps. Those high-tech steps, the sanitizing the mail, how long will it take to get that in place?
WEAVER: Well, we're trying to work it as fast as we can. I mean, some of these are in production. We have to consult with the vendors. Test it, make sure it does work safely. And that's very important for us, that it works in our environment and does not harm our employees.
But I would say, within a matter of three to four to five weeks, you're going to see some technology in place.
BLITZER: All over the country?
WEAVER: Well, I can't guarantee all over the country, but in select locations. And probably in locations where we think we have the highest risk.
BLITZER: And is it now conclusive that you don't have to open up a sealed envelope that may have some anthrax, in order to be at risk? WEAVER: Well, I think, again, I'm not an expert on that. I'm not a health official. I think there are indications from CDC that the -- that handling, you could get the cutaneous type. But it's very remote, that that would turn into the inhalation type, that it may become very fatal.
BLITZER: Ken Weaver, thanks for joining us. Good luck to you.
WEAVER: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: We appreciate it.
Right now we want to touch base with the White House, where it was announce about 24 hours ago that anthrax was found in a special White House mail facility a number of miles away from the White House. For the latest, we turn to our senior White House correspondent, John King -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the latest on that front is encouraging. About 200 people tested because of that anthrax scare at the remote facility that handles all mail that comes into the White House. About 150 are people who either work at that facility or have passed through it on a frequent basis of late. Fifty more mailroom and other employees in the White House complex, that might have come in touch with any mail.
So far, 120 of those tests are back -- all of them negative. None of the 120 people who have had preliminary tests completed and analyzed have had any anthrax exposure at all. White House officials voicing confidence that will be the case for all 200 because, they say, such a low trace level of anthrax detected in a mail sorting machine -- a slitting machine that opens the mail at that remote facility, which is on land shared by the Bolling Air Force Base and the Anacostia Naval Station.
Now, the government, though, taking other steps today, Wolf, to expand its response to bioterrorism. A new agreement announced by the government a short time ago will dramatically increase the supply of Cipro, that anthrax antibiotic drug. The government will spend $95 million, paying 95 cents a tablet, for 100 million tablets.
That will increase from two million to 12 million, the number of people the government will be able to treat for anthrax, by early January. That price, significantly, almost half the price the government paid previously when it bought Cipro. So the government saying that is a good deal for tax payers, and a good step in building the emergency response system necessary to combat this bioterrorism.
President Bush outside of the Capitol today, trying to focus on economic stimulus -- his efforts to help the economy rebound from the September 11th attacks. But during an appearance in Baltimore, he made note, without using the word anthrax, he made note of the scares in recent days, calling them evidence of continued terrorist strikes on the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: Except for Pearl Harbor, we've never really been hit before. Yet on September 11th, this great land came under attack. And it's still under attack as we speak. Anybody who puts poison in mail is a terrorist. Anybody who tries to affect the lives of our good citizens is evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The president saying, Wolf, thousands of FBI agents on the case, but still no evidence. Suspicions, but still no evidence linking these anthrax cases in the United States to Osama bin Laden, or any overseas terrorist group -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, John, as we reported in the last few minutes, the House of Representatives narrowly passed an economic stimulus package. Basically, that House version is what the president wanted, isn't it?
KING: It's a little bigger than what the president wanted. It includes the right mix of what the president wanted. The emphasis in the House version is on tax cuts, is on tax benefits to businesses, to help them invest. The president wanted up to $65 billion in stimulus. The House package goes to about $100 billion.
The president gambling -- and this is a rough gamble to make in Washington -- that the influence of Senate Democrats will actually shrink the size of that package in the end. That doesn't happen that much. When the House and the Senate are debating differences over tax bills, they usually tend to grow.
But the president hoping that when the Senate passes its bill, which the president is critical right now, says it has too much spending, too few tax cuts, that the compromise will be something more to the president's liking. But he did support that House bill, mainly in an effort, White House officials say, to get the process moving along more quickly.
BLITZER: John King at the White House, thank you very much.
Meanwhile, over on Capitol Hill, one of the six Congressional office buildings closed last week in the anthrax scare reopened today. The Richard Russell building, on the Senate side of the Capitol, reopened this morning. Tests for anthrax continue on the House side, and anthrax contamination is still being cleaned up in the Hart and Dirksen buildings over on the Senate side.
With all that going on, criticism in Congress is growing. CNN Congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl joins us now with the latest -- Jon.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a lot of second guessing, specifically of two agencies, the United States Postal Service and the Centers for Disease Control. Senators wondering what happened that could possibly have led to the two deaths of those postal workers who were working at the Brentwood postal facility. And most specifically, we have here a letter that has been sent from Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, ranking member of the Finance Committee, to both the head of the Centers for Disease Control and the postmaster general, wondering what took place, how they didn't close that facility down once they knew they had an anthrax letter that had gone through there, why they waited so long to test the workers.
Senator Grassley's letter is especially critical, and says in one line -- quote -- "It is critical that your agencies," meaning the post office and the CDC, "retrace your steps to ensure that no one else dies from this scourge."
And we've also learned that Senator Joe Lieberman is planning on having a hearing on this subject. Lieberman is chairman of the Government Affairs Committee in the Senate, which has direct oversight over the post office. He is going to have a hearing on what went wrong on Wednesday.
I spoke a little while ago with Senator Lieberman. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: The fact is that everyone here is OK, and two people have died in the postal service. And that should lead us all to ask the question: why did that happen?
My gut tells me, because these decisions were being made by two different groups of people, that the heart of the problem was that nobody thought that you could really get exposed to that extent to anthrax, unless you were right there when the package was opened. A tragic mistake.
But nonetheless, very fair to ask, and I want it ask it in public, to those who made the decisions regarding postal workers. "Did you for some reason not give those who work for our postal service the same level of protection that people on Capitol Hill got?"
KARL: But, Wolf, there's also some second guessing on the level of protection that people up here on Capitol Hill got, because of what happened on that Monday. When the letter was opened in Senator Daschle's office, it took several hours before that portion of the Senate Hart building was cleared out. And they kept people in Senator Daschle's office quarantined for some time. That's a decision that's also being questioned -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.
And for more on what scientists are learning about anthrax, check out my on-line column at CNN.com/wolf.
Poisoning humanitarian aid and blaming it on the United States. The details and a live report from the Pentagon when we come back.
Also, the complaints from the frontline by Afghanistan's Northern Alliance.
And later, the hesitation over the vaccination. Shouldn't we all get the anthrax vaccine? An Air Force major who said no tells us why. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Now to the war in Afghanistan, and the battle for the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Amid reports of widespread hunger, the U.S. military continues to drop food packets intended for Afghan civilians. But today the Pentagon accused the Taliban of trying to sabotage the relief effort.
With that story, let's go to CNN military affairs correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He's over at the Pentagon -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon kicked its propaganda war against the Taliban into high gear today, accusing it of everything from putting western journalists into the line of fire, to plotting to poison relief supplies for refugees.
Top Pentagon officials today charged that they had credible information that the Taliban planned to put poison in humanitarian foodstuffs, and then provide it to Afghan refugees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. JOHN STUFFLEBEEM, JOINT STAFF DEPUTY OPS. DIRECTOR: We are confident in the information we have, that they may intend to poison one or more types of food sources and blame it on the Americans. We are releasing this information preemptively, so that they will know, if the food comes from Americans, it will not be tainted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Now, the Pentagon offered no proof of the food poisoning plot, nor could it back up another charge that a convoy of western journalists taken into Afghanistan on October 12th by the Taliban were specifically arranged in a nighttime convoy with Taliban military vehicles, with the idea that they might provoke an airstrike by U.S. war planes against the journalists, provoking what one Pentagon official here called a "strategic incident."
Meanwhile, the Pentagon released more photos today to show how careful they're trying to be in targeting. The first one shows a military site, in which, to the north there, you see a historic fort, an ancient ruin. The after-shot shows how all of the military targets were hit around the fort, but they don't believe there was any damage to that.
Also, to illustrate their point that the Taliban is hiding things or placing things near mosques, they show this military area. And it's hard it see this, but where there's a little red yellow arrow down at the bottom where there's a mosque, they say a helicopter had been moved next to that mosque to try to protect it. But they say because of the precision weaponry, they were able to hit the helicopter without damaging the mosque.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon says the Taliban does appear to be increasingly hiding in urban areas, in putting their troops in university dormitories. And the U.S. says it will go after them, not specifying how, but said -- the Pentagon briefer said today that the U.S. would not reduce cities to rubble in order to get the Taliban, but would use -- quote -- "clever ways" to go after them. A clear implication again, U.S. ground troops would have to go in and fight in urban settings, a most difficult kind of combat -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.
Over in Afghanistan, the Taliban have their own story to tell, concerning what is happening to civilians in this war. We have two reports from the region. We begin in Islamabad, Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Sheila MacVicar in Islamabad.
Over the course of the last few days, Taliban officials have claimed that up to 1,000 civilians have been killed in U.S. bombing raids on Afghanistan. Now, there have not been very many details and it has of course been impossible to independently verify those claims outside of the city of Kandahar, where CNN has staff.
But they say that in a number of places, including some fairly remote villages, numbers of people have been killed and more have been wounded. We have heard, too, from United Nations staff members, of reports of civilian casualties near the city of Herat, of a military hospital inside a military compound being bombed. And of an American cluster bomb apparently landing on a village just outside that military compound.
At a press briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon, U.N. staff said that they were urgently seeking information from the Pentagon about the type of munition dropped. That there were many hundreds of bomblets, they called them, on the ground in this village that pose a risk to the civilians living there -- bomblets that United Nations mine clearance workers are simply not trained to deal with.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Northern Afghanistan.
More U.S.-led coalition strikes against Taliban frontline positions north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. All along, the forces of the Northern Alliance have been expressing their frustration that U.S.-led airstrikes have focused too much on targets deep inside Afghanistan, and not enough on the frontline positions they fight on a day-to-day basis.
Well, today was the fourth consecutive day of U.S.-led strikes against those Taliban frontlines. Still no sign, though, of any Northern Alliance push towards the Afghan capital, Kabul. Frontline commanders say the time is still not right it take the Afghan capital.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Our thanks to our reporters, Matthew Chance and Sheila MacVicar, as well as all of our other reporters covering the war abroad.
And to get a better sense of the war in Afghanistan, you can go to CNN.com.
This map shows which areas are controlled by the Northern Alliance and the regions controlled by the Taliban. The AOL keyword, of course, is CNN.
Looking now at some other stories on the international front. In the Pakistani frontier city of Peshawar, several hundred anti-Taliban Afghan leaders are meeting to discuss a transitional government. The conference is considering what steps to take for reconstruction if Afghanistan's Taliban government falls.
General Tommy Franks of the of the U.S. Central Command says America is very concerned about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Speaking during a briefing in the Gulf state of Bahrain, Franks said the U.S. was trying to be as forthcoming as possible on the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: What we are trying to do is be absolutely honest, with the people in this region and the people in our own country, in describing where we have had mistakes, where we have had civilian casualties. And we have done that very openly and very honestly.
And I can tell you that there is always concern, as there should be, for civilian casualties. But that specific point has not been one that has been raised or dwelled on with me during my travels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: General Franks is in Bahrain to meet with members of the military coalition.
An update on the latest developments in America's new war is just ahead.
Also: are American cities rolling the dice when it comes to preparing for terrorism? We'll talk to the mayors of Las Vegas, Fort Worth and Salt Lake City next. S
And should you get the anthrax vaccine? Hear from the highest ranking military officer, who refused the vaccine. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We'll talk to three mayors who may be on the frontlines in this battle against bioterrorism in a moment.
First, let's go to Joie Chen in Atlanta for a quick check on the latest developments -- Joie.
CHEN: Wolf, we do want to bring our viewers up to date with the latest developments. Within the past hour, the House of Representatives passed a stimulus package meant to boost the wartime economy. It was a very close vote, perhaps closer than had been expected: 216 in favor, 214 against.
The $100 billion package is centered on tax cuts favored by the president. But it faces certain revision in the Senate, where the majority Democrats contend it does too little for the average American.
Today the Bush administration announced the maker of the leading anthrax drug has agreed to sell that to the government at a low price. Now, the government has purchased enough Cipro, at 95 cents a pill, to be able to treat some 12 million people by the start of the new year. Bayer is cutting price nearly in half.
Top postal officials said today there are no guarantees that U.S. mail is now safe. Postmaster General John Potter is urging people to wash their hands after handling mail. But he said there is no reason to halt service.
In New York a second case of skin-related anthrax is confirmed at the "New York Post." Officials say the case involves a mailroom worker there. They say the worker began taking antibiotics several days ago.
And in Afghanistan, U.S. war planes attacked Taliban mountain hideouts today. Explosions are seen on the ground in the mountains above Kabul. Anti-aircraft fire was heard as well. An Arab correspondent in the Afghan capital said that a residential area was also hit, and many people were injured.
Those are the latest developments. Now we go back to Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Joie.
We'll get to our three mayors in just a moment, right after this break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
While most of the nation's focus has been on the East Coast between the September 11 and anthrax attacks, there are legitimate terrorism concerns elsewhere in the country. About 100 mayors have been in Washington today and heard a warning from the new FBI director, Robert Mueller: More terrorist attacks are, in his words -- quote -- "a distinct possibility."
We've asked mayors of three U.S. cities to join us today to discuss their concerns as well as their preparations: Fort Worth, Texas Mayor Kenneth Barr, who warned residents it may not be a good idea to send their kids out trick-or-treating on Halloween. Mayor Rocky Anderson will play host to the rest of the world in February when the Salt Lake City Olympics take place -- and joining us from Las Vegas: Mayor Oscar Goodman, whose city is one of the nation's biggest tourist destinations.
First of all to you, Mayor Barr. What is the warning about Halloween? What's all that about?
KENNETH BARR, MAYOR OF FORT WORTH: One of our goals in Fort Worth is to make our city the safest large city in America.
And at our city council table, we have started discussing Halloween, the upcoming holiday, the tradition of trick-or-treating, going door to door. And yesterday, we put out a message to people in our community that we feel like it would be a year that parents especially ought to be involved as their children go out to trick-or- treat.
It would be helpful to concentrate on friends and families and neighbors. Go to houses where they know who lives there and not just indiscriminately go down through the neighborhoods and down through the streets. It's important for parents to be involved. And that's the way we protect are our children.
BLITZER: All right, Mayor Anderson, you have a special problem coming up with the Olympics in February, the Winter Olympics -- enormous security headaches under normal circumstances. How much worse is it now?
ROCKY ANDERSON, MAYOR OF SALK LAKE CITY: Well, obviously, this has drawn our focus more on the security issues. We have been working on these issues for years now.
There has been vast intelligence, vast planning being done. But now we are adding on. We're ramping the security up, and with a lot of good help from the federal government. It's been a great partnership between the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. But we are adding on in terms of making sure that the airspace is secured by severely restricting flights in the airspace, especially during opening and closing ceremonies; hardening some of the perimeters that would have been open otherwise.
We have got some federal medical help coming out, with representatives of the CDC and other agencies to help out in the event of any medical emergency.
BLITZER: But it's all systems go as of now.
ANDERSON: It absolutely is all systems go.
BLITZER: Mayor Goodman, you are out in Las Vegas. So much of your economy depends on tourism in Las Vegas. Is your city prepared for a potential terrorist threat?
OSCAR GOODMAN, MAYOR OF LAS VEGAS: Absolutely. It's not even close.
We have an emergency operations center that is ready to go if, God forbid, there was some kind of an incident. But we have no reason to believe here that there is going to be any problem in Las Vegas.
And the truth of the matter is, we are telling people to live their lives very normally, to come here to enjoy themselves. We feel we are very, very safe. We have got extra security at the airport. I was on a plane last week. As a matter of fact, I saw Mayor Anderson back in Washington. I never felt safer flying. Our hotels are coming back. Our employment is gaining momentum again. And we're in good shape. Everything is a go here.
BLITZER: All right, let me bring back Mayor Barr.
Are there specific steps, beyond warning about Halloween, that you're taking, looking at what has happened in New York, looking at what's happening here in Washington, in Boca Raton, Florida, the anthrax scare, for example? Are you worried about that in Fort Worth?
BARR: I think we are concerned about it. We don't consider our community to be a particularly high-profile target.
At the same time, we are making sure that our police department, our public health officials, our medical community are coordinated and working together. We are trying to protect the vulnerable points and points of vulnerability in the community.
Cities are spread out. We have massive infrastructure spread out over a large area. It's difficult to protect everything, but we are making significant effort in our city and all the cities across the government.
BLITZER: Mayor, I understand you are going to be relying on the federal government for a lot of support as the Olympics approach. But right now, before the Olympics come to Salt Lake City, do you have confidence in the federal government, because there has been a lot of confusion, as we all know, these past few weeks in dealing with the anthrax investigations?
ANDERSON: Well, it's a rather mixed bag.
I have confidence in the backup that will be there once something happens, if it happens. But our local municipalities are the first responders. Our police, our firefighters, our emergency medical personnel, they are the first ones on the scene. And we are prepared, to that extent, in dealing with an emergency. And we do rely upon the federal government in terms of pharmaceutical supplies that are stored and other medical help that can be provided by the CDC and other agencies.
BLITZER: Mayor Goodman, you say you are prepared over in Las Vegas for a terrorist threat. Have there been any credible threats to any targets in Las Vegas?
GOODMAN: Not at all.
As a matter of fact, I don't even consider them pranks, because I think, as the president said, whoever is involved in this kind of activity is in fact a very evil enemy. But we had some white powdery substance spread near my car and city hall. And, unfortunately, we had the sheriff come down. The FBI came over, the fire department. It probably cost taxpayers about $10,000 to discover it was nothing more than some flour. And that's a darn shame -- but nothing credible at all, nothing to suggest any kind of problem whatsoever.
BLITZER: I was surprised to hear that the tourism -- the hotel occupancy, the other tourist numbers in Las Vegas are not down much as I would have expected. Is that the case?
GOODMAN: Well, to the contrary. They are up. We are in the 90 percent, as far the weekends are concerned. And we are in the high 70s during the weekdays. The airport is operating at full capacity. The taxicabs are at 98 percent capacity. So business as usual in Las Vegas. We are a very resilient community. And Americans and tourists who visit Las Vegas are people who just want to have a good time. And that's what it is all about.
BLITZER: Mayor Barr, what specific information or specific piece of equipment assistance do you need most from the federal government right now?
BARR: I think my major concern actually relates to airport security. We think we need a federal standard to cover all of the airports across the entire country. Now, whether it's done by federal officials or done under contract isn't as important to our airport as it is that it be done to a high-level federal standard.
BLITZER: And, Mayor Anderson, you are worried about your airport and aviation security as well?
ANDERSON: Yes. I think we need more scanning machines. All luggage that is checked on should be scanned. I don't think there's any question about that. And it ought to be matched to those boarding planes.
And we also, of course, in terms of what we look to the federal government for, we absolutely need to make smallpox vaccine a major, urgent national priority.
BLITZER: All right, we will pick up that.
Mayor Anderson, Mayor Barr, Mayor Goodman in Las Vegas, I want to thank all of you for joining us.
GOODMAN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you.
And joining me now: a member of the United States Senate, Robert Torricelli. He's a Democrat of New Jersey, which, of course, has been at the center of the anthrax attack investigation.
Senator Torricelli, New Jersey, of course, the evidence of the postal facility over there -- how worried are you about postal workers in New Jersey right now?
SEN. ROBERT TORRICELLI (D), NEW JERSEY: Well, I'm very worried that these people are treated fairly.
They have shown enormous resiliency and courage. I don't know a single postal worker who didn't come to work and didn't meet their responsibilities. I think there is some sense among some of them that they didn't necessarily get the response or the warning that they should have had on a timely basis. But they're going forward nevertheless.
They have gotten the medical treatment they need. We have got hundreds of these people now on Cipro. And I think they've shown enormous courage and resolve.
BLITZER: Are you upset, frustrated by the way the federal government has, from time to time over these past couple of weeks, provided some confusing information to the public out there?
TORRICELLI: Well, there, clearly, Wolf, was a miscalculation by postal officials. I can't cast blame. This is new experience for all of us, including the leadership of the Postal Service.
But when it was discovered that anthrax-laden items were being sent through the mail, I think there was not a calculation that the postal workers who might have handled them were in danger. After it was discovered they were in danger, I think, obviously, some things could have been done differently. But what is important now is that we have learned from the experience, that we are getting care to these postal workers, at least at the principal facilities.
Now the question is whether we go to some of the satellite facilities, where I believe the better part of caution would be to get these people treatment on Cipro as well.
BLITZER: You are member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. You are briefed by the highest authorities in the U.S. government. Who do you suspect is behind these anthrax attacks?
TORRICELLI: I don't think, Wolf, that anyone with certainty could answer that question today. I think this much. I think that we could be -- suspicions could lead us to the following conclusions: This clearly happened on a widespread basis, on a highly organized basis, in close proximity to the attacks of September 11. I think that leads away from some of our initial beliefs that these were independent actors taking advantage of an unfortunate situation to rain terror on us.
I think it is much likely to suspect -- underline "suspect" -- that this was done in coordination with the attacks on September the 11th. We also now know that the anthrax was somewhat processed to be on a refined basis. So it was also unlikely to be on an ad hoc basis. BLITZER: So what should the U.S. government, the federal government, do, once it determines -- if it determines -- who in fact was responsible, if in fact it is some sort of international terrorist organization?
TORRICELLI: Well, if we have an additional terrorist participant, this obviously adds an entire new list of people who might be responsible. It also could just simply provide additional confirmation that this is the bin Laden al Qaeda group that we already know was involved.
BLITZER: Senator Robert Torricelli, thank you very much for joining us from Capitol Hill.
TORRICELLI: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And up next, the anthrax vaccine: Should you be getting the shots? A former U.S. Air Force officer tells us why he wouldn't -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
The anthrax threat is raising new questions about how the government is handling this health crisis.
As CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports, medical authorities say people exposed to anthrax should be getting the anthrax vaccine as well -- but they're not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These postal workers in Washington D.C. are standing in line for antibiotics, because they might have been exposed to anthrax. But now some doctors are asking, should those exposed also be getting another treatment? The anthrax vaccine. Many experts say they should. The American Public Health Association, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the British Public Health Laboratory Service, an agency of the British government, have all issued reports recommending use of the vaccine after exposure, along with antibiotics.
Dr. Philip Hanna, coauthor of an article on anthrax in "The New England Journal of Medicine" said he would want the vaccine if he'd been exposed to anthrax.
DR. PHILIP HANNA UNIV. OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL: Yes, I would. I think it is safe vaccine I think benefits potentially very good, and I would want all the possible medical treatments available to be pointed in my direction.
COHEN: Here is how the anthrax bacteria when inhaled does its damage, and why the vaccine could help. When anthrax spores are inhaled, they don't necessarily go into the body. For a period of time, it could be days or months, the spores rest in the tissues and do nothing, but then, when conditions are right, anthrax bacteria sprout out of the spore. The bacteria released toxins that can destroy vital organs and eventually kill.
Here is how antibiotics help. If taken early enough, they kill the bacteria, and therefore, the toxins aren't release, but once someone stops taking antibiotics, there is a possibility that some spores are still dormant and could spread bacteria. An anthrax vaccine is kind of an insurance policy. What it does is prompt the body to produce antibodies, which neutralize the toxins so they can't harm the body.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, UNIV. OF MINNESOTA: So what we are really attempting to do here make sure that you have antibiotic protection, your own body's natural defense after you stop antibiotics, should one of those dormant spores be around we take care of it.
COHEN: So why aren't people potentially exposed to anthrax getting the vaccine?
DR. DAVID SATCHER, SURGEON GENERAL: We don't believe that is indicated. We haven't went seen any indication that you need both antibiotics and the vaccine, and so that is why we are not doing it.
COHEN: Also it is unclear if the vaccine would even be available. Right now, the Pentagon owns all vaccine. A spokesman said they haven't been asked to share it with civilians, but would consider any requests. So for now, those exposed to anthrax will continue to get antibiotics, while the medical experts continue to debate.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now to discuss the anthrax vaccine controversy is a man quite familiar with the issue.
Sonnie Bates was a major in the U.S. Air Force. He resigned in March of last year with a general discharge under honorable conditions for refusing the anthrax vaccine.
Looking back on that, Mr. Bates, don't you wish you had that anthrax right now?
RETIRED MAJOR SONNIE BATES, U.S. AIR FORCE: Absolutely not, Wolf.
I wouldn't take that vaccine if it were the last vaccine left. It's quarantined right now for a good reason: 7 million doses are at BioPort sitting there because there is suspect contamination, because the vaccine has not been made in accordance with the FDA's standards.
BLITZER: You know, I spoke over the weekend with a former defense secretary of the United States, William Cohen. He received that vaccine and all of the booster shots that accompanied. He is doing just fine. He is pretty happy he took that vaccine when he was at the Pentagon.
BATES: I understand that. Most of the people that take the vaccine are probably not going to get sick. But most studies show that 30 to 40 percent of the people that take the vaccine are going to get sick. And about 5 percent of the people are going to have long- lasting health problems.
BLITZER: When you say long-lasting health problems, hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel have received that vaccine, and they have had no problems whatsoever. And they are pretty much immune to having to worry about getting an anthrax-laced letter right now.
BATES: Well, Wolf, I'm the spokesperson for hundreds of service members that have been injured by this vaccine. Some have died. Sandra Larson died. And her sister, Nancy Rugo, has a lawsuit against BioPort right now. You got folks like Colosimo, Earl Stauffer. And the list goes on of people whose lives have been ruined. And the Department of Defense ignores these people and makes a mockery of their illness.
BLITZER: Obviously, with all vaccines, there is a certain amount of risk -- smallpox vaccine. Would you get a vaccine for smallpox right now?
BATES: Well, I would look at it. I would find out who made the vaccine.
Wolf, I have taken a lot of vaccines for the military. And I only questioned this vaccine because 15 people I worked with were unable to perform their duty after taking the vaccine. And some of them -- and many of them were medically discharged out of the Air Force.
BLITZER: You know, there is going to be -- there is a huge debate already under way whether this vaccine should be made available to the public at large, not just to the U.S. military. And I would venture to predict, given the scares out there, the frightened people out there, a lot of Americans would want to -- would rush to the front of that line to get to that vaccine right now.
BATES: Well, I understand that. And there's two options you could take. One is follow the law and destroy the adulterated product that is quarantined right now. That's why it is not available for the troops. It's not for our society, because it is quarantined. But option No. 2 would be to tell the truth about this vaccine, let the American people know about the real adverse reaction rates, and let them decide to take the vaccine and give them informed consent, which is federal law because this is an experimental drug.
BLITZER: You heard Dr. Hanna in that piece that Elizabeth Cohen just had saying -- and he is medical a professional, one of the best out there -- that people who are exposed to anthrax, are taking the antibiotic Cipro, should then follow up with the vaccine just to be 100 percent safe. That sounds like pretty good medical advice.
BATES: That's great medical advice. And that's what they should do. Unfortunately, we don't have that good vaccine that he is talking about available.
Our lead scientists in the military have developed a new vaccine. And their efforts have been quashed by BioPort in the efforts to keep BioPort afloat. We should pursue the new vaccine, one that doesn't take six shots over 18 months and doesn't make you sick and ruin your health. And we can do that. And I think we should do that. And there is plans to do that by year 2002, I think about 18 month from now.
BLITZER: Are you among those, Mr. Bates, who believes that the anthrax vaccine given to U.S. military personnel during the Gulf War contributed to what was later called Gulf War Syndrome?
BATES: Absolutely.
If you look at the Gulf War illness investigations done by the Senate, the symptoms that are listed for Gulf War illness mirror exactly what I saw in my squadron from the people that got sick and the hundreds of other people across this country that have been made sick by this vaccine.
BLITZER: Sonnie Bates, thanks for joining us. Good luck to you.
BATES: Thank you.
BLITZER: And many of our viewers have weighed in on the anthrax vaccine debate.
Our "quickvote" on the CNN.com main page asks: Should all Americans be vaccinated against anthrax?
According to this very informal and highly unscientific poll -- take a look at the numbers -- 66 percent say no; 34 percent say yes.
Taking advantage of today's economic tough times -- after the break, your questions on travel deals and discounts at CNN.com/community.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: America's travel industry has taken a big hit financially since the terror attacks of September 11. A growing number of airlines, including Continental, U.S. Airways and American, are sending idle planes to a massive storage depot in California's Mojave Desert, as many would-be travelers continue to stay away from the airports.
A Federal Reserve survey says nearly all parts of the country reported recent sharp declines in the hotel, airline and tourism industries, as conventions were canceled and flights reconsidered.
Cruise line bookings also fell sharply following September 11. And while reservations have improved in the past few weeks, the Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise ship company, says its bookings are still about 25 percent lower than this time last year. Despite all the travel problems, some people are responding to airline fare sales and other discount travel deals.
Let's back to Joie Chen in Atlanta for that -- Joie.
CHEN: All right, Wolf, we have been taking up that issue at our Web site: CNN.com/community. There is a conversation now on the Web about what is going on with the travel industry. And we have taken questions from folks, some of whom are very interested in taking advantage the situation with the travel industry right now and the bargains that there are to be had for those who are willing to travel.
Joining us is Jeff Katz, who is president of Orbitz. That's an online travel services company. It's put together by some of the big airlines.
All the major airlines, I guess, have gotten involved here, Jeff. And you guys just went online this summer, so certainly of interest. And people have been paying a lot of attention to you. I want to get you questions right away from our Web chat audience.
This one is from Many, Louisiana: "What about trips to Europe? Are they cheaper?"
JEFF KATZ, PRESIDENT, ORBITZ.COM: It's great time, actually, to buy a ticket and to travel to Europe. You can see incredible deals, particularly on the Web, where you often get an extra percentage off. For example, on Orbitz, you get an extra 5 percent off.
You'll see fares to London $284 round-trip -- package deals: 825 days for a package deal to several countries in Europe -- includes airfare, includes accommodations -- great prices for airlines and packages.
CHEN: OK. Here's another question from the Web chat audience now, Jeff.
We can bring that up from Louisiana: "Which airline is making the best deals?"
KATZ: Well...
CHEN: That puts you on the spot, I guess.
KATZ: That puts me on the spot. And what I always tell people who ask that is: Come to the Web site. Look to the markets that are of interest to you, like Chicago, like Las Vegas, like New York. And you will see 10 or 12 different airlines and hundreds of flights and fares -- but great fares: New York to Miami, $171 dollars; Chicago to Los Angeles, $199.
Almost anyplace you will look, you will see some very attractive fares. And most airlines in the nation are participating.
CHEN: All right, and here's another question from the Web chat audience from Fresno, California: "I wonder what the best deals on cruise ships are: the short trips or the longer ones?"
Interesting point.
KATZ: Absolutely.
You can -- again, hear, there is a big menu to choose from: $139 for a three-day cruise into the Bahamas; or $399, a little bit more money, but a seven-day cruise in the Western Caribbean. No matter how you look at it, it's very attractive.
CHEN: Jeff, I don't mean to ask you to talk badly about your own industry. But let's face it. The airlines are having troubles. We saw, as Wolf was reporting earlier, some of the airlines are putting some of their aircraft in storage, as it were, for better times ahead.
I'm wondering: Is this really a critical time for you guys in the travel industry? If you can't get people on the planes, say, by the end of year, could we be looking at a very different industry by next year?
KATZ: Well, it's hard to say. But travelers have been concerned. We can see on our own Web site, they are coming back, I would say smoothly. Every day, you see a little more confidence. Security is very high, very good. I'm traveling three days a week.
What the airlines are trying to say, and the hotels here as well, with these kind of fares is, you can have confidence. Come travel. The president has said go back and travel. And these fares really make it worth a travel's while. What is particularly attractive right now is, many of these prices are available with no blackouts around Christmas, and even available with some of the interesting travel days around Thanksgiving. There's never been a better time.
CHEN: So we will see if the consumers are willing to do that.
Jeff Katz, president of Orbitz, with us answering your questions at CNN.com/community, thanks very much.
KATZ: Thank you.
CHEN: Now we go back to Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you, Joie.
And tornadoes have touched down in the Midwest. We'll have details right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Jacqui Jeras is standing by at the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta with details of tornadoes in the Midwest -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Wolf.
We have reports of widespread damage now in South Bend, Indiana. And we also have numerous tornado warnings still in effect.
You can see this strong squall line heading off to the east -- a tornado warning in effect for Marion and Johnson County in Indiana. And that does include the Indianapolis area. You can see all the red counties highlighted where we have tornadoes possibly -- severe thunderstorm warnings all over the place across the state. We have tornado watches in effect throughout much of the evening, extending from Western Tennessee all the way up through Michigan. And, of course, we will keep an eye on it for you -- and, of course, the basement the best place to be in this type of a situation -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thank you, Jacqui.
And one hour from now: Should the U.S. use tactical nuclear weapons in Afghanistan? Congressman Steven and Robert Wexler debate the question on the 7:00 p.m. edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
CNN's coverage of "America's New War" continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," which begins right now.
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