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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Interview with James Carville; Five Al Qaeda Suspects Caught on Tape
Aired January 17, 2002 - 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: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, from the rubble of Afghanistan, five al Qaeda suspects caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The men may be trained and prepared to commit future suicide terrorist acts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Where are they now? The government wants your help.
Is your city prepared to deal with a terrorist attack? We polled the experts and we'll run down the rankings.
From the White House to your house, they helped a president deal with crises. Now they want to help you deal with yours. I'll speak with Democrat strategists James Carville and Paul Begala.
And we'll talk a little politics, too, with former GOP presidential candidate, Steve Forbes.
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Among the stories we're following this hour, another terrorist incident in Israel. We're also following the Attorney General John Ashcroft and the FBI director, Robert Mueller. They make a major push for your help in nabbing suspected al Qaeda terrorists still at large. We'll also tell you about concerns that tomorrow could be a nightmare if you're planning on flying.
First, a quick check of this hour's latest developments.
Three United States Marines were injured in an explosion at their camp in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The injuries are not life-threatening. The Marines were burning trash when an unknown item exploded. They're expected to be moved to a higher-level treatment facility for additional medical care.
The Justice Department releases videotape of five suspected al Qaeda terrorists. The Attorney General John Ashcroft says the tape shows the five men delivering messages about planned suicide attacks. The tape was found in an al Qaeda house in Afghanistan. We'll have much more on this tape in just a few moments. Secretary of State Colin Powell promises Afghanistan it can count on a long-term commitment from the United States. In talks with Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, Powell said the United States will make a substantial financial pledge to Afghanistan at next week's aid donors conference in Japan.
A delegation from the International Red Cross is visiting Afghan detainees in Cuba this hour. The representatives are checking the condition of the al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners, who are being held on the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay. The visit coincides with the arrival of 30 more detainees at the base.
U.S. special forces in Afghanistan are moving into the southeastern part of the country in the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Military sources say they're searching villages, caves and tunnels. Some people have been detained. The operation is considered very sensitive because some tribes are not cooperating with the United States.
In the wake of Enron's collapse, the Treasury and Labor Departments are reviewing possible safeguards for employee retirement plans. The Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says he hopes the review will ease Americans' fears about their savings plans. Thousands of Enron employees lost their life savings after the energy firm declared bankruptcy last month.
We're also following this developing story. A gunman opens fire in a wedding hall in northern Israel. In the city of Hedera, five people are dead, dozens more are wounded. For the latest, let's go to our Jerusalem bureau chief, Mike Hanna. He joins us on the phone -- Mike.
MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Wolf, according to Israeli police, a man they identify as a Palestinian gunman, possibly with explosives strapped to his body, attacked a wedding hall in the Israeli city of Hedera. Now, it's not sure whether he detonated the explosives or whether, as some eyewitnesses say, he threw grenades into the wedding hall after he'd been stopped at the door by the security.
Confirmation at the moment from Israeli police is that four Israelis have been killed in the attack, at least 20 injured. To toll of injuries expected to rise. According to police as well, a fifth person dead in the attack was in fact the man who carried out the attack in the first place. Now, we've learned in the last few minutes that the al-Aqsa Brigades has claimed responsibility for this terror attack. They have identified the man who carried out the attack as Ahmed Hasonai (ph).
The al-Aqsa Brigades statement says that the attack was in revenge for the killing last night of a man from the West Bank city of Nablus. Early on in the day, the Israeli defense force had confirmed killing a Palestinian in that area who had said had opened fire on Israeli soldiers attempting to apprehend him.
So the latest details we have from this terror attack in Israel, at the last count, according to police, four Israelis killed, a fifth person dead in the attack, the man carrying it out, who reportedly threw hand grenades into a crowded wedding hall. At least 20 people at this stage injured. The number of injuries likely to rise as people arrive at the nearby hospitals -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mike, what is the al-Aqsa Brigade? Is that an organization affiliated with some other group?
HANNA: The al-Aqsa Brigades is an offshoot of Yasser Arafat's fatah movement, a militant offshoot. Now in recent days, they have been at the center of a number of events. A senior member of the al- Aqsa Brigades was killed in an explosion in the West Bank at the beginning of this week. Israel refused to confirm or deny any involvement in the explosion, but Palestinians insisted that he was killed by an Israeli assassination squad, according to them.
He was a senior member of the al-Aqsa Brigades and Israel, in the wake of his death, has been stepping up security. A number of West Bank cities in recent days have been re-established around those cities, particularly the cities of Jenin and Tukaram (ph), which are fairly close to the area of Hedera, where tonight's terror attack took place, Wolf.
BLITZER: Mike Hanna, our Jerusalem bureau chief, thank you very much. And here in the United States, the latest round on the war on terror. The Attorney General John Ashcroft is calling on the public to help find five men he says are suicide terrorist. Ashcroft released a videotape of the five men earlier today. Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is covering the story. She joins us now live -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. Videotapes of five suspected terrorists and stills, one of whom appears to be caressing a weapon. Where are they now? U.S. officials showing moving pictures in hopes viewers in the U.S. and overseas will help track down potential al Qaeda martyrs.
They excerpts released come from a tape recovered by U.S. forces after the bombing of suspected al Qaeda targets. This tape was found in a Kabul house of one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants, Mohammed Atef. He was killed in a bomb attack last month.
There is sound recorded on the tape, but authorities are not releasing it for now. What they will say is this, the men appear to be bent on suicide attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHCROFT: Analysis of the audio portion of these tapes conducted thus far suggests, based on statements made on the tapes, that the men may be trained and prepared to commit future suicide terrorist acts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: One of the other men on the tape is identified as Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the unindicted coconspirators named in the government's case against suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui. Binalshibh tried and failed at least three times to enter the U.S. before September 11th, and allegedly helped funnel money to the hijackers.
One of the other suspected terrorists on the tapes appears to be hugging a gun with a message on the strap. The video and pictures of the others, all part of a global campaign, the FBI calls it, to stop terrorists before they strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Every piece of information is potentially valuable. We hope that no one hesitates to surface anything that could be of interest to us. And the principle is simple, an informed and alert public works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: There is no reward for coming forward with information, so far. And no clue as to where these men could be now. And, Wolf, the U.S. attorney general and the FBI also compares the situation to the one involving alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid, saying how the public, an alert flight crew and passengers helped stop him from allegedly lighting shoes filled with explosives. And they're hoping that the public will get involved now.
BLITZER: Susan Candiotti, our national correspondent, thanks for that report.
And how did the United States precisely get this tape? Joining us now, our national security correspondent, David Ensor. David, what are you hearing? Where did this tape come from?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Susan reported, Wolf, the tape is believed to come from the home of Mohammed Atef. He was the No. 3 in the al Qaeda structure, a former Egyptian policeman. He was considered one of the more adept organizers of terrorism, kind of the operational chief of al Qaeda. He is believed to have been killed in the bombing of his own house in December. And I understand that U.S. officials combing the wreckage not only confirmed the death of Atef, but also found videotapes. And we are now apparently seeing some of those videotapes today.
BLITZER: The federal government believes the American public and people all over the world can help them in the search for these five suspected terrorists?
ENSOR: Indeed. If any of them are in the United States, the U.S. government is confident Americans will want to try and help find them and will be on the lookout for them. But as much as anything else, the message is for a foreign audience, for people overseas. In the Middle East, these men are identifiable by country based on the names. People know these names, people in the neighborhoods know the names.
And the U.S. officials I've spoken to believe there may be people of goodwill towards the West who are embarrassed by the activities of bin Laden and how that has made Islam look, who will want to help try to find these people. So they are making an appeal, and they're starting, first of all, by an appeal to people's honest nature, with no reward involved. They first of all want to try to appeal to people who might actually feel this kind of activity is just reprehensible. They want to put a stop to it, and money is not a consideration.
BLITZER: And, David, yesterday we heard reports that a financier of the al Qaeda network supposedly gave himself up in Kandahar, and there was some initial suspicion that he may have a lot of useful information. What are you hearing about that today?
ENSOR: I'm hearing from U.S. officials they're not too impressed with what information has so far been offered by the man. They are confirming that he came into the gates of Kandahar airport, that he said he had information. By implication, he was interested in money in return for it. But these officials say he is not a big fish in al Qaeda or the Taliban, and they would suggest we regard -- take with a pinch of salt any suggestions that he's really helping them find Osama bin Laden or Mohammed Atta or anything like that.
BLITZER: David Ensor, thank you very much.
And joining us now for some additional insight into the al Qaeda tape and the latest on the suspected search is David Isby, the defense analyst. David, thanks for joining us.
First of all, this latest tape, these five suspected terrorists, how much evidence do you think it will generate, in terms of getting leads and capturing these five?
DAVID ISBY, DEFENSE ANALYST: Well, it certainly helps, especially because these people are very hard core al Qaeda. These are the people who are important to keep their movement together outside Afghanistan. So certainly, knowing who they are and identifying themselves are important. They obviously made the tape to keep morale up to show people who the hard core are. You can hardly ask for people in al Qaeda to be a suicide bomber.
BLITZER: And these five individuals supposedly were making statements before they were going to go out and commit acts of terrorism in which they would commit suicide.
ISBY: This is very important, because it's part of the al Qaeda ideology. It gave it the ideological purpose, and indeed, the hopes to recruit other people to join them in the terrorist campaign.
BLITZER: And that's normally a standard operating procedure, before a suicide bomber goes out and gets involved in this, they do very often give -- make a tape of what they're about to do?
ISBY: Yes, even groups like Hezbollah, which are much more inward looking and secretive that al Qaeda was. Yes, they do do that.
BLITZER: And the West Bank and Gaza as well, we've seen many of those videotapes over the years. What about this financier? Supposedly he came in yesterday, I guess he wanted to collect some of that $25 million, the bounty for Osama bin Laden.
ISBY: Well, it's a powerful incentive. He apparently came from the drug end of the house and was close to Taliban in the early part of their career. This is important because following the money trail is now very important, because we don't know where bin Laden physically is. We've got to go back and perhaps reacquire his movements through money transfers. So these potentially might be useful, especially in tracking where the narcotics money has gone.
But I think the real problem is not that the trail is cold, there are just so many potential clues, none of which looks any more or less promising than the others.
BLITZER: What do you make of what the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday, that he suspects Osama bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar are still inside Afghanistan?
ISBY: Omar I can believe, especially in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Bin Laden, I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it. But certainly, the crackdown on the religious parties in Pakistan would make it hard for him to remain there, if that's where he's gone.
BLITZER: And this interesting note, the interim leader of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, just announced will be meeting with President Bush later this month at the end of the month, the 30th -- is that -- the 28th of this month. That could be an important meeting, when he comes to Washington, gets the support, the blessing from the Bush administration.
ISBY: Positive step. It will work out.
BLITZER: OK. Thanks for joining us.
ISBY: Thank you.
BLITZER: And what are the next fronts in the war on terrorism? I'll ask the retired General Wesley Clark when he joins me in THE WAR ROOM. That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific. And you can participate. Simply go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf. Click the icon "Send Questions" and I'll ask as many of those questions as possible. That's also, by the way, where you can read my daily on-line column.
Turning now to the revelations that continue to pour out involving the Enron debacle. One of several today dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Covering all of these angles for us in New York, Chris Huntington, CNN financial news -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the developments seemed to come by the hour and today, of course, the administration responding to the Enron situation with a proposal from Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harvey Pitt, that a new independent body funded by the private sector, staffed by the private sector, to oversee the accounting industry here in the United States.
He said that the No. 1 goal is to restore public confidence in the accounting business, and he foresees that this new entity would oversee quality control and have disciplinary measures at its disposal. But ultimately, it would be overseen by the SEC. Details still to come. An awful lot of funding to be drummed up. Interestingly, he said he wants the entity to be staffed by people that have no direct connection to the big five accounting firms. That may be a tall order.
Now, CNN has also confirmed that there were a series of meetings, as long as a year ago, among Andersen chief executives, top executives, discussing the Enron situation. A memo dated February 6, 2001 shows that a meeting with more than a dozen Andersen officials discussing the intricate details of the Enron situation, the off- balance balance sheet transactions, the apparent conflict of interest involving the then chief financial officer, Andy Fastau (ph). Even discussing the fact that the fees that Andersen was collecting from the Enron deal could be as high as $100 million a year, and might raise a few eyebrows.
Also, a memo showing that the Vice President Sharon Watkins, who had written a memo to chairman Kenneth Lay, discussing the problems, had also made the attention. So basically, Wolf, it's quite clear that they knew they had a real problem on their hands as long as a year ago.
BLITZER: Chris Huntington in New York, thanks so much for joining us. And Arthur Andersen CEO Joseph Berardino will be the guest tonight on "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That's at the top of the hour, 6:00 Eastern, 3:00 Pacific.
More on money and politics at the half-hour when we talk with the former Republican presidential candidate, Steve Forbes. Also, Democratic political strategist James Corville and Paul Begala, on picking yourself up after a crisis.
Next, countdown to new rules for baggage screening. What should you expect at the airport tomorrow?
Also, is your city ready for an attack like this? Find out later when we rate the preparedness of American cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I thought about was my family. And I had to make it out for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And one cop's story of the World Trade Center and survival.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. An Egyptian student arrested in connection with the September terrorist attacks is now a free man. You may recall, Abdallah Higazy was jailed for a month after an aviation radio was found in his New York hotel room. CNN's Deborah Feyerick joins us now live from New York -- Deborah. DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the government accused him of lying. Turns out, he was telling the truth. And now Abdallah Higazy's month-long ordeal is over.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Egyptian student Abdallah Higazy, out of jail a free man. Prosecutors dropping their charges.
ABDALLAH HIGAZY, FREED EGYPTIAN STUDENT: I'm happy I'm out. Nothing stops freedom!
FEYERICK: Higazy was accused of lying about a pilot's radio. The FBI said it was found in a hotel safe in Higazy's room, right across from the World Trade Center. Now the government is backing down. Why? The radio, similar to this one, belongs to someone else -- a private pilot staying in the same hotel that day, one flight down from Higazy's 51st-floor room. In a letter to the judge, prosecutors write: "The owner of the aviation radio had no interaction with Mr. Higazy. It is still unclear, therefore, how the radio was on the 51st floor."
ROBERT DUNN, HIGAZY'S LAWYER: The integrity of the hotel was so compromised that anything could have happened. Even if it was in the safe, it didn't mean that he put it in there.
FEYERICK: Higazy was charged last week. An FBI agent describing the radio said it could be used on the ground to talk to pilots in the air. That raised suspicions Higazy, who used pilot radios in the military, may have helped guide the hijackers to their targets. Higazy was never charged with terrorism or having any ties to the September 11th attacks.
HIGAZY: The prosecutor told me there were five possibilities. Either I was -- the device was mine and I participated in September 11th, the device is mine and someone gave it to me as a favor, you know, and I didn't know that it actually was used in September 11th. It was mine and I was using it for something illegal...
FEYERICK: Other possibilities? He knew nothing about the radio and was innocent. Higazy arrived in New York in August on a scholarship to study computer engineering. Polytechnic University put Higazy at the Millennium Hilton while he looked for permanent housing. Then came September 11th. In December, when Higazy tried to claim his belongings from the wrecked hotel, Higazy was detained and held in custody for a month -- the U.S. government, refusing to believe he knew nothing about that radio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
There are still lots of questions. Why did a hotel employee tell the FBI the pilot's radio was in Higazy's safe, adding details that the radio was on Higazy's passport, on top of his Koran? Also, what did FBI agents say to get Higazy to claim the radio was his after he had been denying it over and over? And how did the radio climb up one flight of stairs? Prosecutors released a statement saying they're continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the radio in Mr. Higazy's room -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Still some unanswered questions. Thanks for that report, Deborah Feyerick, in New York.
And beginning tomorrow, airlines have to start inspecting checked baggage for explosives. But that's not the only change. Airlines will be getting guidance on how to train flight crews dealing with potential terrorist threats, something they've been pushing for since September 11th. The story now from CNN's Kathleen Koch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Richard Reid case is what flight attendants had feared since September 11th -- another passenger trying to bring down another plane. That's before they got special training on what to do. Now four months later, the Federal Aviation Administration will give airlines new training guidelines that eliminate the former passive approach.
JANE GARVEY, FAA ADMINISTRATION: The approach has been cooperate with the hijackers, just really get to your destination, bring the plane down safely. That, obviously, all changed on the 11th. So this is a much more active approach to training.
KOCH: The FAA says flight crews will be taught to act as a team, dismiss no passenger disturbance. Communicate concisely in emergencies, and get the plane on the ground quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let go, let go. Hand to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let go. Back off. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
KOCH: Many flight attendants like Sandy Dahl want rigorous mandatory self-defense training as well. She began taking such courses after her husband, Jason, the pilot of United Airlines flight 93, died September 11th when that plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
SANDY DAHL, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: It's not just taking a self- defense course. It's definitely helped me feel more empowered. I really would like to see some hands-on training, and several hours of it.
KOCH: For security reasons, the FAA won't elaborate on the guidelines, but says basic elements of self-defense are included, and more could be added if necessary. The flight attendants are concerned that there are no requirements for nonlethal weapons like stun guns in the cabin.
PATRICIA FRIEND, ASSN. OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: We're not even talking about putting nonlethal weapons into the cabin. We're putting them in the cockpit, behind a barricaded cockpit door, with pilots with instructions not to open the door in the event of a disturbance. It just doesn't make any sense to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Now, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the pilots that CNN has talked to are happy with these new guidelines, airlines have two months to take the guidelines to come up with their own programs to teach all their flight attendants and crews, and then they will have through October to make sure that every single pilot, copilot and flight attendant is trained to meet this new terrorist threat -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Kathleen, tomorrow you'll at Dulles Airport here, just outside of Washington, D.C. to monitor what's going to happen with the new screening of baggage. What do you anticipate will happen out there?
KOCH: Wolf, the members of the aviation community, the airlines, even the Transportation Department is telling us expect some glitches. They will vary from airport to airport, depending on the method that's used. But passengers should certainly pack a lot of patience with them when they come to the airport tomorrow.
Interesting note, a couple of tough lawmakers now came out today saying that not enough will be done tomorrow. Both Congressman Jim Oberstar, who is a top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee and minority leader Dick Gephardt say that using this bag matching instead of actual screening of bags simply isn't enough, especially the clause that says the bag matching only has to occur on the first leg of the flight, not on the connecting flight. Congressman Oberstar saying that's an Achilles heel in the security system -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kathleen Koch, thanks for joining us. We'll see you again tomorrow.
Let's get more now on the new baggage screening rules that take effect tomorrow. Will the new system work, or will tomorrow bring chaos? Joining us from Denver with his thoughts, Michael Boyd. He's president of the aviation consulting firm, the Boyd Group. Michael, thanks for joining us. Give us your assessment. What should the flying public anticipate tomorrow?
MICHAEL BOYD, AVIATION CONSULTANT: There could be some glitches, but this isn't a major change. Basically, this is eye watch for the public. Matching bags on the first leg of the flight doesn't do anything to screen for explosives. Very honestly, we're not screening for explosives, we're going in the wrong direction. I think tomorrow there may be some glitches, but overall it's not going to improve security if there are.
BLITZER: Well, if somebody gets a bag that's checked and doesn't get on the actual flight, that flight will be delayed until that bag is removed starting tomorrow, isn't that right?
BOYD: Yeah, that's true. And I think the only thing we have to worry about is somebody losing the bag between the ticket counter and the side of the airplane. The real fear I have is, remember, about 80 percent of all flights flying around America have connecting passengers and connecting baggage on it. If bag matching is so important, which I don't believe it really is -- if it's so important, doing what they've done is a total waste of time. Just like I said, 80 percent of the flights out there are going to have passengers whose bags don't have to be matched.
BLITZER: And matching bags, while as important as it may be, it still doesn't prevent someone who wants to commit suicide from going on that plane with a bag that may have a bomb inside.
BOYD: Well, you're quite right. I think what we need to be doing is focusing on real bomb detection technology, which we have not been doing. And until we do that, to make sure that everything on an airplane is scrutinized, baggage is checked for explosives, even the toilet paper in the lavatories is somehow scrutinized, make sure everything is scrutinized, then we'll be safe. But just matching it to the terrorist doesn't do much for me.
BLITZER: So, when are they going to be able to screen all the bags that are checked for explosives, have all the equipment in place that will get the job done?
BOYD: Well, the way we're going now, it will be years, because the equipment that they're so in love with, this CT equipment, doesn't do a very good job. It's very, very slow. It's not particularly reliable. And other technologies, chemical-sniffing technologies, that could be chased after it, but the FAA really isn't doing it. So we've got some real problems here and Congress really needs to get acting to get the FAA and the DOT to start looking at real solutions.
BLITZER: So your bottom line is, when the law says that, as of tomorrow, January 18, all checked baggage much be screened, you're saying that really doesn't amount to much.
BOYD: Yes, it won't be screened. First of all, there's not enough dogs. The machines don't work very well. Hand-searching is a total waste of time. And bag-matching doesn't screen for anything. So when the secretary says everything will be screened tomorrow, it just isn't true, sir.
BLITZER: OK, Michael Boyd, always good to have you.
BOYD: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thanks for joining us.
And this important note: We'll see Michael back on a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern: "How Safe Are Your Skies?" We'll talk about of all the developments tomorrow, see how the day goes. That's tomorrow night, 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific
Now checking these stories on today's "Newswire": The accused gunman in the Virginia law school shootings was arraigned this morning on capital murder charges. He's accused of killing three people and wounding three others in yesterday's shooting spree at the Appalachian Law School in Grundy, Virginia. L. Anthony Sutin, the school's dean, was among those killed.
A jury in Massachusetts is considering the fate of a defrocked Catholic priest accused of molesting a boy. John Geoghan is charged with indecent assault and battery on a child. The alleged incident took place in 1991. More than 130 people accused Geoghan of sexual abuse during his 30-year tenure in six parishes.
In Jefferson County, Colorado, the coroner's office says there will be no inquest into the death of one of the victims of the Columbine High School massacre. Prosecutors had asked for the inquest. The parents of the victim say their son was shot to death by a police officer. Police deny that.
And Brian Rohrbough, father of the student killed at Columbine, will be a guest tonight on "THE POINT." That's at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, 5:30 Pacific.
The latest developments in America's new war are straight ahead. Plus, before there was the movie, there was the real war room. Learn what it takes to survive with two political masters. Steve Forbes also joins us to discuss the Enron collapse and the political buzz. Plus, how safe are you where you live? A close look at security across America later.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: James Carville and Paul Begala have a new book that is just out now. We will be talking to them in just a moment.
But, first, let's update you on the latest developments, including a story that is breaking in Northern Israel. Five people are dead and dozens more wounded after a gunman opens fire on a wedding hall in the city of Hadera. The gunman is said to be among the dead. Police say he apparently was on a suicide mission. He had undetonated explosives on him and was armed with an automatic weapon.
The United States government releases a new videotape showing five men suspected of having ties to terrorism. The tape was found in Afghanistan. U.S. officials say they believe it shows the suspects delivering speeches warning of suicide attacks. Attorney General John Ashcroft says the men must be caught. And he is asking for the public's help in tracking them down.
U.S. troops are getting settled in the Philippines. An advanced team of American troops arrived in that country yesterday to start planning for training exercises with military units from the Philippines. It's part of the U.S. effort to help Manila fight terrorist troops.
Britain is moving forward in its crackdown on suspected terrorists. Today, two Algerian men were charged in connection with an alleged plot to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris. The men are accused of being al Qaeda members. And police say eight other men suspected of terrorist activities have been arrested in raids in Central England.
Before CNN asked me to host the "War Room" -- which, of course, airs at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific -- two other men ruled the "War Room" and even made a movie about it. James Carville and Paul Begala managed crisis after crisis in Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign from what they called the "War Room." That was in Little Rock. Now they have a new book out to help you manage your crises.
It's titled "Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room."
James Carville and Paul Begala join us right now.
Thanks to both...
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: The only thing we ever shot in our war room was spitballs.
BLITZER: It was a different kind of war. You fought different kind of battles.
Let's go through some of the practical advice from your political experience that you give in this book. One of the things, James, you say don't quit, don't ever quit. And you cite President Clinton's late mother, Virginia Kelley, as saying, "Becoming bitter is giving up."
CARVILLE: The other thing is, I was sitting there talking to Steve Forbes. And we were sort of laughing. That other motto we used to have in a campaign is: Don't get mad. Don't get even. Just get elected.
And I just sort of like that people who just got up in the morning -- and Paul and I used to have this motto, this young guy on the campaign said whatever it takes. Just tell me what I -- I always liked that sort of attitude is, we can do that. Fine. And just it's a real separation between -- and those people are very extraordinary. And they never think about quitting. They never get frustrated. You just say we need this and they say fine and they do it. And it's a remarkable thing.
The other thing that I think -- and Paul wrote this. He did a brilliant thing on how big of a loser Abraham Lincoln was. Abraham Lincoln was without a doubt the biggest loser in American history. And he is also probably the greatest American that ever lived.
BLITZER: And he finally won. He never gave up.
Another rule, Paul, that you have is: Frame the debate -- easier said than done.
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: It's much easier said than done. But when you are trying to be somebody to make a decision, when you are trying to get a raise, when you're trying to make a sale, when you're trying to get a vote, how you frame that choice is all- important. Ronald Reagan taught the Democrats that lesson. In 1980, he looked right in that camera and he said: This is only thing you should think about when you go in that voting booth. Are you better off today than you were four years ago?
But my favorite example is James' mother, Ms. Nippy Carville, who put eight children through college by selling encyclopedias door to door. She would look for a house that had toys out in front and a bass boat out in back. And should knew then that she had them, because she would get that guy, the husband there. And he would come to the door. And she would say: Well, if you can afford this bass boat for you and your beer buddies, surely you can afford these find educational tools for your children.
BLITZER: She framed the debate.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: Framed the debate.
BLITZER: And what about your rule number nine, which is: Turn weaknesses in strengths? I know you turned some of your weaknesses into strengths.
CARVILLE: What we talked about in the book, one of my weaknesses is I'm learning disabled. And I just never -- it wasn't anything that sort of held me back. I just couldn't pay attention or sit still and had some difficulty with some subjects.
But the point is, is that, whatever God -- if he doesn't give you one thing, he gives you another thing. He didn't give me hair, OK? So, what the hell. I could sit here and worry about it and try to get implants and all that other foolishness, but what the hell. Just go ahead. Go through. Plow ahead with what you got and you would be surprised at how many good things that you got that you can call on. Everybody is.
Every person has something extraordinary about them. And what we found out, or what we are finding out, is that we are just on the verge of learning how different ways people learn. And I think this is one of great things that is going on in education today. I really do.
BLITZER: I believe you called yourself Corporal Cue Ball.
CARVILLE: Well, what I said was, I'm not smart, but I sure am ugly.
(LAUGHTER)
CARVILLE: I never let my stupidity or my ugliness get in the way.
BLITZER: Paul, one of rules, No. 10 -- one of the rules you have that I love is: Be nimble Jack. And you write this in your book. You say: "The battle does not always go to the biggest or the strongest, especially in a fast-paced environment. The winner is going to be the person with the greatest ability to adapt."
BEGALA: It's particularly true in politics. And let me surprise you now with some adaptability.
George W. Bush -- I'm one of his biggest critics and I will be again when political season rolls around. But he has adapted in this war. He was a guy who said, as a politician, well, we shouldn't have multinational coalitions. To his credit, he adapted. He sent General Powell around. He has built this terrific coalition. He was the guy who said the military had been hollowed out. It's political rhetoric. Fine. He becomes president. He adapted.
He leads that military now with strength and conviction. He does not say any longer that it is a hollow military. So he has adapted in a way that even I as a Democrat have to say is very admirable.
BLITZER: And here is some advice you had that was very applicable to your former boss, the former president of the United States, your rule No. 11, which is: Know how to recover when you really screw up.
CARVILLE: He really screwed up.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: He may have set a record for screwing up.
CARVILLE: He may have set a record. Yes, I think, when we talked about August 17, the night after he testified before the grand jury, when he told the American people it all wasn't as previously thought here, that that was a -- when you really mess up, you have got to have 100 percent grovel.
Bob Woodward, we are sitting on a set in the studio right next to this one. And he said, it's got to be 100 percent grovel. When I left, I thought that it was . And what happens in politics is, sometimes in a half hour, things got changed around. When he started on that talk, we all remember that so well, I thought I was going to faint.
And I think he did, much to his credit, brilliant guy that he is, he came back after that.
BEGALA: He did recover then with the collective clergy in the East Room in that famous speech.
BLITZER: But it was a little late. He should have groveled that first night. It should have been 100 percent. He didn't do it.
BEGALA: He should have apologized right away.
BLITZER: I'm sure Bill Clinton himself admits that
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: The book is "Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up." I guess all of us could learn a little bit from your guys' practical experiences on the campaign trails.
CARVILLE: Well, I have had enough foul-ups in my life, let me tell you.
BLITZER: We all have.
Good luck to both of you on the book tour.
BEGALA: Wolf, thanks a lot.
CARVILLE: Thank you, sir.
BLITZER: And we'll follow up this conversation with a Republican who has run twice for president. Steve Forbes joins me next -- and later from the last man rescued in the World Trade Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. JOHN MCLOUGHLIN, NEW YORK PORT AUTHORITY: There was a point of acceptance of dying where I was buried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A survivor's story from a Port Authority cop.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
On crisis management, we just heard the opinions of two Democrats. Now it's time for the Republican point of view. Here with me, the former GOP presidential candidate, the acclaimed businessman Steve Forbes.
It sounds like some pretty good advice, some practical advice that Carville and Begala have. But when you look at the whole Enron debacle right now, a lot of us -- and you know the business world a lot better than I do -- but a lot of us are like stunned at the accounting procedures that were going on and what Arthur Andersen was involved in.
STEVE FORBES, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
And, unfortunately for them, Arthur Andersen has been involved in other scandals, such as Cendant. And so this is part of a string. And they are in deep trouble. I think what it underscores is, there is going to have to be far more disclosure.
The British had a similar scandal years ago with a company far smaller. And they simply put in a rule that, even if you do something off balance sheet, even if you don't theoretically control the company, if you actually control it, you must show it. And that's what is going to have to be done in this country -- utter lack of disclosure so they could build up this pyramid. And boom. BLITZER: How does that happen, though? The seventh largest company in the United States is build on, what, fiction?
FORBES: Well, it does happen, especially when you are hiding things and people can't see it in time.
But we've got to remember -- I remember when I got out of college 30 years ago. Penn Central collapsed. And they went into the short- term market. They borrowed to a fare-thee-well and with commercial paper. They nearly took down a dozen other major companies with them when that market closed up. What is remarkable in this scandal is that Enron, seventh largest, hasn't broiled the capital markets. The took it in stride.
I'll tell you, psychologically, what is going to hit, I think, the typical American more is if Kmart doesn't pull out of the nosedive.
BLITZER: Because everybody know what Kmart is.
FORBES: They see it every day.
BLITZER: Enron was not necessarily a household name, even though it probably should have been.
But is this an aberration, what was going on at Enron? Or do you suspect there are other huge, huge companies that may have a similar problem?
FORBES: Well, I think if -- especially if money continues to be tight -- even though interest rates are low, the Fed still hasn't pumped in enough liquidity -- companies with debts are going to be in trouble. In the last few years, almost half of the largest companies in this country, over 200, have restated earnings, which means they didn't do it right the first time.
A lot of companies took on a lot of debt to buy in stock. And that is going to come back to bite them. It won't be the kind of a scandal of Enron in the sense of hiding things. It's just they mucked up in the way they handled their business.
BLITZER: And as you know and our viewers know, Enron was almost an equal-opportunity involvement in politics, giving both to Republicans and Democrats -- Ken Lay, the CEO, as well as other corporate executives.
FORBES: Which guaranteed, when it hit the fan, neither wanted to touch them. They became radioactive, whereas three years ago, a company that no one had ever heard of, Long Term Capital, got in deep trouble, one of these leveraged management funds, money managers. The New York Fed concluded it would be bad for banking and they bailed them out.
BLITZER: Bob Rubin was the treasury secretary at that time.
FORBES: Exactly. And it was a one-day story. But Enron, it was so big that they became utterly radioactive.
BLITZER: Well, with hindsight, should the government have bailed out Enron?
FORBES: No, no, because you didn't know how deep the hole they had dug themselves in. That's why they went down. Dynegy and others would have been glad to do a merger. They had real assets in that company. But you didn't know what their real liabilities were, so everyone pulled away from them. It was like a bank panic in days of old. You didn't know. People pulled back and it went down.
BLITZER: Steve Forbes, I want you back on this program. We will do a little bit more on this Enron and some other subjects.
FORBES: We'll look forward to it. And maybe I should write a book like Begala and Carville.
BLITZER: I'm sure you can give us some practical advice from your experiences. A lot of our viewers...
FORBES: And their money would be more than Enron's, more real than Enron's.
BLITZER: "How to Make a Million Dollars," if you just write that book, a lot of viewers will want to read it. Thanks so much for joining us.
FORBES: Thank you.
BLITZER: Always a pleasure.
And how safe is your city? New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl, but is it prepared for the worst? Next: a CNN.com special report on how prepared your hometown really is.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
In the wake of September 11 terrorist attacks, many officials have been concerned about how prepared their cities are for disaster. In a special report, CNN.com assess the 30 largest cities with the help of six national emergency experts. Find out how were your city rates by visiting our Web page. Remember, the AOL keyword is CNN.
And joining us now from our headquarters in Atlanta is Mike Fish. He is the senior reporter for CNN.com who put of this information together.
Mike, thanks for joining us.
The best prepared city in the United States is?
MIKE FISH, SENIOR REPORTER, CNN.COM: Well, I think without question it is New York City, based on our experts and looking at the data we provided. And their consensus was New York City.
BLITZER: And you say that that's the only city in the category of what you call best prepared. But there are several other cities that you list as well prepared, sort of another level. And between them, there are a bunch of cities that are prepared, but not necessarily that well prepared.
What is the difference?
FISH: I think the better prepared or well prepared cities generally tend to be cities in Texas, California, Florida, states that deal with weather crises, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, where there is an annual event that comes up that prods these systems and creates systems that have to practice to prepare for these events and deal with actual live circumstances.
BLITZER: And the cities that are at a lower level, what is their basic problem?
FISH: Well, you've got a case like Boston, where a major problem there was gridlock. In a major attack or any kind of problem like that, being able to get people who are injured and hurt out of that situation and also get the medical emergency people into that city is critical. And that is a drawback that Boston had.
We also found that cities like New Orleans -- and Las Vegas was another one -- that those states themselves do not have public health veterinarians. And they do not have CDC-sponsored disease detectives. Now, that might sound like a small point, but it's very important because, in the outbreak of a biological attack, that would be an early indicator of that attack. I think it would help recognize it and get some efforts to work with that situation.
BLITZER: I noticed that you say New Orleans is among those least prepared for what could go on. And you know the Super Bowl is coming up in New Orleans. Is this is a source of concern?
FISH: Well, it's a great source of concern not only because of the Super Bowl, but, because of the September 11 events, the Super Bowl has been pushed back one week this year. And now you have Super Bowl in the middle of Mardi Gras.
So what has happened here, is the feds have come in, the Secret Service and the FBI. And they have been working since December with city officials. And it's my understanding that, during that Super Bowl time, that four- or five-day period, they are going to be responsible for a perimeter area outside of the Superdome. And that will help relieve some of the pressure and the responsibility on the city people.
BLITZER: OK, Mike Fish of CNN.com, thanks for joining us.
FISH: OK. Thank you.
BLITZER: And our viewers, of course, can get the full list. Just go to CNN.com. The AOL keyword, of course, is CNN. Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." Lou is standing by to tell us what he has at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.
The Enron collapse and scandal has devastated the reputation of accounting firm Andersen. Tonight, in an exclusive interview, we will joined by Andersen's chairman and CEO Joseph Berardino. We will also be joined by former SEC Chairman Richard Breeden. We'll be talking about efforts to police the securities and accounting industries. And tonight, we will be joined as well by General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt. We will be talking about his company's record profits and future prospects -- all of that and a lot more coming up at the top the hour.
Please join us -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou, a very solid lineup. I will certainly be watching. I know my dad will be as well. He does every single night.
And when we come back: He spent hours trapped in the World Trade Center rubble, then months recovering from the injuries. Now one tough cop goes home at last.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: And now a story of survival from this place, ground zero, in Lower Manhattan. Today, for the first time since September 11, John McLoughlin is home. For 20 hours, he was trapped in the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCLOUGHLIN: And all I thought about was my family. And I had to make it out for them. And I'm not saying that there weren't certain points of sheer desperation. And I think I -- before they came down and found us and started digging us out that there was a point of acceptance of dying where I was buried. Once the rescuers started, even though it took them eight hours to get me out, my hopes started soaring. I knew I was getting out of there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: An amazing story.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. CNN's coverage continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins right now.
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