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CNN Live Today

Interview with Eleanor Holmes Norton

Aired July 01, 2002 - 13:07   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Federal agents found easy pickings at some of the nation's busiest airports when they carried fake weapons into baggage screening areas. The report of continued security problems comes amid new government fears that terrorists may be planning something on or around the Fourth of July. As reported by "USA Today," three major airports had a failure rate of at least 50 percent for detecting fake guns, fake dynamite, and fake bombs. The worst of the worst: Cincinnati, and not far behind, Los Angeles International Airport.

Among the best-performing airports, three more of the biggest airports: Miami, Newark, and JFK. Still, transportation officials are conceding today that something needs to change when the nationwide failure rate is nearly 25 percent.

Joining us now more, from Miami, CNN's Susan Candiotti -- Susan, any word now on what made Miami so successful?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, to a degree, Kyra, we spoke with the acting director here at Miami International Airport, and the best they tell us is they can attribute their performance, only a 6 percent failure rate, to -- as they put it -- "training, training and even more training." They do congratulate, for their part, the Transportation Security people who have taken upon themselves to coordinate these effort in improving security here at the Miami International Airport and others for how well Miami International Airport has performed. They do say that that coordination and better training has resulted in the 6 percent failure rate here at Miami International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, and certainly hub to many flights heading to Central and South America in particular.

And what makes this stand out in their mind is the fact that Miami has not had very good news over the years. In the past few years, they have had a number of very well publicized major security breeches that involved -- that resulted in drug trafficking, breeches of security here on the concourse as well as on the tarmac here. And including a firm that was fired for failing to do adequate security background checks on some of the employees who lived here, and so -- and worked here, as a matter of fact.

And so, this is an effort, they say, that, Look, we're not happy with even a 6 percent failure rate. It should be zero. But at least they feel as though they have been coming a long way. And furthermore, they say every time someone is arrested here for a security failure, they prefer to take a positive perspective on it, and say it only points out to us how we have to improve -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Susan Candiotti live from Miami. Thanks Susan.

Well, as we noted, this report about the nation's airports comes amid heightened fears of possible terrorist actions connected to the Fourth of July.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is on the Washington Mall, where a lot Americans go every year to celebrate America's birthday, and beefed up patrols, too -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, security obviously a paramount concern this July Fourth. No specific threats for Washington, but a huge security plan is being put into effect that features miles and miles of snow fencing, 2,000 officers, dozens of explosive-sniffing dogs, surveillance cameras, and a lot of things authorities just don't want to talk about because they think they are more effective if they are kept secret.

Joining me here today is Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia in Congress -- thanks for joining us.

Is -- does this send the wrong signal to have people come down to Mall for a celebration of freedom and have them face miles and miles of fencing and dozens and dozens of officers?

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, DELEGATE, WASHINGTON, D.C.: People are -- want to make sure that they are going to be safe, and they know that if there's no security to go through, that they probably won't have that confidence. I had the three police forces that will be in charge down here come in to brief me personally just last week. The Capitol Police, the Park Police, the D.C. Police. I'm convinced they're doing all that's humanly possible without overdoing it. We don't want to put a sign up saying, by the way in which we do security, saying, don't come.

And above all, we don't want to give into terrorism by being frightened when we have no specific information that anything will happen. The point of terrorism is to frighten you. They know they can't do harm to huge numbers of you, but they can frighten all of you away from even July the Fourth. I don't think we should call off July the Fourth.

MESERVE: And so, what are you telling your constituents when they ask if it's safe to come down here?

NORTON: I am telling my constituents that I am convinced that the police have done all that can be humanly done. Nobody can guarantee anyone anything, but remember, this is going to go on for years now. So, as long as the cops have done their job, then our job is to show up. Unless we feel unduly frightened, in which case, why put yourself through that, you should stay at home, people who will be inclined to come, who have confidence in the police as I do, I think should come.

MESERVE: We all know about the chatter that's been heard, indicating there may be an increased threat of terrorism on this date. Do you think the celebration should have been canceled?

NORTON: I certainly do not. The point of terrorists is to make you cancel July the Fourth, Christmas, and every other holiday. The chatter that has been heard has been so nonspecific, so generic, that even Colin Powell, when asked a question on TV, had to say, Look, people should go about doing what they would ordinarily do, and if the secretary -- if it is good enough for the secretary of state, I think it ought to be good enough for my constituents and for the American people.

MESERVE: Is it good enough for you? You are going to be here on the Fourth?

NORTON: It's good enough for me. I live right on Capitol Hill.

MESERVE: You live with it every day.

NORTON: I live with it every day, and we have got to all learn to live with it every day.

MESERVE: OK. Delegate Norton, thanks so much for joining us here today. Attorney General John Ashcroft having some meetings today, some briefings about July Fourth preparations, but no increase now in the country's terrorism alert status -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Thanks, Jeanne.

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