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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Louisiana Declares State of Emergency Over West Nile Virus Outbreak; Army Researcher is Possible Suspect in Anthrax Attacks; Special Ops Ordered to Kill Al Qaeda
Aired August 02, 2002 - 17:00 ET
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 Nile to the Mississippi, a new plague. Mosquitoes bring a deadly virus to much of the United States. One state calls for help.
Was this the source of the anthrax that scared the nation? We will take you inside a government germ factory.
A top-secret order goes out to U.S. special operations forces: Capture or kill al Qaeda's leaders.
And Amber Alert: Her little girl was lost, but her legacy helped save two California teens.
It's Friday, August 2, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We begin with a battle now spreading throughout the United States. The enemy is especially deadly to children and the elderly, and tonight, one state is especially on edge. The West Nile Virus has infected so many people in Louisiana, the governor there has declared a statewide emergency. All this is not just the concern of people in Louisiana. They are very worried this summer, others should be as well. CNN's Ed Lavandera begins our coverage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the muggy landscape of Louisiana, it's the height of mosquito season. But this year, the pesky creatures are delivering a more sinister bite. Mosquitoes have injected West Nile Virus into 58 people across this state. The experience is painful.
TONI MATHERNE, CONTRACTED VIRUS: I really felt like I was not going to live past another day. That is how bad this is.
RICHARD HOLEKAMP, CONTRACTED VIRUS: There are some scary things that can happen on this. I was stupid. I was late getting into the doctor. And as a result, I pretty well fried my brain for a while.
LAVANDERA: Like Toni and Richard, most victims survive, but West Nile Virus has caused the deaths of four people here. In those rare cases, the West Nile Virus causes encephalitis, which is brain swelling. There is no specific treatment for this virus, and the vast majority of people infected suffer from headaches, fatigue and mild flu-like symptoms.
Elderly people are the most vulnerable because immune systems usually get weaker as you grow older. The four people who died in Louisiana were between the ages of 53 and 83.
DR. RADULT RATARD, STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: This is not a surprise to us. However, I think the magnitude of the problem is more than we had expected. I think if we hadn't done what we had done, if we hadn't been there early on and working with perish abatement programs, then we'd have a much worse problem right now than we do.
LAVANDERA (on camera): State officials say, Louisiana is experiencing the second worst outbreak of West Nile Virus in U.S. history. Louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency. He is hoping federal money will be sent here to help control the spread of this potentially deadly virus.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: So far, as Ed says, this is the second worst West Nile epidemic since the virus first hit the United States. And there are fears right now it could soon surpass the New York epidemic of 1999. Louisiana's secretary of health and hospitals, David Hood, joins us from Baton Rouge.
Secretary Hood, thanks for joining us. How concerned should people in your state be right now?
DAVID HOOD, LOUISIANA DEPT. OF HEALTH & HOSPITALS: Well, I think they do need to be concerned. They don't need to be panic-stricken or alarmed about this situation, but it is serious. And West Nile Virus is a potentially fatal mosquito-born illness.
BLITZER: What are you doing about it, what is the state doing about it in terms of spraying or trying to prevent this disease from occurring?
HOOD: Well, spraying is a local responsibility and the perishes have been spraying very intensively to try to combat this problem. At the state level, we have epidemiologists, entomologists and others who are expert in surveillance and doing lab tests and so on. We're working hand-in-hand, not only with our local perish governments, but also with the Centers for Disease Control.
BLITZER: I know you've been trying to look ahead. Do you see the situation in the short-term getting worse before it gets better?
HOOD: I do see it getting worse. In fact, yesterday, we had 32 confirmed cases of West Nile Virus. Today, we have 58. So the numbers are growing by leaps and bounds. And I expect that it's going to continue until the cold weather sets in probably in October or November.
BLITZER: So that's plenty of time for the situation to deteriorate. Is that why the governor declared a state of emergency?
HOOD: That's right. Governor Mike Foster has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a declaration of emergency so that hopefully they can assist us with resources and funding.
BLITZER: So, people watching you right now, what immediate advice do you have for them, not only in your state, but in other states around the country?
HOOD: It is all about personal responsibility. People need to wear insect repellent, and they need to clean their yards, cut the grass, make sure there's no standing water where mosquitoes can breathe. If people do those two things, then we could really mitigate the impact of this problem.
BLITZER: Secretary Hood, thanks for joining us.
HOOD: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: While West Nile Virus is relatively new to the United States, it's been around for years in Africa and Asia. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now live from Atlanta. Sanjay, first of all, tell us what people can do if in fact they have any sense that they're close to getting this mosquito bite?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, a few things. Certainly, you have to be aware of the mechanism of how this thing is transmitted. Certainly, it is transmitted through mosquitoes, Wolf.
But a couple of important things to remember. Only one percent of the people that actually even get the virus will actually develop any serious symptoms. And, certainly the elderly and young children are more likely to develop the encephalitis that we have heard so much about.
Let me just back up for one second, Wolf, and tell you a little bit about how it is transmitted. We've talked about that before. We have a little depiction of showing exactly what happens here. Certainly, the only way humans can get it is from mosquitoes. As you can see, also birds, also horses, they will also get the virus. But it's only from mosquitoes that humans will actually get it. Humans cannot transmit it from human to human. And often times, as I mentioned, only one percent of the time does it actually turn into the sort of problematic encephalitis that we've been hearing so much about.
Let me also tell you a little bit about how -- the virus came here in '99, Wolf, as you mentioned, the first worst epidemic, first in New York, and then it slowly made its way down the Eastern seaboard. You can see here in 1999, it was pretty localized to the upper Eastern seaboard. You fast forward now, three years later. You can see what has happened now with West Nile Virus, certainly all over the country. All the filled-in beige areas, they represent infections in birds and things like that. And the checkered areas, as you see there, represent human cases.
Wolf, no doubt a lot of those beige areas will probably turn into checkered areas, that is to say that places where there is now bird infections will likely turn into human infections at some point. That's the precursor.
And, Wolf, let me just also spend a minute telling you why this is so serious, and it can be a serious problem. This particular virus actually gets into the bloodstream, it actually crosses into an area of the brain and actually causes something known as encephalitis. That is a swelling of the brain. And when the brain is swollen like that, what will happen sometimes is that the bottom part of the brain has nowhere to go. That's because it is surrounded by the bony skull, and that actually can lead to death when that part of the brain is pushed upon too hard right down here. So that is the problem, that is what encephalitis does, that is why it is such a big problem.
And you can see it is certainly a problem that has grown significantly over the last three years. Just in Louisiana, 58 cases. Put that in perspective, 149 total cases in the entire country. Just in Louisiana, four deaths now. In the entire country, 18 deaths. So you can see the numbers are a little concerning.
BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much. A little concerning, hopefully it won't become much more concerning. Thank you so much for that report.
Now, let's follow up on a story we were reporting on extensively at this time yesterday, the rescue of those two teenage girls in California. It apparently came just in the nick of time. Authorities think 37-year-old Roy Ratliff was just minutes away from killing the girls when lawmen closed in. Officials have released dramatic new details about the rescue and about Ratliff's death. CNN's James Hattori is in Monterey Park, California. He joins us now live with some of those details -- James.
JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Kern County sheriff says kidnapper Roy Ratliff got what he deserved when he pulled a gun on sheriff's deputies after abducting and raping two teenage girls. Ratliff, who was a convicted burglar, also wanted on a previous rape charge, was killed yesterday afternoon by deputies who fired 17 shots at the vehicle he'd stolen the night before.
It's not clear if Ratcliff (ph) himself -- Ratliff himself, rather, fired either of the two handguns he had. At first, the deputies didn't know the two girls were inside the Ford Bronco that they rescued them as the confrontation was unfolding. Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks says he's proud of how his deputies handled the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF CARL SPARKS, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: I'm an emotional guy. I mean, I've got 38 years in this place, so these people are my family. And we came very close to losing them. And I understand their concern about the girls. I do. I understand the concern about the girls. But when that suspect pointed a gun at a deputy sheriff, he got exactly what he deserved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HATTORI: The two girls kidnapped from a spot known as a Lover's Lane in Lancaster, California early Thursday morning, were reunited with their parents last night, are said to be doing well considering the incredible ordeal they survived. Authorities say they're convinced Ratliff, who faced a mandatory three strikes life sentence if he was convicted, would have intended to kill the two girls, perhaps leave them in the remote area of Kern County where deputies converged on him yesterday afternoon. Instead, Ratliff was the one who did not walk away from that area -- Wolf.
BLITZER: James Hattori, thanks for that update, appreciate it very much.
California authorities, meanwhile, credit the quick rescue of the teenage girls to the state's new so-called Amber Alert system. Officially called the California Child Safety Amber Network, the system consists of special messages on electronic freeway signs and emergency broadcasts alerting the public to abductions. This was the first time California has initiated a statewide Amber Alert, and officials say it did indeed help them rescue the girls quickly. The California system and similar networks in other states around the United States are inspired by the original Amber Network in Texas, named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped and killed several years ago.
Amber's mother, Donna Norris, joins us now live from Fort Worth. Donna, thank you so much for joining us. Our condolences, of course, to you. Tell us how it is that this Amber system came to be named after your daughter.
DONNA NORRIS, MOTHER OF AMBER HAGERMAN: Soon after she was -- her body was found, and a lot of the public, you know, working, we had something that could help bring our kids home and let the public know we want to help and what can we do. And just from there, it was born and it just got bigger and bigger.
BLITZER: So even in her death, Amber has done some wonderful things, especially, for example, these two young teenage girls in California yesterday. How does that make you feel?
NORRIS: It's wonderful. I'm very proud that the Amber Alert worked and I'm very happy that the two girls are at home with their mom and dad.
BLITZER: You're an advocate now obviously for this cause. What advice, what do you tell parents?
NORRIS: I'm not sure. Can you repeat your question, please?
BLITZER: Tell me what, as an advocate for this cause to try to prevent missing children, what advice do you have for other parents around the country who may be watching you? NORRIS: My advice is to love your children, you know, and always know where your children are at all times. And if your city or your town doesn't have the Amber Alert, get involved in it, ask about it.
BLITZER: And before I let you go, tell us a little bit about Amber. What was she like?
NORRIS: Oh, she was a beautiful child. She was a little mommy (ph) when she was here. She always loved children and she took care of smaller children. She loved school and she was just a perfect little girl and deserved no harm to her.
BLITZER: Donna Norris, thanks for spending a little time with us today, and thank you for letting this Amber system go forward around the United States.
NORRIS: Thank you for having it.
BLITZER: There is another missing girl in California today, but this case has a twist. Twelve-year-old Yukun Jia was with a group from China heading for a space camp in Alabama. She vanished during a layover in San Francisco yesterday. Police are searching for the girl, who speaks very little English. They say it's not clear whether they are dealing with a missing person case, an abduction or a defection. The girl is said not to have any family in the area.
Stepping up the hunt for al Qaeda, the United States unleashes its special forces. What prompted this possible new chapter in the war on terrorism, when we return.
Plus, the search for the anthrax killer zeroes in here at home. Who had access and knowledge to carry out the deadly attacks? We will take a closer look at the investigation.
Also, allegations of game show fraud. Did a cheating cougher help win the big prize on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" First, our "News Quiz."
Where did the show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" originate? France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
A federal judge is giving the government 15 days to release the names of everyone being held in the September 11 investigation. Groups which sued for the information argued that by keeping the names secret, the government illegally expanded its power. The Justice Department says revealing the names could give terrorists useful information; 1,200 people were detained after the attacks. As of June, 147 were still being held.
Capture or kill: a new mission for the Green Berets, Navy SEALs and other elite units. CNN has learned that U.S. special operations forces have been ordered to come up with new strategies for going terrorists around the world. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the U.S. manhunt for Taliban and al Qaeda holdouts in Afghanistan producing diminishing returns, Pentagon sources say Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wants his special operations commander to focus more on how U.S. commandos can go after terrorists in other countries.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our hunt for terrorist networks is not limited to Afghanistan. The war on terrorism is a global campaign against a global adversary, indeed, adversaries, plural.
MCINTYRE: Rumsfeld met Friday with General Charles Holland, commander in chief of the U.S. special operations command, after asking Holland to draw up new strategies to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, wherever they may be hiding. Sources say the new strategy involves focusing intelligence gathering more on locating the terrorist kingpins who remain at large, and developing plans for U.S. special forces to go after them in covert and clandestine operations.
VICTORIA CLARKE, PENTAGON SPOKESWOMAN: We are always looking for ways to be more adaptive, to be more flexible, to be faster, to be more lethal, to go after what is a very unconventional enemy.
MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials strenuously deny the new emphasis on special forces in anyway reflects dissatisfaction with the way U.S. central commander General Tommy Franks is running the war in Afghanistan.
RUMSFELD: He is an outstanding soldier and an able leader and is doing a superb job for our country.
MCINTYRE (on camera): Pentagon officials say the concept remains for U.S. special forces to work with friendly governments to route out terrorists, as the U.S. is currently doing in the Philippines and Yemen. However, officials do not rule out covert missions into unfriendly countries, such as Iraq or Iran, but that would require presidential approval.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The Bush administration is not backing down from its warnings that all options, including the military option, are possible when it comes to Saddam Hussein. President Bush has said repeatedly he would like to see the Iraqi leader removed from power. Today, the White House reacted coolly to Iraq's request to resume talks with United Nations weapons inspectors.
All this coincides with the 12th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the event that triggered the Persian Gulf War. Despite the allies overwhelming victory then, a U.S. invasion of Iraq in the near future could run into stiff resistance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): The Iraqi military was severely battered during Operation Desert Storm, but by all accounts, it remains a formidable force.
ANTHONY CORDESMAN, MILITARY ANALYST: These forces do have serious defects, but Iraq's is still the most effective military power in the Gulf.
BLITZER: When the U.S. launched airstrikes in January 1991, Iraq had a nearly million-man army. Now, it's closer to 400,000. It had 5,500 tanks, now 2,600. And it has lost more than half of its aircraft, from 689 to 300. It also still has a competent air defense capability, one capable of shooting down U.S. warplanes.
BRIG. GEN. JOHN ROSA, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The Iraqi air defense system is one of the toughest, most complex systems that we see in the world. It's very capable. They are constantly working to improve it.
BLITZER: U.S. military planners constantly worry about worst- case scenarios. One possibility: hand-to-hand combat in Baghdad.
CORDESMAN: At least in urban warfare, the fact that there are nearly 120,000 other men in the security border and other paramilitary forces has to be taken into careful account.
BLITZER: The last time around, the U.S. warned Saddam Hussein that any use of chemical or biological weapons could result in a massive U.S. response. And the U.S. did not rule out the possibility of a nuclear attack. Today's wildcard: With everything to lose, his army, his country, his presidency, the Iraqi leader may choose to use weapons of mass destruction.
It's been nearly four years since United Nations weapons inspection teams have been inside Iraq. And U.S. analysts fear the Iraqis have expanded their arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, and their ballistic missile capability.
CORDESMAN: This is not a force that can be dismissed.
BLITZER: The bottom line: The U.S. must prepare for the worst, even as President Bush says he has not yet settled how or when to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): An eye for an eye in the Middle East leaves a trail of blood. When we return, we'll speak to the friend of an American killed in the suicide bombing, the explosive bombing, at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Plus:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would personally grab a rifle, get in a ditch and fight and die. And I would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Find out what has former President Bill Clinton ready to do in battle.
Also, fires raging out West. Some encouraging news on the frontlines.
And our "Question of the Day": Should the United States maintain anthrax samples in laboratories? Go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can weigh in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Bill Clinton, who devoted much of his presidency to Middle East peace efforts, says Israel could take risks for peace because he stood behind the Jewish state, telling a Toronto audience everything it wanted to hear, and even more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Because Israel believes when it comes right down to it, America is the only big country that cares whether they live or die. That's why I can say give up the West Bank, because the Israelis knew that if the Iraqi or the Iranian army came across the Jordan River, I would personally grab a rifle, get in the ditch and fight and die. And I would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has agreed to meet with top Palestinian officials. The talks could take place as early as next week. This after a devastating bombing in Jerusalem leaves five Americans dead, and as Israeli ground forces sweep through the Palestinian city of Nablus. CNN's Michael Holmes reports from the West Bank.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was Nablus a day ago, thousands of residents defying a nearly two-week, 24 hour a day curfew in a display of people power, a display of defiance born of both the necessity to get food, but also a show of protest many said was a preferable tactic to suicide bombers.
This is Nablus Friday. In response to this week's bombing of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the tanks and the troops return; 150 armored vehicles in all. The curfew was back as was the shooting in a place Israel says is a home for terrorists. DORE GOLD, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: In essence, Nablus has replaced Jenin as the center of terrorist operations against Israel today.
HOLMES: Several Palestinians reported killed and, according to Palestinian medical sources, a teenage girl wounded as searches of homes and arrests continued. At his destroyed compound in Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat emerged to again condemn the Jerusalem bombing.
YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: You know that I had refused completely this attack against Hebrew University.
HOLMES: And also condemned the Israeli response to it, not just in Nablus, but elsewhere.
ARAFAT: Is this acceptable? Is this acceptable what has happened in Raifa, if it's acceptable what has happened in Ramallah, or Bethlehem, or Qalqilya?
HOLMES: Not for the first time, he called for international intervention, either with forces or observers.
ARAFAT: Why they are not accepting to send international forces that as they had sent in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of Lebanon and in Sanai (ph) and in (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Give me the answer.
HOLMES: In previous hours in clashes and military operations in the West Bank and Gaza, homes were demolished and Palestinian medical sources said there were several shooting deaths, including a 9-year- old girl and an 85-year-old woman. The Israeli military said it didn't know the girl's death, but admitted shooting the elderly woman when they saw a figure moving in a closed military area around dawn. The IDF expressed regret over the shootings. Meanwhile, the government says its other actions are self-defense.
ARTHUR LENK, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SPOKESMAN: Israel, like every other country, has a right to defend itself. It has an obligation to defend its citizens and to prevent more terrorist activities.
HOLMES (on camera): Part of that self-defense or deterrence, says Israel, is a new tactic: expulsions. Officials ordering the brothers of two men wanted by Israel to be expelled from the West Bank to Gaza. The men are appealing the order. The hope now is that next week's proposed meeting between Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian officials might lead to something, anything positive.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Ramallah, on the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Five of the seven people killed in the Hebrew University blast were Americans. Two bodies arrived in New York early this morning after an overnight flight from Israel. They were the remains of 25-year-old Benjamin Blutstein of Pennsylvania, and 36- year-old Janis Ruth Coulter of Massachusetts.
Coulter was an assistant director of graduate studies at Hebrew University's Rothberg International School. She was based in New York City. A friend, Rabbi Barbara Penzner, joins us now from Boston. Rabbi Penzner, thank you so much for joining us.
Tell us your connection with this young woman.
RABBI BARBARA PENZNER, JANIS RUTH COULTER'S FRIEND AND RABBI: I'm glad to be here on behalf of Janis and her family. I first met Janis five years ago when she came to me when she was on her journey to become Jewish, but she was well on her way and I really enjoyed the time we spent together. Speaking to her from the heart and from the head, she was an intelligent and joyful young woman and in the last few days, I've had the sad task of meeting with her family and preparing for this very sad memorial.
BLITZER: Why did she want to convert to Judaism?
PENZNER: This was part of Janis' bones. She connected to her grandmother who had converted as an adult in a second marriage. Her grandparents were both Jewish and she felt very connected to them, and she was a woman who sought out meaning. She was a spiritual and religious woman.
From the time she was in high school, she would argue with friends over translations of the Bible, and she became interested in Judaism in college when she first took a class in Jewish history, fell in love with it as she said, and she heard Elie Wiesel, was completely inspired as many of us are by his words, and she discovered in Judaism so much that gave her life meaning and gave her the opportunity to question that gave her life fulfillment.
BLITZER: She lived in New York. What was she doing in Jerusalem this week?
PENZNER: Well, Janis was in Jerusalem the year before I met her. She studied at the Hebrew University and her dream job came a couple of years ago when she moved to New York and began to work for the Hebrew University.
She served to recruit students for the Rothberg Overseas School, and she met hundreds of students, undergraduates and graduates whom she helped to shepherd through the orientation of coming to Israel and settling into a life there in the university.
She was bringing a group of students there and she was with them in the cafeteria. They had just said goodbye to her and said they'll see her soon and they left the room shortly before the blast that killed her.
BLITZER: How are her family members doing in the aftermath of this tragedy?
PENZNER: You know, this is a tragedy that touches all of us but no one more than this family. They are completely bereft. Losing Janis is losing a daughter and a sister and a friend. She was a wonderful person to be around and she didn't get to live to see the dream of being married and having her own children and grandchildren, something that she cherished as part of continuing in the link of Jewish life, but also in her great sense of family that was important to her.
So they are very, very sad, and they don't understand how this can happen, as none of us can.
BLITZER: And finally, Rabbi, when parents come to you and ask you if they should send their children to Israel to study at the Hebrew University for a summer or a semester, what do you tell them now?
PENZNER: You know the people who go to Israel, when we go, and I was just there two weeks ago with my children, we go with a sense of apprehension. We understand the risks and yet we go because we love it and we want to be there. That's what gives our lives meaning and we don't succumb to fear and we don't kowtow to conformity. That's the message of Janis' life, that life is rich and precious and you take those opportunities and we should all, I hope, learn that lesson and live a richer life for it.
BLITZER: Rabbi Penzner, a good friend of Janis Coulter, thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
PENZNER: Thank you.
BLITZER: She sounds like she was a remarkable young woman.
PENZNER: I wish more people had known her.
BLITZER: And the Israeli Army is admitting mistakes were made in the operation that killed a top Hamas commander last month. Thirteen civilians also were killed in the missile strike on a Gaza home, including nine children. The army says its inquiry found "lapses in the information and assessments regarding the proximity of innocent people."
It says the attack would have been changed if commanders knew it would likely lead to civilian deaths.
An American scientist under investigation for deadly bio- terrorist attacks; on the trail of a possible killer, and an in-depth look at who might have sent anthrax in the mail; plus, a rocky ride on Wall Street, it's down, it's up, it's down again. Find out how the markets finished this week.
And, Cheating 101, alleged dirty game show tricks on Britain's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Coming up, the investigation into the anthrax terrorist scare, but first a look at some stories making news right now. Wall Street closed the week with another big sell-off. The Dow plummeted almost 195 points to close at 8,313. That came on the heels of yesterday's slide of almost 230 points. But on Monday, the Dow scored almost 450 points. According to at least one analyst, the market is still looking for a bottom.
Firefighters battling a huge wildfire in Oregon are getting a big break today, favorable weather. Low winds allowed them to burn out a swamp of safety for 17,000 people in what's known as the Illinois Valley. The burnout stretched along the 30-mile fire front created by the Florence and Sour Biscuit (ph) fires. Those fires have burned 200,000 acres since being sparked by lightning two weeks ago.
Louisiana State University has placed Steven Hatfill, a former Army researcher, on administrative leave. He had been hired to help run the school's center for biomedical research and training. This comes as federal investigators pour over material seized yesterday at Hatfill's Maryland apartment. This was the second time his home was searched and Hatfill is now being called a "potential suspect in the anthrax investigation."
He used to work at the army's biodefense Lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland. A few months ago, our National Correspondent Susan Candiotti gained some access to that lab.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FBI has narrowed the labs to about two dozen, each capable of making the deadly spores.
VAN HARP, ASSISTANT FBI DIRECTOR: There are only so many people, so many places that this can be done.
CANDIOTTI: One of them is here, the U.S. Army Lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland. CNN was given a rare look inside a key laboratory leased by the FBI to help find the anthrax killer. Behind an entrance marked "infectious area crash door" samples of deadly spores from attacks that began last October.
MAJ. GEN. JOHN PARKER, U.S. ARMY (RET): We're looking for the original ownership of a bacteria and then who stole it to use it for this illicit, immoral purpose.
CANDIOTTI: Over the years for research purposes, Fort Detrick shared its anthrax with other labs. In the 1990s, there were a series of security lapses here. It also has a long history of training highly-skilled scientists, leaving some to suggest the spores or even the anthrax killer might be associated with the lab.
Until his retirement, Major General John Parker oversaw the team of scientists at the Army's Medical Research Lab here assigned to the FBI's anthrax case.
PARKER: When you think of well where did anthrax possibly come from, you have to think of our laboratory. CANDIOTTI: Fort Detrick is where the FBI opened the intercepted anthrax stuffed letter addressed to Senator Patrick Leahy. Dr. John Ezzell is the gloved scientist seen here, gingerly pulling the letter and deadly spores out of the envelope. What was going through your mind, knowing that the world was watching really?
DR. JOHN EZZELL, SCIENTIST: Not to make mistakes, but no, we just felt very good afterwards that we were very successful in removing the material and protecting the properties of the material.
CANDIOTTI: Beyond groundbreaking science, there are investigative handicaps, no crime scene, just a handful of letters.
HARP: Quite possibly we've already interviewed the person once, but we're going to get back to him if we did.
CANDIOTTI: Some scientists accuse the FBI of stalling to protect government secrets.
BARBARA ROSENBERG, MICROBIOLOGIST: There may be embarrassing information connected with the entire event and that there may not be really enthusiasm about bringing this information out to the public.
CANDIOTTI: The FBI bristles at those suggestions.
HARP: Those are uninformed outsiders.
CANDIOTTI: After searching everything left behind by the September 11th hijackers, the FBI says there is absolutely no evidence linking them to the anthrax attacks. In the end, science may hold the key to the killer.
HARP: Once the science half is done, I think we are going to solve this investigation.
CANDIOTTI: After months of research and meticulous testing at labs here and elsewhere and thousands of interviews.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The FBI says it has no single suspect and can not predict when it will solve the anthrax attacks. Susan Candiotti, CNN at Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: As investigators look for answers to the anthrax mystery, I'm joined now by the former CIA Counterterrorism Analyst Stan Bedlington. You know Steven Hatfill, this man described as a potential suspect. Tell us about him.
STAN BEDLINGTON, FORMER CIA ANALYST: Well, I just met him on about 1994, 1995. I was on a panel up in Baltimore looking into the problems, potential problems caused by biological terrorism and he was one of the panelists as I was.
And after that, I got to know him even better down in McLean, more on a social level. We met probably about once a week in a bistro along with a number of my colleagues.
BLITZER: This is when you worked at the CIA?
BEDLINGTON: No, it was after I retired, but I used to go to McLean once a week to renew contact with old friends.
BLITZER: McLean is where the CIA is?
BEDLINGTON: Right, exactly.
BLITZER: In Langley.
BEDLINGTON: I remember on one occasion Steve saying he'd like to show me some stuff, so I met him in McLean and it was just the two of us in a cafe and he produced a book of photographs of himself dressed in a gas mask and filter and a protective suit. These were on the photographs and one of the photographs showed him standing out -- they were taken in his own kitchen, in his own home.
And one of the photographs showed him standing with an open refrigerator and I said "What's with the refrigerator?" And he said, "Well, we could use a refrigerator like this to store material for making anthrax."
BLITZER: So this notion of he being in his kitchen, wearing all this protective gear with his refrigerator open, what does that say to you?
BEDLINGTON: Well, you know, I don't want to label him as being guilty of the charges with which are being bantered around at the moment, far from that, because the evidence is not firm. But nevertheless, I think his actions and statements contain some anomalies that need to be sort of answered. Let me just mention one more, if I may, Wolf. I saw on the screen just now the envelopes, the one to Daschle and the one to Leahy. Now if you look at the address on those, return address on those envelopes, there's a phony name and then a street address.
BLITZER: The Greendale School, Franklin Park, New Jersey.
BEDLINGTON: Right. Greendale School, I looked into that. I went onto the Internet and I found out that Steve's M.D. came from the University of Zimbabwe, and the University of Zimbabwe is located in a suburb of Harari called Greendale. Is that a coincidence or is it not?
BLITZER: Have you been interviewed by the FBI or other investigators in connection with Steven Hatfill?
BEDLINGTON: No, I have not.
BLITZER: Wouldn't that be surprising, since you knew him quite well?
BEDLINGTON: Well, the FBI certainly is looking into the case and certainly they would have found my business card as I found his in my drawer just before I came out today. Incidentally, I think one of his last jobs, he was working at NIH for some time as well as had access to the NIH laboratories as well as laboratories at Fort Detrick, where he had a contract with a private company.
BLITZER: Would it be your sense, though, that as a potential suspect they should really pursue this individual?
BEDLINGTON: Well, I certainly agree with the fact that they have sort of lifted sort of the status from a person of concern to one of a potential suspect but that does not make him guilty. There needs to be much more evidence discovered.
BLITZER: And the next question and he has not been arrested. He has not been charged and he is, of course, innocent until he's proven guilty of anything.
BEDLINGTON: Absolutely.
BLITZER: But in terms of international connections, the profile that you would see of this kind of anthrax killer out there irrespective of Steven Hatfill, an isolated, singular, one individual or someone part of a broader conspiracy?
BEDLINGTON: I think my own opinion, I'm not a psychologist, but I think this is the act of a loner, quite frankly. Looking at all the evidence and I read it, I think, fairly thoroughly, that's my opinion.
BLITZER: I assume after this interview, the FBI or some people are going to be calling you to ask you some questions.
BEDLINGTON: I'd be pleased to answer them.
BLITZER: I'm sure you will be. Stan Bedlington, as usual, thanks for joining us.
BEDLINGTON: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Here's your chance to weigh in on this very important story. Our web question of the day is this: Should the United States maintain anthrax samples in laboratories? Go to my web page cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, please send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, as you well know, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
A horrific crime in Britain evokes images of a classic horror story and has a nation in shock. Boston's Cardinal Law gives his first public testimony in the Catholic Church sex scandal, but is the church any closer to paying a huge settlement to victims? And, a popular quiz show winner at the center of a scandal in Great Britain. American viewers can relate. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked, where did the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" originate? Is that your final answer? "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" started in the United Kingdom four years ago. It's a hit with the Brits and it's also become popular in Germany.
A quiz show scandal has erupted in Britain with three people facing criminal charges as a result. The question the court must now decide, did a contestant use coded coughs from the audience to win?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice over): The quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" was a hit in Britain before it hit the United States, and in its four-year history in the U.K., only three people have won the top prize. So why is this winner hurrying past the media?
MAJ. CHARLES INGRAM, ACCUSED QUIZ SHOW CHEATER: I issued a press statement through the press agency about 15 minutes ago and I've got nothing else to add.
BLITZER: Major Charles Ingram finds himself being investigated by Scotland Yard over allegations of conspiracy and deception. He's accused of cheating on the show by having members of the audience cough in code to indicate the correct answers; also accused Ingram's wife Diana and a friend of theirs University Lecturer Tequin Winnick (ph).
Through their attorneys the Ingrams issued a statement: "Both Mr. and Mrs. Ingram intend to defend the charges and are confident that they will be cleared of any wrongdoing and have instructed solicitors to represent them." Legal experts in Britain say it may be a tough case to prove.
MARK STEPHENS, MEDIA ATTORNEY: I think we're all very surprised that these charges could be brought. They're very difficult to bring and, of course, if he's found guilty, it's a maximum of ten years imprisonment and, of course, he'd have to resign his commission as well. But so far, he's only coughed. He hasn't coughed to the charges and he remains innocent.
BLITZER: The production company which produces "Millionaire" has so far refused to hand over the 1£ million prize to Major Ingram and the company could not show us any of the clips of the show in question because they've been handed over to police.
Ingram's alleged co-conspirators do know the program well. Tequin Winnick won 1,000 on the same night as Ingram's contested jackpot. Ingram's wife once won 32,000 and wrote a book entitled, "How to Win a Million."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): I'm sure the coughing was not included in that book. When we come back, Boston's Cardinal Law gives his public testimony in the church's sex scandal. We'll tell you what he had to say.
And time is growing near for the results of our web question of the day. Don't miss your chance. Go ahead and vote, cnn.com/wolf.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Topping our Justice Files, Boston's Cardinal gives his first public testimony in the church sex crisis. Eight-six alleged victims are asking the court to order the archdiocese to honor a $30 million settlement they say was reached in March, but the church backed out before all parties signed the deal. And, Bernard Law, the cardinal, testified today. The agreement was never finalized. The Boston Globe reports the archdiocese is considering bankruptcy if it's forced to pay.
The anti-abortion activist accused of killing a Buffalo, New York doctor was back in court today. Federal prosecutors want DNA samples from James Kopp, who faces trial in the 1998 murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian (ph). Kopp has already been ordered to give DNA samples to state prosecutors.
And in London, a horrific crime, a 17-year-old has been convicted of what the judge called an act of great wickedness. Matthew Hardman (ph) was found guilty of stabbing to death a 90-year-old woman, cutting out her heart, and then drinking her blood. Prosecutors say Hardman was obsessed by vampires and wanted to become immortal. He's been sentenced to a minimum of 12 years. Let's hope he gets a lot more than that. Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," which begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "MONEYLINE" ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you very much. Coming up at the top of the hour, Wall Street's top firms could be facing $10 million in fines for destroying their e-mails. We'll have that report for you. I'll also be talking about the fight against corporate corruption with some of the country's top business magazine editors from "Forbes" and "Business Week."
And CEOs are paid more than 500 times the average employee. We'll have the special report for you tonight on one of the most underpaid groups of performers, teachers. And the Dow suffers back- to-back triple digit declines. Economist Donald Strassheim will be here to tell us whether or not we're headed into a double-dip recession.
All of that and we'll also have an update for you on the West Nile outbreak across the country, and we'll have the very latest on those wildfires burning out west. Please join us; now, back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. We will be joining you and have a great weekend. Time is quickly running out for you to vote on our question of the day. Go to my web page, CNN.com/WOLF. We'll have the results in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Time now to hear directly from you on the situation in the Middle East. William writes this: "What makes no sense at all is the coddling of Hamas. They are a terrorist group. What is Israel and the United States waiting for? Why hasn't a search and destroy operation, like the one that disrupted Al Qaeda, been launched?" Stuart has a different point of view. "When will the U.S. media demand that Bush express equal outrage when nine innocent Palestinian children are murdered by Sharon? Nothing positive will happen in the Middle East until Sharon is called exactly what he is -- a terrorist."
That's all the time we have today. I'll see you Sunday on "LATE EDITION," among my guests, Senators Evan Bayh and Arlen Specter. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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