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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Audio Tape Allegedly Featuring bin Laden's Voice Surfaces
Aired November 12, 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: Two developing stories we're covering right now.
First, does it sound like Osama bin Laden? An audio tape just made public. What it says about the threat facing the United States and its allies.
Also this hour, we're waiting to hear directly from the Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. All that coming up right now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Is it word from Osama bin Laden? A celebratory message from al Qaeda.
A quarter million U.S. troops may be heading to war. Will they face Iraqi nerve gas? Saddam Hussein sends a clue.
What about casualties at home? This senator is worried about terrorism and says the FBI isn't ready to stop them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we have the time, in the next 60 days, to be moving organizational charts around.
BLITZER: Royal mess. An allegation that rocked the palace. But is Prince Charles making it better or worse for the monarchy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to get on and look at only issues that affect us now.
BLITZER: And they're old enough to be grandmas. Should they be having babies?
BLITZER: It's Tuesday, November 12, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We begin with breaking news. A newly released audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden. It refers to several recent terrorist attacks, indicating bin Laden is alive and it chillingly threatens of more attacks to come.
(BEGIN AUDI CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Bush the Pharoah of the Century is killing our children in Iraq. And Israel, an American ally, is bombing homes with elderly women and children, using American planes, in Palestine.
This is not enough for the wise of your leaders to stay away from this band of terror.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BLITZER: We have two correspondents working this important story. Our national security correspondent David Ensor and CNN national correspondent Mike Boettcher. He's reported extensively on previous tapes. First, let's go to David Ensor for what he's hearing about this breaking development -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they are obviously comparing this voice tape with other voice tapes of Osama bin Laden and officials I've spoken to so far say it does sound like bin Laden; however, they say they don't want to say for sure that they're sure it's him. They feel that this is an important enough matter given the fact that bin Laden refers to recent events on the tape, and if it's really him, it shows he's alive for starters. They don't want to say authoritatively yet whether it's him but it does look that way or sound that way I should say -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, David, I assume they will be using sophisticated equipment to try to make sure this is someone who's not simply trying to be an impostor, trying to emulate Osama bin Laden's voice.
ENSOR: Absolutely. This is something that the U.S. is fairly good at. The National Security Agency, the Signals Intelligence Agency for the U.S. Government listens to thousands of hours of tapes of various kinds every day. They're very good at separating one voice from another -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, David stand by. I want to bring our viewers up to speed and listen to another excerpt from this alleged Osama bin Laden tape. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)
POSSIBLE VOICE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): Why is it acceptable for us to live with fear, murder, destruction, displacement? The orphanage of children and widowing of women but peace, security and happiness should be for youth. This is not fair. Now is the time to become equals, just like you kill us, we will kill you.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
BLITZER: All right, Mike Boettcher, our National Correspondent is standing by as well. You've been doing some digging, trying to understand like the rest of us whether or not this might be the real thing. What are you hearing Mike?
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm hearing from people who know his voice who say that it surely sounds like him, and David pointed out the voice analysis. The other thing that will be done that was done with previous audiotapes released by al Qaeda, they will take them to detainees in Guantanamo and other parts of the world and get their analysis of them, and also see if they can detect any messages embedded in these tapes. So, they'll do it both technically and with human intelligence.
BLITZER: Mike, as you take a look though as they try to assess this latest tape, what is their initial inclination, the experts with whom you've been discussing this matter?
BOETTCHER: Well, the interesting thing -- well, the inclination is it is him. It was released through Al-Jazeera and as far as I know, Al-Jazeera has not in the past broadcast phony audiotape. The interesting thing about this is a couple of things. This is the first time that Osama bin Laden has given a message that was not addressed to his followers. This is addressed to the anti-terrorist coalition, the people, the citizens of those countries.
The second thing is it shows that they feel a little bit better about their position obviously that they're able to get an audiotape out this quickly, but not good enough about their position to release a videotape that could give away their position, wherever they're at right now.
BLITZER: David Ensor, let me bring you back for a moment. In your conversation with some sources here in Washington, knowledgeable sources, have they gone through the substance of the actual remarks bin Laden is reportedly making on this tape?
ENSOR: They're in the process of doing that, Wolf, but they haven't got any conclusions really to offer us yet on it.
BLITZER: And as far as the substantive remarks, Mike Boettcher, it sounds, at least the snippets that I've heard a lot of propaganda, trying in effect to rally the troops, bolster the morale, is that what you're getting?
BOETTCHER: Well, it was very threatening, very, very threatening in its tone, more so than any Osama bin Laden message, audiotape, videotape or written I've seen. He says as you kill, you shall be killed, and it was directly attacking the anti-terror coalition and, again, it was showing his troops, his operatives out there that he is still alive.
BLITZER: And, David Ensor, this audiotape, in the past as we all know, we've seen videotapes of Osama bin Laden. Should we make anything of the fact that there's only his voice if, in fact, it is his voice as opposed to seeing what he actually might look like right now?
ENSOR: Well, there are analysts who believe that he looks different now, that he's either disguised the way he looks or may have sustained some sort of injuries in Tora Bora that he doesn't want the world to know about. So, that is one thing you could read into it. That is what some analysts believe -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Last word to you Mike Boettcher as we begin to move on. The whole notion of Osama bin Laden, whether or not he was injured, how sick he is, you've been doing a lot of digging on this particular aspect of Osama bin Laden over these many months. What are you hearing? BOETTCHER: We've been told consistently since the attack in Tora Bora by our sources in the anti-terror coalition, intelligence sources in that coalition, that he was hurt in the attack on Tora Bora, that he injured his shoulder, that he had an operation and that he did survive and is alive and where he is from there, the best guess, not pinpoint but knowledge but best guess is in that border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, that tribal area of the tribal frontier.
BLITZER: All right, Mike Boettcher, stand by, thanks very much. David Ensor thanks to you as well. We'll be getting back to you, a potentially huge story whether or not Osama bin Laden is alive.
But let's get a little bit more analysis on this right now. We have an expert on Osama bin Laden, Hisham Melham is the Washington Bureau Chief of the Lebanese Newspaper As-Safir. Hisham, thanks for joining us. You speak, obviously, Arabic. You heard this audiotape. You've heard Osama bin Laden over the years. In your opinion, is this Osama bin Laden?
HISHAM MELHAM, AS-SAFIR NEWSPAPER: I heard the tape several times. At first hearing, second hearing, third hearing, yes it sounds like him but the voice is not as soft as previous tapes by Osama bin Laden, and delivery is not as slow as previous delivery.
The diction is clear. The content is similar obviously, but it didn't strike me the first time, the second time, that that's Osama bin Laden but definitely it's close to him and I think experts probably later on will find out with some degree of certainty. But, the pace is lower and the voice is not as soft as previous tapes.
BLITZER: When you say not as soft, the pace is slower. We could understand if, in fact, he was injured, if he was sick.
MELHAM: Probably. Probably.
BLITZER: Maybe he's speaking a little bit more slowly now. But when you say the voice was softer, what does that mean? When you say the voice was not as soft?
MELHAM: Osama's previous tapes were really, I mean had a distinct soft, low-key voice. That's very distinct really, and that's what struck me initially. I heard it several times and I really can't say with any degree of certainty that that's him but definitely I felt two things. The voice is softer and the pace is slower.
BLITZER: The voice used to be softer.
MELHAM: It's not as soft as it used to be, exactly.
BLITZER: I just want to clarify that because he has a very -- in Arabic, he has a very distinctive kind of voice that was in part part of his charm if you will, isn't that right?
MELHAM: That soft spoken diabolical voice, if you will, attracted some people, obviously, and because it was as distinct as I said earlier, and that's why when I heard it the first time it didn't hit me as this is the authentic Osama, but I could be wrong.
BLITZER: Now, you heard the whole thing in the original, in the Arabic. Go to the substance of what he, if in fact this is Osama bin Laden, what he is saying.
MELHAM: In terms of content?
BLITZER: Content.
MELHAM: It's more virulent than any previous tape. In terms of his description of the American administration, he refers to them as the gang of criminals and after he accuses Bush of committing crimes against Iraq and Palestine and the Israelis what they're doing to the Palestinians, he specifically talks about Rumsfeld and calls him the butcher of Vietnam, who killed more than two million people.
Then he refers to Cheney and to Colin Powell and what they did to Baghdad in 1991, and he compared that interestingly enough to the sacking of Baghdad in the year 1258 at the hands of the Hulegu Tatars who really sacked Baghdad. This is a dark day in Arab history and he's claiming, he's making that comparison between what the Americans did to Baghdad in 1991 and what the Tatars did to Baghdad in medieval times. And then he talks about now Islam is dealing with reciprocity and then he mentions specifically Germany, England, France, Italy, Canada and Australia.
BLITZER: So, he's getting very personal with the top leaders in the Bush administration?
MELHAM: Absolutely. He names, as I said, President Bush, Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, and Vice President Dick Cheney and then he in a sense saying everything that happened since the attacks in New York and Washington, including the Bali attack, including the Yemen attack, including the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) attack in Kuwait against the marines, including the killings of the German tourists at the synagogue in Tunis.
BLITZER: He mentions all of these incidents.
MELHAM: All of these in specific and he said we warned Australia not to intervene in the war against Afghanistan and he also blamed Australia for dismembering East Timor from the rest of Indonesia, and he said the sons of Islam will continue the jihad until the victory of righteousness and the defeat of evil.
BLITZER: He even talks about the theater incident in Moscow.
MELHAM: Actually when he talks about the West, he said when you will remember your dead in Tunisia and in New York and other places, we want you to remember our dead in Iraq and in Palestine. When he talks about the Russians and he says, of course, that the attack in Moscow was a retaliation for what the Russians are doing in Chechnya. He tells the Russians when you remember your dead people in Moscow, we want you also to remember our dead people in Chechnya.
BLITZER: You and I, Hisham, have been covering this Middle East story for a long time. What is your best assessment right if, in fact, this is Osama and we heard David Ensor, our National Security Correspondent say it might be Osama bin Laden. Why now? Why release this audiotape right now?
MELHAM: I really don't see anything right now that would make me feel that this is an opportune moment for him. I would have expected it being live, to do something on the first anniversary of the attacks in New York and Washington. That would have been the time, a painful time for the Americans to remind them that I'm still alive and notwithstanding your war in Afghanistan. I really don't see anything other than link it to Iraq, but why now?
BLITZER: Well, at the U.N. Security Council that might be a good excuse.
MELHAM: I mean we can speculate on that and I was expecting that had he been alive, if he is alive, to have done it on the first anniversary of the bombing of New York and Washington.
BLITZER: Once again, potentially a very significant story if, in fact, he is alive.
MELHAM: Absolutely.
BLITZER: I assume that they'll be confirming that or denying that very soon, the U.S. intelligence community. They'll do a very close voice analysis to see if, in fact, this is Osama bin Laden.
MELHAM: I'm sure.
BLITZER: Hisham Melham thanks as usual for your expertise.
MELHAM: Thank you.
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on the story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments, your questions. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
The United States and its allies may soon find themselves at war on two fronts, possibly striking Iraq while defending against terror strikes. That's leading to some ominous words from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, including a dire assessment from a key U.S. Senator.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice over): Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham says the FBI is not ready to fight terror at home in the event of a war with Iraq.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), INTELLIGENCE CHMN.: We haven't made the kind of progress that we need in terms of taking down these international terrorist cells inside the United States and their headquarters abroad that we need for the basic protection of the people of the United States of America. I think there's a lack of urgency. There's a lack of focus on the critical nature of this.
BLITZER: He says the next 60 days are critical and that the U.S. must take much more aggressive action against terror cells in the United States and their base of operations abroad.
GRAHAM: Frankly, al Qaeda is not only not the only international terrorist group, it's not the most competent international terrorist group. The most competent is Hezbollah and Hezbollah is operating training camps in Iran, in Syria, and in the Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon where they are pouring out the next generation of terrorists.
BLITZER: Graham says the U.S. should consider military action against those camps.
GRAHAM: We learned a lesson in Afghanistan of what it means to let those sanctuaries go un-assaulted. We need to be taking those camps out.
BLITZER: The FBI strongly disputes Graham's allegations insisting they have made dramatic progress over these past 14 months. They point to the rolling up of alleged terrorist cells in Buffalo, Detroit, and elsewhere. Last month, FBI Director Robert Mueller tried to reassure Congress.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We have without in an open hearing giving too much detail focused on that possibility and are increasing our resources addressed to that particular -- addressed to those individuals who might be in our country that might find this as an occasion to commit some sort of act were we to initiate some operation with regard to Iraq.
BLITZER: In Europe, officials are making fresh warnings about what they believe are new and larger and perhaps imminent terrorist threats against the West.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: They are looking for ever more dramatic and devastating outrages to inflict upon the people they claim to be their enemy.
BLITZER: Security services throughout Europe are at high alert. The recent hit on a French oil tanker off Yemen, the deadly bombing at Bali, Indonesia, attacks against U.S. marines in Kuwait, and a warning reputedly given by Osama bin Laden's top aide have convinced intelligence agencies that al Qaeda may not only have regrouped but is poised for action.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): And we're waiting for a statement from the Secretary of State Colin Powell. He's meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. You're looking at a live picture of the diplomatic entrance at the State Department. You see two microphones. Once they emerge, we'll go there live for the statement from Secretary Powell and Kofi Annan.
More on the breaking news on the bin Laden audiotape still to come. Plus, is Saddam Hussein stocking up on nerve gas antidotes? Is it all a show or a preview of what's to come? A look at what may be in store for U.S. troops, maybe a quarter million U.S. troops.
Also, the calm and the devastation after the storm, a small town tries to rebuild from the rubble. And, old enough to be a grandma, but should women in their 50s still be having babies, a closer look with health experts, the Berman sisters, still to come, but first a look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice over): Afghan unrest, police clashed with hundreds of students protesting poor living conditions at Kabul University. At least one student was killed. International troops charged with keeping peace in Kabul watched but did not intervene. Bombs went off at three American fast food chain restaurants in Lebanon, two at Pizza Hut and one at a Winters Restaurant. The bombs went off at night while the restaurants were closed and no one was hurt. Observers say anti-American sentiment in Lebanon has intensified in recent months.
Fire alarm, British firefighters seeking higher pay have called a 48-hour strike. The firefighters would be replaced by the British army already stretched thin by training for a possible war against Iraq.
Blowing in the wind, huge sand storms blew across northern China reducing visibility, inflaming eyes, and making it difficult to breathe. Sand storms are not uncommon in the region but experts say they've gotten worse in recent years because of drought and deforestation. That's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's turn now to the showdown with Iraq. U.S. officials say Baghdad has been trying to get its hands on massive quantities of a nerve gas antidote. The question is why? For that, let's go live once again to our National Security Correspondent David Ensor -- David.
ENSOR: Well, Wolf, there could be a number of reasons Iraq is doing this. There are at least a couple of theories, but among knowledgeable officials, there is unanimity that Baghdad has indeed attempted to stockpile chemical weapons antidotes, a move that has gotten Washington's attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice over): Iraq earlier this year ordered more than a million doses of a drug used to counter the effects of nerve gas from Turkish companies. Bush administration officials confirm, saying they are pressing Turkish officials to prevent the sales from going through.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Obviously, Turkey shares our concern about making sure that Iraq doesn't get anything that could further a program of weapons of mass destruction or be possibly involved with the making it easier for Iraq to use weapons of mass destruction.
ENSOR: The drug Atropine and the auto injectors for Iraqis to give themselves doses would be highly effective to block nerve agents like Sarin and VX gas, both of which Iraq has admitted in the past having made and stockpiled. Iraq claims its entire stock of nerve gasses was destroyed. U.S. intelligence officials and outside experts say they do not believe it.
AMY SMITHSON, STIMSON CENTER: I would look at this as indicative of they've got something and they're worried about it either being blown up or blown back on their own troops in the event that it gets used on the battlefield.
ENSOR: In 1988, Saddam Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against his own people, Iraqis, in the Kurdish area along the border with Iran. So, the question of whether Iraq might use them again if U.S. forces should invade is hardly academic.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, DEPUTY W.H. PRESS SECY: I can assure you that the Department of Defense is going to do everything they can to protect our troops if they are called in to disarm Saddam Hussein.
ENSOR: Turkish officials tell CNN there have been no exports to Iraq of Atropine or another antidote against chemical weapons called Obidoxime (ph) Chloride that the U.S. says Iraq has placed orders for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (on camera): U.S. officials say they take Iraq's attempt to stockpile chemical weapons antidotes seriously, though one said it is possible Iraq placed the orders knowing they wouldn't be fulfilled just in order to raise concerns in the West about the risk of war against Iraq -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks once again for all of that. It is a nerve gas antidote and indeed it's much more. For a closer look at the drug, Atropine, let's turn to CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Tell us a little bit about this drug, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you saw the drug in David's story, those injectors. Some people think of them as epi-pens (ph). People use those kind of injectors if they're allergic to bee stings or whatever. Here it would be used against nerve gas. Troops are trained in how to use them. They receive quite a bit of training.
Let's take a look at exactly how it would work in a real life situation. If there were to be a nerve gas attack, it would be odorless and colorless and tasteless, so a soldier might not know that it's actually happening. However, within just a few minutes, the person's vision might become blurry, might get a runny rose, might get tightness in the chest, a hard time breathing.
At that point, that person might have as little as one minute to give themselves an injection. It would be one injection of Atropine and then an injection of a second drug and different places use different second drugs that they would also need in order to survive that attack.
Let's take a little look at what these drugs actually do. The first drug, the Atropine, prevents choking because what happens with these nerve gas attacks is that your body fills with fluid and you would choke on your own fluids. The second shot, and it's called Tupand (ph) is what the Army uses prevents paralysis. But, what the army wants everyone to remember is that a gas mask is actually the best defense. If a soldier is wearing a gas mask, they may not even need to actually use any of the things that we've just talked about.
Now, of course, you're giving yourself a drug. Atropine is used actually for heart patients. It can cause dryness of the mouth, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, increased heart rate and body temperature regulation problems. Now, as much as these might not sound like good things, and they're not good things, it's really considered a pretty safe drug. People have injected themselves by accident with Atropine and they've been OK.
For example, in the after -- or during the Gulf War in Israel, some Israelis by accident injected themselves with this because they thought there was a nerve gas attack and they were OK -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Basically, Elizabeth, somebody would just take out an injection, inject themselves, and is one dose enough to save your life?
COHEN: One dose could save your life if you've had a very big exposure to nerve gas and the size of the exposure, how much you breathe in is incredibly important. But if you've had a really big exposure, you might have to have some follow-up shots after that.
BLITZER: All right, Elizabeth Cohen thanks for that information. It's not the final word necessarily from Baghdad, but Iraq's so-called parliament today turned thumbs down to the U.N. disarmament resolution. It wasn't very close. The vote was 239 to nothing, unanimous.
During the debate, speakers called for the U.N.'s disarmament edict. They said it was unfair and unjust but the National Assembly also voted unanimously to leave the ultimate decision on weapons inspections to President Saddam Hussein. He is expected still to go ahead and reluctantly support it probably by Friday. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the vote by the Iraqi parliament as "pure theater," saying there's only one voice that matters in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The Iraqi parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp for Saddam Hussein. There's no democracy. This guy's a dictator and so we'll have to see what he says. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The president said again today that if Saddam Hussein does not disarm, the United States will lead a coalition to disarm him. We're still awaiting comments from the Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They'll be walking on at the State Department we believe very soon, perhaps momentarily speaking about the situation, the crisis, the showdown with Iraq. Once they emerge, we'll go there live. But when we come back, blown away in Tennessee, the toll from the killer storms continue to mount.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a day of backhoes, strong backs, and steely determination in many cases to rebuild as this tiny, little community tries to get itself together after those terrible storms. We'll have a live report from Mossy Grove, Tennessee -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, Miles, and we'll also talk about this royal damage control. Prince Charles responds to allegations of a rape cover-up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(INTERRUPTED BY CNN COVERAGE OF BREAKING NEWS)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. More now in our breaking story we're following this afternoon. A chilling newly released audiotape attributed to none other than Osama bin Laden. Here's an excerpt from that tape. Actually, we don't have that right now. We're going to get that for you, but meanwhile, our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, is standing by.
We heard the audiotape at the beginning of this program. Suzanne, your sources, what are they saying about this? You heard what the secretary of state just said. They're attempting to determine its authenticity.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, a senior administration official told me that they are looking into the reports. They want to see whether or not it is in fact authentic. He did stress that the administration's position, however, has not changed. That sort of having Osama bin Laden in our possession, he says we still do not know whether or not he is dead or alive.
This administration official also going ahead, saying that it does not undercut the administration's argument for the sense of urgency to go after Saddam Hussein. That going after Osama bin Laden al Qaeda, as well as Saddam Hussein, is all part of this war on terror. But clearly, getting the administration's attention here, just what is on this audiotape.
BLITZER: And of course the voice, if in fact it is Osama bin Laden. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much. We do have now a brief excerpt from that audiotape. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Rumsfeld, the butcher of Vietnam, killed more than two million people, not to mention the wounded. And here's Cheney and Powell, killing and destroying many in Baghdad, more than Velacko (ph), the king of the Tetars (ph). So why are your governments allying themselves with America in attacking us in Afghanistan, especially to mention Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and Australia.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more on this new tape and its potential implications, let's turn to defense and international policy expert, Michael O'Hanlon. He's joining us from the Brookings Institution here in Washington.
Michael, thanks very much. Well, give us your assessment. What does this tape mean if it is, in fact, Osama bin Laden?
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: If it's Osama, and of course, that is the big question, as you know, Wolf, then it means he's alive. I think it's fairly conclusive whoever was on this tape knew a lot about what's been going on globally in the war on terror and in the actions of terrorists over the last few months. There was a lot of specificity in the tape and it suggested really no doubt about this person being up with the news.
And that raises all the questions that we've discussed before. When did miss our chance to get Osama? How much difference does it make that we might have missed him, et cetera? But until we have any validation of the voice of course it's all speculation.
BLITZER: How long do you believe it will take the U.S. government to validate, if in fact this is Osama bin Laden with voice checks, very sophisticated means obviously at the U.S. government's disposal?
O'HANLON: I believe, frankly, it would be awfully quick. I think -- I'm not an expert in this technology, but I don't think that there is that much to do except to break down the voice patterns and to compare them to previous known patterns of bin Laden. And we certainly have the technology to do this quickly and now we have the audiocassette. Maybe they want to try and get the original and borrow it from Al Jazeera, if that would be possible. I don't know what else they might want to try to do. Or maybe there's some art form to this, like reading fingerprints where it's not always a slam-dunk case and you want to have several experts look at the information. But I would think we would know today.
BLITZER: The voiceprints can be fairly reliable; I'm told, by experts who know how to listen, read these voiceprints. You were on Al Jazeera today right at the time that they broadcast this audiotape. A, what was going on? What were you doing via satellite on Al Jazeera at the time? And what was it like listening to Osama bin Laden and then being asked by the Al Jazeera anchor, what your assessment is?
O'HANLON: Well, a couple of things, Wolf. First, as you know, Al Jazeera has an office here in Washington and they quite frequently interview Americans. In fact, last year, the State Department found one of its Arabic speakers, of which for example I'm not. I do not speak Arabic. But found one of the Arabic speakers to go on the air and debate on Al Jazeera in the language that most of the listeners understand.
I had to listen to the bin Laden tape through a translator. I had been tipped off a few minutes before the show of what the content would be. And frankly, it's the sort of thing you get used to when you've been on Al Jazeera. It's a reasonably, fair show, but it has its own political slant and there's certainly a bit of an anti- American flavor. But at the same time, they give you your peace and your chance to express yourself. So in the end it's not that different frankly from being on one of the more -- one of the more animated, shall we say, American talk shows.
BLITZER: All right, Michael O'Hanlon, being diplomatic in his commentary, as usual. But thanks for joining us today, Michael.
O'HANLON: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: The prince and the butler and bad P.R. Charles tries damage control, but is it too late? Could the investigation end his aspirations to the thrown? Plus, women over 50 having babies -- a new study suggests there's no medical reason why not. But does that mean families should give it a try? Sex and love experts, the Berman sisters. They join us live with their expertise. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The death toll from the storms and tornadoes that plowed through the eastern United States this past weekend, stands at 36 in the hearted Tennessee community of Mossy Grove. One woman is still unaccounted for. Officials say it may take months to dig out from the destruction. Our Miles O'Brien is on the scene for us once again.
Miles, it looks pretty devastating.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is devastating, Wolf. And this one square mile field, which I'm sort of in the center of, has been quite a scene of activity today. Everything from heavy earth moving equipment, bull dozers, backhoes and the like to a lot of just hard sweat equity as people have been putting their hands through this debris at my feet, looking for whatever they can, whatever they can salvage, to try to recover, try to rebuild their lives.
I spoke a little bit earlier with an elderly couple who didn't lose their house entirely but it was severely damaged. It may in fact be a total loss and here is their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN (voice-over): At the Winnie house, they're getting all kinds of help, from all sorts of helpers. Five-year-old Wyatt wants to be a carpenter some day. His great-great-grandparents could use his services now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just rolled it out, didn't he?
O'BRIEN: Eight-seven-year-old Ted Winnie and his 84-year-old bride, Dollie, had hurried home from a funeral that night. They knew a storm was brewing.
DOLLIE WINNIE, STORM SURVIVOR: I was putting a sandwich together and it hit, boom. It just like dynamite had been throwed in my house and every window was breaking.
TED WINNIE, STORM SURVIVOR: Glass was just coming in there and we managed to get in here. She sat there, I sat here...
O'BRIEN (on camera): Right on these two chairs.
T. WINNIE: ... until rescue come along.
O'BRIEN: So you don't have basement here?
T. WINNIE: No.
O'BRIEN: No basement. So this is where you -- this was the safest place? Do you know what you were thinking at the time?
D. WINNIE: I was thinking about saving him. I was afraid he'd get hurt; afraid I couldn't make him sit down.
O'BRIEN: Did it feel like the house was going to break apart on you?
T. WINNIE: Yes.
D. WINNIE: All we could hear was our glass breaking.
O'BRIEN: Wow! Wow!
D. WINNIE: And I told him, I said, "For God's sakes, don't even move. We're safe right here. And if it's God's will, He'll take us anyway, but we won't be cut all to pieces."
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Their house of 20 years is now a shambles, but a lot of important things were sparred. Oddly, their uneaten after dinner snack lies intact on the kitchen counter.
(on camera): What's next for you all? Can you pull it together here?
D. WINNIE: Well, we'll just have to tear it down and burn the rest of it and build again.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: You're looking at live pictures now of the Freel (ph) house, which is about a 100 yards from the Winnie house. And that house was literally swept off the foundation. The four people inside, in the Freel (ph) family, were inside a fiberglass bathtub and they were taken through the air, dumped on the ground, covered over by debris, Wolf, and yet they all lived to tell the tale. They're bruised and battered, but they're alive. Seven here died. The rescue worker died trying to help them all out. And in all, this county is still reeling from something that has really never been seen here before -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Miles O'Brien, total devastation over there, thanks very much for that report.
Overseas Britain's royal family today announced there will be an internal inquiry into misconduct questions surrounding Prince Charles and his staff. The investigation stems from the sudden conclusion of the trial of Princess Diana's former butler and claims a member of the prince's staff raped a royal servant. There have been allegations Charles helped cover up the incident. The prince's private secretary, who will help conduct the inquiry, says Charles wants to uncover the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR MICHAEL PEAT, PRINCE CHARLES' SECRETARY: The Prince of Wales leads by example. He has done in many areas. He is doing in this area. He wants us to get on with it, be open, transparent and if we have made mistakes, he wants us to face up to them and rectify them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Critics say an internal investigation won't be independent. They say officials from the government should conduct the investigation.
When we come back, sex, babies and older women. Health experts, the Berman sisters, join us live immediately when we get back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Their biological clock may have struck midnight, but according to a new study at the University of Southern California, there's no medical reason why healthy women in their 50s should not have babies with donated eggs. Here to talk about it, the psychotherapist Laura Berman and her sister, the urologist, Jennifer. They're the hosts of the Discovery Health Channel's "Berman & Berman: For Women Only." They join us from the set of their show in Burbank, California.
Thanks for joining us. What do you make of this study, first of all, Jennifer? Women in their 50s, healthy? Should people be doing this?
JENNIFER BERMAN, HOST, "BERMAN & BERMAN: FOR WOMEN ONLY": Well, I'm -- I mean as a physician, I'm all for advances in medical technology. I'm actually a woman pushing 40 who's pregnant right now. So the question that we need to ask is why? What's motivating these women in their 50s to even want to have babies? And they can't use their own eggs. They're having to use donor eggs, other people's eggs. So from the motivation standpoint, what's going to happen to the children of these babies? Granted they're born healthy, but they might not have parents for very long.
BLITZER: And we're going to talk a little bit about the health risks. But the psychological risks potentially are there as well, right?
LAURA BERMAN, HOST, "BERMAN & BERMAN: FOR WOMEN ONLY": There are psychological risks. The nice thing is that women -- you know, we all as a society are living longer than ever before. Middle age over the next couple decades is going to be in our 70s. We're living healthy. We have our stamina. We have our health. We have our longevity. So in that sense, I think that we -- it's not unrealistic to think that a woman might be healthy and able to live well into her child's years if she has a baby in her 50s.
And also, women now are -- need to focus on their careers and supporting themselves and they have independent lives and to feel the pressure in their early 30s, to quickly find a mate so they can reproduce before they're ready and get into a relationship that's not necessarily right for them just for the purpose of reproducing, this actually gives them other options.
J. BERMAN: It does take the pressure of. The problem -- I mean the health risks are not significant. I mean from the studies that were reported, preeclampsyia, which is high blood pressure, did not occur in the majority. But it was a higher risk in the general population. And there was also a higher incident of c-sections. But I'm also -- we're all for that for preserving the pelvic floor, preventing prolapse, preventing sexual dysfunction and all those other things.
L. BERMAN: And men can have children until -- they can reproduce until they die. And now, it looks like we're catching up with them.
BLITZER: Well, some people raise the moral issue, Laura, the whole issue that why bring a child in. You're not going to be around necessarily when the child is grown up.
L. BERMAN: Right, but what I believe is that we're going to start seeing women and men living well into their -- at least 100, if not longer. There are such phenomenal advances in medicine and in helping us reach longevity. And we are so much more health conscious. People in their 70s today are so much more active and healthy than they were a generation ago. And so it's not unrealistic.
My parents have much more energy than -- with my 5-year-old than I do. So it's not unrealistic to think that a woman in her 60s and 70s and 80s even may have enough stamina and energy and focus to be able to raise a child. BLITZER: Jennifer, one of the risks they say is pregnancy induced diabetes, a higher rate for women in their 50s than in their 40s or 30s or 20s. Is that a serious concern a woman in her 50s should be worried about?
J. BERMAN: It's a concern. We're all screened for it during pregnancy and it is something that is treatable. It's just something that we need to be aware of. The high blood pressure during pregnancy and the diabetes and the risk of c-section, our need for c-sections are the three things. Those are not life threatening, life altering although the high blood pressure can be. But those are things that are generally treatable and things that we need to be aware of...
L. BERMAN: And monitor.
J. BERMAN: ...and monitor.
BLITZER: And Laura, how common is this, a woman in her 50s having a baby? And is it going to be more common down the road?
L. BERMAN: I think that's the key, Wolf, that it is going to be something that we'll probably see more and more of, especially as studies like this come out, that demonstrate that actually it is very doable and that it is safe, if a woman takes the appropriate precautions and is monitored. And it really is providing options for women and we're all for providing options. I think that there'll be more and more women. And it's a wonderful thing to have the pressure taken off that biological clock.
(CROSSTALK)
J. BERMAN: And we've got to emphasize that this is not their eggs. These are donor eggs from another woman, from a younger healthy -- you know otherwise health woman. So it's not their...
BLITZER: Is that a real -- is that a real complicated procedure to do that?
J. BERMAN: It's not. The way things are now; it's not extremely complicated. We do in vitro fertilization with a woman's own eggs and we can also do in vitro fertilization with donor eggs. And that's basically the case when you're 50. You need to use donor eggs.
L. BERMAN: And that really is -- so that means that that baby is not part of her -- it may have -- it will have the father's genes but it won't necessarily have her genes unless she gets a donor from her sister or something.
BLITZER: All right, Laura and Jennifer Berman, always good to have you on the show. Thanks for joining us.
J. BERMAN: Thank you.
L. BERMAN: Thanks lot.
J. BERMAN: Bye-bye. BLITZER: Thank you. And time's running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." This is the question. Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The new Harry Potter movie opens nationwide Friday, but the publishers of the highly successful book series have some other things on their minds as well. They're threatening legal action over a Russian book they say is just thinly disguised plagiarism. Instead of a boy named Harry Potter, the hero is a girl named Tanya Grotter. The book is a top seller in Russia. We had planned a full report but because of breaking news tonight, we won't have time to bring it to you.
Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked you this question -- Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? Seventy-two percent of you say yes, 28 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
That's all the time we have today. Please join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Join me weekdays of course at noon Eastern for "SHOWDOWN IRAQ." Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 12, 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: Two developing stories we're covering right now.
First, does it sound like Osama bin Laden? An audio tape just made public. What it says about the threat facing the United States and its allies.
Also this hour, we're waiting to hear directly from the Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. All that coming up right now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Is it word from Osama bin Laden? A celebratory message from al Qaeda.
A quarter million U.S. troops may be heading to war. Will they face Iraqi nerve gas? Saddam Hussein sends a clue.
What about casualties at home? This senator is worried about terrorism and says the FBI isn't ready to stop them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we have the time, in the next 60 days, to be moving organizational charts around.
BLITZER: Royal mess. An allegation that rocked the palace. But is Prince Charles making it better or worse for the monarchy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to get on and look at only issues that affect us now.
BLITZER: And they're old enough to be grandmas. Should they be having babies?
BLITZER: It's Tuesday, November 12, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We begin with breaking news. A newly released audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden. It refers to several recent terrorist attacks, indicating bin Laden is alive and it chillingly threatens of more attacks to come.
(BEGIN AUDI CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Bush the Pharoah of the Century is killing our children in Iraq. And Israel, an American ally, is bombing homes with elderly women and children, using American planes, in Palestine.
This is not enough for the wise of your leaders to stay away from this band of terror.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BLITZER: We have two correspondents working this important story. Our national security correspondent David Ensor and CNN national correspondent Mike Boettcher. He's reported extensively on previous tapes. First, let's go to David Ensor for what he's hearing about this breaking development -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they are obviously comparing this voice tape with other voice tapes of Osama bin Laden and officials I've spoken to so far say it does sound like bin Laden; however, they say they don't want to say for sure that they're sure it's him. They feel that this is an important enough matter given the fact that bin Laden refers to recent events on the tape, and if it's really him, it shows he's alive for starters. They don't want to say authoritatively yet whether it's him but it does look that way or sound that way I should say -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, David, I assume they will be using sophisticated equipment to try to make sure this is someone who's not simply trying to be an impostor, trying to emulate Osama bin Laden's voice.
ENSOR: Absolutely. This is something that the U.S. is fairly good at. The National Security Agency, the Signals Intelligence Agency for the U.S. Government listens to thousands of hours of tapes of various kinds every day. They're very good at separating one voice from another -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, David stand by. I want to bring our viewers up to speed and listen to another excerpt from this alleged Osama bin Laden tape. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)
POSSIBLE VOICE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): Why is it acceptable for us to live with fear, murder, destruction, displacement? The orphanage of children and widowing of women but peace, security and happiness should be for youth. This is not fair. Now is the time to become equals, just like you kill us, we will kill you.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
BLITZER: All right, Mike Boettcher, our National Correspondent is standing by as well. You've been doing some digging, trying to understand like the rest of us whether or not this might be the real thing. What are you hearing Mike?
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm hearing from people who know his voice who say that it surely sounds like him, and David pointed out the voice analysis. The other thing that will be done that was done with previous audiotapes released by al Qaeda, they will take them to detainees in Guantanamo and other parts of the world and get their analysis of them, and also see if they can detect any messages embedded in these tapes. So, they'll do it both technically and with human intelligence.
BLITZER: Mike, as you take a look though as they try to assess this latest tape, what is their initial inclination, the experts with whom you've been discussing this matter?
BOETTCHER: Well, the interesting thing -- well, the inclination is it is him. It was released through Al-Jazeera and as far as I know, Al-Jazeera has not in the past broadcast phony audiotape. The interesting thing about this is a couple of things. This is the first time that Osama bin Laden has given a message that was not addressed to his followers. This is addressed to the anti-terrorist coalition, the people, the citizens of those countries.
The second thing is it shows that they feel a little bit better about their position obviously that they're able to get an audiotape out this quickly, but not good enough about their position to release a videotape that could give away their position, wherever they're at right now.
BLITZER: David Ensor, let me bring you back for a moment. In your conversation with some sources here in Washington, knowledgeable sources, have they gone through the substance of the actual remarks bin Laden is reportedly making on this tape?
ENSOR: They're in the process of doing that, Wolf, but they haven't got any conclusions really to offer us yet on it.
BLITZER: And as far as the substantive remarks, Mike Boettcher, it sounds, at least the snippets that I've heard a lot of propaganda, trying in effect to rally the troops, bolster the morale, is that what you're getting?
BOETTCHER: Well, it was very threatening, very, very threatening in its tone, more so than any Osama bin Laden message, audiotape, videotape or written I've seen. He says as you kill, you shall be killed, and it was directly attacking the anti-terror coalition and, again, it was showing his troops, his operatives out there that he is still alive.
BLITZER: And, David Ensor, this audiotape, in the past as we all know, we've seen videotapes of Osama bin Laden. Should we make anything of the fact that there's only his voice if, in fact, it is his voice as opposed to seeing what he actually might look like right now?
ENSOR: Well, there are analysts who believe that he looks different now, that he's either disguised the way he looks or may have sustained some sort of injuries in Tora Bora that he doesn't want the world to know about. So, that is one thing you could read into it. That is what some analysts believe -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Last word to you Mike Boettcher as we begin to move on. The whole notion of Osama bin Laden, whether or not he was injured, how sick he is, you've been doing a lot of digging on this particular aspect of Osama bin Laden over these many months. What are you hearing? BOETTCHER: We've been told consistently since the attack in Tora Bora by our sources in the anti-terror coalition, intelligence sources in that coalition, that he was hurt in the attack on Tora Bora, that he injured his shoulder, that he had an operation and that he did survive and is alive and where he is from there, the best guess, not pinpoint but knowledge but best guess is in that border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, that tribal area of the tribal frontier.
BLITZER: All right, Mike Boettcher, stand by, thanks very much. David Ensor thanks to you as well. We'll be getting back to you, a potentially huge story whether or not Osama bin Laden is alive.
But let's get a little bit more analysis on this right now. We have an expert on Osama bin Laden, Hisham Melham is the Washington Bureau Chief of the Lebanese Newspaper As-Safir. Hisham, thanks for joining us. You speak, obviously, Arabic. You heard this audiotape. You've heard Osama bin Laden over the years. In your opinion, is this Osama bin Laden?
HISHAM MELHAM, AS-SAFIR NEWSPAPER: I heard the tape several times. At first hearing, second hearing, third hearing, yes it sounds like him but the voice is not as soft as previous tapes by Osama bin Laden, and delivery is not as slow as previous delivery.
The diction is clear. The content is similar obviously, but it didn't strike me the first time, the second time, that that's Osama bin Laden but definitely it's close to him and I think experts probably later on will find out with some degree of certainty. But, the pace is lower and the voice is not as soft as previous tapes.
BLITZER: When you say not as soft, the pace is slower. We could understand if, in fact, he was injured, if he was sick.
MELHAM: Probably. Probably.
BLITZER: Maybe he's speaking a little bit more slowly now. But when you say the voice was softer, what does that mean? When you say the voice was not as soft?
MELHAM: Osama's previous tapes were really, I mean had a distinct soft, low-key voice. That's very distinct really, and that's what struck me initially. I heard it several times and I really can't say with any degree of certainty that that's him but definitely I felt two things. The voice is softer and the pace is slower.
BLITZER: The voice used to be softer.
MELHAM: It's not as soft as it used to be, exactly.
BLITZER: I just want to clarify that because he has a very -- in Arabic, he has a very distinctive kind of voice that was in part part of his charm if you will, isn't that right?
MELHAM: That soft spoken diabolical voice, if you will, attracted some people, obviously, and because it was as distinct as I said earlier, and that's why when I heard it the first time it didn't hit me as this is the authentic Osama, but I could be wrong.
BLITZER: Now, you heard the whole thing in the original, in the Arabic. Go to the substance of what he, if in fact this is Osama bin Laden, what he is saying.
MELHAM: In terms of content?
BLITZER: Content.
MELHAM: It's more virulent than any previous tape. In terms of his description of the American administration, he refers to them as the gang of criminals and after he accuses Bush of committing crimes against Iraq and Palestine and the Israelis what they're doing to the Palestinians, he specifically talks about Rumsfeld and calls him the butcher of Vietnam, who killed more than two million people.
Then he refers to Cheney and to Colin Powell and what they did to Baghdad in 1991, and he compared that interestingly enough to the sacking of Baghdad in the year 1258 at the hands of the Hulegu Tatars who really sacked Baghdad. This is a dark day in Arab history and he's claiming, he's making that comparison between what the Americans did to Baghdad in 1991 and what the Tatars did to Baghdad in medieval times. And then he talks about now Islam is dealing with reciprocity and then he mentions specifically Germany, England, France, Italy, Canada and Australia.
BLITZER: So, he's getting very personal with the top leaders in the Bush administration?
MELHAM: Absolutely. He names, as I said, President Bush, Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, and Vice President Dick Cheney and then he in a sense saying everything that happened since the attacks in New York and Washington, including the Bali attack, including the Yemen attack, including the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) attack in Kuwait against the marines, including the killings of the German tourists at the synagogue in Tunis.
BLITZER: He mentions all of these incidents.
MELHAM: All of these in specific and he said we warned Australia not to intervene in the war against Afghanistan and he also blamed Australia for dismembering East Timor from the rest of Indonesia, and he said the sons of Islam will continue the jihad until the victory of righteousness and the defeat of evil.
BLITZER: He even talks about the theater incident in Moscow.
MELHAM: Actually when he talks about the West, he said when you will remember your dead in Tunisia and in New York and other places, we want you to remember our dead in Iraq and in Palestine. When he talks about the Russians and he says, of course, that the attack in Moscow was a retaliation for what the Russians are doing in Chechnya. He tells the Russians when you remember your dead people in Moscow, we want you also to remember our dead people in Chechnya.
BLITZER: You and I, Hisham, have been covering this Middle East story for a long time. What is your best assessment right if, in fact, this is Osama and we heard David Ensor, our National Security Correspondent say it might be Osama bin Laden. Why now? Why release this audiotape right now?
MELHAM: I really don't see anything right now that would make me feel that this is an opportune moment for him. I would have expected it being live, to do something on the first anniversary of the attacks in New York and Washington. That would have been the time, a painful time for the Americans to remind them that I'm still alive and notwithstanding your war in Afghanistan. I really don't see anything other than link it to Iraq, but why now?
BLITZER: Well, at the U.N. Security Council that might be a good excuse.
MELHAM: I mean we can speculate on that and I was expecting that had he been alive, if he is alive, to have done it on the first anniversary of the bombing of New York and Washington.
BLITZER: Once again, potentially a very significant story if, in fact, he is alive.
MELHAM: Absolutely.
BLITZER: I assume that they'll be confirming that or denying that very soon, the U.S. intelligence community. They'll do a very close voice analysis to see if, in fact, this is Osama bin Laden.
MELHAM: I'm sure.
BLITZER: Hisham Melham thanks as usual for your expertise.
MELHAM: Thank you.
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on the story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments, your questions. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
The United States and its allies may soon find themselves at war on two fronts, possibly striking Iraq while defending against terror strikes. That's leading to some ominous words from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, including a dire assessment from a key U.S. Senator.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice over): Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham says the FBI is not ready to fight terror at home in the event of a war with Iraq.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), INTELLIGENCE CHMN.: We haven't made the kind of progress that we need in terms of taking down these international terrorist cells inside the United States and their headquarters abroad that we need for the basic protection of the people of the United States of America. I think there's a lack of urgency. There's a lack of focus on the critical nature of this.
BLITZER: He says the next 60 days are critical and that the U.S. must take much more aggressive action against terror cells in the United States and their base of operations abroad.
GRAHAM: Frankly, al Qaeda is not only not the only international terrorist group, it's not the most competent international terrorist group. The most competent is Hezbollah and Hezbollah is operating training camps in Iran, in Syria, and in the Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon where they are pouring out the next generation of terrorists.
BLITZER: Graham says the U.S. should consider military action against those camps.
GRAHAM: We learned a lesson in Afghanistan of what it means to let those sanctuaries go un-assaulted. We need to be taking those camps out.
BLITZER: The FBI strongly disputes Graham's allegations insisting they have made dramatic progress over these past 14 months. They point to the rolling up of alleged terrorist cells in Buffalo, Detroit, and elsewhere. Last month, FBI Director Robert Mueller tried to reassure Congress.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We have without in an open hearing giving too much detail focused on that possibility and are increasing our resources addressed to that particular -- addressed to those individuals who might be in our country that might find this as an occasion to commit some sort of act were we to initiate some operation with regard to Iraq.
BLITZER: In Europe, officials are making fresh warnings about what they believe are new and larger and perhaps imminent terrorist threats against the West.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: They are looking for ever more dramatic and devastating outrages to inflict upon the people they claim to be their enemy.
BLITZER: Security services throughout Europe are at high alert. The recent hit on a French oil tanker off Yemen, the deadly bombing at Bali, Indonesia, attacks against U.S. marines in Kuwait, and a warning reputedly given by Osama bin Laden's top aide have convinced intelligence agencies that al Qaeda may not only have regrouped but is poised for action.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): And we're waiting for a statement from the Secretary of State Colin Powell. He's meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. You're looking at a live picture of the diplomatic entrance at the State Department. You see two microphones. Once they emerge, we'll go there live for the statement from Secretary Powell and Kofi Annan.
More on the breaking news on the bin Laden audiotape still to come. Plus, is Saddam Hussein stocking up on nerve gas antidotes? Is it all a show or a preview of what's to come? A look at what may be in store for U.S. troops, maybe a quarter million U.S. troops.
Also, the calm and the devastation after the storm, a small town tries to rebuild from the rubble. And, old enough to be a grandma, but should women in their 50s still be having babies, a closer look with health experts, the Berman sisters, still to come, but first a look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice over): Afghan unrest, police clashed with hundreds of students protesting poor living conditions at Kabul University. At least one student was killed. International troops charged with keeping peace in Kabul watched but did not intervene. Bombs went off at three American fast food chain restaurants in Lebanon, two at Pizza Hut and one at a Winters Restaurant. The bombs went off at night while the restaurants were closed and no one was hurt. Observers say anti-American sentiment in Lebanon has intensified in recent months.
Fire alarm, British firefighters seeking higher pay have called a 48-hour strike. The firefighters would be replaced by the British army already stretched thin by training for a possible war against Iraq.
Blowing in the wind, huge sand storms blew across northern China reducing visibility, inflaming eyes, and making it difficult to breathe. Sand storms are not uncommon in the region but experts say they've gotten worse in recent years because of drought and deforestation. That's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's turn now to the showdown with Iraq. U.S. officials say Baghdad has been trying to get its hands on massive quantities of a nerve gas antidote. The question is why? For that, let's go live once again to our National Security Correspondent David Ensor -- David.
ENSOR: Well, Wolf, there could be a number of reasons Iraq is doing this. There are at least a couple of theories, but among knowledgeable officials, there is unanimity that Baghdad has indeed attempted to stockpile chemical weapons antidotes, a move that has gotten Washington's attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice over): Iraq earlier this year ordered more than a million doses of a drug used to counter the effects of nerve gas from Turkish companies. Bush administration officials confirm, saying they are pressing Turkish officials to prevent the sales from going through.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Obviously, Turkey shares our concern about making sure that Iraq doesn't get anything that could further a program of weapons of mass destruction or be possibly involved with the making it easier for Iraq to use weapons of mass destruction.
ENSOR: The drug Atropine and the auto injectors for Iraqis to give themselves doses would be highly effective to block nerve agents like Sarin and VX gas, both of which Iraq has admitted in the past having made and stockpiled. Iraq claims its entire stock of nerve gasses was destroyed. U.S. intelligence officials and outside experts say they do not believe it.
AMY SMITHSON, STIMSON CENTER: I would look at this as indicative of they've got something and they're worried about it either being blown up or blown back on their own troops in the event that it gets used on the battlefield.
ENSOR: In 1988, Saddam Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against his own people, Iraqis, in the Kurdish area along the border with Iran. So, the question of whether Iraq might use them again if U.S. forces should invade is hardly academic.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, DEPUTY W.H. PRESS SECY: I can assure you that the Department of Defense is going to do everything they can to protect our troops if they are called in to disarm Saddam Hussein.
ENSOR: Turkish officials tell CNN there have been no exports to Iraq of Atropine or another antidote against chemical weapons called Obidoxime (ph) Chloride that the U.S. says Iraq has placed orders for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (on camera): U.S. officials say they take Iraq's attempt to stockpile chemical weapons antidotes seriously, though one said it is possible Iraq placed the orders knowing they wouldn't be fulfilled just in order to raise concerns in the West about the risk of war against Iraq -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks once again for all of that. It is a nerve gas antidote and indeed it's much more. For a closer look at the drug, Atropine, let's turn to CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Tell us a little bit about this drug, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you saw the drug in David's story, those injectors. Some people think of them as epi-pens (ph). People use those kind of injectors if they're allergic to bee stings or whatever. Here it would be used against nerve gas. Troops are trained in how to use them. They receive quite a bit of training.
Let's take a look at exactly how it would work in a real life situation. If there were to be a nerve gas attack, it would be odorless and colorless and tasteless, so a soldier might not know that it's actually happening. However, within just a few minutes, the person's vision might become blurry, might get a runny rose, might get tightness in the chest, a hard time breathing.
At that point, that person might have as little as one minute to give themselves an injection. It would be one injection of Atropine and then an injection of a second drug and different places use different second drugs that they would also need in order to survive that attack.
Let's take a little look at what these drugs actually do. The first drug, the Atropine, prevents choking because what happens with these nerve gas attacks is that your body fills with fluid and you would choke on your own fluids. The second shot, and it's called Tupand (ph) is what the Army uses prevents paralysis. But, what the army wants everyone to remember is that a gas mask is actually the best defense. If a soldier is wearing a gas mask, they may not even need to actually use any of the things that we've just talked about.
Now, of course, you're giving yourself a drug. Atropine is used actually for heart patients. It can cause dryness of the mouth, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, increased heart rate and body temperature regulation problems. Now, as much as these might not sound like good things, and they're not good things, it's really considered a pretty safe drug. People have injected themselves by accident with Atropine and they've been OK.
For example, in the after -- or during the Gulf War in Israel, some Israelis by accident injected themselves with this because they thought there was a nerve gas attack and they were OK -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Basically, Elizabeth, somebody would just take out an injection, inject themselves, and is one dose enough to save your life?
COHEN: One dose could save your life if you've had a very big exposure to nerve gas and the size of the exposure, how much you breathe in is incredibly important. But if you've had a really big exposure, you might have to have some follow-up shots after that.
BLITZER: All right, Elizabeth Cohen thanks for that information. It's not the final word necessarily from Baghdad, but Iraq's so-called parliament today turned thumbs down to the U.N. disarmament resolution. It wasn't very close. The vote was 239 to nothing, unanimous.
During the debate, speakers called for the U.N.'s disarmament edict. They said it was unfair and unjust but the National Assembly also voted unanimously to leave the ultimate decision on weapons inspections to President Saddam Hussein. He is expected still to go ahead and reluctantly support it probably by Friday. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the vote by the Iraqi parliament as "pure theater," saying there's only one voice that matters in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The Iraqi parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp for Saddam Hussein. There's no democracy. This guy's a dictator and so we'll have to see what he says. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The president said again today that if Saddam Hussein does not disarm, the United States will lead a coalition to disarm him. We're still awaiting comments from the Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They'll be walking on at the State Department we believe very soon, perhaps momentarily speaking about the situation, the crisis, the showdown with Iraq. Once they emerge, we'll go there live. But when we come back, blown away in Tennessee, the toll from the killer storms continue to mount.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a day of backhoes, strong backs, and steely determination in many cases to rebuild as this tiny, little community tries to get itself together after those terrible storms. We'll have a live report from Mossy Grove, Tennessee -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, Miles, and we'll also talk about this royal damage control. Prince Charles responds to allegations of a rape cover-up. Stay with us.
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(INTERRUPTED BY CNN COVERAGE OF BREAKING NEWS)
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BLITZER: Welcome back. More now in our breaking story we're following this afternoon. A chilling newly released audiotape attributed to none other than Osama bin Laden. Here's an excerpt from that tape. Actually, we don't have that right now. We're going to get that for you, but meanwhile, our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, is standing by.
We heard the audiotape at the beginning of this program. Suzanne, your sources, what are they saying about this? You heard what the secretary of state just said. They're attempting to determine its authenticity.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, a senior administration official told me that they are looking into the reports. They want to see whether or not it is in fact authentic. He did stress that the administration's position, however, has not changed. That sort of having Osama bin Laden in our possession, he says we still do not know whether or not he is dead or alive.
This administration official also going ahead, saying that it does not undercut the administration's argument for the sense of urgency to go after Saddam Hussein. That going after Osama bin Laden al Qaeda, as well as Saddam Hussein, is all part of this war on terror. But clearly, getting the administration's attention here, just what is on this audiotape.
BLITZER: And of course the voice, if in fact it is Osama bin Laden. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much. We do have now a brief excerpt from that audiotape. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Rumsfeld, the butcher of Vietnam, killed more than two million people, not to mention the wounded. And here's Cheney and Powell, killing and destroying many in Baghdad, more than Velacko (ph), the king of the Tetars (ph). So why are your governments allying themselves with America in attacking us in Afghanistan, especially to mention Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and Australia.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more on this new tape and its potential implications, let's turn to defense and international policy expert, Michael O'Hanlon. He's joining us from the Brookings Institution here in Washington.
Michael, thanks very much. Well, give us your assessment. What does this tape mean if it is, in fact, Osama bin Laden?
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: If it's Osama, and of course, that is the big question, as you know, Wolf, then it means he's alive. I think it's fairly conclusive whoever was on this tape knew a lot about what's been going on globally in the war on terror and in the actions of terrorists over the last few months. There was a lot of specificity in the tape and it suggested really no doubt about this person being up with the news.
And that raises all the questions that we've discussed before. When did miss our chance to get Osama? How much difference does it make that we might have missed him, et cetera? But until we have any validation of the voice of course it's all speculation.
BLITZER: How long do you believe it will take the U.S. government to validate, if in fact this is Osama bin Laden with voice checks, very sophisticated means obviously at the U.S. government's disposal?
O'HANLON: I believe, frankly, it would be awfully quick. I think -- I'm not an expert in this technology, but I don't think that there is that much to do except to break down the voice patterns and to compare them to previous known patterns of bin Laden. And we certainly have the technology to do this quickly and now we have the audiocassette. Maybe they want to try and get the original and borrow it from Al Jazeera, if that would be possible. I don't know what else they might want to try to do. Or maybe there's some art form to this, like reading fingerprints where it's not always a slam-dunk case and you want to have several experts look at the information. But I would think we would know today.
BLITZER: The voiceprints can be fairly reliable; I'm told, by experts who know how to listen, read these voiceprints. You were on Al Jazeera today right at the time that they broadcast this audiotape. A, what was going on? What were you doing via satellite on Al Jazeera at the time? And what was it like listening to Osama bin Laden and then being asked by the Al Jazeera anchor, what your assessment is?
O'HANLON: Well, a couple of things, Wolf. First, as you know, Al Jazeera has an office here in Washington and they quite frequently interview Americans. In fact, last year, the State Department found one of its Arabic speakers, of which for example I'm not. I do not speak Arabic. But found one of the Arabic speakers to go on the air and debate on Al Jazeera in the language that most of the listeners understand.
I had to listen to the bin Laden tape through a translator. I had been tipped off a few minutes before the show of what the content would be. And frankly, it's the sort of thing you get used to when you've been on Al Jazeera. It's a reasonably, fair show, but it has its own political slant and there's certainly a bit of an anti- American flavor. But at the same time, they give you your peace and your chance to express yourself. So in the end it's not that different frankly from being on one of the more -- one of the more animated, shall we say, American talk shows.
BLITZER: All right, Michael O'Hanlon, being diplomatic in his commentary, as usual. But thanks for joining us today, Michael.
O'HANLON: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: The prince and the butler and bad P.R. Charles tries damage control, but is it too late? Could the investigation end his aspirations to the thrown? Plus, women over 50 having babies -- a new study suggests there's no medical reason why not. But does that mean families should give it a try? Sex and love experts, the Berman sisters. They join us live with their expertise. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: The death toll from the storms and tornadoes that plowed through the eastern United States this past weekend, stands at 36 in the hearted Tennessee community of Mossy Grove. One woman is still unaccounted for. Officials say it may take months to dig out from the destruction. Our Miles O'Brien is on the scene for us once again.
Miles, it looks pretty devastating.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is devastating, Wolf. And this one square mile field, which I'm sort of in the center of, has been quite a scene of activity today. Everything from heavy earth moving equipment, bull dozers, backhoes and the like to a lot of just hard sweat equity as people have been putting their hands through this debris at my feet, looking for whatever they can, whatever they can salvage, to try to recover, try to rebuild their lives.
I spoke a little bit earlier with an elderly couple who didn't lose their house entirely but it was severely damaged. It may in fact be a total loss and here is their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN (voice-over): At the Winnie house, they're getting all kinds of help, from all sorts of helpers. Five-year-old Wyatt wants to be a carpenter some day. His great-great-grandparents could use his services now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just rolled it out, didn't he?
O'BRIEN: Eight-seven-year-old Ted Winnie and his 84-year-old bride, Dollie, had hurried home from a funeral that night. They knew a storm was brewing.
DOLLIE WINNIE, STORM SURVIVOR: I was putting a sandwich together and it hit, boom. It just like dynamite had been throwed in my house and every window was breaking.
TED WINNIE, STORM SURVIVOR: Glass was just coming in there and we managed to get in here. She sat there, I sat here...
O'BRIEN (on camera): Right on these two chairs.
T. WINNIE: ... until rescue come along.
O'BRIEN: So you don't have basement here?
T. WINNIE: No.
O'BRIEN: No basement. So this is where you -- this was the safest place? Do you know what you were thinking at the time?
D. WINNIE: I was thinking about saving him. I was afraid he'd get hurt; afraid I couldn't make him sit down.
O'BRIEN: Did it feel like the house was going to break apart on you?
T. WINNIE: Yes.
D. WINNIE: All we could hear was our glass breaking.
O'BRIEN: Wow! Wow!
D. WINNIE: And I told him, I said, "For God's sakes, don't even move. We're safe right here. And if it's God's will, He'll take us anyway, but we won't be cut all to pieces."
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Their house of 20 years is now a shambles, but a lot of important things were sparred. Oddly, their uneaten after dinner snack lies intact on the kitchen counter.
(on camera): What's next for you all? Can you pull it together here?
D. WINNIE: Well, we'll just have to tear it down and burn the rest of it and build again.
(END VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN: You're looking at live pictures now of the Freel (ph) house, which is about a 100 yards from the Winnie house. And that house was literally swept off the foundation. The four people inside, in the Freel (ph) family, were inside a fiberglass bathtub and they were taken through the air, dumped on the ground, covered over by debris, Wolf, and yet they all lived to tell the tale. They're bruised and battered, but they're alive. Seven here died. The rescue worker died trying to help them all out. And in all, this county is still reeling from something that has really never been seen here before -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Miles O'Brien, total devastation over there, thanks very much for that report.
Overseas Britain's royal family today announced there will be an internal inquiry into misconduct questions surrounding Prince Charles and his staff. The investigation stems from the sudden conclusion of the trial of Princess Diana's former butler and claims a member of the prince's staff raped a royal servant. There have been allegations Charles helped cover up the incident. The prince's private secretary, who will help conduct the inquiry, says Charles wants to uncover the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR MICHAEL PEAT, PRINCE CHARLES' SECRETARY: The Prince of Wales leads by example. He has done in many areas. He is doing in this area. He wants us to get on with it, be open, transparent and if we have made mistakes, he wants us to face up to them and rectify them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Critics say an internal investigation won't be independent. They say officials from the government should conduct the investigation.
When we come back, sex, babies and older women. Health experts, the Berman sisters, join us live immediately when we get back. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Their biological clock may have struck midnight, but according to a new study at the University of Southern California, there's no medical reason why healthy women in their 50s should not have babies with donated eggs. Here to talk about it, the psychotherapist Laura Berman and her sister, the urologist, Jennifer. They're the hosts of the Discovery Health Channel's "Berman & Berman: For Women Only." They join us from the set of their show in Burbank, California.
Thanks for joining us. What do you make of this study, first of all, Jennifer? Women in their 50s, healthy? Should people be doing this?
JENNIFER BERMAN, HOST, "BERMAN & BERMAN: FOR WOMEN ONLY": Well, I'm -- I mean as a physician, I'm all for advances in medical technology. I'm actually a woman pushing 40 who's pregnant right now. So the question that we need to ask is why? What's motivating these women in their 50s to even want to have babies? And they can't use their own eggs. They're having to use donor eggs, other people's eggs. So from the motivation standpoint, what's going to happen to the children of these babies? Granted they're born healthy, but they might not have parents for very long.
BLITZER: And we're going to talk a little bit about the health risks. But the psychological risks potentially are there as well, right?
LAURA BERMAN, HOST, "BERMAN & BERMAN: FOR WOMEN ONLY": There are psychological risks. The nice thing is that women -- you know, we all as a society are living longer than ever before. Middle age over the next couple decades is going to be in our 70s. We're living healthy. We have our stamina. We have our health. We have our longevity. So in that sense, I think that we -- it's not unrealistic to think that a woman might be healthy and able to live well into her child's years if she has a baby in her 50s.
And also, women now are -- need to focus on their careers and supporting themselves and they have independent lives and to feel the pressure in their early 30s, to quickly find a mate so they can reproduce before they're ready and get into a relationship that's not necessarily right for them just for the purpose of reproducing, this actually gives them other options.
J. BERMAN: It does take the pressure of. The problem -- I mean the health risks are not significant. I mean from the studies that were reported, preeclampsyia, which is high blood pressure, did not occur in the majority. But it was a higher risk in the general population. And there was also a higher incident of c-sections. But I'm also -- we're all for that for preserving the pelvic floor, preventing prolapse, preventing sexual dysfunction and all those other things.
L. BERMAN: And men can have children until -- they can reproduce until they die. And now, it looks like we're catching up with them.
BLITZER: Well, some people raise the moral issue, Laura, the whole issue that why bring a child in. You're not going to be around necessarily when the child is grown up.
L. BERMAN: Right, but what I believe is that we're going to start seeing women and men living well into their -- at least 100, if not longer. There are such phenomenal advances in medicine and in helping us reach longevity. And we are so much more health conscious. People in their 70s today are so much more active and healthy than they were a generation ago. And so it's not unrealistic.
My parents have much more energy than -- with my 5-year-old than I do. So it's not unrealistic to think that a woman in her 60s and 70s and 80s even may have enough stamina and energy and focus to be able to raise a child. BLITZER: Jennifer, one of the risks they say is pregnancy induced diabetes, a higher rate for women in their 50s than in their 40s or 30s or 20s. Is that a serious concern a woman in her 50s should be worried about?
J. BERMAN: It's a concern. We're all screened for it during pregnancy and it is something that is treatable. It's just something that we need to be aware of. The high blood pressure during pregnancy and the diabetes and the risk of c-section, our need for c-sections are the three things. Those are not life threatening, life altering although the high blood pressure can be. But those are things that are generally treatable and things that we need to be aware of...
L. BERMAN: And monitor.
J. BERMAN: ...and monitor.
BLITZER: And Laura, how common is this, a woman in her 50s having a baby? And is it going to be more common down the road?
L. BERMAN: I think that's the key, Wolf, that it is going to be something that we'll probably see more and more of, especially as studies like this come out, that demonstrate that actually it is very doable and that it is safe, if a woman takes the appropriate precautions and is monitored. And it really is providing options for women and we're all for providing options. I think that there'll be more and more women. And it's a wonderful thing to have the pressure taken off that biological clock.
(CROSSTALK)
J. BERMAN: And we've got to emphasize that this is not their eggs. These are donor eggs from another woman, from a younger healthy -- you know otherwise health woman. So it's not their...
BLITZER: Is that a real -- is that a real complicated procedure to do that?
J. BERMAN: It's not. The way things are now; it's not extremely complicated. We do in vitro fertilization with a woman's own eggs and we can also do in vitro fertilization with donor eggs. And that's basically the case when you're 50. You need to use donor eggs.
L. BERMAN: And that really is -- so that means that that baby is not part of her -- it may have -- it will have the father's genes but it won't necessarily have her genes unless she gets a donor from her sister or something.
BLITZER: All right, Laura and Jennifer Berman, always good to have you on the show. Thanks for joining us.
J. BERMAN: Thank you.
L. BERMAN: Thanks lot.
J. BERMAN: Bye-bye. BLITZER: Thank you. And time's running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Questions of The Day." This is the question. Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results when we come back.
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BLITZER: The new Harry Potter movie opens nationwide Friday, but the publishers of the highly successful book series have some other things on their minds as well. They're threatening legal action over a Russian book they say is just thinly disguised plagiarism. Instead of a boy named Harry Potter, the hero is a girl named Tanya Grotter. The book is a top seller in Russia. We had planned a full report but because of breaking news tonight, we won't have time to bring it to you.
Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked you this question -- Do you think Osama bin Laden is alive? Seventy-two percent of you say yes, 28 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
That's all the time we have today. Please join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Join me weekdays of course at noon Eastern for "SHOWDOWN IRAQ." Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.
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