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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

An Exclusive Look Inside Prince Sultan Air Base

Aired December 18, 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, HOST: Iraq's weapons declaration insufficient as the administration considers its next move. Inside Prince Sultan Air Base, we get exclusive access to the Saudi facility that could play a vital role in a war with Iraq. Terror arrests in Texas, four brothers accused of raising money for the Palestinian group Hamas. And taking on telemarketers, the government announces a plan to crack down on those annoying calls. Find out what you have to do.
It's Wednesday, December 18, 2002. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A little bit later in this program an exclusive report. I'll take you inside the super secret Prince Sultan Air Base where some U.S. military personnel effectively already are at war against Saddam Hussein, but first our top stories.

The Bush administration is ready to declare Iraq's weapons report that it falls way short of meeting the United Nations recommendations for full compliance with all of its weapons of mass destruction. Officials say at least for now the United States does not necessarily, that does not mean the United States is necessarily ready to go to war. Let's get the latest now from CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the Iraqi declaration the White House declared it is not the full and complete accounting required under the U.N. Security Council resolution.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is concerned about Iraq's failure to list information in this document. The president is concerned with omissions in this document and the president is concerned with problems in this document.

BUCKLEY: A concern echoed by officials in Great Britain, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw saying there are obvious omissions. A response to the declaration was topic one for principals gathered at the White House for a National Security Council meeting. Previously on numerous occasions the president emphasized that omissions would not be tolerated.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Zero tolerance is about as plain as I can make it. We will not tolerate any deception, denial, or deceit period. Should he again deny that this arsenal exists, he will have entered his final stage with a lie and deception this time will not be tolerated. Delay and defiance will invite the severest of consequences.

BUCKLEY: But administration officials say the omissions and problems the president cites now will go to the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. will not use them as an immediate trigger for war.

FLEISCHER: Hans Blix of the United Nations will go before the Security Council in New York to discuss the findings and the facts that the United Nations inspectors have found in this declaration. Following that, I think you will see the United States move in a very deliberative and thoughtful way about what the implications of this are.

BUCKLEY: But if forces arrayed in the Gulf are not to be used for now, is that an admission that international support for such action isn't yet there? Is the president's previous tough talk a bluff?

FLEISCHER: I assure you this president does not bluff. When he said that Saddam Hussein must disarm, that he wants Saddam Hussein to disarm so peace can be preserved or Saddam Hussein will be disarmed, it is not a bluff. He hopes Saddam Hussein will do it still.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY (on camera): And that tomorrow as you heard Hans Blix the Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector will make his presentation to the U.N. Security Council on their findings. This will happen in closed session. Following that at some point tomorrow, we're expecting to hear from John Negroponte the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and also from Secretary of State Colin Powell with the official U.S. response to the declaration -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley at the White House, Frank thanks very much. If the United States does go to war against Iraq, U.S. intelligence tells CNN you can expect a so-called scorched earth policy from Saddam Hussein. Let's get that report now from CNN's Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In 1991, retreating Iraqi troops set fire to Kuwait's oil fields. This time, U.S. intelligence analysts say Iraq is planning to do the same to its own oil fields as part of a scorched earth policy aimed at winning world sympathy in the event of a U.S. led invasion.

The Pentagon analysts cite solid evidence that Saddam Hussein has plans to create a humanitarian crisis by destroying food warehouses, sabotaging power plants, and unleashing bio-weapons on his own people. A big unknown will Saddam's Republican Guard carry out the orders or turn on him?

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that it is very difficult to have good knowledge as to exactly how Iraqi forces will behave.

MCINTYRE: Whether Iraqi forces will drop their weapons and surrender as about 80,000 did during Desert Storm is another unknown. There are indications of morale problems even among Saddam Hussein's most loyal troops, the Special Republican Guard, and even suggestions some may have plotted coups. But the intelligence also indicates Saddam Hussein has circled Baghdad with six divisions of his best troops and is preparing for a battle to the death.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There's nobody involved in the military planning to include the secretary or any of the senior leadership in this building, I think, that you'll find that would say that this sort of endeavor if we were asked to do it would be a cakewalk.

MCINTYRE: Intelligence analysts say Saddam Hussein has also drawn a lesson from the February, 1991 incident in which the U.S. bombed a Baghdad bunker killing women and children it did not know were inside. The result was a temporary pause in bombing Baghdad. Now, analysts predict Saddam will manufacture mass civilian casualties to slow any U.S. advance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (on camera): Pentagon sources say the U.S. plan of attack is to deliver a knockout blow that will end the war early, perhaps in a few days, minimizing civilian casualties but Saddam Hussein may have other plans according to Pentagon analysts. According to one who put it this way, he said if the U.S. avoids collateral damage, Saddam Hussein is likely to provide it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon thanks very much. And, as the president continues to weigh his options as far as Saddam Hussein is concerned, he appears to have an impressive ally in his corner, namely the American public. A new CNN-USA Today Gallup poll shows that 58 percent of those questioned favor using American ground troops to remove Saddam Hussein from power, 35 percent oppose doing that.

Possible war with Iraq, of course, doesn't seem to have overshadowed concern among many Americans about the state of the United States economy. We asked random people on the streets in Miami, Boston, and Los Angeles what they think and money seemed to be on everybody's mind. Here are some of their responses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the economy is the important thing. I think too many people have lost too much money in the stock market. Businesses are going under left and right. Every company is doing poorly. I think they have to infuse money into America and that's where I would set my priorities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in rough times and sending kids out there to fight a battle that there's no need for right now and striking first is just, shouldn't be the American way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we go to Iraq, we'll have massive consequences on the economy so he better think twice about doing well on both fronts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the president's priority should be the economy and that's really because I think that the war on Iraq should be the U.N.'s priority and not ours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't agree with the war in Iraq, not right now, but if he's going to take that charge and he's going to do it and he's going to do it for a reason and conviction, then I'll back him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I also want to hear from you. You can e-mail me. E- mail me your comments at wolf@cnn.com. In the war against terror, four brothers are now under arrest in Texas for allegedly raising money for Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization. A fifth brother was placed in custody earlier on an unrelated charge. Here's our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Five employees of this computer firm, all brothers, are charged with violating the U.S. ban on doing business with terrorists. They allegedly funneled money to this man, Mousa Abu Marzook a senior leader of Hamas. Hamas which has claimed responsibility for attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Terrorist money men should know this. We are hunting down the murderers you support and we will hunt you down. Just as we will prosecute the terrorist who plants a bomb, we will prosecute the terrorist supporter who writes a check.

ARENA: The indictment alleges that Marzook conspired with Infocom and the five brothers whose last name is Elashi, to hide how money was illegally transferred. In addition, the brothers, two of them seen here, are charged with illegally selling computers and parts to Libya and Syria. Both have been designated by the United States as state sponsors or terrorism.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Today's indictments send a message that those who support terrorists, whether by developing plans of attack or funneling dollars overseas are not safe from the reach of the law.

ARENA: Marzook was deported by the United States in 1997. He and his wife are now fugitives. The Elashi brothers are in custody in Texas but it doesn't end there. One of the five, Ghassan Elashi is also chairman of the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Muslim charity in the United States. The government has said the foundation funds terrorists and has frozen its assets. It's a charge Elashi has repeatedly denied.

GHASSAN ELASHI, HOLY LAND FDN. CHMN.: We are a strictly charitable organization and we have no relation with any terrorist organization. ARENA: Justice officials say they have been aware of a relationship between Holy Land and Infocom since before the September 11 attacks.

ASHCROFT: Both Infocom and Holy Land Foundation received their seed money from one of the defendants in the cases announced today, Moussa Abu Marzook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (on camera): The four of the brothers made an initial appearance in court today and said they understood the charges against them. On his way out of the courthouse, Ghassan Elashi told reporters: "I think we are victims here." Officials say the investigation into Infocom is wrapping up by the investigation into the Holy Land Foundation remains active -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena in Washington thanks very much, Kelly. And just moments ago we received this statement from one of the defense attorneys representing one of those alleged Hamas fundraisers. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE GIBSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So, I think we may have a situation where things were sent to the Middle East to a proper country and somehow ended up in a terrorist country and now they're trying to connect the dots and make it look like we intended to do that and I think at the end of the day if we can, and I think in American we can, get a fair hearing and a fair determination, I think we're going to come out all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We'll continue to cover this story, obviously another important story we're following in Texas. When we come back inside Prince Sultan Air Base here in Saudi Arabia, I'll take you on an exclusive tour of this U.S. base in Saudi Arabia. That's coming up at the half hour. But first off the hook, want to stop those annoying telemarketers from reaching you? A national do not call list may be just around the corner.

Plus, a former Klansman and Senate candidate indicted, David Duke facing time in prison. Find out why when we return. And crash, bang, boom, LAPD considers a ban on car crashes and chases. Would it be a free license for criminals, a closer look coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. In our Justice Files, a well known White power advocate faces now 15 months in prison after pleading guilty today to mail fraud and tax fraud. David Duke is to be sentenced March 19. The former Ku Klux Klan leader has been a member of the Louisiana legislature and he made unsuccessful races for Senator and governor. Prosecutors say Duke defrauded contributors and lied about his income on his 1998 tax return. A plan to ban most police car chases in Los Angeles is getting generally very favorable reviews. It was partially the result of a tragic accident that left children dead and injured. CNN's Anne McDermott reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Los Angeles leads the nation in police pursuits but too many of them, more than a third end like this and often end up hurting innocents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, he's getting on the on ramp, getting on the on ramp, oh my gosh. He's crazy.

MCDERMOTT: A baby boy lost an arm a couple of weeks ago after a car cops were chasing hit his family's van.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A horribly violent collision.

MCDERMOTT: And a four-year-old girl died this summer after another police pursuit ended badly. Now Chief of Police William Bratton, following the lead of other cities, wants to ban some of these chases and is now at work on a plan that might stop cops from pursuits that begin with traffic violations, which is how almost 60 percent of L.A. police pursuits begin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As he continues now through High Park, he is flying.

MCDERMOTT: In Los Angeles, live coverage of police pursuits has been a staple of local news for years, not necessarily because news directors like it, Jeff Wald doesn't, but viewers do.

JEFF WALD, WTLA NEWS DIRECTOR: There's a tremendous fascination in seeing the bad guy getting caught and that's just what it's all about.

MCDERMOTT: But LAPD Chief Bratton isn't so sure.

CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: It's risen to the level of entertainment rather than reporting of news in my perspective.

MCDERMOTT: It can be entertaining. Lots of Los Angelinos were transfixed by the sight of a stolen 7-Up truck crazily rounding corners dropping bottles like bombs. This one ended peacefully but, again, they don't always and not just in L.A. This one was in Las Vegas, Chicago, Philadelphia.

And smaller cities are not immune. This was Fresno just this week. The police say they have to do a balancing act, one that protects citizens and still allows them to nab the bad guys and sometimes there's a twist. This citizen thought the police were too slow to stop a pursuit and tried to end it himself. Amazingly it did end without any injuries.

Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: From Ground Zero to a rising monument, a preview of plans to rebuild the World Trade Center, also deals and steals on the Internet. We'll help you find the best buys for that last minute holiday shopping spree but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Totally baseless, that's the reaction of Iran's president Mohammed Khatami to U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Iran says the nuclear plan it's building will supply power not weapons.

Controversial cargo, remember the North Korean ship that was carrying Scud missiles from North Korea? The ship has finished unloading its cargo in Yemen. U.S. officials decided to allow the delivery after deciding it didn't violate any law.

Russia says it regrets the Bush administration's decision to deploy a missile defense system. The system is supposed to shield the United States from missile attacks but the Russian foreign ministry says it could spur a new arms race.

In high gear, actor Richard Gere helped open a home in India for women and children with AIDS. Gere also praised the people of India for supporting independence for Tibet.

Keep your money, that's what British actress Elizabeth Hurley is telling U.S. producer Steve Bing, the father of her eight-month-old son. Bing has offered almost $160,000 a year in child support but Hurley says the money is not wanted or welcome.

A swimming Santa, crowds visiting Japan's Sunshine Aquarium found more than fish. A familiar red-suited figure was in the water handing out Christmas goodies. Whether it involves sliding down chimneys or jumping into tanks, Santa seems to go everywhere, and that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Relief may finally be coming for millions of us from those annoying telemarketer phone calls. The Federal Trade Commission is planning a national don't call list like those already in place in several states. Let's get the report now from CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): His name is not important but at any given moment he may be one of the most unpopular people in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well is there a better time to call her back? FRANKEN: Millions hate those calls so much so that the Federal Trade Commission is taking action, establishing a national do not call registry.

TIMOTHY MURIS, FTC CHAIRMAN: We're giving consumers the option to protect, if they want, the privacy in their own homes.

FRANKEN: The Feds expect that 60 million Americans will sign up by a toll-free number or the Internet. If telemarketers persist, they could be in trouble.

MURIS: We are planning to assign a large number of people to monitor those complaints. We will be able to take violators into Federal Court where they'll be subject to penalties of up to $11,000.

FRANKEN: The $16 million would be financed by fees collected from the telemarketers themselves. Congress must approve and even after that it will take six months at least before the registry is up and running, and there are a substantial number of exceptions, charities, politicians, insurance companies, banks, telecommunications firms, and company that already has sold you something. The FTC rules will also curtail the dead air that accompanies so many of these automated solicitations and require caller ID. The telemarketers are considering a call of their own on the nearest courthouse.

JERRY CERSALE, DIRECT MARKETING ASSN.: We don't think the Federal Trade Commission has authority to establish this rule, statutory authority.

FRANKEN (on camera): Consumers are also taking matters into their own hands using those hands, for instance to install devices like this, a telezapper. Simply attach it to the phone and it sends out a tone. That's supposed to disrupt the call.

New blocking devices will undoubtedly continue to surface, which raises an interesting question. Will someone try to sell them to us over the phone? Bob Franken CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Here is your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you support a national "do not call" list for telemarketers? 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. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you, of course, can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

The Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott is finding himself increasingly under fire from some fellow Republicans; the latest Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. We get more now from CNN's Gary Tuchman in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator Trent Lott may be in a fight for his political life but today he went about his routine Senatorial duties. He spent part of the day inside here, his home office in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the small Senate office he was at for about two hours this morning.

Before that a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in the small casino town of Biloxi, 20 miles to the west of here, and he told us something interesting there. There's been speculation that if Lott lost his leadership post he might resign the U.S. Senate entirely and that scares Republicans to death because the governor of Mississippi is a Democrat who would then appoint a Democrat to the Senate seat. But today, Trent Lott told us he would not leave his Senate seat.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: There are simple things in life that become quite complicated. But quite simply, I was elected by the people of Mississippi to a six-year term. I've served two years of that contract. I have a contract and I'm going to fulfill it.

TUCHMAN: Now, Lott's words this morning came before we heard that Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee from Rhode Island is calling for Trent Lott to step down from his leadership post.

SEN. LINCOLN CHAFEE (R), RHODE ISLAND: It's strong to say racist but it doesn't help our party and he has a saying himself, we got to tie a wrap around the axle and he's effectively done that to the party right now.

TUCHMAN: Now, a short time ago I talked with Trent Lott's wife Tricia at their home here in Pascagoula. She told me over the past couple of days she's feeling a little better because she and her husband are getting a lot of support. But it's very clear this has been stressful for Tricia Lott and we imagine it's been stressful for her husband too. This is Gary Tuchman CNN in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up an exclusive look inside the Prince Sultan Air Base here in Saudi Arabia. I'll take you someplace you've never been before. Also, a melting mammoth, global warming takes its toll on Kilimanjaro. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Tech Sergeant Crutchfield (ph) from San Antonio, Texas. I'd like to wish my wife, Marci (ph) and Jesse a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And I hope to see you soon. I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Coming up, an exclusive inside look, the Prince Sultan Air Base, not far away from where I am right now.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Now to showdown Iraq. There's no war yet with Iraq, but don't tell that to some U.S. troops serving here in Saudi Arabia, who are putting their lives on the line every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): There may be a debate under way in rural capitals about going to war against Iraq. But for a select group of U.S. and British pilots at the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, that debate is effectively moot. For them, the war is well under way.

BRIG. GEN. DALE WATERS, DG-2 AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING: You know they've been trying for 10 years to shoot down an airplane. I think we've been lucky we haven't lost one. We keep a lot of great aircrews up there doing the mission and we have good intelligence. So I think we do it smart. But it's never zero risk.

BLITZER: Their war is a nearly daily occurrence. They patrol the so-called no-fly zone in southern Iraq and they engage in a deadly give and take with Iraqi anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles and fighter aircraft.

WATERS: They're shooting real bullets. They're not shooting BB guns at us. There's real bullets. There's real missiles. We have to be ready in any event to deal with that kind of threat.

BLITZER: This is the first time you are hearing directly from these American pilots here in Saudi Arabia since the Gulf War. After a lengthy give and take with U.S. and Saudi officials, CNN finally received permission to visit the Prince Sultan Base and talk directly with these men and women engaged in warfare.

Getting that permission was not easy, given the political sensitivities of recent years. The Saudi government has not been anxious to advertise its extensive military cooperation with the United States. They are aware of the fact that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terror network went on the war path against the Saudi royal family for allowing U.S. military forces to operate on what they regard as sacred, Muslim soil. But to anyone coming to this enormous facility, the quiet strategic cooperation quickly becomes evident.

(on camera): Hi, we're here at the Prince Sultan Air Base right in Saudi Arabia, obviously. It's home of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing. Look at the cooperation, though; you'll see that Major General Sa'eed Eselhabdowi (ph), he's the royal Saudi air force base commander. He's in charge of this huge, sprawling air base.

Brigadier General Dale C. Waters, he's the U.S. air wing commander. He's in charge of U.S. personnel here. It's a very sophisticated operation. It's a sprawling, huge air base. Their primary mission right now, at least from the U.S. side, to patrol the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq.

(voice-over): Getting to this base from Riyadh began around 6:00 a.m., when we finished loading our cars with equipment and started the 90-minute drive south. We were accompanied by our escort from the Saudi Ministry of Information, Khalid Mussa (ph). Given the fact that the Saudis are the host country for the U.S. military operation, they had to approve our journey.

After filling our gas tanks, we beat Riyadh's rush hour traffic, which, for a city of nearly five million people, can be awful. The drive through the desert went smoothly, as we passed industrial areas in various oil facilities.

Oil exports have brought wealth to this country. That was underlined by the impressive infrastructure we witnessed along the way. Good highways and power grids though there were some signs of the past as well. We finally reached the base where security, as you can imagine, is intense.

WATERS: We put up a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) wire and Jersey barriers to make our compound secure. We obviously benefit from the Saudi security that goes around the perimeter of the base. We also run random patrols, including (UNINTELLIGIBLE) patrols with the -- with Saudi security.

BLITZER: In the meantime, the pilots prepare for another day of cat-and-mouse warfare with the Iraqis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Tomorrow, I'll be speaking to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud. We'll have details on that tomorrow.

But when we come back, we'll switch gears. The clock is ticking on holiday shopping. We'll give you specific advice, what you can do to make sure those gifts arrive on time. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time is running out for the almost 61 million Americans who do a lot of their shopping online. Joining me now for some insight into what you can do to make sure your online purchases get where they are supposed to be going is Regina Lewis. She's an online adviser for AOL, which, of course, is the company owned by CNN's parent, AOL Time Warner.

Regina, thanks so much for joining us. If somebody wants to buy something online as a Christmas gift, do they still have time to make sure it gets to their friend or loved one on time?

REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Absolutely, in fact, plenty of time. Online orders can be placed as late as Monday, the 23rd. And I think Amazon says it all right on the front screen of their site, one word, relax.

Now, having said that, what you really want to do is shop in the next 10 hours, up to 12:00 midnight Pacific Time because you want to take advantage of standard and in some cases, free shipping offers while those are still there because, of course, they're going, going, gone and premium prices start to kick in.

BLITZER: So what are the best deals out there right now?

LEWIS: Well, here's how to approach it. Really approach it like a game. Keep in mind this is a very competitive business. They know people are after deals. Go to the deep discount sites like SmartBargains.com. and Overstock.com. Retailers are already starting to unload things, so you can find terrific deals there.

Also, when you get to that place and is says, "Plug in your special promotional code here" and you think, oh, shoot, I don't have that -- great tip -- go to Couponmountain.com. They have thousands of them there. Then, you'll have the code and probably get an extra 20 percent off.

And if you don't -- if you're not on a deadline, if you see something you'd like to get for yourself or you don't mind if it doesn't get for the holidays, think about waiting. A lot of these e- tailers are indicating that you can't imagine the sales they're going to have on the 25th and post-holiday when they also plan to kick back in on that free shipping offer.

BLITZER: Regina, are there other common mistakes that we have to try to avoid making?

LEWIS: You do want to read the fine print on those shipping deadlines and you do want to be mindful of the fact that time really isn't on your side. Again, the next 10 hours are critical.

Also, I think a common mistake is people giving up. They go to a site and it says -- well, Toys "R" Us for instance, if it's out of stock, game not over yet. One word, eBay. As soon as something is sold out, that scarcity fuels the eBay phenomenon. So some of those must-have toys, Spider-man comes to mind, some select Barbies and a lot of these interactive games are up for auction on eBay. Sometimes at, you know, twice the original retail price, but if you've got to have it, you'll find it there.

BLITZER: And what if you are really, really bad like I am and you always unfortunately wait until the really last moment to do that kind of shopping? What advice do you have?

LEWIS: Well, you're not alone, first of all. Online gift certificates are your friend. Every major retailer offers them and they also have an electronic version. So you can go to Giftcertificates.com, select the retailer you want the gift certificate for and the increment. Those can be e-mailed in a matter of seconds. You can send those as late as Christmas morning if you needed to.

BLITZER: Regina Lewis, she's an online adviser for AOL. Thanks for your excellent advice. We'll try to pay attention to it.

When we come back, we'll look at some new plans for the site of what once was the World Trade Center. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In New York City today, dramatic new plans for the site of what once was the World Trade Center. CNN's Jason Carroll has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twin decorative towers higher than the world's tallest building, a sculpted monument of steel nearly 1,800 feet tall. Some of the visions from seven architectural teams selected to design what should be built on the World Trade Center site.

NORMAN FOSTER, ARCHITECT: Everybody is moved by the occasion and everyone wants to contribute. This will be big. It's a very, very important debate.

CARROLL: Norman Foster's English firm proposed two towers that look like one, standing 1,765 feet tall. The twin towers were 1,368 feet. A German firm conceived a tower slightly taller, surrounded by smaller ones. A U.S. group came up with the design meant to look like two hands coming together, five buildings all connected with skyways. Each structure 1,100 feet.

RICHARD MAIER, ARCHITECT: It's a vertical building but it's also a horizontal building.

CARROLL: A team called Think thought up this -- two decorative towers each 2,100 feet. Several 30-story office buildings would surround them.

GREG LINEN, UNITED ARCHITECTS: These towers all unify and touch each other to provide not only incredible strength but unprecedented safety.

CARROLL: United Architects displayed a video of their vision, a transportation hub below, five towers above; the tallest 112 stories. The trade center was 110. A sky memorial connecting the towers at the 60th floor.

BARBARA LITTENBERG, ARCHITECT: This will be the first act of the new construction of lower Manhattan.

CARROLL: The New York husband/wife team, Peterson/Littenberg, offered a simple concept -- two towers, 1,400 feet, a large promenade on the ground.

Finally, the seventh team created a cluster of nine buildings some 80 stories high, a vertical city of its own. Six original designs for the World Trade Center site were rejected in July after criticism the concepts were uninspired. Some of the victims' families say the new designs are better in part because they leave more leeway to design a memorial later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was happy we didn't actually see someone say, "This is what a memorial should look like." Give us the space. CARROLL: All of the designs designate a site for a memorial, some below ground, others above. All include a transportation hub, office and outdoor space. The public's input is encouraged before a final decision is made in February.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good luck with all those sites. We'll be watching and continuing to report on the latest developments.

Meanwhile, time's running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." The question was this -- do you support a national "do not call list" for telemarketers? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. You may have heard that the snow on Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro is melting. Our "Picture of The Day" shows you exactly how quickly all this may be happening. This is a NASA animation based on photos from February 1993 and February 2000. Look at this, amazing. Experts think the snow will disappear entirely by 2015. They blame a variety of natural and man-made factors, including global warming.

Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Remember, we've been asking you this question -- do you support a national "do not call" list for telemarketers? Not surprisingly, 98 -- 98 percent of you say yes, two percent of you say no. I wonder who those two percent are? You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote by the way on our Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll though I would sense it's pretty accurate.

Let's go to some of your e-mails. We've been flooded with e- mails on a lot of issues. Let's get to these.

Jim writes this -- "The media focus too heavily on championing Bush's war policy. We need to hear more about the negative impact, like the intense loss of life, the high economic cost and the process of stabilizing Iraq after the war."

Verna sends us this note -- "We saw it coming; Iraq cannot please this administration in any way. If they are truly in "material breach," the American people and the world should be able to see the proof. The U.S. has one standard for North Korea, another for Iraq, and certainly a different one for ourselves."

Steve writes -- "The U.S. needs to stop playing into the hands of rogue countries like Iraq, Iran and North Korea. These thug nations keep the rest of the world wondering if there is going to be a tomorrow. We need to act now to get them and their leaders, like Saddam Hussein, out of power."

Remember, I want to hear from you. E-mail me your comments, your questions, CNN.com/Wolf. That's our web page.

One important note, while here in Saudi Arabia, I'm having a chance to speak to a wide range of opinions, just like the United States. People here do not necessarily agree on everything. One thing we will have a chance to take a close look at tomorrow on that base, the Prince Sultan Base, U.S. military women, how they're treated, not only, of course, on the base, but off the base. We'll speak to a woman who is a female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. We'll get a sense of what it's like for her to live here in Saudi Arabia.

That's all the time we have for this special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. Please join us again tomorrow at noon Eastern for "SHOWDOWN IRAQ" as well as WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Among other things, also tomorrow, you'll meet a man who worked at the Pentagon on September 11, saw the plane crash there and is now a volunteer to serve here in the Gulf. In his words, tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next.

TO ORDER A COPY OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.

Aired December 18, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Iraq's weapons declaration insufficient as the administration considers its next move. Inside Prince Sultan Air Base, we get exclusive access to the Saudi facility that could play a vital role in a war with Iraq. Terror arrests in Texas, four brothers accused of raising money for the Palestinian group Hamas. And taking on telemarketers, the government announces a plan to crack down on those annoying calls. Find out what you have to do.
It's Wednesday, December 18, 2002. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A little bit later in this program an exclusive report. I'll take you inside the super secret Prince Sultan Air Base where some U.S. military personnel effectively already are at war against Saddam Hussein, but first our top stories.

The Bush administration is ready to declare Iraq's weapons report that it falls way short of meeting the United Nations recommendations for full compliance with all of its weapons of mass destruction. Officials say at least for now the United States does not necessarily, that does not mean the United States is necessarily ready to go to war. Let's get the latest now from CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the Iraqi declaration the White House declared it is not the full and complete accounting required under the U.N. Security Council resolution.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is concerned about Iraq's failure to list information in this document. The president is concerned with omissions in this document and the president is concerned with problems in this document.

BUCKLEY: A concern echoed by officials in Great Britain, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw saying there are obvious omissions. A response to the declaration was topic one for principals gathered at the White House for a National Security Council meeting. Previously on numerous occasions the president emphasized that omissions would not be tolerated.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Zero tolerance is about as plain as I can make it. We will not tolerate any deception, denial, or deceit period. Should he again deny that this arsenal exists, he will have entered his final stage with a lie and deception this time will not be tolerated. Delay and defiance will invite the severest of consequences.

BUCKLEY: But administration officials say the omissions and problems the president cites now will go to the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. will not use them as an immediate trigger for war.

FLEISCHER: Hans Blix of the United Nations will go before the Security Council in New York to discuss the findings and the facts that the United Nations inspectors have found in this declaration. Following that, I think you will see the United States move in a very deliberative and thoughtful way about what the implications of this are.

BUCKLEY: But if forces arrayed in the Gulf are not to be used for now, is that an admission that international support for such action isn't yet there? Is the president's previous tough talk a bluff?

FLEISCHER: I assure you this president does not bluff. When he said that Saddam Hussein must disarm, that he wants Saddam Hussein to disarm so peace can be preserved or Saddam Hussein will be disarmed, it is not a bluff. He hopes Saddam Hussein will do it still.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY (on camera): And that tomorrow as you heard Hans Blix the Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector will make his presentation to the U.N. Security Council on their findings. This will happen in closed session. Following that at some point tomorrow, we're expecting to hear from John Negroponte the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and also from Secretary of State Colin Powell with the official U.S. response to the declaration -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley at the White House, Frank thanks very much. If the United States does go to war against Iraq, U.S. intelligence tells CNN you can expect a so-called scorched earth policy from Saddam Hussein. Let's get that report now from CNN's Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In 1991, retreating Iraqi troops set fire to Kuwait's oil fields. This time, U.S. intelligence analysts say Iraq is planning to do the same to its own oil fields as part of a scorched earth policy aimed at winning world sympathy in the event of a U.S. led invasion.

The Pentagon analysts cite solid evidence that Saddam Hussein has plans to create a humanitarian crisis by destroying food warehouses, sabotaging power plants, and unleashing bio-weapons on his own people. A big unknown will Saddam's Republican Guard carry out the orders or turn on him?

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that it is very difficult to have good knowledge as to exactly how Iraqi forces will behave.

MCINTYRE: Whether Iraqi forces will drop their weapons and surrender as about 80,000 did during Desert Storm is another unknown. There are indications of morale problems even among Saddam Hussein's most loyal troops, the Special Republican Guard, and even suggestions some may have plotted coups. But the intelligence also indicates Saddam Hussein has circled Baghdad with six divisions of his best troops and is preparing for a battle to the death.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There's nobody involved in the military planning to include the secretary or any of the senior leadership in this building, I think, that you'll find that would say that this sort of endeavor if we were asked to do it would be a cakewalk.

MCINTYRE: Intelligence analysts say Saddam Hussein has also drawn a lesson from the February, 1991 incident in which the U.S. bombed a Baghdad bunker killing women and children it did not know were inside. The result was a temporary pause in bombing Baghdad. Now, analysts predict Saddam will manufacture mass civilian casualties to slow any U.S. advance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (on camera): Pentagon sources say the U.S. plan of attack is to deliver a knockout blow that will end the war early, perhaps in a few days, minimizing civilian casualties but Saddam Hussein may have other plans according to Pentagon analysts. According to one who put it this way, he said if the U.S. avoids collateral damage, Saddam Hussein is likely to provide it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon thanks very much. And, as the president continues to weigh his options as far as Saddam Hussein is concerned, he appears to have an impressive ally in his corner, namely the American public. A new CNN-USA Today Gallup poll shows that 58 percent of those questioned favor using American ground troops to remove Saddam Hussein from power, 35 percent oppose doing that.

Possible war with Iraq, of course, doesn't seem to have overshadowed concern among many Americans about the state of the United States economy. We asked random people on the streets in Miami, Boston, and Los Angeles what they think and money seemed to be on everybody's mind. Here are some of their responses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the economy is the important thing. I think too many people have lost too much money in the stock market. Businesses are going under left and right. Every company is doing poorly. I think they have to infuse money into America and that's where I would set my priorities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're in rough times and sending kids out there to fight a battle that there's no need for right now and striking first is just, shouldn't be the American way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we go to Iraq, we'll have massive consequences on the economy so he better think twice about doing well on both fronts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the president's priority should be the economy and that's really because I think that the war on Iraq should be the U.N.'s priority and not ours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't agree with the war in Iraq, not right now, but if he's going to take that charge and he's going to do it and he's going to do it for a reason and conviction, then I'll back him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I also want to hear from you. You can e-mail me. E- mail me your comments at wolf@cnn.com. In the war against terror, four brothers are now under arrest in Texas for allegedly raising money for Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization. A fifth brother was placed in custody earlier on an unrelated charge. Here's our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Five employees of this computer firm, all brothers, are charged with violating the U.S. ban on doing business with terrorists. They allegedly funneled money to this man, Mousa Abu Marzook a senior leader of Hamas. Hamas which has claimed responsibility for attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Terrorist money men should know this. We are hunting down the murderers you support and we will hunt you down. Just as we will prosecute the terrorist who plants a bomb, we will prosecute the terrorist supporter who writes a check.

ARENA: The indictment alleges that Marzook conspired with Infocom and the five brothers whose last name is Elashi, to hide how money was illegally transferred. In addition, the brothers, two of them seen here, are charged with illegally selling computers and parts to Libya and Syria. Both have been designated by the United States as state sponsors or terrorism.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Today's indictments send a message that those who support terrorists, whether by developing plans of attack or funneling dollars overseas are not safe from the reach of the law.

ARENA: Marzook was deported by the United States in 1997. He and his wife are now fugitives. The Elashi brothers are in custody in Texas but it doesn't end there. One of the five, Ghassan Elashi is also chairman of the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Muslim charity in the United States. The government has said the foundation funds terrorists and has frozen its assets. It's a charge Elashi has repeatedly denied.

GHASSAN ELASHI, HOLY LAND FDN. CHMN.: We are a strictly charitable organization and we have no relation with any terrorist organization. ARENA: Justice officials say they have been aware of a relationship between Holy Land and Infocom since before the September 11 attacks.

ASHCROFT: Both Infocom and Holy Land Foundation received their seed money from one of the defendants in the cases announced today, Moussa Abu Marzook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (on camera): The four of the brothers made an initial appearance in court today and said they understood the charges against them. On his way out of the courthouse, Ghassan Elashi told reporters: "I think we are victims here." Officials say the investigation into Infocom is wrapping up by the investigation into the Holy Land Foundation remains active -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena in Washington thanks very much, Kelly. And just moments ago we received this statement from one of the defense attorneys representing one of those alleged Hamas fundraisers. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE GIBSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So, I think we may have a situation where things were sent to the Middle East to a proper country and somehow ended up in a terrorist country and now they're trying to connect the dots and make it look like we intended to do that and I think at the end of the day if we can, and I think in American we can, get a fair hearing and a fair determination, I think we're going to come out all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We'll continue to cover this story, obviously another important story we're following in Texas. When we come back inside Prince Sultan Air Base here in Saudi Arabia, I'll take you on an exclusive tour of this U.S. base in Saudi Arabia. That's coming up at the half hour. But first off the hook, want to stop those annoying telemarketers from reaching you? A national do not call list may be just around the corner.

Plus, a former Klansman and Senate candidate indicted, David Duke facing time in prison. Find out why when we return. And crash, bang, boom, LAPD considers a ban on car crashes and chases. Would it be a free license for criminals, a closer look coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. In our Justice Files, a well known White power advocate faces now 15 months in prison after pleading guilty today to mail fraud and tax fraud. David Duke is to be sentenced March 19. The former Ku Klux Klan leader has been a member of the Louisiana legislature and he made unsuccessful races for Senator and governor. Prosecutors say Duke defrauded contributors and lied about his income on his 1998 tax return. A plan to ban most police car chases in Los Angeles is getting generally very favorable reviews. It was partially the result of a tragic accident that left children dead and injured. CNN's Anne McDermott reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Los Angeles leads the nation in police pursuits but too many of them, more than a third end like this and often end up hurting innocents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, he's getting on the on ramp, getting on the on ramp, oh my gosh. He's crazy.

MCDERMOTT: A baby boy lost an arm a couple of weeks ago after a car cops were chasing hit his family's van.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A horribly violent collision.

MCDERMOTT: And a four-year-old girl died this summer after another police pursuit ended badly. Now Chief of Police William Bratton, following the lead of other cities, wants to ban some of these chases and is now at work on a plan that might stop cops from pursuits that begin with traffic violations, which is how almost 60 percent of L.A. police pursuits begin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As he continues now through High Park, he is flying.

MCDERMOTT: In Los Angeles, live coverage of police pursuits has been a staple of local news for years, not necessarily because news directors like it, Jeff Wald doesn't, but viewers do.

JEFF WALD, WTLA NEWS DIRECTOR: There's a tremendous fascination in seeing the bad guy getting caught and that's just what it's all about.

MCDERMOTT: But LAPD Chief Bratton isn't so sure.

CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: It's risen to the level of entertainment rather than reporting of news in my perspective.

MCDERMOTT: It can be entertaining. Lots of Los Angelinos were transfixed by the sight of a stolen 7-Up truck crazily rounding corners dropping bottles like bombs. This one ended peacefully but, again, they don't always and not just in L.A. This one was in Las Vegas, Chicago, Philadelphia.

And smaller cities are not immune. This was Fresno just this week. The police say they have to do a balancing act, one that protects citizens and still allows them to nab the bad guys and sometimes there's a twist. This citizen thought the police were too slow to stop a pursuit and tried to end it himself. Amazingly it did end without any injuries.

Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: From Ground Zero to a rising monument, a preview of plans to rebuild the World Trade Center, also deals and steals on the Internet. We'll help you find the best buys for that last minute holiday shopping spree but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Totally baseless, that's the reaction of Iran's president Mohammed Khatami to U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Iran says the nuclear plan it's building will supply power not weapons.

Controversial cargo, remember the North Korean ship that was carrying Scud missiles from North Korea? The ship has finished unloading its cargo in Yemen. U.S. officials decided to allow the delivery after deciding it didn't violate any law.

Russia says it regrets the Bush administration's decision to deploy a missile defense system. The system is supposed to shield the United States from missile attacks but the Russian foreign ministry says it could spur a new arms race.

In high gear, actor Richard Gere helped open a home in India for women and children with AIDS. Gere also praised the people of India for supporting independence for Tibet.

Keep your money, that's what British actress Elizabeth Hurley is telling U.S. producer Steve Bing, the father of her eight-month-old son. Bing has offered almost $160,000 a year in child support but Hurley says the money is not wanted or welcome.

A swimming Santa, crowds visiting Japan's Sunshine Aquarium found more than fish. A familiar red-suited figure was in the water handing out Christmas goodies. Whether it involves sliding down chimneys or jumping into tanks, Santa seems to go everywhere, and that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Relief may finally be coming for millions of us from those annoying telemarketer phone calls. The Federal Trade Commission is planning a national don't call list like those already in place in several states. Let's get the report now from CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): His name is not important but at any given moment he may be one of the most unpopular people in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well is there a better time to call her back? FRANKEN: Millions hate those calls so much so that the Federal Trade Commission is taking action, establishing a national do not call registry.

TIMOTHY MURIS, FTC CHAIRMAN: We're giving consumers the option to protect, if they want, the privacy in their own homes.

FRANKEN: The Feds expect that 60 million Americans will sign up by a toll-free number or the Internet. If telemarketers persist, they could be in trouble.

MURIS: We are planning to assign a large number of people to monitor those complaints. We will be able to take violators into Federal Court where they'll be subject to penalties of up to $11,000.

FRANKEN: The $16 million would be financed by fees collected from the telemarketers themselves. Congress must approve and even after that it will take six months at least before the registry is up and running, and there are a substantial number of exceptions, charities, politicians, insurance companies, banks, telecommunications firms, and company that already has sold you something. The FTC rules will also curtail the dead air that accompanies so many of these automated solicitations and require caller ID. The telemarketers are considering a call of their own on the nearest courthouse.

JERRY CERSALE, DIRECT MARKETING ASSN.: We don't think the Federal Trade Commission has authority to establish this rule, statutory authority.

FRANKEN (on camera): Consumers are also taking matters into their own hands using those hands, for instance to install devices like this, a telezapper. Simply attach it to the phone and it sends out a tone. That's supposed to disrupt the call.

New blocking devices will undoubtedly continue to surface, which raises an interesting question. Will someone try to sell them to us over the phone? Bob Franken CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Here is your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you support a national "do not call" list for telemarketers? 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. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you, of course, can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

The Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott is finding himself increasingly under fire from some fellow Republicans; the latest Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. We get more now from CNN's Gary Tuchman in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator Trent Lott may be in a fight for his political life but today he went about his routine Senatorial duties. He spent part of the day inside here, his home office in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the small Senate office he was at for about two hours this morning.

Before that a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in the small casino town of Biloxi, 20 miles to the west of here, and he told us something interesting there. There's been speculation that if Lott lost his leadership post he might resign the U.S. Senate entirely and that scares Republicans to death because the governor of Mississippi is a Democrat who would then appoint a Democrat to the Senate seat. But today, Trent Lott told us he would not leave his Senate seat.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: There are simple things in life that become quite complicated. But quite simply, I was elected by the people of Mississippi to a six-year term. I've served two years of that contract. I have a contract and I'm going to fulfill it.

TUCHMAN: Now, Lott's words this morning came before we heard that Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee from Rhode Island is calling for Trent Lott to step down from his leadership post.

SEN. LINCOLN CHAFEE (R), RHODE ISLAND: It's strong to say racist but it doesn't help our party and he has a saying himself, we got to tie a wrap around the axle and he's effectively done that to the party right now.

TUCHMAN: Now, a short time ago I talked with Trent Lott's wife Tricia at their home here in Pascagoula. She told me over the past couple of days she's feeling a little better because she and her husband are getting a lot of support. But it's very clear this has been stressful for Tricia Lott and we imagine it's been stressful for her husband too. This is Gary Tuchman CNN in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up an exclusive look inside the Prince Sultan Air Base here in Saudi Arabia. I'll take you someplace you've never been before. Also, a melting mammoth, global warming takes its toll on Kilimanjaro. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Tech Sergeant Crutchfield (ph) from San Antonio, Texas. I'd like to wish my wife, Marci (ph) and Jesse a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And I hope to see you soon. I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Coming up, an exclusive inside look, the Prince Sultan Air Base, not far away from where I am right now.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Now to showdown Iraq. There's no war yet with Iraq, but don't tell that to some U.S. troops serving here in Saudi Arabia, who are putting their lives on the line every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): There may be a debate under way in rural capitals about going to war against Iraq. But for a select group of U.S. and British pilots at the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, that debate is effectively moot. For them, the war is well under way.

BRIG. GEN. DALE WATERS, DG-2 AIR EXPEDITIONARY WING: You know they've been trying for 10 years to shoot down an airplane. I think we've been lucky we haven't lost one. We keep a lot of great aircrews up there doing the mission and we have good intelligence. So I think we do it smart. But it's never zero risk.

BLITZER: Their war is a nearly daily occurrence. They patrol the so-called no-fly zone in southern Iraq and they engage in a deadly give and take with Iraqi anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles and fighter aircraft.

WATERS: They're shooting real bullets. They're not shooting BB guns at us. There's real bullets. There's real missiles. We have to be ready in any event to deal with that kind of threat.

BLITZER: This is the first time you are hearing directly from these American pilots here in Saudi Arabia since the Gulf War. After a lengthy give and take with U.S. and Saudi officials, CNN finally received permission to visit the Prince Sultan Base and talk directly with these men and women engaged in warfare.

Getting that permission was not easy, given the political sensitivities of recent years. The Saudi government has not been anxious to advertise its extensive military cooperation with the United States. They are aware of the fact that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terror network went on the war path against the Saudi royal family for allowing U.S. military forces to operate on what they regard as sacred, Muslim soil. But to anyone coming to this enormous facility, the quiet strategic cooperation quickly becomes evident.

(on camera): Hi, we're here at the Prince Sultan Air Base right in Saudi Arabia, obviously. It's home of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing. Look at the cooperation, though; you'll see that Major General Sa'eed Eselhabdowi (ph), he's the royal Saudi air force base commander. He's in charge of this huge, sprawling air base.

Brigadier General Dale C. Waters, he's the U.S. air wing commander. He's in charge of U.S. personnel here. It's a very sophisticated operation. It's a sprawling, huge air base. Their primary mission right now, at least from the U.S. side, to patrol the no-fly zone in Southern Iraq.

(voice-over): Getting to this base from Riyadh began around 6:00 a.m., when we finished loading our cars with equipment and started the 90-minute drive south. We were accompanied by our escort from the Saudi Ministry of Information, Khalid Mussa (ph). Given the fact that the Saudis are the host country for the U.S. military operation, they had to approve our journey.

After filling our gas tanks, we beat Riyadh's rush hour traffic, which, for a city of nearly five million people, can be awful. The drive through the desert went smoothly, as we passed industrial areas in various oil facilities.

Oil exports have brought wealth to this country. That was underlined by the impressive infrastructure we witnessed along the way. Good highways and power grids though there were some signs of the past as well. We finally reached the base where security, as you can imagine, is intense.

WATERS: We put up a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) wire and Jersey barriers to make our compound secure. We obviously benefit from the Saudi security that goes around the perimeter of the base. We also run random patrols, including (UNINTELLIGIBLE) patrols with the -- with Saudi security.

BLITZER: In the meantime, the pilots prepare for another day of cat-and-mouse warfare with the Iraqis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Tomorrow, I'll be speaking to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud. We'll have details on that tomorrow.

But when we come back, we'll switch gears. The clock is ticking on holiday shopping. We'll give you specific advice, what you can do to make sure those gifts arrive on time. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time is running out for the almost 61 million Americans who do a lot of their shopping online. Joining me now for some insight into what you can do to make sure your online purchases get where they are supposed to be going is Regina Lewis. She's an online adviser for AOL, which, of course, is the company owned by CNN's parent, AOL Time Warner.

Regina, thanks so much for joining us. If somebody wants to buy something online as a Christmas gift, do they still have time to make sure it gets to their friend or loved one on time?

REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Absolutely, in fact, plenty of time. Online orders can be placed as late as Monday, the 23rd. And I think Amazon says it all right on the front screen of their site, one word, relax.

Now, having said that, what you really want to do is shop in the next 10 hours, up to 12:00 midnight Pacific Time because you want to take advantage of standard and in some cases, free shipping offers while those are still there because, of course, they're going, going, gone and premium prices start to kick in.

BLITZER: So what are the best deals out there right now?

LEWIS: Well, here's how to approach it. Really approach it like a game. Keep in mind this is a very competitive business. They know people are after deals. Go to the deep discount sites like SmartBargains.com. and Overstock.com. Retailers are already starting to unload things, so you can find terrific deals there.

Also, when you get to that place and is says, "Plug in your special promotional code here" and you think, oh, shoot, I don't have that -- great tip -- go to Couponmountain.com. They have thousands of them there. Then, you'll have the code and probably get an extra 20 percent off.

And if you don't -- if you're not on a deadline, if you see something you'd like to get for yourself or you don't mind if it doesn't get for the holidays, think about waiting. A lot of these e- tailers are indicating that you can't imagine the sales they're going to have on the 25th and post-holiday when they also plan to kick back in on that free shipping offer.

BLITZER: Regina, are there other common mistakes that we have to try to avoid making?

LEWIS: You do want to read the fine print on those shipping deadlines and you do want to be mindful of the fact that time really isn't on your side. Again, the next 10 hours are critical.

Also, I think a common mistake is people giving up. They go to a site and it says -- well, Toys "R" Us for instance, if it's out of stock, game not over yet. One word, eBay. As soon as something is sold out, that scarcity fuels the eBay phenomenon. So some of those must-have toys, Spider-man comes to mind, some select Barbies and a lot of these interactive games are up for auction on eBay. Sometimes at, you know, twice the original retail price, but if you've got to have it, you'll find it there.

BLITZER: And what if you are really, really bad like I am and you always unfortunately wait until the really last moment to do that kind of shopping? What advice do you have?

LEWIS: Well, you're not alone, first of all. Online gift certificates are your friend. Every major retailer offers them and they also have an electronic version. So you can go to Giftcertificates.com, select the retailer you want the gift certificate for and the increment. Those can be e-mailed in a matter of seconds. You can send those as late as Christmas morning if you needed to.

BLITZER: Regina Lewis, she's an online adviser for AOL. Thanks for your excellent advice. We'll try to pay attention to it.

When we come back, we'll look at some new plans for the site of what once was the World Trade Center. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: In New York City today, dramatic new plans for the site of what once was the World Trade Center. CNN's Jason Carroll has details.

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JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twin decorative towers higher than the world's tallest building, a sculpted monument of steel nearly 1,800 feet tall. Some of the visions from seven architectural teams selected to design what should be built on the World Trade Center site.

NORMAN FOSTER, ARCHITECT: Everybody is moved by the occasion and everyone wants to contribute. This will be big. It's a very, very important debate.

CARROLL: Norman Foster's English firm proposed two towers that look like one, standing 1,765 feet tall. The twin towers were 1,368 feet. A German firm conceived a tower slightly taller, surrounded by smaller ones. A U.S. group came up with the design meant to look like two hands coming together, five buildings all connected with skyways. Each structure 1,100 feet.

RICHARD MAIER, ARCHITECT: It's a vertical building but it's also a horizontal building.

CARROLL: A team called Think thought up this -- two decorative towers each 2,100 feet. Several 30-story office buildings would surround them.

GREG LINEN, UNITED ARCHITECTS: These towers all unify and touch each other to provide not only incredible strength but unprecedented safety.

CARROLL: United Architects displayed a video of their vision, a transportation hub below, five towers above; the tallest 112 stories. The trade center was 110. A sky memorial connecting the towers at the 60th floor.

BARBARA LITTENBERG, ARCHITECT: This will be the first act of the new construction of lower Manhattan.

CARROLL: The New York husband/wife team, Peterson/Littenberg, offered a simple concept -- two towers, 1,400 feet, a large promenade on the ground.

Finally, the seventh team created a cluster of nine buildings some 80 stories high, a vertical city of its own. Six original designs for the World Trade Center site were rejected in July after criticism the concepts were uninspired. Some of the victims' families say the new designs are better in part because they leave more leeway to design a memorial later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was happy we didn't actually see someone say, "This is what a memorial should look like." Give us the space. CARROLL: All of the designs designate a site for a memorial, some below ground, others above. All include a transportation hub, office and outdoor space. The public's input is encouraged before a final decision is made in February.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good luck with all those sites. We'll be watching and continuing to report on the latest developments.

Meanwhile, time's running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." The question was this -- do you support a national "do not call list" for telemarketers? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: Welcome back. You may have heard that the snow on Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro is melting. Our "Picture of The Day" shows you exactly how quickly all this may be happening. This is a NASA animation based on photos from February 1993 and February 2000. Look at this, amazing. Experts think the snow will disappear entirely by 2015. They blame a variety of natural and man-made factors, including global warming.

Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Remember, we've been asking you this question -- do you support a national "do not call" list for telemarketers? Not surprisingly, 98 -- 98 percent of you say yes, two percent of you say no. I wonder who those two percent are? You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote by the way on our Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll though I would sense it's pretty accurate.

Let's go to some of your e-mails. We've been flooded with e- mails on a lot of issues. Let's get to these.

Jim writes this -- "The media focus too heavily on championing Bush's war policy. We need to hear more about the negative impact, like the intense loss of life, the high economic cost and the process of stabilizing Iraq after the war."

Verna sends us this note -- "We saw it coming; Iraq cannot please this administration in any way. If they are truly in "material breach," the American people and the world should be able to see the proof. The U.S. has one standard for North Korea, another for Iraq, and certainly a different one for ourselves."

Steve writes -- "The U.S. needs to stop playing into the hands of rogue countries like Iraq, Iran and North Korea. These thug nations keep the rest of the world wondering if there is going to be a tomorrow. We need to act now to get them and their leaders, like Saddam Hussein, out of power."

Remember, I want to hear from you. E-mail me your comments, your questions, CNN.com/Wolf. That's our web page.

One important note, while here in Saudi Arabia, I'm having a chance to speak to a wide range of opinions, just like the United States. People here do not necessarily agree on everything. One thing we will have a chance to take a close look at tomorrow on that base, the Prince Sultan Base, U.S. military women, how they're treated, not only, of course, on the base, but off the base. We'll speak to a woman who is a female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. We'll get a sense of what it's like for her to live here in Saudi Arabia.

That's all the time we have for this special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. Please join us again tomorrow at noon Eastern for "SHOWDOWN IRAQ" as well as WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Among other things, also tomorrow, you'll meet a man who worked at the Pentagon on September 11, saw the plane crash there and is now a volunteer to serve here in the Gulf. In his words, tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next.

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