Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Planes to Be Searched More Thoroughly; U.S. Troops Caught in Gun Battle in Karbala; Watchdog Group Alleges Track & Field Conspiracy

Aired October 17, 2003 - 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: It's happening right now. U.S. commercial passenger aircraft are about to go through beefed up security and screening. If you're planning on flying get ready for your plane to be searched more thoroughly. We'll tell you why.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Bags, box cutters, and a note, an urgent order to search all U.S. commercial flights.

Combat in Karbala, U.S. troops caught up in a deadly gun battle.

Designer doping, a watchdog group alleges a track and field conspiracy.

The kids are still all right. A legendary rock band, a legendary rock movie, I'll speak with Roger Daltrey of The Who.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Friday, October 17, 2003. Hello from New York City, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

It's a scare in the air with echoes of 9/11 raising serious concerns about airline security coast to coast and beyond. By government order the entire, yes, the entire U.S. commercial fleet must be searched in the next 24 hours. The reason someone apparently trying to prove a point smuggled box cutters and other items onto two commercial planes.

Also left behind mysterious notes challenging the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint security procedures and, although the FBI says it doesn't look like terrorism was involved the incident is once again putting airline security under scrutiny.

Let's go straight to Dallas, our Bureau Chief Ed Lavandera, he's standing by at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Ed, tell us what you know.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Wolf, Dallas is the home to corporate headquarters of Southwest Airlines and, as you mentioned here, someone trying very hard to get the attention of federal law enforcement officials that are in charge of keeping America's airways safe, simulating what's being described as a terrorist threat.

FBI Director Robert Mueller saying that not only is the FBI investigating but so is the Homeland Defense Department as well as the Transportation Security Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: What I will tell you is that the Joint Terrorism Task Force here is working with the Department of Homeland Security to follow up on swiftly on what was found.

I have also -- I talked to Tom Ridge to assure that we're doing everything possible to make certain that this investigation proceeds expeditiously. I will tell you that it does not appear to be a terrorist event and there is no imminent threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Well, let's talk about what several Southwest employees found aboard the two aircraft, one in New Orleans and on in Houston. There were two plastic bags containing clay inside of Play- Doh containers. There were also some box cutters found in there as well as bleach being held inside of a suntan lotion bottle as well.

Authorities and sources saying that the bleach could have been used, the threat to the simulation being that the bleach could have been used to be thrown in someone's eyes to slow them down as well.

Now, the notes are what authorities are paying especially close attention to. We understand that the notes do say that they were challenging the security, the Transportation Security Administration and how it conducts business in the security checkpoints at the hospital and sources also telling CNN that the notes also said that while the person believes the TSA is doing a good job that these items still managed to get onboard.

Southwest Airlines says it has already checked its entire fleet of 385 aircraft and are trying very hard to let people know today that they were not the focus of this incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGER HARDAGE, SOUTHWEST SPOKESWOMAN: They appear to be left by the same person and it's someone who appears to be targeting the Transportation Security Administration and its checkpoint procedures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now it appears that the same person, officials are working on the position that perhaps the same person was involved in these incidents but neither Southwest Airlines -- Southwest Airlines not saying who they might -- who might be behind this and whether or not it was an inside job. They will not answer those questions today -- Wolf. BLITZER: CNN's Ed Lavandera at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport for us, Ed thanks very much.

If any of you are planning on traveling tonight, tomorrow, the next few days, you might want to get to the airport even a little bit earlier to make sure you get there on time.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Do you think U.S. airline security is tight enough given the discovery of suspicious items on passenger planes"?

You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast and while you're there I'd like to hear directly 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, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

(BREAKING NEWS)

There's breaking news happening in the U.S. Congress right now, specifically the U.S. Senate. CNN's Jonathan Karl, our Congressional Correspondent standing by in the Senate to tell us precisely the fate of the president's $87 billion request for additional funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, the war on terror -- Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now on the floor of the United States Senate they are concluding the vote. Already more than 50 U.S. Senators have voted in favor of the president's request or almost exactly the president's request for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The final number by the way is no longer $87 billion because they did trim $1.85 billion of projects away from this bringing it down to now $85.1 billion, still a lot of money going almost all of it to Iraq, much of it to support the troops on the ground there, about $20 billion, now about $18 billion of that going for reconstruction in Iraq.

Now, Wolf, the House of Representatives also approved this earlier today. This will get to the president's desk but there's one big hurdle that still remains. The Senate bill includes a provision that the White House simply does not like at all.

It's a provision that makes half of the money for reconstruction in Iraq into a loan instead of an outright grant. That will be part of this Senate bill. It is not part of the House bill.

The White House will work very hard to get that stripped out as the two sides come together and try to iron out their differences but overall a victory for the president here. He will have the money he needs or says he needs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BLITZER: And that issue involving grants and loans will have to be thrashed out as Jonathan Karl says with the House of Representatives has a different perspective, that conference committee the compromise presumably will be in the works next week sometime. Thanks, Jon very much.

Let's go to Iraq right now where it's been a bloody 24 hours for U.S. troops. Four, repeat four, U.S. military police have been killed three of them in a marathon gun battle in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

CNN's Jane Arraf has this report right from the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the soldiers in Karbala were on alert after U.S. troops pulled out overnight. Bullet holes, blood stains, and resentment remained.

"We asked God and those in the west with consciences to find a solution to these forces that keep pushing us around" said neighborhood resident Mohammad (unintelligible).

(on camera): People here say these clashes are part of an ongoing struggle between occupation forces and parts of the Shia community and it's not over yet.

(voice-over): Officials say this gunfight started when U.S. military police, near the home of a cleric, tried to impose the evening curfew put in place after clashes this week between Shia groups vying for power. Gunfire continued into the day.

About 45 miles away in the holy city of Kufa cleric Moqtada Sadr whom the U.S. has threatened to arrest told followers the United States was trying to sow dissent in Karbala and tarnish the image of Islam. With U.S. troops trying to stay out of the holy cities, Spanish soldiers watched as Sadr supporters chanted their loyalty.

In Baghdad Friday another U.S. military policeman was killed and two others wounded by a homemade bomb. Despite that, the military says things are safer in the capital. Next week they say they will lift entirely a nighttime curfew in place since the end of the war. In Karbala, though, with its simmering religious and political tensions the curfew continues.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Karbala.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: With U.S. troops still under fire and the Bush administration's post-war policies also under attack is it all bad news?

Let's get some perspective now from Michael O'Hanlon. He's a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He's just back in recent days from Iraq and he's joining us now live.

Let's get first of all to the issue, Michael, about the grants versus loans. If there's $1 trillion worth of oil potentially in Iraq why shouldn't they be able to repay the U.S. taxpayer at some point down the road when they're an oil rich country and the oil is gushing out?

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I guess there are two arguments against that idea, Wolf. It may be an OK idea but there are two arguments against it. One is the symbolism that a lot of Arabs think we are going into Iraq to take the oil. This perception is already costing us on the ground and we reinforce this perception by giving a loan as opposed to a grant.

And, secondly, that the Iraqis cannot afford to repay loans anytime soon and to the extent we give them this crushing debt burden it's going to hamper their recovery. Now there may be ways to avoid those two problems but I think those are the counter arguments against the loan proposal or against this one.

BLITZER: The Bush administration insists that if the U.S. does include loans as opposed to all out grants or gifts that will discourage other countries from providing grants and discourage the French, the Germans, the Russians for forgiving some of the debt that the previous Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had built up. Is that a good argument?

O'HANLON: I think it is although my understanding is that Congress has been trying to put in an idea that says we will forgive our $10 billion loan if other countries forgive their loans as well.

And so, I think Congress is trying to address and come back at the president with a proposal that would try to accomplish that same objective in a different way. Frankly, I don't know for sure how the final bill read and I don't know if Congress' idea will work with the other countries to which Iraq owes money.

But if we all are owed money and then we all insist on some kind of reduction from our private creditors, from governments, perhaps we can take some burden off the Iraqis and ultimately turn this grant -- turn this loan into a grant instead of a partial loan.

BLITZER: The White House as you know, Michael, says we're not doing a good job, the national news media, telling the American people all the good things that are happening in Iraq. We're only focusing on the very, very bad. You were just there. What should the American people know about the positive things that are happening that they presumably don't know because we're not telling them?

O'HANLON: Well first, Wolf, I think you guys are doing a pretty good job. I think the president is being a little unfair to the media but I would emphasize a few points to backup this idea that there is some good progress going on on the ground.

The Iraqis are being trained to do security work themselves more and more, a lot more Iraqi police for example, so we begin to see hope for an exit strategy. We also begin to see hope for lifting the curfew and so forth.

Electricity levels nationwide are now back up to pre-war levels. Oil production levels have gone up quite a bit since April and May. You start to see a lot of the Ba'athists, the former Saddam loyalists being arrested and killed.

We probably have either arrested or killed 5,000 to 10,000 former Saddam loyalists and I doubt there are more than 20,000 or 30,000 who really want to fight. So, to the extent we can keep making progress in the counter insurgency, over time I think we'll prevail. That's the sort of good news.

There's certainly plenty of bad news and when you have four Americans killed in one day it's hard to make this look like a tea party, especially when the president did not prepare the country for the fact that this war was going to continue even after major combat operations were over.

BLITZER: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution thanks very much for joining us. Welcome back from your trip to Iraq also.

O'HANLON: Thank you. Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: The president, by the way, is on an eight-day whirlwind trip to Asia and Australia but there have already been a couple of bumps in the road.

Our Senior White House Correspondent John King is traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First stop Tokyo, the first mission trying to make amends for offending his host.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a good friend, very strong leader.

KING: All smiles after dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi but there were some ruffled feathers because of how the president's national security adviser described the visit a few days ago.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: During this layover the president will meet and dine with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi before departing Saturday morning for the Philippines.

KING: The Tokyo stop was just 17 hours, a good deal of that sleeping, but the Japanese would prefer to call it a thank you visit not a layover. Japan is pledging an immediate $1.5 billion for Iraq's reconstruction and perhaps $5 billion over the next several years. The prime minister also is considering sending Japanese troops to Iraq, something that doesn't sit well with these demonstrators.

So, on Air Force One en route to Tokyo a senior administration official tried to clarify things saying: "When you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies."

Mr. Bush himself put another close ally on the spot this week. Asked if he considered Australian Prime Minister John Howard his deputy sheriff in the war on terrorism Mr. Bush said he considered Australia the sheriff in Southeast Asia.

(on camera): The White House says the president simply meant he considers Australia an equal partner not in any way a deputy or second fiddle to the United States but the remark did not sit well with others in the region who take offense at time to what they consider the Bush administration's cowboy rhetoric.

John King, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Cracking down with less than a year to go until the Olympic games, allegations some athletes are caught up in a drug conspiracy.

From prisoner of war to hometown hero, a former Apache pilot speaks out about America's war in Iraq.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER DALTREY, MUSICIAN: How dare anybody stand in front of Keith Moon? That was his attitude. Someone should be on the front of the stage, singer at the back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Legends of rock, find out what else happened behind the scenes with The Who, first today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): What was the band called before it was 'The Who,' Aristocrats, The Detours, The High-Numbers, The Scorpions," the answer coming up?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN ENGLEMAN, NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: Passengers have reported to us that there are no warnings, no whistles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One big question hanging over the investigation of the Staten Island Ferry crash, where was the captain? We'll have a live report from the scene. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is a potentially shocking story. A watchdog group calls it a scandal already of the worst sort. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency which is a private non-profit group, says several track and field athletes have tested positive for a previously undetectable steroid and that chemists and coaches are in on what it calls a conspiracy.

CNN's Adrian Baschuk is in Colorado Springs, home of the group that's making the allegations -- Adrian tell us what's happening.

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good afternoon. Well, the United States Anti-Doping Agency has turned the investigation to the Justice Department. The DEA has not called THG a controlled substance just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK (voice-over): Dean Morrison (ph) is training for the Olympics cleanly.

DEAN MORRISON, ATHLETE: Being that I'm trying to stay clean myself and I would like to know that my competitors are being honorable.

BASCHUK: Morrison says he's always tried to lose weight not gain it. No U.S. Wrestling Team member has ever tested positive for illegal steroid use in domestic or international competition.

But a number of track and field athletes are now under investigation. Thursday the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a non-profit organization announced several athletes tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone or THG.

The USADA describes this as a conspiracy where chemists, coaches and athletes developed undetectable steroids. While the USADA has not called THG a controlled substance the U.S. track governing body outlawed the synthetic designer drug for its similar makeup to anabolic steroids.

How did all this start? Well, an unnamed coach sent a sample to the USADA. The agency says that it's fairly certain that the sample came from Balco Laboratories outside of San Francisco but the laboratory denies that it's the source of the sample.

Its CEO denying allegations also that THG is neither a controlled or illegal substance saying: "Just because it may be structurally similar does not mean that it has anabolic effects."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the pressure to perform at the professional level is a lot stronger than performing at the Olympic level and I think they're able to get away with a little bit more at the professional level than they are at the amateur level or the Olympic level.

BASCHUK: The former gold medal wrestler says there's a discrepancy in sports that there needs to be a uniform testing policy for both amateurs and pros.

Mark McGwire was under fire for taking a supplement commonly referred to as Andro. While Major League Baseball didn't ban it the NFL did. The NFL's VP says today that it will start testing its athletes for THG.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK: Now the big question here is what's the spillover effect? How are professional sports going to be handling this case since this was a previously undetectable steroid?

Now Major League Baseball issuing a statement, their executive VP saying that they were aware of it, that they did not test any of their athletes for it in 2003, and that there will be no retesting; however, the next season might be a different case -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Adrian Baschuk in Colorado Springs thanks for that comprehensive report.

New commitment, U.S. troops now being sent to another country in a trouble part of the world we'll tell you what's going on.

And, accused of murdering his wife and unborn son, Scott Peterson returned to court today and the judge issued a new change. We'll tell you what it is.

Plus this, teenagers today can probably still identify with their music and now The Who has a new project. I'll speak with the group's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Now to that tragic ferry crash which left ten people dead here in New York City on Wednesday. Why did the vessel go full throttle right into the dock? The investigation has been focusing in on the pilot and there are some new developments.

Let's go live to CNN's Michael Okwu. He's on Staten Island and he has the latest -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the headlines here today absolutely at this point no signs of mechanical failure and we understand that at this point toxicology tests on the co-captain are coming back negative.

Now, federal investigators say, however, that they will subpoena to try to get some tests done on the presence of prescription drugs. Now, one of the things that they are looking at is the possibility that Richard Smith, the co-captain here may have just plain old fainted, collapsed right before the crash as a result of some sort of preexisting medical condition.

He was responsible for docking the vessel and, of course, he's now in critical but stable condition after trying to commit suicide. Today, investigators said that next Tuesday they will interview Michael Gansas. Now, Gansas was the captain of the ship. He was supposed to be under city regulations in the wheelhouse with Smith. The question is was he and what, if anything, did he try to do to try to stop the accident?

Now, federal investigators say that they have had conflicting reports on what was actually going on in the wheelhouse but they did go on to say that that ship was moving at full speed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENGLEMAN: Passengers have reported to us that there were no warnings, no whistles. Regular passengers who knew the vessel have reported that they did feel it was going faster than normal. They indicated that they received a warning to get back and we're scheduling interviews with the emergency personnel who were either at the accident site or in the hospitals to discuss their views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Other key points made today those winds that we all talked about on Wednesday, no problem. Federal investigators say that under those conditions the vessel should have been able to steer and they also say that pending Coast Guard approval of the seaworthiness of this vessel they will likely take it to the Brooklyn Naval Yard tomorrow morning for further investigation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Michael Okwu with the latest on the ferry crash. Thanks very much, Michael, for that report.

A new date set for Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing tops today's Justice Report. It was scheduled to begin on Monday but it's now slated for October 28. This is the third time it's been changed because of scheduling conflicts with Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos. Peterson is charged with killing his wife Laci and their unborn son.

Jury selection is complete in the case of the Washington area sniper suspect John Muhammad. Opening statements are expected Monday morning in a trial prosecutors say could last six weeks. Meanwhile, preparations are being made to transfer co-defendant Lee Boyd Malvo to Virginia Beach for the trial.

And the man charged with the murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy is giving up the fight against extradition to Texas. Carlton Dotson has been held in Maryland since July in connection with his teammates shooting death. Texas authorities say Dotson has implicated himself. Dotson denies confessing to the crime.

Unrest in South America what it means for Americans, a new mission for the U.S. military.

And mission criticized, former POW Ron Young is out of the U.S. Army and speaking out about the mission that got him caught.

And soaring to new heights; the new skyscraper that now claims to be king of the world. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You know who he is, Roger Daltrey of The Who on the group's latest achievement and difficult loss. I'll speak with Roger Daltrey. He doesn't give many interviews. He'll speak with me. You'll watch it here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

We have a surprising story we're following. A former POW is speaking out about his failed mission in Iraq. You'll be surprised to hear what he has to say.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: One of the heroes of the war in Iraq is speaking out about the mission that left him a POW and questioning the wisdom behind it.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is joining us now live from Miami. She has the story -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.

It's been just about a week or so since Ron Young wound up his four-year hitch in the Army. And as he makes his plans for the future, including writing a book, he's now speaking in more detail about that mission that left him and co-pilot David Williams prisoners of war.

You'll remember the Army Apache pilots took heavy ground fire and went down over Iraq last March. Several other Apaches in their unit also were hit. Young and Williams were held prisoners of war for about three weeks before the rescue by Marines.

Young is now questioning some of the planning behind the mission. In his words, "the intelligence that led to the mission was apparently wrong." He says his unit was sent on -- quote -- "what more or less turned out to be a suicide mission because of all the AAA," -- that's anti-aircraft artillery fire. And Young adds the resistance, in his words, was "obviously a lot more than anyone anticipated." As he puts it, "Sometimes people make hasty decisions they probably wished they hadn't."

And Young told me that really what this amounted to was that the planners of this mission took a lot more ground fire than they had counted on. And perhaps, he says, it would have made more sense for the Air Force to send an aircraft first to kind of soften the enemy up, draw enemy fire, take out some of the enemy before sending in the helicopters to complete their mission, which was to clear the way for advancing troops. He adds, Look -- "look, I want to make it clear I am not bashing the army. I am not criticizing the troops. I fully support President Bush." He just wants to say what he thinks about this mission. And he says that he and co-pilot Williams are again writing that book about their experiences. But for now, he just wants to try to get used to civilian life that includes finishing up college, writing this book, and, perhaps, joining the Air Force, the Air National Guard -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Susan, any reaction to all of this from the Pentagon?

CANDIOTTI: Well, the Pentagon says that now he -- that he is a civilian, that Ron Young can pretty much say anything he wants to about completed missions, with the exception of classified material. But he may not be able to talk more freely once he joins the Air National Guard.

BLITZER: Susan Candiotti with the latest on that story. Thanks, Susan, very much.

A family's worst nightmare -- the search for their missing son comes to an end. We'll have a report from New Hampshire. That's straight ahead.

And padding your paycheck. Do you look down on your co-workers? There may be a connection.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER DALTREY, THE WHO: How could you not have a great sense of humor when you're in a band with Townshend and Moon? And it was the darkest humor on the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tales from the frontman. One of rock's most legendary bands poised for a comeback.

But first, let's take a look at some other news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): An FBI team is in Gaza investigating a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy. The team met for several hours with Palestinian police but have not had access to seven suspects being held. Three American security guards died in the bombing.

Chinese officials say a magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed at least three people in a southwest province. Dozens were injured, and at least 50 homes were destroyed. It's the second deadly quake to hit the area since July.

In just about eight hours, a fresh crew will lift off from Kazakhstan for the international space station. It will replace the current Russian-American crew who have been on board for six months. With the U.S. shuttle fleet grounded following the Columbia disaster, the Russian space program is the only way to reach the space station.

Work is complete on the world's new tallest building, Taipei 101. Located in Taiwan's capital, it soars 1,676 feet. That's 165 feet taller than the former record holder in Malaysia.

And in northeast Thailand, hundreds of thousands gathered for an annual spectacle along the Mekong River, the Nagov fireballs. Legend says they come from a serpent god, but some suspect they're caused by a gas rising from the river or even set off by people on the other side.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It doesn't get sadder than this. There's a very sad ending to a desperate search in New Hampshire. A little boy who went missing in the forest of the White Mountains was found dead today. Patric McCarthy vanished this week, a day after he celebrated his 10th birthday. Only within the past few moments, his father and stepmother spoke out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MCCARTHY, PATRIC'S FATHER: Patric's family would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who helped us look for Patric. Everything good in people was shown by the outpouring of support in the search effort, the state of New Hampshire, all the agencies involved, everyone from all over the region who came to help find Patric, the Salvation Army for taking care of everyone who was looking for our little boy, all our friends and relatives and all the people who were once strangers and are now part of our family. We thank you, we love you and will always remember Patric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our deepest sympathies.

Let's get some more on this very, very tragic story. Beth Germano, from affiliate WBZ, has this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH GERMANO, WBZ CORRESPONDENT: All along, search officials said this was not a case of foul play, but a case of a little boy lost. So search teams pressed on. But about mid-afternoon, word filtered through the hills that Patric had been found and the optimism turned to incredible sadness. The little boy, apparently located about 3 miles from where he was last seen, trying to take a shortcut to his parent's Loon Mountain condominium.

(voice-over): They're the faces of devastation for a 10-year-old who became everybody's son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's something about children who are lost or hurt that make a big difference.

GERMANO: Family members overcome by the news had to be supported as they emerged from the hills, an outcome they didn't want to plan for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were doubts in the back of my head here a lot of time. But I have a 7-year-old daughter at home I love very much. That's what kept me going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it was different. But he had some very tough nights to go through with all that rain and wind and freezing weather. I couldn't imagine anybody surviving in those woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a tough week for, you know, a 10- year-old to be out there for four nights. So, you know, at least we found him.

GERMANO (on camera): They never gave up here. As one volunteer said, "We tried so hard." And now there's an extended family that has taken Patric McCarthy into their hearts.

In Lincoln, New Hampshire, I'm Beth Germano for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And our deepest condolences, of course, to that family.

Let's go back to another story we've been covering this hour, the supposedly new doping scandal that could affect the U.S. track and field team going into the Olympic Games next summer.

For more on that, I'm joined from Cleveland, Ohio, by Craig Masback. He's head of the U.S. track and field, the sports national governing body.

Craig, thanks very much for joining us. Give us some perspective on this scandal. Is it a scandal?

CRAIG MASBACK, USA TRACK & FIELD: Well, I think it's too early to tell. We don't know how many people will be involved.

I'm calling it a triumph in this sense -- we already know we're testing and testing regularly. Our athletes can be tested for drugs 24/7, 365 days a year. And we've been doing that many years. So we think we've got the basic problem under control.

What we haven't been sure we have under control are the gurus, the guys that are going out and looking to prey on athletes who are willing to cheat and to try to provide them with these designer steroids. This initiative shows that if you target those people, you can get them and sweep some athletes up with that as well. That's a good story for all the other athletes. BLITZER: So what are you doing right now to make sure this new substance, this designer steroid, whatever it's being called, is not going to affect the U.S. Olympic team?

MASBACK: Well, I think it's safe to say that USADA, the drug testing agency, has put its foot down. They've discovered this steroid and they're going to test for it now regularly and tell all the testing labs around the world, You should test for this, too.

The key has to be to continue this effort. We've got to punish coaches who help athletes to cheat. We've got to encourage whistleblowers to come forward. We've asked the USOC, the U.S. Olympic Committee, to hire a private investigator, to do what the professional sports leagues do, to go and look for people who are trying to undermine fair play or the level playing field.

As I said, we've got a great basic system in place, which is making sure that the day-to-day testing goes on. But now you've got to reach out, you've got be proactive. This proves the value of doing that.

BLITZER: Craig Masback, good luck to you. Good luck to all the men and women on the USA track and field team. Appreciate your joining us.

MASBACK: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: They influenced a generation. And now, the legendary rock group The Who has a new reason for you to sing. My interview with the lead singer, Roger Daltrey -- that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked -- "What was the band called before it was named The Who?" There are actually two correct answers. The band was first called the Detours, and then the High- Numbers. In 1964, the group made its final name change to The Who, a suggestion by a friend of guitarist Pete Townshend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's hard to believe The Who has been around -- get this -- for 40 years. Now, fans can rediscover The Who in their prime and on DVD.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): At the height of American social rebellion, they were among the British bands at the vanguard.

In 1967, as the Beatles and Rolling Stones were figuring out just how far teenage discontent and hysteria could take them, The Who came across the Atlantic with a meaner brand of rock and roll that seemed to speak directly to the alienation and sense of anarchy so many young Americans were feeling.

You still feel it, decades later. Now, The Who is back with a restored version of their 1979 film "The Kids Are All Right."

But this release is so much more than an old movie, digitally enhanced. Classic footage of recording sessions, interviews with four young men whose names would become iconic -- John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon and Pete Townsend.

PETE TOWNSEND, MUSICIAN: That's the thing about The Who, is that we were all incredibly nasty.

BLITZER: Like their contemporaries, The Who could not avoid tragedy. Keith Moon, the drummer, who seemed to define the instability of rock's formative years, overdosed in 1978. Bass player John Entwistle died of a heart attack last year.

This celebration of their work takes us to their time, a period we can scarcely imagine now.

Like 1967, Americans' first collective glimpse of The Who's signature, instrument smashing, this time on "The Smothers Brothers Show." An incident which Tommy Smothers later said nearly got them thrown off the air.

We see performances that have become legend, songs, in Townsend's words and Daltrey's voice, that still get the blood pumping.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Roger Daltrey, thanks so much for joining us. It's a thrill for me personally. I go way back with your music. And we're thrilled about this new DVD. Tell us how it came out.

DALTREY: Well, it was a film we done -- we made in the late '70s. I think it was made by some fans from New York City. And they just wanted to make a fanzine that was a film. And we gave them loads of money, lots and lots of money, far too much money. We didn't know what we were doing. And they made this wonderful -- it's not really a documentary because it breaks so many rules, but it captures the full energy, the musical emotion and the power of The Who.

And it stands up today. It's been digitalized and restored. And I think it's better today than it was then. I think it's ahead of its time. I think "The New York Times" said about it at the time that this film is most woefully uninformative, woefully uninformative. And recently they just said that this film is a milestone in pop culture...

BLITZER: Now they're calling it...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: They're saying now it is exhilarating. That's a direct quote from this most recent "New York Times" review. You've already sold this new DVD, a quarter of a million copies only here in the United States. What makes you and The Who so powerful all these decades later?

DALTREY: I think it's a combination of things. I think, one, we were a good band. I mean, we were four very different individuals, very different personalities. But I think the most important thing of all was the music of Pete Townsend. He wrote music for adolescents from a place within himself, which took so much courage at that age to write about. He touches a spiritual part of the human psyche, and young people -- they all go through it. When they discover The Who at a young age, they think, wow, this guy is writing about me. So it continually goes around in a cycle. And the audience that grew up with us is still there, and our audience now is from 75 years old, we had kids as young as 6 in the audience these days. And it's amazing.

BLITZER: It is an amazing phenomenon. We were all saddened last year when you lost your bass player, the great John Entwistle. What was it like continuing on that concert tour without him there?

DALTREY: The hardest thing was making the decision to do the tour. It was such a shock when he died. But once we've made the decision to go on, we sat down very seriously and thought, now we can't go on, but then we realized that there were thousands of people depending on us for their pay, some of them. I mean, we were employing thousands of people across America.

So we thought, no, we can't just stop. It's not right. It's not rock and roll. And in our age group we are all in the drop zone, I'm afraid. It could be any day. Hopefully not tomorrow, but, you know, it could be any day.

So we made the decision. And once we made the decision, it was easy. The first show was -- I always said the most emotional show of my life was the 9/11 concert for the rescue workers in Madison Square Garden. I never thought it could get more emotional than that, but it did, on the first concert we played after John died at the Hollywood Bowl. That was the most difficult show that I've ever played in my life, but we got through it. And then the tour -- it was tough, because there were times when you're on your own, and that's when it was tough.

But the great thing about being on the stage is once we started playing the music, John was alive again, just like Keith Moon is, because he lives in that music and he will forever. That's the wonderful thing about music. It transcends this life.

BLITZER: And that's absolutely true. Roger Daltrey, The Who, we loved all of you guys for so many decades, especially those of my generation, but I'm glad to hear a new generation is growing up loving The Who as well. Roger, thanks very much for joining us.

DALTREY: It's great to be on your show. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: I'll see The Who when they're on tour in Washington, D.C. in January.

The results of our Web question, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You see the results of our Web question of the day. Remember, this is not a scientific poll. Finally, this, it turns out being tall goes a long way in the business world. A new study finds tall people tend to earn much more money throughout their lives than their shorter co-workers. Researchers say each extra inch in height adds almost $800 a year in pay.

That's it for me in New York. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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





in Gun Battle in Karbala; Watchdog Group Alleges Track & Field Conspiracy>


Aired October 17, 2003 - 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: It's happening right now. U.S. commercial passenger aircraft are about to go through beefed up security and screening. If you're planning on flying get ready for your plane to be searched more thoroughly. We'll tell you why.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Bags, box cutters, and a note, an urgent order to search all U.S. commercial flights.

Combat in Karbala, U.S. troops caught up in a deadly gun battle.

Designer doping, a watchdog group alleges a track and field conspiracy.

The kids are still all right. A legendary rock band, a legendary rock movie, I'll speak with Roger Daltrey of The Who.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Friday, October 17, 2003. Hello from New York City, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

It's a scare in the air with echoes of 9/11 raising serious concerns about airline security coast to coast and beyond. By government order the entire, yes, the entire U.S. commercial fleet must be searched in the next 24 hours. The reason someone apparently trying to prove a point smuggled box cutters and other items onto two commercial planes.

Also left behind mysterious notes challenging the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint security procedures and, although the FBI says it doesn't look like terrorism was involved the incident is once again putting airline security under scrutiny.

Let's go straight to Dallas, our Bureau Chief Ed Lavandera, he's standing by at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Ed, tell us what you know.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Wolf, Dallas is the home to corporate headquarters of Southwest Airlines and, as you mentioned here, someone trying very hard to get the attention of federal law enforcement officials that are in charge of keeping America's airways safe, simulating what's being described as a terrorist threat.

FBI Director Robert Mueller saying that not only is the FBI investigating but so is the Homeland Defense Department as well as the Transportation Security Administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: What I will tell you is that the Joint Terrorism Task Force here is working with the Department of Homeland Security to follow up on swiftly on what was found.

I have also -- I talked to Tom Ridge to assure that we're doing everything possible to make certain that this investigation proceeds expeditiously. I will tell you that it does not appear to be a terrorist event and there is no imminent threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Well, let's talk about what several Southwest employees found aboard the two aircraft, one in New Orleans and on in Houston. There were two plastic bags containing clay inside of Play- Doh containers. There were also some box cutters found in there as well as bleach being held inside of a suntan lotion bottle as well.

Authorities and sources saying that the bleach could have been used, the threat to the simulation being that the bleach could have been used to be thrown in someone's eyes to slow them down as well.

Now, the notes are what authorities are paying especially close attention to. We understand that the notes do say that they were challenging the security, the Transportation Security Administration and how it conducts business in the security checkpoints at the hospital and sources also telling CNN that the notes also said that while the person believes the TSA is doing a good job that these items still managed to get onboard.

Southwest Airlines says it has already checked its entire fleet of 385 aircraft and are trying very hard to let people know today that they were not the focus of this incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGER HARDAGE, SOUTHWEST SPOKESWOMAN: They appear to be left by the same person and it's someone who appears to be targeting the Transportation Security Administration and its checkpoint procedures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now it appears that the same person, officials are working on the position that perhaps the same person was involved in these incidents but neither Southwest Airlines -- Southwest Airlines not saying who they might -- who might be behind this and whether or not it was an inside job. They will not answer those questions today -- Wolf. BLITZER: CNN's Ed Lavandera at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport for us, Ed thanks very much.

If any of you are planning on traveling tonight, tomorrow, the next few days, you might want to get to the airport even a little bit earlier to make sure you get there on time.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Do you think U.S. airline security is tight enough given the discovery of suspicious items on passenger planes"?

You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast and while you're there I'd like to hear directly 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, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

(BREAKING NEWS)

There's breaking news happening in the U.S. Congress right now, specifically the U.S. Senate. CNN's Jonathan Karl, our Congressional Correspondent standing by in the Senate to tell us precisely the fate of the president's $87 billion request for additional funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, the war on terror -- Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now on the floor of the United States Senate they are concluding the vote. Already more than 50 U.S. Senators have voted in favor of the president's request or almost exactly the president's request for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The final number by the way is no longer $87 billion because they did trim $1.85 billion of projects away from this bringing it down to now $85.1 billion, still a lot of money going almost all of it to Iraq, much of it to support the troops on the ground there, about $20 billion, now about $18 billion of that going for reconstruction in Iraq.

Now, Wolf, the House of Representatives also approved this earlier today. This will get to the president's desk but there's one big hurdle that still remains. The Senate bill includes a provision that the White House simply does not like at all.

It's a provision that makes half of the money for reconstruction in Iraq into a loan instead of an outright grant. That will be part of this Senate bill. It is not part of the House bill.

The White House will work very hard to get that stripped out as the two sides come together and try to iron out their differences but overall a victory for the president here. He will have the money he needs or says he needs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BLITZER: And that issue involving grants and loans will have to be thrashed out as Jonathan Karl says with the House of Representatives has a different perspective, that conference committee the compromise presumably will be in the works next week sometime. Thanks, Jon very much.

Let's go to Iraq right now where it's been a bloody 24 hours for U.S. troops. Four, repeat four, U.S. military police have been killed three of them in a marathon gun battle in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

CNN's Jane Arraf has this report right from the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the soldiers in Karbala were on alert after U.S. troops pulled out overnight. Bullet holes, blood stains, and resentment remained.

"We asked God and those in the west with consciences to find a solution to these forces that keep pushing us around" said neighborhood resident Mohammad (unintelligible).

(on camera): People here say these clashes are part of an ongoing struggle between occupation forces and parts of the Shia community and it's not over yet.

(voice-over): Officials say this gunfight started when U.S. military police, near the home of a cleric, tried to impose the evening curfew put in place after clashes this week between Shia groups vying for power. Gunfire continued into the day.

About 45 miles away in the holy city of Kufa cleric Moqtada Sadr whom the U.S. has threatened to arrest told followers the United States was trying to sow dissent in Karbala and tarnish the image of Islam. With U.S. troops trying to stay out of the holy cities, Spanish soldiers watched as Sadr supporters chanted their loyalty.

In Baghdad Friday another U.S. military policeman was killed and two others wounded by a homemade bomb. Despite that, the military says things are safer in the capital. Next week they say they will lift entirely a nighttime curfew in place since the end of the war. In Karbala, though, with its simmering religious and political tensions the curfew continues.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Karbala.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: With U.S. troops still under fire and the Bush administration's post-war policies also under attack is it all bad news?

Let's get some perspective now from Michael O'Hanlon. He's a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He's just back in recent days from Iraq and he's joining us now live.

Let's get first of all to the issue, Michael, about the grants versus loans. If there's $1 trillion worth of oil potentially in Iraq why shouldn't they be able to repay the U.S. taxpayer at some point down the road when they're an oil rich country and the oil is gushing out?

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I guess there are two arguments against that idea, Wolf. It may be an OK idea but there are two arguments against it. One is the symbolism that a lot of Arabs think we are going into Iraq to take the oil. This perception is already costing us on the ground and we reinforce this perception by giving a loan as opposed to a grant.

And, secondly, that the Iraqis cannot afford to repay loans anytime soon and to the extent we give them this crushing debt burden it's going to hamper their recovery. Now there may be ways to avoid those two problems but I think those are the counter arguments against the loan proposal or against this one.

BLITZER: The Bush administration insists that if the U.S. does include loans as opposed to all out grants or gifts that will discourage other countries from providing grants and discourage the French, the Germans, the Russians for forgiving some of the debt that the previous Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had built up. Is that a good argument?

O'HANLON: I think it is although my understanding is that Congress has been trying to put in an idea that says we will forgive our $10 billion loan if other countries forgive their loans as well.

And so, I think Congress is trying to address and come back at the president with a proposal that would try to accomplish that same objective in a different way. Frankly, I don't know for sure how the final bill read and I don't know if Congress' idea will work with the other countries to which Iraq owes money.

But if we all are owed money and then we all insist on some kind of reduction from our private creditors, from governments, perhaps we can take some burden off the Iraqis and ultimately turn this grant -- turn this loan into a grant instead of a partial loan.

BLITZER: The White House as you know, Michael, says we're not doing a good job, the national news media, telling the American people all the good things that are happening in Iraq. We're only focusing on the very, very bad. You were just there. What should the American people know about the positive things that are happening that they presumably don't know because we're not telling them?

O'HANLON: Well first, Wolf, I think you guys are doing a pretty good job. I think the president is being a little unfair to the media but I would emphasize a few points to backup this idea that there is some good progress going on on the ground.

The Iraqis are being trained to do security work themselves more and more, a lot more Iraqi police for example, so we begin to see hope for an exit strategy. We also begin to see hope for lifting the curfew and so forth.

Electricity levels nationwide are now back up to pre-war levels. Oil production levels have gone up quite a bit since April and May. You start to see a lot of the Ba'athists, the former Saddam loyalists being arrested and killed.

We probably have either arrested or killed 5,000 to 10,000 former Saddam loyalists and I doubt there are more than 20,000 or 30,000 who really want to fight. So, to the extent we can keep making progress in the counter insurgency, over time I think we'll prevail. That's the sort of good news.

There's certainly plenty of bad news and when you have four Americans killed in one day it's hard to make this look like a tea party, especially when the president did not prepare the country for the fact that this war was going to continue even after major combat operations were over.

BLITZER: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution thanks very much for joining us. Welcome back from your trip to Iraq also.

O'HANLON: Thank you. Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: The president, by the way, is on an eight-day whirlwind trip to Asia and Australia but there have already been a couple of bumps in the road.

Our Senior White House Correspondent John King is traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First stop Tokyo, the first mission trying to make amends for offending his host.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a good friend, very strong leader.

KING: All smiles after dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi but there were some ruffled feathers because of how the president's national security adviser described the visit a few days ago.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: During this layover the president will meet and dine with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi before departing Saturday morning for the Philippines.

KING: The Tokyo stop was just 17 hours, a good deal of that sleeping, but the Japanese would prefer to call it a thank you visit not a layover. Japan is pledging an immediate $1.5 billion for Iraq's reconstruction and perhaps $5 billion over the next several years. The prime minister also is considering sending Japanese troops to Iraq, something that doesn't sit well with these demonstrators.

So, on Air Force One en route to Tokyo a senior administration official tried to clarify things saying: "When you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies."

Mr. Bush himself put another close ally on the spot this week. Asked if he considered Australian Prime Minister John Howard his deputy sheriff in the war on terrorism Mr. Bush said he considered Australia the sheriff in Southeast Asia.

(on camera): The White House says the president simply meant he considers Australia an equal partner not in any way a deputy or second fiddle to the United States but the remark did not sit well with others in the region who take offense at time to what they consider the Bush administration's cowboy rhetoric.

John King, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Cracking down with less than a year to go until the Olympic games, allegations some athletes are caught up in a drug conspiracy.

From prisoner of war to hometown hero, a former Apache pilot speaks out about America's war in Iraq.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER DALTREY, MUSICIAN: How dare anybody stand in front of Keith Moon? That was his attitude. Someone should be on the front of the stage, singer at the back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Legends of rock, find out what else happened behind the scenes with The Who, first today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): What was the band called before it was 'The Who,' Aristocrats, The Detours, The High-Numbers, The Scorpions," the answer coming up?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN ENGLEMAN, NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: Passengers have reported to us that there are no warnings, no whistles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One big question hanging over the investigation of the Staten Island Ferry crash, where was the captain? We'll have a live report from the scene. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is a potentially shocking story. A watchdog group calls it a scandal already of the worst sort. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency which is a private non-profit group, says several track and field athletes have tested positive for a previously undetectable steroid and that chemists and coaches are in on what it calls a conspiracy.

CNN's Adrian Baschuk is in Colorado Springs, home of the group that's making the allegations -- Adrian tell us what's happening.

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good afternoon. Well, the United States Anti-Doping Agency has turned the investigation to the Justice Department. The DEA has not called THG a controlled substance just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK (voice-over): Dean Morrison (ph) is training for the Olympics cleanly.

DEAN MORRISON, ATHLETE: Being that I'm trying to stay clean myself and I would like to know that my competitors are being honorable.

BASCHUK: Morrison says he's always tried to lose weight not gain it. No U.S. Wrestling Team member has ever tested positive for illegal steroid use in domestic or international competition.

But a number of track and field athletes are now under investigation. Thursday the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a non-profit organization announced several athletes tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone or THG.

The USADA describes this as a conspiracy where chemists, coaches and athletes developed undetectable steroids. While the USADA has not called THG a controlled substance the U.S. track governing body outlawed the synthetic designer drug for its similar makeup to anabolic steroids.

How did all this start? Well, an unnamed coach sent a sample to the USADA. The agency says that it's fairly certain that the sample came from Balco Laboratories outside of San Francisco but the laboratory denies that it's the source of the sample.

Its CEO denying allegations also that THG is neither a controlled or illegal substance saying: "Just because it may be structurally similar does not mean that it has anabolic effects."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the pressure to perform at the professional level is a lot stronger than performing at the Olympic level and I think they're able to get away with a little bit more at the professional level than they are at the amateur level or the Olympic level.

BASCHUK: The former gold medal wrestler says there's a discrepancy in sports that there needs to be a uniform testing policy for both amateurs and pros.

Mark McGwire was under fire for taking a supplement commonly referred to as Andro. While Major League Baseball didn't ban it the NFL did. The NFL's VP says today that it will start testing its athletes for THG.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK: Now the big question here is what's the spillover effect? How are professional sports going to be handling this case since this was a previously undetectable steroid?

Now Major League Baseball issuing a statement, their executive VP saying that they were aware of it, that they did not test any of their athletes for it in 2003, and that there will be no retesting; however, the next season might be a different case -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Adrian Baschuk in Colorado Springs thanks for that comprehensive report.

New commitment, U.S. troops now being sent to another country in a trouble part of the world we'll tell you what's going on.

And, accused of murdering his wife and unborn son, Scott Peterson returned to court today and the judge issued a new change. We'll tell you what it is.

Plus this, teenagers today can probably still identify with their music and now The Who has a new project. I'll speak with the group's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Now to that tragic ferry crash which left ten people dead here in New York City on Wednesday. Why did the vessel go full throttle right into the dock? The investigation has been focusing in on the pilot and there are some new developments.

Let's go live to CNN's Michael Okwu. He's on Staten Island and he has the latest -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the headlines here today absolutely at this point no signs of mechanical failure and we understand that at this point toxicology tests on the co-captain are coming back negative.

Now, federal investigators say, however, that they will subpoena to try to get some tests done on the presence of prescription drugs. Now, one of the things that they are looking at is the possibility that Richard Smith, the co-captain here may have just plain old fainted, collapsed right before the crash as a result of some sort of preexisting medical condition.

He was responsible for docking the vessel and, of course, he's now in critical but stable condition after trying to commit suicide. Today, investigators said that next Tuesday they will interview Michael Gansas. Now, Gansas was the captain of the ship. He was supposed to be under city regulations in the wheelhouse with Smith. The question is was he and what, if anything, did he try to do to try to stop the accident?

Now, federal investigators say that they have had conflicting reports on what was actually going on in the wheelhouse but they did go on to say that that ship was moving at full speed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENGLEMAN: Passengers have reported to us that there were no warnings, no whistles. Regular passengers who knew the vessel have reported that they did feel it was going faster than normal. They indicated that they received a warning to get back and we're scheduling interviews with the emergency personnel who were either at the accident site or in the hospitals to discuss their views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Other key points made today those winds that we all talked about on Wednesday, no problem. Federal investigators say that under those conditions the vessel should have been able to steer and they also say that pending Coast Guard approval of the seaworthiness of this vessel they will likely take it to the Brooklyn Naval Yard tomorrow morning for further investigation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Michael Okwu with the latest on the ferry crash. Thanks very much, Michael, for that report.

A new date set for Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing tops today's Justice Report. It was scheduled to begin on Monday but it's now slated for October 28. This is the third time it's been changed because of scheduling conflicts with Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos. Peterson is charged with killing his wife Laci and their unborn son.

Jury selection is complete in the case of the Washington area sniper suspect John Muhammad. Opening statements are expected Monday morning in a trial prosecutors say could last six weeks. Meanwhile, preparations are being made to transfer co-defendant Lee Boyd Malvo to Virginia Beach for the trial.

And the man charged with the murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy is giving up the fight against extradition to Texas. Carlton Dotson has been held in Maryland since July in connection with his teammates shooting death. Texas authorities say Dotson has implicated himself. Dotson denies confessing to the crime.

Unrest in South America what it means for Americans, a new mission for the U.S. military.

And mission criticized, former POW Ron Young is out of the U.S. Army and speaking out about the mission that got him caught.

And soaring to new heights; the new skyscraper that now claims to be king of the world. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You know who he is, Roger Daltrey of The Who on the group's latest achievement and difficult loss. I'll speak with Roger Daltrey. He doesn't give many interviews. He'll speak with me. You'll watch it here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

We have a surprising story we're following. A former POW is speaking out about his failed mission in Iraq. You'll be surprised to hear what he has to say.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: One of the heroes of the war in Iraq is speaking out about the mission that left him a POW and questioning the wisdom behind it.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is joining us now live from Miami. She has the story -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.

It's been just about a week or so since Ron Young wound up his four-year hitch in the Army. And as he makes his plans for the future, including writing a book, he's now speaking in more detail about that mission that left him and co-pilot David Williams prisoners of war.

You'll remember the Army Apache pilots took heavy ground fire and went down over Iraq last March. Several other Apaches in their unit also were hit. Young and Williams were held prisoners of war for about three weeks before the rescue by Marines.

Young is now questioning some of the planning behind the mission. In his words, "the intelligence that led to the mission was apparently wrong." He says his unit was sent on -- quote -- "what more or less turned out to be a suicide mission because of all the AAA," -- that's anti-aircraft artillery fire. And Young adds the resistance, in his words, was "obviously a lot more than anyone anticipated." As he puts it, "Sometimes people make hasty decisions they probably wished they hadn't."

And Young told me that really what this amounted to was that the planners of this mission took a lot more ground fire than they had counted on. And perhaps, he says, it would have made more sense for the Air Force to send an aircraft first to kind of soften the enemy up, draw enemy fire, take out some of the enemy before sending in the helicopters to complete their mission, which was to clear the way for advancing troops. He adds, Look -- "look, I want to make it clear I am not bashing the army. I am not criticizing the troops. I fully support President Bush." He just wants to say what he thinks about this mission. And he says that he and co-pilot Williams are again writing that book about their experiences. But for now, he just wants to try to get used to civilian life that includes finishing up college, writing this book, and, perhaps, joining the Air Force, the Air National Guard -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Susan, any reaction to all of this from the Pentagon?

CANDIOTTI: Well, the Pentagon says that now he -- that he is a civilian, that Ron Young can pretty much say anything he wants to about completed missions, with the exception of classified material. But he may not be able to talk more freely once he joins the Air National Guard.

BLITZER: Susan Candiotti with the latest on that story. Thanks, Susan, very much.

A family's worst nightmare -- the search for their missing son comes to an end. We'll have a report from New Hampshire. That's straight ahead.

And padding your paycheck. Do you look down on your co-workers? There may be a connection.

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER DALTREY, THE WHO: How could you not have a great sense of humor when you're in a band with Townshend and Moon? And it was the darkest humor on the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tales from the frontman. One of rock's most legendary bands poised for a comeback.

But first, let's take a look at some other news making headlines "Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): An FBI team is in Gaza investigating a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy. The team met for several hours with Palestinian police but have not had access to seven suspects being held. Three American security guards died in the bombing.

Chinese officials say a magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed at least three people in a southwest province. Dozens were injured, and at least 50 homes were destroyed. It's the second deadly quake to hit the area since July.

In just about eight hours, a fresh crew will lift off from Kazakhstan for the international space station. It will replace the current Russian-American crew who have been on board for six months. With the U.S. shuttle fleet grounded following the Columbia disaster, the Russian space program is the only way to reach the space station.

Work is complete on the world's new tallest building, Taipei 101. Located in Taiwan's capital, it soars 1,676 feet. That's 165 feet taller than the former record holder in Malaysia.

And in northeast Thailand, hundreds of thousands gathered for an annual spectacle along the Mekong River, the Nagov fireballs. Legend says they come from a serpent god, but some suspect they're caused by a gas rising from the river or even set off by people on the other side.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It doesn't get sadder than this. There's a very sad ending to a desperate search in New Hampshire. A little boy who went missing in the forest of the White Mountains was found dead today. Patric McCarthy vanished this week, a day after he celebrated his 10th birthday. Only within the past few moments, his father and stepmother spoke out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MCCARTHY, PATRIC'S FATHER: Patric's family would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who helped us look for Patric. Everything good in people was shown by the outpouring of support in the search effort, the state of New Hampshire, all the agencies involved, everyone from all over the region who came to help find Patric, the Salvation Army for taking care of everyone who was looking for our little boy, all our friends and relatives and all the people who were once strangers and are now part of our family. We thank you, we love you and will always remember Patric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our deepest sympathies.

Let's get some more on this very, very tragic story. Beth Germano, from affiliate WBZ, has this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH GERMANO, WBZ CORRESPONDENT: All along, search officials said this was not a case of foul play, but a case of a little boy lost. So search teams pressed on. But about mid-afternoon, word filtered through the hills that Patric had been found and the optimism turned to incredible sadness. The little boy, apparently located about 3 miles from where he was last seen, trying to take a shortcut to his parent's Loon Mountain condominium.

(voice-over): They're the faces of devastation for a 10-year-old who became everybody's son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's something about children who are lost or hurt that make a big difference.

GERMANO: Family members overcome by the news had to be supported as they emerged from the hills, an outcome they didn't want to plan for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were doubts in the back of my head here a lot of time. But I have a 7-year-old daughter at home I love very much. That's what kept me going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it was different. But he had some very tough nights to go through with all that rain and wind and freezing weather. I couldn't imagine anybody surviving in those woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a tough week for, you know, a 10- year-old to be out there for four nights. So, you know, at least we found him.

GERMANO (on camera): They never gave up here. As one volunteer said, "We tried so hard." And now there's an extended family that has taken Patric McCarthy into their hearts.

In Lincoln, New Hampshire, I'm Beth Germano for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And our deepest condolences, of course, to that family.

Let's go back to another story we've been covering this hour, the supposedly new doping scandal that could affect the U.S. track and field team going into the Olympic Games next summer.

For more on that, I'm joined from Cleveland, Ohio, by Craig Masback. He's head of the U.S. track and field, the sports national governing body.

Craig, thanks very much for joining us. Give us some perspective on this scandal. Is it a scandal?

CRAIG MASBACK, USA TRACK & FIELD: Well, I think it's too early to tell. We don't know how many people will be involved.

I'm calling it a triumph in this sense -- we already know we're testing and testing regularly. Our athletes can be tested for drugs 24/7, 365 days a year. And we've been doing that many years. So we think we've got the basic problem under control.

What we haven't been sure we have under control are the gurus, the guys that are going out and looking to prey on athletes who are willing to cheat and to try to provide them with these designer steroids. This initiative shows that if you target those people, you can get them and sweep some athletes up with that as well. That's a good story for all the other athletes. BLITZER: So what are you doing right now to make sure this new substance, this designer steroid, whatever it's being called, is not going to affect the U.S. Olympic team?

MASBACK: Well, I think it's safe to say that USADA, the drug testing agency, has put its foot down. They've discovered this steroid and they're going to test for it now regularly and tell all the testing labs around the world, You should test for this, too.

The key has to be to continue this effort. We've got to punish coaches who help athletes to cheat. We've got to encourage whistleblowers to come forward. We've asked the USOC, the U.S. Olympic Committee, to hire a private investigator, to do what the professional sports leagues do, to go and look for people who are trying to undermine fair play or the level playing field.

As I said, we've got a great basic system in place, which is making sure that the day-to-day testing goes on. But now you've got to reach out, you've got be proactive. This proves the value of doing that.

BLITZER: Craig Masback, good luck to you. Good luck to all the men and women on the USA track and field team. Appreciate your joining us.

MASBACK: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: They influenced a generation. And now, the legendary rock group The Who has a new reason for you to sing. My interview with the lead singer, Roger Daltrey -- that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked -- "What was the band called before it was named The Who?" There are actually two correct answers. The band was first called the Detours, and then the High- Numbers. In 1964, the group made its final name change to The Who, a suggestion by a friend of guitarist Pete Townshend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's hard to believe The Who has been around -- get this -- for 40 years. Now, fans can rediscover The Who in their prime and on DVD.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): At the height of American social rebellion, they were among the British bands at the vanguard.

In 1967, as the Beatles and Rolling Stones were figuring out just how far teenage discontent and hysteria could take them, The Who came across the Atlantic with a meaner brand of rock and roll that seemed to speak directly to the alienation and sense of anarchy so many young Americans were feeling.

You still feel it, decades later. Now, The Who is back with a restored version of their 1979 film "The Kids Are All Right."

But this release is so much more than an old movie, digitally enhanced. Classic footage of recording sessions, interviews with four young men whose names would become iconic -- John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon and Pete Townsend.

PETE TOWNSEND, MUSICIAN: That's the thing about The Who, is that we were all incredibly nasty.

BLITZER: Like their contemporaries, The Who could not avoid tragedy. Keith Moon, the drummer, who seemed to define the instability of rock's formative years, overdosed in 1978. Bass player John Entwistle died of a heart attack last year.

This celebration of their work takes us to their time, a period we can scarcely imagine now.

Like 1967, Americans' first collective glimpse of The Who's signature, instrument smashing, this time on "The Smothers Brothers Show." An incident which Tommy Smothers later said nearly got them thrown off the air.

We see performances that have become legend, songs, in Townsend's words and Daltrey's voice, that still get the blood pumping.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Roger Daltrey, thanks so much for joining us. It's a thrill for me personally. I go way back with your music. And we're thrilled about this new DVD. Tell us how it came out.

DALTREY: Well, it was a film we done -- we made in the late '70s. I think it was made by some fans from New York City. And they just wanted to make a fanzine that was a film. And we gave them loads of money, lots and lots of money, far too much money. We didn't know what we were doing. And they made this wonderful -- it's not really a documentary because it breaks so many rules, but it captures the full energy, the musical emotion and the power of The Who.

And it stands up today. It's been digitalized and restored. And I think it's better today than it was then. I think it's ahead of its time. I think "The New York Times" said about it at the time that this film is most woefully uninformative, woefully uninformative. And recently they just said that this film is a milestone in pop culture...

BLITZER: Now they're calling it...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: They're saying now it is exhilarating. That's a direct quote from this most recent "New York Times" review. You've already sold this new DVD, a quarter of a million copies only here in the United States. What makes you and The Who so powerful all these decades later?

DALTREY: I think it's a combination of things. I think, one, we were a good band. I mean, we were four very different individuals, very different personalities. But I think the most important thing of all was the music of Pete Townsend. He wrote music for adolescents from a place within himself, which took so much courage at that age to write about. He touches a spiritual part of the human psyche, and young people -- they all go through it. When they discover The Who at a young age, they think, wow, this guy is writing about me. So it continually goes around in a cycle. And the audience that grew up with us is still there, and our audience now is from 75 years old, we had kids as young as 6 in the audience these days. And it's amazing.

BLITZER: It is an amazing phenomenon. We were all saddened last year when you lost your bass player, the great John Entwistle. What was it like continuing on that concert tour without him there?

DALTREY: The hardest thing was making the decision to do the tour. It was such a shock when he died. But once we've made the decision to go on, we sat down very seriously and thought, now we can't go on, but then we realized that there were thousands of people depending on us for their pay, some of them. I mean, we were employing thousands of people across America.

So we thought, no, we can't just stop. It's not right. It's not rock and roll. And in our age group we are all in the drop zone, I'm afraid. It could be any day. Hopefully not tomorrow, but, you know, it could be any day.

So we made the decision. And once we made the decision, it was easy. The first show was -- I always said the most emotional show of my life was the 9/11 concert for the rescue workers in Madison Square Garden. I never thought it could get more emotional than that, but it did, on the first concert we played after John died at the Hollywood Bowl. That was the most difficult show that I've ever played in my life, but we got through it. And then the tour -- it was tough, because there were times when you're on your own, and that's when it was tough.

But the great thing about being on the stage is once we started playing the music, John was alive again, just like Keith Moon is, because he lives in that music and he will forever. That's the wonderful thing about music. It transcends this life.

BLITZER: And that's absolutely true. Roger Daltrey, The Who, we loved all of you guys for so many decades, especially those of my generation, but I'm glad to hear a new generation is growing up loving The Who as well. Roger, thanks very much for joining us.

DALTREY: It's great to be on your show. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: I'll see The Who when they're on tour in Washington, D.C. in January.

The results of our Web question, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You see the results of our Web question of the day. Remember, this is not a scientific poll. Finally, this, it turns out being tall goes a long way in the business world. A new study finds tall people tend to earn much more money throughout their lives than their shorter co-workers. Researchers say each extra inch in height adds almost $800 a year in pay.

That's it for me in New York. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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





in Gun Battle in Karbala; Watchdog Group Alleges Track & Field Conspiracy>