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CNN Live Today
Uneasy Allies; 'Daily Dose'
Aired March 16, 2004 - 11:31 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines. At this hour, gunmen are targeting civilians in Iraq. Four American missionaries died in a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul. One survivor clings to life. Elsewhere, two Germans and three Iraqis were killed in separate attacks.
The leaders of France and Germany are expressing solidarity with Spain following the attack on Madrid's rail network. Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder meeting in Paris, pledged to stand firm against terrorists, but Schroeder made a point of saying military force isn't the only solution.
Here in the U.S., pop diva Whitney Houston is in drug rehab this morning. The Grammy Award-winning singer has admitted that she abused drugs in the past, but claimed she got past help of the problem with some prayer. Houston and Husband Bobby Brown's stormy relationship has kept them in the public eye lately. They live in Atlanta, Georgia.
And he's moving on op. Furloughed factory worker Tim Rivers says he and his wife, Pam, will trade in their southern Indiana mobile home for a house now that they're big Powerball winner. His cash option ticket brings him $50 million before taxes. He was laid off from a tractor factory last week.
When it come to the war on terror, President Bush may have his work cut out for him, especially when it comes to convincing European leaders that his strategy is the right one.
Dana Bash details on this latest appeal for solidarity.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CORRESPONDENT: Good morning from a rainy White House, Daryn.
The president made his first comments this morning since the key ally in Spain, at least his successor, was defeated on Sunday, and he used his public comments to try to make the case that just because somebody who was anti-war and perhaps anti-U.S. policy won in Spain, it should not be sent as a signal, or seen as a signal, to terrorists that they have won.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Terrorists will kill innocent life in order to try to get the world to cower. I think their -- these are cold-blooded killers. I mean, they'll kill innocent people to try to shake our will. That's what they're going to do. And they'll never shake the will of the United States. We understand the stakes. And we will work with our friends to bring justice to the terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the president made his remarks in the Oval Office, next to a prime minister who is in a situation not unlike that of prime minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, of course, the prime minister of the Netherlands. He has also bucked the will of his people to support the war, even sent a small contingent of troops, a little more than 1,000, to Iraq.
Now a Dutch reporter told President Bush while in the Oval Office that many people in his country want those troops to be pulled back, just like Spain is now threatening to do. The president said he would tell the Dutch people, those who want to remove the troops in Iraq, is that they need to keep in mind that the Iraqi citizens want to be free, and the troops should stay there in order to help that happen -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House.
Dana, thank you.
The president was also asked today about the flap surrounding John Kerry's claim that some foreign leaders hope that he defeat Mr. Bush this November. That story tops our campaign update, and Candy Crowley is in Washington with that.
Candy, good morning.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
You're right, Republicans have seized on Senator Kerry's comments, obviously sensing there may be some political gain there. A little while ago, President Bush said Senator Kerry should, in effect, put up or shot up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Senator Kerry, for his part, is having none of it. When asked yesterday about GOP criticism, he said Republicans are trying to distract the American people from more pressing issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... been trying to change the subject from jobs, health care, the environment, Social Security. They don't have a campaign so they're trying to divert it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: A new poll published today shows Kerry trailing bush by 3 points among registered voters nationwide. Kerry's support has slipped from the last "New York Times"/CBS News poll in late February, when the senator was a point ahead of the president. When independent candidate Ralph Nader is factored in, Mr. Bush's support holds steady, while Kerry loses ground.
A late winter snowstorm, plus an already decided presidential race, won't help turnout for today's Illinois presidential primary. On the other hand, both parties are picking nominees for a U.S. Senate seat. Seven Democrats and eight Republicans are vying to replace retiring Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald.
Politics never stops, but once in a while, presidential candidates and even presidents actually take a vacation. This afternoon, on INSIDE POLITICS, visit some of the spots where world and political leader goes to get away from it all, or not. I'll also talk with top official from the Bush and Kerry camps. That's at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. But now, we want to go back to Daryn in Atlanta -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Candy, thank you so much, Candy Crowley in Washington D.C.
I want to get back to the breaking news story that we're following out of Gaza City, our Paula Hancock standing by in Jerusalem for the latest on this alleged missile attack on a house in Gaza City -- Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, the latest we do know from Palestinian medical sources is that there are two dead, also 10 injured, three of those we're being told by our sources, are being critically injured.
Now what happened just about half an hour ago, there were three missiles from either Israeli apache helicopters or F-16s, which hit a house in Gaza City, in the northern part of Gaza City, in the northern part of Gaza City, in the Nasser neighborhood. Now that house was completely destroyed. Sources on the scene are telling us that no one actually owned that house, but there could have been people hiding in the house and no one officially living there.
So two people dead at the moment we know, 10 injured, three critically. This is in the Nasser neighborhood, which is in the northern part of Gaza City, which is very built up albeit, very dense, densely populated. So' we don't know whether or not those casualties would have been within the house or whether they would have been bystanders.
But it's significant that this comes just a couple of hours after the Israeli security cabinet voted to approve a number of military operations against terrorist groups in Gaza and around, after the suicide attack in the Israeli port of Ashdod (ph) no Sunday, which killed 10 Israelis. That's the reason the Security Council was meeting, and they did decide that they would continue their targeted killings as well of terror figures, of particular figures that they consider to be terrorists, whether in Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
But the latest we can tell you from Gaza City itself, Palestinian medical sources telling us that two have died in the raids that happened just about half an hour ago. Ten are injured. Three of those are critically injured -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Paula Hancock, with the latest from Jerusalem. Thank you for that.
We have health news coming up ahead. Are you having trouble giving up cigarettes? You are obviously not alone. There might be some surprise factors working against you that you aren't even aware of. That story next in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
And a secret ritual ends in a fatal accident. Now the spotlight's on a group that's been shrouded in secrecy for centuries: uncovering the masons, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Of course we know the dangers of smoking, the leading cause of preventable death here in the U.S., and we all know that kicking the habit is very difficult. There is a new study, though, shedding light on how race and weight can play a role in quitting.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has our daily dose of health news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kicking nicotine has been compared to kicking a cocaine habit. Even heroin.
TOM GLYNN, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Nicotine is a very addicting drug. It's a real challenge for people to quit.
GUPTA: So what does it take to quit? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania compared smokers using a nicotine patch to those using nicotine nasal spray. And they found the spray works better for African-Americans. Why?
GLYNN: African-Americans may be metabolizing nicotine a little differently than white Americans. And so, basically, need some more nicotine. And the nasal spray can provide that very quickly.
GUPTA: The study also found the nasal spray is more effective for obese people. That's because eating and smoking may be linked to a similar reward pathway in the brain and a chemical called dopamine. And so the researchers believe the nasal spray may immediately simulate the same feeling of satisfaction that food and smoking provide.
And if you are highly addicted, whatever your race and weight, the nasal spray, also according to this study, seems to work better. It allows you to pump whenever a craving calls.
GLYNN: Before this, we were kind of reduced to licking our finger and saying, OK, let's say which way the wind is blowing and make a prediction. Now, we can say, OK, for you, here, this may be the best medication.
GUPTA: So, is the patch useful? Well, these researchers say yes. That is, if you stick with it. The patch will help you become smoke-free, especially if you add in another key ingredient, counseling.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Whether it's kicking the habit or beating obesity, you can get your daily dose of health news online. You'll find the latest medical headlines. There's also a health guide from CNN and the Mayo Clinic. The address is CNN.com/health.
What was supposed to be initiation ceremony ended in death. Now the ultrasecret world of the Masons is out in the open and under the microscope. We're taking a closer look, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A Long Island man is facing manslaughter charges now after a Masonic initiation rite ended in tragedy. Police say that WWII veteran Albert Ide (ph) shot William James in the head. Ide was meant to fire a gun with blanks, but investigators say he pulled one with real guns out of his pocket instead. Police believe the shooting was purely accidentally. But they don't know why Ide had a loaded gun with him during the secretive ceremony.
The secret Masons are one of the oldest fraternal organizations, dating to the 1600s in England. Let's learn more about this secret group. Steven Bullock is a professor of history with a focus on colonial America, and he's also the author of "Revolutionary Brotherhood." He join us from near Boston this morning.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
PROF. STEVEN BULLOCK, AUTHOR, "THE REVOLUTIONARY BROTHERHOOD": Good morning. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: Who are the Freemasons?
BULLOCK: Well, the Freemasons are a group of men that's an international fraternity, and their concerns are simply fellowship with each other, charity, mutual age and improving themselves and their society.
KAGAN: Some pretty famous members, though.
BULLOCK: They've had an enormous number of really important people, starting from, in America, Benjamin Franklin through George Washington, through Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and all the way up to Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, J. Edgar Hoover.
KAGAN: So what's with all the secrets?
BULLOCK: All the secrecy originally begins with the origins of Freemasonry. And craft organizations in England, you know, the guilds. And so secrecy carries through. The function of secrecy and Masonry is really to create the kind of atmosphere within the lodge that can teach the lessons that these rituals attempt to develop.
KAGAN: So...
BULLOCK: If anyone can read the rituals, if they were open, they wouldn't that appealing. The significance is the participation and learning of those lessons.
KAGAN: so if you take away what happened in this latest incident, does this necessarily look like a sinister organization?
BULLOCK: Well, certainly it does to a lot of people. A lot of people over the years -- in fact, since the beginnings of masonry as a fraternal society, which begins somewhere in the early 1700s, in England. Since the beginning, there have been opponents of Masons, right starting with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1730s, a ban on Catholics participating, which goes up until today.
KAGAN: So Catholics aren't allowed to join this organization?
BULLOCK: Catholics are officially not allow to join, although there are numerous Catholics who have joined anyway.
KAGAN: Is that from the church saying you can't join, or is that from the organization saying we don't want you?
BULLOCK: It's church that opposes it. Masons themselves accept people of all religious beliefs; as long as you believe in a supreme being, you are free to join the Masons.
KAGAN: And just real quickly, when you're talking about secret society, symbolism, so many people have read "Da Vinci Code" recently. It's almost kind of like a page out of there, with these secret organizations.
BULLOCK: There's a long history of ideas that secret organizations kind of run things, and operate secretly to run through the -- to try to run the world, and it's, you know, all the way up to "The Simpsons," today, the great episode about the Stone Cutters, people who keep the metric system from operating because they basically run the world.
KAGAN: Interesting. Thanks for giving us a peek behind the curtain, professor. Appreciate your time.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: Now we have news coming to us out of Islamabad, Pakistan, and that is a battle taking place along the Pakistani/Afghanistan border, a battle with suspected terrorists. This, of course, is what's referred to as the lawless border with Afghanistan. Twenty- four people were killed, 18 captured, and eight Pakistani troops lost in battle. U.S. and Pakistani officials believe that the remnants of the Taliban, also members of al Qaeda are living in this area, and also potentially Osama bin Laden. On the other side of the border, on the Afghanistan side, it is well known that the U.S. military known to be planning a spring offensive. So the pressure ratcheting up on the Pakistan border, on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan.
(WEATHER REPORT)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 16, 2004 - 11:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines. At this hour, gunmen are targeting civilians in Iraq. Four American missionaries died in a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul. One survivor clings to life. Elsewhere, two Germans and three Iraqis were killed in separate attacks.
The leaders of France and Germany are expressing solidarity with Spain following the attack on Madrid's rail network. Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder meeting in Paris, pledged to stand firm against terrorists, but Schroeder made a point of saying military force isn't the only solution.
Here in the U.S., pop diva Whitney Houston is in drug rehab this morning. The Grammy Award-winning singer has admitted that she abused drugs in the past, but claimed she got past help of the problem with some prayer. Houston and Husband Bobby Brown's stormy relationship has kept them in the public eye lately. They live in Atlanta, Georgia.
And he's moving on op. Furloughed factory worker Tim Rivers says he and his wife, Pam, will trade in their southern Indiana mobile home for a house now that they're big Powerball winner. His cash option ticket brings him $50 million before taxes. He was laid off from a tractor factory last week.
When it come to the war on terror, President Bush may have his work cut out for him, especially when it comes to convincing European leaders that his strategy is the right one.
Dana Bash details on this latest appeal for solidarity.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CORRESPONDENT: Good morning from a rainy White House, Daryn.
The president made his first comments this morning since the key ally in Spain, at least his successor, was defeated on Sunday, and he used his public comments to try to make the case that just because somebody who was anti-war and perhaps anti-U.S. policy won in Spain, it should not be sent as a signal, or seen as a signal, to terrorists that they have won.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Terrorists will kill innocent life in order to try to get the world to cower. I think their -- these are cold-blooded killers. I mean, they'll kill innocent people to try to shake our will. That's what they're going to do. And they'll never shake the will of the United States. We understand the stakes. And we will work with our friends to bring justice to the terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the president made his remarks in the Oval Office, next to a prime minister who is in a situation not unlike that of prime minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, of course, the prime minister of the Netherlands. He has also bucked the will of his people to support the war, even sent a small contingent of troops, a little more than 1,000, to Iraq.
Now a Dutch reporter told President Bush while in the Oval Office that many people in his country want those troops to be pulled back, just like Spain is now threatening to do. The president said he would tell the Dutch people, those who want to remove the troops in Iraq, is that they need to keep in mind that the Iraqi citizens want to be free, and the troops should stay there in order to help that happen -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House.
Dana, thank you.
The president was also asked today about the flap surrounding John Kerry's claim that some foreign leaders hope that he defeat Mr. Bush this November. That story tops our campaign update, and Candy Crowley is in Washington with that.
Candy, good morning.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
You're right, Republicans have seized on Senator Kerry's comments, obviously sensing there may be some political gain there. A little while ago, President Bush said Senator Kerry should, in effect, put up or shot up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Senator Kerry, for his part, is having none of it. When asked yesterday about GOP criticism, he said Republicans are trying to distract the American people from more pressing issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... been trying to change the subject from jobs, health care, the environment, Social Security. They don't have a campaign so they're trying to divert it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: A new poll published today shows Kerry trailing bush by 3 points among registered voters nationwide. Kerry's support has slipped from the last "New York Times"/CBS News poll in late February, when the senator was a point ahead of the president. When independent candidate Ralph Nader is factored in, Mr. Bush's support holds steady, while Kerry loses ground.
A late winter snowstorm, plus an already decided presidential race, won't help turnout for today's Illinois presidential primary. On the other hand, both parties are picking nominees for a U.S. Senate seat. Seven Democrats and eight Republicans are vying to replace retiring Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald.
Politics never stops, but once in a while, presidential candidates and even presidents actually take a vacation. This afternoon, on INSIDE POLITICS, visit some of the spots where world and political leader goes to get away from it all, or not. I'll also talk with top official from the Bush and Kerry camps. That's at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. But now, we want to go back to Daryn in Atlanta -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Candy, thank you so much, Candy Crowley in Washington D.C.
I want to get back to the breaking news story that we're following out of Gaza City, our Paula Hancock standing by in Jerusalem for the latest on this alleged missile attack on a house in Gaza City -- Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, the latest we do know from Palestinian medical sources is that there are two dead, also 10 injured, three of those we're being told by our sources, are being critically injured.
Now what happened just about half an hour ago, there were three missiles from either Israeli apache helicopters or F-16s, which hit a house in Gaza City, in the northern part of Gaza City, in the northern part of Gaza City, in the Nasser neighborhood. Now that house was completely destroyed. Sources on the scene are telling us that no one actually owned that house, but there could have been people hiding in the house and no one officially living there.
So two people dead at the moment we know, 10 injured, three critically. This is in the Nasser neighborhood, which is in the northern part of Gaza City, which is very built up albeit, very dense, densely populated. So' we don't know whether or not those casualties would have been within the house or whether they would have been bystanders.
But it's significant that this comes just a couple of hours after the Israeli security cabinet voted to approve a number of military operations against terrorist groups in Gaza and around, after the suicide attack in the Israeli port of Ashdod (ph) no Sunday, which killed 10 Israelis. That's the reason the Security Council was meeting, and they did decide that they would continue their targeted killings as well of terror figures, of particular figures that they consider to be terrorists, whether in Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
But the latest we can tell you from Gaza City itself, Palestinian medical sources telling us that two have died in the raids that happened just about half an hour ago. Ten are injured. Three of those are critically injured -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Paula Hancock, with the latest from Jerusalem. Thank you for that.
We have health news coming up ahead. Are you having trouble giving up cigarettes? You are obviously not alone. There might be some surprise factors working against you that you aren't even aware of. That story next in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
And a secret ritual ends in a fatal accident. Now the spotlight's on a group that's been shrouded in secrecy for centuries: uncovering the masons, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Of course we know the dangers of smoking, the leading cause of preventable death here in the U.S., and we all know that kicking the habit is very difficult. There is a new study, though, shedding light on how race and weight can play a role in quitting.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has our daily dose of health news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kicking nicotine has been compared to kicking a cocaine habit. Even heroin.
TOM GLYNN, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Nicotine is a very addicting drug. It's a real challenge for people to quit.
GUPTA: So what does it take to quit? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania compared smokers using a nicotine patch to those using nicotine nasal spray. And they found the spray works better for African-Americans. Why?
GLYNN: African-Americans may be metabolizing nicotine a little differently than white Americans. And so, basically, need some more nicotine. And the nasal spray can provide that very quickly.
GUPTA: The study also found the nasal spray is more effective for obese people. That's because eating and smoking may be linked to a similar reward pathway in the brain and a chemical called dopamine. And so the researchers believe the nasal spray may immediately simulate the same feeling of satisfaction that food and smoking provide.
And if you are highly addicted, whatever your race and weight, the nasal spray, also according to this study, seems to work better. It allows you to pump whenever a craving calls.
GLYNN: Before this, we were kind of reduced to licking our finger and saying, OK, let's say which way the wind is blowing and make a prediction. Now, we can say, OK, for you, here, this may be the best medication.
GUPTA: So, is the patch useful? Well, these researchers say yes. That is, if you stick with it. The patch will help you become smoke-free, especially if you add in another key ingredient, counseling.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Whether it's kicking the habit or beating obesity, you can get your daily dose of health news online. You'll find the latest medical headlines. There's also a health guide from CNN and the Mayo Clinic. The address is CNN.com/health.
What was supposed to be initiation ceremony ended in death. Now the ultrasecret world of the Masons is out in the open and under the microscope. We're taking a closer look, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A Long Island man is facing manslaughter charges now after a Masonic initiation rite ended in tragedy. Police say that WWII veteran Albert Ide (ph) shot William James in the head. Ide was meant to fire a gun with blanks, but investigators say he pulled one with real guns out of his pocket instead. Police believe the shooting was purely accidentally. But they don't know why Ide had a loaded gun with him during the secretive ceremony.
The secret Masons are one of the oldest fraternal organizations, dating to the 1600s in England. Let's learn more about this secret group. Steven Bullock is a professor of history with a focus on colonial America, and he's also the author of "Revolutionary Brotherhood." He join us from near Boston this morning.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
PROF. STEVEN BULLOCK, AUTHOR, "THE REVOLUTIONARY BROTHERHOOD": Good morning. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: Who are the Freemasons?
BULLOCK: Well, the Freemasons are a group of men that's an international fraternity, and their concerns are simply fellowship with each other, charity, mutual age and improving themselves and their society.
KAGAN: Some pretty famous members, though.
BULLOCK: They've had an enormous number of really important people, starting from, in America, Benjamin Franklin through George Washington, through Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and all the way up to Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, J. Edgar Hoover.
KAGAN: So what's with all the secrets?
BULLOCK: All the secrecy originally begins with the origins of Freemasonry. And craft organizations in England, you know, the guilds. And so secrecy carries through. The function of secrecy and Masonry is really to create the kind of atmosphere within the lodge that can teach the lessons that these rituals attempt to develop.
KAGAN: So...
BULLOCK: If anyone can read the rituals, if they were open, they wouldn't that appealing. The significance is the participation and learning of those lessons.
KAGAN: so if you take away what happened in this latest incident, does this necessarily look like a sinister organization?
BULLOCK: Well, certainly it does to a lot of people. A lot of people over the years -- in fact, since the beginnings of masonry as a fraternal society, which begins somewhere in the early 1700s, in England. Since the beginning, there have been opponents of Masons, right starting with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1730s, a ban on Catholics participating, which goes up until today.
KAGAN: So Catholics aren't allowed to join this organization?
BULLOCK: Catholics are officially not allow to join, although there are numerous Catholics who have joined anyway.
KAGAN: Is that from the church saying you can't join, or is that from the organization saying we don't want you?
BULLOCK: It's church that opposes it. Masons themselves accept people of all religious beliefs; as long as you believe in a supreme being, you are free to join the Masons.
KAGAN: And just real quickly, when you're talking about secret society, symbolism, so many people have read "Da Vinci Code" recently. It's almost kind of like a page out of there, with these secret organizations.
BULLOCK: There's a long history of ideas that secret organizations kind of run things, and operate secretly to run through the -- to try to run the world, and it's, you know, all the way up to "The Simpsons," today, the great episode about the Stone Cutters, people who keep the metric system from operating because they basically run the world.
KAGAN: Interesting. Thanks for giving us a peek behind the curtain, professor. Appreciate your time.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: Now we have news coming to us out of Islamabad, Pakistan, and that is a battle taking place along the Pakistani/Afghanistan border, a battle with suspected terrorists. This, of course, is what's referred to as the lawless border with Afghanistan. Twenty- four people were killed, 18 captured, and eight Pakistani troops lost in battle. U.S. and Pakistani officials believe that the remnants of the Taliban, also members of al Qaeda are living in this area, and also potentially Osama bin Laden. On the other side of the border, on the Afghanistan side, it is well known that the U.S. military known to be planning a spring offensive. So the pressure ratcheting up on the Pakistan border, on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan.
(WEATHER REPORT)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
