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CNN Live Today

Hostage's Family Pleads for Safe Return; Report Details 9/11 Plot

Aired June 16, 2004 - 11:13 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, ANCHOR: But we have an exclusive interview that we want to bring to our viewers, not just here, but all around the world. It concerns the death threat against an American kidnapped in Saudi Arabia and the disturbing images of the man being held hostage.
Paul Johnson's captors posted a videotape on an al Qaeda-linked Web site where he identifies himself by name. First, a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL JOHNSON, HELD HOSTAGE: Paul Marshall Johnson Jr., American citizen. I'm an American citizen of the United States. I fly an Apache helicopter. I work on an Apache helicopter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can only imagine how disturbing that has been for Paul Johnson's relative to watch that videotape.

They have chosen to speak only with CNN about their ordeal and the ordeal that Paul Johnson faces right now. And they join us from an undisclosed location in New Jersey. And they're with our Deborah Feyerick.

Deborah, we'll let you take it from here.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks.

First of all, we are all so grateful that you're joining us. Paul Johnson III, the son of the American captive, Donna Mayeux, his sister. We know this is excruciating for your whole family.

First of all, is there any doubt that the man in the video is Paul Johnson Jr.?

PAUL JOHNSON III, FATHER HELD HOSTAGE: Yes, that's my father.

DONNA MAYEUX, BROTHER HELD HOSTAGE: Yes.

FEYERICK: You see him captive. How does he appear to you? How does he sound to you?

JOHNSON: He sounds good. It looks like he's not being mistreated or anything.

MAYEUX: When we viewed the video, we were able to see that this is serious. And I'd just like to say that my brother is an honorable man. He's always treated people with dignity and respect.

And I'm sure they were able to see that as they've spoken with him, and our family just pleads for his safe return.

FEYERICK: You see the kidnappers. One is behind him. Clearly, one is there shooting the video. What goes through your mind?

MAYEUX: For me, it's disbelief. My brother always felt safe in Saudi Arabia. He never feared living there.

FEYERICK: Did he ever consider listening to the embassy warnings for Americans to leave Riyadh, to leave Saudi Arabia?

JOHNSON: He's been there for over ten years, and he likes working with the Saudis. He respects their culture. And there was never a problem -- he respected everything they believed in.

FEYERICK: With the recent attacks, did you speak to him over the last couple of weeks? Did he ever say, "Things are getting bad, you know. I'm begin to perhaps maybe be fearful for my safety. I'm looking over my shoulder more"? Did he ever say any of those things to you when you spoke?

JOHNSON: No.

MAYEUX: No.

FEYERICK: The last conversation you had with him, what was his demeanor what was he saying to you?

JOHNSON: The last conversation I had with him, we were all supposed to be reunited later this year, in Thailand, because he's building a house over there, and we were just all going to get together for the holidays, and all be together as a family. And that's the last I've heard from my father.

FEYERICK: So you were going to spend Christmas there, that was the plan?

He has a wife in Riyadh. Have you spoken with her?

JOHNSON: Yes. And she's waiting for my father to come through the front door. And it's hard for her being so far -- and we're here. And I'm thinking about her constantly. I know what she's going through. And we're trying to get through this.

FEYERICK: He was taken on Saturday. How have you been spending your days since that abduction?

JOHNSON: I've been constantly on the phone, trying to get a hold of senators and just try to get a hold of somebody that can give me answers, and that's all I want.

FEYERICK: Paul's mom is not well. Your mom, your grandmother. Does she know that there's a 72-hour deadline? MAYEUX: No, she does not. We -- She has not viewed the video. I told her that he's alive. And that this is serious. But we did not discuss any demands with her, because her health is fragile.

FEYERICK: Donna, you've watched the video of previous captives, and now you're in that same position. Can you describe that?

MAYEUX: It's disbelief. It's -- I guess it's something that you never think is going to hit home, to your own family. We kind of feel numb.

FEYERICK: The U.S. government, the Saudi government, says that their policy is not to negotiate with terrorists. What do you say to the governments?

JOHNSON: The governments, you know, we know what they want, and my father, I know he's an innocent victim in this whole matter. And I plead with the Saudi government and the group of men that are holding my father, to please let him return home safely.

He will leave your country. You will never see him again. I just plead with them to -- to get him home safely.

FEYERICK: The kidnappers who are holding him, what do you want them to know about your dad and about his family?

JOHNSON: My -- my father is a loving father. He's a grandfather. He would give his shirt off the back to them if he knew them. And he respected -- he respected the Saudis.

FEYERICK: What is...

MAYEUX: He's an innocent man. Killing him is not going to solve anything. We would just like his safe return. My mother, his wife, my niece, and my three girls, we would just like his safe return.

FEYERICK: Now, Paul, we know that you've brought your son here. He's 3 years old. He's never seen his grandfather. I guess Christmas was going to be when he saw him.

What is the message that you have for your dad right now?

JOHNSON: I just want him to be brought home safely.

MAYEUX: We're doing everything we can to bring him home. Everybody's trying to help. We appreciate that.

JOHNSON: I just plead with the Saudis to please do whatever you take -- if you got to -- I'm -- we're all human. Just, please.

He's done a lot for your country. I respect your country. I respect -- I respect everything that everybody's done. And I just want to see my father brought home safely.

And the Saudis -- you can make it happen. And I'm just asking you, please make this happen. He's -- he does not deserve this. And he was just doing his job, and let's please just bring him home. And the group of people holding him, just please -- he don't deserve this.

MAYEUX: We just -- we just ask that he treat him with the dignity and respect that he's often talked about, that they have in their culture, just please, please don't murder them. Murder him.

FEYERICK: OK. Your son is here. He seems a little bit upset. I know that you want to show him to your father, if, in fact, your father is watching, or perhaps the men who are holding him are watching. But I don't know if he wants to come over.

JOHNSON: Yes. Paul, come here.

FEYERICK: And, Paul, this is your wife.

JOHNSON: This is my wife Jodie.

FEYERICK: What do you want to say to your father about your son?

JOHNSON: I want to say I know the group of help that got my father, you guys are probably fathers. And just please let him come home and be a grandfather.

And this is Paul Marshall Johnson IV. I -- My father gave me his name. And I honored my father so much I gave him, my son, his name. And I just want to -- a safe return. And I'm optimistic with -- the Saudis can get him home safely.

FEYERICK: We thank all of you very much.

Daryn, there will be candlelight vigils throughout New Jersey tomorrow. Also, in Florida, where Paul Marshall III lives, Paul Marshall Johnson III lives. And right now, the whole family just waiting for some positive word -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A very, very difficult time. Deborah, thank you, to you, and express our thought, especially, to the Johnson family.

And that was excruciating to watch. But as you can tell, just so important for the Johnson family that they felt they want to share their love for their father, the man held captive right now in Saudi Arabia, talking only to CNN.

Wanted to get the word out to the kidnappers that Paul Johnson, simply a man, they say, doing their job, a man who respects Saudi culture, has lived there for 10 years. And a man they say they simply want to see come home.

We'll have much more ahead. Right now a good time to take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The commission investigating the September 11 attacks examines how the horrific terror plot unfolded. That panel is holding its final hearing today and tomorrow.

Our David Ensor joins us from Washington with the latest.

David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, the 9/11 commission staff have just released a 20-page, densely written report, providing a wealth of new detail about the 9/11 plot and exactly how it was conducted.

I'll just give you a few of the highlights.

First of all, they saw the plot cost around $500,000, about $270,000 of that spent in the U.S. They say that the hijackers, while they were in the United States, were actually in constant contact with each other by e-mail and cell phone.

They say that on flight 93, the flight that we all remember, landed up in a field in Pennsylvania, there was much debate and argument between the plotters over where to attack, whether to attack the U.S. Capitol, which is what the pilot thought they should do and Mohammad Atta, the leader of the hijackers here in this country thought they should do, or to attack the White House, which is what Osama bin Laden wanted to have happen.

Now, we also have a lot of detail from -- of the original plan. This is from detainees. The 9/11 Commission has access to the interrogation reports from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others.

For example, the original plan was for targets in the U.S. and Southeast Asia to be hit simultaneously. It called for 10 planes targeting the east and west coasts.

Other targets were the CIA and FBI headquarters and the tallest buildings in California and Washington state. Much of that, we already knew. But this we did not.

There was going to be a tenth plane, on which -- which Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was himself was planning to try and pilot. On that plane, all male adults would have been murdered and then the women and children -- the plane would have been landed at a U.S. airport. Women and children would have been allowed off the plane. And Khalid Shaikh Mohammed would have held a news conference, in which he denounced the United States.

Other details. Ten additional names named in the report, of individuals that the staff says they believe were at one time or another planning to be part of the plot, which as we mentioned, could have been a lot larger.

Also, the word that Mohammad Atta almost missed his flight in Boston, almost missed his chance to hijack that plane and hit the World Trade Center with it.

And finally two more things. The Khobar Towers revelation that we mentioned earlier this morning. The staff saying there is evidence that Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, in addition to Saudi Hezbollah and possibly Iran, had an involvement in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers facility, which had U.S. servicemen in it. Nineteen were killed, hundreds wounded.

Here's what one of the staff had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So in sum, we have seen, now, strong, but indirect evidence, that bin Laden's organization did, in fact -- did in fact, play some, as yet unknown, role in the Khobar attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: That was Doug McEcken (ph), who's a former senior CIA official, now working for the staff.

Finally, I should just note, that the staff's report says, very bluntly, there's no evidence at all of any Iraqi involvement in the 9/11 attacks -- Daryn.

KAGAN: David, I would be remiss if I didn't ask -- take the time here to ask you, of everything you've been able to look at -- and again you're saying this is just coming out. But from your standpoint, from your experience, what stands out to you as the most shocking detail?

ENSOR: Well, I think the involvement of Osama bin Laden, potentially, in the Khobar Towers bombing, puts an entirely new light on that attack and on al Qaeda.

If it turns out that al Qaeda supplied the weapons, the explosives, and was actively involved, working perhaps with Saudi Hezbollah, with Iranian intelligence, that -- that paints a very dire picture of an al Qaeda that may have been able to cooperate with -- with governments and other terrorist organizations.

It makes the threat potentially greater, although of course some of these organizations may now be running as fast as they can away from al Qaeda, given what's happened since -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: David Ensor, in Washington, D.C., we'll get back to you with more insight. Thank you.

Meanwhile, more insight now into the 9/11 investigation and the commission's final hearing.

Jim Walsh is with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and he joins us by phone.

Jim, thanks for joining us by phone.

JIM WALSH, BELFER CENTER FOR SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, HARVARD UNIV.: Good morning -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's go to the original plot first, much bigger than how it -- how it eventually played out. Ten planes supposedly targeting the East and the West Coast. What do you think went wrong?

WALSH: Well, I think the first thing to recognize about that is that people on the West Coast should recognize that they were in the -- they were on the sights, they were in the sights on 9/11. That they -- those were potential targets.

When I travel to Los Angeles or to California, I haven't been to Washington State in a while, you don't really feel the impact of 9/11 like you do in the air when you're in New York or Washington, D.C. So I hope it's a wake-up call for folks on the West Coast, that they should be aware of the fact that they may be a target in the future, that they were targeted in the past.

KAGAN: Well, and certainly there was a plot that was foiled in 2000 around the time of the...

WALSH: The Millennium Bomber.

KAGAN: Exactly.

WALSH: Yes, exactly. But some time -- you know I think for those of us who do travel around a bit, you really can feel a difference between how terrorism is treated on the East Coast, where 9/11 played out, and how people talk about it on the West Coast, where it seems more distant. But it's just as real and just as dangerous.

KAGAN: What about this revelation that the hijackers, in the time that they were here in the U.S., that they were in constant contact by cell phone, by e-mail? It gives you a sense that they could -- yet another sense they could have been caught, they could have been tracked.

WALSH: Absolutely. You know this report is jam-packed with all sorts of surprises and details. It's really -- I think it will be the book to read this summer. It is fascinating, even just the outline we've gotten.

And it's filled with things, not only that they were in constant communication, but other facts as well. For example, bin Laden did not have $300 million. He never got that inheritance. We all thought that he had. And that actually they had been running on less than $1 million a year.

There's another piece in the report that says there's real uncertainty, and this was a surprise to me, uncertainty whether bin Laden was involved in the '93 World Trade Center. He may not, al Qaeda may not have been directly involved in that particular attack. That would be -- would be a great surprise. So this is just packed -- it's packed and filled with all sorts of tantalizing facts that we had no idea were true.

KAGAN: And what about the statement that in terms of the 9/11 Commission believes that in fact there was no link, al Qaeda link between that organization and Iraq?

WALSH: Well I think that's huge. That was -- even though the president was forced to admit that there was no direct link. Clearly in the rhetoric leading up to the war in Iraq, that was a theme that was heard again and again in the president's press conferences and in his speeches and calling Iraq the central front on terrorism. Now, you know, some time afterwards, we have all the data in and it appears there is no link between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Moreover, in the hearings that are being broadcast right now -- by the way, if your viewers get in a car, they're on CNN Radio. They're fascinating. They have a set of intelligence analysts who are testifying under pseudonyms, not under their real names, and talking about al Qaeda, even as we, you and I speak, Daryn. And one of the points that they make is that while al Qaeda has been hurt, the central organization has been hurt, they confirmed that recruitment for the Islamist jihadists, these folks who want to do us harm, recruitment is up and they are bigger and stronger than they have been in the past.

KAGAN: Jim Walsh from Harvard University. Thank you for your take. And thank you for the plug for CNN Radio. We appreciate that as well.

WALSH: Any time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you, Jim.

WALSH: OK, bye-bye.

KAGAN: We're at 33 minutes past the hour, a quick break. We're back with much more news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Maui Film Festival is a relative newbie at five years old, but it aspires to join the ranks of some of the world's greatest festivals, Cannes, Telluride, Venice. And it's got a key thing in common with them, a spectacular setting.

(voice-over): For stars and fans alike, the Maui Film Festival is all about movies by moonlight and relaxing amidst the beauty of Hawaii. Director Rob Reiner experienced the feeling last year.

ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: It's so relaxed. Everybody is just, as they say, hanging loose here, you know, this thing.

VARGAS: But behind the scenes, the festival takes a huge amount of organizing.

BARRY RIVERS, FOUNDER & FESTIVAL DIRECTOR: It's probably about as hard or easy as it is for David Copperfield to make the Empire State Building disappear. It's a lot.

VARGAS (on camera): The five-day festival features dozens of movies, screened outdoors, beneath the stars. There are silent films on the beach and new films on a golf course. CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: It's a beautiful setting. And the temperature at night is 75 degrees. So it's usually makes it nice.

GEENA DAVIS, ACTRESS: The drive in is always, you know, a favorite memory of my childhood, but you're in a car. And this is just open air. I think it's a great idea.

VARGAS (off-camera): Geena Davis and Clint Eastwood are among the A-list talent who have graced the festival over the past two years. But the celebrity factor is kept in perspective.

RIVERS: It's the films who have been the stars of this festival. And to the degree that there is icing to put on the cake by people like Adrian Brody or Anthony Hopkins or Geena Davis or whoever, you know, yes, it's kind of like having the sparkle on the cupcake, you know, but it's really about the cupcake.

VARGAS: Films with a humane outlook form the cornerstone of the festival, like last year's surprise hit "Whale Rider" or this year's "America's Heart & Soul," a film documenting a cross section of exceptional people.

RIVERS: I thought that Maui would be a good place to highlight films that were noted for their presentation of compassion and vision and life-affirming story storytelling.

VARGAS: At five years of age, the Maui Film Festival is still in its infancy, but odds of it growing seem good.

REINER: It's hard to start a new one and have it be successful, but it's pretty hard not to want to come to Maui.

VARGAS: This year the festival will showcase more than 30 films from major studio releases to acclaimed documentaries. So if the setting doesn't grab you, the movies will.

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Maui.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Insurgents in Iraq are targeting the country's oil industry using sabotage and assassination.

Let's go to our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf for the latest -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Daryn, coalition officials are calling it a terrorist war on Iraq's infrastructure. All oil exports, Iraq's revenue lifeline, have stopped after sabotage on a main pipeline in the south of Iraq. This is a pipeline on the Al-Faw (ph) Peninsula that actually helps carry oil to the export terminals in the Gulf that carry oil, in part, to the United States. This means that tens of millions of dollars a day in oil revenue is lost to the Iraqis as they struggle to repair the damage from that explosion on that pipeline.

And it isn't just the south. In the north of Iraq, as well, sabotage has downed a pipeline there. And even worse, assassins killed the head of security for the North Oil Company on Wednesday. Gazey Talabani (ph), who was also a cousin of Kurdish leader Halal Talabani (ph), was gunned down as he left for work.

Another disturbing story as well, coalition officials say that coalition forces have detained six members of the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps in connection with a roadside bombing near Ramadi, west of Baghdad. That bombing, in which an oil drum exploded spraying passing cars with burning oil, killed six Iraqis, according to officials. That attack today as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane, once again, very difficult, I think, for Americans here to understand what the people who are attacking the pipeline, no matter what their politics are, what they are trying to achieve there, because it hurts Iraq no matter who is in charge.

ARRAF: It's essentially one of the most effective ways, Daryn, to actually bring chaos to this country. And not just chaos, it does a few things. It cuts that essential revenue to Iraq, which means that there is less money for rebuilding.

It has concrete effects. If it continues, it would start to affect electricity, part of which runs on fuel. It affects all sorts of things, and it is one of the quickest ways to actually send a signal to investors, as well, that it is not safe here. So effectively, what it does is put the economy into chaos and send a very effective message that this kind of thing can't be controlled and that does seem to be the aim -- Daryn.

KAGAN: That does seem to be happening. Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thank you for that.

We will have a "Daily Dose" of your health news after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Time for your "Health News" now.

A patch to treat sexual dysfunction in women has been shown to work in a large-scale clinical trial. Procter & Gamble says that it is close to seeking approval for the testosterone skin patch. It's called Intrinsa (ph). It would be prescribed to menopausal women who have experienced a loss of sexual desire. No word on when the company will file for an application for FDA approval.

On to kids and news about them, the number of overweight children in the U.S. has doubled over the past 20 years. As the numbers go up, so has the marketing of dietary supplements that are supposed to lead to quick weight loss. Now a House subcommittee is looking into the claims and safety of such products.

Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with details in our 'Daily Dose' of health news.

So we're talking diet products aimed at kids.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aimed at kids, because you know what...

KAGAN: Very interesting area.

COHEN: Very interesting area. And parents are so desperate, they will try anything. It can be so difficult to get a child to lose weight. So you're dealing with a particularly vulnerable group of people. And so today at a hearing on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and regulators talked about that desperation and talked about how many of these products aren't proven, and, in fact, can be bad for you, can actually hurt the child's health.

So they talked about three different products. One of them is PediaLean. And the Federal Trade Commission said that they are cracking down on them. There is their Web site for their weight loss product.

There's another product called Pedia Loss. And they have already taken action against a product called Skinny Pill for Kids, which we actually talked about on this show several months back. You now can no longer get that product.

And testifying at today's hearing again were lawmakers and regulators, also Doctor Alison Hoppin at Mass General Hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ALISON HOPPIN, MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Some members of the dietary supplement industry develop products based on a very shaky foundation of pseudo science. They then market these products to a vulnerable population. There is no scientific reason to believe that any of these supplements have true effectiveness in the short or long term control of obesity.

Children and adolescents are particularly influenced by advertising or marketing and are less likely than adults to take a skeptical view of unproven advertising claims. To market these products to the public with claims of effectiveness is, therefore, exploitative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So the bottom line here is that people need to be very, very wary about weight loss products that you see advertised or on the Internet, especially if they are for kids.

Let's take a look at some guidelines that the Federal Trade Commission has come up with. If you see a claim like this, "no diet or exercise required," boy, should that be a red flag. Like don't we all wish, but it's just too good to be true.

"Clinically proven," or "doctor approved," be wary of that. What exactly does that mean? Those words don't necessarily mean anything.

And the third claim, "natural" or "safe." Again, those words don't really mean anything. People sort of bandy them about and it doesn't necessarily mean that those products are good for you or that they work.

KAGAN: Well, and you just feel for the individual children who are going through this.

COHEN: Absolutely.

KAGAN: But as a society, with this bigger thing to look at in terms of the video games and the sugar and the bad food that we're feeding our kids.

COHEN: Absolutely, and it's not all going to be fixed with a pill. It's just not going to happen.

KAGAN: No, absolutely not.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.

COHEN: Thanks.

KAGAN: For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical headlines. There is a health guide from the Mayo Clinic. The address is CNN.com/health.

We are back in a moment. We will be checking on Wall Street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

MARY SNOW, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: CNN's LIVE TODAY continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we're just getting this news in to us here at CNN from Iraq. A site 45 miles north of Baghdad, a rocket slammed into a U.S. base there near Bala (ph). And we're getting word that two U.S. soldiers were killed, 21 were wounded. That is the latest we have. But once again, two U.S. soldiers killed, 21 wounded. This is a base, an Army base north of Baghdad, about 45 miles north. More on that just ahead.

Right now a time for a final check of weather. Jacqui Jeras has that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Jacqui, thank you for that.

That is going to do it for our two hours. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning from this seat. At the top of the hour, Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Unfolding this hour, several important stories we're following, including a chilling report from the 9/11 Commission. Among other things, it concludes there was no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein helped al Qaeda target the United States.

Also, the death threat against American Paul Johnson kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. This hour, an emotional plea from his family to the captors.

And for the second day in a row, terrorists strike at the heart of Iraq's economy, targeting two oil pipelines and shutting down crucial exports.

We'll get to all that.

First, some other headlines.

John Kerry is proposing financial relief to try to aid working parents. At a discussion in Columbus, Ohio, Kerry proposed a boost to the Child Care Credit. And he said if elected president, he'd work to expand after-care programs as well.

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Aired June 16, 2004 - 11:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: But we have an exclusive interview that we want to bring to our viewers, not just here, but all around the world. It concerns the death threat against an American kidnapped in Saudi Arabia and the disturbing images of the man being held hostage.
Paul Johnson's captors posted a videotape on an al Qaeda-linked Web site where he identifies himself by name. First, a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL JOHNSON, HELD HOSTAGE: Paul Marshall Johnson Jr., American citizen. I'm an American citizen of the United States. I fly an Apache helicopter. I work on an Apache helicopter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can only imagine how disturbing that has been for Paul Johnson's relative to watch that videotape.

They have chosen to speak only with CNN about their ordeal and the ordeal that Paul Johnson faces right now. And they join us from an undisclosed location in New Jersey. And they're with our Deborah Feyerick.

Deborah, we'll let you take it from here.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks.

First of all, we are all so grateful that you're joining us. Paul Johnson III, the son of the American captive, Donna Mayeux, his sister. We know this is excruciating for your whole family.

First of all, is there any doubt that the man in the video is Paul Johnson Jr.?

PAUL JOHNSON III, FATHER HELD HOSTAGE: Yes, that's my father.

DONNA MAYEUX, BROTHER HELD HOSTAGE: Yes.

FEYERICK: You see him captive. How does he appear to you? How does he sound to you?

JOHNSON: He sounds good. It looks like he's not being mistreated or anything.

MAYEUX: When we viewed the video, we were able to see that this is serious. And I'd just like to say that my brother is an honorable man. He's always treated people with dignity and respect.

And I'm sure they were able to see that as they've spoken with him, and our family just pleads for his safe return.

FEYERICK: You see the kidnappers. One is behind him. Clearly, one is there shooting the video. What goes through your mind?

MAYEUX: For me, it's disbelief. My brother always felt safe in Saudi Arabia. He never feared living there.

FEYERICK: Did he ever consider listening to the embassy warnings for Americans to leave Riyadh, to leave Saudi Arabia?

JOHNSON: He's been there for over ten years, and he likes working with the Saudis. He respects their culture. And there was never a problem -- he respected everything they believed in.

FEYERICK: With the recent attacks, did you speak to him over the last couple of weeks? Did he ever say, "Things are getting bad, you know. I'm begin to perhaps maybe be fearful for my safety. I'm looking over my shoulder more"? Did he ever say any of those things to you when you spoke?

JOHNSON: No.

MAYEUX: No.

FEYERICK: The last conversation you had with him, what was his demeanor what was he saying to you?

JOHNSON: The last conversation I had with him, we were all supposed to be reunited later this year, in Thailand, because he's building a house over there, and we were just all going to get together for the holidays, and all be together as a family. And that's the last I've heard from my father.

FEYERICK: So you were going to spend Christmas there, that was the plan?

He has a wife in Riyadh. Have you spoken with her?

JOHNSON: Yes. And she's waiting for my father to come through the front door. And it's hard for her being so far -- and we're here. And I'm thinking about her constantly. I know what she's going through. And we're trying to get through this.

FEYERICK: He was taken on Saturday. How have you been spending your days since that abduction?

JOHNSON: I've been constantly on the phone, trying to get a hold of senators and just try to get a hold of somebody that can give me answers, and that's all I want.

FEYERICK: Paul's mom is not well. Your mom, your grandmother. Does she know that there's a 72-hour deadline? MAYEUX: No, she does not. We -- She has not viewed the video. I told her that he's alive. And that this is serious. But we did not discuss any demands with her, because her health is fragile.

FEYERICK: Donna, you've watched the video of previous captives, and now you're in that same position. Can you describe that?

MAYEUX: It's disbelief. It's -- I guess it's something that you never think is going to hit home, to your own family. We kind of feel numb.

FEYERICK: The U.S. government, the Saudi government, says that their policy is not to negotiate with terrorists. What do you say to the governments?

JOHNSON: The governments, you know, we know what they want, and my father, I know he's an innocent victim in this whole matter. And I plead with the Saudi government and the group of men that are holding my father, to please let him return home safely.

He will leave your country. You will never see him again. I just plead with them to -- to get him home safely.

FEYERICK: The kidnappers who are holding him, what do you want them to know about your dad and about his family?

JOHNSON: My -- my father is a loving father. He's a grandfather. He would give his shirt off the back to them if he knew them. And he respected -- he respected the Saudis.

FEYERICK: What is...

MAYEUX: He's an innocent man. Killing him is not going to solve anything. We would just like his safe return. My mother, his wife, my niece, and my three girls, we would just like his safe return.

FEYERICK: Now, Paul, we know that you've brought your son here. He's 3 years old. He's never seen his grandfather. I guess Christmas was going to be when he saw him.

What is the message that you have for your dad right now?

JOHNSON: I just want him to be brought home safely.

MAYEUX: We're doing everything we can to bring him home. Everybody's trying to help. We appreciate that.

JOHNSON: I just plead with the Saudis to please do whatever you take -- if you got to -- I'm -- we're all human. Just, please.

He's done a lot for your country. I respect your country. I respect -- I respect everything that everybody's done. And I just want to see my father brought home safely.

And the Saudis -- you can make it happen. And I'm just asking you, please make this happen. He's -- he does not deserve this. And he was just doing his job, and let's please just bring him home. And the group of people holding him, just please -- he don't deserve this.

MAYEUX: We just -- we just ask that he treat him with the dignity and respect that he's often talked about, that they have in their culture, just please, please don't murder them. Murder him.

FEYERICK: OK. Your son is here. He seems a little bit upset. I know that you want to show him to your father, if, in fact, your father is watching, or perhaps the men who are holding him are watching. But I don't know if he wants to come over.

JOHNSON: Yes. Paul, come here.

FEYERICK: And, Paul, this is your wife.

JOHNSON: This is my wife Jodie.

FEYERICK: What do you want to say to your father about your son?

JOHNSON: I want to say I know the group of help that got my father, you guys are probably fathers. And just please let him come home and be a grandfather.

And this is Paul Marshall Johnson IV. I -- My father gave me his name. And I honored my father so much I gave him, my son, his name. And I just want to -- a safe return. And I'm optimistic with -- the Saudis can get him home safely.

FEYERICK: We thank all of you very much.

Daryn, there will be candlelight vigils throughout New Jersey tomorrow. Also, in Florida, where Paul Marshall III lives, Paul Marshall Johnson III lives. And right now, the whole family just waiting for some positive word -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A very, very difficult time. Deborah, thank you, to you, and express our thought, especially, to the Johnson family.

And that was excruciating to watch. But as you can tell, just so important for the Johnson family that they felt they want to share their love for their father, the man held captive right now in Saudi Arabia, talking only to CNN.

Wanted to get the word out to the kidnappers that Paul Johnson, simply a man, they say, doing their job, a man who respects Saudi culture, has lived there for 10 years. And a man they say they simply want to see come home.

We'll have much more ahead. Right now a good time to take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The commission investigating the September 11 attacks examines how the horrific terror plot unfolded. That panel is holding its final hearing today and tomorrow.

Our David Ensor joins us from Washington with the latest.

David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, the 9/11 commission staff have just released a 20-page, densely written report, providing a wealth of new detail about the 9/11 plot and exactly how it was conducted.

I'll just give you a few of the highlights.

First of all, they saw the plot cost around $500,000, about $270,000 of that spent in the U.S. They say that the hijackers, while they were in the United States, were actually in constant contact with each other by e-mail and cell phone.

They say that on flight 93, the flight that we all remember, landed up in a field in Pennsylvania, there was much debate and argument between the plotters over where to attack, whether to attack the U.S. Capitol, which is what the pilot thought they should do and Mohammad Atta, the leader of the hijackers here in this country thought they should do, or to attack the White House, which is what Osama bin Laden wanted to have happen.

Now, we also have a lot of detail from -- of the original plan. This is from detainees. The 9/11 Commission has access to the interrogation reports from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others.

For example, the original plan was for targets in the U.S. and Southeast Asia to be hit simultaneously. It called for 10 planes targeting the east and west coasts.

Other targets were the CIA and FBI headquarters and the tallest buildings in California and Washington state. Much of that, we already knew. But this we did not.

There was going to be a tenth plane, on which -- which Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was himself was planning to try and pilot. On that plane, all male adults would have been murdered and then the women and children -- the plane would have been landed at a U.S. airport. Women and children would have been allowed off the plane. And Khalid Shaikh Mohammed would have held a news conference, in which he denounced the United States.

Other details. Ten additional names named in the report, of individuals that the staff says they believe were at one time or another planning to be part of the plot, which as we mentioned, could have been a lot larger.

Also, the word that Mohammad Atta almost missed his flight in Boston, almost missed his chance to hijack that plane and hit the World Trade Center with it.

And finally two more things. The Khobar Towers revelation that we mentioned earlier this morning. The staff saying there is evidence that Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, in addition to Saudi Hezbollah and possibly Iran, had an involvement in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers facility, which had U.S. servicemen in it. Nineteen were killed, hundreds wounded.

Here's what one of the staff had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So in sum, we have seen, now, strong, but indirect evidence, that bin Laden's organization did, in fact -- did in fact, play some, as yet unknown, role in the Khobar attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: That was Doug McEcken (ph), who's a former senior CIA official, now working for the staff.

Finally, I should just note, that the staff's report says, very bluntly, there's no evidence at all of any Iraqi involvement in the 9/11 attacks -- Daryn.

KAGAN: David, I would be remiss if I didn't ask -- take the time here to ask you, of everything you've been able to look at -- and again you're saying this is just coming out. But from your standpoint, from your experience, what stands out to you as the most shocking detail?

ENSOR: Well, I think the involvement of Osama bin Laden, potentially, in the Khobar Towers bombing, puts an entirely new light on that attack and on al Qaeda.

If it turns out that al Qaeda supplied the weapons, the explosives, and was actively involved, working perhaps with Saudi Hezbollah, with Iranian intelligence, that -- that paints a very dire picture of an al Qaeda that may have been able to cooperate with -- with governments and other terrorist organizations.

It makes the threat potentially greater, although of course some of these organizations may now be running as fast as they can away from al Qaeda, given what's happened since -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: David Ensor, in Washington, D.C., we'll get back to you with more insight. Thank you.

Meanwhile, more insight now into the 9/11 investigation and the commission's final hearing.

Jim Walsh is with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and he joins us by phone.

Jim, thanks for joining us by phone.

JIM WALSH, BELFER CENTER FOR SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, HARVARD UNIV.: Good morning -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's go to the original plot first, much bigger than how it -- how it eventually played out. Ten planes supposedly targeting the East and the West Coast. What do you think went wrong?

WALSH: Well, I think the first thing to recognize about that is that people on the West Coast should recognize that they were in the -- they were on the sights, they were in the sights on 9/11. That they -- those were potential targets.

When I travel to Los Angeles or to California, I haven't been to Washington State in a while, you don't really feel the impact of 9/11 like you do in the air when you're in New York or Washington, D.C. So I hope it's a wake-up call for folks on the West Coast, that they should be aware of the fact that they may be a target in the future, that they were targeted in the past.

KAGAN: Well, and certainly there was a plot that was foiled in 2000 around the time of the...

WALSH: The Millennium Bomber.

KAGAN: Exactly.

WALSH: Yes, exactly. But some time -- you know I think for those of us who do travel around a bit, you really can feel a difference between how terrorism is treated on the East Coast, where 9/11 played out, and how people talk about it on the West Coast, where it seems more distant. But it's just as real and just as dangerous.

KAGAN: What about this revelation that the hijackers, in the time that they were here in the U.S., that they were in constant contact by cell phone, by e-mail? It gives you a sense that they could -- yet another sense they could have been caught, they could have been tracked.

WALSH: Absolutely. You know this report is jam-packed with all sorts of surprises and details. It's really -- I think it will be the book to read this summer. It is fascinating, even just the outline we've gotten.

And it's filled with things, not only that they were in constant communication, but other facts as well. For example, bin Laden did not have $300 million. He never got that inheritance. We all thought that he had. And that actually they had been running on less than $1 million a year.

There's another piece in the report that says there's real uncertainty, and this was a surprise to me, uncertainty whether bin Laden was involved in the '93 World Trade Center. He may not, al Qaeda may not have been directly involved in that particular attack. That would be -- would be a great surprise. So this is just packed -- it's packed and filled with all sorts of tantalizing facts that we had no idea were true.

KAGAN: And what about the statement that in terms of the 9/11 Commission believes that in fact there was no link, al Qaeda link between that organization and Iraq?

WALSH: Well I think that's huge. That was -- even though the president was forced to admit that there was no direct link. Clearly in the rhetoric leading up to the war in Iraq, that was a theme that was heard again and again in the president's press conferences and in his speeches and calling Iraq the central front on terrorism. Now, you know, some time afterwards, we have all the data in and it appears there is no link between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Moreover, in the hearings that are being broadcast right now -- by the way, if your viewers get in a car, they're on CNN Radio. They're fascinating. They have a set of intelligence analysts who are testifying under pseudonyms, not under their real names, and talking about al Qaeda, even as we, you and I speak, Daryn. And one of the points that they make is that while al Qaeda has been hurt, the central organization has been hurt, they confirmed that recruitment for the Islamist jihadists, these folks who want to do us harm, recruitment is up and they are bigger and stronger than they have been in the past.

KAGAN: Jim Walsh from Harvard University. Thank you for your take. And thank you for the plug for CNN Radio. We appreciate that as well.

WALSH: Any time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you, Jim.

WALSH: OK, bye-bye.

KAGAN: We're at 33 minutes past the hour, a quick break. We're back with much more news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Maui Film Festival is a relative newbie at five years old, but it aspires to join the ranks of some of the world's greatest festivals, Cannes, Telluride, Venice. And it's got a key thing in common with them, a spectacular setting.

(voice-over): For stars and fans alike, the Maui Film Festival is all about movies by moonlight and relaxing amidst the beauty of Hawaii. Director Rob Reiner experienced the feeling last year.

ROB REINER, DIRECTOR: It's so relaxed. Everybody is just, as they say, hanging loose here, you know, this thing.

VARGAS: But behind the scenes, the festival takes a huge amount of organizing.

BARRY RIVERS, FOUNDER & FESTIVAL DIRECTOR: It's probably about as hard or easy as it is for David Copperfield to make the Empire State Building disappear. It's a lot.

VARGAS (on camera): The five-day festival features dozens of movies, screened outdoors, beneath the stars. There are silent films on the beach and new films on a golf course. CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: It's a beautiful setting. And the temperature at night is 75 degrees. So it's usually makes it nice.

GEENA DAVIS, ACTRESS: The drive in is always, you know, a favorite memory of my childhood, but you're in a car. And this is just open air. I think it's a great idea.

VARGAS (off-camera): Geena Davis and Clint Eastwood are among the A-list talent who have graced the festival over the past two years. But the celebrity factor is kept in perspective.

RIVERS: It's the films who have been the stars of this festival. And to the degree that there is icing to put on the cake by people like Adrian Brody or Anthony Hopkins or Geena Davis or whoever, you know, yes, it's kind of like having the sparkle on the cupcake, you know, but it's really about the cupcake.

VARGAS: Films with a humane outlook form the cornerstone of the festival, like last year's surprise hit "Whale Rider" or this year's "America's Heart & Soul," a film documenting a cross section of exceptional people.

RIVERS: I thought that Maui would be a good place to highlight films that were noted for their presentation of compassion and vision and life-affirming story storytelling.

VARGAS: At five years of age, the Maui Film Festival is still in its infancy, but odds of it growing seem good.

REINER: It's hard to start a new one and have it be successful, but it's pretty hard not to want to come to Maui.

VARGAS: This year the festival will showcase more than 30 films from major studio releases to acclaimed documentaries. So if the setting doesn't grab you, the movies will.

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Maui.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Insurgents in Iraq are targeting the country's oil industry using sabotage and assassination.

Let's go to our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf for the latest -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Daryn, coalition officials are calling it a terrorist war on Iraq's infrastructure. All oil exports, Iraq's revenue lifeline, have stopped after sabotage on a main pipeline in the south of Iraq. This is a pipeline on the Al-Faw (ph) Peninsula that actually helps carry oil to the export terminals in the Gulf that carry oil, in part, to the United States. This means that tens of millions of dollars a day in oil revenue is lost to the Iraqis as they struggle to repair the damage from that explosion on that pipeline.

And it isn't just the south. In the north of Iraq, as well, sabotage has downed a pipeline there. And even worse, assassins killed the head of security for the North Oil Company on Wednesday. Gazey Talabani (ph), who was also a cousin of Kurdish leader Halal Talabani (ph), was gunned down as he left for work.

Another disturbing story as well, coalition officials say that coalition forces have detained six members of the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps in connection with a roadside bombing near Ramadi, west of Baghdad. That bombing, in which an oil drum exploded spraying passing cars with burning oil, killed six Iraqis, according to officials. That attack today as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane, once again, very difficult, I think, for Americans here to understand what the people who are attacking the pipeline, no matter what their politics are, what they are trying to achieve there, because it hurts Iraq no matter who is in charge.

ARRAF: It's essentially one of the most effective ways, Daryn, to actually bring chaos to this country. And not just chaos, it does a few things. It cuts that essential revenue to Iraq, which means that there is less money for rebuilding.

It has concrete effects. If it continues, it would start to affect electricity, part of which runs on fuel. It affects all sorts of things, and it is one of the quickest ways to actually send a signal to investors, as well, that it is not safe here. So effectively, what it does is put the economy into chaos and send a very effective message that this kind of thing can't be controlled and that does seem to be the aim -- Daryn.

KAGAN: That does seem to be happening. Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thank you for that.

We will have a "Daily Dose" of your health news after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Time for your "Health News" now.

A patch to treat sexual dysfunction in women has been shown to work in a large-scale clinical trial. Procter & Gamble says that it is close to seeking approval for the testosterone skin patch. It's called Intrinsa (ph). It would be prescribed to menopausal women who have experienced a loss of sexual desire. No word on when the company will file for an application for FDA approval.

On to kids and news about them, the number of overweight children in the U.S. has doubled over the past 20 years. As the numbers go up, so has the marketing of dietary supplements that are supposed to lead to quick weight loss. Now a House subcommittee is looking into the claims and safety of such products.

Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with details in our 'Daily Dose' of health news.

So we're talking diet products aimed at kids.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aimed at kids, because you know what...

KAGAN: Very interesting area.

COHEN: Very interesting area. And parents are so desperate, they will try anything. It can be so difficult to get a child to lose weight. So you're dealing with a particularly vulnerable group of people. And so today at a hearing on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and regulators talked about that desperation and talked about how many of these products aren't proven, and, in fact, can be bad for you, can actually hurt the child's health.

So they talked about three different products. One of them is PediaLean. And the Federal Trade Commission said that they are cracking down on them. There is their Web site for their weight loss product.

There's another product called Pedia Loss. And they have already taken action against a product called Skinny Pill for Kids, which we actually talked about on this show several months back. You now can no longer get that product.

And testifying at today's hearing again were lawmakers and regulators, also Doctor Alison Hoppin at Mass General Hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ALISON HOPPIN, MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Some members of the dietary supplement industry develop products based on a very shaky foundation of pseudo science. They then market these products to a vulnerable population. There is no scientific reason to believe that any of these supplements have true effectiveness in the short or long term control of obesity.

Children and adolescents are particularly influenced by advertising or marketing and are less likely than adults to take a skeptical view of unproven advertising claims. To market these products to the public with claims of effectiveness is, therefore, exploitative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So the bottom line here is that people need to be very, very wary about weight loss products that you see advertised or on the Internet, especially if they are for kids.

Let's take a look at some guidelines that the Federal Trade Commission has come up with. If you see a claim like this, "no diet or exercise required," boy, should that be a red flag. Like don't we all wish, but it's just too good to be true.

"Clinically proven," or "doctor approved," be wary of that. What exactly does that mean? Those words don't necessarily mean anything.

And the third claim, "natural" or "safe." Again, those words don't really mean anything. People sort of bandy them about and it doesn't necessarily mean that those products are good for you or that they work.

KAGAN: Well, and you just feel for the individual children who are going through this.

COHEN: Absolutely.

KAGAN: But as a society, with this bigger thing to look at in terms of the video games and the sugar and the bad food that we're feeding our kids.

COHEN: Absolutely, and it's not all going to be fixed with a pill. It's just not going to happen.

KAGAN: No, absolutely not.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.

COHEN: Thanks.

KAGAN: For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical headlines. There is a health guide from the Mayo Clinic. The address is CNN.com/health.

We are back in a moment. We will be checking on Wall Street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

MARY SNOW, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: CNN's LIVE TODAY continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we're just getting this news in to us here at CNN from Iraq. A site 45 miles north of Baghdad, a rocket slammed into a U.S. base there near Bala (ph). And we're getting word that two U.S. soldiers were killed, 21 were wounded. That is the latest we have. But once again, two U.S. soldiers killed, 21 wounded. This is a base, an Army base north of Baghdad, about 45 miles north. More on that just ahead.

Right now a time for a final check of weather. Jacqui Jeras has that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Jacqui, thank you for that.

That is going to do it for our two hours. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning from this seat. At the top of the hour, Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C.

Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Unfolding this hour, several important stories we're following, including a chilling report from the 9/11 Commission. Among other things, it concludes there was no credible evidence that Saddam Hussein helped al Qaeda target the United States.

Also, the death threat against American Paul Johnson kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. This hour, an emotional plea from his family to the captors.

And for the second day in a row, terrorists strike at the heart of Iraq's economy, targeting two oil pipelines and shutting down crucial exports.

We'll get to all that.

First, some other headlines.

John Kerry is proposing financial relief to try to aid working parents. At a discussion in Columbus, Ohio, Kerry proposed a boost to the Child Care Credit. And he said if elected president, he'd work to expand after-care programs as well.

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