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Homeland Security Says al Qaeda Preparing to Attack U.S. in Time to Affect Elections; Pentagon Plans to Set Up Review Panels for Guantanamo Bay Detainees
Aired July 08, 2004 - 10:30 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: "Now in the News," the nation's top intelligence and homeland defense officials are on Capitol Hill to brief senators on a developing terror Threat CNN has learned that al Qaeda is in, quote, "operational phase for an attack within the U.S." The strike would be timed before the presidential elections.
Two hours from now former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay is expected in a Houston courtroom to hear probable charges of fraud and making false public statements. The grand jury indictment was unsealed this morning. Lay surrendered to authorities. In a statement, Lay said he has done nothing wrong.
Also this hour, the CIA hosts a farewell party to it's outgoing chief George Tenet. The embattle director announced his resignation last month amid reports accusing the agency of intelligence failures before and after the 9/11 attacks. Tenet officially leaves office on Sunday.
The Democrats are focusing on a state they need to in November, one they thought that they carried four years ago. John Kerry and John Edwards have a rally in Fort Lauderdale. We'll look in on that in the next hour.
Keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
I want to get back to our developing story and that is the announcement out of the department of homeland defense (sic) that we expect to hear at the top of the hour. Our senior White House correspondent John King has just come out of a short briefing from White House officials. John, good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. First, some source information relayed to us by other senior administration officials. As we have been reporting, I believe, we are told that Secretary Ridge will say that he has no plans to raise the threat level, the color-coded threat level here in the United States.
But that he is asking local officials around the country and especially in the convention cities of New York and Boston to go on a higher alert, a higher level of awareness, because, he will say, there is a steady stream of new and continuing intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda is in fact in operational and planning mode.
And that hopes to strike here in the United States sometime between now and the November elections. The conventions, of course, would be prime targets, in the view of the Bush administration.
And, Daryn, here at the White House, what officials are saying is that this is one of those conundrums they face. That the information is not so specific to say, for example, that there will be an attack in New York on this day, or in Boston on that facility.
But they say there is enough of this intelligence that they believe it is publicly responsible to go forward. Not only with these private briefings we have seen here at the White House and on Capitol Hill in recent days with key members of Congress by the Bush administration national security team, but also now to tell state and local police and now the American people, keep your eyes open again, be more alert. Especially in the convention cities.
And they will say, Daryn, again, that the intelligence is not specific, but it is viewed as credible. There is enough chatter, as we have called this since the tragedy of September 11, 2001 suggesting al Qaeda is in fact planning new, fresh attacks here in the United States.
And the White House will make the case if you remember those attacks in Madrid, that al Qaeda might be trying to influence the U.S. presidential election.
KAGAN: Yes, but without more specific information, John, people get really frustrated and you do walk that fine line between scaring people and informing them.
KING: People get frustrated. Some of this administration's critics say that the administration is scare-mongering or trying to cover itself politically in case there is an attack.
One thing this is certain to do is to revive a debate that we are already having in the presidential campaign. President Bush routinely makes the case that he has gone to war in Afghanistan and in Iraq to fight the fight overseas to make this country safer.
Many of this president's critics say, even if they support those wars, some critics say more should have been spent since 9/11 here at home. Improving security on Amtrak, which runs through both convention cities, improving the ports and harbors. Both cities are major ports.
The mayor of Boston, for example, often complains that his port has liquid natural gas tanks and he worries those could be potential terrorist targets.
So as the administration tries to put people on the higher alert without raising the threat level, you can be sure the volume of the debate over this administration's strategy in fighting the war on terrorism will go up as well -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John King at the White House. John, thank you for that.
And once again, we expect to learn more perhaps at the top of the hour. Tom Ridge, the Homeland Security secretary, having a news conference. You'll see it live right here on CNN.
Meanwhile, let's look at another security matter. We are learning just how close the U.S. military may have come down -- come to actually shooting down a plane that strayed into Washington's restricted air space. That plane, by the way, was carrying the governor of Kentucky.
Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more on that story -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
Yes, another look back this morning at a security issue. Just a few weeks ago, on June 9, as people were gathering at the Capitol for the funeral procession of the late president Ronald Reagan, a very scary incident.
Here on Capitol Hill this morning at the House Transportation Subcommittee, Aviation Subcommittee, they are looking at what happened that day when the U.S. Capitol was evacuated, when people started running down the street because the Capitol police said a plane was coming in.
A small plane that they thought was a security threat. That aviation and military officials thought was a security threat, because it had penetrated restricted air space over the Capitol. And there was not a clear understanding at that time who was on board. No understanding that it was the governor of Kentucky planning to land in Washington, D.C. People evacuated in quite a serious matter.
So the House Subcommittee looking this morning at what happened, why this happened two and a half years after September 11, how could there be such a lack of coordination and communication that the military might actually accidentally have faced the prospect of shooting down a small plane?
The subcommittee chairman spoke very bluntly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN MICA (R-FL), TRANSPORTATION CMTE.: While this was not a good day in air space control and security in our nation's capital, the situation in fact could have been much worse.
Fortunately no one was injured in the emergency evacuation. And Governor Fletcher and those with him were not fatally intercepted. That's the good news.
It's both alarming and unacceptable that after some two and a half years since September 11, the federal and local agencies involved in air space control and security still have not resolved some simple coordination, communications and training issues that were highlighted by this incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STARR: So both aviation officials testifying on the House side of Capitol Hill this morning, military officials testifying before the Senate in a classified closed-door hearing about what exactly happened in the air space over the Capitol on June 9. But a lot of calls for better coordination, better communication two and a half years after September 11.
One thing we have learned is since September 11, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now has secure communications 24/7. Even if he is not near a standard secure communications package, there is a military person with him at all times that provides him secure communications. He is in the chain of command if there is a crisis. And now he has those communications with him at all times -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you for that.
Another story out of the Pentagon now. It plans to set up review panels for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Our bob Franken was given a tour inside the Guantanamo Bay detainee facilities earlier today. Here is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Security officials invited CNN for a glimpse, a glimpse of life behind what they called "The Wire" here, the detention facility, Camp Delta, and all the other ones connected with it.
On a side of the island, we're not allowed to talk about, where it is. And when we were allowed inside the that images we shot were censured by government authorities. Some shots removed, as a matter of fact.
But we were able to watch the detainees. Look at them. And their daily life in the prison, a life of monotony. We were assured repeatedly by the officials that there was no abuse, that it was different here from the battlefields in Iraq because it is so far removed.
But not removed as we're now finding out from the legal battles. The Supreme Court has ordered that the detainees here, even though they're on Cuban soil, are subject to U.S. laws. They do have the right to confront their charges.
The Pentagon is now trying to cope with that. It has come up with a series of hearings. Civilian lawyers will probably not consider that enough, so the legal battles will continue.
There is a worry here among the commanders that the interrogation value of the detainees, which they say is quite significant, will be undermined by the presence of lawyers. That they'll simply stop talking.
There's some mixed opinion about that. Many of the interrogators say that it's really nothing more than reading them their Miranda rights, which has not hurt police work, they contend. It's still something to see. The Pentagon is still grappling with it. They're coming up with procedures. So there's a bit of uncertainty here. What everybody is expecting is that by July 17, the detainees will be informed they're going to be having hearings without lawyers. And they will now have a chance to explain why they shouldn't be here behind the wire where they've been for well over two years.
Bob Franken, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well the drama that has played out on the world stage is now selling tickets in the London's theater district. And it's no coincidence that the controversial drama about a life as a terror detainee at Guantanamo Bay and its scathing portrayal of the Bush administration will premier in the U.S. just before the Republican Convention. Our Matthew Chance has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) incest, etc. That was in the summer. Now it's well into winter.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just a theatrical set. But these are the real observations of those who've experienced the Guantanamo prison first hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) human hand size, it moves like a race car, and has a bite that causes flesh to decay if untreated.
CHANCE: It's dramatic. And according to the writers, a documentary account of what's happening there.
GILLIAN SLOVO, PLAYWRIGHT: "Guantanamo" is a play that is based on real people's words. It's taken from interviews we did with participants, people who have been to Guantanamo, lawyers and family members of people who are in Guantanamo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a related issue there are British citizens at Guantanamo Bay.
CHANCE: "Guantanamo," the play, is written and performed as a factual reenactment. The question, say the writers, were really asked by reporters and the answers, in this case from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, are meant to be verbatim, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... are part of the coalition. They have a liaison in Tampa, Florida.
CHANCE: But critics warn this is still a play with dramatic license, even if it looks like impartial journalism.
LYN GARNER, THEATER CRITIC: I think that is a problem because I think once you are sitting there in the dark, you take what is given to you on stage absolutely as a given. And there's quite a lot of manipulation that goes on within it in the way that drama works on an emotional level.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I received a telephone call from the foreign office.
CHANCE: And there's no shortage of emotion and drama. Here, the father of a British detainee laments the legal limbo in which his own son is being kept.
The play comes down strongly against Guantanamo and the way the Bush administration is using it. From the White House, there's been no comment. But the play's backers may be hoping to make an impact.
(on camera): The launch in the U.S. of this most controversial play comes, of course, as the race for the White House really heats up.
Producers say they'll tour the country from New York and Washington right through to San Francisco, where critics expect a large number of people already concerned with the difficult issues raised by the real Guantanamo will turn up to see it.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Newsman Sam Donaldson makes a shocking discovery at his own ranch in New Mexico. Now police are investigating a triple murder. Details on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MARKET UPDATE)
KAGAN: Let's take a look now at some stories making news coast to coast.
Police in Lincoln County, New Mexico, have arrested a 14-year-old boy in a triple murder. It happened on the ranch of ABC newsman Sam Donaldson. Police say that Cody Posey killed his father, stepmother and stepsister. Donaldson himself discovered the crime scene when he went to the home of the boy's father who managed the ranch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS, OWNER OF RANCH: So we went over there and went on the porch and there's a large stain there, which I think is instantly recognizable, and glasses. I looked in the door and you could see a congealed reddish substance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Donaldson owns three homesteads in New Mexico. The veteran newsman grew up in the state. Nearly four years after the presidential election situation in Florida, a new lawsuit is filed over how to handle manual recounts in the future. A group calling itself the Voter Protection Coalition Roundtable is challenging the rule that such recounts would not have to include touch screen ballots. The group says the rule ignores the threat of tampering.
Batter up and baseball fan down. Take a look at these pictures. A fan in St. Louis was struck by a foul ball, not once, but twice during the very same game at Busch Stadium. The first slice pelted her in the neck. The second one bopped her in the noggin. Appropriately -- I think this is going to be the second one right here -- she was given a bobblehead doll. And apparently there were a couple bruises. Here comes the second hit -- goodness. Well, apparently she's going to be OK, except for a couple bruises. We hope maybe she bought a lottery ticket or something on that day.
It is a headline that you do not read every day: 94-year-old- woman ditches cane and thwarts thief. Erin Dehn of our affiliate KAKE in Wichita, Kansas, introduces us to a remarkable woman who is today's "Everyday Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADA MONCRIST (PH), ELDERLY CRIME BUSTER: He said, you have to start carrying a gun. Somebody said, you should run for sheriff.
ERIN DEHN, KAKE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Sada Moncrist -- gardener, traveler, and now law enforcer. The 94-year-old was shopping at a Kolbe (ph) jewelry store when a woman tried to leave with more than $3,000 of unpaid merchandise. Moncrist ran to call 911, taking off in such a hurry she forgot her cane.
MONCRIST: I ran back to the phone. I run without a cane. And the first time I'd run for years. And here I run back and helped hold her in the store.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was amazed. I couldn't see from the -- where I was standing in the storefront, you know, whether or not Sada even went back to call the police. I just kept yelling, Sada, call the police. And then like I said, before I knew it, she was up here helping me, which, you know, at that age, I -- I'm just amazed she didn't stay in the back of the store hiding.
DEHN: The woman made it out the door and threw the jewelry into a flower box -- Moncrist still in pursuit. Officers then arrived and arrested the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always said to her, Sada, I hope I'm like you when I'm at that age, because she just keeps going and going and going.
MONCRIST: Face it, who's going to find them.
DEHN: She may be in her mid-90s, but her spirit is still young. At 59, she took her first college class and at 89 she was in the classroom again.
MONCRIST: I was the oldest one. That was funny, too, because then they called us college kids.
DEHN: Her college days are over. Now she focuses on flowers and helping to fight crime every now and then.
MONCRIST: I don't want to be like everybody else. I don't want to be like 95-year-olds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well, she certainly isn't, and she gets the last laugh. Congratulations to her, our "Everyday Hero."
We're standing by, about 11 minutes from right now, we expect the homeland defense secretary, Tom Ridge to come out and talk about the possibility of an increased terror threat here in the U.S. leading up to the U.S. elections. We're hoping to get some more specific information about what he's talking about.
You'll see that live right here on CNN. Right now, a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The Tour de France becomes the "tour de Lance." American bicycling legend Lance Armstrong is wearing the yellow jersey today after winning yesterday's team trial with the third fastest speed on record. Armstrong is seeking a record sixth consecutive title in cycling's premier event. He holds the overall lead. His teammates in the U.S. Postal Service squad hold the next four spots.
Dave Shields is the author of the book "On The Tour." It's called "The Race: A Novel of Grit, Tactics and the Tour de France." The book has received some rave reviews and some insights into sport and the psychology of its athletes. He's our guest this morning.
Good morning.
DAVE SHIELDS, AUTHOR: Good morning, Daryn. Good to be here.
KAGAN: What is the significance of Lance Armstrong having the yellow jersey this early? Of course this race isn't going to end until July 25th.
SHIELDS: Yes, absolutely. It's somewhat of a surprise I'm fairly certain he won't try to defend it, and We'll see him lose it within the next few days. He's really got a lot more danger in these coming up stages than opportunity for a guy like him. So look for him to fall back a little, and then when the mountains come, he'll really put the hammer down.
KAGAN: Yes, what kind of danger are you talking about?
SHIELDS: Well, bicycle racing is an extremely dangerous sport. Two days ago we saw Ivan Mile (ph) crash on a sketchy section of road, and that was the end of his tour hopes. He was looked at as one of the main rivals to Lance Armstrong, and it's unlikely -- I mean, he really doesn't have any shot at recovering at this point.
KAGAN: What about the new rules this year, Dave, that hurt the stronger teams, trying to keep this whole event competitive until the end?
SHIELDS: I don't know anybody within cycling that is really in favor of those rules, but the cyclists knew the rules going in. And so as a result, they play by the rules as they exist. Had they not existed, U.S. Postal turned in such an incredible performance yesterday that they would be already running away with this race. So the intent of the rules was to keep the tension high until the end, and I guess in a sense that's going to happen.
KAGAN: You talked about one of Lance Armstrong's rivals. What about Tyler Hamilton, the other American getting some focus?
SHIELDS: Tyler Hamilton is an incredible guy. He -- last year, he completed the tour last year after crashing on stage one, some of the danger we're talking about, and he ended up with a stage victory late in the race. Hard to even comprehend the pain that he would have been going through.
KAGAN: Were you a betting man, does Lance Armstrong walk away with his sixth title?
SHIELDS: Well, I'll you, Armstrong is the fifth man to win five titles. Every one of those that preceded him tried for a sixth, and every one of them failed.
KAGAN: But they weren't Lance Armstrong.
SHIELDS: They weren't Lance Armstrong. Some of them looked very, very good going in. But I would have to bet on Lance Armstrong. There are so many complexities to this sport. It's -- Americans misunderstand how incredibly difficult this sport is, and how many factors come into play. So it will be exciting to see whether he can pull it off.
KAGAN: All right, as we said, it ends up on July 25th. We'd love to have you back as the race progresses.
SHIELDS: Well, thank you very much. I'd love to be back.
KAGAN: Dave Shields, author of "The Race," the book on the Tour.
Appreciate it.
KAGAN: Just a few minutes from now, Tom Ridge, live from Washington D.C., talking about this increased terror threat, hopefully giving us some more specifics. You'll see it live right here on CNN as the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: In the headlines, right now, new concerns in the war on terror. We're awaiting a news conference this hour from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. We are told that Ridge will say that there's a new belief that al Qaeda is in -- quote -- "an operational phase" for an attack within the U.S., timed before the presidential elections. Ridge's news conference is set to begin any minute now. We will bring it to you live when it happens.
Other headlines meanwhile: CIA employees throw a farewell party for their boss. George Tenet steps down Sunday after seven years as director. The party atmosphere at CIA headquarters likely won't last long however. A Senate report due tomorrow is expected to be highly critical of Tenet and the CIA over prewar analysis of Iraq's weapons capabilities.
From the business world, a federal indictment against Ken Lay was unsealed just a short time ago. Details of what's in the indictment are coming up in a live report from Houston. Meanwhile, the former chairman of Enron insists he has done nothing wrong, even as he surrendered this morning to the FBI.
And a House hearing gets under way on last month's sudden evacuation of the Capitol. Lawmakers want to know why a plane that was carrying the governor of Kentucky triggered the false alarm.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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Aired July 8, 2004 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," the nation's top intelligence and homeland defense officials are on Capitol Hill to brief senators on a developing terror Threat CNN has learned that al Qaeda is in, quote, "operational phase for an attack within the U.S." The strike would be timed before the presidential elections.
Two hours from now former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay is expected in a Houston courtroom to hear probable charges of fraud and making false public statements. The grand jury indictment was unsealed this morning. Lay surrendered to authorities. In a statement, Lay said he has done nothing wrong.
Also this hour, the CIA hosts a farewell party to it's outgoing chief George Tenet. The embattle director announced his resignation last month amid reports accusing the agency of intelligence failures before and after the 9/11 attacks. Tenet officially leaves office on Sunday.
The Democrats are focusing on a state they need to in November, one they thought that they carried four years ago. John Kerry and John Edwards have a rally in Fort Lauderdale. We'll look in on that in the next hour.
Keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
I want to get back to our developing story and that is the announcement out of the department of homeland defense (sic) that we expect to hear at the top of the hour. Our senior White House correspondent John King has just come out of a short briefing from White House officials. John, good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. First, some source information relayed to us by other senior administration officials. As we have been reporting, I believe, we are told that Secretary Ridge will say that he has no plans to raise the threat level, the color-coded threat level here in the United States.
But that he is asking local officials around the country and especially in the convention cities of New York and Boston to go on a higher alert, a higher level of awareness, because, he will say, there is a steady stream of new and continuing intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda is in fact in operational and planning mode.
And that hopes to strike here in the United States sometime between now and the November elections. The conventions, of course, would be prime targets, in the view of the Bush administration.
And, Daryn, here at the White House, what officials are saying is that this is one of those conundrums they face. That the information is not so specific to say, for example, that there will be an attack in New York on this day, or in Boston on that facility.
But they say there is enough of this intelligence that they believe it is publicly responsible to go forward. Not only with these private briefings we have seen here at the White House and on Capitol Hill in recent days with key members of Congress by the Bush administration national security team, but also now to tell state and local police and now the American people, keep your eyes open again, be more alert. Especially in the convention cities.
And they will say, Daryn, again, that the intelligence is not specific, but it is viewed as credible. There is enough chatter, as we have called this since the tragedy of September 11, 2001 suggesting al Qaeda is in fact planning new, fresh attacks here in the United States.
And the White House will make the case if you remember those attacks in Madrid, that al Qaeda might be trying to influence the U.S. presidential election.
KAGAN: Yes, but without more specific information, John, people get really frustrated and you do walk that fine line between scaring people and informing them.
KING: People get frustrated. Some of this administration's critics say that the administration is scare-mongering or trying to cover itself politically in case there is an attack.
One thing this is certain to do is to revive a debate that we are already having in the presidential campaign. President Bush routinely makes the case that he has gone to war in Afghanistan and in Iraq to fight the fight overseas to make this country safer.
Many of this president's critics say, even if they support those wars, some critics say more should have been spent since 9/11 here at home. Improving security on Amtrak, which runs through both convention cities, improving the ports and harbors. Both cities are major ports.
The mayor of Boston, for example, often complains that his port has liquid natural gas tanks and he worries those could be potential terrorist targets.
So as the administration tries to put people on the higher alert without raising the threat level, you can be sure the volume of the debate over this administration's strategy in fighting the war on terrorism will go up as well -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John King at the White House. John, thank you for that.
And once again, we expect to learn more perhaps at the top of the hour. Tom Ridge, the Homeland Security secretary, having a news conference. You'll see it live right here on CNN.
Meanwhile, let's look at another security matter. We are learning just how close the U.S. military may have come down -- come to actually shooting down a plane that strayed into Washington's restricted air space. That plane, by the way, was carrying the governor of Kentucky.
Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more on that story -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
Yes, another look back this morning at a security issue. Just a few weeks ago, on June 9, as people were gathering at the Capitol for the funeral procession of the late president Ronald Reagan, a very scary incident.
Here on Capitol Hill this morning at the House Transportation Subcommittee, Aviation Subcommittee, they are looking at what happened that day when the U.S. Capitol was evacuated, when people started running down the street because the Capitol police said a plane was coming in.
A small plane that they thought was a security threat. That aviation and military officials thought was a security threat, because it had penetrated restricted air space over the Capitol. And there was not a clear understanding at that time who was on board. No understanding that it was the governor of Kentucky planning to land in Washington, D.C. People evacuated in quite a serious matter.
So the House Subcommittee looking this morning at what happened, why this happened two and a half years after September 11, how could there be such a lack of coordination and communication that the military might actually accidentally have faced the prospect of shooting down a small plane?
The subcommittee chairman spoke very bluntly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN MICA (R-FL), TRANSPORTATION CMTE.: While this was not a good day in air space control and security in our nation's capital, the situation in fact could have been much worse.
Fortunately no one was injured in the emergency evacuation. And Governor Fletcher and those with him were not fatally intercepted. That's the good news.
It's both alarming and unacceptable that after some two and a half years since September 11, the federal and local agencies involved in air space control and security still have not resolved some simple coordination, communications and training issues that were highlighted by this incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STARR: So both aviation officials testifying on the House side of Capitol Hill this morning, military officials testifying before the Senate in a classified closed-door hearing about what exactly happened in the air space over the Capitol on June 9. But a lot of calls for better coordination, better communication two and a half years after September 11.
One thing we have learned is since September 11, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now has secure communications 24/7. Even if he is not near a standard secure communications package, there is a military person with him at all times that provides him secure communications. He is in the chain of command if there is a crisis. And now he has those communications with him at all times -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you for that.
Another story out of the Pentagon now. It plans to set up review panels for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Our bob Franken was given a tour inside the Guantanamo Bay detainee facilities earlier today. Here is what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Security officials invited CNN for a glimpse, a glimpse of life behind what they called "The Wire" here, the detention facility, Camp Delta, and all the other ones connected with it.
On a side of the island, we're not allowed to talk about, where it is. And when we were allowed inside the that images we shot were censured by government authorities. Some shots removed, as a matter of fact.
But we were able to watch the detainees. Look at them. And their daily life in the prison, a life of monotony. We were assured repeatedly by the officials that there was no abuse, that it was different here from the battlefields in Iraq because it is so far removed.
But not removed as we're now finding out from the legal battles. The Supreme Court has ordered that the detainees here, even though they're on Cuban soil, are subject to U.S. laws. They do have the right to confront their charges.
The Pentagon is now trying to cope with that. It has come up with a series of hearings. Civilian lawyers will probably not consider that enough, so the legal battles will continue.
There is a worry here among the commanders that the interrogation value of the detainees, which they say is quite significant, will be undermined by the presence of lawyers. That they'll simply stop talking.
There's some mixed opinion about that. Many of the interrogators say that it's really nothing more than reading them their Miranda rights, which has not hurt police work, they contend. It's still something to see. The Pentagon is still grappling with it. They're coming up with procedures. So there's a bit of uncertainty here. What everybody is expecting is that by July 17, the detainees will be informed they're going to be having hearings without lawyers. And they will now have a chance to explain why they shouldn't be here behind the wire where they've been for well over two years.
Bob Franken, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well the drama that has played out on the world stage is now selling tickets in the London's theater district. And it's no coincidence that the controversial drama about a life as a terror detainee at Guantanamo Bay and its scathing portrayal of the Bush administration will premier in the U.S. just before the Republican Convention. Our Matthew Chance has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) incest, etc. That was in the summer. Now it's well into winter.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just a theatrical set. But these are the real observations of those who've experienced the Guantanamo prison first hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) human hand size, it moves like a race car, and has a bite that causes flesh to decay if untreated.
CHANCE: It's dramatic. And according to the writers, a documentary account of what's happening there.
GILLIAN SLOVO, PLAYWRIGHT: "Guantanamo" is a play that is based on real people's words. It's taken from interviews we did with participants, people who have been to Guantanamo, lawyers and family members of people who are in Guantanamo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a related issue there are British citizens at Guantanamo Bay.
CHANCE: "Guantanamo," the play, is written and performed as a factual reenactment. The question, say the writers, were really asked by reporters and the answers, in this case from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, are meant to be verbatim, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... are part of the coalition. They have a liaison in Tampa, Florida.
CHANCE: But critics warn this is still a play with dramatic license, even if it looks like impartial journalism.
LYN GARNER, THEATER CRITIC: I think that is a problem because I think once you are sitting there in the dark, you take what is given to you on stage absolutely as a given. And there's quite a lot of manipulation that goes on within it in the way that drama works on an emotional level.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I received a telephone call from the foreign office.
CHANCE: And there's no shortage of emotion and drama. Here, the father of a British detainee laments the legal limbo in which his own son is being kept.
The play comes down strongly against Guantanamo and the way the Bush administration is using it. From the White House, there's been no comment. But the play's backers may be hoping to make an impact.
(on camera): The launch in the U.S. of this most controversial play comes, of course, as the race for the White House really heats up.
Producers say they'll tour the country from New York and Washington right through to San Francisco, where critics expect a large number of people already concerned with the difficult issues raised by the real Guantanamo will turn up to see it.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Newsman Sam Donaldson makes a shocking discovery at his own ranch in New Mexico. Now police are investigating a triple murder. Details on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MARKET UPDATE)
KAGAN: Let's take a look now at some stories making news coast to coast.
Police in Lincoln County, New Mexico, have arrested a 14-year-old boy in a triple murder. It happened on the ranch of ABC newsman Sam Donaldson. Police say that Cody Posey killed his father, stepmother and stepsister. Donaldson himself discovered the crime scene when he went to the home of the boy's father who managed the ranch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS, OWNER OF RANCH: So we went over there and went on the porch and there's a large stain there, which I think is instantly recognizable, and glasses. I looked in the door and you could see a congealed reddish substance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Donaldson owns three homesteads in New Mexico. The veteran newsman grew up in the state. Nearly four years after the presidential election situation in Florida, a new lawsuit is filed over how to handle manual recounts in the future. A group calling itself the Voter Protection Coalition Roundtable is challenging the rule that such recounts would not have to include touch screen ballots. The group says the rule ignores the threat of tampering.
Batter up and baseball fan down. Take a look at these pictures. A fan in St. Louis was struck by a foul ball, not once, but twice during the very same game at Busch Stadium. The first slice pelted her in the neck. The second one bopped her in the noggin. Appropriately -- I think this is going to be the second one right here -- she was given a bobblehead doll. And apparently there were a couple bruises. Here comes the second hit -- goodness. Well, apparently she's going to be OK, except for a couple bruises. We hope maybe she bought a lottery ticket or something on that day.
It is a headline that you do not read every day: 94-year-old- woman ditches cane and thwarts thief. Erin Dehn of our affiliate KAKE in Wichita, Kansas, introduces us to a remarkable woman who is today's "Everyday Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADA MONCRIST (PH), ELDERLY CRIME BUSTER: He said, you have to start carrying a gun. Somebody said, you should run for sheriff.
ERIN DEHN, KAKE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Sada Moncrist -- gardener, traveler, and now law enforcer. The 94-year-old was shopping at a Kolbe (ph) jewelry store when a woman tried to leave with more than $3,000 of unpaid merchandise. Moncrist ran to call 911, taking off in such a hurry she forgot her cane.
MONCRIST: I ran back to the phone. I run without a cane. And the first time I'd run for years. And here I run back and helped hold her in the store.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was amazed. I couldn't see from the -- where I was standing in the storefront, you know, whether or not Sada even went back to call the police. I just kept yelling, Sada, call the police. And then like I said, before I knew it, she was up here helping me, which, you know, at that age, I -- I'm just amazed she didn't stay in the back of the store hiding.
DEHN: The woman made it out the door and threw the jewelry into a flower box -- Moncrist still in pursuit. Officers then arrived and arrested the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always said to her, Sada, I hope I'm like you when I'm at that age, because she just keeps going and going and going.
MONCRIST: Face it, who's going to find them.
DEHN: She may be in her mid-90s, but her spirit is still young. At 59, she took her first college class and at 89 she was in the classroom again.
MONCRIST: I was the oldest one. That was funny, too, because then they called us college kids.
DEHN: Her college days are over. Now she focuses on flowers and helping to fight crime every now and then.
MONCRIST: I don't want to be like everybody else. I don't want to be like 95-year-olds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well, she certainly isn't, and she gets the last laugh. Congratulations to her, our "Everyday Hero."
We're standing by, about 11 minutes from right now, we expect the homeland defense secretary, Tom Ridge to come out and talk about the possibility of an increased terror threat here in the U.S. leading up to the U.S. elections. We're hoping to get some more specific information about what he's talking about.
You'll see that live right here on CNN. Right now, a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The Tour de France becomes the "tour de Lance." American bicycling legend Lance Armstrong is wearing the yellow jersey today after winning yesterday's team trial with the third fastest speed on record. Armstrong is seeking a record sixth consecutive title in cycling's premier event. He holds the overall lead. His teammates in the U.S. Postal Service squad hold the next four spots.
Dave Shields is the author of the book "On The Tour." It's called "The Race: A Novel of Grit, Tactics and the Tour de France." The book has received some rave reviews and some insights into sport and the psychology of its athletes. He's our guest this morning.
Good morning.
DAVE SHIELDS, AUTHOR: Good morning, Daryn. Good to be here.
KAGAN: What is the significance of Lance Armstrong having the yellow jersey this early? Of course this race isn't going to end until July 25th.
SHIELDS: Yes, absolutely. It's somewhat of a surprise I'm fairly certain he won't try to defend it, and We'll see him lose it within the next few days. He's really got a lot more danger in these coming up stages than opportunity for a guy like him. So look for him to fall back a little, and then when the mountains come, he'll really put the hammer down.
KAGAN: Yes, what kind of danger are you talking about?
SHIELDS: Well, bicycle racing is an extremely dangerous sport. Two days ago we saw Ivan Mile (ph) crash on a sketchy section of road, and that was the end of his tour hopes. He was looked at as one of the main rivals to Lance Armstrong, and it's unlikely -- I mean, he really doesn't have any shot at recovering at this point.
KAGAN: What about the new rules this year, Dave, that hurt the stronger teams, trying to keep this whole event competitive until the end?
SHIELDS: I don't know anybody within cycling that is really in favor of those rules, but the cyclists knew the rules going in. And so as a result, they play by the rules as they exist. Had they not existed, U.S. Postal turned in such an incredible performance yesterday that they would be already running away with this race. So the intent of the rules was to keep the tension high until the end, and I guess in a sense that's going to happen.
KAGAN: You talked about one of Lance Armstrong's rivals. What about Tyler Hamilton, the other American getting some focus?
SHIELDS: Tyler Hamilton is an incredible guy. He -- last year, he completed the tour last year after crashing on stage one, some of the danger we're talking about, and he ended up with a stage victory late in the race. Hard to even comprehend the pain that he would have been going through.
KAGAN: Were you a betting man, does Lance Armstrong walk away with his sixth title?
SHIELDS: Well, I'll you, Armstrong is the fifth man to win five titles. Every one of those that preceded him tried for a sixth, and every one of them failed.
KAGAN: But they weren't Lance Armstrong.
SHIELDS: They weren't Lance Armstrong. Some of them looked very, very good going in. But I would have to bet on Lance Armstrong. There are so many complexities to this sport. It's -- Americans misunderstand how incredibly difficult this sport is, and how many factors come into play. So it will be exciting to see whether he can pull it off.
KAGAN: All right, as we said, it ends up on July 25th. We'd love to have you back as the race progresses.
SHIELDS: Well, thank you very much. I'd love to be back.
KAGAN: Dave Shields, author of "The Race," the book on the Tour.
Appreciate it.
KAGAN: Just a few minutes from now, Tom Ridge, live from Washington D.C., talking about this increased terror threat, hopefully giving us some more specifics. You'll see it live right here on CNN as the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: In the headlines, right now, new concerns in the war on terror. We're awaiting a news conference this hour from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. We are told that Ridge will say that there's a new belief that al Qaeda is in -- quote -- "an operational phase" for an attack within the U.S., timed before the presidential elections. Ridge's news conference is set to begin any minute now. We will bring it to you live when it happens.
Other headlines meanwhile: CIA employees throw a farewell party for their boss. George Tenet steps down Sunday after seven years as director. The party atmosphere at CIA headquarters likely won't last long however. A Senate report due tomorrow is expected to be highly critical of Tenet and the CIA over prewar analysis of Iraq's weapons capabilities.
From the business world, a federal indictment against Ken Lay was unsealed just a short time ago. Details of what's in the indictment are coming up in a live report from Houston. Meanwhile, the former chairman of Enron insists he has done nothing wrong, even as he surrendered this morning to the FBI.
And a House hearing gets under way on last month's sudden evacuation of the Capitol. Lawmakers want to know why a plane that was carrying the governor of Kentucky triggered the false alarm.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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