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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Clinton to Undergo Surgery; Bush Hopeful on Democracy in Middle East
Aired March 08, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now: a very rare medical complication for the former president of the United States. Surgery once again in his future, so why is President Clinton going to play a round of golf the day before he goes under the knife?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Clinton's condition. Six months after open heart surgery, the former president is headed back to the operating room.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a lot of fluid built up here, which is quite rare.
BLITZER: Tough talk on terror.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Time has come for Syria and Iran to stop using murder as a tool of policy.
BLITZER: But will Damascus dig in its heels after this show of support? I'll ask the Syrian ambassador.
Sky high. And going higher. Do terror fears have you paying a premium at the pump?
Mummy murder mystery. Now after 3,000 years, a new development in the case of King Tut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 8, 2005.
BLITZER: Six months after quadruple bypass surgery, former President Bill Clinton is suffering from a rare but potentially serious complication. Fluid has built up in his chest, resulting in scar tissue and a partially collapsed lung. He's scheduled to undergo a procedure Thursday, and doctors says his outlook is good.
CNN's Ed Henry has been covering this story, and he's joining us now here live -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the former president's doctors says this is not an emergency. In fact, today Mr. Clinton went ahead with his previously scheduled events in Washington, and he hopes to resume a full schedule within a couple of weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Appearing at the White House to discuss tsunami relief efforts, Mr. Clinton says he's feeling fine and expecting a full recovery.
CLINTON: It's a routine sort of deal. And it will knock me out of commission for a week or two and then I'll be back to normal. It's no big deal.
HENRY: President Bush even joked about the fact that the two former presidents are heading to the Sunshine State on Wednesday for a charity golf tournament hosted by Greg Norman.
BUSH: President Clinton and President Bush are going to play golf tomorrow to raise money for the tsunami victims. It goes to show how sick he is.
HENRY: Mr. Clinton has been walking up to four miles a day near his home in Chappaqua, New York, but he started feeling discomfort when he walked uphill. Doctors determined the former president had developed a rare complication from last fall's quadruple bypass heart surgery. Scar tissue developed from fluid and inflammation around the heart, which caused a collapse of part of the left lung.
On Thursday, the former president will have the fluid and scar tissue removed in what his doctors call a low-risk procedure.
DR. ALLAN SCHWARTZ, CHIEF OF CARDIOLOGY: This is not an emergency. This is being done to assure that he is able to continue to maintain a highly active lifestyle and that he's not at all functionally limited by his lung, but this is not a medically urgent procedure.
HENRY: Mr. Clinton shrugged off the fact that he will spend up to 10 days at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
CLINTON: I'm in good shape. I did great in my health tests. I just have this little fluid buildup. As soon as I get it done, I'm going to go back to work.
HENRY: Doctors says his recent trip to Asia did not trigger the problem.
SCHWARTZ: This type of complication is not known to be related to activity in any way, and in fact before he took his trip, we were aware of this, and the trip was done and elective correction was planned for after his return.
HENRY: Former President Bush wished his successor well and marveled about his energy during their recent trip overseas.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen him going, town to town, country to country. Energizer Bunny here killed me, but this thing, whatever he's got, if it knocks you out, it hasn't got to him yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Former President Clinton today said he does not think he needs to slow down, but Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told CNN that it might be time for Hillary Clinton to start cutting back her husband's schedule -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry reporting for us. Ed, thank you very much.
For more on Bill Clinton's complication, let's check in with our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's joining us today from New York.
Sanjay, the president, the former president, says it's routine. It's no big deal. It sounds like a big deal to me, and it's not routine by any means, given the statistics how many people get this complication following open-heart surgery. What does he mean?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of things to keep in mind here. I think any cardiac surgeon, any heart surgeon, anytime they do an operation like this, wouldn't consider it a simple operation. They take these things very seriously, not lightly.
So I think they would not consider it a very severe operation, but less on that scale, but still they take it seriously.
Now as far as the nature of it, you've heard the numbers now. Craig Smith, who performed the president's first operation, said out of the roughly 6,000 of these operations he's done, he said only about 10 of these times when he's actually had a complication like this.
That doesn't mean the type of operation to correct this complication isn't done much more often. It certainly is done pretty often. And that's why they think that this operation is fairly routine.
He'll probably be in the hospital for three to 10 days there. What you see on the screen there, Wolf, are concerns that doctors have any time they perform the bypass operation in terms of some of the complications that might happen afterwards. The complication that he's had is this fluid buildup.
BLITZER: We heard Dr. Allan Schwartz say that it was an elective kind of surgery. What would have happened if he decided not to -- if he elected not to have the surgery? The fluid buildup would have continued. What would have happened?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, elective is kind of a funny word here. I think the president certainly needed this operation. It was scheduled, in that sense it was elective, but if he's not scheduled to have the operation done, he probably would have gotten worse in terms of his exercise tolerance. He would have had more difficulty breathing, especially when walking or going up hills. His activity would have been curtailed, for sure. And eventually he may have had some problems with the pressure on his lung and even his heart.
BLITZER: How much danger is he in from the actual surgery?
GUPTA: You know, the surgeons were asked that. Again, they think on a scale of things, it's sort of at the lower end of the scale in terms of risks, but again, you know, we're always cautious. Every surgeon is cautious when asked that question, because none of these operations are to be taken lightly.
I think that, if you look at all the data, patients who have had this operation done over the years in this sort of situation, they do very well. Not only do they do well, but they get out of the hospital quickly. They don't have complications in the long run and they get back to their normal level of activity. So I think he has a very good chance of doing well statistically.
BLITZER: One final question, Sanjay. The president says and I'm quoting now, "I'm in good shape." Is he in good shape?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting, when you look at patients who have had a bypass operation, really they are in good shape in so many ways. You know, he had diseased heart before his operation. Now he's got a heart with new blood vessels in it. So from that sense he's in good shape.
He's thinner. He's exercising. I don't know what his cholesterol is now, but overall it looks like he's in pretty good shape, and certainly Dr. Schwartz, whom we've talked to, he thinks that he's in pretty good shape, as well. That's his cardiologist.
BLITZER: Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a good surgeon himself. Sanjay, thank you for that analysis.
GUPTA: Thank you.
BLITZER: And we'll hear more from President Clinton on his upcoming medical procedure, and I'll speak with a leading cardiologist right here in Washington, Dr. Jonathan Reiner of George Washington University. All that's coming up later this hour.
President Bush today gave an update on the war against terrorism. He said change is sweeping through the Middle East, but he had a tough message for holdouts in that region.
Let's bring in our senior White House correspondent, John King -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Mr. Bush with fresh stern rebukes to both Iran and Syria, but overall a very optimistic assessment from the president today.
He claimed progress in the war on terrorism. He said there were broad political changes, positive political changes taking place in the Middle East. As Mr. Bush put it, in his view, the days of authoritarian rule in that region are on their last gasp.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): But as Mr. Bush spoke, this scene in Lebanon. Tens of thousands that pro-Syria/anti-American, rally organized by Hezbollah, giving proof-free speech in the Middle East hardly guarantee and embrace of U.S. policy.
Mr. Bush focused instead on recent anti-Syria demonstrations, repeating his demand that Syria withdraw all troops and intelligence personnel from Lebanon before May elections, and called a redeployment within Lebanon an unacceptable delaying tactic.
BUSH: Today have a message for the people of Lebanon -- all the world is witnessing your great movement of conscience. Lebanon's future belongs in your hands.
KING: At the National Defense University in Washington, Mr. Bush nudged not only Iran and Syria but also two traditional allies in the region. To Saudi Arabia, this suggestion for the next round of municipal elections.
BUSH: No society can advance with only half of its talent and energy, and that demands the full participation of women.
KING: And to Egypt, a promise to monitor a recent commitment to hold open presidential elections.
BUSH: These require freedom of assembly, multiple candidates, free access by those candidates to the media, and the right to form political parties.
KING: Past updates on the war on terror have been dominated by assessments of military progress. This time Mr. Bush spoke of what he called a sudden thaw after decades of political stagnation in the Middle East, citing recent elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories and promising support for reformers elsewhere.
BUSH: Our security increasingly depends on the hope and progress of other nations now simmering in despair and resentment. And that hope and progress is found only in the advance of freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Now, the president today said there are many causes, in his view, for these dramatic political changes in the Middle East. And he was careful not to claim any political credit.
Behind the scenes, though, here at the White House, some aides say they believe the elections in Afghanistan and Iraq were a powerful example to the region. Even critics say there are remarkable changes taking place. And many see, Wolf, in this White House now an aggressive effort to take these political changes and wrap the still controversial war in Iraq in a much more favorable context -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.
Will Syria heed President Bush's call to leave Lebanon? And what does this mass demonstration in Lebanon today mean for the Middle East? I'll ask the Syrian ambassador to the United States.
Also ahead...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're paying some kind of fear premium for the price of oil right now.
BLITZER: Fear and loathing at the gas pump. What's driving soaring prices?
Plus, new technology and a very, shall we say very old mystery. Can a CAT scan tell us once and for all what killed King Tut?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Huge demonstrations today in Lebanon. These demonstrations, unlike earlier ones, demonstrations in favor of Syria's presence in Lebanon. Demonstrations organized by Hezbollah.
Did Syria arrange, though, today massive show of support? And how will it respond to the latest tough talk from President Bush?
Joining us here in Washington, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha.
Mr. Ambassador, welcome back.
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Hi, how are you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us. Let's go through it. There are some critics already saying it was Syria which controls much of Lebanon, has thousands of troops there, intelligence personnel on the ground, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who live in Lebanon, that you basically pulled the strings and ordered this demonstration today?
MOUSTAPHA: I think this is a ridiculous accusation that shows how the people who are really opposing what's happening today in Lebanon are becoming nervous.
No, we did not have even a single word to do with this. There's not a single Syrian person that has participated in what has happened today. The mere fact that people in Lebanon can support Syria drive people here in Washington, D.C., very nervous. But anyone with integrity and with honesty wouldn't claim this.
Let me remind you of this. We do not have a single Syrian soldier in Beirut. How can we do this? Actually today, when we are speaking, our troops are actually pulling out from Lebanon into Syria proper -- into Syria proper today.
BLITZER: Let me interrupt.
MOUSTAPHA: As we are talking.
BLITZER: With respect, does Syria recognize Lebanon as an independent country? MOUSTAPHA: We recognize Lebanon as an independent sovereign country. Our troops are being pulled from there for one reason. Once realized that the presence of our troops is creating a rift among the Lebanese people, regardless of the fact that the majority of the Lebanese people still support Syria, as you have seen today, more than a million people were supporting Syria today. It doesn't matter where we put our troops, and we are doing this.
BLITZER: It was 200,000 is the number.
MOUSTAPHA: That's what you say, but other agencies are saying hundreds of thousands.
BLITZER: All right. There were a lot of people. There's no doubt about that. We don't know that -- does Syria -- does Syria have an embassy in Beirut?
MOUSTAPHA: This is not the issue. The issue...
BLITZER: It is the issue, and with all due respect, because there has been suggestions, as you well know, Syria sees Lebanon as part of a greater Syria.
MOUSTAPHA: No. No. Let me remind you of the facts...
BLITZER: Explain why Syria doesn't have an embassy in Beirut.
MOUSTAPHA: Let me remind you of facts. First, the Syrian president went to Lebanon, he saluted the Lebanese flag. He made an official visit to -- from a head of state to head of state.
Second we have something even more important than embassies. It's called the Syrian Lebanese Supreme Council, headed by a Lebanese and then by a Syrian in alternative terms. And this is like an embassy, but it's even more important than an embassy. But this is not important.
BLITZER: Is there an embassy in Damascus?
MOUSTAPHA: Why are you trying to ask questions about details when the big issue is the following?
BLITZER: Because people are suggesting, Mr. Ambassador, you know that...
MOUSTAPHA: Syria is withdrawing from Lebanon. We are not leaving -- the issue is we are doing -- we are giving the good example for all other troops in our region to withdraw from occupied territories.
Israel has still its troops occupying parts of Syria, parts of Lebanon and the whole of Palestine. Why don't you ask now your Israeli friends to follow the good example of Syria and withdraw its troops?
Because we are doing this, we are withdrawing every single Syrian troop, Syrian intelligence agent from Syria -- from Lebanon. Nobody will remain in Lebanon in the very near future.
BLITZER: All right. Let's -- let's listen -- let's listen to what the president of the United States said about this earlier today. Listen to this.
MOUSTAPHA: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The time has come for Syria to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1559. All Syrian military forces and intelligence personnel must withdraw before the Lebanese elections for those elections to be free and fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Lebanese elections are scheduled for May. Will all Syrian military and intelligence personnel be out of all of Lebanon by May?
MOUSTAPHA: Yes. Let me first thank President Bush for what -- for his concern about Lebanon and the fair and free elections that will happen in May. And now President Bush can focus his attention on the really terrible occupation of the Palestinian territories and the occupation of Syrian territories and Lebanese territories by Israel.
Because we are withdrawing our troops. They are actually being withdrawn today. We will do this as soon as possible, even long time before May.
BLITZER: Because right now they're simply moving to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
MOUSTAPHA: No, no. Today -- if you have just read -- if you have just read news agency reports, they are saying actually, although we said we will withdraw to the Bekaa Valley in phase one and then to inside Syria proper in phase two. We have actually pulled some of those troops into Syria as of today.
What I want to say is this is a great opportunity for the United States of America prove to the whole world its credibility and to prove that it does not have a double standards approach to the Middle East and now start focusing all your efforts with all the energy and thrust you have focused on Syria, now start focusing this on Israel and convince your Israeli allies to withdraw your -- their troops from the occupied territories.
BLACKMAN: ITZER: All right. Let's clarify one point. There was a top -- one of the top Iraqi most wanted who was arrested the other day. Initial reports said Syria handed him over, a half-brother of Saddam Hussein, to the Iraqis. Other subsequent reports said he wasn't handed over by the Syrians. Did Syria hand over the half- brother of Saddam Hussein to the Iraqis?
MOUSTAPHA: Now, as an ambassador, I'm not privy to the details of intelligence operations, however, as an ambassador, I have repeatedly said to the government of the United States of America that Syria has all the political will to engage with you and to work with you in stabilizing the situation in Iraq and securing the Iraqi-Syrian borders.
I have repeatedly said this to the administration. And I have repeatedly said that we want to enhance the level of cooperation between Syria and the United States. This is what I know. I don't know anything about actual operational and actionable intelligence.
BLITZER: Imad Moustapha, Syria's ambassador, outspoken, passionate ambassador here in Washington. Thanks, as usual for joining us.
MOUSTAPHA: Thank you.
BLITZER: We'll continue this conversation.
A controversial call for a hip-hop band. Why the Reverend Al Sharpton wants stations to stop -- yes, stop -- playing some artists.
Also, reports Al Qaeda may be trying to plant spies inside the CIA. We'll talk about it with the agency's former deputy director, John McLaughlin. He's standing by.
And more on Bill Clinton's upcoming operation. The former president talks about his condition. We'll hear about it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The Reverend Al Sharpton has a new crusade. The frequently outspoken civil rights leader wants radio stations to impose a 90-day ban on hip-hop artists who engage in violence.
CNN's Mary Snow is standing by live in New York with details -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's an old debate with a new twist. Al Sharpton says he knows he has to protect First Amendment rights. However, he wants a code of conduct for artists.
He did not name names, but his comments come in the wake of tensions here in New York among rappers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): He is 50 Cent. He is a protege known as The Game. And tensions between the two have been escalating since late February. That's when an associate of The Game was shot in the ankle outside New York radio station Hot 97 while 50 Cent was on air promoting his new CD.
Words have been exchanged on the airwaves, and police have stepped up security at hip-hop spots. Now the Reverend Al Sharpton is calling on radio stations to slap a 90-day ban on music of artists who engage in violence, especially to promote records. And he says he plans to call on the FCC for action.
REV. AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: It would seem to me if the federal government can stop and discuss for months the breasts of Janice Jackson (sic), we can at least discuss the actual bloodshed on two or more occasions right in the streets of New York in front of a radio station.
SNOW: The FCC wouldn't comment on Sharpton's plan, saying, "We are not going to make a comment until we receive something formal from him."
Emmis Communications, owner of New York's Hot 97, released a statement saying, "We in no way condone acts of violence. We hope that the perpetrators of these violent acts are prosecuted."
Sharpton, for now, says he's not looking for prosecution, but a code of conduct.
SHARPTON: In sports, I don't care if you're in basketball or baseball or football, you could not engage in violent behavior and expect to play in the next game. But in the music industry for some reason, not only can you continue to get airplay, you become hotter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, we reached a spokesman for 50 Cent, who said he had no comment. A spokesperson for The Game could not immediately be reached for comment, and attorneys who protect civil liberties say they are very skeptical that Sharpton's plan will go anywhere -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow reporting for us in New York. Mary, thank you very much.
When we come back, checkpoint shooting fallout. The U.S. military and the Italian government disagree about what happened that night on the road to Baghdad's airport. What's the next step? We'll go live to the Pentagon.
Also, paying premium prices, and we mean premium. Why the threat of terrorism is affecting your pocketbook at the pump right now.
Later, former President Clinton heading back to the hospital, Thursday surgery scheduled. Could this new surgery be a sign of future problems? A leading cardiologist weighs in. He'll join us. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Is Al Qaeda trying to infiltrate the CIA by applying for jobs within the spy agency? I'll ask the former deputy CIA director, John McLaughlin. That's coming up.
First, though, a check of some other news now in the news.
In the Michael Jackson trial, the defense lawyer attacked the testimony of a teenager who says he saw the entertainer molest his brother. The boy had told prosecutors Jackson showed his two visitors a certain adult magazine. The Jacksons' attorney pointed out the magazine was dated months after the boy had visited Jackson at his Neverland Ranch.
The United National General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling for a ban on human cloning. The United States was joined by many African, Arab and Latin American countries in voting for the measure. Many European and Asian countries opposed it.
Experts from the U.N. and Indian Ocean countries say a tsunami warning system should be in place in South Asia by the end of next year. They say, if the system had been operational when the tsunami hit in December, many lives would have been saved. At least 170,000 people were killed by the South Asia tsunami.
The top American general in Iraq faced a barrage of tough questions today about the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops. An Italian journalist just released by Iraqi insurgents was wounded in last week's checkpoint shooting.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr standing by now live at the Pentagon with more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, four days after that checkpoint shooting, more questions than answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The U.S. military and Italian government now fundamentally disagree over what happened on the road to the Baghdad Airport, when soldiers shot and killed an Italian security agent and wounded journalist Giuliana Sgrena at a checkpoint Friday night.
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini is emphasizing his account does not coincide with the U.S. The central point? Did the Italians notify the U.S. they would be on that dangerous road? The foreign minister says U.S. military authorities at the airport were contacted, but the head of U.S. forces in Iraq says initial indications he has are that the Italians did not tell the U.S. they were traveling.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: I'm saying I personally have no information that that is the case, OK?
STARR: Would it have come to you if there was information? Would you know?
CASEY: I would hope so.
STARR: According to the Italian government, the vehicle was traveling at no more than 25 miles an hour. The U.S. military says it was over 50 miles an hour. The Italians report an explosion of gunfire. The U.S. says fewer than a dozen rounds were fired.
The Italians report, when the vehicle was 33 feet away, a warning light was flashed, giving little time for them to react. The U.S. says warning lights were flashed when the car was 410 feet away. Casey has ordered a review of all checkpoint incidents in the last six months to see if changes are needed. Commanders insist the checkpoints are clearly marked, but a soldier writing on the Central Command's Web site tells of one nighttime operation when a checkpoint was set up on a desolate road. Troops turned all the lights off, except for a soldier holding a flashlight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Wolf, the Italians and the U.S. are now undertaking a joint investigation. Results are expected within the month -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr reporting for us at the Pentagon -- thank you, Barbara, very much.
In our CNN "Security Watch," supply and demand, something else perhaps as well. Is that price jump at the gas pump caused in part by terror concerns?
CNN's Brian Todd standing by with that story -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, experts tell us the oil trade is one of the most jittery markets out there, like other markets, often driven by speculation about what might happen. And they say concerns over possible attacks are one reason many of us have sticker shock right now at our local gas station.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): At pump after pump, customers practically choke up as they fill up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's taking like about $40, when it used to take like $20.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That just cost me $55. And a month ago, I think it was $48.
TODD: That's in California, where the price of self-serve regular gas is at about $2.20 a gallon, higher than most places. But gas prices are shooting up everywhere in the U.S., the national average now at just under $2 a gallon for self-serve regular. The U.S. government says prices will hit new record highs this driving season between April and September, a national average of $2.10 a gallon.
LLEWELLYN KING, "THE ENERGY DAILY": The real problem is that the world oil supply is extraordinarily fragile.
TODD: Fragile not necessarily in volume, say the experts, but in other areas, refining and shipping capacities stretched thin, demand from the United States and lately India and China going way up. And listen to what a Saudi official and an independent expert volunteered about the terrorism factor.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We are paying some kind of fear premium for the price of oil right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that puts a fear premium on crude oil.
TODD: Energy experts say oil markets, like others, are psychologically driven.
KING: I, for example, would suggest, as you notice, every time a pipeline in Iraq is blown up, there's a spike in price. Now, should that move, that kind of violence against oil move, into Saudi Arabia, it would be a very serious problem.
TODD: Saudi Arabia has already been hit. A series of attacks on oil company compounds in 2003 and 2004 killed dozens of foreign workers. Experts believe many refineries are well secured. The vulnerabilities lie in the pipelines, ports and housing complexes. And there's another threat.
BERGEN: We don't know if al Qaeda has penetrated the Saudi oil business. But it would be kind of surprising if it hadn't, because this is the largest industry in the kingdom. Clearly, bin Laden enjoys a fair amount of support in certain circles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: And not even three months ago, bin Laden issued a taped message urging his followers to continue their attacks on the oil industry. Experts say that's part of al Qaeda's broader strategy to hurt Western economies. And even the possibility of attack is one reason we'll be hurting at gas pumps this summer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting -- thank you, Brian.
Also, in our CNN "Security Watch," a report in today's "Los Angeles Times" suggesting Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network may be trying to plant spies inside the CIA. Quoting U.S. officials, the newspaper says about 40 U.S. citizens who applied for intelligence positions have been rejected because of possible ties to terrorist groups.
Joining us now to discuss the report, CNN national security adviser, former Deputy CIA Director John McLaughlin.
Thanks very much for joining us.
BLITZER: How big is a problem is this al Qaeda trying to penetrate the U.S. intelligence community and get a spy in there?
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, Wolf, we don't have any certainly that they've tried to do it. But there's one rule in counterterrorism. You always assume the worst. And so, as you think about this problem, we have to assume that they're trying and we have to take measures to stop them, because they do have a high incentive to get someone inside.
BLITZER: We know that the intelligence community has been tasked to find a lot more human intelligence assets. That means finding people who can speak Arabic, look like Arabs, can penetrate al Qaeda, if necessary. Does it mean that there's an opportunity for them to try to get some sort of sleeper inside the intelligence community?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it presents a problem the intelligence community has to think about, because there's a tension here between, on the one hand, needing those kinds of people, people with on-the- ground experience, people who have walked the land and people who speak the language and understand the culture, and, on the other hand, recognizing that, if you have lived in that part of the world, if you have immersed yourself in that culture, you've probably come in contact with some kind of extremist movement at some point.
So, the difficult thing in the intelligence business is to make the judgment about whether this person had an innocent contact or whether, on the other hand, we have someone here who has tried to get inside for some improper purpose.
BLITZER: How do you do that? Because it sounds like an impossible task. If you have somebody who's very sophisticated, very smart, says all the right things, does all the right things, but really has a hidden agenda, how can you find that out?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's very tough. And part of it is just a problem of magnitude.
In 2003, for example, 138,000 people applied for just over 2,000 jobs at CIA. So, the magnitude of going through all of these applications -- and that's just one agency -- is a tough problem. So the way you do it is, you do it slowly. That holds up the application process. You do it carefully. Once someone is employed in the intelligence business, you look at them periodically. You give them polygraphs. You do financial disclosure statements on a periodic basis.
It's actually a very intrusive lifestyle once you're inside the intelligence community because of this counterintelligence problem.
BLITZER: It's not the first time the intelligence community has dealt with a problem like this. During the bad old days of the Cold War, '50s, '60s, '70s, the Soviets were trying to do that all the time.
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, the challenge is greater today for a number of reasons.
We still have to worry about traditional adversaries, meaning other intelligence services, who are always trying to recruit people in the American business and get spies. At the same time, we have to worry about these new adversaries, so there's a larger set of people who are trying to get into our system. Second, and this is a very important point, today, because of the nature of terrorism, we have to share information very broadly.
In the Cold War, information was shared with a narrow group of people, but today an organization like CIA has to shared it all the way from the president down to a highway patrolman in Indiana. And so there are many entry points here for someone who is trying to acquire secret information from the United States.
BLITZER: Here's a very disturbing element that I read in this "Los Angeles Times" piece, which was eye-opening -- and I recommend to our viewers to go to their Web site to read it -- that different branches of the U.S. intelligence community can't talk to each other, under privacy rules.
In other words, if someone is rejected to work at the CIA, that person might be able to get a job with the NSA, the National Security Agency, because the CIA can't share that information with other agencies of the U.S. government. Is that -- is that the case?
MCLAUGHLIN: think the article overstates that point a little bit, to be frank. People have been aware of this problem for some time, at least a year or two or three, and we've been working on it. And this will be one of the things that John Negroponte, as the new director of national intelligence, will have to look at.
He has authority under the legislation to establish common personnel policies across the entire intelligence community. And this is one of those things that he'll have to work the bugs out of.
BLITZER: It sounds like something that he should probably do pretty quickly.
MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
BLITZER: Given the nature of the potential threat.
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, also, it's important to emphasize they have an incentive to do this, because terrorists have been hurt pretty badly in the last year as a result of successful operations against them by intelligence officers around the world. So, they have an incentive to get inside our system and find out, how are we doing that?
BLITZER: John McLaughlin, thanks very much.
MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And for our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
When we come back, the current president and two former presidents gathering in Washington to discuss tsunami relief, but Bill Clinton's health taking center stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Clinton and President Bush are going to play golf tomorrow to raise money for tsunami victims. That goes to show how sick he is.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The former president will explain about his upcoming surgery. That's coming up.
Plus, murder mystery solved? A new development in the case of King Tut.
And in our picture of the day, a different kind of fight club. This one let the feathers fly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
More now on our top story, former President Clinton scheduled for more surgery Thursday to deal with rare complications from his September quadruple bypass. He talked about it this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I found this condition when I did my regular test and they said I was in the top 5 percent of men my age in health. But they took a routine X- ray and found out that I had a lot of fluid buildup here, which is quite rare once the fluid goes down. And so all they have to do is drain it and take that little peel that holds the fluid out.
It's a routine sort of deal. And it will knock me out of commission for a week or two and then I will be back to normal. This is no big deal.
And I felt well enough to go to Asia to try to keep up with President Bush and we're going to play golf tomorrow. So I'm -- I'm not in too bad of shape.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen him going town to town, country to country. The Energizer Bunny here killed me.
(LAUGHTER)
G.H.W. BUSH: So, just think, whatever he's got, if it knocks you out, it hasn't got to him yet.
CLINTON: I'm going to slow down for the next couple of weeks, but I'm in good shape. I got great in my health tests. I just have this little fluid buildup. As soon as I get it done, I'm going to go back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more now on the former president's condition, we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's a cardiologist, associate professor of medicine at George Washington Medical Center here in the nation's capital.
Dr. Reiner, thanks very much for joining us.
DR. JONATHAN REINER, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: My pleasure.
BLITZER: How unusual is this complication from quadruple bypass surgery only six months ago?
REINER: Well, it's actually fairly unusual.
We typically see patients develop some fluid in their chest in the days or even early weeks after bypass surgery. But now, more than five months following surgery, it's really very unusual, very uncommon to see patients develop this problem this late.
BLITZER: What could cause it?
REINER: Well, to understand what could cause it, you have to -- let me remind you of what happened during surgery. When President Clinton had his surgery in September, they used one of the arteries from the wall of his chest to bypass the heart. They used the mammary artery. It's a terrifically durable graft and it's really a standard component of this kind of surgery.
But when you do that, you have to enter the left side of chest, and that sets in cycle sometimes a series of events leading to inflammation and fluid buildup in the chest. And, over time, that could scar and leave pockets that can be hard to resorb on its own.
BLITZER: Is this potentially an error that the surgeon may have made?
REINER: Oh, no. I highly doubt that.
This is sort of -- I would expect that this is just a very idiosyncratic response to surgery. Every patient has sort of their path through surgery. Some patients have no issues. Other patients have these minor or moderately significant issues that come up in the first year. This is unexpected, but I think the good news that we heard today is that, in recent weeks, President Clinton had a stress test and did exceedingly well on that.
So, my take on that is that the overriding goal of his surgery, which was to revascularize his heart, deliver more blood to his heart, was very successful. And that's really the indicator that predicts long-term outcome.
BLITZER: Is there a possibility six months from now, after this procedure, assuming all goes well -- and we certainly hope it will go well -- six months from now, he could need it again? The fluid could build up once again?
REINER: I think it's unlikely. What the surgeons will likely do this week is not simply drain the fluid, but also sort of scrape away the inflammatory tissue that is leading to the reaccumulation of it and allow his lung to re- expand. So I think, once he has been this, it should be a fairly definitive fix for the problem.
BLITZER: If he had been your patient -- and, obviously, he's not your patient -- but, if he had been your patient, A, would you have let him go to South Asia on the tsunami relief mission knowing he already had this complication? And, B, would you let him play golf tomorrow, the day before his scheduled surgery?
REINER: Well, I would never second-guess another physician's care of a patient that I have never examined.
But from what we know about the president's condition overall, his cardiovascular fitness appears to be excellent. And he feels well. So, I think that's a testament to how well he's doing overall. And if he felt you know, probably, sure, I would let him go.
BLITZER: And he certainly seems to have a great attitude, the way he was talking. How important in advance of heart surgery like this is an individual's attitude?
REINER: Well, I think it's important all the way through. I think it's important before surgery, in the immediate days and then in the months after.
Don't forget, this kind of surgery is often really life-changing. We encourage patients to change many of their habits, their diet, their exercise. Also, this kind of surgery in a patient in their 50s reminds them of their mortality. So, attitude is really important in returning to a normal life and then lowering your risk factors. And it appears that the president has a terrific attitude.
BLITZER: He does indeed, and we wish him only the best.
REINER: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Dr. Reiner, thank you very much.
REINER: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Has the world's oldest murder mystery really been solved? After only 3,000 years, there are new developments, yes, new developments, on the mysterious death of King Tut.
We'll tell you those developments when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Modern technology is adding a new twist to an old mystery, a very old mystery. What killed the world's most famous mummy, Egypt's King Tut?
CNN's Cairo bureau chief, Ben Wedeman, reports, a CAT scan is giving researchers a leg up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): One of the oldest murder mysteries solved -- well, maybe. More than 3,000 years ago, 19-year-old pharaoh Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut, was found dead in his royal bed. Many historians and history buffs suspected foul play.
Late last year, Egyptian scientists oversaw a first ever C.T. scan, a three-dimensional X-ray of Tut's mummy. They pored over 1,700 images searching for clues to answer the question, was Tut murdered? Last November, we asked Egypt's top archaeologist what he thought.
DR. ZAHI HAWASS, SUPREME ANTIQUITIES COUNCIL: I believe there was a conspiracy, and I believe that he was murdered.
WEDEMAN: After the C.T. scan, he's changed his tune.
HAWASS: King Tut was not murdered, but we found out in his left leg that he was crushed. He had an injury, just maybe a few days before he died.
WEDEMAN: Which might have caused a fatal infection or...
HAWASS: Maybe he was poisoned.
WEDEMAN: The high-tech scan might not solve the mystery, but it may give us a better idea of what Tut really looked like.
HAWASS: It shows with the three dimension of the mummy. We'll be able to reconstruct the face of King Tut.
WEDEMAN: Egyptian authorities say he old Tut has been roughed up enough since his tomb was discovered in 1922 and now it's time to put him back in the ground for good.
(on camera): OK, so King Tut wasn't killed by a blow to the head, but an infection or maybe even poison might have done him in. Say what you like, but this case is far from closed.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Let's take a quick look at some other stories making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): The Chechen rebel leader blamed by Russia for last year's deadly school hostage crisis was killed during a raid by Russian troops. Officials say Aslan Maskhadov was killed in a village in northern Chechnya.
War crimes. Kosovo's prime minister has resigned after being indicted by the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal. Ramush Haradinaj was a senior commander of ethnic Albanian rebels who fought Serb troops in the late 1990s. He says he'll fight the charges before the U.N. tribunal in the Hague.
Rape protest. Thousands of women took to the streets in eastern Pakistan to support a woman who says he was gang-raped on orders of a village council. Last week, a court ordered five of the six men sentenced to death in the attack released from prison because of a lack of evidence.
Anti-monarchy protests. Hundreds of people were arrested in Nepal for taking part in demonstrations against that country's king. The protests were triggered by the king's seizure of absolute power last month.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And when we come back, a unique way to deal with life's daily stress in our picture of the day. That's coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A different kind of fight club. It's our picture of the day.
Take a look at this. Dozens of Israelis -- yes, Israelis -- took part in a giant pillow fight in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square. Organizers are quoted as saying the event was meant to improve morale among the country's tense population. Don't know if it will do it.
See you tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 8, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now: a very rare medical complication for the former president of the United States. Surgery once again in his future, so why is President Clinton going to play a round of golf the day before he goes under the knife?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Clinton's condition. Six months after open heart surgery, the former president is headed back to the operating room.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a lot of fluid built up here, which is quite rare.
BLITZER: Tough talk on terror.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Time has come for Syria and Iran to stop using murder as a tool of policy.
BLITZER: But will Damascus dig in its heels after this show of support? I'll ask the Syrian ambassador.
Sky high. And going higher. Do terror fears have you paying a premium at the pump?
Mummy murder mystery. Now after 3,000 years, a new development in the case of King Tut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 8, 2005.
BLITZER: Six months after quadruple bypass surgery, former President Bill Clinton is suffering from a rare but potentially serious complication. Fluid has built up in his chest, resulting in scar tissue and a partially collapsed lung. He's scheduled to undergo a procedure Thursday, and doctors says his outlook is good.
CNN's Ed Henry has been covering this story, and he's joining us now here live -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the former president's doctors says this is not an emergency. In fact, today Mr. Clinton went ahead with his previously scheduled events in Washington, and he hopes to resume a full schedule within a couple of weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Appearing at the White House to discuss tsunami relief efforts, Mr. Clinton says he's feeling fine and expecting a full recovery.
CLINTON: It's a routine sort of deal. And it will knock me out of commission for a week or two and then I'll be back to normal. It's no big deal.
HENRY: President Bush even joked about the fact that the two former presidents are heading to the Sunshine State on Wednesday for a charity golf tournament hosted by Greg Norman.
BUSH: President Clinton and President Bush are going to play golf tomorrow to raise money for the tsunami victims. It goes to show how sick he is.
HENRY: Mr. Clinton has been walking up to four miles a day near his home in Chappaqua, New York, but he started feeling discomfort when he walked uphill. Doctors determined the former president had developed a rare complication from last fall's quadruple bypass heart surgery. Scar tissue developed from fluid and inflammation around the heart, which caused a collapse of part of the left lung.
On Thursday, the former president will have the fluid and scar tissue removed in what his doctors call a low-risk procedure.
DR. ALLAN SCHWARTZ, CHIEF OF CARDIOLOGY: This is not an emergency. This is being done to assure that he is able to continue to maintain a highly active lifestyle and that he's not at all functionally limited by his lung, but this is not a medically urgent procedure.
HENRY: Mr. Clinton shrugged off the fact that he will spend up to 10 days at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
CLINTON: I'm in good shape. I did great in my health tests. I just have this little fluid buildup. As soon as I get it done, I'm going to go back to work.
HENRY: Doctors says his recent trip to Asia did not trigger the problem.
SCHWARTZ: This type of complication is not known to be related to activity in any way, and in fact before he took his trip, we were aware of this, and the trip was done and elective correction was planned for after his return.
HENRY: Former President Bush wished his successor well and marveled about his energy during their recent trip overseas.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen him going, town to town, country to country. Energizer Bunny here killed me, but this thing, whatever he's got, if it knocks you out, it hasn't got to him yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Former President Clinton today said he does not think he needs to slow down, but Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told CNN that it might be time for Hillary Clinton to start cutting back her husband's schedule -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry reporting for us. Ed, thank you very much.
For more on Bill Clinton's complication, let's check in with our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's joining us today from New York.
Sanjay, the president, the former president, says it's routine. It's no big deal. It sounds like a big deal to me, and it's not routine by any means, given the statistics how many people get this complication following open-heart surgery. What does he mean?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of things to keep in mind here. I think any cardiac surgeon, any heart surgeon, anytime they do an operation like this, wouldn't consider it a simple operation. They take these things very seriously, not lightly.
So I think they would not consider it a very severe operation, but less on that scale, but still they take it seriously.
Now as far as the nature of it, you've heard the numbers now. Craig Smith, who performed the president's first operation, said out of the roughly 6,000 of these operations he's done, he said only about 10 of these times when he's actually had a complication like this.
That doesn't mean the type of operation to correct this complication isn't done much more often. It certainly is done pretty often. And that's why they think that this operation is fairly routine.
He'll probably be in the hospital for three to 10 days there. What you see on the screen there, Wolf, are concerns that doctors have any time they perform the bypass operation in terms of some of the complications that might happen afterwards. The complication that he's had is this fluid buildup.
BLITZER: We heard Dr. Allan Schwartz say that it was an elective kind of surgery. What would have happened if he decided not to -- if he elected not to have the surgery? The fluid buildup would have continued. What would have happened?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, elective is kind of a funny word here. I think the president certainly needed this operation. It was scheduled, in that sense it was elective, but if he's not scheduled to have the operation done, he probably would have gotten worse in terms of his exercise tolerance. He would have had more difficulty breathing, especially when walking or going up hills. His activity would have been curtailed, for sure. And eventually he may have had some problems with the pressure on his lung and even his heart.
BLITZER: How much danger is he in from the actual surgery?
GUPTA: You know, the surgeons were asked that. Again, they think on a scale of things, it's sort of at the lower end of the scale in terms of risks, but again, you know, we're always cautious. Every surgeon is cautious when asked that question, because none of these operations are to be taken lightly.
I think that, if you look at all the data, patients who have had this operation done over the years in this sort of situation, they do very well. Not only do they do well, but they get out of the hospital quickly. They don't have complications in the long run and they get back to their normal level of activity. So I think he has a very good chance of doing well statistically.
BLITZER: One final question, Sanjay. The president says and I'm quoting now, "I'm in good shape." Is he in good shape?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting, when you look at patients who have had a bypass operation, really they are in good shape in so many ways. You know, he had diseased heart before his operation. Now he's got a heart with new blood vessels in it. So from that sense he's in good shape.
He's thinner. He's exercising. I don't know what his cholesterol is now, but overall it looks like he's in pretty good shape, and certainly Dr. Schwartz, whom we've talked to, he thinks that he's in pretty good shape, as well. That's his cardiologist.
BLITZER: Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a good surgeon himself. Sanjay, thank you for that analysis.
GUPTA: Thank you.
BLITZER: And we'll hear more from President Clinton on his upcoming medical procedure, and I'll speak with a leading cardiologist right here in Washington, Dr. Jonathan Reiner of George Washington University. All that's coming up later this hour.
President Bush today gave an update on the war against terrorism. He said change is sweeping through the Middle East, but he had a tough message for holdouts in that region.
Let's bring in our senior White House correspondent, John King -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Mr. Bush with fresh stern rebukes to both Iran and Syria, but overall a very optimistic assessment from the president today.
He claimed progress in the war on terrorism. He said there were broad political changes, positive political changes taking place in the Middle East. As Mr. Bush put it, in his view, the days of authoritarian rule in that region are on their last gasp.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): But as Mr. Bush spoke, this scene in Lebanon. Tens of thousands that pro-Syria/anti-American, rally organized by Hezbollah, giving proof-free speech in the Middle East hardly guarantee and embrace of U.S. policy.
Mr. Bush focused instead on recent anti-Syria demonstrations, repeating his demand that Syria withdraw all troops and intelligence personnel from Lebanon before May elections, and called a redeployment within Lebanon an unacceptable delaying tactic.
BUSH: Today have a message for the people of Lebanon -- all the world is witnessing your great movement of conscience. Lebanon's future belongs in your hands.
KING: At the National Defense University in Washington, Mr. Bush nudged not only Iran and Syria but also two traditional allies in the region. To Saudi Arabia, this suggestion for the next round of municipal elections.
BUSH: No society can advance with only half of its talent and energy, and that demands the full participation of women.
KING: And to Egypt, a promise to monitor a recent commitment to hold open presidential elections.
BUSH: These require freedom of assembly, multiple candidates, free access by those candidates to the media, and the right to form political parties.
KING: Past updates on the war on terror have been dominated by assessments of military progress. This time Mr. Bush spoke of what he called a sudden thaw after decades of political stagnation in the Middle East, citing recent elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories and promising support for reformers elsewhere.
BUSH: Our security increasingly depends on the hope and progress of other nations now simmering in despair and resentment. And that hope and progress is found only in the advance of freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Now, the president today said there are many causes, in his view, for these dramatic political changes in the Middle East. And he was careful not to claim any political credit.
Behind the scenes, though, here at the White House, some aides say they believe the elections in Afghanistan and Iraq were a powerful example to the region. Even critics say there are remarkable changes taking place. And many see, Wolf, in this White House now an aggressive effort to take these political changes and wrap the still controversial war in Iraq in a much more favorable context -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.
Will Syria heed President Bush's call to leave Lebanon? And what does this mass demonstration in Lebanon today mean for the Middle East? I'll ask the Syrian ambassador to the United States.
Also ahead...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're paying some kind of fear premium for the price of oil right now.
BLITZER: Fear and loathing at the gas pump. What's driving soaring prices?
Plus, new technology and a very, shall we say very old mystery. Can a CAT scan tell us once and for all what killed King Tut?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Huge demonstrations today in Lebanon. These demonstrations, unlike earlier ones, demonstrations in favor of Syria's presence in Lebanon. Demonstrations organized by Hezbollah.
Did Syria arrange, though, today massive show of support? And how will it respond to the latest tough talk from President Bush?
Joining us here in Washington, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha.
Mr. Ambassador, welcome back.
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Hi, how are you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us. Let's go through it. There are some critics already saying it was Syria which controls much of Lebanon, has thousands of troops there, intelligence personnel on the ground, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who live in Lebanon, that you basically pulled the strings and ordered this demonstration today?
MOUSTAPHA: I think this is a ridiculous accusation that shows how the people who are really opposing what's happening today in Lebanon are becoming nervous.
No, we did not have even a single word to do with this. There's not a single Syrian person that has participated in what has happened today. The mere fact that people in Lebanon can support Syria drive people here in Washington, D.C., very nervous. But anyone with integrity and with honesty wouldn't claim this.
Let me remind you of this. We do not have a single Syrian soldier in Beirut. How can we do this? Actually today, when we are speaking, our troops are actually pulling out from Lebanon into Syria proper -- into Syria proper today.
BLITZER: Let me interrupt.
MOUSTAPHA: As we are talking.
BLITZER: With respect, does Syria recognize Lebanon as an independent country? MOUSTAPHA: We recognize Lebanon as an independent sovereign country. Our troops are being pulled from there for one reason. Once realized that the presence of our troops is creating a rift among the Lebanese people, regardless of the fact that the majority of the Lebanese people still support Syria, as you have seen today, more than a million people were supporting Syria today. It doesn't matter where we put our troops, and we are doing this.
BLITZER: It was 200,000 is the number.
MOUSTAPHA: That's what you say, but other agencies are saying hundreds of thousands.
BLITZER: All right. There were a lot of people. There's no doubt about that. We don't know that -- does Syria -- does Syria have an embassy in Beirut?
MOUSTAPHA: This is not the issue. The issue...
BLITZER: It is the issue, and with all due respect, because there has been suggestions, as you well know, Syria sees Lebanon as part of a greater Syria.
MOUSTAPHA: No. No. Let me remind you of the facts...
BLITZER: Explain why Syria doesn't have an embassy in Beirut.
MOUSTAPHA: Let me remind you of facts. First, the Syrian president went to Lebanon, he saluted the Lebanese flag. He made an official visit to -- from a head of state to head of state.
Second we have something even more important than embassies. It's called the Syrian Lebanese Supreme Council, headed by a Lebanese and then by a Syrian in alternative terms. And this is like an embassy, but it's even more important than an embassy. But this is not important.
BLITZER: Is there an embassy in Damascus?
MOUSTAPHA: Why are you trying to ask questions about details when the big issue is the following?
BLITZER: Because people are suggesting, Mr. Ambassador, you know that...
MOUSTAPHA: Syria is withdrawing from Lebanon. We are not leaving -- the issue is we are doing -- we are giving the good example for all other troops in our region to withdraw from occupied territories.
Israel has still its troops occupying parts of Syria, parts of Lebanon and the whole of Palestine. Why don't you ask now your Israeli friends to follow the good example of Syria and withdraw its troops?
Because we are doing this, we are withdrawing every single Syrian troop, Syrian intelligence agent from Syria -- from Lebanon. Nobody will remain in Lebanon in the very near future.
BLITZER: All right. Let's -- let's listen -- let's listen to what the president of the United States said about this earlier today. Listen to this.
MOUSTAPHA: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The time has come for Syria to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1559. All Syrian military forces and intelligence personnel must withdraw before the Lebanese elections for those elections to be free and fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Lebanese elections are scheduled for May. Will all Syrian military and intelligence personnel be out of all of Lebanon by May?
MOUSTAPHA: Yes. Let me first thank President Bush for what -- for his concern about Lebanon and the fair and free elections that will happen in May. And now President Bush can focus his attention on the really terrible occupation of the Palestinian territories and the occupation of Syrian territories and Lebanese territories by Israel.
Because we are withdrawing our troops. They are actually being withdrawn today. We will do this as soon as possible, even long time before May.
BLITZER: Because right now they're simply moving to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
MOUSTAPHA: No, no. Today -- if you have just read -- if you have just read news agency reports, they are saying actually, although we said we will withdraw to the Bekaa Valley in phase one and then to inside Syria proper in phase two. We have actually pulled some of those troops into Syria as of today.
What I want to say is this is a great opportunity for the United States of America prove to the whole world its credibility and to prove that it does not have a double standards approach to the Middle East and now start focusing all your efforts with all the energy and thrust you have focused on Syria, now start focusing this on Israel and convince your Israeli allies to withdraw your -- their troops from the occupied territories.
BLACKMAN: ITZER: All right. Let's clarify one point. There was a top -- one of the top Iraqi most wanted who was arrested the other day. Initial reports said Syria handed him over, a half-brother of Saddam Hussein, to the Iraqis. Other subsequent reports said he wasn't handed over by the Syrians. Did Syria hand over the half- brother of Saddam Hussein to the Iraqis?
MOUSTAPHA: Now, as an ambassador, I'm not privy to the details of intelligence operations, however, as an ambassador, I have repeatedly said to the government of the United States of America that Syria has all the political will to engage with you and to work with you in stabilizing the situation in Iraq and securing the Iraqi-Syrian borders.
I have repeatedly said this to the administration. And I have repeatedly said that we want to enhance the level of cooperation between Syria and the United States. This is what I know. I don't know anything about actual operational and actionable intelligence.
BLITZER: Imad Moustapha, Syria's ambassador, outspoken, passionate ambassador here in Washington. Thanks, as usual for joining us.
MOUSTAPHA: Thank you.
BLITZER: We'll continue this conversation.
A controversial call for a hip-hop band. Why the Reverend Al Sharpton wants stations to stop -- yes, stop -- playing some artists.
Also, reports Al Qaeda may be trying to plant spies inside the CIA. We'll talk about it with the agency's former deputy director, John McLaughlin. He's standing by.
And more on Bill Clinton's upcoming operation. The former president talks about his condition. We'll hear about it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The Reverend Al Sharpton has a new crusade. The frequently outspoken civil rights leader wants radio stations to impose a 90-day ban on hip-hop artists who engage in violence.
CNN's Mary Snow is standing by live in New York with details -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's an old debate with a new twist. Al Sharpton says he knows he has to protect First Amendment rights. However, he wants a code of conduct for artists.
He did not name names, but his comments come in the wake of tensions here in New York among rappers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): He is 50 Cent. He is a protege known as The Game. And tensions between the two have been escalating since late February. That's when an associate of The Game was shot in the ankle outside New York radio station Hot 97 while 50 Cent was on air promoting his new CD.
Words have been exchanged on the airwaves, and police have stepped up security at hip-hop spots. Now the Reverend Al Sharpton is calling on radio stations to slap a 90-day ban on music of artists who engage in violence, especially to promote records. And he says he plans to call on the FCC for action.
REV. AL SHARPTON, ACTIVIST: It would seem to me if the federal government can stop and discuss for months the breasts of Janice Jackson (sic), we can at least discuss the actual bloodshed on two or more occasions right in the streets of New York in front of a radio station.
SNOW: The FCC wouldn't comment on Sharpton's plan, saying, "We are not going to make a comment until we receive something formal from him."
Emmis Communications, owner of New York's Hot 97, released a statement saying, "We in no way condone acts of violence. We hope that the perpetrators of these violent acts are prosecuted."
Sharpton, for now, says he's not looking for prosecution, but a code of conduct.
SHARPTON: In sports, I don't care if you're in basketball or baseball or football, you could not engage in violent behavior and expect to play in the next game. But in the music industry for some reason, not only can you continue to get airplay, you become hotter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, we reached a spokesman for 50 Cent, who said he had no comment. A spokesperson for The Game could not immediately be reached for comment, and attorneys who protect civil liberties say they are very skeptical that Sharpton's plan will go anywhere -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow reporting for us in New York. Mary, thank you very much.
When we come back, checkpoint shooting fallout. The U.S. military and the Italian government disagree about what happened that night on the road to Baghdad's airport. What's the next step? We'll go live to the Pentagon.
Also, paying premium prices, and we mean premium. Why the threat of terrorism is affecting your pocketbook at the pump right now.
Later, former President Clinton heading back to the hospital, Thursday surgery scheduled. Could this new surgery be a sign of future problems? A leading cardiologist weighs in. He'll join us. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Is Al Qaeda trying to infiltrate the CIA by applying for jobs within the spy agency? I'll ask the former deputy CIA director, John McLaughlin. That's coming up.
First, though, a check of some other news now in the news.
In the Michael Jackson trial, the defense lawyer attacked the testimony of a teenager who says he saw the entertainer molest his brother. The boy had told prosecutors Jackson showed his two visitors a certain adult magazine. The Jacksons' attorney pointed out the magazine was dated months after the boy had visited Jackson at his Neverland Ranch.
The United National General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling for a ban on human cloning. The United States was joined by many African, Arab and Latin American countries in voting for the measure. Many European and Asian countries opposed it.
Experts from the U.N. and Indian Ocean countries say a tsunami warning system should be in place in South Asia by the end of next year. They say, if the system had been operational when the tsunami hit in December, many lives would have been saved. At least 170,000 people were killed by the South Asia tsunami.
The top American general in Iraq faced a barrage of tough questions today about the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence officer by U.S. troops. An Italian journalist just released by Iraqi insurgents was wounded in last week's checkpoint shooting.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr standing by now live at the Pentagon with more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, four days after that checkpoint shooting, more questions than answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The U.S. military and Italian government now fundamentally disagree over what happened on the road to the Baghdad Airport, when soldiers shot and killed an Italian security agent and wounded journalist Giuliana Sgrena at a checkpoint Friday night.
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini is emphasizing his account does not coincide with the U.S. The central point? Did the Italians notify the U.S. they would be on that dangerous road? The foreign minister says U.S. military authorities at the airport were contacted, but the head of U.S. forces in Iraq says initial indications he has are that the Italians did not tell the U.S. they were traveling.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: I'm saying I personally have no information that that is the case, OK?
STARR: Would it have come to you if there was information? Would you know?
CASEY: I would hope so.
STARR: According to the Italian government, the vehicle was traveling at no more than 25 miles an hour. The U.S. military says it was over 50 miles an hour. The Italians report an explosion of gunfire. The U.S. says fewer than a dozen rounds were fired.
The Italians report, when the vehicle was 33 feet away, a warning light was flashed, giving little time for them to react. The U.S. says warning lights were flashed when the car was 410 feet away. Casey has ordered a review of all checkpoint incidents in the last six months to see if changes are needed. Commanders insist the checkpoints are clearly marked, but a soldier writing on the Central Command's Web site tells of one nighttime operation when a checkpoint was set up on a desolate road. Troops turned all the lights off, except for a soldier holding a flashlight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Wolf, the Italians and the U.S. are now undertaking a joint investigation. Results are expected within the month -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr reporting for us at the Pentagon -- thank you, Barbara, very much.
In our CNN "Security Watch," supply and demand, something else perhaps as well. Is that price jump at the gas pump caused in part by terror concerns?
CNN's Brian Todd standing by with that story -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, experts tell us the oil trade is one of the most jittery markets out there, like other markets, often driven by speculation about what might happen. And they say concerns over possible attacks are one reason many of us have sticker shock right now at our local gas station.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): At pump after pump, customers practically choke up as they fill up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's taking like about $40, when it used to take like $20.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That just cost me $55. And a month ago, I think it was $48.
TODD: That's in California, where the price of self-serve regular gas is at about $2.20 a gallon, higher than most places. But gas prices are shooting up everywhere in the U.S., the national average now at just under $2 a gallon for self-serve regular. The U.S. government says prices will hit new record highs this driving season between April and September, a national average of $2.10 a gallon.
LLEWELLYN KING, "THE ENERGY DAILY": The real problem is that the world oil supply is extraordinarily fragile.
TODD: Fragile not necessarily in volume, say the experts, but in other areas, refining and shipping capacities stretched thin, demand from the United States and lately India and China going way up. And listen to what a Saudi official and an independent expert volunteered about the terrorism factor.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We are paying some kind of fear premium for the price of oil right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that puts a fear premium on crude oil.
TODD: Energy experts say oil markets, like others, are psychologically driven.
KING: I, for example, would suggest, as you notice, every time a pipeline in Iraq is blown up, there's a spike in price. Now, should that move, that kind of violence against oil move, into Saudi Arabia, it would be a very serious problem.
TODD: Saudi Arabia has already been hit. A series of attacks on oil company compounds in 2003 and 2004 killed dozens of foreign workers. Experts believe many refineries are well secured. The vulnerabilities lie in the pipelines, ports and housing complexes. And there's another threat.
BERGEN: We don't know if al Qaeda has penetrated the Saudi oil business. But it would be kind of surprising if it hadn't, because this is the largest industry in the kingdom. Clearly, bin Laden enjoys a fair amount of support in certain circles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: And not even three months ago, bin Laden issued a taped message urging his followers to continue their attacks on the oil industry. Experts say that's part of al Qaeda's broader strategy to hurt Western economies. And even the possibility of attack is one reason we'll be hurting at gas pumps this summer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting -- thank you, Brian.
Also, in our CNN "Security Watch," a report in today's "Los Angeles Times" suggesting Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network may be trying to plant spies inside the CIA. Quoting U.S. officials, the newspaper says about 40 U.S. citizens who applied for intelligence positions have been rejected because of possible ties to terrorist groups.
Joining us now to discuss the report, CNN national security adviser, former Deputy CIA Director John McLaughlin.
Thanks very much for joining us.
BLITZER: How big is a problem is this al Qaeda trying to penetrate the U.S. intelligence community and get a spy in there?
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, Wolf, we don't have any certainly that they've tried to do it. But there's one rule in counterterrorism. You always assume the worst. And so, as you think about this problem, we have to assume that they're trying and we have to take measures to stop them, because they do have a high incentive to get someone inside.
BLITZER: We know that the intelligence community has been tasked to find a lot more human intelligence assets. That means finding people who can speak Arabic, look like Arabs, can penetrate al Qaeda, if necessary. Does it mean that there's an opportunity for them to try to get some sort of sleeper inside the intelligence community?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it presents a problem the intelligence community has to think about, because there's a tension here between, on the one hand, needing those kinds of people, people with on-the- ground experience, people who have walked the land and people who speak the language and understand the culture, and, on the other hand, recognizing that, if you have lived in that part of the world, if you have immersed yourself in that culture, you've probably come in contact with some kind of extremist movement at some point.
So, the difficult thing in the intelligence business is to make the judgment about whether this person had an innocent contact or whether, on the other hand, we have someone here who has tried to get inside for some improper purpose.
BLITZER: How do you do that? Because it sounds like an impossible task. If you have somebody who's very sophisticated, very smart, says all the right things, does all the right things, but really has a hidden agenda, how can you find that out?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's very tough. And part of it is just a problem of magnitude.
In 2003, for example, 138,000 people applied for just over 2,000 jobs at CIA. So, the magnitude of going through all of these applications -- and that's just one agency -- is a tough problem. So the way you do it is, you do it slowly. That holds up the application process. You do it carefully. Once someone is employed in the intelligence business, you look at them periodically. You give them polygraphs. You do financial disclosure statements on a periodic basis.
It's actually a very intrusive lifestyle once you're inside the intelligence community because of this counterintelligence problem.
BLITZER: It's not the first time the intelligence community has dealt with a problem like this. During the bad old days of the Cold War, '50s, '60s, '70s, the Soviets were trying to do that all the time.
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, the challenge is greater today for a number of reasons.
We still have to worry about traditional adversaries, meaning other intelligence services, who are always trying to recruit people in the American business and get spies. At the same time, we have to worry about these new adversaries, so there's a larger set of people who are trying to get into our system. Second, and this is a very important point, today, because of the nature of terrorism, we have to share information very broadly.
In the Cold War, information was shared with a narrow group of people, but today an organization like CIA has to shared it all the way from the president down to a highway patrolman in Indiana. And so there are many entry points here for someone who is trying to acquire secret information from the United States.
BLITZER: Here's a very disturbing element that I read in this "Los Angeles Times" piece, which was eye-opening -- and I recommend to our viewers to go to their Web site to read it -- that different branches of the U.S. intelligence community can't talk to each other, under privacy rules.
In other words, if someone is rejected to work at the CIA, that person might be able to get a job with the NSA, the National Security Agency, because the CIA can't share that information with other agencies of the U.S. government. Is that -- is that the case?
MCLAUGHLIN: think the article overstates that point a little bit, to be frank. People have been aware of this problem for some time, at least a year or two or three, and we've been working on it. And this will be one of the things that John Negroponte, as the new director of national intelligence, will have to look at.
He has authority under the legislation to establish common personnel policies across the entire intelligence community. And this is one of those things that he'll have to work the bugs out of.
BLITZER: It sounds like something that he should probably do pretty quickly.
MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
BLITZER: Given the nature of the potential threat.
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, also, it's important to emphasize they have an incentive to do this, because terrorists have been hurt pretty badly in the last year as a result of successful operations against them by intelligence officers around the world. So, they have an incentive to get inside our system and find out, how are we doing that?
BLITZER: John McLaughlin, thanks very much.
MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And for our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
When we come back, the current president and two former presidents gathering in Washington to discuss tsunami relief, but Bill Clinton's health taking center stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Clinton and President Bush are going to play golf tomorrow to raise money for tsunami victims. That goes to show how sick he is.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The former president will explain about his upcoming surgery. That's coming up.
Plus, murder mystery solved? A new development in the case of King Tut.
And in our picture of the day, a different kind of fight club. This one let the feathers fly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
More now on our top story, former President Clinton scheduled for more surgery Thursday to deal with rare complications from his September quadruple bypass. He talked about it this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I found this condition when I did my regular test and they said I was in the top 5 percent of men my age in health. But they took a routine X- ray and found out that I had a lot of fluid buildup here, which is quite rare once the fluid goes down. And so all they have to do is drain it and take that little peel that holds the fluid out.
It's a routine sort of deal. And it will knock me out of commission for a week or two and then I will be back to normal. This is no big deal.
And I felt well enough to go to Asia to try to keep up with President Bush and we're going to play golf tomorrow. So I'm -- I'm not in too bad of shape.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen him going town to town, country to country. The Energizer Bunny here killed me.
(LAUGHTER)
G.H.W. BUSH: So, just think, whatever he's got, if it knocks you out, it hasn't got to him yet.
CLINTON: I'm going to slow down for the next couple of weeks, but I'm in good shape. I got great in my health tests. I just have this little fluid buildup. As soon as I get it done, I'm going to go back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more now on the former president's condition, we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's a cardiologist, associate professor of medicine at George Washington Medical Center here in the nation's capital.
Dr. Reiner, thanks very much for joining us.
DR. JONATHAN REINER, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: My pleasure.
BLITZER: How unusual is this complication from quadruple bypass surgery only six months ago?
REINER: Well, it's actually fairly unusual.
We typically see patients develop some fluid in their chest in the days or even early weeks after bypass surgery. But now, more than five months following surgery, it's really very unusual, very uncommon to see patients develop this problem this late.
BLITZER: What could cause it?
REINER: Well, to understand what could cause it, you have to -- let me remind you of what happened during surgery. When President Clinton had his surgery in September, they used one of the arteries from the wall of his chest to bypass the heart. They used the mammary artery. It's a terrifically durable graft and it's really a standard component of this kind of surgery.
But when you do that, you have to enter the left side of chest, and that sets in cycle sometimes a series of events leading to inflammation and fluid buildup in the chest. And, over time, that could scar and leave pockets that can be hard to resorb on its own.
BLITZER: Is this potentially an error that the surgeon may have made?
REINER: Oh, no. I highly doubt that.
This is sort of -- I would expect that this is just a very idiosyncratic response to surgery. Every patient has sort of their path through surgery. Some patients have no issues. Other patients have these minor or moderately significant issues that come up in the first year. This is unexpected, but I think the good news that we heard today is that, in recent weeks, President Clinton had a stress test and did exceedingly well on that.
So, my take on that is that the overriding goal of his surgery, which was to revascularize his heart, deliver more blood to his heart, was very successful. And that's really the indicator that predicts long-term outcome.
BLITZER: Is there a possibility six months from now, after this procedure, assuming all goes well -- and we certainly hope it will go well -- six months from now, he could need it again? The fluid could build up once again?
REINER: I think it's unlikely. What the surgeons will likely do this week is not simply drain the fluid, but also sort of scrape away the inflammatory tissue that is leading to the reaccumulation of it and allow his lung to re- expand. So I think, once he has been this, it should be a fairly definitive fix for the problem.
BLITZER: If he had been your patient -- and, obviously, he's not your patient -- but, if he had been your patient, A, would you have let him go to South Asia on the tsunami relief mission knowing he already had this complication? And, B, would you let him play golf tomorrow, the day before his scheduled surgery?
REINER: Well, I would never second-guess another physician's care of a patient that I have never examined.
But from what we know about the president's condition overall, his cardiovascular fitness appears to be excellent. And he feels well. So, I think that's a testament to how well he's doing overall. And if he felt you know, probably, sure, I would let him go.
BLITZER: And he certainly seems to have a great attitude, the way he was talking. How important in advance of heart surgery like this is an individual's attitude?
REINER: Well, I think it's important all the way through. I think it's important before surgery, in the immediate days and then in the months after.
Don't forget, this kind of surgery is often really life-changing. We encourage patients to change many of their habits, their diet, their exercise. Also, this kind of surgery in a patient in their 50s reminds them of their mortality. So, attitude is really important in returning to a normal life and then lowering your risk factors. And it appears that the president has a terrific attitude.
BLITZER: He does indeed, and we wish him only the best.
REINER: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Dr. Reiner, thank you very much.
REINER: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Has the world's oldest murder mystery really been solved? After only 3,000 years, there are new developments, yes, new developments, on the mysterious death of King Tut.
We'll tell you those developments when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Modern technology is adding a new twist to an old mystery, a very old mystery. What killed the world's most famous mummy, Egypt's King Tut?
CNN's Cairo bureau chief, Ben Wedeman, reports, a CAT scan is giving researchers a leg up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): One of the oldest murder mysteries solved -- well, maybe. More than 3,000 years ago, 19-year-old pharaoh Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut, was found dead in his royal bed. Many historians and history buffs suspected foul play.
Late last year, Egyptian scientists oversaw a first ever C.T. scan, a three-dimensional X-ray of Tut's mummy. They pored over 1,700 images searching for clues to answer the question, was Tut murdered? Last November, we asked Egypt's top archaeologist what he thought.
DR. ZAHI HAWASS, SUPREME ANTIQUITIES COUNCIL: I believe there was a conspiracy, and I believe that he was murdered.
WEDEMAN: After the C.T. scan, he's changed his tune.
HAWASS: King Tut was not murdered, but we found out in his left leg that he was crushed. He had an injury, just maybe a few days before he died.
WEDEMAN: Which might have caused a fatal infection or...
HAWASS: Maybe he was poisoned.
WEDEMAN: The high-tech scan might not solve the mystery, but it may give us a better idea of what Tut really looked like.
HAWASS: It shows with the three dimension of the mummy. We'll be able to reconstruct the face of King Tut.
WEDEMAN: Egyptian authorities say he old Tut has been roughed up enough since his tomb was discovered in 1922 and now it's time to put him back in the ground for good.
(on camera): OK, so King Tut wasn't killed by a blow to the head, but an infection or maybe even poison might have done him in. Say what you like, but this case is far from closed.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Let's take a quick look at some other stories making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): The Chechen rebel leader blamed by Russia for last year's deadly school hostage crisis was killed during a raid by Russian troops. Officials say Aslan Maskhadov was killed in a village in northern Chechnya.
War crimes. Kosovo's prime minister has resigned after being indicted by the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal. Ramush Haradinaj was a senior commander of ethnic Albanian rebels who fought Serb troops in the late 1990s. He says he'll fight the charges before the U.N. tribunal in the Hague.
Rape protest. Thousands of women took to the streets in eastern Pakistan to support a woman who says he was gang-raped on orders of a village council. Last week, a court ordered five of the six men sentenced to death in the attack released from prison because of a lack of evidence.
Anti-monarchy protests. Hundreds of people were arrested in Nepal for taking part in demonstrations against that country's king. The protests were triggered by the king's seizure of absolute power last month.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And when we come back, a unique way to deal with life's daily stress in our picture of the day. That's coming up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A different kind of fight club. It's our picture of the day.
Take a look at this. Dozens of Israelis -- yes, Israelis -- took part in a giant pillow fight in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square. Organizers are quoted as saying the event was meant to improve morale among the country's tense population. Don't know if it will do it.
See you tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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