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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Bush/Blair Meeting; U.S. Milk Supply; GM Layoffs; Erdogan Interview
Aired June 07, 2005 - 17:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": The president of the United States and the prime minister of Britain briefly answering reporters' questions at the White House. President Bush and the prime minister, Tony Blair, saying that they have new initiatives to deal with the problem of starvation and AIDS in Africa. They have new plans to try to help Africa, and both -- both of these leaders also firmly denying that they manipulated intelligence going into the war in Iraq in order to justify a war. We have extensive coverage coming up. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Show of force. Only on CNN, urban combat near the Syrian border as U.S. troops hunt for insurgents.
Whistleblower beaten. Did someone want to silence this nuclear lab worker before he could talk to Congress?
Science and security. Could a research paper teach terrorists how to poison the nation's milk supply? Why the feds are worried.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, June 7th, 2005.
BLITZER (on camera): Thanks very much for joining us.
Tony Blair stood shoulder-to-shoulder with George W. Bush on Iraq, putting his own career on the line. The British prime minister came to the White House today looking for a couple of favors in return, aid to Africa and action on global warming to be specific. But do these two allies now have some very different agendas? Our senior international correspondent Nick Robertson is standing by live in London, but we begin at the White House with our White House correspondent Dana Bash.
Dana, they answered questions. They spoke. Are they both on the same page?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they certainly wanted us to think that they are both on the same page and particularly with what was Prime Minister Blair's top agenda item here, and that is aid to Africa. He made it very clear that what his top priority is at a meeting next month with the G-8 in Scotland is going to be what is referred to in Great Britain as almost a Marshall Plan for the continent of Africa.
But, they also pretty -- made pretty clear that they've agreed to disagree on the prime minister's plan that he is trying to get together, and that is to give an extraordinary amount of money from countries, about $25 billion each year over the next 10 years. The president is not doing that, will not do that for various reasons. But he did try to give Prime Minister Blair something to go home with on this issue and that is announcing $674 million on direct aid for hunger in various African nations.
So, certainly, the two wanted to make it very clear while there certainly are differences on top agenda items like Africa, that they're trying to work together and that, from Prime Minister Blair's point of view, he is getting something from President Bush, which he is accused of not doing very often back at home.
BLITZER: Dana, what do they do now, these two leaders? Are they done with their sessions, or do they continue in the White House or someplace else?
BASH: They're going to continue tonight, Wolf. They are going to have dinner here at the White House, certainly likely to continue conversations, but also probably to have friendly discussion. The two men are very close. They have met 23 times. This is the 23rd time they have met and they talk quite often on the telephone, much more often than aides tell us. In fact, that is one of the leaders that President Bush certainly talks to the most.
So, they are going to have dinner and continue to talk about a variety of issues, not just Africa, but, of course, what to do next when it comes to the Middle East, what to do next when it comes to Iran, and the big issue, what to do with what is going on in Iraq and how they can train those Iraqi military officers that they're having a lot of trouble doing at this point.
BLITZER: All right, Dana Bash in the East Room. Dana, thanks very much.
Let's head over to London now, get the view from there. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, standing by. You listened and watched this news conference, Nic. What stands out in your mind?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I think it was very telling when Prime Minister Tony Blair began to speak, he talked about how much work still needs to be done, and I think the British reporters were picking up on the issues that will be key to Tony Blair, pointing out that there did seem to be agreement as far as Prime Minister Blair's efforts to relieve poverty in Africa through debt relief, that both he and President Bush seem to be very close, the difference of opinion being philosophical, on do you give aid or -- do you give aid before you get democracy or get African leaders to sign up to democratic principles before you give them the money? And that very much seemed to be Tony Blair's response, that there still is some common ground to be found before the G-8 saying, look, he said, there are specific countries with specific needs in terms of water, sanitation in terms of malaria, in terms of HIV/AIDS, in terms of education where there are those governments -- not all he said -- but some governments that have signed up, if you will, to democratic principles. And he said let's look at those and let's look at trying to get money going to those countries.
I think when Tony Blair went to meet President Bush, he knew that some of the British and European initiatives were going to be a hard sell, but he's still hoping he can make more progress before the G-8 next month. Wolf?
BLITZER: You heard both of these leaders, Nic, flatly deny -- deny -- that they cooked the books, that they manipulated the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction before the war, to justify the war in Iraq against Saddam Hussein, but there are a lot of people in Britain who simply don't believe that.
ROBERTSON: There are, and certainly it will rake up this issue once again that it came up as a topic of conversation that both leaders were put on the spot about it. There will be no surprise to hear the responses. Their political lives on the line here, if you will. Certainly they're maintaining the position they've always maintained, and that will come, as I say, as no surprise to the British media following Tony Blair.
But the very fact that Tony Blair will seem to have got some concessions on some issues will perhaps strengthen his position back in Britain where people do criticize him for not being able to get any concessions, for being a strong and staunch ally of the United States, particularly in the war in Iraq. So perhaps there -- it will bring a slightly more favorable impression of Tony Blair but still fell far short of everything that he wanted to do. And this issue will be no surprise to him that it came up and was pitched to this particular forum, Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in London for us. Nic, thanks very much, as usual.
One subject that didn't come up in the news conference, North Korea. But North Korea may be ready to talk once again. The United States and other countries are desperately trying to get North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program, but Pyongyang pulled out of so called six-party talks in September, demanding one-on-one negotiations with the United States. Now, the U.S. State Department says North Korea has expressed willingness to return to the six-party talks, which include Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, as well as the U.S. Still not clear, however, when those talks will resume, but it's a significant development. And we'll have much more on developments regarding North Korea and these talks.
Analysis coming up, as well, on the Bush/Blair news conference when I speak later this hour with the former Defense Secretary, William Cohen, our world affairs analyst.
When we come back, the slogan says, "It Does a Body Good," but is the nation's milk supply -- yes, milk supply -- now a target for terror? We'll take a closer look in today's "Security Watch." Whistleblower beaten: Did someone want to stop this nuclear lab worker from testifying before the U.S. Congress?
GM cuts. The troubled automaker makes a major announcement. It's cutting 25,000 jobs here in the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're getting a story just in to CNN. British police say a passenger flight from Portugal was diverted after a suspicious object was found on board. The Defense Ministry in London says fighter jets escorted the Thompson Company flight to Stanstead Airport, that's northeast of London, where it has landed safely. The airliner, with 108 people on board, was bound from Coventry when the report came that a suspicious object has been found. The plane landed safely. The passengers and crew disembarked. We're continuing to watch this story. We'll get some more information as it becomes available.
Other news coming in. New developments now in the search for an Alabama teenager who disappeared last week during her senior class trip to Aruba. Let's immediately go to Karl Penhaul. He's in Aruba for us. He's joining us with late-breaking developments. What is the latest, Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, prosecutors have just held a news conference this afternoon. They've said that they believe that they have sufficient evidence and will be holding the two suspects who were arrested on Sunday in custody for a further eight days. That's a stipulation in the time frame under Dutch law, after which they will have to appear before a judge again, and prosecutors will want once again have to present evidence.
That said, this evidence hasn't been revealed publicly. We don't know what the strength of that evidence is. Prosecutors also declined to spell out specific charges against the men at this stage. However, Wolf, we have talked to the two men's attorney in the course of the morning, and he has said that the two suspects have been formally accused of a variety of charges. These include homicide, murder, accomplice to murder, accomplice to homicide and also kidnapping leading to homicide. But the attorney contends that his two clients are innocent. He says throughout his conversations with them, they have maintained their innocence. And he also says that the big problem that he sees with the prosecutors and their case is that there is still no conclusive proof that has been publicly revealed as to Natalee Holloway's whereabouts and whether in fact she is alive or dead.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Is this normal in Aruba for the defense attorney to be saying what the charges are going to be even though the prosecutors have not formally released any charges, made any direct charges?
PENHAUL: Prosecutors and police have been playing this case very close to their chest. They have been talking to the press in generic terms at times. They have been as helpful as they feel they can be according to the stipulations of Dutch law, which it must be said are very different from U.S. law. But the attorney, the defense attorney, because he is representing these two men, is well aware of what his clients are formally accused of. And that's why he's gone ahead and told us about that, Wolf.
BLITZER: So Karl, the assumption must be if the defense attorney is saying that his clients are going to be charged with homicide, murder, that Natalee Holloway is dead, even though there's been no official confirmation that happened. But is that the working assumption that investigators seem to be showing in Aruba?
PENHAUL: I think to talk about that is somewhat of a leap of faith. Yes, it would appear to be the suggestion. But at the same time, over recent days and as early again as yesterday, prosecutors and police are saying that they do still believe that Natalee is alive, that their main priority is to try and find her alive and send her home with her mother. And also the family very strongly believe that Natalee is alive too. And as I say, again, prosecutors and police have not revealed any public evidence that Natalee may be dead.
BLITZER: Well, let's hope she's alive. And we'll continue to watch the story together with you, our man on the scene, Karl Penhaul in Aruba. We'll stay in touch with you, and you'll stay in touch with us. Thanks very much for that update.
We'll take another quick break.
When we come back, the world's largest automaker deciding to downsize. GM announcing plans to cut thousands of jobs and close several plants in the United States.
Whistle blower beaten. Did someone try to silence this nuclear lab worker? Our Brian Todd has been investigating.
Tal Afar offensive. New attacks targeting insurgents in Iraq, a story you will see only here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: On the CNN "Security Watch," a scholarly paper about milk is causing some unexpected controversy. It offers advice about how to protect the nation's milk supply, but the U.S. government claiming that it's a roadmap for terrorists. Our Jeanne Meserve of our CNN America Bureau is joining us now with the story. Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this story raises two questions. One is, is the government engaging in censorship or protecting the public? And the second: Is the nation's milk supply safe?
It revolves around a research paper written by Stanford University Professor Lawrence Wein and a graduate student Yifan Liu, which details exactly how terrorists could poison the milk supply. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice over): Terrorists could buy botulism toxin or make it, the paper theorizes. If they then poured it into a milk tank on a farm or truck, the paper says 100,000 gallons of milk could be contaminated. Some of the toxin would survive pasteurization, and large numbers of people, including children would drink it and die before the problem was discovered.
The National Academy of Sciences posted the paper, which included specifics about dosages and casualties on a password-protected part of a website used by reporters. When the Department of Health and Human Services got wind that it was going to be published in a National Academy journal, Assistant Secretary Stewart Simonson wrote the academy asking them not to publish, saying, "The article is a roadmap for terrorists and publication is not in the interests of the United States."
RICHARD FALKENRATH, SECURITY ANALYST: The government has a responsibility not to simplify mass casualty terrorism. And so when it has an opportunity to delay the release of information that would assist very particular mass casualty terrorist attacks, that I think is an appropriate action for them.
MESERVE: The academy pulled the article from its Web site, and this afternoon is meeting with Health and Human Services before making the next step. The cat is already out of the bag, however. Before it was pulled, the paper was downloaded from the academy Web site, and professor Wein has published its broad outlines in an op-ed in "The New York Times."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Experts say milk, like so many other parts of the food supply, is vulnerable. Professor Wein makes some specific suggestions on how to make it safer, including improving pasteurization, to eliminate more toxins, and testing milk trucks for toxins before they unload. He also suggests making voluntary milk safety measures mandatory.
And Wolf, let me tell you that what we've told you in this report is nothing like the specifics in his paper that has the government so concerned.
BLITZER: Because we don't want to give a road map to terrorists either.
MESERVE: Correct.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve, for that, and please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Thousands of American auto workers facing an uncertain future right now after a huge job cut announcement by General Motors. CNN's Chris Huntington is joining us live from New York. He has the story -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagner dropped this little nugget on shareholders deeply buried in lengthy prepared remarks. But frankly, by the time he had made the announcement, very few people who have been following this company closely were surprised.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON (voice-over): General Motors is like a full-size SUV, running out of gas -- a big hulking machine moving slowly, being passed left and right.
GM's CEO Rick Wagner says the company needs to cut 25,000 jobs or nearly one-fifth of its U.S. workforce, from its struggling North American division. That division lost $1.3 billion in the first three months of this year alone. The auto maker says it needs to slash more than $5 billion a year it spends on health insurance for employees and retirees, a sum that adds about $1,500 to the cost of every vehicle sold.
Wagner admitted to shareholders that rising gas prices and falling SUV sales have put GM in a serious bind.
RICK WAGNER, GM CHAIRMAN & CEO: If the U.S. market booms, if gas prices go down and SUV -- large SUVs come back, then our return to profitability will be quicker. If the U.S. enters into a downturn and gas prices go much higher or other factors that, frankly, we have to react to, it's going to be a tougher job.
HUNTINGTON: GM's problems have been decades in the making. It has been steadily losing U.S. market share, down to a current 25 percent from nearly 50 percent in the mid-'70s. For a while, starting in the early '90s, it looked as if SUVs would be GM's savior. But the company became too reliant on those big trucks with their big profits, and is now paying the price.
ROB HINCHLIFFE, UBS AUTO ANALYST: All their eggs are in that basket. And when SUV sales were strong and there was limited competition from the likes of Toyota and Nissan, for instance, that masked a lot of other problems. And if you dig into the numbers, they were losing quite a bit of car market share, while their trucks were doing quite well. So you didn't notice. But now that truck sales are down, the other issues are starting to come to the surface.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now, GM line workers are protected for a couple of years. The current contract between the United Auto Workers and General Motors extends through September of 2007, and until then, until that contract expires or is renegotiated, GM cannot fire or lay off any workers. So they'll have to achieve any job cuts between now and then through attrition.
Now, GM did not specify any plant closings today, but analysts who follow the company closely point to a couple of plants that could very much be vulnerable. They're older plants, one in particular, Janesville, Wisconsin, which started operations in 1919, and in Doraville, Georgia, the plant there started in 1947.
So Wolf, a lot to be specified still by General Motors, but this is a trend that GM has been on for decades.
BLITZER: Chris Huntington in New York for us. Thanks, Chris, very much.
Explosive attacks, very explosive attacks in northern Iraq as U.S. troops continue hunting for insurgents. We have a story you will see only here on CNN. Plus, returning to the table? Why North Korea says it's recommitted itself to new nuclear talks. The former Defense secretary, William Cohen, standing by to join us live.
Also, the Michael Jackson jury meeting for a third day. How the King of Pop is dealing with these deliberations. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Welcome back. A U.S.-Iraqi operation to take back a city under siege by enemy fighters. We have some new and exclusive pictures of the current U.S. military offensive in Tal Afar. These are pictures you'll see only here on CNN. But first, let's get a quick check of some other stories "Now in the News."
Look for a final confirmation vote on Judge Janice Rogers Brown at this time tomorrow. After two contentious years, the Senate voted today to close debate on her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Her approval was part of a deal that preserved the filibuster, while clearing the way for votes on some of the president's judicial nominees.
Jury deliberations in the Michael Jackson case have just ended for the day. It's only the second full day jurors have met. Jackson wasn't at the courthouse, but his spiritual adviser, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, told reporters the pop star has confidence in the jury's fairness and anticipates acquittal.
Backed by armor and attack helicopters, U.S. and Iraqi forces are now on the hunt for insurgents near the Syrian border. Our correspondent Jane Arraf is embedded with the U.S. and Iraqi troops near the city of Tal Afar and has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): At dawn, U.S. and Iraqi troops, tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rolled into the troubled city of Tal Afar. That city is about 60 kilometers, 40 miles from the Syrian border, and military officials say it has become an insurgent stronghold, the scene of frequent attacks against Iraqi police, against cargo fare, against U.S. soldiers. In this morning's operation, meant to show the presence of the Iraqi military as well as U.S. forces in the region, they rolled into those streets, very narrow streets, the worst kind of urban warfare, and as they came in, gunfire rang around them, scattered gunfire as the hours went on, as well as a couple of mortar rounds that fell.
One U.S. soldier was killed. Three suspected insurgents killed, as well, when they returned fire. The U.S. military says that they have detained 28 suspected insurgents, most of them on their target list. All of this in an effort to bolster the Iraqi army in that neighborhood, in that city and to disrupt the operations of insurgents.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from near Talafar, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: As we reported at the top of the hour, President Bush and Britain's prime minister Tony Blair still see eye-to-eye when it comes to Iraq, but are these close allies drifting apart on some other issues?
Joining us now, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense secretary William Cohen. He's the chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group here in Washington.
Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.
Before we get to Tony Blair, let's talk about what we just heard from Jane Arraf. It looks like, once one operation concludes, there's a need for another one, from Fallujah to Mosul, now Tal Afar. Do these insurgents seemingly have a never-ending supply of troops, of insurgent fighters, equipment, money, or -- is the U.S. making progress?
WILLIAM COHEN, WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think some progress is being made, but it's almost like mercury on a mirror. It starts to slide from place to place as you've just indicated.
Last week, there was a major discovery of an underground bunker that contained hundreds of different munitions with an extraordinary labyrinth of places where they could live and eat and shower and basically continue to function. So that's not just one, but there have always been suspicions on the part of the United States that there are a myriad, multitude of these underground bunkers where they can continue to thrive.
So, it's a case-by-case and it's going to take a long effort on our part to kind of root them out and to try and take them down, but this is not going to be easy, and it's not going to be quick.
BLITZER: Think about it. That underground bunker that the U.S. discovered and blew up, the size of nine football fields -- nine football fields -- all underground. That's pretty sophisticated, presumably built under the reign of Saddam Hussein. COHEN: Right, and it's not the only one. It's anticipated there may be many more and that's the reason they've been able to hideout, to surface at night or hit and run and then find sanctuary. So, this is going to take quite a bit of time. Hopefully, the Iraqis, as they become more integrated into the operation and they start to gather more intelligence from other Iraqi citizens, will be able to crack down on that.
But this is going to be a very difficult chore and I think anyone who anticipates a quick exit or a reasonably foreseeable exit out of Iraq is making a mistake.
BLITZER: A potentially significant announcement from the State Department today that North Korea has agreed to resume the so-called six-party talks involving their nuclear program, talks that were suspended almost a year ago. How big of a deal is this?
COHEN: Well, two issues involved. Number one, they've agreed to resume talks. The question is when -- no time limit, and no time frame set.
Secondly, what will they agree to once they come to the table? Is this simply a question of on-again, off-again and is the administration, in fact, tiring of this particular process? You have a difference of opinion inside the administration. On the one hand, you had a senior unidentified official from the Defense Department indicate that the administration was growing weary, that they might, in fact, take this to the Security Council within the next month or so. Secretary of State Rice contesting that, saying no such plan has been made.
So, I think, first of all, you have to get some kind of unanimity within the U.S. itself. Secondly, it would appear that this was timed to ease, at least, the situation with respect to the visiting South Korean President Roh who comes here on Friday to meet with President Bush. There has been a growing, I think, discontent within South Korea toward the United States posture. And I think President Bush is going to want to try to stiffen up that resolve to make sure there is a really unanimous opinion between the Japanese, South Koreans, hopefully, the Chinese and the Russians, as well, to bring pressure upon the North Koreans.
So, there's a lot at stake here. But just simply saying, we'll agree to come back at some point is not sufficient. Maybe the back channels have indicated it's much more time specific than we currently know, but then the question becomes, what will they do once they come to the table?
BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, on the Bush- Blair meeting at the White House today. Did the president stiff the British prime minister when it comes to aid to Africa or did he meet him more than halfway?
COHEN: I think it was unrealistic for anyone to think that President Bush was going to be in a position to say we're going to double the commitment and meet that $25 billion a year goal. But clearly, the industrialized world, the Western world, has to do far more to help the staving people in Africa. So, I think the president, by saying $674 million, it was an indication he wants to support Prime Minister Blair, but there was no way he could measure up to the expectation.
BLITZER: William Cohen, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
We're just getting this story into CNN. The Associated Press reporting that Anne Bancroft has died. It's quoting a spokesman, saying the Oscar-winning actress died of cancer. Bancroft won the 1962 Best Actress Oscar as the teacher of a young Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker." Anne Bancroft was 73-years-old.
Whistle blower beaten. Did someone try to stop a lab worker from speaking to the U.S. Congress? Our Brian Todd, standing by with details on that story.
And later, Turkish ties. My interview with the prime minister of Turkey on the eve of his meeting with President Bush.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Was it a random crime or was it retaliation? A New Mexico man is recovering from a severe beating, which his wife and lawyer allege was linked to his role as a whistle blower at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Our Brian Todd is joining with us now with the story. Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Los Alamos is already under scrutiny from Congress and an officials there says they were shocked at this latest story about an already controversial employee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Santa Fe Police tell CNN they believe more than one person took part in the beating of 52-year-old Tommy Hook, a long- time official at America's premier nuclear laboratory.
He has spoken to police since the assault early Sunday morning, but his wife says communicating is a struggle.
SUSAN HOOK, WIFE OF VICTIM: He has to try to repeat and repeat so that you can understand what he's trying to tell you.
TODD: She also claims this is the result of intimidation for Hook's role as a whistle blower at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A lab official tells CNN Hook reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in waste and procurement fraud a few years ago, but Hook also had a lawsuit pending against the University of California, which overseas Los Alamos, charging whistle-blower retaliation, and he was scheduled to testify before a House committee investigating mismanagement at the lab. Hook's wife says his assailants had a warning.
S. HOOK: They kept telling him, he needed to start keeping his mouth shut, and if he knew what was good for him, he'd start keeping his mouth shut.
TODD: We asked a spokesman at Los Alamos if anyone at the lab could have been involved.
KEVIN ROARK, LOS ALAMOS SPOKESMAN (voice over): We want to know who did it and why as much as anyone does. And it's important to us that it be found out. And to that end, we're going to cooperate and participate in the investigation to every extent appropriate.
TODD: One congressional staffer involved in the investigation of Los Alamos characterizes problems at the lab as almost intractable, going beyond erratic management and sloppy habits. We asked the congressman spearheading the investigation what Tommy Hook was going to tell them.
REP. EDWARD WHITFIELD (R), KENTUCKY: We've been meeting with him for some period of time. And he had some allegations that we thought were significant enough and serious enough that we wanted to him to testify in Congress.
TODD: Los Alamos officials won't comment on the congressional investigation. Hook himself may have a few more questions to answer. The assault occurred at about 2:00 Sunday morning in the parking lot of a Santa Fe strip club. Hook's wife says an informant asked to meet him there, but didn't show up. She says the assailants got him as he was leaving the parking lot. But Hook's wife was out of town at the time of the assault.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Late this afternoon, the chairman of the House committee investigating Los Alamos, Representative Joe Barton of Texas, voiced suspicion about Tommy Hook's claims. And it's important to note, Santa Fe police have not at this time connected his beating to any retaliation from Los Alamos.
We reached Hook's attorney, Robert Rothstein, late this afternoon, as well. He says Hook stayed inside the strip club for an hour looking for the informant, then left. Asked if Hook could have concocted the story, Rothstein said, Hook is a very truthful person, a real straight arrow.
A Los Alamos official tells us Hook is a valued employee there, and has whistle-blower protection at the lab. Hook remains under security at a local hospital. Wolf
BLITZER: All right. You'll continue to watch this story for us. Brian Todd reporting here in Washington.
We'll take another quick break. My interview with the visiting Turkish prime minister right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is here in Washington for an Oval Office meeting tomorrow with President Bush. I sat down with the Turkish leader this afternoon here in Washington and asked him about criticism from some Bush administration officials that Turkey's refusal to let U.S. troops move into Iraq at the start of the war has effectively helped strengthen the current insurgency.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY: Because of the demands in Iraq and because of the situation in Iraq, it was decided that Turkey would delay sending troops, and we did not end up sending any troops to Iraq. But these events are not events which should cast a shadow over Turkish-American relations, because we did our share in the process of the things that took place.
Unfortunately, there are certain circles which are trying to influence Turkish-American relations in a negative way. We do not see this as proper, because the strategic partnership between Turkey and the United States was reinforced after the Sea Island meeting with regard to the broader Middle East.
BLITZER: Mr. Prime Minister, is the U.S. government, the U.S. military doing everything you want to prevent terror attacks against Turkish targets from Northern Iraq?
ERDOGAN: We have some contacts with the U.S. intelligence, but this is not enough. We have to continue to develop those relations. And we have had -- we've suffered a lot from this terrorist organization.
BLITZER: You see Turkey as an integral part of Europe as opposed to an integral part of the Middle East.
ERDOGAN: Yes. Yes. Turkey is also a bridge. It is a door to Asia for the European Union. It is a door to the Caspian, to the Caucuses. In fact, Turkey's membership is very important for the European Union itself. And this is an area where the European Union should move to reap the benefits of this membership.
BLITZER: You're going to -- excuse me for interrupting -- you're going to continue to pursue membership in the E.U.?
ERDOGAN: There is no doubt we will do that. Let me also say one more thing. There is something that Turkey will add to the European Union. All my European friends say that the European Union is not a Christian club, that the European Union is a union of values, of political values. And Turkey's accession to the European Union will further prove the point that the E.U. is a union of political values. It's a union where civilizations meet.
So this is what we are aiming for. And we are saying that nobody should use Turkey as a domestic political tool. And we have to work together, and we have to shape the European Union's future together.
BLITZER: One final question. A sensitive question in Turkey. The head scarves for women. They're banned in public schools and public buildings, but yet your wife will come here wearing a head scarf in the United States at the White House. Americans are very anxious to make sure there's religious tolerance. Is this a law in Turkey that should be reversed?
ERDOGAN: There is no law that bans it. And that's where the problem lies. There's only a different perception at the moment. It's an interpretation of the situation. And it's that difference in interpretation. In our country, we are very patient so that there is no social unrest on this issue in Turkey. And we say that there must be a social consensus first. There must be a consensus between institutions, and then we can solve this problem.
My daughters are studying in the United States. Here you have the sense or understanding of freedom, but not in my country. Right now, I am not doing anything just so that there is no social unrest on this point in my country. But as I said before, there is no problem amongst the people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The Turkish prime minister visiting Washington. He'll be meeting with the president tomorrow. We'll have more of his interview coming up.
In the meantime, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Lou standing by in New York. Lou.
END
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 June 7, 2005 - 17:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": The president of the United States and the prime minister of Britain briefly answering reporters' questions at the White House. President Bush and the prime minister, Tony Blair, saying that they have new initiatives to deal with the problem of starvation and AIDS in Africa. They have new plans to try to help Africa, and both -- both of these leaders also firmly denying that they manipulated intelligence going into the war in Iraq in order to justify a war. We have extensive coverage coming up. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Show of force. Only on CNN, urban combat near the Syrian border as U.S. troops hunt for insurgents.
Whistleblower beaten. Did someone want to silence this nuclear lab worker before he could talk to Congress?
Science and security. Could a research paper teach terrorists how to poison the nation's milk supply? Why the feds are worried.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, June 7th, 2005.
BLITZER (on camera): Thanks very much for joining us.
Tony Blair stood shoulder-to-shoulder with George W. Bush on Iraq, putting his own career on the line. The British prime minister came to the White House today looking for a couple of favors in return, aid to Africa and action on global warming to be specific. But do these two allies now have some very different agendas? Our senior international correspondent Nick Robertson is standing by live in London, but we begin at the White House with our White House correspondent Dana Bash.
Dana, they answered questions. They spoke. Are they both on the same page?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they certainly wanted us to think that they are both on the same page and particularly with what was Prime Minister Blair's top agenda item here, and that is aid to Africa. He made it very clear that what his top priority is at a meeting next month with the G-8 in Scotland is going to be what is referred to in Great Britain as almost a Marshall Plan for the continent of Africa.
But, they also pretty -- made pretty clear that they've agreed to disagree on the prime minister's plan that he is trying to get together, and that is to give an extraordinary amount of money from countries, about $25 billion each year over the next 10 years. The president is not doing that, will not do that for various reasons. But he did try to give Prime Minister Blair something to go home with on this issue and that is announcing $674 million on direct aid for hunger in various African nations.
So, certainly, the two wanted to make it very clear while there certainly are differences on top agenda items like Africa, that they're trying to work together and that, from Prime Minister Blair's point of view, he is getting something from President Bush, which he is accused of not doing very often back at home.
BLITZER: Dana, what do they do now, these two leaders? Are they done with their sessions, or do they continue in the White House or someplace else?
BASH: They're going to continue tonight, Wolf. They are going to have dinner here at the White House, certainly likely to continue conversations, but also probably to have friendly discussion. The two men are very close. They have met 23 times. This is the 23rd time they have met and they talk quite often on the telephone, much more often than aides tell us. In fact, that is one of the leaders that President Bush certainly talks to the most.
So, they are going to have dinner and continue to talk about a variety of issues, not just Africa, but, of course, what to do next when it comes to the Middle East, what to do next when it comes to Iran, and the big issue, what to do with what is going on in Iraq and how they can train those Iraqi military officers that they're having a lot of trouble doing at this point.
BLITZER: All right, Dana Bash in the East Room. Dana, thanks very much.
Let's head over to London now, get the view from there. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, standing by. You listened and watched this news conference, Nic. What stands out in your mind?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I think it was very telling when Prime Minister Tony Blair began to speak, he talked about how much work still needs to be done, and I think the British reporters were picking up on the issues that will be key to Tony Blair, pointing out that there did seem to be agreement as far as Prime Minister Blair's efforts to relieve poverty in Africa through debt relief, that both he and President Bush seem to be very close, the difference of opinion being philosophical, on do you give aid or -- do you give aid before you get democracy or get African leaders to sign up to democratic principles before you give them the money? And that very much seemed to be Tony Blair's response, that there still is some common ground to be found before the G-8 saying, look, he said, there are specific countries with specific needs in terms of water, sanitation in terms of malaria, in terms of HIV/AIDS, in terms of education where there are those governments -- not all he said -- but some governments that have signed up, if you will, to democratic principles. And he said let's look at those and let's look at trying to get money going to those countries.
I think when Tony Blair went to meet President Bush, he knew that some of the British and European initiatives were going to be a hard sell, but he's still hoping he can make more progress before the G-8 next month. Wolf?
BLITZER: You heard both of these leaders, Nic, flatly deny -- deny -- that they cooked the books, that they manipulated the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction before the war, to justify the war in Iraq against Saddam Hussein, but there are a lot of people in Britain who simply don't believe that.
ROBERTSON: There are, and certainly it will rake up this issue once again that it came up as a topic of conversation that both leaders were put on the spot about it. There will be no surprise to hear the responses. Their political lives on the line here, if you will. Certainly they're maintaining the position they've always maintained, and that will come, as I say, as no surprise to the British media following Tony Blair.
But the very fact that Tony Blair will seem to have got some concessions on some issues will perhaps strengthen his position back in Britain where people do criticize him for not being able to get any concessions, for being a strong and staunch ally of the United States, particularly in the war in Iraq. So perhaps there -- it will bring a slightly more favorable impression of Tony Blair but still fell far short of everything that he wanted to do. And this issue will be no surprise to him that it came up and was pitched to this particular forum, Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in London for us. Nic, thanks very much, as usual.
One subject that didn't come up in the news conference, North Korea. But North Korea may be ready to talk once again. The United States and other countries are desperately trying to get North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program, but Pyongyang pulled out of so called six-party talks in September, demanding one-on-one negotiations with the United States. Now, the U.S. State Department says North Korea has expressed willingness to return to the six-party talks, which include Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, as well as the U.S. Still not clear, however, when those talks will resume, but it's a significant development. And we'll have much more on developments regarding North Korea and these talks.
Analysis coming up, as well, on the Bush/Blair news conference when I speak later this hour with the former Defense Secretary, William Cohen, our world affairs analyst.
When we come back, the slogan says, "It Does a Body Good," but is the nation's milk supply -- yes, milk supply -- now a target for terror? We'll take a closer look in today's "Security Watch." Whistleblower beaten: Did someone want to stop this nuclear lab worker from testifying before the U.S. Congress?
GM cuts. The troubled automaker makes a major announcement. It's cutting 25,000 jobs here in the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're getting a story just in to CNN. British police say a passenger flight from Portugal was diverted after a suspicious object was found on board. The Defense Ministry in London says fighter jets escorted the Thompson Company flight to Stanstead Airport, that's northeast of London, where it has landed safely. The airliner, with 108 people on board, was bound from Coventry when the report came that a suspicious object has been found. The plane landed safely. The passengers and crew disembarked. We're continuing to watch this story. We'll get some more information as it becomes available.
Other news coming in. New developments now in the search for an Alabama teenager who disappeared last week during her senior class trip to Aruba. Let's immediately go to Karl Penhaul. He's in Aruba for us. He's joining us with late-breaking developments. What is the latest, Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, prosecutors have just held a news conference this afternoon. They've said that they believe that they have sufficient evidence and will be holding the two suspects who were arrested on Sunday in custody for a further eight days. That's a stipulation in the time frame under Dutch law, after which they will have to appear before a judge again, and prosecutors will want once again have to present evidence.
That said, this evidence hasn't been revealed publicly. We don't know what the strength of that evidence is. Prosecutors also declined to spell out specific charges against the men at this stage. However, Wolf, we have talked to the two men's attorney in the course of the morning, and he has said that the two suspects have been formally accused of a variety of charges. These include homicide, murder, accomplice to murder, accomplice to homicide and also kidnapping leading to homicide. But the attorney contends that his two clients are innocent. He says throughout his conversations with them, they have maintained their innocence. And he also says that the big problem that he sees with the prosecutors and their case is that there is still no conclusive proof that has been publicly revealed as to Natalee Holloway's whereabouts and whether in fact she is alive or dead.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Is this normal in Aruba for the defense attorney to be saying what the charges are going to be even though the prosecutors have not formally released any charges, made any direct charges?
PENHAUL: Prosecutors and police have been playing this case very close to their chest. They have been talking to the press in generic terms at times. They have been as helpful as they feel they can be according to the stipulations of Dutch law, which it must be said are very different from U.S. law. But the attorney, the defense attorney, because he is representing these two men, is well aware of what his clients are formally accused of. And that's why he's gone ahead and told us about that, Wolf.
BLITZER: So Karl, the assumption must be if the defense attorney is saying that his clients are going to be charged with homicide, murder, that Natalee Holloway is dead, even though there's been no official confirmation that happened. But is that the working assumption that investigators seem to be showing in Aruba?
PENHAUL: I think to talk about that is somewhat of a leap of faith. Yes, it would appear to be the suggestion. But at the same time, over recent days and as early again as yesterday, prosecutors and police are saying that they do still believe that Natalee is alive, that their main priority is to try and find her alive and send her home with her mother. And also the family very strongly believe that Natalee is alive too. And as I say, again, prosecutors and police have not revealed any public evidence that Natalee may be dead.
BLITZER: Well, let's hope she's alive. And we'll continue to watch the story together with you, our man on the scene, Karl Penhaul in Aruba. We'll stay in touch with you, and you'll stay in touch with us. Thanks very much for that update.
We'll take another quick break.
When we come back, the world's largest automaker deciding to downsize. GM announcing plans to cut thousands of jobs and close several plants in the United States.
Whistle blower beaten. Did someone try to silence this nuclear lab worker? Our Brian Todd has been investigating.
Tal Afar offensive. New attacks targeting insurgents in Iraq, a story you will see only here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: On the CNN "Security Watch," a scholarly paper about milk is causing some unexpected controversy. It offers advice about how to protect the nation's milk supply, but the U.S. government claiming that it's a roadmap for terrorists. Our Jeanne Meserve of our CNN America Bureau is joining us now with the story. Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this story raises two questions. One is, is the government engaging in censorship or protecting the public? And the second: Is the nation's milk supply safe?
It revolves around a research paper written by Stanford University Professor Lawrence Wein and a graduate student Yifan Liu, which details exactly how terrorists could poison the milk supply. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice over): Terrorists could buy botulism toxin or make it, the paper theorizes. If they then poured it into a milk tank on a farm or truck, the paper says 100,000 gallons of milk could be contaminated. Some of the toxin would survive pasteurization, and large numbers of people, including children would drink it and die before the problem was discovered.
The National Academy of Sciences posted the paper, which included specifics about dosages and casualties on a password-protected part of a website used by reporters. When the Department of Health and Human Services got wind that it was going to be published in a National Academy journal, Assistant Secretary Stewart Simonson wrote the academy asking them not to publish, saying, "The article is a roadmap for terrorists and publication is not in the interests of the United States."
RICHARD FALKENRATH, SECURITY ANALYST: The government has a responsibility not to simplify mass casualty terrorism. And so when it has an opportunity to delay the release of information that would assist very particular mass casualty terrorist attacks, that I think is an appropriate action for them.
MESERVE: The academy pulled the article from its Web site, and this afternoon is meeting with Health and Human Services before making the next step. The cat is already out of the bag, however. Before it was pulled, the paper was downloaded from the academy Web site, and professor Wein has published its broad outlines in an op-ed in "The New York Times."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Experts say milk, like so many other parts of the food supply, is vulnerable. Professor Wein makes some specific suggestions on how to make it safer, including improving pasteurization, to eliminate more toxins, and testing milk trucks for toxins before they unload. He also suggests making voluntary milk safety measures mandatory.
And Wolf, let me tell you that what we've told you in this report is nothing like the specifics in his paper that has the government so concerned.
BLITZER: Because we don't want to give a road map to terrorists either.
MESERVE: Correct.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve, for that, and please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Thousands of American auto workers facing an uncertain future right now after a huge job cut announcement by General Motors. CNN's Chris Huntington is joining us live from New York. He has the story -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagner dropped this little nugget on shareholders deeply buried in lengthy prepared remarks. But frankly, by the time he had made the announcement, very few people who have been following this company closely were surprised.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON (voice-over): General Motors is like a full-size SUV, running out of gas -- a big hulking machine moving slowly, being passed left and right.
GM's CEO Rick Wagner says the company needs to cut 25,000 jobs or nearly one-fifth of its U.S. workforce, from its struggling North American division. That division lost $1.3 billion in the first three months of this year alone. The auto maker says it needs to slash more than $5 billion a year it spends on health insurance for employees and retirees, a sum that adds about $1,500 to the cost of every vehicle sold.
Wagner admitted to shareholders that rising gas prices and falling SUV sales have put GM in a serious bind.
RICK WAGNER, GM CHAIRMAN & CEO: If the U.S. market booms, if gas prices go down and SUV -- large SUVs come back, then our return to profitability will be quicker. If the U.S. enters into a downturn and gas prices go much higher or other factors that, frankly, we have to react to, it's going to be a tougher job.
HUNTINGTON: GM's problems have been decades in the making. It has been steadily losing U.S. market share, down to a current 25 percent from nearly 50 percent in the mid-'70s. For a while, starting in the early '90s, it looked as if SUVs would be GM's savior. But the company became too reliant on those big trucks with their big profits, and is now paying the price.
ROB HINCHLIFFE, UBS AUTO ANALYST: All their eggs are in that basket. And when SUV sales were strong and there was limited competition from the likes of Toyota and Nissan, for instance, that masked a lot of other problems. And if you dig into the numbers, they were losing quite a bit of car market share, while their trucks were doing quite well. So you didn't notice. But now that truck sales are down, the other issues are starting to come to the surface.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now, GM line workers are protected for a couple of years. The current contract between the United Auto Workers and General Motors extends through September of 2007, and until then, until that contract expires or is renegotiated, GM cannot fire or lay off any workers. So they'll have to achieve any job cuts between now and then through attrition.
Now, GM did not specify any plant closings today, but analysts who follow the company closely point to a couple of plants that could very much be vulnerable. They're older plants, one in particular, Janesville, Wisconsin, which started operations in 1919, and in Doraville, Georgia, the plant there started in 1947.
So Wolf, a lot to be specified still by General Motors, but this is a trend that GM has been on for decades.
BLITZER: Chris Huntington in New York for us. Thanks, Chris, very much.
Explosive attacks, very explosive attacks in northern Iraq as U.S. troops continue hunting for insurgents. We have a story you will see only here on CNN. Plus, returning to the table? Why North Korea says it's recommitted itself to new nuclear talks. The former Defense secretary, William Cohen, standing by to join us live.
Also, the Michael Jackson jury meeting for a third day. How the King of Pop is dealing with these deliberations. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: Welcome back. A U.S.-Iraqi operation to take back a city under siege by enemy fighters. We have some new and exclusive pictures of the current U.S. military offensive in Tal Afar. These are pictures you'll see only here on CNN. But first, let's get a quick check of some other stories "Now in the News."
Look for a final confirmation vote on Judge Janice Rogers Brown at this time tomorrow. After two contentious years, the Senate voted today to close debate on her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Her approval was part of a deal that preserved the filibuster, while clearing the way for votes on some of the president's judicial nominees.
Jury deliberations in the Michael Jackson case have just ended for the day. It's only the second full day jurors have met. Jackson wasn't at the courthouse, but his spiritual adviser, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, told reporters the pop star has confidence in the jury's fairness and anticipates acquittal.
Backed by armor and attack helicopters, U.S. and Iraqi forces are now on the hunt for insurgents near the Syrian border. Our correspondent Jane Arraf is embedded with the U.S. and Iraqi troops near the city of Tal Afar and has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): At dawn, U.S. and Iraqi troops, tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rolled into the troubled city of Tal Afar. That city is about 60 kilometers, 40 miles from the Syrian border, and military officials say it has become an insurgent stronghold, the scene of frequent attacks against Iraqi police, against cargo fare, against U.S. soldiers. In this morning's operation, meant to show the presence of the Iraqi military as well as U.S. forces in the region, they rolled into those streets, very narrow streets, the worst kind of urban warfare, and as they came in, gunfire rang around them, scattered gunfire as the hours went on, as well as a couple of mortar rounds that fell.
One U.S. soldier was killed. Three suspected insurgents killed, as well, when they returned fire. The U.S. military says that they have detained 28 suspected insurgents, most of them on their target list. All of this in an effort to bolster the Iraqi army in that neighborhood, in that city and to disrupt the operations of insurgents.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from near Talafar, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: As we reported at the top of the hour, President Bush and Britain's prime minister Tony Blair still see eye-to-eye when it comes to Iraq, but are these close allies drifting apart on some other issues?
Joining us now, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense secretary William Cohen. He's the chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group here in Washington.
Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.
Before we get to Tony Blair, let's talk about what we just heard from Jane Arraf. It looks like, once one operation concludes, there's a need for another one, from Fallujah to Mosul, now Tal Afar. Do these insurgents seemingly have a never-ending supply of troops, of insurgent fighters, equipment, money, or -- is the U.S. making progress?
WILLIAM COHEN, WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I think some progress is being made, but it's almost like mercury on a mirror. It starts to slide from place to place as you've just indicated.
Last week, there was a major discovery of an underground bunker that contained hundreds of different munitions with an extraordinary labyrinth of places where they could live and eat and shower and basically continue to function. So that's not just one, but there have always been suspicions on the part of the United States that there are a myriad, multitude of these underground bunkers where they can continue to thrive.
So, it's a case-by-case and it's going to take a long effort on our part to kind of root them out and to try and take them down, but this is not going to be easy, and it's not going to be quick.
BLITZER: Think about it. That underground bunker that the U.S. discovered and blew up, the size of nine football fields -- nine football fields -- all underground. That's pretty sophisticated, presumably built under the reign of Saddam Hussein. COHEN: Right, and it's not the only one. It's anticipated there may be many more and that's the reason they've been able to hideout, to surface at night or hit and run and then find sanctuary. So, this is going to take quite a bit of time. Hopefully, the Iraqis, as they become more integrated into the operation and they start to gather more intelligence from other Iraqi citizens, will be able to crack down on that.
But this is going to be a very difficult chore and I think anyone who anticipates a quick exit or a reasonably foreseeable exit out of Iraq is making a mistake.
BLITZER: A potentially significant announcement from the State Department today that North Korea has agreed to resume the so-called six-party talks involving their nuclear program, talks that were suspended almost a year ago. How big of a deal is this?
COHEN: Well, two issues involved. Number one, they've agreed to resume talks. The question is when -- no time limit, and no time frame set.
Secondly, what will they agree to once they come to the table? Is this simply a question of on-again, off-again and is the administration, in fact, tiring of this particular process? You have a difference of opinion inside the administration. On the one hand, you had a senior unidentified official from the Defense Department indicate that the administration was growing weary, that they might, in fact, take this to the Security Council within the next month or so. Secretary of State Rice contesting that, saying no such plan has been made.
So, I think, first of all, you have to get some kind of unanimity within the U.S. itself. Secondly, it would appear that this was timed to ease, at least, the situation with respect to the visiting South Korean President Roh who comes here on Friday to meet with President Bush. There has been a growing, I think, discontent within South Korea toward the United States posture. And I think President Bush is going to want to try to stiffen up that resolve to make sure there is a really unanimous opinion between the Japanese, South Koreans, hopefully, the Chinese and the Russians, as well, to bring pressure upon the North Koreans.
So, there's a lot at stake here. But just simply saying, we'll agree to come back at some point is not sufficient. Maybe the back channels have indicated it's much more time specific than we currently know, but then the question becomes, what will they do once they come to the table?
BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, on the Bush- Blair meeting at the White House today. Did the president stiff the British prime minister when it comes to aid to Africa or did he meet him more than halfway?
COHEN: I think it was unrealistic for anyone to think that President Bush was going to be in a position to say we're going to double the commitment and meet that $25 billion a year goal. But clearly, the industrialized world, the Western world, has to do far more to help the staving people in Africa. So, I think the president, by saying $674 million, it was an indication he wants to support Prime Minister Blair, but there was no way he could measure up to the expectation.
BLITZER: William Cohen, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
We're just getting this story into CNN. The Associated Press reporting that Anne Bancroft has died. It's quoting a spokesman, saying the Oscar-winning actress died of cancer. Bancroft won the 1962 Best Actress Oscar as the teacher of a young Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker." Anne Bancroft was 73-years-old.
Whistle blower beaten. Did someone try to stop a lab worker from speaking to the U.S. Congress? Our Brian Todd, standing by with details on that story.
And later, Turkish ties. My interview with the prime minister of Turkey on the eve of his meeting with President Bush.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Was it a random crime or was it retaliation? A New Mexico man is recovering from a severe beating, which his wife and lawyer allege was linked to his role as a whistle blower at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Our Brian Todd is joining with us now with the story. Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Los Alamos is already under scrutiny from Congress and an officials there says they were shocked at this latest story about an already controversial employee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Santa Fe Police tell CNN they believe more than one person took part in the beating of 52-year-old Tommy Hook, a long- time official at America's premier nuclear laboratory.
He has spoken to police since the assault early Sunday morning, but his wife says communicating is a struggle.
SUSAN HOOK, WIFE OF VICTIM: He has to try to repeat and repeat so that you can understand what he's trying to tell you.
TODD: She also claims this is the result of intimidation for Hook's role as a whistle blower at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A lab official tells CNN Hook reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in waste and procurement fraud a few years ago, but Hook also had a lawsuit pending against the University of California, which overseas Los Alamos, charging whistle-blower retaliation, and he was scheduled to testify before a House committee investigating mismanagement at the lab. Hook's wife says his assailants had a warning.
S. HOOK: They kept telling him, he needed to start keeping his mouth shut, and if he knew what was good for him, he'd start keeping his mouth shut.
TODD: We asked a spokesman at Los Alamos if anyone at the lab could have been involved.
KEVIN ROARK, LOS ALAMOS SPOKESMAN (voice over): We want to know who did it and why as much as anyone does. And it's important to us that it be found out. And to that end, we're going to cooperate and participate in the investigation to every extent appropriate.
TODD: One congressional staffer involved in the investigation of Los Alamos characterizes problems at the lab as almost intractable, going beyond erratic management and sloppy habits. We asked the congressman spearheading the investigation what Tommy Hook was going to tell them.
REP. EDWARD WHITFIELD (R), KENTUCKY: We've been meeting with him for some period of time. And he had some allegations that we thought were significant enough and serious enough that we wanted to him to testify in Congress.
TODD: Los Alamos officials won't comment on the congressional investigation. Hook himself may have a few more questions to answer. The assault occurred at about 2:00 Sunday morning in the parking lot of a Santa Fe strip club. Hook's wife says an informant asked to meet him there, but didn't show up. She says the assailants got him as he was leaving the parking lot. But Hook's wife was out of town at the time of the assault.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Late this afternoon, the chairman of the House committee investigating Los Alamos, Representative Joe Barton of Texas, voiced suspicion about Tommy Hook's claims. And it's important to note, Santa Fe police have not at this time connected his beating to any retaliation from Los Alamos.
We reached Hook's attorney, Robert Rothstein, late this afternoon, as well. He says Hook stayed inside the strip club for an hour looking for the informant, then left. Asked if Hook could have concocted the story, Rothstein said, Hook is a very truthful person, a real straight arrow.
A Los Alamos official tells us Hook is a valued employee there, and has whistle-blower protection at the lab. Hook remains under security at a local hospital. Wolf
BLITZER: All right. You'll continue to watch this story for us. Brian Todd reporting here in Washington.
We'll take another quick break. My interview with the visiting Turkish prime minister right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is here in Washington for an Oval Office meeting tomorrow with President Bush. I sat down with the Turkish leader this afternoon here in Washington and asked him about criticism from some Bush administration officials that Turkey's refusal to let U.S. troops move into Iraq at the start of the war has effectively helped strengthen the current insurgency.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY: Because of the demands in Iraq and because of the situation in Iraq, it was decided that Turkey would delay sending troops, and we did not end up sending any troops to Iraq. But these events are not events which should cast a shadow over Turkish-American relations, because we did our share in the process of the things that took place.
Unfortunately, there are certain circles which are trying to influence Turkish-American relations in a negative way. We do not see this as proper, because the strategic partnership between Turkey and the United States was reinforced after the Sea Island meeting with regard to the broader Middle East.
BLITZER: Mr. Prime Minister, is the U.S. government, the U.S. military doing everything you want to prevent terror attacks against Turkish targets from Northern Iraq?
ERDOGAN: We have some contacts with the U.S. intelligence, but this is not enough. We have to continue to develop those relations. And we have had -- we've suffered a lot from this terrorist organization.
BLITZER: You see Turkey as an integral part of Europe as opposed to an integral part of the Middle East.
ERDOGAN: Yes. Yes. Turkey is also a bridge. It is a door to Asia for the European Union. It is a door to the Caspian, to the Caucuses. In fact, Turkey's membership is very important for the European Union itself. And this is an area where the European Union should move to reap the benefits of this membership.
BLITZER: You're going to -- excuse me for interrupting -- you're going to continue to pursue membership in the E.U.?
ERDOGAN: There is no doubt we will do that. Let me also say one more thing. There is something that Turkey will add to the European Union. All my European friends say that the European Union is not a Christian club, that the European Union is a union of values, of political values. And Turkey's accession to the European Union will further prove the point that the E.U. is a union of political values. It's a union where civilizations meet.
So this is what we are aiming for. And we are saying that nobody should use Turkey as a domestic political tool. And we have to work together, and we have to shape the European Union's future together.
BLITZER: One final question. A sensitive question in Turkey. The head scarves for women. They're banned in public schools and public buildings, but yet your wife will come here wearing a head scarf in the United States at the White House. Americans are very anxious to make sure there's religious tolerance. Is this a law in Turkey that should be reversed?
ERDOGAN: There is no law that bans it. And that's where the problem lies. There's only a different perception at the moment. It's an interpretation of the situation. And it's that difference in interpretation. In our country, we are very patient so that there is no social unrest on this issue in Turkey. And we say that there must be a social consensus first. There must be a consensus between institutions, and then we can solve this problem.
My daughters are studying in the United States. Here you have the sense or understanding of freedom, but not in my country. Right now, I am not doing anything just so that there is no social unrest on this point in my country. But as I said before, there is no problem amongst the people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The Turkish prime minister visiting Washington. He'll be meeting with the president tomorrow. We'll have more of his interview coming up.
In the meantime, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Lou standing by in New York. Lou.
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