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British Inquiry Concludes no Conspiracy in Princess Diana's Death; Control of U.S. Senate; Palestinian Prime Minister Blocked at Rafah Border Crossing

Aired December 15, 2005 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUERTIN: There was no conspiracy to murder any occupants of that car.

MOHAMMED AL-FAYED, DODI AL-FAYED'S FATHER: They think that people can be duped, can be camouflaged, can be -- just with all the baloney and all the -- unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A decade of doubt is put to rest in Britain. Or is it? Investigators say they know exactly what caused the car accident that killed Princess Diana.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A U.S. senator falls ill. Will his condition wipe out the Democrats' razor-thin advantage in the Senate?

GORANI: And left out in the political cold. Russia's exclusion from the EU is straining its relations with its European neighbors.

CLANCY: And a famed Italian tenor who stormed off the stage may sing his next note in court.

It is 12:00 noon in Washington, 6:00 p.m. in Rome.

Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Jim Clancy.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.

From Washington to London, to Moscow, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CARLSON: : Putting something to rest. Conspiracy theories swirling around the death of Princess Diana now for nearly a decade.

GORANI: Well, a British inquiry concludes there was no conspiracy, no cover-up. It says Princess Diana, her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed, and their chauffeur were killed in Paris in a "tragic accident."

CLANCY: But Fayed's family not yet ready to lay the matter to rest.

Paula Newton has more on that from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was meant to be the final word on Diana's death, but the report's author admits he knows it won't be. Even though he categorically concludes the princess was not murdered.

LORD STEVENS, FMR. METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER: On the evidence available now, there was no conspiracy to murder any occupants of that car. This was a tragic accident.

NEWTON: So, according to Scotland Yard, there was no murder, no cover-up, and no baby. Diana wasn't pregnant and had no plans to marry boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed. What's more, police say forensics prove chauffeur Henri Paul was drunk, speeding, and no one in the Mercedes was wearing a seatbelt.

Bottom line, there is no evidence British intelligence or the royal family had anything to do with the accident.

STEVENS: We've always said that the direction of the investigation would be governed by the evidence. And I see nothing that would justify further inquiries with any member of the royal family.

NEWTON: Predictably, that did not satisfy billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed. Dodi's father has single-mindedly motivated much of this investigation.

AL-FAYED: I am certain, 100 percent, that a leading member of the royal family have planned that and the whole plot being executed in his order.

NEWTON (on camera): Here at Buckingham Palace there is a measure of relief but very little closure. Princes William and Harry have been poured over the report for more than a day now, but they are not expected to make any kind of public comment.

(voice over): But in a statement, they praised the team of investigators for its thoroughness and professionalism and seem pleased with the report's findings. It is the report that should speak for itself, a complicated reconstruction, more than 300 witnesses, millions of dollars, and almost three years. And the conclusions are much the same as the original French investigation.

JOHN O'CONNOR, FMR. SCOTLAND YARD COMMANDER: I really couldn't see the purpose of it. I suspect it was more of a cosmetic exercise to make the public feel that no stone has been left unturned.

NEWTON: But the report has silenced few critics. Author Nicolas Davies listened to Scotland Yard but is still clinging to conspiracy theories. NICOLAS DAVIES, AUTHOR: I still believe there are sufficient holes in the argument, in the police argument, to continue the investigations that she was, in fact, taken out.

NEWTON: Taken out, murdered. Even with no evidence, the theory persists. And this report and the inquest to follow can do little to change that.

Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, it was a three-year inquiry, it cost several million pounds, it used cutting-edge computer technology to reconstruct the crash scene in three dimensions. That and other things. But let's get more on the reaction to all of this in the England.

In the United Kingdom, we go to Paula Hancocks, who joins us now live from Buckingham Palace -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Hala.

Well, we have had a written statement from the princes. And that's probably all we can expect from the royal family.

William and Harry have both said that they did appreciate Lord Stevens' report. And more crucially, they did say that they hoped that this will mark the end of the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of their mother.

Now, they have said very little in the past about these conspiracy theories. These have been going for almost a decade now, and, as with many conspiracy theories, they very rarely go away, they just adapt to new information.

But what we're expecting next is, of course, the inquest to continue that was started in 2004 and adjourned following -- pending this report. Now this report is out, the public hearings will start at the beginning of the year, probably about mid-January, and that could happen in front of a jury. That's for the coroner themselves to decide on -- Hala.

GORANI: All right. Paula Hancocks, live in London, in front of Buckingham Palace there.

We'll have a lot more on the British inquiry later this hour, including a live report from Paris and a conversation with a royal biographer who says that Princess Diana did not die accidentally. He's also an author of a book about her death -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, now to a life-threatening political drama in Washington. A U.S. senator is in critical condition after emergency brain surgery.

South Dakota senator Tim Johnson taken to the hospital Wednesday night after becoming disoriented during a conference call with reporters. Doctors say a cluster of malformed blood vessels caused bleeding in Johnson's brain. Surgeons stopped that bleeding.

Johnson is recovering without any complications, we're told, but it is early. He could be looking at a long road to recovery.

Now, Johnson's illness has serious political ramifications for the Democratic Party, or it could have. They won control of the U.S. Congress by just one seat in November. Now the balance of power could shift again.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now from Washington.

Bill, what's at stake?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: What's at stake is control of the United States Senate.

They won control of the Senate by exactly one seat, 51-49. That's the minimum necessary. If Johnson were to pass away, then he would be replaced by a Republican, because under the South Dakota law, the Republican governor -- the governor, who happens to be a Republican, would appoint a new senator for the next two years until the end of 2008. And he would appoint someone, it is expected, of the Republican Party.

That would make the Senate 50-50, and that tie for organizing the Senate would be broken by the vote of the vice president, who has a vote in the Senate, Dick Cheney. That's what happened in 2001. The Republicans would then take charge of the Senate and the committee chairs of the Senate would become Republicans.

CLANCY: Well, clearly -- and let's change subjects here. The president this week talking to anyone that he can, looking for a new strategy in Iraq.

Meantime, Senator John McCain -- a lot of people believe he's going to be making a bid for the White House -- is in Iraq. He's talking with people there. He had a bit of a rosy assessment himself to tell reporters. We got this this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I'd like to say that I believe conditions have improved, certainly in Baghdad. They have not. I believe there is still a compelling reason to have an increase in troops here in Baghdad and in Anbar Province in order to bring the sectarian violence under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: All right. The American public looking for somebody with a plan. His plan, more troops.

What's the political talk about that? SCHNEIDER: Well, the more people hear about it, the more dismay they feel. He does have a plan. It's a plan for victory, which, of course, is exactly what President Bush has been talking about for the past year, but it involves sending additional troops to Iraq.

Number one, Americans have become more and more skeptical of the idea that this war can be won. They think it will probably end in a stalemate.

Number two, the idea of sending more troops, where are the troops going to come from? How are they going to be trained? Could they actually do something that could be regarded as winning the war?

All of that is treated with a lot of skepticism by the politicians in Washington and by the American public.

CLANCY: All right. Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst.

As always, Bill, thank you so much for being with us.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

CLANCY: Hala.

GORANI: All right.

Let's take you to the Middle East. Trouble at a border point in Gaza.

A gun battle broke out between Hamas and Fatah factions at the Rafah crossing. That's between Gaza and Egypt. Israel closed the border to prevent Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh from returning to Egypt in a tour of Rahd (ph).

Now via broadband from Gaza City, Atika Shubert brings us more on the confusing and volatile situation.

Atika, tell us more about what happened at that border crossing. We're hearing reports of clashes and people storming the border crossing.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently, Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh was not allowed to cross over. Israel closed the crossing point, and that apparently caused Hamas militias, as well as residents in the area, to storm the Rafah crossing point.

Clashes ensued. They also managed to blow a hole into the border wall that borders Egypt and Gaza.

Now, the latest that we've heard is that security has maintained that area. This is according to Palestinian security sources. Order has been restored.

And they're asking the people there to leave, saying that until they leave, the European monitors who are there will not be able to return. And until they return, no one will be able to cross, including Prime Minister Haniyeh.

Now, it's not clear yet whether or not he indeed will be able to cross. According to a senior Israeli security official, Israel closed the crossing point because they had heard the prime minister was carrying millions of dollars into Gaza. And Israel feared that that money would be used for Hamas terrorist activities.

That's why they say he was prevented from crossing. So it's not clear at this point whether he will actually be allowed to go over, although Hamas sources say they are trying to negotiate a deal where he will be allowed to cross over, but without that millions of dollars in cash -- Hala.

GORANI: Very briefly, where is Ismail Haniyeh now, the Palestinian minister? Stuck at the border?

SHUBERT: Our understanding is that's exactly where he's at, stuck at the border. Right now, the Rafah crossing point is still closed. Even though order has been secured, nothing can go through until the European monitors return. And as you may know, the Rafah crossing point is actually run by the Palestinian Authority with European monitors there.

Now, Israel is able to close the crossing point when it feels that it needs to, and that's exactly what happened today. But nothing can get through until the European monitors come back.

GORANI: OK. Atika Shubert, live in Gaza City.

CLANCY: All right. We've got to take a short break here.

When we come back, there's a strangler on the loose in the English countryside.

GORANI: Well, police in Ipswich try to track down a serial killer, but they're desperately short on clues. We'll bring you the latest on the case that has England on edge.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Russia's evolving relations with the West -- does it have the muscle to be a superpower once again?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back. You're with CNN International.

CLANCY: You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY. We're bringing our viewers in the U.S. and all around the globe up to speed on some of the most important international stories of the day.

GORANI: Well, all this week we've been taking a closer look at Russia, its growing power, and its politics.

CLANCY: That's right. And let's cross over right now to Becky Anderson. She's standing by in Moscow. ANDERSON: That's right. Jim, thank you very much. Indeed, live from Moscow for you. And as you've said, special coverage all this week on "Putin: Power and Politics."

Today we want to take a look at Russia's relations with the West. International relations.

CNN's European political editor, Robin Oakley, now on how East- West relations are evolving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR (voice over): Mikhail Gorbachev, with whom Margaret Thatcher famously declared she could do business, likes to say Europe and Russia lived in a common house. Even just three years ago, there was huge optimism about a new era of cooperation.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The leadership of President Putin offers not just tremendous hope for Russia, but also for the wider world.

OAKLEY: And Russia's leaders seemed to have opted for Western ways.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia chose democracy 14 years ago. It was a final choice. There will be no turning back.

OAKLEY: But currently Russia and the EU countries are more like fractious neighbors, griping constantly about the problems with living with the folks over the fence. This perhaps was the moment when it all began to go wrong.

On May the 1st, 2004, 10 new members joined the EU. Eight of them came from the former Soviet bloc. Bad for morale in Russia, especially as they all chose to join the NATO military alliance, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The perception in Moscow is very strong that EU policy is now being guided by these new members who have an historical grudge against Russia.

GUERTIN: And they think that NATO is an organization which is -- has a rationale of really being totally opposed to Russia and of weakening Russia.

OAKLEY: Worse still for a proud nation, when the Europeans began lecturing Russia on democracy and human rights and battling for influence in the neighborhood states which had been part of the Soviet Union.

GUERTIN: The EU says it has an interest in these countries, too, and it's developing much closer trading and political ties with countries like Ukraine and Georgia, and is rather unhappy with the way that the Russian government seems to assume that these countries are very much its own backyard. OAKLEY: But there's another factor. Russia is energy rich. The Europeans increasingly dependent on Russian gas. After seeing Ukraine's supplies cut in a spat last January, they're fearful Russia is ready to use energy as a foreign policy weapon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They certainly are using it quite destructively in some respects. I think that it's a little hypocritical, however, to think that -- or to act as if Russia is the only country to use what economic leverage it has in its foreign policy. All countries do it.

OAKLEY: One reason why many European countries are less likely to lecture Russia on democracy. And there's another. Putin enjoys an enviable 70 percent approval rating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then it becomes very difficult to say that you really have to change your system because it's better for your people.

OAKLEY: EU leaders thought Russia would be a bigger Poland, gradually adopting Europe's ways, but it hasn't happened.

GUERTIN: The Europeans have learned that Russia is different from Europe. Not necessarily worse, but different.

It has its own ways of doing things. And when Putin speaks about sovereign democracy, what he has in mind is something very different from the multi-party democracy and the free press we see in western Europe.

OAKLEY (on camera): The truth is that both Russia and the EU need to defeat terrorism to keep those neighborhood countries peaceful and prosperous, to trade energy in a stable and secure way. They have shared interests. What they don't yet have are shared values.

Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So where are relations with the West headed, and can Russia maintain this influence that it now seems to wield?

Well, for some perspective on that, I'm joined by Vyacheslav Nikonov, who is president of Politika, a think tank, and also a former member of Russian parliament and a political strategist.

So, we thank you for joining us.

Superpower, that's a word we hear bandied around more and more. Is Russia becoming a superpower? Is it already a superpower on the international stage?

VYACHESLAV NIKONOV, PRESIDENT, "POLITIKA": Oh, definitely not. Russia is much smaller than the Soviet Union in every sense. And Russia is not a superpower but definitely it's one of the major powers. ANDERSON: OK.

How, then, is President Putin managing his relationship with, for example, the United States?

NIKONOV: Well, it could be better. It could be worse.

Actually, at this point, there are several areas where Russian interests and American interests do coincide. I would first of all name energy.

Russia is the largest producer. America is the largest consumer. Nonproliferation, counterterrorism, managing relations with the rising Asian powers -- and at the same time, there is quite a big area where Russia and America do disagree.

ANDERSON: Let's talk about counterterrorism, because post-9/11, of course, Russia was one of the first to offer up its help and its encouragement in the fight against terrorism. Many people will say it almost took advantage of that, that by getting in touch with President Bush as quickly as he did -- I think he was one of the first to offer his condolences on 9/11 -- effectively, he was managing the situation whereby people would be more sympathetic to his fight with Chechnya.

NIKONOV: I don't think so. Actually, the irony of the situation, Putin was first to call President Bush after 9/11 because of the Soviet-American red line on nuclear safety. And actually, Putin was absolutely sincere proposing his support.

Russia was also facing a serious challenge of terrorism. And actually, Russia provided serious support to the United States in the initial stage of the anti-terrorist campaign, mainly campaign in an Afghanistan when the Northern Alliance, supported by Russia, was very instrumental in fighting the Taliban.

ANDERSON: What would you suggest is President Putin's strategy now, going forward, when it comes to his relationship with the U.S.?

NIKONOV: Well, I think Putin's strategy on any foreign policy issue is to create favorable opportunities for Russia's development. That's what he is doing. The same with the United States. The strategy is to help the relationship as favorable as possible. Sometimes it is not possible.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you directly to Mount Hood, Oregon, for a press conference on the three missing climbers.

Let's go ahead and listen in for just a moment.

DEP. CHRIS GUERTIN, HOOD RIVER CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: We're not sending anybody really up into elevation points right now until the weather allows that to happen because of the safety factor.

QUESTION: Have you been able to get a better understanding at all regarding how much food they had with them?

GUERTIN: We have very little information about how much food, water, gear that they packed.

QUESTION: There's this possible 911 call. How confident are you that you'll be able to confirm it as being true either way?

GUERTIN: Well, like I say, we're working with the cell phone company to try to get that addressed. So we're working on it.

Can you repeat that.

COLLINS: All right, we have been listening in to Deputy Chris Guertin (ph). He is of the Hood River County Sheriff's department updating the press on the situation with the three missing climbers on Mount Hood, Kelly James, Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke. We are awaiting more information to come to us from some of the family members. Apparently a statement that will be read. So we will continue to monitor this.

Meanwhile, also want to let you know about another situation happening in New Jersey. This school on lockdown, more specifically quarantine, after a hazardous materials team quarantined this school. They have found a substance that was sent in an envelope to a teacher there. This is Garfield Park East Elementary School in Wilingboro (ph).

Apparently the students are being relocated now to a former elementary school. No injuries at this point. But again, we will continue to watch this as HAZMAT teams investigate, an apparent substance that was sent in an envelope to a teacher there at Garfield Park East Elementary School.

Again, we'll continue to watch this situation happening in New Jersey. Want to get back now to Mount Hood. More information from Deputy Chris Guertin on the three missing climbers.

GUERTIN: The technician guys with the cell company, the supplies that the 304th have provided for us. You know, just short of being able to get up to the top with climbers, I feel that we've had everything available to us.

QUESTION: How concerned are you about the danger of avalanche?

GUERTIN: Well, it is a definite concern. I don't have an updated avalanche report, but it is an extreme concern. The rescue teams are being updated on that, and they know where they can and can't go, where they shouldn't go, and what the avalanche dangers are.

That stuff is on standby.

QUESTION: Did you talk to the rescues actually going out there on the mountain? What are the conditions like for them and how hard is it?

GUERTIN: Well, the conditions are -- they're harsh. I'm not actually out on the mountain with them, but I'm at the base camp when they come back. And they're beat, you know. They're wet, soaked. I can see that they're tired. But these guys are going 100 percent at this. You know, it's amazing, as beat-up as they look when they come in, the next day they go out, it's almost like their first trip. And so it's been harsh for them, winds, visibility, but they're -- the morale is high.

QUESTION: Looks like you're pretty cold. (INAUDIBLE).

GUERTIN: Yes. I'm going to go ahead and step aside here. Thank you.

FRANK JAMES, MISSING CLIMBER'S BROTHER: What we'd like to do is read a statement from the family. Karen is going to make a couple of comments as well. Then she is not going to take any questions, but I will. Let me read the statement from the family. The families of Kelly, Brian, and Niko are overwhelmed with the news that Kelly James was coherent enough to try to reach out for a lifeline by turning on his cell phone on Tuesday evening.

Let me just note that has not yet been confirmed, but it does give the family enormous hope.

We are praying that Brian and Niko are close by to Kelly, hunkered down in another snow cave, and we believe in our hearts that, despite the forces of Mother Nature, these men will persevere and walk off this mountain. And, once again, we thank the phenomenal rescue workers who continue day after day to help save our loved ones. Today we are facing harsh weather conditions, but we have hope that, despite the odds, Kelly, Brian and Niko will hold on and will endure. We pray for comfort, and we won't lose faith. We ask you to continue to have these three men in your thoughts and your hearts.

Karen James.

KAREN JAMES, MISSING CLIMBER'S WIFE: First of all, I want to say thank you so much. And while this is one of the worst weather days, our spirits are still high. These are three of the most phenomenal men you could ever meet. They're smart, they're strong, and they care so deeply for one another.

You know, my husband proposed to me on Mount Rainier and we're planning our 50th anniversary there, so I know he's coming off this mountain. And our kids, Jason, Ford, Katie and Jack and I, we're just so passionate about him. Brian is a part of our family, and we love Brian so much. They care so deeply about Niko, and Niko's wife has become a dear friend of mine.

We are so blessed to know them. They all love God so much, and we know that God is with them. God is watching over them. And that he is going to watch over them in this, one of the most difficult times of our lives. And we thank you. We thank everyone so much for their prayers. And we just can't say enough of these men and women who keep going out there day after day to bring these people home to us. And just a very special thanks to all of America for praying with us.

FRANK JAMES: If you have any questions, there are a couple of things that I'd like to say just in general. Lots of you have questions.

You asked, for example, what does the family do all day? Let me tell you a little bit about what happens during the day as we are waiting and praying. Certainly there is a lot of praying. There are from time to time tears. From time to time, there is laughter.

But one of the things that we did yesterday that I thought was very helpful to us all is we planned another press conference for the day that Kelly and Brian and Niko come back. We all -- that will be a day where we're all here and you can talk to all of the family members. That kept us occupied a good part of yesterday. It lifted our spirits, and it does say something, I think, about the resoluteness of these three families. They're a great bunch of people. And as Karen said, we've become sort of one big family.

Some of you have asked also about our faith. I want to reassure you again that our faith is strong. Our faith is threefold -- we have faith in Kelly, and Brian and Niko, we have faith in the rescuers, and we have faith in God. And there is little doubt that our faith is being refined these days. We understand how serious these weather conditions are, but our faith remains strong.

It's amazing, when you're in these kind of circumstances, you might think that people would turn away from God, precisely the opposite has happened. We've all turned to God in deeper and more profound ways.

Hope that gives you a little insight into the family and how we are coping with the circumstances. If you have any questions, I'm happy to try to answer them now.

QUESTION: When did you first learn about the Tuesday night cell phone incident?

FRANK JAMES: I heard about it this morning, actually. I received a phone call, and that gave us great encouragement. My heart was in my throat when I heard that. Because if it's true, it means that Kelly is alive and that he has his wits about him. And those are the two things that I think we're very eager and hope are, in fact, true.

QUESTION: Who told you about the phone call?

FRANK JAMES: Jessica Nunez, who is working with -- she's in Dallas, and she had read -- I think she had gotten that off the AP, something like that, I think. I don't know exactly where she got it.

Yes. This is a Tuesday evening, as I understand it. And, again, let me just be clear, I don't think this has been confirmed yet. The sheriff's office has not confirmed it. But it has given us hope. But it was about 10:55 p.m. on Tuesday evening, which suggests that Kelly was alive and cogent into early Wednesday morning, for sure. So that's encouraging to us.

QUESTION: He called 911? FRANK JAMES: Tuesday at 10:55, what I believe happened was he turned his cell phone on. We have so many people who joined. we have companies who've volunteered their time. My understanding is the FBI has sent two agents who have expertise in this area, and they've been able to identify, apparently, that he turned on his cell phone at 10:55 p.m.

QUESTION: But never made a call, right?

JAMES: Did not make a phone call. They just have the technology to know somebody had to turn on that cellphone.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

JAMES: No. I mean, he's got bruises and scrapes, I think, that any mountain climber has. But he's very physically fit.

QUESTION: Frank, you obviously have a lot of faith. How agonizing is it for you to know that he might be alive up there, very likely is alive up there, but they can't get to him because of these conditions?

JAMES: It's hard. It's very hard. And -- but, you know, we're hanging in there, and if anybody can survive these kind of conditions, Kelly can. And I would say that these other two guys, Brian and Nikko, are made of the same stuff.

So, yes, we all agonize. That's a good word. But we press on. Again, we're very determined. I was thinking this morning how I would describe the family, and I think the words that came to mind were that we have a tenacious faith, and we mean that.

QUESTION: Can you tell us again what Kelly does for a living. (INAUDIBLE)

JAMES: Kelly is a landscape architect in Dallas, Texas. He's a successful landscape architect. He has four children, Jason, Ford, Katie, and Jack.

QUESTION: How old are they?

JAMES" Somebody asked me the other day how old they were. I think I went home and they all told me, that you got the ages wrong, uncle Frank. Jason is 24, I think. Ford is 22. Katie is 20. And Jack is 12. I believe that's right. Please don't get me in trouble with that one.

QUESTION: Are they up here as well?

JAMES: Yes. They're here.

QUESTION: Stress can take a toll family members in a situation such as yours. Is everybody's health holding out?

JAMES: Everybody is holding out fine, yes. We're together, and there's a lot of mutual support that everybody is giving. So that helps a lot.

QUESTION: But physically you guys are doing fine?

JAMES: We're -- I said this the other day, but these are four very -- three very tough men, and they come from three very tough families. I think it's true of all three families, Dwight and Clara Hall, Brian's sister, Angela, McKayla Cook, very, very strong people. So, you would expect that from them.

QUESTION: Do you come from a large extended family?

JAMES: There are five of us in the James family. Four boys and one sister.

QUESTION: And does your family typically get together for the holidays?

JAMES: As often as we can. I live the furthest away so I'm probably the harder to get a hold of for these family reunions. We're on the phone quite a bit. We keep in contact. So, in fact, I spoke this morning to all the rest of the family.

QUESTION: Can you tell us who the family members are that are here?

JAMES: Right now, Dwight and Clara Hall are here. Brian's sister Angela is here. McKayla, Jerry Nikko Cooke's wife, is here. I believe that Niko's mother flew in last night.

I haven't had confirmation of that, but she was planning to be in last night. My mother and sister are on their way. We just got a phone call. They're trying to get here. So I think that's everybody, as well as Karen.

QUESTION: Can you also explain how (INAUDIBLE)

JAMES: I don't know the details of that. I know that about a year or so ago Brian and Kelly were climbing and they met Nikko. And it was one of those things, I guess, where they just clicked. And they realized that he was their kind of guy.

And so they have -- it's my understanding that they've had an enormous number of e-mails that have been exchanged the last several months, detailing and planning all of the equipment and the clothing and the route they would take and the plans they made. So they forged a good friendship on the mountain which continued via e-mail.

QUESTION: Frank, you said your mother is here...

JAMES: She is on her way.

QUESTION: She's on her way -- what changed her mind? Because you wanted her to stay in Arkansas, right?

JAMES: Well, I asked her to consider staying. My mother is not someone you can tell her what to do. She's -- one of the reasons Kelly is so tough is because my mom is so tough. She raised four boys by herself, and so she's as tough as they come as well. She decided that she needed to be here with the family. So she made that decision.

QUESTION: Searchers say they'll go until all the resources are exhausted. We've also heard Saturday and not actually beyond, but as long as they can, this Saturday, being at least through Saturday -- are you also considering a private search privately funded? Or how do you plan ...

JAMES: We haven't gotten there yet. You know, we'll certainly be talking to the sheriff and making every plea with him and with the rescuers to continue as long as they can safely. Let me say something about that -- I want people to know that we are concerned about the safety of the rescue teams as well. We don't want them to needlessly risk their lives, but we certainly want them to give every effort on our behalf and on behalf of the climbers.

This is a very, very difficult judgment kind of call, and I think we have to be in a position to trust the sheriff and to trust the authorities with this. Again, we want to push as hard as we can. We are very anxious for our loved ones, and rest assured, we're not giving up.

I'm not quite sure what that will look like over the next few days, but we're not giving up. And we're grateful for the sheriff and for the rescue workers who have shown such tenacity and determination, and I trust that we will keep going until we find them. That's my hope and prayer.

QUESTION: Frank, we were told that Brian Hall has two or three of his friends coming from Dallas -- some climbers, to help. Is that true and can you tell me something about that?

JAMES: I don't know who that is. I have heard that a couple of friends are coming, but I don't know any details about that. Any other questions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.

JAMES: Thanks. OK.

COLLINS: We have just been listening in to a press conference held at Mount Hood. This is the brother of Kelly James, one of the missing climbers -- that was Frank James. We also first heard from Kelly James' wife Karen.

Some expressions of faith and most specifically some possible new information. We really want to emphasize here, as Frank James did, that this has not yet been confirmed. But there is word of a possible new cell phone signal on Tuesday night.

Frank James is saying that he learned about that, that the telephone was apparently turned back on at 10:55 p.m. Once again, a very stern reminder here this information has not been confirmed, certainly not by the sheriff's department, the Hood River county sheriff's department, in that area.

So many people out still looking for the three missing climbers, Kelly James, Brian Hall, and Jerry Nikko Cooke. They do believe that Kelly James is near the summit of that mountain. However, getting up to 10 or 11,000 feet on the worst weather day so far is still proving to be incredibly difficult for the search and rescue teams in the area.

Also want to get to a completely different subject that we are just learning from our justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

Here is what it is. The FBI has now sent out a bulletin warning that the expected death of this man, al Qaeda spiritual leader, could lead to terror attacks against the United States.

Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, known as the blind sheikh, has been in prison since the first attacks on the World Trade Center, you may remember. The FBI bulletin says he spit up blood on December 6th, was rushed to the hospital.

FBI bulletin reminds its law enforcement partners that the sheikh has previously called for attacks if he died in prison. That's why this warning is going out. The bulletin includes, what it says was his last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda press conference way back in 1998.

Part of it reads as follows -- "my brothers, if they kill me, which they will certainly do, hold my funeral and send my corpse to my family. But do not let my blood be shed in vain. Rather, extract the most violent revenge."

Law enforcement sources are stressing the bulletin is just meant to make all those in law enforcement aware of the possible threat and say there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned.

Again, this is simply to warn law enforcement of this possible threat and say that there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned at this point. Again, the expected death of al Qaeda spiritual leader could lead to terror attacks against the United States this morning to us from the FBI as we pass it along to you. For now, we will take a quick break here, CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Heidi Collins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: This news just into CNN -- I want to make sure we pass along directly to you from the FBI. They have sent out a bulletin warning that the expected death of al Qaeda's spiritual leader could lead to terror attacks against the United States. You see a picture there of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the blind sheik. He's been in prison since the first attacks on the World Trade Center.

The FBI bulletin says he spit up blood on December 6th and was rushed to the hospital. The FBI bulletin reminds its law enforcement partners that the sheik has previously called for attacks if he died in prison. The bulletin includes, what it says was his last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda press conference back in 1998.

Part of it reads as follows: "My brothers, if they kill me, which they will certainly do, hold my funeral and send my corpse to my family. But do not let my blood be shed in vain. Rather, extract the most violent revenge."

Law enforcement sources are stressing that the bulletin is just meant to make all of those in law enforcement aware of this possible threat and say, at this time, there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned. This information coming in to us from our justice correspondent Kelli Arena. Of course we wanted to pass it along to you just as soon as possible.

Also want to pass along to you an update, the best we can, coming to us from Mt. Hood in a press conference that was just held there for the three missing climbers. Coming to us from Frank James, he is the brother of Kelly James. We also heard from Kelly James' wife, Karen. The new information is as follows. There was a possible cell phone signal that was detected at 10:55 on Tuesday night. Again want to stress the sheriff's department in the area has not confirmed that this happened, but the family is clearly very encouraged by it. And wanted to let everyone know certainly the biggest concern today is the weather, possible wind gusts of 100 miles-per-hour on Mt. Hood.

Also want to explain and go further with the concerns on Capitol Hill now. Democrats focused on a colleague's condition and control of the Senate. Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery. Doctors say Johnson suffered a hemorrhage linked to a congenital problem. They say the surgery was successful, but note that it's too early to make long-term prognoses. The Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, visited Johnson at George Washington University hospital. If Johnson is unable to return, South Dakota's Republican governor could appoint a Republican to replace him. That, of course, would give the GOP control of the Senate. But for now, Reid says he is going ahead with business as usual.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: There isn't a thing that's changed. The Republicans selected their committees yesterday. We've completed ours. I'm very busy scheduled today, going ahead and getting ready for the next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is back to a Utah courtroom at this hour. This is new video now from the hearing that just started moments ago. The judge will determine whether prosecutors have probable cause for a trial. Jeffs has been charged as an accomplice to rape. Prosecutors say he forced a 14-year-old girl to marry her 13-year-old cousin. The now 20-year-old woman told the court last month the marriage led to sex without her consent.

CNN NEWSROOM is coming up after a quick break. I'm Heidi Collins. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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