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The Situation Room
Senate Does Not Renew Expiring Patriot Act Provisions; NSA Can Spy On U.S. Citizens Without Court Orders; Senator Gives First-Hand Impression Of Iraq Elections; Border Security May Protect Against Bird Flu; Liberia To Inaugurate First Female President
Aired December 16, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place at the same time.
Happening now, spying at home. The Senate may be pulling the plug on parts of the Patriot Act, but now there's word that President Bush is letting a top-secret spy agency eavesdrop on Americans. Are you slowly losing your liberties?
If a bird flu pandemic starts raging around the world, can America set up a last line of defense at its airports and borders?
And in France, where it's 11:00 p.m., the man who received the world's first double hand transplant plans a meeting with the woman who underwent the first face transplant.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Keep you safe from terrorism, but is it safeguarding your civil rights? The Senate today refused to renew expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, with members expressing bipartisan concern about privacy and freedom. But there are new concerns, revelations that President Bush signed a secret order allowing the National Security Agency to spy on Americans at home without warrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: ... starting with the headline that the president had authorized these wiretaps, surveillance of citizens in the United States. That's wrong. And it can't be condoned at all. And the Judiciary Committee is going to undertake oversight on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's begin our coverage...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: ... morning's revelation drives home to people that this body must be absolutely vigilant in our oversight of government power. And I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care. This shocking revelation ought to send a chill down the spine of every senator and every American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's begin our coverage of this story involving domestic spying without court orders by the National Security Agency first reported by "The New York Times." Our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, has been working the story.
Kelli, what was the purpose of this whole program?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to our sources, Wolf, who are knowledgeable about the program, they say that the main issue is speed, is getting a hold of intelligence as quickly as possible.
And even though there is in that special court, as you know, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court set up to issue warrants, to do spying domestically, they say that that can sometimes take hours, sometimes is a little too complicated. You need many warrants at once. So the issue is speed, intelligence as quickly as they could get it.
BLITZER: Isn't there way, though, that they could have gotten these courts to act very, very quickly? Most of the time they have no problem getting the court orders they need to go ahead and approve this kind of surveillance, wiretap eavesdropping?
ARENA: That's right, Wolf. But as you know, the FISA Court rarely turns down a request and can get those requests granted within hours. But many intelligence officials that we spoke to today said sometimes even hours just doesn't do it.
And they also say that it's complicated because, for example, if you arrest a terrorist overseas and he's arrested with a cell phone, that cell phone could have hundreds of phone numbers in it. And they argue you would need to start monitoring all of those numbers. It could be 300, 400, immediately.
BLITZER: Kelli Arena reporting for us. Thanks, Kelli, very much.
The domestic spying by the NSA is separate from the Patriot Act, but word of that activity may have been the final straw for some U.S. senators wary about renewing key provisions of the act. The Senate today refused to reauthorize such measures as roving wiretaps and secret search warrants. That was a serious blow to the Bush administration.
Our Elaine Quijano is standing by over at the White House. But let's go up to Capitol Hill. Our Ed Henry is standing by with the latest from there -- Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist fell just eight votes short of cutting off this filibuster of 16 key provisions of the Patriot Act that now will expire at the end of this month, unless the Senate acts in the next few days.
This bipartisan filibuster, of course, was sparked by those concerns about civil liberties you mentioned, about roving wiretaps, secret search warrants. This "New York Times" story just poured even more gasoline on the already fiery debate. Take a listen to what Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: This warrant-less eavesdropping program is not authorized by the Patriot Act. It's not authorized by any act of Congress. And it's not overseen by any court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, the Republican trying to save these 16 provisions, Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, said the "New York Times" was, quote, "devastating" to his effort to try to push back against the filibuster. He said it basically tipped the balance.
But another top Republican senator, Jon Kyl of Arizona, said senators should not be focusing on this revelation, they should be focusing on the Patriot Act. And he had a dire warning for the 41 Democrats and four Republicans who voted to keep this filibuster going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: God help us if there's some kind of terrorist attack when we are not protected by the Patriot Act and the act could have enabled our law enforcement or our intelligence people to help protect us. We will have to answer for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Senator Frist is vowing that he may bring this back up for a second vote in the next few days, but it's not clear whether or not he can break off the filibuster -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Ed, thank you very much. Ed Henry reporting for us.
While the White House looks for ways to keep those Patriot Act provisions alive, the president and his aides are playing it close to the vest when it comes to the latest reports of domestic spying on U.S. citizens. Let's go over to the White House. Our Elaine Quijano is standing by with the latest from there.
What are they saying, Elaine, about all of this at the White House?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, Wolf, on the Patriot Act, officials here essentially saying there is still time left and that they have the leadership with them. They continue to urge the Senate to move forward on this, but this obviously is a setback for them. At the same time, the officials here reiterating their belief that those provisions within the Patriot Act are critical tools for law enforcement in the war on terror.
Now, when it comes to "The New York Times" report, neither a confirmation nor denial coming out of the White House today. But the president and his aides all facing difficult questions on that. In fact, in an interview that airs tonight on PBS, the president refused to comment on specifics, but he insisted that the proper balance is being struck between national security and privacy rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Jim, I know that people are anxious to know the details of operations. People want me to comment about the voracity of the story.
The policy of this government's just not going to do it. And the reason why is, is that because it would compromise our ability to protect the people. I think the point that Americans really want to know is twofold: One, are we doing everything that we can to protect the people? And, two, are we protecting civil liberties as we do so? And my answer to both is yes, we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And, of course, we heard members of Congress quite concerned about this. In fact, the Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Arlen Specter, saying that he plans to hold hearings on this issue early next year.
He told reporters, quote, "There is no doubt that this is inappropriate." But the White House continuing to insist, Wolf, that there is congressional oversight of U.S. intelligence activities -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, reporting for us. Thank you very much, Elaine.
Time now for "The Cafferty File." Jack Cafferty once again in New York. Jack, what's up your sleeve now?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Both arms, one on each side. That's awful. I apologize.
BLITZER: All right.
CAFFERTY: This is scary, Wolf. One in 20 adults in this country -- one in 20 -- is illiterate. A new government study shows 11 million adults have such poor English skills that they cannot read a newspaper, understand the directions on a bottle of pills, or carry on a basic conversation.
A lot of these people are recent immigrants, but the study suggests that even the average adult has low skills in this area. Scary stuff. And an issue that needs to be addressed before the rest of the world leaves us in its dust.
One literacy expect told "USA Today," quote, "This country is focused on No Child Left Behind, but we can clearly see from this data that many adults are being left behind," unquote.
So here's the question: What should be done about America's skyrocketing illiteracy? E-mail us at caffertyfile@CNN.com. That's what's up my sleeve.
BLITZER: It's a good question. I had no idea that the problem was that serious.
CAFFERTY: That's staggering. You know, a lot of this can be laid at the feet of illegal immigrants who don't know the language and things like that, but a lot of it has to come to roost at the foot of the public schools that aren't doing the job that either they used to do or they should be doing about teaching the three R's. We're teaching all kinds of politically correct junk in the schools, but we're graduating kids that don't know how to read and write very well.
BLITZER: All right, Jack. Thanks very much.
Up ahead, now that Iraq's historic exercise in democracy is in full swing, how might that speed up the day when U.S. troops can come home? A top military commander in Iraq says he thinks some troops might be able to return very soon.
And it's a Sirius question: What would you pay to hear those verbal shocks from shock-jock Howard Stern now that he's going to satellite radio?
And there are many strategies to fight bird flu, but one is focused on the nation's borders. It places border agents normally involved with immigration on the front lines against the disease. We'll tell you what's going on. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The vote count continues in Iraq a day after millions of people turned out for the parliamentary election. No results have been released, but Iraqi officials say some numbers could be made public next week.
The top U.S. military commander in Iraq says he expects U.S. troop levels to drop by early February to the pre-election baseline of about 138,000 troops. The deployment was beefed up to about 155,000, 156,000 troops in the run-up to the election. General Casey says he'll make recommendations on troop strength in the coming weeks.
Let's get a firsthand account now of the Iraqi voting. Earlier today, I spoke with Senator Maria Cantwell. The Washington State Democrat is just back from Baghdad where she served as an election observer. She also had a firsthand experience with the violence in Iraq. I began by asking Senator Cantwell about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SEN. MARIA CANTWELL (D), WASHINGTON: The military told us to maybe expect on election day some activity. But, yes, about 7:10 that morning, a mortar hit the Green Zone. So, for all of us who were visiting to observe the election, it was a reminder of the violence that can happen in that region. But the rest of the day went very smoothly, and we're very excited about the Iraqi people stepping up and securing their own election day.
BLITZER: Was there ever a moment that you were really scared?
CANTWELL: You know, the people there do such a good job in making sure that you are secure and the plans that you have, of course, in visiting the polling site and the Al-Hillah area of the country. We wore proper military gear and were well-protected. So we're glad -- I'm personally glad that I was able to witness the elections, because they went off very smoothly.
BLITZER: Did you return more encouraged or less encouraged about the long-term prospects of Iraq?
CANTWELL: It's obviously a very uplifting day. And you see that in the eyes of the Iraqi people. You see their excitement about being able to cast a vote instead of living under the regime of Saddam Hussein. You see them excited about the fact that they were securing their own election and not having the U.S. forces be out front.
And you see those who are running for office. We had a chance to visit with the prime minister. And you get the sense of people's impending expectancy of getting into a legislative body and actually making decisions about a permanent four-year government.
So you see all of that excitement. But then you have to step back and realize that this is an important milestone, but it is just the start of a legislative process where Kurds, Sunni and Shiite have to get together in a legislative body and elect a president and get a cabinet and start making some very tough decisions.
And we know what that challenge is already like, because it's been the lead-up to this election in forming the temporary -- this constitution. Now, they're going to have to go back to the table with this new 275-person government and figure out how to accommodate these various regions in a new constitution. So that's a very tough challenge.
BLITZER: You voted for the resolution giving the president the authority to go to war. Was that the right vote, looking back with hindsight?
CANTWELL: I think it is the right vote. Now, we can get into a debate looking backwards about where we would have been with different intelligence information, but, to me, we had had a cease-fire agreement with Iraq.
And I thought it was important to say to the U.N., "Let's do something about the fact that this cease-fire has been violated for about 10 years." So I think for -- this is a process here that we're in now. And it's very important, I think, to look at the milestones that the United States has to stay focused on moving forward.
BLITZER: Let's talk about the Patriot Act while I have you. It's stuck in limbo right now. Listen to what the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, said earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We urge them to get this done now and pass that legislation. The president's made it very clear that he is not interested in signing any short-term renewal. The terrorist threats will not expire at the end of this year. They won't expire in three months. We need to move for it and pass this critical legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You agree with him?
CANTWELL: Well, I think I would have added a couple of other words. That would have been, "And the House should just accept the Senate provision which was worked out in a bipartisan fashion."
I this what the Senate did in coming up with a change to the Patriot Act that protects the civil liberties of U.S. citizens to make sure that their financial, medical and business records aren't being investigated without due cause or due process is an important part of protecting the civil liberties.
So I think Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have worked out language that should be acceptable. So I'm hoping that they will adhere to that language and that we can just get this done and go home.
BLITZER: One final question on this story that surfaced today, that the president authorized this extraordinary measure to let the national security agency, in effect, spy on Americans in the United States to deal with this terror threat. What do you make of it?
CANTWELL: Well, I think people in the Senate have always been concerned about who's watching the watchers. I mean, if there is this activity by our government of watching U.S. citizens, who is the oversight entity that is watching that activity and making sure that it's not being abused?
And that's what I think led to the Senate on a bipartisan measure change to the Patriot Act. When you get people like Larry Craig and Dick Durbin working together on a provision to make sure that library records are protected, it's because people see that maybe a provision that's so open-ended could be abused and go too far.
And so, to me, I think this morning's article is a reminder of how you need to have checks and balances here and to make sure that, if they're a broad authority, that someone has to have oversight to make sure there's not abuse.
BLITZER: Senator Cantwell, thanks very much for joining us. And welcome back, once again, safe and sound from Iraq.
CANTWELL: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Coming up, he made history with the first transplant of its kind. Now he's reaching out to the woman who received a new face with her own ground-breaking surgery.
Plus, he called the Holocaust a myth. Now his controversial comments could wind up costing his country. How the heat is rising under Iran's president. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's go back to Zain Verjee at the CNN Center in Atlanta for a closer look at other stories making news.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. There's fresh fallout from controversial comments by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who this week called the Holocaust a myth and said Israel should be wiped off the map. E.U. leaders are poised to adopt a resolution condemning the remarks and they warned that Iran could face sanctions over them. The country's interior minister said that Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements were misunderstood.
He's standing by his work, but South Korea's leading researcher now concedes there were errors in his reporting of a scientific breakthrough. Hwang Woo-suk made headlines in May when he reported using cloning to create custom-made embryonic stem cells. A former research partner has since accused Hwang of pressuring his team to falsify data. The findings appeared in the "Journal of Science." Hwang is asking to have the report withdrawn.
It's not the nightmare scenario New Yorkers feared, at least not yet. Union officials are calling for a partial transit strike next week against private bus lines serving tens of thousands of commuters in Manhattan and in Queens. But talks have broken down, and the strike still could spread to all city buses and subways costing the local economy up to $400 million a day.
And computer tapes containing information on some two million mortgage customers across the country is missing. The mortgage company, ABN Amro, says the information includes names, Social Security numbers, and account information. But the company says there's no sign that the data's been misused. Customers are being notified and offered a free 90-day credit monitoring service -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Zain, thank you very much.
And sadly, the DHL debacle is no exception right now. This year, we're hearing one story after another on personal information compromise. Were you among the 50 million Americans victimized this year alone? Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, is joining us. She's been looking into this story.
JACKI SCHECHNER, INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wachovia, Motorola, Duke University, all of these organizations, plus 100 more like them, have been targets of data breaches this year alone, 125 organizations by estimates of two non- partisan groups who have compiled this information.
Two places you need to look online to get a comprehensive look. One is the Privacy Rights Clearing House; the other is the I.D. Theft Center. They'll tell you whether it was by hack, by lost backup tape, by a devious insider. All of this information available online. You should take a look. It's actually more like 57 million people affected by this.
So what if this is your problem? What if this happened to you? You go on to two sites, consumer.gov from the FTC and also from the FTC itself. You can get worksheets. You can affidavits to submit. And it'll tell you how to get one of those free credit reports. All you've got to do, Wolf, is go to one credit agency and they'll let the others know. You get that 90-day free credit alert.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jacki, for that.
Coming up, spying at home. Is the government going too far? In our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, we'll hear from two outspoken Republicans with very different views.
And what's wrong with Black History Month? The Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has a lot to say about that. His views may surprise you. That's coming up, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now on our top story, the Senate's refusal to renew provisions of the Patriot Act and those new revelations President Bush approved the spying of phone calls, e-mails, thousands of Americans without former court approval. Let's bring in two members of our CNN Security Council, our security analyst Richard Falkenrath -- he's a former deputy White House homeland security adviser -- and our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, himself a former federal prosecutor.
Are you outraged -- were you outraged when you read the "New York Times" story this morning, Jeff, that the president authorized the National Security Agency to go ahead and, in effect, spy on people in the United States, including Americans, without formal court orders?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I guess I wasn't very surprised or especially outraged, Wolf, because, you know, the law under which this operates was passed in the 1970s when we had one enemy, the Soviet Union, and it was aimed entirely at the problem of spying in the United States. Now we have a situation where we have, unfortunately, many small enemies. And we're dealing with the problem of terrorism. And most importantly, technology has changed so dramatically, with cell phones and e-mails and BlackBerries, and Sidekicks, that the structure of the law is a little bit obsolete. It probably would have been better for them to change the law than perhaps violate it, but I guess I just wasn't that shocked.
BLITZER: Well, are you suggesting that some law was violated?
TOOBIN: Well, it might be, because the way the piece -- the intelligence was described, it was -- under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, if the government wants to do any spying in the United States, they have to go to this special court.
Apparently, they didn't go to this court. Now, in fact, this court is somewhat of a rubber stamp. But that is the procedure that should have been followed. It appears not to have been. And that's what -- that is why at least some people are very outraged.
BLITZER: Are you outraged, Richard Falkenrath? Do you believe any law was violated?
RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, there certainly wasn't anything in "The New York Times" article this morning that gives us enough information to believe that any law was violated.
We would need to know a lot more about the specific technique and the specific argument the administration makes to do what is being alleged in this "New York Times" article. So, no, I didn't see anything that said this was an illegal act or, certainly, that it was unconstitutional.
BLITZER: Is -- would -- because, usually, wherever Congress -- and I will ask this to both of you.
And I will start with you, Richard.
When Congress passes these kinds of acts, these reforms, on the intelligence community, in the '60s and '70s, especially the late '70s, when these reforms were passed, there usually is some hidden clause in there that the president has an out if -- under emergency circumstances.
Is that right, Richard?
FALKENRATH: Well, it's not even a hidden clause. It's Article 2 of the Constitution and the oath he takes to protect the Constitution and provide for the common defense. And that article is the basis for the president's electronic surveillance powers.
The law expressly recognizes that, as has the Supreme Court, and seeks, instead, to regulate it and explain the procedures by which the -- that authority will be exercised in a domestic context. But it does not do so in an iron-clad way. And there is a very large gray area that I suspect this program, if it exists, lies in. BLITZER: You agree with that, Jeffrey?
TOOBIN: Well, I'm not so sure that Article 2 is controlling.
But I think, just in terms of the practicalities on the ground, that's where the problems are. You know, when I was a prosecutor, in the early '90s, I worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration. And we tapped a fax machine, and we thought we were great. It was like the state of the art.
Can you imagine how primitive that is now. What about a cell phone that is taken inside and out of the United States, passed between citizens and non-citizens? What about aliens? What about illegal aliens? These are the complex problems that the National Security Agency, or, you know, the spying people need to deal with.
And I am somewhat sympathetic, that that problem can be...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But...
TOOBIN: You need to be able to deal with that in a -- in a fast way.
BLITZER: But, Richard, with the changes in technology -- and Jeffrey is right -- the technology has certainly changed, the cell phones, the e-mail, the Internet and all of that.
If it's changing so rapidly, why not change the laws specifically to write in this kind of authorization for domestic spying, as opposed to the president unilaterally secretly signing this kind of waiver, if you will?
FALKENRATH: Well, one way, Wolf, is that, if we figured out a technology that the terrorists are using and we figured out a way to exploit it, the last thing we want to do is call intention in any way to the fact that we have developed this exploitation.
And that is the reason for the extreme secrecy in everything related to electronic surveillance.
TOOBIN: I...
(CROSSTALK)
FALKENRATH: We work hard to get inside these communication systems. And, once we do, we want to stay there.
TOOBIN: I actually don't -- I don't agree with that.
I think you could write a law that would not compromise any of our intelligence gathering techniques. And I do think you make a good point, Wolf, that it would be better to just make clear what the president's authority is and let him follow the law, rather than, if that's the case here, go around it because he has some inherent authority that he believes he has.
BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin and Richard Falkenrath, our two analysts, thanks to both of you for joining us -- a good discussion, an important discussion.
The National Security Agency spy story involves all forms of communications, including e-mail. Is there a way to protect your e- mail from government snooping?
Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, has been investigating -- Jacki.
SCHECHNER: Fascinating stuff, Wolf.
Think about it this way. Your e-mail is like a postcard. And if you put a letter into an envelope, that's like encrypting your e-mail. So, should you encrypt it? Well, you can think about this way. It's like putting an extra lock on your door.
Take a look. This is what the interface looks like, if you are going to use an encryption interface online to, really, lock down your e-mail with a mathematical algorithm, is what they call it. It gets kind of complicated.
This is what the e-mail looks like when it gets sent to somebody. Now, they need to have the software on the other end in order to decode this. Or you need to call them and send them the letter, let them know it's coming, give them the password, that sort of thing.
The good news is, this is all free. Go online. It's called Pretty Good Privacy, PGP. You type it into any search engine. Write "PGP free." It will give you all the resources you can to download this stuff to your own computer.
Now, this corporation will sell it to businesses. But it does give it to individuals for free. You can see, there's plenty of sites out there where you can find this stuff.
And should you do it? Can the government crack it? Probably, Wolf. But there's so much data floating around, they are probably not going to take the time to break into every mathematical equation.
BLITZER: All right, Jacki, thanks very much.
China is reporting a sixth human case of bird flu. A 35-year-old man is in intensive care.
And, as concern over a possible global pandemic grows, U.S. officials are increasingly looking at our borders as a last line of defense.
Let's get some more.
Jeanne Meserve joining us from our America Bureau. She has got more on this story -- Jeanne. JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, border security is usually thought of in terms of terrorists or immigration. But what if there were an outbreak of pandemic flu overseas? Could we secure our borders against disease?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): If pandemic flu were ever to reach the U.S., this computer simulation shows how it could rampage across the country. So, if it emerges elsewhere, could we stop it from ever getting in?
Suppose a person infected with avian flu had a ticket to fly to the U.S. No symptoms, he would board unsuspected. If he got sick in flight, the crew would likely take precautions.
JIM MAY, AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: What they are trained to do is to isolate passengers who evidence obvious symptoms, fever, sweating, coughing.
MESERVE: They could also call doctors on the ground for advice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you identify whether she's having pain more in one lung or in the other lung?
MESERVE: Customs agents are being trained to spot sick passengers. Infrared cameras were used by some countries during the SARS outbreak and could be used to help detect avian flu by picking out people with elevated temperatures.
TOM SCANLON, THERMOGRAPHY FOR FLU SYSTEMS: Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that we have a -- a subject that happens to have avian flu. It could, but it might also mean that the person is pregnant or they are on medication that increases their -- their skin temperature.
MESERVE: Though there are quick diagnostic tests for influenza, none specifically identify avian flu. So, a passenger exhibiting suspicious symptoms would receive a medical evaluation once the plane has landed and might be put in quarantine. But, right now, there are only 18 quarantine stations among 317 ports of entry.
DR. MARTY CETRON, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We don't have any belief that simply having 18 quarantine stations is going to prevent the spread or entry of a pandemic into the United States. That's an unrealistic expectation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: In fact, experts say, no border regime that relies on detecting symptoms can be fully effective, because so many travelers will simply show absolutely no sign of being ill.
Still, experts say, border surveillance is worthwhile, because it might delay the onset of a pandemic in the U.S. and buy valuable time to prepare. But, Wolf, the best approach, they say, is to try and isolate it and then stop it wherever it erupts.
BLITZER: All right, Jeanne, thank you very much -- good advice indeed.
Still to come, we will tell you about plans for an extraordinary meeting between a man who received a double hand transplant and a woman who received the first partial face transplant.
Also, known as the Iron Lady, she beat a legendary soccer star at the polls. Now she's in line to become Africa's first woman president. My conversation with Liberia's president-elect, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: His broadcast days are over -- Howard Stern moving to satellite radio.
Our Ali Velshi is here in Washington. He has got the "Bottom line."
All right, set -- tell our viewers what this means.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I have yet to be able to figure out the bottom line on this one.
The bottom line is that Sirius Satellite Radio, one of the only -- the two companies in America that offer satellite radio, is paying $500 million over the course of five years to bring Howard Stern from the airwaves -- airwaves, from FM, over to Sirius, over to satellite.
Now, the issue with satellite is that it's not governed by the FCC. Because you have to pay for it, there's some sense that you have intentionally signed up for it. And if Howard Stern wants to swear and make bodily noises on it, he can do that with impunity.
Now, Howard Stern got on this whole thing about the FCC being against free speech. He's been railing against them. Well, today was his last day on FM radio. He's gone from broadcast. January 9, he starts up on Sirius.
Five hundred million dollars, I have done the math on this. It roughly equates to one million of Howard Stern's 12 million listeners making the decision to go over to Sirius, get the radio for their car or their home that they have to, and subscribe for $13 a month.
BLITZER: Thirteen bucks a month, over a course of a year, that adds up to a little bit of money.
VELSHI: Almost $160.
BLITZER: And, so, they need a million, what you're saying...
VELSHI: Yes. BLITZER: Million people.
VELSHI: At a million, they're making money.
BLITZER: Because -- because of Howard Stern.
VELSHI: And you know, Martha Stewart, and they have got the -- Lance Armstrong. I mean, I don't know how much these other people draw. Howard Stern is by far the biggest draw on satellite radio. So...
BLITZER: We will see.
VELSHI: Yes.
BLITZER: I like to think that CNN is the biggest draw on satellite radio.
You can listen to CNN on...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... on satellite radio.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: ... on both XM and Sirius. So, you don't have to make a choice. With Howard Stern, you have got to choose Sirius, not -- not XM.
BLITZER: OK. Ali, thanks very much. Ali is in town. He is going to be hosting "ON THE STORY" Saturday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, here in Washington.
You're going to be at George Washington University -- a live studio audience for that.
Stick around, to our viewers, Saturday night, 7:00 Eastern, "ON THE STORY."
There's an update on that French woman who had the world's first partial face transplant. She's about to meet one of the few people in the world who may understand her ordeal.
Let's go back to Zain Verjee at the CNN Center. She has got the story -- Zain.
VERJEE: Wolf, Frenchman Denis Chatelier underwent the world's first double forearm transplant. That was six years ago next month. And he has got some advice for the woman who received a new nose, lips and chin in a landmark surgery last month.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENIS CHATELIER, FOREARM TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT (through translator): I'm not a psychologist and I'm not a psychoanalyst. But what I want to be able to do is to show her that, later in life, she can be happy.
VERJEE (voice-over): Denis Chatelier knows. He too was thrust into the spotlight when he underwent the world's first double forearm transplant in 2000, four years after his own was severed by an exploding model rocket. Although he's fine now, he says it was a difficult adjustment.
CHATELIER (through translator): I couldn't say "my hands" right after the transplant. No, it was impossible. It's only after one- and-a-half, two year, that's when I said that my brain understood that I had, had a transplant.
VERJEE: Now the 39-year-old father of five says he has 80 percent function with his new hands, including feeling. Next week, he says he will meet with Isabelle Dinoire, the 38-year-old French woman who underwent the world's first partial face transplant last month.
CHATELIER (through translator): The first thing I will do is congratulate her to have had the courage to throw herself into this adventure, and to explain to her what will happen in the next months and years after this transplant.
VERJEE: Chatelier says he will tell her about his own difficult experience with anti-rejection drugs, which both must take for life, and advise her not to care about the way people may stare. He says he looks forward to sharing his experience and offering encouragement.
CHATELIER (through translator): For me, it's going to be a fabulous meeting, for me and for her. I'm happy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Chatelier says Dinoire herself requested the meeting, which will take place at a hospital in Lyon, where she is recovering -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain, thank you very much -- Zain Verjee reporting.
Up next, the numbers in a recent report are staggering. Get this: One in 20 Americans can't read. What do you think of that? Jack Cafferty has been reading your e-mail.
And, in our 7:00 p.m. hour, Morgan Freeman, a celebrated actor admired by so many African-Americans and all sorts of other Americans as well -- so, why is Morgan Freeman against Black History Month? We will tell you his reasons. That's coming up, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There is a developing story that's just coming into CNN right now.
Let's check in with Zain in Atlanta once again. What's going on, Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf, a suspect in a strange sexual assault case in New York City is now reported in custody in Tennessee.
Peter Braunstein is accused of posing as a firefighter on Halloween night, when police say he sexually assaulted a woman. CNN confirms, Braunstein is now in the Memphis area. Police say he's been hospitalized and he's in critical condition, suffering from wounds, stab wounds, he inflicted upon himself.
He was reportedly spotted donating blood in Memphis last month, telling workers that he needed money to continue his travels.
We will bring you more details when we have them -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain, thank you very much.
Liberia recently elected its first female president, also making her the first woman ever to be elected president in Africa. But the man who lost the race alleges fraud in the vote. Today, Liberia's election commission rejected those claims, calling the evidence -- and I'm quoting now -- "grossly insufficient."
Meanwhile, the president-elect, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is set for inauguration January 16. She's been here in Washington this week, meeting with top officials.
I asked her about her plans for her country and about her contacts with these top officials.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, LIBERIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT: We have been meeting with people in the administration at the highest level, Treasury, State.
We went on the Hill at Congress today. We are going to be meeting with people in defense. And the message is, they see this victory for the Liberian people an opportunity for Liberia to move on and to make progress. They want to support this effort. They want to make sure we get on with the economic reconstruction agenda, and we can count on the U.S. support.
I mean, we met with the secretary-general of the U.N., Kofi Annan, and his deputy, Professor Gambari. And the message was the same, that we will get the support of the United Nations, so we can start the process of national renewal and reconciliation and peace in our country.
And, so we are -- we are just so pleased with the support and this reaction. And we hope the Liberian people will now, you know, let us move on together in -- in the spirit of harmony, in the spirit reconciliation.
BLITZER: The U.S. State Department has these statistics, which show what an awesome responsibility you will have, what a difficult job you will have, literacy rate in -- in Liberia at 56 percent.
Life expectancy in 2003 was 47 years -- a foreign debt of $3.5 billion, 80 percent -- 80 percent -- unemployment. These are numbers, especially here in the United States, that are hard to fathom. You will be the first woman president of Liberia, the first woman president of any country in Africa. Are you up to this challenge?
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: I am.
The enormity of the challenge humbles us. The responsibilities implied make us know that we have to be reasonable. But I think my long years of experience, some 30 years in African development effort, both at home and abroad, my own political struggle, where I think I have -- I have earned my stripes, to enable me to be very conscious of the need for -- for promoting unity and -- and developing in our country, I think I bring to it the requisite capacity and courage and commitment.
And, so, I'm ready for this job.
BLITZER: The...
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: I'm -- I'm ready to lead.
BLITZER: I think you are ready.
You have studied here in the United States at the University of Colorado. You went to Harvard. You -- you know the challenges. The question, though, is this. Are Africans ready to be led by a woman?
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: Wolf, I tell you, Africans are ready.
The kind of overwhelming response and reaction that I have received from African leaders, even world leaders, just tell me that the time has come for a woman who has the requisite competence and capability and integrity. And, so, I just know that we are ready.
And this is going to be exemplary. We can move our country forward. Just look at what this means for African women.
BLITZER: It's interesting that, in Liberia, the people have elected a woman president. In this country, we haven't done that. Yet, do you have any words of advice? Because there are several women who are widely reported to be thinking about running for president in this country, including Senator Clinton, maybe even the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.
You have any words of advice for those American -- those American women who would like to be president of the United States?
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: To say, go for it.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: I saw an interesting cartoon, a little child saying to the mother: Mom, do you think we will catch up with Africa some time soon? And they respond, well, in time.
Well, I think it's time. I think there are so many great American women who -- who have been in the political limelight. They have been supportive of ours. They have encouraged us. And I think a -- a few of them will stand out.
Africa happens to be ahead in this respect. And we are -- you know, we are very happy for that. And we can blaze the path. But we think women in America, women in the United States, are -- are ready to meet the same type of challenge. And we are -- we are just waiting to -- to have them enter this club that I have just entered.
BLITZER: Madam president-elect, welcome to the United States. Thanks very much for joining us. Good luck to you, and good luck to all the people of Liberia.
JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: This footnote: She has a strong American connection, having studied at the University of Colorado and at Harvard University.
Up next, a staggering 11 million Americans cannot read. Jack Cafferty is concerned. Are you? Your e-mails coming up.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Sad news to report -- we are just getting this in from the Associated Press. John Spencer, one of the stars of the TV series "West Wing," has died of a heart attack, the Associated Press reporting that his publicist just made the announcement.
There he is. He was the vice presidential -- one of the vice presidential candidates, former chief of staff to the actor Martin Sheen, who was the president in "The West Wing."
John Spencer dead of a heart attack, according to Associated Press.
Let's go back to New York.
Jack is Cafferty standing by with your e-mail -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Scary stuff here, Wolf.
One in 20 adults in this country, one in 20 is illiterate. That translates to 11 million adults who have such poor English skills, that they cannot read a newspaper, they can't understand the directions on a bottle of pills while they are carrying on a basic conversation.
So, the question is, what should be done about America's skyrocketing illiteracy?
Here's some of what you have written in the last hour.
George in Potomac, Maryland: "Hire competent teachers, pay them a decent wage to teach, set meaningful -- meaningful standards for promotion from one grade to the next, and have school administrators who are more interested in education and less in political correctness."
Fred writes: "My wife is a substitute teacher. And her main complaint is, the system does not allow the teacher to control the class. They do not want to be there to learn. They are only there in body only. Bring back the paddle. It worked for me."
Phil in Colorado Springs: "When you start criticizing our public schools, lay the blame right at the doorstep of the parents. If the school isn't doing the job, it's because the parents allow it."
Loras in Dubuque, Iowa: "Easy one, Jack. Seal the southern borders, repatriate 11 million illegal immigrants. Problem solved."
Thomas in Beaumont, Texas: "What does Cafferty know about the public education system? Why doesn't he comment on the lack of support for education, rather than directing his criticism toward the dismally funded system itself?"
And Mike in Nashville, Tennessee: "Cafferty, the last time you were in a schoolroom, they were writing on tree bark. Public schools aren't teaching political correctness. They are teaching how to pass a test, thanks to the foolish standards put in place by No Child Left Behind."
I did well writing on tree bark, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Thanks, Jack. I will see you in an hour.
CAFFERTY: All right.
BLITZER: We are here in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Eastern as well. See you in a little while.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Let's go up to New York -- Kitty Pilgrim sitting in for Lou tonight -- Kitty.
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