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Your World Today

Dubai Deal Down; Terrorist Profile; Moms-To-Be Terrorized in Detroit

Aired March 10, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The Dubai port deal is off the table, but the political fallout continues.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: They say he inspired the attacks in London and Madrid. An exclusive report on the man they call the mastermind.

CLANCY: And he's a talk show host in America, but in one Nordic country, well, he's just like a god. Conan O'Brien talks about his trip to Finland.

It's 12:00 p.m. in Washington right now, 7:00 in Helsinki.

I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee.

A warm welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States.

This is CNN International. And this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: We are following two major stories this hour for you.

VERJEE: Spin, recriminations, congratulations, complaints all filling the air in Washington. This after the collapse of a deal that would have put an Arab company in charge of overseeing half a dozen U.S. ports from a country termed a vital ally in the war on terror.

CLANCY: Also, we're going to be introducing everyone to a man who proclaims that terrorism is a duty and who is considered an extremist even by his fellow terrorists. An exclusive and somewhat chilling portrait of Abu Musab al-Suri.

But we're going to begin with that controversial port deal. U.S. President Bush says he's troubled by the political storm that scuttled the deal, but both Democrats and Republicans say there are gaping holes in cargo and port security that still need to be plugged.

Elaine Quijano joins us live -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Jim.

President Bush says that his administration was satisfied that had the DPW deal actually gone through, that security would not have been undermined at those American ports in question.

Now, at the same time, in the president's remarks to the National Newspaper Association, Mr. Bush acknowledged the very harsh domestic political reality that members of Congress, including some members of his own party, were still very much opposed to this deal.

Now, in the past, White House officials have suggested that legally the highly secretive process of approving foreign investment in the United States limited their ability to keep Congress informed early on. Well, today, President Bush said he would support reforming that process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My administration will continue to work with the Congress to provide a greater understanding of how these transactions are approved. In other words, the process, and how we can improve that process in the future.

I'm concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East. In order to win the war on terror, we have got to strengthen our relationships and friendships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president went on to say that the United Arab Emirates is a committed ally in the war on terror, that the UAE is a key partner for the United States military in a critical region. He noted that outside the United States, Dubai actually services more American military ships than any country in the world.

President Bush also saying the UAE is sharing intelligence in the hunt for terrorists. He made clear that he is committed to strengthening the relationship between the United States and the UAE -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Elaine Quijano reporting to us there live from the White House.

Thank you, Elaine.

VERJEE: The U.S. trade representative says the ports deal probably won't have a big impact on trade and investment. Robert Portman says that he thinks the controversy instead revolves around something else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMB. ROBERT PORTMAN, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: I think the concern that was expressed in Congress was a legitimate concern about homeland security. I do believe that in the case of the ports, because of the Coast Guard role and the Customs service role and the role of state and local officials, that security is handled not by the private sector but appropriately by government. Yet, there was a concern, particularly with regard to port security. And I think that explains why there was such a reaction.

I hope we can now get this behind us and move on. And I don't think it will have a major impact on trade or investment because I think the issue really was more a question of security rather than investment or trade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Even as he made those remarks, Portman's office announced a postponement of next week's trade talks between the U.S. and the UAE. It says both countries are still committed to the talks and such delays really aren't unusual, but some, though, still wondering whether there could be repercussions to come from Dubai, as Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A warning of possible fallout from the port fight.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think we've missed a opportunity.

TODD: CNN national security adviser John McLaughlin, a former deputy CIA director, says American politicians focused too much on the UAE's pre-9/11 terrorist ties and undervalued the Emirates' role since September 11 in catching terrorists, cracking down on weapons trafficking and money laundering.

Now...

MCLAUGHLIN: I think the UAE will continue to be a good intelligence partner, but there's a risk here, a chance that they will lose a lot of their enthusiasm for cooperating as closely with us as they have in the past.

TODD: Militarily, U.S. officials consistently hit home one point: the Emirates, specifically their port facilities in Dubai, are critical to U.S. operations in Iraq an Afghanistan.

CAPT. THOMAS GOODWIN, U.S. NAVY: On a daily basis there is at least one U.S. ship in a port in the UAE, and oftentimes more than that.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: And as you look to potential problems in the future in that region, the United Arab Emirates' location and capacity will be critical to our ability to succeed.

TODD: Now one former U.S. defense secretary tells CNN the ruling family may not kick American ships out of port, but may, in his words, "rethink their level of participation."

In business, the UAE is a huge American partner. Emirates Airline has placed a multibillion-dollar order for Boeing jets, but also buys planes from European-based Airbus.

Now...

RICHARD ABOULAFIA, TEAL GROUP: It's easy to see a scenario where this poisons commercial relations between the Emirates and the U.S., and that could directly impact Boeing's prospects to sell aircraft to the Emirates.

TODD (on camera): A Boeing official tells CNN his company is getting no signals from the UAE that business will be affected by the ports development. But experts say what's important are the signals going in the other direction, that in business, the military, and intelligence, the U.S. needs to send a message that it has a critical partner in the Arab world, one that will be there through thick and thin. That message, they fear, may at the very least become diluted.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: How did this all happen? Where did it begin?

Well, we're going to bring in now someone who when this deal was announced looked not only the U.S. president but the U.S. public straight in the eye through a television camera lens and said, no way.

Lou Dobbs, our friend and colleague, was right about that.

Lou, where did the president get it so wrong? You know, people say this is because it's an election year. I'm not sure it is.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: I couldn't agree with you more. And actually, Rob Portman, the U.S. trade representative had it exactly right.

There was immense confusion on the part of the Bush administration as to whether this was a commercial deal or whether this was a national security issue. The Congress picked up on rather quickly the fact that this is a national security issue, that it is an issue about American sovereignty. And to put it in the clearest terms, Jim, Dubai, the Emirates would not turn over their ports and their terminals to a foreign government-owned company, nor have they.

And it is a sign of the vulnerability and the limits of this so- called superpower we call the United States of America that we have the reaction on the part of our military officials, columnists, a large number of columnists, talking about, well, oh, if we were to actually assert her sovereignty and decide what is in the national interest of the United States -- that is, port security, specifically, and ownership by government-owned entities -- that we will be immensely vulnerable to shifting attitudes on the part of business and trade partners, we may not be able to attract the capital necessary to support our immense trade debt.

This is a clear sign of the vulnerability, the dependency that has grown up under what are so-called free trade policies. And it's a sad, sad statement. And I'm hoping -- Jim, I'm hoping with every ounce of my being that the United States Congress and this president are awakening to the fact that this cannot be a dependent nation in a -- in a period of global war on radical Islamist terrorism.

CLANCY: All right. So when you look at it, Lou, what did the audience say? I mean, obviously, yes, the lawmakers are the ones who get the credit for stopping the deal.

DOBBS: Absolutely.

CLANCY: But they were reacting to the public. What did your viewers say? "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" is your show, airs 6:00 on the East Coast.

DOBBS: Right.

CLANCY: And, I mean, you heard from a lot of people.

DOBBS: We hear from literally thousands of people each -- each night. And to almost a person, Jim -- and it's no exaggeration -- I'm talking about 99 percent-plus saying they could not understand this administration going ahead with this deal. And once the president threatened a veto of the U.S. Congress, which is the last repository of hope that there will be representation of this country's working men and women, of good, strong American families, he lit a fire. And we could see it immediately in the reaction to our reporting on the issue.

CLANCY: All right. When you looked at all of this, and you covered it very closely, in any process like this, you, as a host and a leader, really, in opinion-making, you learn something and you share it with the audience. And I'm just wondering whether anyone can look the American public in the eye and say, now, this deal is done, don't worry, our ports are safe.

DOBBS: That person may exist, Jim, but it's certainly not me.

We have a host of issues. We have learned over the course of our reporting, the past -- actually, six months on port security. Only one percent of the containers coming in to the United States are x- rayed for nuclear material, for radioactive material.

We -- we have been reporting since September 11 there's just so little inspection of cargo coming into -- into our ports. The fact that we have porous borders, the idea that this administration has so -- and with it, the Congress -- until now been so content, so comfortable in putting commerce and international trade ahead of basic national security and the protection of the American people -- I've said on our air, Jim, point blank, that the Homeland Security Department is about homeland security in name only.

How in the world the president of the United States, his secretary of Homeland Security can look the American people straight in the eye, as you put it, and say that we're doing everything we can to protect the American people is utterly beyond me.

CLANCY: All right. Lou Dobbs, also controversial and always watchable.

Thanks for being with us, Lou.

DOBBS: Thanks. Take care, Jim.

CLANCY: Well, the Dubai port deal collapse is our inbox question this day. We're asking you...

VERJEE: Do you believe that racism played a part in the collapse of the UAE port deal? Tell us what you think.

YWT@CNN.com is our e-mail address.

CLANCY: We're going to try to read some of those responses here on the air a little bit later.

VERJEE: The U.S. announcement that it will no longer run the prison at Abu Ghraib has had little effect on the violence across Iraq. A roadside bomb in Baghdad destroyed a tank but left the crew unhurt. But eight civilians died in Falluja after an explosion in a line of cars waiting at a checkpoint. Blasts were also reported in Samarra and in Tikrit.

This despite Thursday's announcement that the U.S. military will no longer run the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. Some 4,500 detainees will be transferred out of the facility and operations will be turned over to the Iraqi government.

Up next, Terrorism 101.

CLANCY: We're going to take you to class and introduce you to a very frightening teacher. Don't leave us. You're not dismissed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello. And welcome back, everyone.

You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

Now to the story of a man who managed to blend in, in Europe, but who brought with him a very chilling philosophy.

VERJEE: Abu Musab al-Suri is a jihadi leader who makes even fellow terrorists squirm. But he's been a source of some pretty twisted inspiration behind many attacks.

CLANCY: Here now, our exclusive look at him from a correspondent who has followed his views and his move moves, our Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On tapes obtained by CNN we see a master class in terrorism.

ABU MUSAB AL-SURI, JIHAD LEADER (through translator): Terrorism is a duty, ad assassination is an action ordained by the Prophet Mohammed.

ROBERTSON: In this terrorist camp in Afghanistan six years ago, Abu Musab al-Suri was training a new generation of terrorists.

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: It's clear that he's thinking about what's the next generation of al Qaeda even before 9/11, which is a flatter organization, harder to penetrate.

ROBERTSON: A vision of al Qaeda as a movement, not a group, where local cells would independently carry out their own terror attacks. Attacks like Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Even among jihadists, al-Suri, the Syrian, was known as an extremist.

Then in 1988 he met Osama bin Laden, he says, joined the newly formed al Qaeda the following year. But when the war ended against the Soviets, unlike most jihadists, he headed west, first to Spain, then London. With his red hair and blue eyes, he fit right in.

(on camera): Al-Suri would later say that his time spent in London and Madrid would set him apart from other jihadists, making him more understanding of Western views. But if anything during that period, his views became more anti-Western.

(voice over): But he criticized bin Laden as a dictator who set up a weak and easy to penetrate organization. Al-Suri decided his idea of a secure cell-type structure needed to be heard and set up his own training camp.

AL-SURI (through translator): You should form a cell and work directly. I advise that your cell doesn't exceed 10 members.

ROBERTSON: In lesson after lesson captured on these videotapes, al-Suri trained young men in who to target, and most importantly, how to do it under cover in their own countries. One of his proteges, a contact he made living in Spain, was reportedly a ringleader in the Madrid train attacks.

(on camera): In the days following the Madrid and London bombings, al-Suri's name was mentioned as a suspect. And although Web postings in his name lauded the attacks, there was no direct evidence linking him to their planning. Instead, it is his vision of homegrown Islamic terror that may have laid the groundwork for them and for future attacks.

(voice over): His capture in Pakistan in November 2005, possibly the result of the $5 million bounty on his head paying off, may not end al-Suri's impact.

BERGEN: There may well be people that he's trained who are out there who, you know, we have no idea who they are.

ROBERTSON: A month later, jihadists posted his statement about the London bombings. "I have in me a joy stronger than the joy of the farmer who sees the harvest of his fruits after a long planting."

Nic Robertson, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right.

Well, the -- Saturday will mark the two-year anniversary since the Madrid train bombing. That horrific series of bombings left 191 people dead and some 1,500 others wounded.

Time for us now to change pace, check in on how the financial markets are doing in Friday trading.

We begin in New York. Investors pretty eager, it looks like, if you look at the numbers there.

Let's join Valerie Morris for more details.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. First, though, a check on stories making headlines in the U.S.

We're standing by for an announcement in just a few minutes about the arrests of hundreds of suspected gang members. It's all part of a year-long effort using immigration laws to target gang activity.

Officials say the latest arrests took place in cities and towns from Los Angeles to Providence, Rhode Island. The operation is led by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, along with other state and local officials. We expect to hear more from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in a news conference set to begin at 12:30 Eastern. We will carry that live.

Authorities in New Jersey have bade an arrest in the case of a girl who says she was abducted. The 13-year-old girl was reunited with her family yesterday after disappearing on Monday. She had sent text messages to her mother saying that she was forced to do things against her will.

This morning, police said a person of interest was turned over to the prosecutor's sex crimes unit. Police say that man will be charged with criminal sexual conduct -- contact. The man arrested is one of three men who has been questioned over the past couple of days. The investigation is continuing.

A lot of folks in Arkansas today in disbelief after a deadly storm system ravaged their state with heavy rain and winds. This is the devastation in Pulaski County. At least one home was destroyed and many more were damaged. Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee were also hit.

Two deaths are being blamed on the storm and at least four people were injured. Forecasters warn more heavy storms could move through the South over the next several days.

Speaking of weather, what is in store for much of the nation today? Reynolds Wolf has that for us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: A heads up for owners of GM trucks. General Motors is recalling 900,000 pickup trucks worldwide. The problem, tailgate cables that could corrode and break. The recall includes the 1999 and 2000 models of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.

Two pregnant women on the way to a baby fair found themselves locked in a terrifying encounter with an enraged motorist, and police caught some of the attack on tape. That's what you're about to see.

With details, here's reporter Cheryl Chodun of our affiliate in Detroit, WXYZ.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERYL CHODUN, REPORTER, WXYZ (voice over): What you're seeing is one SUV ramming another, over and over again, accelerating so hard that the tires were burning rubber.

Police say inside the suspect's car was this man, 50-year-old Earl Boyd. The victims were two moms-to-be, terrified, of course, at what was happening.

Listen to the 911 call.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

OPERATOR: Ma'am, what's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's pushing our car!

OPERATOR: OK, I understand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Screaming, "What do you want with us? Oh, my god! Are you going to kill us?" It was just scared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the scariest day of my life. The life of my child, the fact that my husband wasn't there, my best girlfriend and her child, all four of our lives were in danger. And I -- there was nothing we could do except scream and pray.

CHODUN: And he started blowing kisses and jumping curbs and forcing them into oncoming traffic. And then they say he was ramming their car until police came to the rescue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope that he's prosecuted to the fullest degree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Constant thinking of the "what ifs." So, but the babies are good, and so that's the most important part.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The babies are going to be fine. That was from reporter Cheryl Chodun of our affiliate in Detroit WXYZ.

Once again, we're expecting to hear from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in just a few minutes regarding the arrests of hundreds of suspected gang members. CNN will bring that to you live.

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff talking about a crackdown nationwide on gangs. Let's listen in.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: Arrested a total of 2,388 gang members from 239 different gangs. About 40 percent of these were MS-13 members, more than 1,075 with violent criminal histories, including 51 gang leaders.

Beginning February 24th and continuing through yesterday, ICE joined up with federal, state and local law enforcement to target gang members in 23 states, resulting in 375 arrests of gang members and associates, even in this very short period of time.

More than 260 of those arrested in this recent effort have violent criminal histories. They've committed brutal crimes like rape, murder and assault, and many of them have brought drugs and weapons into afflicted neighborhoods.

At least 70 of those arrested face new criminal charges, ranging from drug and firearm violations to immigration violations. Those who we can prosecute for criminal cases will be prosecuted. Others will be removed from the communities and deported back to their native lands.

This progress and the way we are coordinating to achieve these results is unprecedented. Never before has the federal government used all of its immigration, customs and criminal authorities in one coordinated fashion in the fight against violent gangs.

Before Operation Community Shield, we did a lot of law enforcement against gangs. I was involved doing some of that myself when I was with the Department of Justice, but we didn't do it as a comprehensive, government-wide effort using all of the tools we can bring to the table.

Part of the problem was we had local law enforcement, for example, that would arrest gang members and they didn't realize that there were also outstanding immigration violations that could be additional tools used to incapacitate these violent street criminals.

At the same time, ICE agents would go out and arrest people for immigration violations, without knowing they were wanted for very serious criminal offenses.

In much the same way that we have connected the dots in the war against terror, we are now connecting the dots in the war against gang violence, and to do that, we're sharing information, we're operating in a coordinated fashion and the result is making sure people who commit crimes, gang members who commit crimes, face the most serious sanctions that are available under the law.

This is the way we protect communities that have been terrorized for too long by gang violence. Police departments across the country are now providing ICE with names of gang targets in their community.

Using its combined authorities, ICE has the ability not only to identify targets who are subject to immigration or custom laws, but to remove them from the community, whether by deporting them or by putting them in jail to serve criminal sentences.

And let me be very clear about this. When we have evidence of criminal activity like drug violations or weapons violations or crimes of violence, we are bringing the toughest criminal charges available against these gang members. To date, more than 533 gang members have been charged with individual criminal violations as part of Operation Community Shield. They are now facing lengthy sentences in federal prison.

In addition, we're using our combined resources to dismantle these organizations by cutting off their funding, by seizing their assets, their cars, and their wealth, all of which is part of our effort to cut off their means of survival.

The successive Operation Community Shield continues to depend upon strong partnerships between the federal agencies that are represented here and state and local law enforcement. This is truly a team effort. And it's a team effort that we will continue to bring to bear to incapacitate and eliminate this criminal gang violence which is a scourge of many of our communities.

I'm particularly honored to stand here with the law enforcement community, represented so ably by those standing at the podium today. Everybody here recognizes the very urgent need to stop this threat that is causing a lot of havoc, pain and violence in communities from the border into the interior of this country.

We've made a lot of progress in the first year of Community Shield, but we are going to continue to work to make more progress. This is a classic demonstration of how we achieve success when we work together, when we connect the dots, when we fuse and integrate our authorities and when we execute in a coordinated plan.

I want to compliment the entire law enforcement community involved in this effort for their dedicated work. I appreciate the partnership of everybody here in their agencies in uniting against this very serious threat. Now I may call on Assistant Secretary Myers.

JULIE MYERS, HOMELAND SECURITY ASST. SECY.: Thank you so much, Secretary Chertoff, and I want to also extend a warm welcome ...

KAGAN: We've been listening in to homeland defense secretary Michael Chertoff as he talks about a program that's going on for the last year called Operation Community Shield. During this last year, more than 2,300 gang members -- or alleged gang members, across the country have been arrested.

The secretary talking about how this was a new way of doing things using immigration and criminal officials together, bringing those branches of government together to go after a problem that plagues many communities across America.

With more on that, let's bring in our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Daryn, I was traveling in Israel back in December with police chiefs and sheriffs from around the nation, and I have to tell you, this was one of their priorities. Each and every one of them said that gang violence and the growing influence of gangs in their communities was really wreaking havoc. This effort has been applauded by many.

Unfortunately, Daryn, what we're seeing is that so many of these gang members that are deported actually make their way back into the United States using aliases, come into different states than they were operating before, and there is no shortage of fresh recruits coming in from Asia, from South America, that are willing to come into the United States.

It's big business that these are large criminal business enterprises, Daryn, and we reported, you know, just a few months ago, that the FBI is going after them using the RICO statute like they did with organized crime families, if you remember.

So this is one part of a major effort by many federal law and state law enforcement agencies that are really trying to go after this problem. I mean, you know all the reporting we've done on MS-13 -- a very violent, violent gang, but this -- I mean, there are over 200 gangs in the United States.

People don't realize this. You've got, you know, the Crips, the Bloods. You've got, you know, the 18th Street Gang. I mean, things that, you know, you and I probably haven't even thought of, but unbelievable gang activity in this country -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, and what about what Michael Chertoff was talking about? Certainly it's not new for, let's say -- he was saying back when he was a justice, yes, we used to do this, but not in this way.

ARENA: Right, and that was MS-13, Daryn.

(CROSSTALK)

ARENA: That was because the rise, the rapid rise of MS-13, a street gang mostly made up of El Salvadoreans.

KAGAN: It's a prison gang, isn't it, mainly?

ARENA: No, it came in from El Salvador. They are in all 50 states, but they have seen such a rapid expansion of a gang from the West to the East Coast ever. And they were gaining members in -- at record speed, and they were unbelievably violent. I mean cutting off people's hands and brutally killing their enemies, and so it was really that that got everybody, you know, just sort of sobered them up and said, wait a minute, you know, this is an unbelievable problem. It wasn't in the cities. It was in very small communities, Daryn, that they were seeing MS-13 members, and so they thought we really need to come up with a national initiative to go after this. And so since the focus was on MS-13 to begin with, but now it involves all violent street gangs.

KAGAN: Well, and it's interesting, too, because in additional information, I don't know if the secretary mentioned this, but the most amount of arrests were in Dallas and in big cities like San Diego and Miami, but also in smaller communities like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Providence, Rhode Island and Des Moines, Iowa as well.

ARENA: That's right -- and they -- actually, you've had some law enforcement officers from the bigger cities go into those smaller communities to instruct those officers and show them, you know, this is gang writing, these are gang colors, this is what you need to look out for, because they weren't exactly aware of what they were dealing with. They never had the problem before, so lots of education going on, very quick studies, because as I said, the problem is rapidly growing, Daryn, in a way that we haven't seen in several years.

KAGAN: Kelli Arena, our Justice Department correspondent. Kelli, thank you.

ARENA: You're welcome, Daryn.

KAGAN: And this just in, the Associated Press is reporting that Interior Secretary Gale Norton will announce later today that she is resigning. Norton has been serving since 2001. She, by the way, is the first woman to have served as interior secretary. The reason for the resignation not clear at this point, but the Associated Press saying that will happen later today.

(NEWSBREAK)

KAGAN: We're going to get back to YOUR WORLD today in just a moment, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: We didn't know why I was so huge in Finland. And then we realized it's because I look exactly like their president, Tarja Halonen. See for yourself. It's incredible.

(APPLAUSE) CLANCY: This has been a long running gag on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the uncanny resemblance between the American talk show host and Finland's President Tarja Halonen. Fins, who see "Late Night" in syndication, have really fallen in love with O'Brien.

VERJEE: While his program was on break for the Olympics, O'Brien hopped on a plane to Helsinki, and he met the president there, and he was mobbed by crowds and he was ducking paparazzi everywhere he went.

And tonight, O'Brien devotes his entire show to the trip, and he joins us now with a sneak peek. It's great to have you on our show, Conan.

Now you may be a great talk show host here in the United States, but in Finland, you are a God.

How did that feel?

O'BRIEN: It was nice. It was very good for my ego. I've had a lot of self-loathing for a long time, and my five days in Finland completely cured that. It was just very refreshing. It was a great visit.

CLANCY: All right, let's show your arrival in Finland. Your reception, shall we say, the Finnish fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

O'BRIEN: Greetings, people of Finland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Now, Conan, you had to be a little bit surprised, or did the show arrange for these people to be there?

O'BRIEN: We -- actually -- all we did was we announced that we were coming, and that I'd be arriving in Helsinki. We actually had no idea what was going to be waiting for us when we got there. We were sort of half suspecting no one would be there, and we thought that that would actually be funny, because I had built it up as this triumphant visit to Helsinki, and so we thought that we were going to be shooting me getting off the plane to no one, which we thought would fit with my self-deprecating sense of humor, so we were a little taken aback by the fact that there were a couple thousand people there.

VERJEE: What was with the dance that you were doing?

O'BRIEN: That little dance.

VERJEE: Yes, what was that?

O'BRIEN: I do that on the show. That's called the "string dance," and it's sweeping the world. It's not just Finland, but it seems to be very popular everywhere. VERJEE: And Togo and Azerbaijan, too, I hear?

O'BRIEN: Azerbaijan, it hasn't quite caught on in Azerbaijan yet, but I'm working on Azerbaijan.

CLANCY: You went out of your way here. You kind of put your finger into Finnish politics there by endorsing the president in a re- election bid.

O'BRIEN: Yes. It was -- I think a first for an American talk show, because all of television is becoming more global now, and we noticed, you know, a few -- we noticed about a year ago a lot of Fins in my studio audience, then noticed my resemblance to the president Tarja Halonen, so we started to created ads supporting her, which were actually seen in Finland three days after we would air them in the United States, and we started to have an impact, I think, on the election. For good or ill, I don't really know, but I think we messed it up.

VERJEE: What was it like meeting her? We saw her there with you. Yes, you're much taller than she is, but you look alike.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I -- it was uncanny -- the resemblance is uncanny. It was like looking exactly in a mirror. And I was very tempted to lure her into another room, knock her out and take her place, and actually rule Finland for about a week. I thought that would be fun. But then I realized that might create an international incident, and the United States has enough trouble as well as it is.

CLANCY: We were going to invite you on the show anyway, Conan. I mean, you didn't have to go to those lengths and I'm glad you decided not to. But you know what it's good to see, real comedy with good language and just clever thinking. That's what Conan O'Brien is really famous for.

VERJEE: He also -- and he also went to visit Santa Claus' reputed home, as well.

CLANCY: That's right, yes.

VERJEE: That must have been exciting for a talk show host like yourself.

O'BRIEN: It was a little disturbing. We went and visited Santa's village, which is up in Lapland. And the Fins claim that that is the home of Santa Claus. We went there, and it turns out that their Santa Claus is an actor from Anaheim, California.

CLANCY: No! You're destroying it for us, Conan.

O'BRIEN: He had a distinctly American accident -- accent. So we were a little suspicious. But a very nice man, Santa, of course.

CLANCY: Conan O'Brien, late night. He's going to have clips of his trip, his union, his -- what should we say? His introduction to the president of Finland. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's going to be an incredible hour of television. I don't think there's ever been anything quite like it. It's a lot of fun. So tune in tonight. Have some coffee. Stay up. You're going to enjoy it.

CLANCY: Conan O'Brien, thanks a lot for being with us.

VERJEE: Thank you, Conan.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for having me.

CLANCY: We'll have your international weather forecast with Femi Oke, coming up.

VERJEE: And then we're going to read some of your inbox responses, so stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: All right. We want to check in now with Femi Oke in the International Weather Center. Femi is tracking what is going on right now in Kenya, a severe drought.

FEMI OKE, CNN INTERNATIONAL WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hi there to you, Jim. Hello to our -- I was going to say our friends and family around the world. I think that's pretty much right. Good to see you. A severe drought in southern Kenya is creating a hunger crisis for the residents struggling to cope and also feed their children.

Government and international agencies warn urgent help is needed to fight off a famine. Women are now receiving milk for their babies and malnourished children are being treated in hospitals. Experts say the situation is critical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY TESHOME, UNICEF NUTRITION OFFICER: The level of malnutrition in this district is quite high. We have a global (INAUDIBLE) malnutrition rate of 20 percent. What that really means is that is above the (INAUDIBLE) cut-off point of critical, which is 15 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKE: I was talking to the World Food Program about their operation here in the Horn of Africa. Kenya is also here. And let me just get a little bit closer so you can see the problem. Here are the rains that go through that central part of Africa. Here is the Horn of Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea. The entire area affected by the drought.

The World Food Program said for Kenya alone that they are $200 million short of what they need to have a successful operation. I know this wouldn't be the last you're hearing about this story. And as you can see, as we look into this region here, the rain is much further down towards the south. There is some hope for April, as these rains gradually begin very slowly to move up towards the north. The hope is that this area that's been so consistently dry will get some of this rain here.

In the short-term, though, no rain in sight. Unfortunately, drought forecasting actually takes many months and even from year to year, you can't do it very quickly. But if you're heading to Africa this weekend, I recommend the southern part. It's summer down towards the South. And your temperatures also as you head up there into Fahrenheit. Of course, more on that drought in the Horn of Africa coming up on the rest of our international coverage. Back to the newsdesk.

VERJEE: Thanks, Femi.

CLANCY: Well, it's time now for us -- let's open up the inbox. We've been asking what today?

VERJEE: We've been asking some good questions. We've been getting good e-mails. We're talking about the Dubai Ports World dispute. Our question was this: "Do you believe racism played a part in the collapse of the UAE port deal?" Here's how some of you replied.

CLANCY: Joanne from the United Arab Emirates had this to say: "Racism against Arabs definitely played a role in the deal's collapse. The U.S. never questioned the nationality of other port management companies."

VERJEE: Daniel in California writes: "I don't believe racism played a part. This is about a nation who we've only been allied with for a few years taking control of a major security asset."

CLANCY: That has to conclude it from the inbox. A lot of different views coming in today. But for now, I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. Stay with CNN. The news continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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