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American Morning

Crisis In The Middle East; Terror Investigation; Threat Level; Target:USA

Aired August 14, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us on this Monday morning.

The Middle East cease-fire holding, but apparently just by a thread. Already reports of a clash in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters, but apparently isolated. CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, joining us now from northern Israel. Ben Wedeman in Tyre, southern Lebanon. We will get to him in a moment. Let's get to Matthew first.

Matthew, what do we know?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Miles.

Well, certainly the big guns that we've been witnessing pounding Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon from this location just north, in the north of Israel, for the past several weeks have (INAUDIBLE) it seems (INAUDIBLE).

M. O'BRIEN: OK. We're going to fix that satellite connection. We'll get back to Matthew very shortly. In the meantime, let's go north of that border to Lebanon. Tyre, Lebanon specifically. Right on the coast. That has been in Israeli gun sites for several weeks right now because it is believed to be the launching point for a lot of those rockets which have landed in northern Israel. No less than 250 rockets landing just yesterday in the run-up to the cease-fire. Ben Wedeman joining us from Tyre where people, quite frankly, are tired of war and are trying to get back there.

Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. We are hearing that the road from the north, from Sidon and Beirut, is full of people, full of cars, people trying to get back.

Now, if you recall a few days ago, there was an Israeli air strike that destroyed the bridge over the Litani River. That, apparently, has been repaired. So people are coming across. Not only people, vitally needed supplies. The World Food Program bringing in more than 20 trucks with 150 tons of food for the southern part of Lebanon.

But referring back to your reference to the Katyusha rockets. There were three rockets fired out of this area today, but that was before 8:00 local time, which was the beginning of the cease-fire. And certainly, after that, we saw a few puffs of smoke in the distance. But by and large it has been thankfully very quiet in southern Lebanon and certainly in this position.

But there still are dangers out there. One of the problems, of course, Miles, is that people going back to these towns and villages in southern Lebanon are finding unexploded ordinance. So far we've seen reports of as many as one person killed, 15 people wounded from these unexploded bombs and artillery shells. So there still is a danger out there.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman in Tyre, Lebanon, thank you very much.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The terror threat level in Britain is down today from critical to severe. The government says that doesn't mean the threat is over. CNN's John Vause live for us in London this morning.

Hey, John, good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

You can hear the planes taking off behind me, a sign that things are slowly getting back to normal here at Heathrow. And with that terror alert downgraded, some of those tough security measures have been eased up at most airports across Britain. Still, authorities are warning the chance of a terror attack remains likely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN REID, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: I want to stress, therefore, that the change in the threat level does not mean that the threat has gone away. The public needs to know that there may be other people out there who may be planning to attack against the United Kingdom. The threat level is at severe, indicating the high likelihood of an attempted terrorist attack at some stage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So what does this all mean for travelers who have had a miserable four days here in Britain? Well, now, most of them are allowed, in fact, to carry on some luggage, no bigger than this bag. It's much smaller than normal. Still a ban on all liquids and gels, as well as cosmetics and other toiletries as well. That's at most airports. But here at Heathrow, the busiest airport, it's still a case of plastic bags and long delays and flight cancellations as they try to move that backlog of passengers. They say by tomorrow, passengers here will be allowed one piece of carry-on luggage as well.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: John Vause for us this morning. Thanks, John. The Department of Homeland Security is dialing down the threat level from red to orange for airline flights from Britain to the U.S. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live for us in Washington with more on that.

Hey, Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

It's to keep in sync with British authorities that the U.S. has lowered the threat level just on those flights from the United Kingdom to the U.S. As you said, it moves from red, or severe, to orange. However, the department cautions that passengers on those flights can still expect enhanced security measures, including additional restrictions on hand luggage.

In announcing the change last evening, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement, "let me be clear, this does not mean the threat is over. The investigation continues to follow all leads. In particular, we are remaining vigilant for any signs of planning within the U.S. or directed at Americans." On talk shows yesterday, Chertoff said no such link had been found.

Meanwhile, the rest of aviation in and to the United States remains at threat level orange or high. The ban on carrying on liquids and gels remains in place, although the Transportation Security Administration says small doses of liquid medications will now be permitted. The TSA says shoe screening will now be mandatory. Canine detection teams are going to have higher visibility and random gate and bag searches will continue. TSA says it has made these modifications as a result of feedback from the public and its own security officers. Further refinements are possible.

Soledad, back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Jeanne Meserve for us this morning. Jeanne, thanks.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: So in the wake of that plot -- that foiled plot -- just how safe are we here in the U.S.? All day long, CNN is taking a critical look at the locations most vulnerable to possible terror attacks. We're calling it "Target:USA." We'll have live reports from all around the country all throughout the day. Let's get right to that, as a matter of fact. CNN's Brianna Keilar is joining us from the nation's busiest airport, Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Alina Cho is at Grand Central Terminal, just a few blocks from where we sit here in New York. Let's begin with Brianna in Chicago.

Good morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Miles, good morning.

Travelers here, domestic travelers that we've talked to, are already making this part of their traveling routine, changing their behavior ahead of time before they come to the airport. They're taking those prohibited items out of their bags.

And we can actually take a look outside right now. We've got a camera on curbside check-in. There we talked with some people who say they are checking bags that normally they would carry on. And these are very small bags that they are checking in. And some people even saying, hey, maybe that will be a good thing. They thought some of the carry-on luggage was getting a little ridiculous. But we did talk to most of the people here, saying they're getting here about 45 to 60 minutes early. And early on, ahead of security checkpoints opening up at 5:00 a.m., we saw a very long line, about 150 yards. But as you can see behind me, things are moving pretty well. There's a whole labyrinth, actually, of security that you can't see past the vantage point we have here. But a lot of people who make this trip on a Monday morning saying that this is somewhat normal. This is about where the line would be . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico.

KEILAR: This is where the line would be normally. Pardon me, sir. And so they say this is just sort of what they would have expected before the terror plot. And a lot of people just taking this in stride, saying that anything for their safety. They're not really being disgruntled by any of these changes.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Assuming that passenger wasn't disgruntled. Generally people taking this all in stride.

I'm curious, you know, they're asking people to check more baggage, essentially. And my experience, a lot of people's experience is, you check your baggage, it's a bit of a crap shoot as to whether it's going to be there at the other end. Are the airlines saying anything about whether they're going to, you know, offer some more diligence in getting those bags where they should be on time?

KEILAR: You know, at this point, we haven't heard anything from the airlines. I was at Dulles Airport in Washington on Thursday and you were hearing a lot of delayed baggage, a lot of announcements of airport officials saying, you know, if you're coming in on this flight, your bags have been delayed by about an hour. That was on Thursday. We don't know at this point if that's going to change today.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Brianna Keilar in O'Hare Airport. Thank you very much.

The nation's airports, of course, a big focus, given the fact that that plot was focusing on airliners, of course, that's natural. But we do recall it was a little more than a year ago that the subway system and the mass transit system in London was a target. Of course, you'll remember before that was what happened in Madrid. So terrorists do, in fact, target other modes of transport. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho joining us from Grand Central Terminal in New York. And the New York system, I believe, 4 million commuters per day just for that one system. And nobody's getting the kind of check you get when you get on an airplane, right, Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Miles.

In fact, we're coming up on peak time here at Grand Central Station in New York. More than a half million people pass through here every day. And as you mentioned, none of the passengers are screened. Experts say there is a lot more we can do. And one area that's especially vulnerable is mass transit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO, (voice over): The usual suspects -- the subways, the buses, even the ferries. We took a ride with transportation security expert Don Rondeau. He told us the alleged terror plot exposed in London last week is a reminder the U.S. remains vulnerable. And mass transit, used by millions each day, is a prime target.

DON RONDEAU, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY EXPERT: The fact that you're underground would hamper rescue efforts. Some of the tactics used by terrorists take advantage of the fact that there is not ventilation, that there is not substantial exits to evacuate people.

CHO: Rondeau says there's little that would stop a terrorist from getting on a subway and launching an attack. A briefcase like this one could easily hide a bomb.

RONDEAU: So it doesn't require a great deal of skill or the ability to obtain hard-to-obtain chemicals. They can go in their five and dime and get what they need to get the job done.

CHO: The same line of thinking can be applied to buses -- lots of people, too little security.

RONDEAU: Here we have a place that's moving, contained, that would make rescue difficult where people are virtually unscreened.

CHO: Look no further than London, July of last year. Suicide bombers killed more than 50 commuters in bus and subway attacks.

The ferries are also exposed. Rondeau says a strike there would leave people stranded at sea.

RONDEAU: It's at a distance from you, so your time to react to it is impacted, your ability to control the environment is impacted. And in the event that something were to occur, well, it makes a rescue much more difficult.

CHO: So how can mass transit be secure? Rondeau says blast- proof seating made with Kevlar, new ventilation systems that would suck out contaminated air and inject clean air in its place.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there's a lot of security measures in place we don't see.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, (R) NEW YORK: Sometimes we have people, sometimes we have cameras, sometimes we have both. We're constantly changing our strategies so that they're not predictable.

CHO: Rondeau says nothing can replace vigilance.

RONDEAU: We're a busy country, we're a busy people, and I believe that somehow we've been sidetracked. We have yet to realize that we are a nation at war. There are people out there who have declared that they want to destroy America. They are showing that they mean business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Now all of these upgrades to mass transit will cost a lot of money, as in billions of dollars, and that's one of the main reasons why it hasn't been done yet. But our expert says, if you're not going to spend the money, you need to start thinking like the terrorists. Think like the bad guys. Unfortunately, Miles, our expert says, if you build a better mouse trap, the terrorists will build a better mouse.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, they have -- that's their focus, of course.

Now listening to that expert always gets me scared. And we still have to press on. Because if we don't press on, the terrorists win. But what are we supposed to do? Those commuters behind you there, what's the advice to them?

CHO: Well, to be on the lookout always, Miles, you know. And you hear a lot about eyes and ears. You need to be watching always when you're riding the subways, the trains, the buses, the ferries. And one thing to keep in mind, too, for people who do get scared, is that our expert said the reality of the situation is that the terrorists have been trying diligently since September 11th to attack America and they have not been successful. He said you hear a lot about the failures and never about the successes.

M. O'BRIEN: Hopefully, we aren't tempting fate by talking about them now. Alina Cho at Grand Central, thank you.

Stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Some new pictures coming out of Cuba this morning of Fidel Castro. The country's communist newspaper released the photos of Castro, with his brother Raul, and the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, at his bedside. They were taken on Castro's 80th birthday yesterday. On Saturday, another paper released the first photos of Castro since his surgery two weeks ago and these are the first pictures of Raul Castro since he took over temporary power from his brother. Cuban TV broadcast the images of the acting president greeting the Venezuelan president at the airport. Time for a check of the forecast. Thirteen minutes past the hour. Chad's got that.

Good morning again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, "Target:USA." What's being done to protect America's oil supply from attack? We'll take you to a critical port that might be especially vulnerable.

Also, a stunning gap in security in the water between the U.S. and Canada. We'll go live to the border for more on that.

S. O'BRIEN: And for the first time ever, journalist Jill Carroll goes public with the details of her kidnapping ordeal in Iraq. Carroll's own words about her most desperate moments just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: We are a nation addicted to oil. Without it, our economy, our lifestyles would cease to exist. So it is no secret terrorists might target the USA by crippling our ability to keep the oil flowing. But could they succeed? CNN's Sean Callebs is near Louisiana's southern most port, Port Fourchon, with more.

Good morning, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Behind me you can see an orange ship that's pulling out of slip (ph), going out in the water. That is going to be carrying supplies out to one of the thousands of oil rigs off the coast. The Stone Buccaneer, this blue ship over here, is offloading diesel fuel. And to my right here, the Fast Scout, is soon going to be carrying out legions of employees that are going to be working on those rigs.

This port, Port Fourchon, is all about the oil industry. And a well-designed attack on this port could deal a simply devastating blow to the nation's energy supply.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS, (voice over): Locals along Louisiana's coast call it the end of the road, but Port Fourchon is also the first stop for much of the crude oil used daily in the United States.

TED FALGOUT, PORT FOURCHON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: We play some key role in somewhere between 16 to 18 percent of the entire nation's oil supply. That's domestic and foreign.

CALLEBS: Merely 1/5 of the oil used in the U.S. is pumped through pipelines from offshore rigs to the Port Fourchon. The port commission knows this would be an attractive target for terrorists. Since 9/11, federal grants have paid for improvements in security here, like these 16 cameras designed to peer into every nook and cranny on this sprawling 700-acre port.

FALGOUT: Much of the ability to discourage anything is by just visually seeing what's happening and you pick up something that's not normal.

CALLEBS: What about terror? Is that something that's always in the back of your mind?

SGT. TROY DUFRENE, HARBOR POLICE: Always. Always.

CALLEBS: It's Sergeant Troy Defrene's job to track down things that are not normal. But with only one patrol boat and a handful of officers to monitor up to 3 miles offshore, it's tough.

DUFRENE: We normally have three people on duty at a time. And with the waterways, the land and everything else that comes in, we can't keep up.

CALLEBS: Three hundred ships move through here each day, chiefly supplying offshore rigs that employ some 12,000 people. Port Fourchon would like to receive some of the millions of dollars the Department of Homeland Security doles out each year for security upgrades, but . . .

FALGOUT: The last several years, because of a criteria change, we are not even eligible to compete for port security funding, and go figure that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: Indeed, go figure that. You can hear the frustration in Falgout's voice. Louisiana's lawmakers are very frustrated as well. But, Miles, right now there is no reason to believe that it's going to change any time soon that places like Port Fourchon could apply for that critically important security money.

M. O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs, Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Thank you very much.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: For the first time, publicly, journalist Jill Carroll is providing details of her abduction in Iraq. Carroll was taken hostage at gunpoint in Baghdad back in January, you'll remember. In the first of an 11-part series in the "Christian Science Monitor," the 28-year-old says she was terrified during her 82-day ordeal. At one of her most desperate moments, Carroll said she feared she'd be beheaded and pleaded to be shot instead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL, FORMER HOSTAGE: As I choked down this food, like the bread would like stick in my throat and I just -- my stomach, I wanted to throw up. I remember having -- chewing chicken in my mouth that first day and like trying to swallow it and I just wanted to -- and I was gagging in my throat because your adrenaline's going and you're terrified and your heart is racing and you're sitting there and you don't know what's going to happen at any minute. And for all you know they're going to come in any minute and just blow your head off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Carroll's been working as an editor in the "Christian Science Monitor" newsroom.

Ahead this morning, an alleged home-grown terror plot in Toronto. We'll take a look at why some experts say it was exaggerated and has left Muslims under siege.

Plus, more bad news at the gas pump. What it's going to mean for your wallet, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: OK, I just don't get this. Oil prices are down, gas prices go up. That does not make sense. Andy Serwer is off, but Jennifer Westhoven will alucinate (ph) us.

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Do you want the oil company's side or our side?

M. O'BRIEN: I want the real truth. That means your side.

WESTHOVEN: All right. Well, the oil companies say it's because, you know, it takes a while for the oil to get through the system and then prices change as it goes along, right?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, OK.

WESTHOVEN: But then what the thought is here, right, is that, boy, gas prices went up because there's all this nervousness about what's happening in Alaska and what's happening in the Middle East. You know, they just put the prices up and then they are banking that money, thinking maybe we'll have to pay more in the future, but maybe they won't.

M. O'BRIEN: This upsets consumers.

WESTHOVEN: All right. Yes, well, yes, and let's talk about what's upsetting right now, which is that gas prices are at a record, according to one of the surveys we watch, and that's the Lundberg Survey. It's showing prices at $3.02 and a half a cent, a half a penny there, for a gallon of self-serve regular across the country. That's the national average. And that beats the old record by a penny. AAA we also watch to. They're just a little bit shy of the record, but also by, we're just talking pennies here. And, you know, when you go to the gas pump and you have to pay, you know, $50 to fill your tank . . .

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's low, really.

S. O'BRIEN: $50?

M. O'BRIEN: You don't have a Yukon XL.

S. O'BRIEN: Depending on what car you have.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm telling you.

S. O'BRIEN: Or a Suburban, which is basically a Yukon XL. It's $100.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, same thing. I have several additional mortgages on my home to fill up the tank.

WESTHOVEN: Yes. And we already know that that hurts poorer Americans more than anybody else because Wal-Mart already says people are buying staples, like the, you know, window and paper towels, stuff they always need, but they're not buying things like clothes sometimes. The extras. So we're already seeing that show up in the economy a little bit.

M. O'BRIEN: Because you've got to drive.

What else you got going on?

WESTHOVEN: Well, one of the things, you know, people here in America, and we get very aggravated $3 for a gallon of gas. What if you lived in Iraq where it was $1 a gallon, but now you have to wait 12 hours or longer to try and get gas? They are having a shortage.

S. O'BRIEN: I'd be willing to pay for the $3.

M. O'BRIEN: You might pay a little more, would you, yes. You just might.

WESTHOVEN: Well, I mean, this is a country that has supposedly the third largest known reserves. And because of the violence, because of terrorists hitting the pipelines, they cannot get enough gas there. So they're having problems.

And we're just going to quickly take a look at Alaska.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

WESTHOVEN: You know, you might think Salmon's Glacier (ph), killer whales, elk, oil. Ninety percent of the revenues in Alaska come from oil. Not only they pay no income tax, they pay no sales tax . . .

S. O'BRIEN: Well, that's why this BP problem is a big problem.

M. O'BRIEN: But they get a bonus every year.

WESTHOVEN: They get a $1,000 check every year . . .

M. O'BRIEN: Just for being Alaskan.

WESTHOVEN: Based on the oil. And it's just something to think about. Maybe you want to move there. M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: A lot of single men too there.

M. O'BRIEN: In July. Not in February.

A lot of what?

WESTHOVEN: Single men.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, you missed that one.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you in the market or something?

S. O'BRIEN: No, I'm just throwing it out there.

M. O'BRIEN: I go on vacation and you're worried about single men.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm just saying. That's all. Please.

Ahead, our top stories, including the very latest on the cease- fire in the Middle East. Looks like the fighting, though, isn't stopping just yet. Wolf Blitzer joins us live from Jerusalem just ahead this morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bob Franken. Where boating is a tradition here in upstate New York, from down province Ontario, and where it's an easy way to slip into the United States undetected, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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