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Purported 9/11 Planning Video Released; President Bush Touts Progress in War on Terror

Aired September 07, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Days before another 9/11 anniversary, a chilling look back in time -- Al-Jazeera airs a never-seen-before video of Osama bin Laden and cohorts purportedly planning the 9/11 hijackings.
Let's get straight to CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena. She has even been able to identify other individuals in that tape -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kyra, this isn't the first time that we have seen an al Qaeda tape released around a September 11 anniversary.

The first -- the first anniversary, we saw a tape released. And -- and this also comes after a series of -- of some other messages that we have -- we have heard from al Qaeda, leaving some analysts to -- to start speculating whether or not something is up, in terms of, you know, a possible attack.

I spoke today with FBI Director Robert Mueller, who said that there's no intelligence suggesting, nothing credible to suggest that there is an impending attack, but, obviously, he says al Qaeda still desires to hit on U.S. soil. And it's something that he and -- and everyone else in the bureau, you know, is on top of each and every Kay.

Getting back to that tape, Kyra, we do see, on that tape, Ramzi Binalshibh with Osama bin Laden. Now, Ramzi Binalshibh, just yesterday, it was announced that he was transferred from one of the CIA's secret prisons over to Guantanamo Bay. It's the first time, Kyra, that we have seen Binalshibh and Osama bin Laden together. Binalshibh, according to his own words, was one of the planners of September 11.

And, in fact, it's thought that he would have been one of the September 11 hijackers, if he had been able to get a visa into the United States. He tried several times, and was rejected.

There are two other people on the tape, two of the hijackers, actually, Kyra. One is Wail al-Shehri. He was on American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. There was another hijacker on the tape, a man by the name of Hamza al- Ghamdi. He was on United Airlines Flight 175 that flew into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

So, Al-Jazeera is telling us that they were told this tape is, you know, 5 years old. Well, two of those people on the tape, Kyra, obviously dead. One of them has been in custody for several years. So, we know that it is old. Whether or not, you know, it was a week or two before the September 11 attacks, we have no idea. And that's something for the analysts to sort out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kelli Arena, thanks so much.

Let's get some more contacts, some clarity from our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He's in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Nic, you have to wonder why we are not hearing from Osama bin Laden himself. And that, of course, leads to, where is he? Is he dead or alive?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this tape doesn't really give us any clues into that. It might shed some more light into the planning of al Qaeda before September 11.

But there's nothing in this that is new, nothing to give an indication as to where he might be. The intelligence -- best intelligence estimates are that he's perhaps 300, 400, 500 miles north of where I am, in the capital of Pakistani, Islamabad. He is perhaps believed to be in the Chitral region, north of there, perhaps, in that finger of Afghanistan that comes around the top of Pakistan, perhaps possibly even across the border, in Tajikistan.

Those are the best intelligence estimates at the moment. But this video, we see on it new training video. It's like video we have seen before, but this is new material. We see al Qaeda training up what appears to be, by -- judging by the buildings, high, high in the mountains. The weather look -- must have been very cold when some of this material was recorded.

The al Qaeda members are wearing gloves. They seem to be going through a lot of physical exercise training. The conditions they are living in look very tough. But there's nothing here to give any clues, it seems, as to where bin Laden or anyone else from al Qaeda right now might be -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Nic Robertson, from Islamabad, we will keep following, of course, the developments from that tape and keep in touch with you and Kelli Arena.

Well, America is safer than it was five years ago, but not as safe as it could be -- he said it before, and President Bush said it again in Atlanta today, his third war on terror speech in three days.

Kathleen Koch came to town with the president. She joins me live -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the audience of 600 here at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta heard basically a list of challenges faced and challenges overcome in the war on terror -- President Bush insisting that, over the last five years, his administration has -- quote -- "learned the lessons of September the 11th."

The president detailed advances in aviation security, in information gathering, in communication within the nation's intelligence community. And the president asked Congress to take action to reinstate his domestic surveillance program. The White House is appealing a Michigan judge's recent ruling that that program is unconstitutional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we believe our appeal will be successful. Yet, a series of protracted legal challenges would put a heavy burden on this critical and vital program.

The surest way to keep the program is to get explicit approval from the United States Congress. So, today, I am calling on the Congress to promptly pass legislation, providing additional authority for the terrorist surveillance program, along with broader reforms in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, President Bush also asked Congress to take quick action to authorize new military commissions to begin to bring to justice some of the 445 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

This fourth speech in the war on terror is part of a White House effort to frame the debate going into the midterm elections, focus on the war on terror, on security, an election-year issue where the president polls quite high, that in comparison to the war on Iraq, the economy, where Democrats poll far better with voters -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kathleen Koch, live from Atlanta, just down the street, good to see you.

Well, we are a little bit surprised -- surprising words from NATO on the resistance of Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, joins us with that -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, some blunt talk from the top -- top NATO commander about the situation in Afghanistan.

General James Jones, supreme allied commander, said today, both in Brussels and again in a Pentagon briefing, that NATO troops are being tested in Afghanistan. And he described the fierce resistance from Taliban fighters as somewhat surprising.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JAMES JONES, SUPREME NATO COMMANDER: Let me simply say that what's going on in Afghanistan currently, particularly in the southern region, is -- is, while not a complete surprise, certainly, the tenacity of the resistance is a little bit of a surprise.

We all know that, in the springtime, traditionally, hostilities do start up again. We expected a certain amount of it in the southern region. It has turned out to be more than we expected, but, certainly, by no means, unmanageable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Now, Jones said that the NATO forces in the south had stirred up a hornet's nest. And he called on NATO nations to fulfill the commitment they made to fully equip the NATO force to tackle the Taliban.

Specifically, he cited a shortage of attack helicopters and C-130 transport planes, which he said the NATO commanders needed for the flexibility to win their mission quickly. He said he thought they could succeed with what they had there now, but he said they should be fully equipped to give them that extra cushion and insurance.

And he also cautioned that there is not a military solution in Afghanistan. He said the fierce resistance is being fueled by a bumper crop of opium that is providing a -- a cash flow to the Taliban, that enables them to continue to fight.

And, again, General Jones, who is the supreme NATO commander of the mission there, is the -- the kind of guy, I can tell you, from traveling with him, Kyra, who does not gloss over problems, and he certainly didn't do that today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I understand you have an update on the king of one-arm pushups today, and his health?

MCINTYRE: Yes.

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, you know, he went in for shoulder surgery on Tuesday. His aides said he would be back at work on Wednesday. Instead, he went home. He also didn't come to work today. Now we're told he will probably be back tomorrow. But, apparently, it's -- his recovery has been a little slower, a little more painful than he anticipated. He has been on painkillers.

But he's still working at home. He has not turned over the reins of power. And Pentagon officials say they think he will be back tomorrow. But he did not bounce back in one day. Hopefully, he will be back, feeling a little bit better soon.

PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre, thanks.

Iraqi army, the Iraqi air force, the Iraqi navy, they have all been under American control since 2003. And that changes starting today.

CNN's Michael Holmes reports on what the Americans are calling a gigantic milestone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Major General William Caldwell called it gigantic, in his words. And I suppose you could call it significant -- in the ceremonial sense, a formality, really.

What we saw today was the handing over of the command structure of Iraq's armed forces to Iraqis. But there needs to be context here. How many forces are actually ready to come under that command structure? As it turns out, not that many.

The navy and the air force, they are coming under that structure, but, really, they have just over 1,000, perhaps 1,500, members between them. And just one army division, that is all that is ready for full Iraqi control at the moment.

The country has 10 army divisions. So, in essence -- let's face it -- 90 percent of the military is not yet ready to come under Iraqi control. Major General Caldwell says divisions may be handed over at the rate of one or two a month in the months ahead. That's, by no means, certain. But, in many ways, you could say at least the process is under way.

Let's look at the violence that has taken place this day. And there has, as usual, been a lot of it, 10 killed, 17 wounded, many of them police, in a suicide car bombing here in the capital -- also in the capital, several people killed and wounded by a car bomb near a police patrol. It was the sign of things to come throughout the day, car bombs, mortars, a drive-by shooting that killed two police.

In many ways, the police were the targets of the day. So, while some positive news on the political front, the death toll continues to mount.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: It's a standoff, maybe, war of words, of course, but no steel cage grudge match between the president of Iran and President Bush. So vows the White House press secretary, amid talk of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad planning to visit U.N. headquarters later this month.

Ahmadinejad made a speech last year to the General Assembly, but, this time, he says he wants to debate Mr. Bush. The White House isn't taking the bait. In an off-camera media gaggle today, spokesman Tony Snow said, well, it's standard practice for heads of state to visit and speak to the General Assembly, but, as for a mano a mano, Snow says -- quote -- "There's not going to be a steel cage grudge match between the president and Ahmadinejad."

Israel eases its grip. A Middle East Airlines flight from Paris landed in Beirut today, marking the end of a two-month air embargo. Israel kept control of Lebanese airspace, even though a cease-fire with Hezbollah guerrillas took effect three weeks ago. The Israeli blockade of Lebanese seaports remains in place for now. Tony Blair learns timing is everything. Under pressure from his own party, Britain's prime minister sets a timetable for his departure. We are going to tell you about his plans. Stay with us, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Immigration reform in action, or inaction -- thousands of pro- reform activists are expected to rally at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon. We are going to take you there live.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He remade and revived his party. Now he has relented and pledged to resign. British Prime Minister Tony Blair bowed to sinking polls and carping critics today, and announced plans to leave office inside a year.

CNN's European political editor, Robin Oakley, is in London.

What's the deal, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Kyra, the shape of British politics is changing, but not quite yet, and perhaps not as much as some Labor lawmakers would like to see.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OAKLEY (voice-over): Britain will have a new prime minister within a year. Tony Blair has announced publicly he will quit within 12 months. But he's still not saying precisely when.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The next party conference, in a couple of weeks, will be my last party conference as party leader. The next TUC next week will be my last TUC, probably to the relief of both of us.

But I'm not going to set a precise date now. I don't think that's right. I will do that at a future date. And I will do it in the interests of the country, and depending on the circumstances of the time.

OAKLEY: So, he will be gone by next September. That was giving ground.

Not so long ago, Mr. Blair, who was reminded at the North London school he chose as the backdrop for his announcement of some of the issues that have caused his poll ratings to drop, was talking about serving out the current parliamentary term. Only a week before, he refused to set any timetable.

But, by still refusing to provide his actual date of departure, he risks prolonging the turmoil in his party that, only one day earlier, provoked eight junior members of his government team to resign. His best hope of calming things came in words from the man who is expected to succeed him. GORDON BROWN, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: I, like others have had questions myself. But I want to make it absolutely clear today that, when I met the prime minister yesterday, I said to him, as I have said on many occasions to him, and I repeat today, that it is for him to make the decision. I said, also, to him, and I make clear again today, that I will support him in the decisions he makes.

OAKLEY: That seemed to be a signal to the Brownites, who want the chancellor to take over sooner, rather than later, to lay off the prime minister for now.

Opposition leaders, though, predicted paralysis until Blair goes. And the man he beat in the last general election reflected on how much the "Bush's poodle" perception had damaged Mr. Blair with voters.

MICHAEL HOWARD, FORMER CONSERVATIVE LEADER: While I have always been, throughout my life, a great supporter of the Anglo-American alliance and the Anglo-American relationship, there have been things which President Bush has done which I have disagreed with, and I have been prepared to say so. Mr. Blair has never been prepared to utter a word of disagreement with President Bush in public.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OAKLEY: It will be a few days before Mr. Blair knows if he has gone far enough to quiet his party. But, even if he has, it's the beginning of an end of an era. And every day, from now on, he will find it harder to exert a leader's authority -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Robin Oakley, let me ask you, why so much pressure from his party to go?

OAKLEY: Because the polls have been tumbling, because they are frightened about losing their seats at the next general election, because the opposition party has got a young feisty leader, David Cameron, who seems to be catching public attention, because the party feels out of touch with Tony Blair on so many issues, like Iraq, Afghanistan, his attitude over Lebanon and the cease-fire there.

They don't feel comfortable with him. They were prepared to put up with that while he was their great election winner. He is the only person who has ever taken them to three consecutive election victories. But he has always been judged by results. They have never loved him. Now he isn't getting results. He's a liability at the polls, not an asset. And, so, they are turning on him -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Robin Oakley, thanks so much.

Time is short, and the odds are long, but thousands of demonstrators are expected outside the U.S. Capitol today to urge lawmakers to pass immigration reform.

CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez is standing by for us there on Capitol Hill.

Has it started up yet, Juan Carlos? JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were expecting thousands, but they don't even have hundreds yet. And we are about 45 minutes away from the main event -- have a long list of speakers.

They have the points they want to make. But they want change in immigration, and -- but the -- the protesters still aren't here.

PHILLIPS: So, Juan Carlos, do you think that this is a bust? I mean, they expected thousands of people. We saw the rallies that took place within just a few months ago, and how it literally had the whole entire nation, across the globe, even, paying attention to impact that these protests had.

Why do you think there has been such a -- a difference between these two moments?

LOPEZ: Back in April, there were thousands of people here. Then, in May, the number wasn't as high.

But, if you look at protests in different cities this week, in Phoenix, in Chicago, the numbers were low. And the organizers were expecting that Washington was going to be the -- the -- the protest -- the protest they could use as an -- as an example for the rest of the country.

They had expected -- expected to bring people in from 18 different states. Buses were going to arrive at a stadium, and then come to -- to the Capitol, to the Mall, on public transportation. But, so far, it hasn't happened.

Organizers believe that people will show up. They believe that the event will take place as -- as -- as announced, but not with thousands of people. And they were looking for that pressure on Congress for comprehensive immigration reform. And, obviously, Congress is watching. And -- and they are going to get their conclusions of what they see here -- a lot of music. The stage is set. Everything is ready. But the protesters haven't made it.

PHILLIPS: All right, Juan Carlos Lopez at the Capitol, we will check in and see what it -- what it is like in 45 minutes.

Well, facing Florence -- the tropical storm is gaining strength in the open Atlantic, far from land, but Flo could still stir things up on the East Coast -- Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf watching the storm from the newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We're learning more now about this videotape that was released through Al-Jazeera.

It shows Osama bin Laden with fellow al Qaeda members, apparently, according to Al-Jazeera, planning the 9/11 attacks, possibly just a few days before the attacks on the United States, back in 2001. It also shows various training and preparation for takeovers, and martial arts, and -- but you can see here -- and there you go. There's one shot, two of the hijackers that were killed -- or, actually, that's Binalshibh. I apologize.

But he's one of the individuals that has been taken from the CIA prison and brought over to Gitmo to be held on terrorism charges. Now you just saw a shot of one of the hijackers that was killed. And this also is one of the hijackers that was killed on 9/11.

Anyway, we are identifying faces and names and trying to sort out when exactly this tape was made.

Peter Bergen, one of our terrorism experts, joins me now from Kabul, Afghanistan. He has been following the developments, as well.

And, Peter, you are bringing the information to us now back from 2002, when an Al-Jazeera reporter interviewed Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the individuals, Ramzi Binalshibh, that we saw in that video. What are you learning about that meeting and how it might play into this tape?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, Ramzi Binalshibh, and -- who was one of the key players of 9/11, lived in Germany for much of the time before the 9/11 attacks.

And he told his Al-Jazeera interview that -- that he actually traveled back to Afghanistan to tell bin Laden a few days before the 9/11 attacks that they were imminent. This -- he -- in this interview with Al-Jazeera, he said, in late August of 2001, he went to Pakistan, went to Afghanistan, to personally tell bin Laden that the attacks were imminent on the Thursday before the Tuesday of the attacks.

Now, I can't prove this, but it seems to me possible that the meeting that we're -- that we are seeing in this -- in this tape is Ramzi Binalshibh telling bin Laden the news that the attacks were imminent. After all, it's not like they taped every meeting that bin Laden did. And this would have been a significant event for them.

And it would have been one of the very few times that we know that Ramzi Binalshibh was in Afghanistan in the pre-9/11 -- in the run-up to the 9/11 attack. So, I think there's good reason to believe that this meeting was, in fact, just a few days before 9/11, that this is Ramzi Binalshibh telling bin Laden about the imminent attack.

Another -- another clue, by the way, on this videotape about the time it was made is that we see Abu Hafs, who was the military commander of al Qaeda. Well, he was killed in the fall of 2001 in a U.S. military airstrike. So, it all seems very plausible that this was made in the -- in the run-up to 9/11, as Al-Jazeera is saying. And, certainly, the president presence of Ramzi Binalshibh, who, after all, was living in Germany in the pre-9/11 period, I think adds to that plausibility.

PHILLIPS: We're seeing this tape just days before the five -- fifth-year anniversary of 9/11, Peter. But we still haven't heard from Osama bin Laden or have seen Osama bin Laden in any type of videotape recently. What does that tell us? BERGEN: Could you repeat that? I'm sorry.

PHILLIPS: Osama bin Laden, we haven't heard from him. We haven't seen him on a recent videotape. What could that tell us about his whereabouts? And if he could...

BERGEN: Yes. Well, I mean...

PHILLIPS: Go ahead.

BERGEN: Yes.

You know, obviously, we -- I think we are all expecting a videotape from -- or an audiotape from bin Laden as a way of sort of marking the fifth anniversary of 9/11. We have seen that sort of thing in the past from al Qaeda's leaders. And, so, the fact that we now have this sort of historical footage begs the question of, why don't (AUDIO GAP) have something more contemporary from bin Laden?

Now, it's very possible we may get an (AUDIO GAP) tape. We have had five audiotapes from bin Laden in the last year. We had one just a couple of months ago. And maybe that is sort of in the pipeline. But if we don't hear a videotape or audiotape from bin Laden, you know, in the 9/11 time frame, it raises questions about, you know, what exactly -- what -- what his status is, because I -- I think, of all the moments they want to mark, the fifth anniversary is one of them.

And we have had seven -- something like 12 videotapes from Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda's number two, but none, as you point out, of bin Laden since October 28, 2004, five days before the U.S. presidential election.

PHILLIPS: Peter Bergen, one of our terrorism experts -- Peter, thanks so much.

Video just released through Al-Jazeera of Osama bin Laden and fellow al Qaeda leaders, including two of the hijackers that died on 911 -- apparently, what we're being told, this is videotape just prior to 9/11. It could have been one of those meetings where they are talking about finalizing those attacks that happened five years ago. We're still working details on that tape.

Meanwhile, a severe weather watch in Northern Florida.

Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf, he is on it.

Hey, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey.

Certainly had some rough times in parts of -- of Saint Johns County, Duval County, as well as Flagler County, Florida. We're going to zoom in and show you some of the troubled areas. We had some strong storms raging right through Jacksonville, right along 295, as well as the I-95 Corridor. And we even have some -- some images, some viewer-submitted images we are just going to pop up at any time. Considering the tornado warning was in effect for northeastern Duval County, I assume these photos were from -- hey -- Duval County.

What we can see from this vantage point is, we can't see if the funnel actually made contact with the ground itself. So, right now, this would be a funnel cloud. And this was actually taken, I believe, by a trained spotter, someone who was actually a -- a former employee of the National Weather Service that got this image.

Also, we have had reports of waterspouts right along Saint Johns River, over near Mayport. And, as we go back to the weather computer, you can see, the heaviest rainfall now moving right offshore, just to north of Neptune Beach, Jax Beach, as well as Ponte Vedra.

However, farther south, into places like Flagler County, even in places like

(INSERT 1530)

PHILLIPS: Arrest in Texas in the senseless weekend killing of a disabled man near Houston. Police are now holding two men linked to the death of Barney Goodman, 57 years old and confined to a wheelchair. Goodman was taken under a bridge, beaten and then robbed of cash from his disability check. He was eventually spotted by an off-duty policeman, but died later in the hospital.

Joining me now on the phone is Sheriff Greg Arthur of Liberty County, Texas. Sheriff, the crime is senseless and it's heartless. What was wrong with these two thugs?

SHERIFF GREG ARTHUR, LIBERTY CO., TEXAS: It's hard to say. It's an extremely senseless killing for small amount of money that they received. There was just no -- absolutely no reason for it.

PHILLIPS: Did they know Barney Goodman?

ARTHUR: They did know Barney Goodman. They were all three acquaintances. And initially it was reported he was abducted, but as it turned out, he had went with them. He was renting a room from one of the suspect's mother. And just prior to them taking him and beating him and leaving him, they -- he withdrew about $700 from an ATM machine.

PHILLIPS: Is that how you caught them? They were trying to use his ATM card?

ARTHUR: Well, they had made an attempt to after that, but after we run a check on ATM s, we had -- we got a photo of him using the ATM with them in the background. PHILLIPS: So let me get this straight, then. The two suspects are Hollis B. Buckley and Kenneth Dollery. And this Vietnam vet was renting a room from which one's mother, Buckley's mother or Dollery's?

ARTHUR: Buckley's mother.

PHILLIPS: Buckley's mother. OK. So they knew he was a Vietnam vet, they knew he was getting disability checks. So they got him in the car, they gained his trust and got him to cash the check. And then that's when they beat him and left him for dead?

ARTHUR: They drew money out of the ATM, not cashed a check. The -- his money was electronically deposited. They drew the money out and then they took him -- I don't think he had any idea what was fixing to take place.

PHILLIPS: Now did Buckley and Dollery -- do they have rap sheets? Have they committed crimes in the past?

ARTHUR: No. They've got a -- both have got two misdemeanor convictions. Very -- not a lengthy history at all.

PHILLIPS: Does it surprise you that they acted out this way?

ARTHUR: Yes, it normally -- you kind of see a progression in criminal behavior like that. But this just went from...

PHILLIPS: Bad to worse?

ARTHUR: Yes, about as bad as you can get.

PHILLIPS: Did they show any remorse at all?

ARTHUR: Well, they showed remorse. It's hard to determine whether it's remorse for being caught or remorse for what they did.

PHILLIPS: Well, I hope they get what's coming to them. Back to the -- to Barney Goodman. I understand his son was an Iraqi vet, is that right?

ARTHUR: That's what I understand, yes, he was.

PHILLIPS: Only one son?

ARTHUR: That's all -- yes, I think so.

PHILLIPS: Is his son doing OK?

ARTHUR: Yes. We -- I met with his brother this morning and he said the family was very happy with the quick outcome of the case.

PHILLIPS: So there was confusion at the beginning, Sheriff, that these two thugs had taken his artificial limbs and then dumped him over the bridge. But we're re understanding that he lost his feet to diabetes. And so clarify, did he still have prosthetics, and then how did he get under the bridge? ARTHUR: He still had prosthetics. And he wasn't thrown over the bridge like we initially thought, he was driven down under the bridge, got out of the truck, beaten and robbed. They took his legs and threw his legs in the river.

PHILLIPS: And Goodman tried to survive, correct? Did he pull himself up the road?

ARTHUR: He did. He pulled himself up about 40 yards uphill to the road, where he was seen by a passerby. And he was life flighted to Herman Hospital in Houston where he died.

PHILLIPS: Final question, sheriff. What's going to happen to Buckley and Dollery?

ARTHUR: Well, they will be arraigned. They're under no bond right now, but they'll both be tried for capital murder. They're charged with capital murder, which in Texas is the most serious. You can get life in prison or the death penalty. That's the only two.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know you'll push hard for them to get what they deserve. Sheriff, we appreciate your time.

ARTHUR: Yes, ma'am.

PHILLIPS: Sheriff Greg Arthur of Liberty County, Texas.

Well, first flames, now bees. That's right, bees are plaguing firefighters on the front lines of that huge fire in Montana. Crews are reporting as many as 50 stings a day. The so-called Derby Mountain fire, sparked by lightning two weeks ago, has burned almost 30 homes and blackened nearly 290 square miles.

Reynolds Wolf here to show us just how vast 290 square miles is -- Reynolds.

WOLF: Oh, it is a tremendous, tremendous fire. In fact, as we zoom in, we're going to take a look at it. It's about 15 miles south of Big Timber, in the Gallatin (ph) National Forest. And it is about 45 percent contained at this time. As I kind of ease out the way and get a good look at it.

And just to give you an idea of how big the Derby wildfire is, try the size of the Chicago metropolitan area. I mean, this is a tremendous fire. And as I mentioned, they've got a lot of things to work for -- they've got a lot of work that's really cut out for them. Not only are they dealing with breezy conditions and a lack of rainfall, but they've got plenty of fuel there as well. Really dry timber, a lot of dead foliage out there. And so they've really got their work cut out for them. So certainly, let's keep our fingers crossed for those folks out there that are battling this blaze.

Meanwhile, we're going to switch gears a little bit and talk about the shuttle launch that we're hoping for tomorrow. This is computer forecast, as zoom in on the Kennedy Space Center. We're going to zoom in, show you what we can expect for tomorrow. The launch, by the way, is going to be 11:41 Eastern time. And what we need is about a 20-mile square around this launch site.

We're watching out for the possibility of some anvil clouds, as well as cumulus clouds. Both could keep the launch from occurring. But right now we're expecting about a 70 percent likelihood for a launch, with a temperature around 84 degrees and a slight chance of scattered showers.

That's a look at both the fire and the shuttle forecast. Let's hit it back to you.

PHILLIPS: Reynolds Wolf, appreciate it.

WOLF: You bet.

PHILLIPS: What's eventually black and white and red all over right now? Boil some water and meet us back in the "NEWSROOM" for the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: That's Yang-Yang. Guess what? He finally woke up. And boy, he's working on that bamboo. Rusty Dornin is live at the Zoo Atlanta. Panda-monium, panda-monium, panda-monium. I'm really saying it because you didn't want me too.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, that's why you are doing it, just to make me crazy.

But Yang-Yang did wake up a little while ago. He actually changed pens and his keeper put some fresh bamboo in there. They eat about 12 to 14 hours a day, and by the end of the day, he'll have consumed about 30 pounds.

They are very solitary creatures, so Yang-Yang will never see the baby. He also doesn't, and other than mating, never spends time with Lun-Lun, of course, his mate who just had a four ounce baby just last night. It's been just about 24 hours, coming up on 24 hours. And you've got a lot of very excited zoo officials, but very tired zoo officials, including Jay Pratte, who has spent a long time with the pandas, kind of nurturing her through her 35 hour labor. That's record-breaking, right?

JAY PRATTE, ATLANTA ZOO KEEPER: Yes.

DORNIN: OK. So how are mother and the baby doing?

PRATTE: They're doing great today. Lun is showing a lot of really positive behavior. She has not put the baby down since she first picked it up after she gave birth to it. We hear a lot of loud, squeaking vocal noises. Well, we haven't actually gone near or touched the baby or handled it yet, because Lun-Lun has been such a good mother. We're hearing everything that means it's positive, it's a healthy baby, it's good color, it's moving and squirming. And the lungs on that thing, let me tell you.

DORNIN: I know 50 percent of pandas may have twin. And you're still wondering if there's a twin.

PRATTE: We are still well within the window where she could have a, ostensibly, second baby. We don't know for sure. We've been watching her closely, but right now she's exhibiting so many new behaviors for her, that it's kind of hard to gauge what's going on exactly. We haven't seen many that would indicate it, but that still doesn't put it out of the ballpark. Lun-Lun had not been exhibiting many normal birthing behaviors and then all of a sudden, first thing Tuesday morning, here we are.

DORNIN: Well, if she does have another twin, I understand sometimes in the wild they'll abandon the second one.

PRATTE: They won't raise two. So we are entirely set up in the back. We were just in case Lun-Lun had one and, let's say, was unable to take care of it, or it had been sick or, in the case of twins, in which case we would have to raise one or both, swap them out so they've got time with mom, able to be able to nurse. So we've got a full nursery set up in the back of our building with our vet staff and our night keepers watching.

DORNIN: Great, thanks a lot. Jay Pratte.

They're just keeping a watchful eye out to see what happens, wondering if there's going to be a second cub born here at the Zoo Atlanta -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Rusty, just real quickly. I don't know if the zoo, or possibly our guests, but explain to our viewers why it's such a big deal, the birth of a panda.

DORNIN: We'll have Jay explain it, because he's the panda expert here. She was asking about why is it a big deal to have the panda born in captivity?

PRATTE: There's so few of them. I mean, the last census for the world was actually a really good number. They figure it was about 1,600, they suspect. But a smaller proportion of those are going to be in captivity, and that's where most of our breeding, where we can see what's happening, we know what's going on, we know the genetics of the population. And so right now, I mean if you think about it, I mean, 1,600 people, we get how many more times visitors just to the zoo today than there are pandas alive in the world. So every birth is significant, every birth gives us the opportunity to do more research, to learn more, to spend time with them and educate the public.

DORNIN: Great, thank you very much.

One quick thing, interesting though. Because they pay the Chinese governor $1.1 million a year, now they are going to have to pay extra for the cubs, too.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, Rusty Dornin, thanks so much. Jay, thanks.

Let's check in now with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in the SITUATION ROOM. What's coming up?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Kyra.

What's coming up is a new Osama bin Laden videotape that's just surfaced. It supposedly shows bin Laden five years ago as he met with some of the 9/11 hijackers. We'll show you the video, plus our terrorism analyst Peter Bergen will join us live from Afghanistan. He's been there for several days now.

How big of an issue will national security be when it comes to the elections in November? We are going to take a closer look at the issue that divides voters and drives many of them to the polls this year.

And blurring the line between fact and fiction, several top members of the Clinton administration are now protesting an upcoming ABC and 9/11 miniseries. Does it unfairly dramatize the Clinton administration's efforts to try to stop bin Laden? I'll speak with one former Clinton cabinet member.

All that, Kyra, coming up. Right here in the SITUATION ROOM.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Wolf. The closing bell and a wrap of action on Wall Street straight ahead.

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