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Terror in Afghanistan; New York Police Corner Alleged Cop Killer

Aired September 08, 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: It's the top of the hour.
And it's taken New York police five months to get the drop on Ralph "Buck" Phillips. Today, the jail escapee and alleged cop killer may be cornered, at last.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick now has the latest.

What do we know now?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we do know that he is on foot. We know that he is wearing camouflage clothing. He is hiding in an area of the Pennsylvania-New York border.

Police have set up a perimeter in the vicinity. They do believe that they have got him surrounded. They are sending in a mobile response team, sort of like a SWAT team, to try to flush him out. But troopers say they just don't know how he will react, how desperate he is, or whether he will wait until nightfall to make his move.

The chief superintendent spoke this afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Has Phillips outsmarted you once again?

WAYNE BENNETT, SUPERINTENDENT, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: Frankly, I'm offended by that comment. OK? You know, you people make it sound like we're in the middle of a golf course, trying to hunt a fugitive. Take a look around you. Go back up to where we have been. You know, like I said before, he can run, but he won't hide. We have never, ever not caught people we're after. So...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now, the massive manhunt began at about 2:00 this morning.

But Phillips stole and abandoned two cars. On the second time, he was followed into the woods by a New York state trooper with a canine. Apparently, Phillips turned, pulled a pistol on the trooper, but the trooper fired first, getting off several shots.

Now, sources tell CNN that it appeared, the way Buck Phillips moved, that in fact he was hit. But no blood trail was found. Now, inside one of the cars, a backpack that they do believe belongs to Buck Phillips -- inside, camouflage clothes, a wanted poster from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, along with a hat that apparently he was wearing in one of the pictures that appears on that poster.

So, he's very aware of the fact that he is wanted and who is looking for him. There are now many different agencies in the area, not just local police, but state police and federal agents, the Fugitive Task Force, ATF, FBI, all of them there helping take part in that hunt -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Deb Feyerick, thanks so much. We will keep updating our viewers.

Meanwhile, a telltale attack from the Taliban -- a suicide bombing killing two American troops and 11 or more civilians in the Afghan capital. The NATO commander predicted that new operations would stir up a hornet's nest.

Jamie McIntyre, well, it looks he's right, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, yes.

You know, I -- when I heard that General George -- General Jim Jones that he was surprised by the level of violence, I was a little bit surprised, because I had traveled with him to Afghanistan. He had warned everyone that there was going to be an uptick in violence as NATO moved into the south.

But I think what surprised them is the nature and tactics employed by the Taliban. They appear to be very well-funded, very well-armed. They are standing and fighting, not in so much traditional guerrilla tactics. And we're seeing, increasingly, the tactics employed by insurgents in Iraq, that is, suicide bombers and roadside bombs.

And this bomb in the capital of Kabul today was just a very short distance from the very heavily fortified area where the NATO headquarters is and where the U.S. Embassy is, a deadly blast that killed at least 16 people, including two American soldiers. So, we are definitely seeing an uptick in violence in the south.

And what General Jones says commanders need is for NATO nations which have pledged to outfit the NATO force there to come through with everything they have promised. And, so far, they haven't. They are missing a squadron of attack helicopters that they should have. They are missing a reserve battalion that they should have. And they are missing some critical transport planes.

And while General Jones says he's confident that NATO troops will prevail over time, he said they could certainly do much better quicker with fewer casualties if they had everything that the NATO troops are supposed to have.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jamie McIntyre, thanks so much.

We want to get straight to the newsroom now -- Fredricka Whitfield with details on a developing story.

Fred, what do you have?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this, Kyra, involving the American Red Cross.

The federal government's FDA has been find the American Red Cross $4 million, because it says that the American Red Cross violated blood safety laws, such as not asking appropriate questions of potential donors and following test procedures, the fine, $4 million.

The FDA released a statement explaining, in some detail, that the fines stem from a recently completed FDA review of recalls conducted by the American Red Cross between 2003 and 2005, finding that these events were preventable -- preventable, and the violations including those breaches of good manufacturing practice.

And it goes into detail about the failure of asking appropriate questions to some of those donors -- no response yet from the American Red Cross. And it is not being said by the FDA that there was any evidence of serious health consequences that resulted from these violations.

So, right now, it is looking like some administrative problems, in terms of how they carry out receiving blood from certain donors, the kinds of questions that are being asked of people -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, thanks.

Well, like the Taliban, Osama bin Laden is still making his presence felt. Five years after 9/11, he is still believed to be hiding along the border between Afghanistan and northern Pakistan.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in the region now known as Waziristan. He filed this exclusive report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: About half-a-mile, about half-a-kilometer in that direction is the border with Afghanistan. We're at a Pakistani army frontier post. They have 28,000 soldiers in this area, north Waziristan.

The Pakistani government has been very keen to show us how they can patrol and secure this border, so that Taliban can't get from Pakistan, move across the border into Afghanistan to strike the coalition troops.

They have taken us on a helicopter tour of the border. They have shown us how mountainous it is. They have shown us there are many different border posts in the area.

This is typical of the border posts. It's quite an old building. They have a number of troops here who go out on nighttime patrols. The patrols here also go out during the day. On the hilltops, either side, they have observation posts. They have tracks, roads. They've built hundreds of miles of roads to help secure the border here in the past few years.

The Pakistani army has taken a number of casualties, several hundred killed, in many cases by roadside bombs, in the past year, that have been planted by the Taliban and other insurgent elements in this particular area. But the government here says that the new deal it's worked out where the tribes can work, can hold. That puts -- takes the army off some checkpoints, puts them in their bases, but allows the army to focus its strength along the border. And they say that's the most critical area.

They now have 97 of these border posts along the border, another 50 posts just behind those. The Pakistani military now say that Taliban cannot get across the border in vehicles. They say, possibly -- possibly -- one or two may be able to get across on foot. But they feel that they have this border now very well secured, stopping large numbers of Taliban leaving Pakistan, going across the border into Afghanistan, and striking at U.S. troops there.

Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Pakistan-Afghan border, north...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, this weekend, get a closer look at the man who brought 9/11 to America. Watch "In the Footsteps of bin Laden," a "CNN PRESENTS" investigation, already seen by more than 10 million people around the world. That's Saturday and Sunday night, 7:00 Eastern.

Twin bombs near a mosque in India, at least 33 people, another 100 hurt. India's security chief says the bombs may have been strapped to a bicycle in the mostly Muslim city of Malegaon. Thousands of Muslims had gathered nearby for Friday prayers.

Business as usual in the ports of Beirut and all along Lebanon's coast -- Israel removed its sea blockade today, a day after it cleared Lebanon's airspace. Italian navy ships are patrolling the coast, part of the international force overseeing the Israeli-Hezbollah cease- fire. Lebanon's government tells CNN, the blockade was costing as much as $50 million a day in lost trade.

Mystery solved -- the Washington insider whose leak caused a tidal wave of scandal and intrigue has finally come forward. Richard Armitage, Colin Powell's former deputy at the State Department, is fessing up to outing CIA operative Valerie Plame. Armitage says he inadvertently mentioned Plame's identity to newspaper columnist Bob Novak, and he regrets everything that happened after that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE CBS EVENING NEWS")

DAVID MARTIN, CBS CORRESPONDENT: You would have taken a lot of wind out of this whole feeding frenzy, if you had come forward.

RICHARD ARMITAGE, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: The special counsel, once he was appointed, asked me not to discuss this, and I honored his request.

MARTIN: You saw the president all the time.

ARMITAGE: Yes, sir.

MARTIN: Did you ever think of saying Mr. President, I screwed up?

ARMITAGE: Oh, I thought every day about how I'd screwed up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff is the only White House staffer charged in this case. Lewis Libby is accused of lying to authorities about conversations he had with reporters.

Shouldering responsibilities, just not at the Pentagon, and probably not with his shoulder -- it seems rotator cuff surgery is keeping Donald Rumsfeld laid up longer than expected. The defense secretary, who is 74, had his left shoulder worked on Tuesday to fix what he called an old sports injury. He had been expected in the office as early as Wednesday. But, today, we're told he's still working from home. We're also told that he's expected to take part in 9/11 ceremonies on Monday.

An arrest in the case of a missing Marine, but foul play is not involved -- details ahead from Boulder, Colorado, right here from the NEWSROOM.

Bright, cheerful, and born in the shadow of a national tragedy -- one family's reason to celebrate on September 11, a symbol of hope named Spencer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: September 11, 2001 -- I know you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when the world changed all around us.

Well, a Virginia couple is no different , except, for them, 9/11 also was a day for new beginnings, new hope, and, in their words, ultimate joy.

Jim Huber shares their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM HUBER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dawn began peeking over the Virginia shipyards, as Stephen and Shari Melillo made their way across the James River Bridge, only a few hours before their lives, and, indeed, the life of America, would change forever.

SHARI MELILLO, MOTHER: There were complications with the pregnancy. He was -- he was due September 12. They wanted to take him a whole month early. There I am -- I have got I.V.s in. I'm headed down the -- the hallway to the operating room.

HUBER (on camera): So, think you're having him at that point?

SHARI MELILLO: Yes. But something in me...

(CROSSTALK)

SHARI MELILLO: ... it was just massive intuition, said, we're not doing this today.

HUBER (voice-over): And, so, instead, it was 6:30 Eastern time on the morns of September 11, 2001, when the happy young couple drove to Riverside Regional Medical Center to give birth, finally, to their first son, Spencer.

SHARI MELILLO: Well, I think any mother, you know, your first hope is just that you have a healthy -- healthy child, and an easier -- an easy delivery, and all that. But I don't know.

STEPHEN MELILLO, FATHER: The events of September 11 don't change what it is that I hoped for him before. What they actually do is amplify it, in -- in -- in a way. They exaggerate the -- the hopes and the dreams.

HUBER (on camera): The Melillos of Smithfield, Virginia, were about to bring a child into a world that seems now, in retrospect, five years hence, about as innocent as that in which Ward and June Cleaver lived lifetime ago.

(voice-over): In the backwoods of Tennessee, for instance, Jennifer (ph) had disappeared on the 10th of September, and the frantic search was on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard (INAUDIBLE) came down and checked this cave first. And there he was.

HUBER: He was a wayward calf. And once the good men of Anderson County had rescued him, he was welcomed back into the loving nuzzles of his family -- a crisis averted.

In West Hollywood, California, an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale shook up most of that portion of Los Angeles on September 10, mighty welcome to at least one new resident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, shake. Not so strong in short time. I wasn't afraid.

HUBER: In the town of Newark, Ohio, a few offended residents spent much of September 10 celebrating a victory in the great smelly egg suit of 2001, awarded $19.7 million in damages from the Buckeye Egg Farm, said to be the cause of great odor and infestation.

There was mold in Manhattan that morning, and optimistic, but very ironic news about the World Trade Center. There were plans for expansion, the story read, as retailing boomed -- the sky, yes. Pete Sampras lost in the finals of the U.S. Open on the night of September 10. Tiger Woods was in Saint Louis and already on the course practicing the morning of September 11 for the American Express Championship at Bellerive Country Club, while the basketball world was awaiting confirmation of the rumor that Michael Jordan would be making a comeback with the Washington Wizards.

Shari Melillo, meanwhile, gave birth by caesarean section to seven-pound, 11-ounce Spencer, just a few minutes after 8:00 on that sparkling, peaceful morning five years ago. Stephen, an internationally renowned composer and conductor, was busy documenting the occasion. He would later put the moment to both words and music for the world to hear and feel.

But it was a camera move from mother and child to the nearby T. V. set that would offer the resounding crescendo.

SHARI MELILLO: Here you've got this ultimate joy. You know, you've got tears of joy. You see your baby for the first time and he's got all ten fingers and all ten toes, and he's happy and alive. And you've got the joy. And then minutes later, you're alone in a room, trying to wiggle your toes and hearing this horrific news. And you know, you just go to the opposite end of the spectrum, and you're back in worry and fear. It's just -- I always say, it's too much for one day.

HUBER: Spencer has a birthday soon, a date the entire world recognizes now as a symbol of great tragedy and resolve. He, and it, turn five.

SPENCER MELILLO, BORN ON SEPTEMBER 11: Is a cookie healthy for your brain?

SHARI MELILLO: For your brain?

(LAUGHTER)

HUBER (on camera): It's not numbers anymore. I mean, it's not a date anymore. It's a symbol to all of us, I think.

SHARI MELILLO: Right. Right.

HUBER: How does -- how does a young man grow up with that attached to him so significantly?

SHARI MELILLO: You know, people -- it's so funny. It's almost like a litmus test to me, because it will come up at the playground or McDonald's or wherever I am that, you know, Spencer was born 9/11/01, not just 9/11/01, but the hour.

And -- and, quickly, I find out what someone is made of, because they will say, oh, I'm so sorry, and what a horrible thing.

But, sometimes, I will get someone who says, that's fantastic. You know, what hope in beauty. HUBER: A second son came just a year ago, the date his August birth not especially dramatic, but Schafer (ph) was a big baby. He weighed in at precisely 9.11.

I'm Jim Huber for CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the president will mark Monday's 9/11 anniversary with a prime-time speech. The White House says it will start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and last less than 20 minutes -- live coverage, of course, right here on CNN.

And CNN has live coverage all day Monday focusing on September 11, 2001. At CNN.com, Pipeline will play CNN's original coverage uncut, unedited, as it happened live on CNN five years ago. That starts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Pipeline. Just log on to CNN.com to watch.

Family ties, the unlikely relationship between an American pilot and Osama bin Laden's father. CNN's John Roberts has an exclusive look at the photos -- just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: On-again, off-again, again and again. Space shuttle Atlantis is becoming quite the fixture on launchpad 39-B. NASA called off today's scheduled liftoff, not because of the weather this time, but because of a fuel sensor that may be on the blink. The next launch window is tomorrow, about 11:15 a.m. Eastern.

NASA has been trying to get Atlantis off the ground for a crucial space station consultant mission since August 27.

Now, when you're checking out a new car in dealers' showrooms, well, you look at the sticker price and the gas mileage. How about crash test data?

Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with some car safety info you need to know.

You know, every now and then, I look at "Consumer Reports," but that's never something that I have focused on. What about you, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, neither here.

But, I mean, it makes a lot of sense, because, you know, the popularity of some cars, you think, and these big ones especially, that they are safer, but there might be rollovers.

And what is -- what is happening is, this information is out there. It will just be more visible, Kyra. New regulations will require government crash test data to be included on window stickers of new vehicles by next September. The new guidelines come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency's Web site, safercar.gov, already has the data, but the change will make the info easily accessible when you're in dealers' showrooms and lots.

And, Kyra, I know that you have been looking for cars recently.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I have, still haven't solidified the deal. But I guess...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: ... I will have to be checking those crash test details.

Well, all vehicles subject to the new rules, right, or no?

LISOVICZ: No. Pickup trucks don't have to include the data, although some automakers, including GM and Ford, which make so many of them, have said they will put the information on all its vehicle, including pickups.

And Honda already includes crash test data on its stickers. The government rates cars and trucks on a scale of one to five stars to help consumers evaluate a vehicle's ability to withstand a crash and its likelihood of rolling over -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, stocks still holding on to those gains?

LISOVICZ: They are not rolling over, Kyra. They are building on the gains. It looks like we are going to have a nice finish to the week, even though the averages are a bit lower for this holiday- shortened week -- one of the major factors, big drop in oil prices. They fell more than $1 today, closing at $66.25 a barrel. That is down about three bucks this week alone, and more than 10 bucks from the all-time high hit in July -- some catalysts, BP's announcement yesterday that it could reopen the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, oil field sooner than expected.

Also, weekly gas inventories came in higher than expected.

Right now, the Dow is up 68 points, or about two-thirds of a percent. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is up better than half-a-percent, as well.

That's the latest from Wall Street -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan, thanks so much.

Well, we're following a developing story, the search for fugitive Ralph "Buck" Phillips. the jail escapee and alleged cop killer may be cornered at last -- a live report straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

Plus, real-life heroism brought to the big screen -- ahead, from the NEWSROOM, reliving 9/11. I will talk with a 9/11 rescuer and the actor who plays him in the movie "World Trade Center." It's a gripping and courageous story you won't want to miss. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Henrik Jensen plays big roles in a handful of A-list movies. But it's unlikely you have ever seen his face.

HENRIK WANN JENSEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO: For example, in "Jurassic Park," we have dinosaurs, something that we, as humans, haven't really seen before. So, when you simulate them with computer graphics techniques, it's OK if they sort of don't look exactly right.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: The new technique focuses on a much more difficult task, animating things we see every day such as human faces or even glasses of milk. But Jensen's not limited to fantasy worlds.

JENSEN: I could see sort of the medical industry as the next big frontier. We will try to help them with sort of computer science technology and -- and faster methods for precise interaction of the simulation of the light and how it interacts with skin, in order to treat various diseases. That's an area with a lot of potential.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Blame it on the Taliban. A devastating suicide car bomb attack near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul today was a Taliban effort, by the group's own admission. There are U.S. casualties, many more Afghan casualties, and further evidence the Taliban is alive and well in Afghanistan's capital.

CNN's Anderson Cooper is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Today's blast shattered the early-morning calm of Kabul. A vehicle laden with explosives slammed into a U.S. military convoy, killing two U.S. soldiers, wounding one other. As many as 10 Afghans were killed. Some 27 were wounded, according to Afghan government officials.

It -- it is just the -- the latest example of the -- the resurgence of the Taliban and their adoption of al Qaeda-style tactics. Suicide bombings used to be very rare in Afghanistan. This year, there have been some 70 attacks, in this year alone.

Intelligence sources I have spoken with blame several factors on the rise of the Taliban. They say increased dissatisfaction with the government of Hamid Karzai here in Afghanistan, also, the rise of the -- this year's opium crop, and the money that the Taliban makes off that crop from taxing it.

Also, intelligence sources also point the finger at Pakistan. They say that Pakistan has not done enough to try to curtail the Taliban operating inside Pakistan.

They, in fact, say -- intelligence sources I spoke with, say that the Taliban's leader Mullah Omar, the blind cleric who disappeared in December of 2001, a man who has a price on his head from the U.S., is in fact living in Pakistan. Intelligence sources say he's living in Quetta or in the surrounding areas.

Pakistan says they are doing everything they can to hunt down Taliban leaders but a cease-fire agreement they have now signed with Taliban militants in north Waziristan has caused dismay among intelligence sources I've spoken with today. They say it will lead to more across border operations and an even greater rise in Taliban strength in southern Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well cars stolen, shots fired, a state trooper even looked Ralph "Buck" Phillips in the eye as he fled through the woods, but for now the jail escapee and alleged ambush killer of a New York trooper is still on the loose. A visibly frustrated state police superintendent faced reporters just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPT. WAYNE E. BENNET, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: I won't say I'm confident, you know, completely convinced that this is going to come to the conclusion we want. You can never go there because you can't predict the outcome here. We've had him before where we have been close and he has got out. Am I fairly confident that this is the best opportunity we had, yes. Am I totally convinced that I can come back to you in a short time and say it's over. I'm not about to go there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Reporter Lorey Schultz with our affiliate WIVB joins us live with an update. Lorey what can you tell us?

LOREY SCHULTZ, WIVB REPORTER: Well Kyra, right now he is definitely the most wanted man in America. But I'll tell you, state police here in New York think that they have him contained within a three to five mile radius, not far from where I'm standing actually, right along the New York State/Pennsylvania border. You can see in the distance, you know, there is a couple of command sites set up. This just happens to be one of them. This one closest to the site.

You're looking at just the wooded area that they are dealing with in this search for him, very wooded, very dense, heavy, thick, shrubbery. So, it's been really tough and making it even tougher is that this fugitive seems to be very familiar with these wooded areas. Now he was last seen at about 9:00 this morning when a canine unit spotted him along the Pennsylvania/New York border.

Two troopers, claimed Phillips turned, looked at them, allegedly pointed a pistol at them, at which point the troopers fired several shots. Not certain whether Phillips was hit, but again he took off and that's where we are right now. He took off. State police, it was interesting to hear the interview segment, the clip that you ran from the superintendent Wayne Bennet.

You know they are confident a little bit because this is really the most intense search I have seen since it started five months ago. They really think they have him contained and cornered and they are not waiting for him to come out. They are prepared, fully prepared to go in and get him.

PHILLIPS: And Lorey, that superintendent, boy he doesn't hold back with how he feels. One of the reporters, I don't know if it was you, or who it was, said do you think he's injured. He said I don't know but I sure hope so.

SCHULTZ: Well, yes, no, he's been very forthcoming and honest all along, very frank. There was no blood at the scene found. So they don't know. In fact, hours before that he had crashed a stolen vehicle into a tree, but he managed to get away. Don't know if he's injured. But that's how Ralph Phillips is. That's what we're learning. He's very elusive and he moves very quickly.

PHILLIPS: All right Lorey Schultz with our affiliate WIVB, sure appreciate the update. Now look closely in the highlighted circle, it is surveillance video of an attorney being attacked and abducted in Birmingham, Alabama in May. You remember this? Well today the suspect is on the lose again. The FBI says that Cedrick Grim (ph) broke out of jail last night, just a day after a Grand Jury indicted him.

Foul play or cold feet? The case of a missing marine in Colorado may be a hoax. He disappeared just days before he was due to return to Iraq and now CNN's Keith Oppenheim is following the story in Boulder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office are trying to pinpoint the whereabouts of a marine that they first thought was missing, but now it appears the original story has unraveled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everyone had some suspicions over the course of the last few days.

OPPENHEIM: Authorities in Colorado believe Marine Corporal Lance Herring staged his own disappearance just days before he was scheduled to return to Iraq.

CMDR. PHIL WEST, BOULDER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: I guess we wanted to believe that nobody would do something like this and that this was still a legitimate search and rescue effort.

OPPENHEIM: For five days a platoon of police and volunteers combed the area where the 21-year-old marine went missing. His friend Steve Powers initially told police Herring was injured while they were rock climbing in Eldorado Canyon. But police say Powers later admitted the two men concocted the story. WEST: The time line that he had given us, as far as when they were hiking, when the fall had occurred, how he had allegedly stayed with Lance for up to four hours while he was unconscious and then went for help, started raising some concerns.

OPPENHEIM: Police arrested Powers for false reporting. And they say he offered a possible motive for Herring's disappearing act.

WEST: What he is reporting is that Lance did not want to return to complete his tour of duty in the marines. I think we're a little chagrined, certainly a little embarrassed that we were duped, angry.

OPPENHEIM: Herring's whereabouts are still unknown but one retired marine, who took part in the search. is giving his fellow Semper Fi the benefit of the doubt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first take is this is a man who apparently has served our country in a combat situation in Iraq and he needs help.

OPPENHEIM: If Corporal Herring doesn't show up to Camp Pendleton, California by Monday he will officially be listed by the military as AWOL and interestingly investigators here say the most he would be charged with, if found, is a misdemeanor. They still want to find him so they can fine him as much as tens of thousands of dollars that went into the search for him.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Boulder, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Real life heroism brought to the big screen. Ahead from THE NEWSROOM, reliving 9/11. I'm going to talk with a 9/11 rescuer and the actor who plays him in the movie "World Trade Center." It's a gripping and courageous story you won't want to miss.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wilson Goode Senior served two terms as mayor of Philadelphia. In retirement the 68-year-old is now serving children of incarcerated parents and hoping to change the direction of their lives.

WILSON GOODE SR., DIRECTOR, AMACHI: When I learned 70 percent of those children will end up in jail themselves, I knew that I had to do something.

MORRIS: In 2000 Goode earned his doctorate of ministry and became director of Amachi, a faith based organization that has paired 30,000 children with mentors.

GOODE: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever the case may be.

MORRIS: The cause is close to Goode's heart. At age 14 his father went to jail and a local church came to his rescue. GOODE: My pastor and his wife became, in essence, my big brother and my big sisters, and when my high school counselor said you're not college material, they said you can be whatever you want to be.

MORRIS: Goode is on the job about six days a week, meeting with inmates, congregations and public officials. One of his goals is to secure state funding in all 50 states.

GOODE: I'm at the highest point of my life. I wake up, I look forward to what the day will bring to me.

MORRIS: Valerie Morris, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Almost five years have passed, but the 9/11 attacks are a searing memory for anyone who witnessed that horrible day. There were also moments of hope, of course, in the courageous response of New York police and firefighters. Their bravery is captured in the Oliver Stone film "World Trade Center".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe, evacuate the tower. Who's coming?

Step forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it, sarge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: With me now from New York, Scott Strauss is a retired New York police officer who helped rescue two of the last survivors at Ground Zero. Actor Steven Dorff plays Strauss in the movie. They both join me together, Steve from Los Angeles, Scott from New York.

And this is the first interview you guys have done together, is that right?

SCOTT STRAUSS, RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE: First one today.

STEPHEN DORFF, ACTOR: First one today.

PHILLIPS: My guess is it won't be the last.

Scott, no doubt you remember 9/11 vividly. But what about prior to the attacks, do you remember what you were doing until the moment you were called to the scene?

STRAUSS: Yes, absolutely. I was working the midnight tour in the New York City Police Department assigned to the Emergency Service Unit, which is the SWAT and rescue team for the city. I had finished work, covering Lower Manhattan, about 8:00 in the morning. I was on my way home to Long Island.

And I heard on the news radio one of the towers got hit by a plane. I raced home, got into my house, and my kids were at school, my wife was getting ready to go to work. I turned on the TV, let her know what happened. I was just trying to get an idea as to what was going on. The hole was huge. It wasn't a small plane, obviously.

And then we saw the second plane hit the other tower and I jumped up. Kissed my wife good-bye and went right back into work.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Stephen, do you remember where you were?

DORFF: I was actually here in New York, I was in Soho, so I was about 15 blocks away. So I was -- wasn't as close as Scott, obviously, but I was scared and I was there. So I just wanted to get back to my family, you know, and I didn't really know like everybody what was happening next.

PHILLIPS: So when the movie came about and you saw the script, what was your first reaction? Or did you have to think a little bit about it, Stephen, before you said yes?

DORFF: No, I mean, from the minute I read the script I just -- I loved the story. I loved the screenplay that Andrea Berloff wrote. I didn't know about Will Hermano (ph) and John McLaughlin (ph). I think I read a little bit about it in New York, their story.

But the script was so beautifully done and I felt like it was such a film to show the important things in life, you know, family, love, heroism. Just what these people did and also, you know, the miraculous effect that it has a happy ending at the end of this film.

I mean these guys did get back to the families. And meeting Scott, I identified with Scott's character, Scott Strauss, in the script immediately. When Oliver asked me to do it, I was just blown away. I mean, I had wanted to work with Oliver for a long time. And I felt this was the perfect film to do it in.

PHILLIPS: Stephen mentioned Will Hermano. Scott, tell us about him. And tell us about that moment.

STRAUSS: Will is a fantastic individual. His family is fantastic. The same with John McLaughlin, his wife Donna and their kids. Will is a great, great person, inspirational. He's a very thankful guy. We're family. He's a fantastic person. We have gotten close over these last five years. I don't know if you met him yet.

PHILLIPS: I haven't had a chance to meet him, but tell our viewers what happened, and how the two of you connected on 9/11?

STRAUSS: Well, obviously, he was buried in the rubble. We got word two Port Authority police officers trapped. We started a rescue operation and it took us three hours to get Will out and additional seven to eight to get John out. It was tense at times. We didn't think we were going to get him out. But we certainly weren't going to stop trying. We had some light hearted moments down in the hole. STRAUSS: Tell us a light hearted moment.

STRAUSS: Well, we're trying to pull him out when we thought we had him out, but unfortunately his leg was still stuck. And we were making kind of some weight jokes, sure it's got to be the fat guy, and you know, kind of laughing a little bit, as odd as that sounds. But we needed to keep the tension broken. We needed to keep a little bit of humor in that bad place.

PHILLIPS: The gift of distraction.

STRAUSS: Pretty much.

PHILLIPS: Hey guys, let's take a look at a clip from the movie.

STRAUSS: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the gear, buddy. Try this, Marine K-Bar, best knife ever made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a name, marine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staff Sergeant Karns (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need something a little shorter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staff Sergeant. You all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife is Pat Strauss, tell her and my kids I love them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Wow, Scott what did you learn about Pat Strauss, Scott Strauss, that you will never forget after taking on this role and just spending so much time with Scott?

DORFF: This movie was beyond just a film. As an actor you do a bunch of films. If you're lucky enough to be in that situation, you walk away, hopefully with a good film.

This film, not only I think was a fantastic made picture, and just effected me as an audience member, not just being in it. But when I walk away, I just really got to care about who I was playing. And I got the great fortune of walking away with a great friend and Scott doesn't like me to talk about him being a hero, you know, and stuff.

PHILLIPS: Go ahead, though, because he's not anywhere near you or me. So you go ahead and brag. DORFF: He's an incredible man. And just I think all the people that I met, a lot of Scott's friends. A lot of -- just the warmth that I felt and a lot of the -- they were so forthcoming with information. And I think it was a real hard thing for Scott to take me -- go back into that day for him to. It's something that never left him and will never leave him, and to break down and open up to me everything that happened and what he was feeling so I could try to recreate those moments, was just incredible.

I just -- you know, Pat and his kids, Brian and Christopher. A great family in Long Island, somebody I want to see every couple weeks. When we haven't seen each other I always start to miss him. So I call him, I say I miss you, buddy.

But I mean everybody, Will Hermano, John McLaughlin, it really was an incredible experience because A, I think we made a great film that needed to be told. At the same time, I walk away with a lot of knowledge, a lot of feelings for these people and...

PHILLIPS: Well, I think you and I both respect how Scott is extremely humble. And Scott, I expect that from you, just doing what you did as a part of SWAT, as a part of law enforcement. You don't do for it the glory, you do it because that's what you're trained to do and that's what you believe in.

And I know you were concerned about this movie, possibly exploiting what had happened, not getting the story completely right. I know that's why you wanted to get involved. So what do you want everyone to walk away with after they see this film, the ones that decide to go and see it?

STRAUSS: Number one, it doesn't have a political agenda attached to it. It's not about conspiracy theories. It's just a great down to earth, love your family story. When you come out of the theater, you're going to realize that you love your family more than you possibly could ever imagine. If you have a strong family bond and you love your friends there's nothing that you can't get through. It's a fantastic, uplifting story.

PHILLIPS: Scott Strauss, Steven Dorff. The movie is "World Trade Center".

Guys, thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

STRAUSS: Thanks, Kyra.

DORFF: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well CNN has live coverage all day Monday focusing on September 11, 2001. At CNN.com/pipeline we'll play CNN's original coverage uncut, unedited as it happened live on CNN five years ago. That starts at 8:20 a.m. Eastern right here on pipeline, just log on to CNN.com and watch.

Straight ahead, Tropical Storm Florence gaining strength and closing in on Bermuda. We're tracking the storm from CNN "Weather Center".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Tropical Storm Florence. It's the big one bound for Bermuda as early as late Sunday, but by then it's expected to grow into a Category 2 hurricane. Reynolds Wolf tracking Florence from the CNN Weather Center. Hey, Reynolds.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, from one Wolf to the next. Wolf Blitzer now standing by in "THE SIT ROOM" to tell us what is coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Kyra.

Election year politics or a damaging indictment? Both Republicans and Democrats are coming out swinging and a new report just out today on CIA prewar intelligence in Iraq. We'll tell you what is going on.

What will make the final cut in an ABC 9/11 miniseries? The movie is under fire from former top Clinton administration officials. We're going to talk with one of the movie's executive producers, that is, 9/11 Commission co-chairman, former New Jersey governor Tom Kean, and former national security adviser under Clinton, Sandy Berger. They will be joining us live here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger making a quick apology for some potentially embarrassing comments caught on tape. All that, Kyra, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: All right, Wolf. We'll be watching.

Well, the "Closing Bell" and a wrap of action on Wall Street is straight ahead. Ali Velshi standing by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Ali Velshi, time for the "Closing Bell." Joins us live from New York. How about those gas prices? They're actually going down?

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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