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American Morning
Attack in Kabul; Al Qaeda Tape; Death Order; Shuttle Atlantis; Missing Marine; Unnecessary Roughness
Aired September 08, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Anderson Cooper is in Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just about a half hour after we landed here in Kabul, there was a suicide attack very close to the airport. That's what's left of the vehicle that was packed with explosives.
What we know is that it hit an American military convoy that was traveling down this main road in downtown Kabul. Three vehicles were in the convoy. Two American soldiers, we know, have been killed. One has been wounded.
There are unconfirmed reports of a number of Afghan fatalities. We don't have confirmation of that yet. We did see a number of Afghan civilians being treated at the scene and they've left the scene already.
So a real sign of the resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda here in Afghanistan. Also a sign, experts say, that the Taliban is increasingly adopting al Qaeda tactics. In 2001, there was only one suicide bombing in all of Afghanistan. This year alone there have been more than 40 and it's the second suicide attack in Kabul this week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Anderson is reporting from Afghanistan to mark the anniversary of 9/11. Anderson Cooper airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern here on CNN.
Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A new al Qaeda tapes five years in the making. The tape shows preparations for 9/11, including the disturbing suicide tapes from two of the hijackers. CNN's Kelli Arena is in Washington, D.C., for us this morning.
Hey, Kelli, good morning.
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, the images on this tape are really haunting. Now analysts say because al Qaeda hasn't been able to pull off another attack on U.S. soil, they need to remind possible recruits and supporters of their success on September 11th.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA, (voice over): It's as if the 9/11 hijackers have come back to taunt us from the grave. An al Qaeda videotape, allegedly showing the planning of the September 11th attacks, just released on the Arab network, al Jazeera. Osama bin Laden asks supporters to pray for the hijackers and their deadly mission.
OSAMA BIN LADEN, (through translator): And I strongly advise you to increase your prayers for them and beseech Allah, the exalted, in your prayer, to grant them success.
ARENA: Hijackers Hamza al Ghamdi and Wail al Shihri speak before the suicide attacks with video of the results eerily superimposed behind them.
WAIL AL SHIHRI, 9/11 HIJACKER, (through translator): If struggle in jihad is not mandatory now, then when is it mandatory?
ARENA: Al Shihri was on American Airlines Flight 11. Al Ghamdi was on United Airlines Flight 175. The planes that hit the twin towers. 9/11 planner, Ramzi Binalshibh, is seen with Osama bin Laden, the first time the men are shown together. Binalshibh is still alive, living now in a wire mesh cage at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay where he was just transferred from a secret CIA prison.
PAT D'AMURO, CHAIRMAN, GIULIANI SECURITY & SAFETY: The reason for this tape coming out now is to show that al Qaeda feels they can be victorious against the United States by going back to the events of 9/11 and try to recruit additional individuals to enter the jihad against the United States.
ARENA: Some suggest a more ominous reason. Al Qaeda tapes and messages have been coming fast and furious lately, the last released just this weekend, leading some to speculate an attack could be imminent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: In the past, that has happened, a video proceeded an attack. But yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with FBI Director Robert Mueller, who told me that there is simply no intelligence to suggest that any attack is imminent. Let's hope he's right, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely, let's hope he's right. Kelli Arena for us this morning,
Kelli, thanks.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The violence rages on in Iraq today. An American soldier killed. Today, his vehicle hit by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad. A bomb blast in central Baghdad kills at least three. Police were among the injured. And six unidentified bodies found throughout the capital today. Police say their hands were bound and they showed signs of torture.
Also in Iraq, a sobering threat. Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq tell followers to kill at least one American in the next 15 days. That death order on an audio message carried by Arab networks. CNN's Michael Holmes joining us from Baghdad with more.
Hello, Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.
Yes, al Jazeera airing that videotape and identifying the man on it as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, a student adopted by of Abu Ayyoub al- Masri, the man who took over as the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq after the American military was able to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It was indeed a chilling message. This man is believed to be an expert at making car bombs, by the way.
Part of the message said this, and I will quote him. "Do not let your souls or your enemies rest until each one of you kills at least one American within a period that does not exceed 15 days with a sniper's gun shot or incendiary devices or Molotov cocktails or suicide car bomb. Whatever," he said, "the battle may require." Needless to say, Miles, this is among the most wanted men in all of Iraq at this moment.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Michael, let's shift gears here just a little bit. An important Shiite pilgrimage underway today. Tell us about security around that.
HOLMES: Yes, it is. There are always these sorts of pilgrimages happening throughout the year. This is a particularly important one, taking part in Kabul, about 100 kilometers southwest of here. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are in procession down there to the Imam al-Hussein Shrine.
Now, as you said, security, obviously, is paramount. These events have in the past been prime targets for insurgents. Already 22 pilgrims have been killed. Most of them by drive-by shootings, but also mortar attacks.
Roadside checkpoints have been set up. Pilgrims have been told not to carry cell phones and obviously not to be carrying weapons. And we've had another one of those all-vehicle bans put in down there, meaning anything from bicycles on up. So security very tight. But, as I say, that's been problematic in the past when you get so many people together in one place.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Thank you very much.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: "Happening This Morning." A deadly blast in Pakistan today. It happened in the southwestern province that's been plagued by insurgent violence. Police are blaming supporters of a tribal chief who was killed two weeks ago in a military raid.
President Bush says he is fine with Pakistan's peace agreement with pro-Taliban militants. In an interview on ABC News, Mr. Bush said Pakistan's president is finding alternatives to violence and terror.
In Russia, 12 bodies recovered from a Siberian gold mine today. The desperate search continues, though, for the 21 other miners who were stuck after they were trapped by a fire. Sixty-four miners were working when the fire broke out. Thirty-one were able to escape.
In Indonesia, a desperate search underway after a huge pile of garbage collapsed on dozens of people who were sifting through the trash. It happened just east of Jakarta. They fear dozens of people might be trapped. Three bodies have been found so far.
M. O'BRIEN: The space shuttle countdown still underway, but it now appears very likely Atlantis will not launch today. NASA engineers troubleshooting a problem with a sensor that detects if the fuel tanks are dry for the main engines. Ironically, that fuel cell problem that we told you about yesterday does not appear to be cropping up this morning. CNN's Daniel Sieberg live at the Cape with more.
Good morning, Daniel.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
If you're keeping score at home, this is actually problem number four over the last couple of weeks, including a lightning strike, Tropical Storm Ernesto, the fuel cell problem, and now the issue with this sensor in the liquid hydrogen fuel tank. We can show some live pictures of Atlantis sitting on launch pad 39-B. The fueling, the tanking, began this morning.
And what they discovered was one of these four eco sensors, or engine cutoff sensors, which are kind of like the fuel gauge in your car, when they tested it, they sort of tried to fool it by sending a signal to it to tell it that the tank was empty but it read that it was full. So they're concerned about that.
I'll give you an idea of what we're talking about here with this model of the fuel tank itself. This is the external fuel tank. The sensors are down here in the bottom of the tank. Meant to, of course, read that the tank is empty. There are four of them. They work in concert with each other. Liquid hydrogen down here, liquid oxygen up in the top.
We've also got an animation we can show you. Part of the problem. The concern now is -- or the question is whether they can go ahead with three of the four sensors or whether they need to detank, drain the tank, and see if the problem reoccurs if they try and fuel up again tomorrow morning. The launch window is available again tomorrow. As we've been talking, that would pretty much be the end of this launch window as far as trying to get up to the International Space Station in time to meet up with them, with the crew that's already up there.
So, Miles, that's the latest concern. However, they are proceeding as normal with all of their traditional operations. This morning we did see the crew, the Atlantis crew, sitting around with their traditional breakfast, which really amounts to just them sitting around drinking some water. None of them seem to have anything to eat before they decide to go up for probably some obvious reasons.
They are also now currently in the suit-up room, as I understand. And we also saw earlier the launch inspection team, the final launch inspection team out on the launch pad 39-B, checking for any sort of ice buildup on this external fuel tank. That's one thing that they're doing. They're up there at that high level looking around, scanning it with all sorts of different types of technology to see if there's any sort of ice build-up which could cause a problem during the launch itself.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, Daniel, as I understand it, the drill is, if one of these eco sensors, engine cutoff sensors, fails like this, they almost have to drain the tanks and refuel them. And then what they see is either if all four work, they're good to go. Or, if they have the exact same identical failure in the same sensor, they're good to go with three, correct?
SIEBERG: Right. That's what I understand as well. That's the procedure, that they would have to detank today. And as you pointed out, we have heard from one of the program managers that that is likely to happen. That they would detank today and start again early tomorrow morning. The launch window moving about 22 « minutes earlier, so roughly about 11:19 or 20 tomorrow morning they would try again. But it's the kind of thing they have to do between now and then to see if this problem recurs.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. And this extra day, tomorrow, that was just added in to the window, right? They're pushing this window, aren't they?
SIEBERG: They really are pushing to the end, Miles. They've been negotiating with the Russians to try and get up there. The Russians have a Soyuz scheduled to be up there on September 18th. So they need to get up to the International Space Station and get back, get out of the way, so there's not a traffic jam up there and allow the Russians to also do their mission.
M. O'BRIEN: Daniel Sieberg at the Cape. Thank you very much.
Let's get a check of the forecast.
Chad Myers, you are looking at some potential convective activity, which could be a problem for the shuttle, too. (WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, two U.S. soldiers killed in a car bombing as the insurgency in Afghanistan gets more aggressive. We'll take a closer look this morning at the reasons why.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CMDR. PHIL WEST, BOULDER, COLORADO, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: And I think we are a little chagrined, certainly a little embarrassed that we were duped. Angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Were they duped? The case of a missing Marine takes an unexpected turn. Did he disappear to skip service in Iraq? We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Authorities who spent five days searching for a missing Marine in Colorado now believe his disappearance may be an elaborate hoax designed to avoid returning to duty in Iraq. CNN's Keith Oppenheim live in Boulder, Colorado, for us.
Good morning, Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And detectives here at the Boulder County Sheriff's Department are trying to pin point the whereabouts of a Marine who they first thought was missing. But now they say it appears that story has fallen apart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CMDR. PHIL WEST, BOULDER, COLORADO, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: I think everyone had some suspicions over the course of the last few days.
OPPENHEIM, (voice over): Authorities in Colorado believe Marine Corps Lance Hering staged his own disappearance just days before he was scheduled to return to Iraq.
WEST: 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 Hering was injured while they were rock-climbing in Eldorado Canyon, but police say Powers later admit the two men concocted the story. WEST: The timeline 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 Hering'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: Hering's whereabouts are still unknown, but one retired Marine who took part in the search is giving his fellow semper fi (ph) the benefit of the doubt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first take is, this is a man who apparently has served in our country in a combat situation in Iraq and he needs help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Soledad, Corporal Hering is expected to report for duty at Camp Pendleton in California on Monday. And if he doesn't show up, he will officially be listed by the military as AWOL. Detectives here say the main reason they want to find him is to fine him. They want to fine him for what one detective told me is tens of thousands of dollars that went into the search for him.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Outside of the word of his friend, is there any indication, any other evidence maybe is a better way to put it, that he's trying to avoid military service? That this whole thing is a hoax?
OPPENHEIM: Well, to some extent, because detectives say the facts of the case make them presume that that's a reasonable theory to think that's why he's gone. But beyond Steve Powers, the buddy who has lied to authorities much in this case, they really don't know exactly why he's gone.
S. O'BRIEN: Such an odd case. All right. Keith Oppenheim for us this morning.
Keith, thanks.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin made a lot of promises for his first 100 days. OK, it's day 100. Has he made good?
A new layer of security at the airport. The janitor may be looking for trouble while pushing a broom. And facing justice. A California father appears before a judge, but not in a timely way. We'll explain what angered the judge in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: "Happening in America" this morning.
In Columbus, Ohio, police making some arrests in a deadly attack caught on tape by cameras outside a bar. A 14 and 15-year-old are in custody this morning, along with an 18-year-old who turned himself in last night. Police say 43-year-old Terry Ward died from brain injuries after his head hit the ground in that attack.
That youth football coach who cold-cocked a young player the other day was in court yesterday, but not on time. And that angered the judge. We get more from Rich Ibarra of our affiliate KCRA in Stockton, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICH IBARRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): On Saturday, Cory Petero ran onto the field after his son, in the white jersey, was knock to the ground by an opposing player, and then knocking down the 13-year-old boy. Thursday afternoon, this is Cory Petero, who was out on bail walking to court. But there's a problem. He wasn't there in time for his arraignment, so the judge opened the way for Pedro to be arrested again.
: No appearance. Find this (INAUDIBLE) bench warrant, $25,000.
IBARRA: The judge refused to here Petero's arraignment when he did appear. Petero was booked for felony child abuse but will be charged with a misdemeanor instead.
XAPURI VILLAPUDUA, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: And the reason we filed misdemeanor charges was lack of the defendant's record, lack of serious injuries to the child and that the defendant was very cooperative with police.
IBARRA: The victim's family says some people have noted that Petero reacted to his son being hit late on the play. But the family says that's no excuse.
DENISE CHAMPION, VICTIM'S MOTHER: I've seen my son get hit before. I never once thought about running on the field and attacking somebody. That's just -- you just don't do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: All right. That report from our affiliate KCRA in Sacramento. Thank you very much for that.
Andy Serwer is here checking business. Hewlett-Packard facing some -- well, some big trouble there. Kind of a cloak and dagger investigation. Hello, Andy.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
You know this reminds me of Dungeons and Dragons. It reminds me of Peyton Place. It reminds me of a bad reality TV show. Of course we're talking about . . .
M. O'BRIEN: But it's all real.
SERWER: Yes, it is. The mess at Hewlett-Packard. This is a story that broke earlier this week. You may remember the chairman, the chairwoman, Pattie Dunn, of this company, investigated other board members over leaks to journalists, hired an outside consulting firm to find out who done it. And it appears that these outside consulting firms broke the law by accessing phone records of the directors, posing as the directors, to get these records.
Now, the California state attorney general, Bill Lockyer, says it is clear that a crime was committed. He says we don't have charges yet because we don't know who has committed the crime. But, in fact, there was a violations of identity theft laws and illegal access to computer records.
"The New York Times" adding to the story this morning, reporting that this investigation, using what's called pre-texting, which is posing as someone to gain phone records, this was also done to nine journalists, including journalists at "The New York Times," possibly "The Wall Street Journal," and seen at the website. So that's going to stir some activity up there as well. And obviously, yes, the . . .
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Pre-testing. There's the euphemism of the day.
SERWER: I love that phrase.
M. O'BRIEN: You could call it lying, too.
SERWER: It's lying. It's steeling.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.
SERWER: They were using -- they got the people Social Security numbers to get these (INAUDIBLE).
M. O'BRIEN: Where did they get that, I wonder?
SERWER: Well, these people are in the cloak and dagger business, so that's what they do.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: Another story to tell you about this morning. You could see this one coming a mile away because everyone's getting in this business. Amazon.com getting into the movie and TV downloading biz. It's called its unbox business. Be able to get shows for $1.99, movies from $7.99 to $14.99. They've got a whole bunch of partners, which is important. You need the content. CBS, Fox, PBS. No ABC and NBC.
And it's interesting with the ABC component because they don't have Disney onboard for the movies. This shows, to me, that we're going to have an announcement by Apple very soon. In fact, there's speculation about an Apple announcement over the next couple days for its iTunes store, a downloading project there as well. And, of course, Apple has the alliance with Disney because Steve Jobs is on Disney's board. So you can see how these companies all line up, you know, with each other and against each other. So it's going to be another battle there that Steve Jobs is involved in.
M. O'BRIEN: But do people want to see movies on a laptop or on an iPod yet? I don't know if that's . . .
SERWER: I think they do. It's a growing business.
S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely they do.
SERWER: Yes, they do. Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: On the plane, right?
SERWER: And it's just how it works out.
M. O'BRIEN: What's next? What do you got next?
SERWER: We're going to be talking about -- I have to look. We're going to be talking about project runway and how it's causing a surge of young people getting into the fashion business.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
SERWER: Unintended consequences there.
S. O'BRIEN: Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: Thanks, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Do you know who's had 100 days on the job? Mayor Ray Nagin. His re-election bid.
SERWER: No kidding? Wow.
S. O'BRIEN: This morning Sean Callebs takes a look at just what's been accomplished in those 100 days.
Sean, good morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. And look behind me, you see some demolition, a FEMA trailer. Well today marks the 100th day. And how has the progress been in this ambitious plan to energize recovery? We'll have that story when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: "Happening This Morning."
A handover underway off the coast of Lebanon. As we speak, Israeli patrol boats enforcing a blockade are moving out, Italian ships coming in. Israel says it hopes to pull its troops out of southern Lebanon entirely in the next two weeks.
The launch of the space shuttle Atlantis could be scrubbed any moment now. The countdown still technically on. The crew should walk out in about 20 minutes time on their way to the space shuttle. But one of four engine cutoff sensors is acting up. NASA might very well drain the tanks and try again tomorrow. No final decision yet.
And Bermuda is on the watch for severe weather over the next 24- hours. Tropical Storm Florence headed that way, on track to become a category two hurricane.
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed this morning in a suicide attack in Afghanistan. The massive blast came only about 50 yards from the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Several Afghan civilians were also killed by that bomb.
NATO's supreme military commander says he is surprised by the tenacity of the Taliban. Those Taliban fighters getting more aggressive, especially in the southern part of Afghanistan. Let's get ride to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
Barbara, good morning to you. More of the same, do you think, in these attacks or is there something significant now?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Well, you know, Soledad, the attack this morning in Kabul is something that has caught everyone's attention, in no small part because, of course, of the location of where it occurred.
This was a very, very busy area in Kabul, in the capital. This is quite close to the U.S. embassy. For people who have traveled there, this is near the U.S. embassy, near NATO military headquarters. And, of course, near U.S. military headquarters in Kabul, a very heavily guarded area of the city. Several check points in this area, several layers of security, not clear how the suicide bomber got so close.
This is, in fact, near a place that is so well-known to the residents of Kabul, Achmed Sha Masud (ph) Circle, named after the man Masud (ph), who is one of the most revered resistance leaders in Afghanistan. This attack clearly a signal from the Taliban that they can execute an attack quite close to the security structures of the U.S. military and of NATO, and that is the concern.
The Taliban, by all accounts, are resurging again. There have been a much more significant number of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. This year, some 40 attacks by suicide bombers. The resurgence of course, it's the same type of tactics at that Al Qaeda in Iraq is using. That is causing an awful lot of concern, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Why do you think we're seeing this resurgence and the strength of the resurgence five years in the operation now?
STARR: What commanders are saying is, to be very clear, it is somewhat of what they expected. When NATO moved in they expected the Taliban to try and challenge NATO. But a lot of this, they say, is a reflection of the fragility of the new Afghan government and of the Afghan military. They, just like the Iraqis are not ready yet to fully control their own country and where they are fought strong, the Taliban are moving in.
That has been mostly in the south, as you say, near Kandahar, in the eastern part of the country, along the Pakistani border. But now, seeing attacks in the capital city, in Kabul, is clearly a challenge directly to the government of President Karzai in Afghanistan; it is something that NATO is quite concerned about. Even as you say, just yesterday we saw the top NATO commander call for more NATO troops, more reinforcements, more equipment in the country, to try and fight this resurgence of the Taliban.
S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Just days before the fifth anniversary of 9/11, Al Qaeda releasing its own version of a commemoration. A tape shot before 9/11, not seen publicly before, played on the Al Jazeera network. It shows Osama bin Laden and some of the 9/11 hijackers, it includes the so-called martyrdom videos from two of the hijackers. The tape also shows Ramzi Binalshibh (ph), he is one of the attack planners who is among the 14 high-level detainees just transferred from a CIA secret prison to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Catch a special encore presentation of "CNN Presents: In The Footsteps of Osama bin Laden," this Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, right here on CNN.
"CNN Security Watch" for you now, airport security, what seems like an enhancement is causing some controversy, techniques used in Israel being imported to America. Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (voice over): This man will be among those on the lookout for potential terrorists at Miami International Airport. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An attack is coming, and we have to work under that premise.
CANDIOTTI: Miami's airport becomes the first in the United States to train its civilian employees in the war on terror, from Smart Card agents to sky caps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need ID.
CANDIOTTI: They will be taught to look for odd behavior. Fancy term for it, behavior pattern recognition, already employed by law enforcement at several U.S. airports.
Rafi Ron, well-known for once heading security at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurian Airport, developed the technique.
(On camera): How do you encourage, for example, employees like these to look -- so they know they, too, can play a role?
RAFI RON, NEW AGE SECURITY: First of all, by giving them the facts.
CANDIOTTI: What are the facts? Ron insists this is not racial profiling, focusing, for example, on Arab men. He says it means looking for abnormal behavior in anyone. To protect the program's integrity, officials won't discuss specifics.
RON: When you see something that is out of the ordinary, when you see something that could be a security risk, we need to respond to that.
CANDIOTTI: The ACLU has challenged the method in Boston. In Florida, it's wait and see. The ACLU asks, for example, which nervous looking college age students will be stopped? Only those who fit an ethnic profile?
SGT. KEVIN DOUGHERTY, MAIMI-DADE POLICE: We can stop every Lithuanian male between a certain age group, if you could tell who was Lithuanian or not, but we don't do that. What we are looking for -- the way they're behaving when they are inside the airport.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): So the more eyes, the better?
OFFICER ANA PAZ, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: Correct.
CANDIOTTI (voice over): Officer Anna Pass, armed with a German- made semiautomatic, says she is happy she will have many more eyes helping her scan about 85,000 passengers who use Miami's airport daily.
PAZ: If you were to walk into your office and find something out of place or find somebody out of place that doesn't work there, wouldn't you know?
CANDIOTTI: That's the idea. It will take time to train all 35,000 employees. Some in greater depth than others. From checking out benign looking grandfathers to mothers with baby strollers. An added responsibility for employees, for travelers, another layer of security. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Former President Bill Clinton pressing ABC over its controversial mini series on its events leading up to 9/11. ABC says it draws from the 9/11 Commission Report, but some scenes contradict commission findings. Top Clinton appointees are portrayed as scuttling top secret operations to kill Osama bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they ought to tell the truth, particularly if they are going to claim it's based on the 9/11 Commission Report. They shouldn't have scenes which are directly contradicted by the factual findings of the 9/11 Commission. That's all. I just want people to tell the truth. You know, and not to pretend it is something it's not.
M. O'BRIEN: An ABC executive is telling "The Washington Post" they are making minor changes to the docudrama, and that the editing process is ongoing -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A new admission in the CIA leak case. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage says he was the one who blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Armitage told CBS News that he was columnist Robert Novak's source.
RICHARD ARMITAGE, FMR. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: I feel terrible every day. I think I let down the president. I let down the secretary of State. I let down my department, my family. And I also let down Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You saw the president all the time?
ARMITAGE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever think of saying, Mr. President, I screwed up?
ARMITAGE: I thought every day about how I had screwed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Novak says the presidential advisor, Karl Rove, was his second source on Plame's identity. No one was ever indicted for leaking her identity, but the former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis "Scooter" Libby faces charges that he lied to investigators. Those are charges that he denies.
Today marks 100 days since New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin was re- elected. It is also the deadline for his 100-day initiative, which was meant to jump start the city's recovery. So, how's the mayor done? CNN's Sean Callebs is live for us in New Orleans.
Hey, Sean, good morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning to you, Soledad.
We are in the Lakeview area, northern part of the city, where a lot of people here have been waiting for city hall, the mayor, to lead the way toward recovery. A few months back, we know Mayor Ray Nagin announced that ambitious 100-day plan. Today marks the 100th day and a lot of people in this area are less than impressed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: Today is a new beginning.
CALLEBS (voice over): After a hard fought re-election, New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin, in June, promised things would soon get better for weary residents. He announced an ambitious 100-day plan to be overseen by movers and shakers in New Orleans, to tackle the city's biggest problems.
NAGIN: We'll examine everything from implementing improved methods for crime fighting, debris removal, garbage collection, and accelerated short-term and long-term housing.
CALLEBS: But many, in still horribly devastated neighborhoods, like Lisa Grillot, are giving up on promises as Nagin's first 100 days of this term draw to a close.
LISA GRILLOT, LAKEVIEW RESIDENT: I don't see that any politician can do anything in particular, for anybody. If a person doesn't do it themselves, it's not going to get done.
CALLEBS: The mayor's office didn't return CNN's repeated calls, but critics say the city has no plan on how to rebuild in badly flooded areas, and has developed no way to bring hundreds of thousands who fled Katrina back to the city they called home.
It's not just citizens voicing their disappointment. Businesses, like owners of the Savvy Gourmet, say they can't wait for city hall. They're risking their own money, with no assurance that people will come back.
PETER MENGE, CO-OWNER, SAVVY GOURMET: It feels kind of like the wild, wild west. It's just -- you are just trying to make it happen, you are trying to carve out your own thing. There isn't -- there's just very little top down leadership.
CALLEBS: There are positives the mayor can point to. New Orleans is ridding itself of mounds of debris and trash pickup has resumed in many areas, but rebuilding remains the key stumbling block. The president of the city council says he understands the citizens' angst.
OLIVER THOMAS, PRESIDENT, CITY COUNCIL: I think when people seem to be saying they mixed messages about what to expect, what not to expect, what we can do, what we can't do. I think it's real frustrating to people not knowing -- when we say something if it is really going to happen or not.
GRILLOT: I'm not going to wait. I'm not waiting. I'm not waiting for someone to help me. I'm not waiting for the Road Home money. I'm not waiting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: You get the point? Not waiting. A lot of citizens here are saying that. And I keep going back to one thing that Oliver Thomas, the president of the city council said, He said don't tell these people what they want to hear. People have been through a lot in this area. While neighborhoods continue to languish waiting for federal money to come in this area, Thomas says tell people the truth. Tell them the bad news. They need to have some time to brace for this -- Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Yeah, but why can't the truth also be, yeah, your money is coming and yeah, the city is going to come back? Is the big problem that the mayor never really laid out actual goals that he wanted to hit, it was sort of vague and ethereal, in a way?
CALLEBS: It was very vague. It was vague by design. When the mayor had the news conference talking about it, people would say, what are the goals, what are the plans? Where do you expect to be? The city said we don't have any kind of written goals down. What we are going to do is after 100 days tell you the progress that we made. A lot of citizens say, that's like a blank check, it doesn't mean anything to us. There's a certain degree of frustration throughout this city.
S. O'BRIEN: Yep, more frustration than they already got. All right. Sean Callebs for this morning. Thanks, Sean.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's check back on the weather now.
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S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Carol Costello with a really special 9/11 story.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Oh, a really special story. You know the five-year anniversary of 9/11 is coming up. For kids who lost their parents that day, it will be another tough day. There is one place helping them to cope. I will take you to Camp Echo when we come back.
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S. O'BRIEN: The anniversary of 9/11 brings up many painful memories, obviously, especially for children who lost a parent or two parents on that day. Some of those children, though, have learned to cope with the help of a camp. Carol Costello joins us to tell us how it works.
What's the camps name?
COSTELLO: Camp Echo. And it's quite a camp. You don't think something as simple as a camp can help, but it really does.
Alex Selwyn was a little boy when he lost his dad in the World Trade Center. Monday will be another tough day for him, but he has the strength to deal with it, thanks in part to Camp Echo.
Every year since that terrible day, kids like Alex have gone to camp. And what he's found there is the spirit of his father in simple things like soccer and swimming and camp fires.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice over): Alex Selwyn looks like one more happy boy, swimming in the lake at Camp Echo. And that's something special for a 15-year-old who has spent the last five years fighting off so much sadness.
ALEX SELWYN, FATHER KILLED ON 9/11: I have a lot of fun, and the spirit of camp really stays the same, throughout the years, no matter how much the camp really changes.
COSTELLO: Alex's father, Howard, died in the September 11th attacks. When the planes hit, he was in this office at the World Trade Center, where his kids used to visit. Howard Selwyn was British, a big soccer fan, who coached his son's teams.
SELWYN: He was well respected and after he did die, they named an award after him, and you have to show your love for the sport, the love for the kids, the love for the game that he had. And he was a very funny person.
COSTELLO: After September 11th, 150 summer camps offered free camp to hundreds of children of victims. Alex jumped at the chance to find relief from the sadness.
SELWYN: Camp gives me a strong feeling of family, like I develop skills, learn new things, get away from my home family, and join this one.
COSTELLO: He has returned every year. On this fifth anniversary, there is increased interest at all the camps.
SELWYN: The day really stays the same, like it's September 11th. I'm feeling the same way I did when it -- when the event actually happened.
COSTELLO: At camp, Alex can talk to his counselor.
MICHAEL NICHOLAS, COUNSELOR, CAMP ECHO: You do the best for him to have an opportunity to speak openly. It's OK for boys to cry. COSTELLO: The kids are treated like regular campers, no special attention, a chance to be kids.
MARLA COLEMAN, DIRECTOR, CAMP ECHO: The nice thing about being here in this environment is that everybody is in the same situation. Nobody has their parents at camp.
COSTELLO: He says he's grown at camp, grown strong.
SELWYN: It shows me how a lot of people can support me and help me through it, and how it's like not just your family, in particular.
COSTELLO: On visiting day this summer, the camp was flooded with moms and dads. Alex had neither. His mother Ruth is ill. His brother, James, came to visit.
JAMES SELWYN, BROTHER IN 9/11 CAMP: It's important he goes out and enjoys himself. He has a great time, certainly for the two months over the summer. You know, he's -- he's dealing with it just the best he can. I think getting away for a couple months is definitely what he needs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Sad news to tell you about. Alex's mother, Ruth, passed away just after camp ended for the season, so now he only has his brother. He will return next year to camp, to Camp Echo, as a counselor. When he goes back, Alex says camp comes with him, the long summer days, the laughter, the feeling of family that will always be there. So here's a kid who lost both parents now.
S. O'BRIEN: How tough. These camps -- they put many kids in, for free?
COSTELLO: For free, free, every year.
S. O'BRIEN: Every year.
COSTELLO: For free, every year. Special program, they've done it every year since September 11.
The interesting thing about Alex and so many kids who have lived through 9/11, kids who even haven't lost their parents, they want to go into something like politics. They want to fix the world. They're very well aware of what's happening. So, that upcoming generation will be something.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Carol, thanks. Nice story.
You want to be sure to stay with us on Monday morning, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. CNN coverage of 9/11, the world remembers. Special Edition of AMERICAN MORNING with a minute-by- minute account of the unfolding tragedy. We begin at 6:00 a.m. Eastern -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures now from the Kennedy Space Center, the space shuttle crew, the crew of Atlantis on their way toward the launch pad as we speak. Take a look at those pictures. There's the Commander Brent Jet (ph), waving; the United States Navy captain, crew of six, on their way to Atlantis.
Atlantis has in its trunk a 35,000 pound piece for the International Space Station. It's a girder type thing, kind of an erector set type girder, with some solar rays that will double, ultimately, the electrical production on the International Space Station.
Engineers, meanwhile, are troubleshooting a problem with the engine cutoff sensors on Atlantis, one of them, that is. It is a crucial piece of equipment and they need to decide whether they can launch today or maybe drain the fuel tanks and try again tomorrow.
Nevertheless, the astronauts on their way toward the launch pad and getting ready to strap into the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which is fully fueled on launch pad 39B. We're watching every step of the way, of course.
Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, always keeping us abreast of everything to do with the business world. Now with an excuse to show scanty clad models, right?
ANDY SERWER, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Is that what I'm doing here?
M. O'BRIEN: I don't know, that's --
SERWER: All right. We are going to be talking about Fashion Week right now which kicks off in New York City today; 80 designers, it is the spring collection, of course. Eight days of glam, of runways, of models.
It's only 13 years old, this event. It seems like it's been around forever. It's become more and more of a big business thing, more formalized every year. It's now called Olympus Fashion Week. You can understand why they might be sponsoring. Click, click, click.
Other sponsors, it is always funny with the sponsors you can understand why they are involved. Delta -- how do the models get around? Pepsi and Red Bull -- what do they survive on? Then UPS is a big sponsor.
M. O'BRIEN: Diet Pepsi.
SERWER: Well, you have to ship the clothes all around.
S. O'BRIEN: Hey, yeah.
SERWER: And interestingly, this has become a very, very hot business for young people to try to get into. Some of that has to do with the success of "Project Runway", the television show, the reality show, which is made at Parsons New School of Design here in New York City; 22% increase in applications, Parsons says it has, a bump from that. Also, at other design colleges and institutions as well, like FIT, the Fashion Institute, Savannah College of Art & Design and Otis in LA, also seeing a big bump up.
So this business is something that is becoming a real alternative for young people, instead of going to college and learning how to become an accountant -- I can understand the appeal of perhaps wanting to become a glam designer. Don't you, Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: It seems like a glamorous business, but like everything that seems glamorous, it's hard work.
SERWER: It really is. And that's one thing that people --
S. O'BRIEN: And catty, if you watch "Project Runway". Zowie!
SERWER: Yeah. And the people who are in this -- the professors are saying, you know, don't believe what you see on TV. That's one tenth of one tenth of what really goes on. It is hard work and very competitive, Soledad. Right?
S. O'BRIEN: That's what I meant, competitive. Not catty, competitive.
SERWER: Oh, yeah. That's it.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy Serwer. We're back with top stories after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A huge bomb blast targets and kills Americans in Kabul, the latest sign of escalating violence in Afghanistan.
M. O'BRIEN: A new Al Qaeda video, it's actually an old tape, just seen and it appears to be a taunt to us all as we approach the fifth anniversary of 9/11.
S. O'BRIEN: And chilling orders from Al Qaeda in Iraq, followers told to kill at least one American in the next 15 days.
M. O'BRIEN: And the shuttle countdown is on for now. The crew headed to the orbiter as we speak. But there is a show stopper potentially lurking in the fuel tank. We'll have details for you coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: Good to you have with us this morning videotape taunt from Al Qaeda is at the top of our news this morning. The tape is old but had never been previously seen. It has been airing on the Al Jazeera Arabic language network.
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