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New rules for Carry-On Items on Airliners; Are We Less Safe?; New Orleans' Superdome Rebirth
Aired September 25, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And spend a second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning and stay informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
The government relaxing rules for gels and liquids on airplanes. The announcement, we'll have it live this hour.
HARRIS: U.S. troops on the streets of Baghdad. Has their presence made the streets here at home a riskier place? The findings of a leaked intelligence report.
COLLINS: And building bridges after controversial remarks. The pope reaches out to Muslims on this Monday, September 25th.
You're in the NEWSROOM.
Changes in the air on Washington and maybe on your next flight. This hour we'll hear from the government officials who oversee airline security. They are expected to relax the recent ban on liquids and gels. As you may remember, the rule went into effect after an alleged terrorist plot was uncovered in Britain.
CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve is in our Washington bureau now with more.
Good morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
They are not going to be lifting the ban. They are going to be modifying it.
Two key modifications: one, travelers will be allowed to bring small travel-size toiletries, but things that have to fit in a one- quart size plastic Ziploc bag. That will be screened at the checkpoint.
In addition, people are going to be able to bring on to flights items which they have purchased beyond the checkpoint in the secure area. That would include beverages. Those things will now be brought on airplanes. So those are the two key modifications of this ban that we expect to see announced in just a couple of minutes by the head of the TSA and the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Jackson.
As you mentioned, this ban on liquids, gels and aerosols went into effect in August after the uncovering of the plot in Britain to blow up planes en route to the United States. It has been modified a couple of times since. This the most significant modification, a ban that some people have turned their noses up at, but the traveling public, interestingly enough, adjusted very quickly to this change within the matter of about a couple of days. You were no longer seeing long lines at the checkpoints.
One side effect, though, was an increase in the amount of checked baggage that the system was handling. That presenting some difficulties because all of that checked luggage has to be screened as well.
Heidi, back to you.
COLLINS: Yes. And Jeanne, thanks so much for the clarification on that.
Once again, I want to remind everybody, modifying this ban, not lifting it completely.
Jeanne, before we let you go, though -- we're waiting for them to come to the microphone there at Reagan National -- why announce something like this? Why not just modify that ban and let it fall into place? Why do you go to the microphone and actually announce this change?
MESERVE: You know, there are few things that affect the public more than the Department of Homeland Security does than these sort of restrictions on things you can carry on to airplanes. Many people fly, many people fly many times a week. They come face to face with those TSA officials, and this is some place where it's best for the -- the department feels it's best for the public to be very well informed.
This subject was brought up, gee, it must be about six months ago when they relaxed the ban on certain types of sharp objects on airplanes. People said, well, why are you bothering to tell people? Why don't you just start passing those things through the screening checkpoint? Well, one of the reasons is, if they don't tell the public and they start passing this stuff through, there's the impression that the screeners aren't doing their jobs. So they want people to be well informed about what's going on.
COLLINS: All right. Good point. Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much for that.
We also want to bring in Clark Kent Ervin. He is CNN's security analyst and a former inspector general at the Office of Homeland Security. Clark, if you could give us your thoughts on why these announcements are made and why it's important to keep those lines of communication open with the traveling public.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I certainly agree with Jeanne as to why it's important to make the announcement. What I question is why the announcement is being made, why this relaxation is taking place. I really don't understand it.
Unless it's the case that it's been determined definitively that taking on more of a small quantity of liquids or gels is permissible, not posing a security threat, it seems to me that it's not the right thing to do. I'm not convinced that that determination has been made.
With regard to being able to buy liquids and gels past the checkpoint, that makes no sense to me either. Either liquids or gels are a potential threat or not, and if they are it seems to me they shouldn't be let through.
One of the things that struck me in the last few weeks is, one can as a practical matter buy liquids and gels past the checkpoint. And even though at the gate you are told to consume them or get rid of them, nobody checks to see whether that's done. So what I would do is I would check at the gate whether people have liquids and explosives -- liquids and gels -- if in fact they're potential explosives. And apparently they are, and no counter-technology has yet been developed to counter liquid explosives.
COLLINS: Yes. And as a -- as a frequent flyer myself, you know, there do seem to be different rules for different things and at different airports. It seems like it's very confusing as to when you're going to be checked for -- through your baggage or for your I.D. Is it just at the security checkpoint? Is it at the gate.
Why is there all of this confusion?
ERVIN: Well, there's a lot of confusion, as you say. There's a lot of improvisation. I really think...
COLLINS: Clark, forgive me.
ERVIN: Sure.
COLLINS: ... I'm going to have to get straight to Reagan National.
Let's go ahead and listen in to what will happen here today.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
MICHAEL JACKSON, DEP. SECRETARY, HOMELAND SECURITY: ... TSA's very able administrator, Kip Hawley, to announce two modifications in the security procedures that were put in place after the August 10th terrorist plot was unfolded.
We're here to announce procedural changes regarding the sterile area and the checkpoint, but we'll also be prepared to talk a little bit about a series of other changes that we have undertaken since the August 10th period to assess top to bottom all of the security protocols that are in place in the airport today.
We are not talking about changing the overall alert level which is orange. And that -- that stays at the orange level or high level. And we don't anticipate changing that overall aviation threat level in any time in the near future.
We are talking about measures that include making prudential balancing and making prudential judgments that are based upon work that we have done in an intense way since August 10th. It has involved intensive conversations with the intelligence community in the U.K. and the U.S. It's involved trips abroad with our explosives experts. It's involved testing with explosives and further security works -- works done with our law enforcement community, with our intelligence community. It's involved a close partnership with airlines and airports to look at our procedures and to work together on these.
After the initial announcement was made on August 10th, we necessarily put in place somewhat blunt measures to take care that we had adequately preserved safety and responded to the work that needed to be done based upon the information that we had. I want to congratulate the TSA team across the country for making such a swift change, and also the American flying public, who themselves adapted very rapidly to these changes.
Since that time we've had, as I said, extensive conversations internally in the government with the industry, but also abroad. Kip has made a trip to the -- to Europe to visit with our EU colleagues, and particularly to focus with our U.K. colleagues on the next steps that we need to talk.
We've worked very closely with Canada, and I'm very pleased to say that that has borne fruit and today Canada is making an announcement very much similar to ours so that we can align our two processes at the checkpoints, Canada and the United States, and thereby make it easier on passengers.
I expect further changes in the EU. They're contemplating an alignment with the types of measures we're announcing here today.
So without any further delay, I'll ask Kip to unpack for us the specific changes that we're proposing to make beginning tomorrow.
KIP HAWLEY, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you.
Thank you, Michael, and our security officers who are here, as well as Mike Restovich (ph), who is in charge of our field operations at TSA.
First, a thank-you to travelers and our partners in our airlines and airports and around the world for moving so quickly with us on August 10th to get these -- these measures put into place with the current liquids ban. All of us at TSA, especially our security officers, appreciate the fact that travelers come prepared to the checkpoint.
Secretary Chertoff announced on August 10 that we would continue to evaluate our security measures in light of what we've learned from the U.K. investigation. That is exactly what we have done.
Since the initial total ban, experts from around government, including the FBI and our national labs, have analyzed the information we now know and have conducted extensive explosives testing to get a better understanding of the threat. While this novel type of liquid explosives is now an ongoing part of the terrorist playbook and must be dealt with, we now know enough to say that a total ban is no longer needed from a security point of view.
We ask passengers to go through a lot at the airports in the name of security. TSA has a corresponding obligation to make sure that what we ask travelers to do is in fact really needed for a current security reason.
So, effective tomorrow, while the liquid ban stays generally in effect for good and valid security reasons, TSA is making some changes to keep us at a high level of security but make it a little bit easier for passengers. These new measure will maintain security while taking a commonsense approach.
There are two major changes.
One, small amounts of liquids, aerosols and gels may be allowed through the checkpoint. And two, beverages bought in the sterile boarding area will be allowed on board flights.
First to the checkpoint.
Starting when airports open tomorrow morning, Tuesday, September 26th, travelers will be able to come on small travel-size medicines and toiletries, whatever they need, as long as they are in containers of 3 ounces or less, brought to the checkpoint, sealed inside one one- quart size -- now, one quart size is a little bit larger than sandwich size -- sealed in a one one-quart size clear plastic zip-top bag. Containers of three ounces or less in a one-quart zip-top bag.
That means that we'll have a no hassle easy way for passengers to bring on what they need for a quick trip. If you don't need to bring on these small amounts of liquids, and the part about the 3 ounce containers, the one-quart baggy is not for you, please feel free to keep packing your liquids, aerosols and gels in checked baggage. You will get through the security faster with less stuff.
It's your call. Do I want to bring with me the baggy, or do I want to check a bag and breeze on through?
That's change number one, travel size 3-ounce containers of eye drops, lip gloss, makeup, shaving cream, whatever you need that fit and sealed comfortably into a one quarter on less zip-top baggy.
The second change concerns drinks you buy before you board your flight. Because we are confident in our increased security measures throughout the airport, passengers will now be allowed to purchase drinks and other items in the secure boarding area after the checkpoint and bring them aboard their flights. For instance, you may buy bottles of water, cups of coffee, shop at duty-free, as long as it's bought in the secure boarding area past the checkpoint. Those are OK to bring on board your aircraft.
So, two changes that recognize some commonsense security points. Small containers below a certain size and in limited amounts don't pose a real threat, and we have strong security measures in the boarding area. So, therefore, that allows us the flexibility to use our screening resources on more serious threats.
The same exceptions for baby and medical needs now in quantities larger than three ounces will continue. However, as is the case today, travelers must be prepared to present these medical or baby care items for inspection when arriving at the checkpoint. That allows us to take a look at them to make sure they're OK.
The secret of getting through security smoothly is to de-clutter your bag. Let our TSOs get a clear, uncomplicated x-ray image of your carry-on. Jumbled bags of cords, cameras, batteries, electronics, not to mention bottles, lighters or other prohibited items will require a close look and will slow you down, along with everybody else.
You can find all this information with pictures and video and much more on our Web site, www.tsa.gov.
Once again, the key points on what will be allowed starting tomorrow: travel-sized containers, 3 ounces or less, comfortably sealed in one quart-size zip-top bag.
Thank you, and we'd be happy to answer any questions.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HAWLEY: Because the security measures that are in place to protect the sterile area screen everything that is brought inside, including that which is sold, as well as the people who sell them. So all of that stuff is vetted before going into the secure area, and we're upgrading the number of checks and the type of checks to assure that. So, therefore, anything that gets into the sterile area is OK to be there and therefore brought on board a plane.
COLLINS: All right. So let's break this down just briefly, if I understood it correctly, because it can be a little complicated. But I have Clark Kent Ervin standing by to help me out with it, CNN security analyst and former inspector general of the Office of Homeland Security.
Here's the deal.
Clark, help me out here.
Three ounces or less, your liquids or gels have to be in a small travel-sized container, three ounces or less, and then they have to go in a Ziploc bag, which we are showing some video of here. And that Ziploc bag has to be one-quart size or less.
And also, the second modification to this ban, if you will, are drinks bought after you have gone through the security checkpoint if you buy, you know, a sort of soft drink or water in one of the stores or newsstands there. That is now OK. Previously you had to throw it out.
What's all this going do, Clark?
ERVIN: Well, two things. One, I think it will confuse people, at least in the short term. And two, it doesn't seem to me it's going to make us any safer.
You know, I'd repeat what I said before the news conference, and that is unless it's been determined -- and I question whether it's been determined -- unless it's been determined that permitting small quantities of liquids and gels on does not pose a security risk, I don't understand why the first measure was adopted, other than passenger convenience. And I really do think that's the primary thing that's driving this.
I really don't understand the second measure, allowing drinks that are consumed in -- that are bought in the sterile area on to airplanes. Either they're a potential security risk or they're not. And if they are...
COLLINS: But isn't -- isn't the difference, Clark, if you allow me, that you would bring something from home or from, you know, outside of the airport, who knows what you might have done with it? If you buy it and it is sealed beyond security, doesn't that seem like it would be a little safer?
ERVIN: Well, you know, we were told when this ban was instituted that at least potentially, bottled water of any kind could be used as an explosive. Now, if that's the case, it seems to me the bottled water that could be bought in sterile areas, likewise, can be used by terrorists on board to constitute an explosive. So, you're right, there's a difference between things that are brought from home that one can make up, but if what you're bringing from home is the same liquid that you can and would purchase in the sterile area, I don't know what the difference is.
So, again, I think what's really driving this is the convenience of the passengers. And what's ironic about this is -- if that is in fact the motivation -- as the administrator and deputy secretary said, it seems to me the public adapted very, very quickly and very easily to this. And the public is to be commended for that.
So, I would not have relaxed the ban unless we had developed counter-technologies to liquid explosives. We apparently have not yet done that and yet we're making these modifications.
COLLINS: Well, to be fair, something to point out as well here that we heard in the news conference -- we should remind everyone what we're talking about, the liquid and gels ban that was instituted back in August because of the terror plot that was foiled in Britain, bringing liquid-based explosives into the United States. FBI, national labs investigation show that apparently -- and also explosives research -- show that apparently a total ban on all of these substances was just not necessary.
ERVIN: So they say. So they say.
I'd feel a lot more comfortable if with regard to the second modification, allowing drinks purchased in the sterile area on to airplanes, if there were checking of those liquids at the -- at the gate, just as is the case at checkpoints. Apparently, that's not going happen, and I think that's a potential problem.
I'm very surprised that these measures have been adopted. Except that, as I say, all along, it seems to me, TSA's primary concern has been not unduly inconveniencing travelers. And I understand that. I appreciate that. I travel all the time.
I'm on my way to Britain, for example, tomorrow, and it's been something of a hassle to get rid of these liquids and gels. But our first priority must continue to be security.
This plot is the closest we've apparently come since 9/11 to another 9/11-style attack. The terrorists are determined to attack us again. We need to work overtime to develop counter-technologies to foil them. Unless and until we do so we have to keep bans like this in place, it seems to me.
COLLINS: Better safe than sorry, you say. And you bring up some great points.
We appreciate your time, as always.
Clark Kent Ervin, CNN security analyst.
Thank you.
ERVIN: Thanks, Heidi. You bet.
HARRIS: U.S. troops in Iraq, Islamic terrorists around world. A leaked intelligence reports makes a connection.
Will it cast long shadows on the midterm election? We will take a closer look in the NEWSROOM.
A super day for the folks in New Orleans. The Superdome is reopening. A live report coming up.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The war in Iraq, the terror threat here at home. A leaked intelligence study reportedly links the two today. The politically-charged question, has the U.S. invasion made Americans less safe? The public's opinion may be best measured on Election Day.
For more we go to the White House and CNN's Kathleen Koch.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
And this from an April report by some 16 government intelligence agencies. It was leaked to "The New York Times," and it concludes that the Iraq war has become the main recruiting vehicle for Islamic extremists worldwide.
Now, as President Bush leaves today for a day of fund-raisers, the White House is really saying very little about this, explaining that they don't comment on classified reports, but it certainly does seem to contradict what President Bush has said recently in numerous speeches over the last month, that Americans are safer, that the United States is winning the war on terrorism.
But the nation's top intelligence official, John Negroponte, the director of National Intelligence, cautions that these are excerpts only, they shouldn't be taken out of context. And in a statement he warned that, "... the conclusions of the intelligence community are designed to be comprehensive and viewing them through the narrow prism of a fraction of judgments distorts the broad framework they create." He went on to say, "What we have said time and again is that while there is much that remains to be done in the war on terror, we have achieved some notable successes against the global jihadist threat."
Well, certainly Democrats have seized on this report as proof that the Iraq war has been a failure and that because of the war Americans are now at greater risk of terrorism. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying in a statement that "President Bush should read the intelligence carefully before giving another misleading speech about progress in the war on terrorism."
So, Tony, you can certainly bet we will be hearing a lot more about this report as the midterm elections approach in November.
HARRIS: Kathleen, do we have any idea -- maybe it's still a wide-open question -- who did the leaking here? And why do the leaking now and not in April, May or June, initially after the report, if not to influence the midterm elections by putting this debate front and center again?
KOCH: Tony, certainly very unclear as to who leaked it. That's information obviously only "The New York Times" -- I think "The Washington Post" also had the story that they could give you. But certainly very good political timing for the Democrats. Very bad political timing for the Republicans.
But at this point I certainly have no idea who put this information out there, but the timing is quite interesting.
HARRIS: Yes. Curious, isn't it?
CNN's White House correspondent, Kathleen Koch for us. Kathleen, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
HARRIS: CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
COLLINS: More than a year after Hurricane Katrina, laughter and excitement in New Orleans as a landmark reopens. It looks good, doesn't it?
The curtain goes up just hours from now on a renovated Superdome. The Saints are back in town to face a big rival, the Atlanta Falcons, in "Monday Night Football."
To New Orleans now. Bob Nezrin is producing tonight's pre-game show and he's joining us live to give us an idea on what we are going see.
This is a huge show, Bob.
BOB NEZRIN, MUSIC PRODUCER: This is an enormous show. Actually, this whole event is about as big as a Super Bowl, if not bigger. There's more press here today than there was for the Super Bowl.
At half -- not half -- I'm sorry -- the pre-game, we're going to have a stage rolled out at the center field here, and U2 and Green Day, two of the biggest rock bands in the world, will be playing together for the first time. They're doing a song called "The Saints are Coming."
COLLINS: Wow.
NEZRIN: A new song that they recorded in London last week, and they're doing it in support of the charity Music Rising to raise money for musical instruments for churches and schools in the Gulf region. So we're all really excited about this.
COLLINS: That's terrific. I bet you are.
Tell us a little bit about the process and how you came up with these specific bands to play, and what their input was in trying to raise the spirits, if you will, of New Orleans.
NEZRIN: We started a charity called Music Rising back in October. My partner in that is "The Edge," who is the lead guitar player for U2, and an incredible man of great integrity and tremendous principle. And he worked very hard to put this show together.
He came up with the song. He suggested that Green Day would be a really good partner band to play with. All the our U2 guys and the Green Day people came here, and we put this thing together over the last few days, including a couple of local bands, New Birth (ph), and Rebirth (ph), brass bands. It's going to be really quite a spectacle. COLLINS: I bet it is. And, you know, last time we saw the Superdome, 70 percent of the roof was completely destroyed, 3.8 million gallons of water was pumped out of it.
What do you see behind you? How does it look?
NEZRIN: It's looking pretty good. I can't tell you the difference of the feeling inside this building.
There was a time when 33,000 people were held captive here in a sense, and the place will filled with hazardous waste. And now look at it. It's green and fresh and painted, and it's filled with an injure of new birth and new life. I think today's show and today's game is actually where New Orleans puts the past behind it and starts heading out into the future to win.
COLLINS: Spoken like a true music producer, emotion and all.
Bob Nezrin, thanks for being with us today. We'll be watching.
NEZRIN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Reaching out to Muslims. The pope looks to calm tensions and build bridges. A live report from Rome ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: After a brutal crime, another horrific discovery. A woman charged with murdering her pregnant friend leads police to the bodies of the victim's three children.
More now from Shelley Bortz of affiliate KPLR.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. CRAIG KOEHLER, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: At approximately 7:00 p.m. this evening investigators discovered the deceased bodies of three children in an apartment in the John DeShields (ph) housing project.
SHELLEY BORTZ, REPORTER, KPLR (voice over): On Saturday, a furious and emotional two-day search for three missing children came to a gruesome end. Authorities found the decomposing bodies of DeMond, age 7; Ivan, age 2; and Jinella, age 1, stuffed in the washer and dryer at the apartment they shared with their mom, murder victim Jimella Tunstall, in East St. Louis.
The autopsy performed didn't show any sign of physical abuse or trauma to the siblings. The coroner says it appeared they drowned to death. Authorities believe the children were drowned in the bathroom and then placed in the washer and dryer.
CHIEF JAMES MISTER, EAST ST. LOUIS POLICE DEPT.: In all my years of law enforcement, this is one of the most heinous crimes I've ever seen. BORTZ: It all began on Thursday, when police discovered the body of 23-year-old Jamella Tunstall in a weedy lot in East St. Louis, her abdomen torn open and her fetus missing. On Friday morning, an intensive two-day search got under way in and around East St. Louis for her three children, who were last seen with 24-year-old Tiffany Hall, who was later charged with their mother's murder.
A tip led investigators to Frank Holden Park, where family and friends gathered, hoping to find the trio alive and unharmed.
DORIS ELLIS, FMR. FOSTER PARENT: They were some very sweet, lovable children, very outgoing, and they as very smart.
BORTZ: Saturday morning search crews picked up where they left off the night before, and once again, they came up empty. At Saturday afternoon's news conference, authorities still remained very optimistic, insisting the children would be found alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have no evidence that leads us to believe at this time that the children are dead.
BORTZ: But by Saturday night, police say Hall fessed up to where the children were. Inside the closed apartment, officials say the smell of death greeted them, solidifying what most knew already to be true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe the bodies to be Damon Tunstall, Ivan Tunstall Collins, and Janella Tunstall Collins.
BORTZ: Hall is jailed on $5 million bond, charged with the death of Tunstall and her unborn baby. She hasn't been charged in the children's death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Those charges are expected shortly, though. We will be following this case a little bit later on today in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Up ahead of a Texas bus company on trial today, he's charged in the fire that killed 23 nursing home residents fleeing Hurricane Rita. James Maples is accused of conspiring to falsify driver records, and failing to perform safety inspections. Investigators say the fire probably was probably the result of poor maintenance. A tire burst into flames, probably causing the nursing home patients' oxygen canisters to explode. The bus driver was an illegal immigrant from Mexico. He was cleared of any charges in exchange for his cooperation.
Pope Benedict XVI extends an olive branch to Muslims. He greeted Muslim envoys at his summer residence outside of Rome this morning. The pope hoping to ease anger over recent comments, words that ignited outrage throughout the Islamic world.
Our Delia Gallagher joins us now from Rome with the very latest.
Good morning to you, Delia. DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.
The pope this morning set out two points that he's really looking for in Muslim-Catholic relations. One, he says, that they work together to help overcome the violence of our times. The other, religious freedom, for Christians and for all believers around the world.
Let's take a look at some of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE BENEDICT XVI (through translator): With this background, until the end of my pontificate, I would like to continue to consolidate the strong ties of friendship with the faithful of all religions and with particular, respect for the dialogue between Muslims and Christians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: And, Tony, interestingly, he did not go into the question of his apology. He said we all understand the circumstances which brought us here today, and that he was not going go back over that. He did bring in the legacy of John Paul II, which he said built bridges of trust between Catholics and Muslims, which he intended to continue.
HARRIS: Delia, a couple of quick questions, if I could, please. Was this really a dialogue, if no Muslims had an opportunity to speak?
GALLAGHER: Well, interestingly, Tony, usually when the pope meets once a year with the diplomatic corps, there is a representative from the ambassadors that speaks to the pope. That did not happen this time, and so you can see that perhaps some Vatican analysts already are saying that that wasn't much of a dialogue.
On the other hand, as far as the Vatican is concerned, the dialogue really begins after this talk. This talk was to set out the pope's agenda for what he open hopes to see, and then it will be up to some of the Vatican officials and those Muslim representatives to get down to the nitty gritty of how they're going to go about doing that.
HARRIS: OK, so that's how the Vatican goes, sort of laying out that framework for further discussion, it sounds like.
GALLAGHER: Yes, absolutely. They have a counsel here called the Council for Interreligious Dialogue. One of the first things Pope Benedict did when he became pope was put that council under another council, called the Council for Culture. That is in charge -- led by a cardinal here who will now be in charge of handling these relations with Muslims.
The important point of today, Tony, is that it brought this dialogue into high relief. The Muslim representatives now know that their concerns are a top priority for this pontificate.
HARRIS: I see. That's Delia Gallagher joining us from Rome.
Delia, good to see you. Thank you.
COLLINS: Ask and you shall receive. A judge kicks Saddam Hussein out of court today. The second straight session he's been booted. This time Hussein demanded to leave. The chief judge obliged, saying the former Iraqi leader had failed on observe courtroom procedure. The session was already emptier than usual. Hussein's defense team is boycotting to protest the appointment of the new chief judge.
In Nepal now, no survivors in the hadn't crash. Two dozen people onboard. The copter, chartered by an international conservation group. Search crews had been looking for the Russian-made aircraft for two days. They found the charred wreckage today in a remote area about 250 miles east of Kathmandu, the capital. Reports say two Americans were among those killed.
HARRIS: Still to come, an easing of a ban on some carry-on items at airports. Plus, airport screeners collect them. So where does the contraband wind up? Find out next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: I want to quickly get you back to something we followed a little bit earlier here today. If you fly on airplanes, which many of you do, it will affect you. So listen to this. A little bit earlier today at Reagan National Airport, we heard from the TSA, as well as from the Department of Homeland Security's deputy secretary about a modification to that liquid and gel ban that we had been experiencing since the plot was foiled back in August, where there was a group of people that were trying to move explosives, through liquids and gels, from Britain to the United States. I'm sure you remember the long lines at the airports.
Now here's the change. Two things to keep in mind. You will now be allowed to bring small amounts of liquids, gels or aerosols on to aircraft, three ounces or less, and then they must be put into zip- top bags that must be the size of one quarter on less. Got it? Three ounces into a one-quart bag. Then the second modification is this, you may now buy drinks, your soft drinks or your water bottles after you have gone through security and you are in any of the places where you buy newspapers...
HARRIS: I see.
COLLINS: ... or delis or whatever. It's all OK to do that now. There's been quite a bit of research done by the FBI and the National Labs Investigation, explosives research there, saying a total ban is just not necessary on these liquids and gels any longer.
HARRIS: OK. You know, many of you may wonder what happens to all of the items confiscated at airports.
Dan Lothian has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Concord, New Hampshire, across a two-lane road, next to a cornfield, inside a small warehouse, airport contraband is up for sale.
(on camera): And you're able to pretty much sell most of this stuff?
JOHN SUPRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE SURPLUS DIVISION: Oh, yes, yes.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): John Supry, with New Hampshire's surplus division, uses a forklift to lower the thousands of pounds of banned items from travelers at Boston Logan and three other New England airports.
SUPRY: About every six weeks we get a call from one of the airports and we'll send a truck in and pick these items up.
LOTHIAN: Some things are tossed. Others are sold to the public for a few dollars.
The biggest seller?
SUPRY: Jackknifes.
LOTHIAN: Boxes and boxes of them.
But there's all sorts of other things as well.
SUPRY: Things you can't imagine, car parts, brakes, shock absorbers, blenders, you name it.
LOTHIAN: And even now, knowing what the 9/11 hijackers used, this still keeps showing up.
SUPRY: You've got the box cutter.
LOTHIAN: Remember, all these items were about to be carried on to an airplane.
TOM KINTON, MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY: There still are things that people are attempting to bring on the airplane that the TSA is getting at the security checkpoint and confiscating. But the vast majority of the traveling public understands the restrictions and packs accordingly.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Still, the Transportation Security Administration says at least 30 million banned items have been collected since 2002, at 450 airports across the country.
(voice-over): The federal government would typically have to pay to get rid of it all. Instead, some of the contraband ends up in places like this.
SUPRY: We save the taxpayers money, and they don't have to pay to dispose of these items. LOTHIAN: New Hampshire makes about $226,000 a year from its programs. The state of Pennsylvania also cashes in, selling items on eBay, retrieved for 12 airports in five states.
And what happens to all the butane-filled lighters?
SUPRY: Anything that's hazardous they dispose of through another means.
LOTHIAN: The TSA contracts with this environmental cleanup company, which disposes of them in incinerators, a booming market for banned items that missed their flights.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, many of you may wonder what happens to all of the items confiscated at airports.
Dan Lothian has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Concord, New Hampshire, across a two-lane road, next to a cornfield, inside a small warehouse, airport contraband is up for sale.
(on camera): And you're able to pretty much sell most of this stuff?
JOHN SUPRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE SURPLUS DIVISION: Oh, yes, yes.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): John Supry, with New Hampshire's surplus division, uses a forklift to lower the thousands of pounds of banned items from travelers at Boston Logan and three other New England airports.
SUPRY: About every six weeks we get a call from one of the airports and we'll send a truck in and pick these items up.
LOTHIAN: Some things are tossed. Others are sold to the public for a few dollars.
The biggest seller?
SUPRY: Jackknifes.
LOTHIAN: Boxes and boxes of them.
But there's all sorts of other things as well.
SUPRY: Things you can't imagine, car parts, brakes, shock absorbers, blenders, you name it.
LOTHIAN: And even now, knowing what the 9/11 hijackers used, this still keeps showing up.
SUPRY: You've got the box cutter.
LOTHIAN: Remember, all these items were about to be carried on to an airplane.
TOM KINTON, MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY: There still are things that people are attempting to bring on the airplane that the TSA is getting at the security checkpoint and confiscating. But the vast majority of the traveling public understands the restrictions and packs accordingly.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Still, the Transportation Security Administration says at least 30 million banned items have been collected since 2002, at 450 airports across the country.
(voice-over): The federal government would typically have to pay to get rid of it all. Instead, some of the contraband ends up in places like this.
SUPRY: We save the taxpayers money, and they don't have to pay to dispose of these items.
LOTHIAN: New Hampshire makes about $226,000 a year from its programs. The state of Pennsylvania also cashes in, selling items on eBay, retrieved for 12 airports in five states.
And what happens to all the butane-filled lighters?
SUPRY: Anything that's hazardous they dispose of through another means.
LOTHIAN: The TSA contracts with this environmental cleanup company, which disposes of them in incinerators, a booming market for banned items that missed their flights.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Another reminder, Dan Lothian is one of many CNN contributors seen weekdays on "AMERICAN MORNING" beginning at 6 a.m. Eastern time.
COLLINS: So you've thrown out your fresh spinach, but are there other foods you should be concerned about? Well, we are checking the grocery aisles coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: How about this, some new hope today for weary firefighters in southern California. They're expecting cooler weather and dying winds. That will be helpful. That could help them out maybe get the upper hand against the big blaze. Look at this. Look at this. Right now it's an all-out battle with airplanes, helicopters are doing the best they can to douse the flames with retardant. The fire has scorched nearly 210 square miles in the Los Padres National Forest. It's been on the move since it broke out on Labor Day, thus, its name, the "Day Fire".
COLLINS: Chad Myers has been watching the situation for us ever since then. Chad, we were talking a little while ago about kind of a break with the Santa Ana winds over the weekend.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST Yes. And still right now, a big break going on. I want you to notice -- not so much the numbers, because they're six, seven, four, five -- I want you to notice the direction. The air that's coming off the ocean here, this arrow is pointing where the wind is coming from. So it's coming from the ocean, blowing that marine layer into L.A. This one out here, about Riverside, blowing actually from the desert.
Well, that just kind of means light and variable winds. Here's a live shot from our affiliate in L.A., actually blowing the marine layer into L.A. this morning. And that extra moisture is a help. The problem is if you get too much moisture and you get too much of the marine layer, then you can't fly those planes with the sluree. So there's kind of a -- it's a good and bad situation there. At least if we can get some of the -- say that again, please?
Fifteen seconds. OK.
Scattered -- so hard to hear sometimes. Especially when I'm talking. San Francisco down to L.a. should be a decent day. We will see sunshine. It will be a cool day across the northeast, 58 in Detroit, 63 in Boston and 69 in New York and 59 in Cincinnati. The rain of the weekend, the severe weather over the weekend gone, completely gone. Sunshine most of the week in the northeast.
I got two seconds. Back to you.
COLLINS: I knew you'd be left with some time after all that.
HARRIS: That's good. All right, Chad. Thank you, man.
"YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up at the top of the hour. Let's get a preview now with Jim Clancy.
Good morning, Jim. Good morning to you.
JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
As we look at the situation right now, the pope, very important story, Pope Benedict XVI met with Muslim leaders this day. The Vatican wondering is this diffused now, and what about his upcoming trip to Turkey? That would be in November.
Also, the debate over the cost and the consequences of the War in Iraq. We're going to be talking with a seasoned correspondent who has written a book about what he sees as a lack of preparation and inability to adapt to the insurgency and a U.S. military not very pleased with its civilian leadership.
And then finally we're going have an exclusive report from Nepal. Children being sold by their parents, poverty forcing these children into what really amounts to slavery. They're being sold for $25.
All of it coming up here on "YOUR WORLD TODAY" at noon eastern.
HARRIS: All right, see you then, Jim. Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks Jim.
Millions of older Americans are getting an unpleasant surprise this month, much higher bills for their prescription drugs. Cheryl Casone joins us from the New York Stock Exchange to tell us why.
Cheryl, what's the deal?
CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi there, Heidi.
You know, it's called the "doughnut Hole Provision" in the new Medicare Drug Benefit Plan, but it's a pretty bitter pill to swallow for many Americans. And there was a lot of debate in Washington when this was first proposed. It ends federal payments for seniors' drug purchases once an annual spending limit is reached. Once seniors reach that limit, they're responsible for the full cost of their medicine. And this is not an extra five or 10 bucks we're talking about here, it could be significantly more. And it's all laid out under the standard plan of benefit, the government pays the bulk of drug costs until the total spent his just over $2,200 for the year. But many people are not aware of how this works, in this plan, a lot of things they're not aware about. And after they reach that limit, seniors must pay for everything until they've paid out of their pocket $3,600.
Heidi, that means about 3 million seniors are now being forced to choose. Either they pay the full cost of their prescriptions, or they just go without.
COLLINS: So why is this provision in the plan at all? I mean, what can seniors really do about it, anything?
CASONE: Well, you know, the Medicare Drug Plan is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. We've talked a lot about that. So, the "Donut Hole" was a way to keep from breaking the bank, basically. The gap is spelled out in the policy, but many seniors still feel blindsided by this.
For them, mail-order pharmacies, that's an option on their drugs. Canada, that's a way to go. That can hold down the cost or they can buy more expensive Medicare plan when they sign up for next year's benefits. That's November 15th, the new enrollment starts. That can also apply for prescription assistance programs that are run by many states and pharmaceutical companies as well.
There a way to get help. Obviously, there's a lot of questions with this. There's a 800 number. It's 800-633-4227 -- Heidi. COLLINS: All right. Hopefully, they'll be answering those lines, that's for sure.
CASONE: What's happening on Wall Street this morning? Anything about gas?
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
CASONE: Cheryl, thank you very much.
HARRIS: Join us in the NEWSROOM again 1 p.m. Eastern time. Here with the preview, Don Lemon. Don, good to see you, sir.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, good to see you guys. Thank you very much.
Coming up in the NEWSROOM at 1:00 p.m., the Saints goes marching back into the Superdome tonight, a very different Superdome than we saw this time last year. I'll talk with a retired police officer who worked that beat and will be there tonight for the game.
Plus, life after retirement. Tennis great Andre Agassi is in the NEWSROOM this afternoon. We'll discuss his feats, his family and his future as a retiree at the ripe old age of 36.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Look at -- there's your new photo.
HARRIS: There you go.
LEMON: There it is. All starts at 1:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
COLLINS: I'm looking forward to talk about Andre Agassi's feet.
LEMON: His feet?
HARRIS: Will you stop?
LEMON: At least I didn't say feats.
COLLINS: You did say feats.
LEMON: Well, you know what I mean. The other way.
HARRIS: Yes, right. Right.
COLLINS: Don, we'll be watching.
HARRIS: All right, Don, thank you.
COLLINS: You're welcome. Thanks.
HARRIS: So you've thrown out all of your fresh spinach, but are there other foods you should be concerned about? We're checking the grocery aisles ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: One hundred seventy-three people sickened, one confirmed death, all linked to E. coli-tainted spinach. Now many are wondering, what about the rest of the food supply? Is it safe?
Our Ted Rowlands reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not just fresh spinach that could get you sick. Every year, dozens of food items that end up on store shelves are potentially deadly. In fact, the current list of recalled food over the last 60 days includes more than a dozen items. There's beef with E. coli, sprouts with salmonella, and botulism in carrot juice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon.
ROWLANDS: Food industry experts acknowledge there's a growing concern that more people will get sick before they can figure out what's going wrong.
BRYAN SILBERMANN, PRODUCE MARKETING SPOKESMAN: This is a moving target. And I think we have to recognize that.
ROWLANDS: In some cases, the cause is identified and the problem is corrected. But many times the cause isn't clear. While federal investigators search spinach fields for clues in the current E. coli case, the industry is hoping that there isn't another significant outbreak involving another food product.
JOE PEZZINI, OCEAN MIST FARMS: And no one in the industry wants someone to be ill from the products that we're producing.
ROWLANDS: Joe Pezzini helps oversee thousands of acres of crops in central California, including this 200-acre plot of spinach which, because of the E. coli scare, most likely will be destroyed. He says farmers have been aware of the problems for years. In fact, he and other producers received a letter late last year from the FDA that expressed, quote, "serious concern with the continuing outbreaks of foodborne illness."
(on camera): Many growers and health officials are hoping that the current investigation going on here in central California into the E. coli tainted spinach will not only yield answers in this case, but will serve as a wakeup call for the entire industry to reexamine their practices.
(voice over): Growers and food producers are working with federal health officials on new safety precautions. The problem, they say, is that until someone figures out what's causing these outbreaks, it might not be possible to prevent more people from getting sick.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Salinas, California. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Well, CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now. Kyra Phillips and Donald Lemon are working hard to keep you updated throughout the afternoon.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening around the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great day, everybody.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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