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Investigation Into Former Congressman Mark Foley; School Lockdown in Las Vegas; Woodward's Words; Iraqi Anger at U.S.
Aired October 02, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
Sexually-charged e-mails to minors, the investigation into former congressman Mark Foley. Democrats accuse Republican leaders of a cover-up.
HARRIS: Violence and anger on the streets. Some Iraqis calling now on the U.S. to get out of their country.
COLLINS: And the overpass that failed. Investigators look for clues to the tragedy this Monday, the second day of October.
You are in the NEWSROOM.
The speaker of the House speaks out on the story of representative Mark Foley and allegations of contacting pages inappropriately. Who knew what and when did they know it? Dennis Hastert is asking for a federal investigation now of how those investigations were handled.
Let's go straight to Capitol Hill now, where CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel is this morning -- Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, after initially denying that he had any advance knowledge of this scandal, the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, is leading an aggressive campaign to try to keep this from spreading. This morning, in fact, a spokesman for Hastert's office said that the congressman, the speaker, had come back into town last night and said, "The speaker is outraged and disgusted with Congressman Mark Foley's actions. He is now in Washington and will meet with the clerk of the House, Congressman John Shimkus, who's head of the Page Review Board, and his staff to review the procedures of how we protect pages while they are here. The speaker is additionally concerned about how Congress can protect pages after they leave."
Now, late yesterday, Speaker Hastert also, in an extraordinary move, sent two letters. One of them to the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, the other to Attorney General Gonzales, asking them to launch an investigation, not just into Congressman Foley, but into the Congress itself, saying, "I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter, be they members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives, or anyone outside of Congress."
Now, the exceptional speed with which not just Speaker Hastert but the Republican leadership has responded to this story, ever since Democrats began stepping up their accusations that there was a GOP election year cover-up, is in no small measure, Heidi, due to the fact that you have got midterm elections about five weeks away. And even before this scandal broke, House Republicans were standing really on sort of shaky ground and were worried about potentially losing control of the House for the first time in 12 years -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Obviously a huge investigation coming our way. And we will wait to see the results of that before we go any further on that line.
CNN's Andrea Koppel, part of the best political team on television.
Thanks, Andrea.
HARRIS: Out of office, now in treatment. Former Congressman Mark Foley says he has checked into an alcohol rehab facility just days after resigning his congressional seat.
CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in West Palm Beach, the heart of Foley's former congressional district.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mark Foley's lawyer, David Roth, tells CNN that the ex-congressman has written a letter to his constituents trying to explain what happened. And in part, the letter says that "Events that led to his resignation crystallized longstanding, significant alcohol and emotional problems."
Now, it is not clear from the letter whether the ex-congressman is blaming his alleged misconduct on alcohol abuse, but Foley does say this, "I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and related behavioral problems." He goes on to say, "I deeply regret and accept full responsibility for the harm I have caused," and goes on to thank his supporters for their prayers.
Now, Florida Governor Jeb Bush has already initiated his own investigation into the possible criminal misconduct. He has ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and specifically its cyber crime unit to look into whether any of these e-mails that were allegedly sent by the ex-congressman originated in the state of Florida. It is not clear where that investigation will lead, but the FBI is the lead on it.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Want to give you this information just into us now at CNN and show you some pictures in Las Vegas. Actually, North Las Vegas, to be exact. Coming into us from our affiliate KLAS.
We're dealing with a situation here where we have some law enforcement officials surrounding a home. Their guns are drawn. You will see them here in a moment. And -- there it just a few moments ago.
What they are looking for, we believe, is a student who may have come to school with a weapon. The student and the weapon have not yet been found. I believe that they are looking to this area for that person. The high school was Mojave High School, at it is in the Clark County school district, if you happen to know the area.
Once again, we received a call that someone had gone into the school with a gun, then left. So officials are checking this area there.
Now you see some live shots, police dogs. It looks a little bit like a SWAT team, but obviously very difficult to tell from this angle.
We have someone on the phone who is going to give us the very latest update from the area, Las Vegas Police.
And sir, tell me your name one more time, please.
TIM BEDWELL, NORTH LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPT.: Yes. My name is Tim Bedwell, I'm with the North Las Vegas Police Department.
COLLINS: Tim, what can you tell us at this time?
BEDWELL: Well, this started out at Mojave High School this morning when the school police were informed that a juvenile that's a former student at that school was on campus and was armed with a gun, possibly a long gun. Maybe even an AK-47. But we don't know that, we can't confirm that.
COLLINS: All right. So what -- what -- I'm not sure if you can see our pictures that we're broadcasting right now, but we're seeing quite a bit of police activity at what looks to be a single family home here.
What is the response? What are authorities saying at this time?
BEDWELL: Yes, what happened was the school police got into a foot pursuit with the individual. They chased him to that neighborhood. And right now, what we have is our SWAT team and K-9 units arriving.
They're going to go house to house and try to see if they can find him. We believe we have a perimeter around him at that house. COLLINS: Any idea who this person is? You had stated that it was a former student. So that tells me a little bit that you might have some idea who this person is, maybe reports from other students? What are you getting?
BEDWELL: Well, the indications now are, yes, we do know who he is. We believe he's a juvenile and we do think he's a former student who had been trespassed from the school.
COLLINS: Any record on this person?
BEDWELL: You know, I don't know that for sure yet. We're using two different agencies working on this, the school police -- the dark blue cars that you see are school police officers. In Las Vegas we have separate agencies for that. White police cars are North Las Vegas Police. That is north Las Vegas' jurisdiction.
And because of the severity of this crime, we're obviously assisting school police. And now this has actually spilled out on to our jurisdiction. So we'll be the lead now in finding him.
COLLINS: OK.
BEDWELL: But as far as the intel on who he is, they're working that on the ground right now.
COLLINS: Sure. I'm sure that takes a while. Is it correct that the school is on lockdown at this point, right?
BEDWELL: Right. Actually, what you're seeing there -- I have your picture up now...
COLLINS: OK.
BEDWELL: ... that's an elementary school that's near our command post which is fairly close, about a block away from the high school. That school, Raul Elizondo Elementary, is also on lockdown because of the fact that this is all occurring right on their perimeter.
HARRIS: Tim, Tony Harris with Heidi Collins. And give me a sense of what the scene was like when -- when your teams arrived there. You mentioned that you were able to make visual contact on the suspect and that a chase ensued. Were you directed to the suspect by someone in the school?
BEDWELL: Well, yes. The school police (INAUDIBLE) chase, and they asked us to assist them as they entered into this foot pursuit with him off campus. And obviously for the reason that there was a weapon at the school, we get called for that anyway.
We've also gotten some assistance from ground and the air on where he is exactly. But as far as a sense for what was going on, we -- we don't have these very often. They don't happen, you know -- they make the news any time they do occur. But we train pretty heavily for this, and this is something that gets a maximum response any time there's guns in a school. COLLINS: Absolutely. And Officer Bedwell, it goes without saying, last week two deadly school shootings in different parts of the country.
BEDWELL: Right.
COLLINS: It certainly must raise the awareness and the tension level.
Can you pinpoint for us, for people who travel to Las Vegas quite a bit, but they're down on the strip area, where this area is in particular?
BEDWELL: This is north of the strip. Actually, North Las Vegas is a separate jurisdiction. North Las Vegas is about 200,000 people on the north end of the -- of the metropolitan area. So our boundary starts about a mile and a half north of whatever everybody recognizes as the end of -- end of resort area.
COLLINS: It's close.
BEDWELL: And where this is occurring is probably -- yes, real close. But this actually -- as you can see, this is a bedroom community. And it's about -- oh, it's probably about seven miles north of the downtown area of Las Vegas.
HARRIS: And Tim, as we look at these aerial pictures, this view of the area that you're canvassing here, once again, remind us, do you feel as though you have a pretty good beat on where this suspect is located? Because as we look at the wider picture over the area, this is a residential community of several blocks. I would imagine that there is great concern for the homeowners in that area.
BEDWELL: Well, yes, there is, of course. And what we're doing right now is just we've got it locked down. We've got the area that we believe he is in confined.
And what they'll do at this point is determine what evacuations they need to do. And then they'll go looking -- they'll take the K-9s to his last spotted area, the last -- the last place he was seen. And the K-9s will work from there to track him.
Now, the difficult thing in an area like this, I think you already pointed out, is this is a pretty dense residential area. And so he could be any number of places, hiding under things. So the danger is pretty high.
I have an indication that we have already recovered at least one weapon. So while some people say, oh, good, you have his gun, the practicality of that is, oh, no, that solidifies the fact that he was armed and could be still armed. So this is going to be a fairly methodical thing at this point.
HARRIS: Yes.
BEDWELL: It's not like -- it's not like as if he was still on the school grounds, where we have to go directly at him. Time is a little more on our -- on our side at a point like this.
HARRIS: And so I'm sitting in one of these homes in this area, and what's the advice? Just to sort of lock the doors and call you if you see some -- some movements, a suspicious character in the neighborhood?
BEDWELL: That's exactly the advice. That's perfect. That's what we would put out: pretty much stay in place, lock yourself in.
We're pretty certain that we have the resources in place right now that if he moves from where he's at, we can be there relatively quickly. And most people would recognize that right off the bat.
You know, for all we know, he could be at home, right in there watching this on CNN right now. So I'm not going to be talking a lot about, you know, the timing of when we're going to go and do things and that type of thing. But we are in a situation right now where, until we contact people in the area, we'd prefer them just to stay in place.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Officer Bedwell, we certainly appreciate all your information here as we are watching these events unfold.
A lot of activity, North Las Vegas, about a mile or so from the strip.
And I hope it's all right with you, sir, that we stay in contact with you to find out how this is resolved. Hopefully it will be a very positive situation.
But at this point, just to recap, a possible gunman went into Mojave High School around 7:00 a.m. this morning. He left the school with at least one weapon. Police have since recovered a weapon. Not sure if he may still have more at this point.
And so they are now, as you see there, guns drawn, SWAT teams and police surrounding a residential home, trying to figure out exactly where this former student of Mojave High school may be at this point. They describe the level of danger to be very, very high.
So we will continue to watch this story and certainly let you know how it turns out.
HARRIS: And moving forward, coming up this hour, today's White House briefing, live here on CNN in the NEWSROOM, 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time.
COLLINS: Americans go home. The feelings of some Iraqis as violence wracks their country.
A report from Baghdad coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: The 9/11 hijackers, was Mohammed Atta the key?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it wasn't for Atta, 9/11 may have never happened. The rest were like -- they were described by some people as dumb and dumber wherever they went.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: New insights from a newly revealed terror tape in the NEWSROOM.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
COLLINS: And tragedy on the highway. Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, authorities try to find out what caused a deadly overpass collapse.
We'll tell you the story coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And if you're just joining us, we want to update you on the breaking news out of North Las Vegas. That, of course, is north of the strip there.
Mojave High and Elizondo Elementary schools in lockdown right now as school police and police in the area search for a student who may be carrying a weapon. We learned just a few moments ago that a former student was back on the school campus with what appeared to be a high- velocity firearm, maybe more than one.
There was a foot chase with police, K-9 units have been brought in to this location that you're looking at right now. North Las Vegas Police and SWAT are searching this nearby neighborhood and apartment complex. A single home development there as well, near Commerce and Lone Mountain (ph), looking for this gunman.
They believe they have a beat on the general area where this subject may be holed up. But they are taking their time going through what they describe as a very methodical search to find the suspect.
We will continue to follow these pictures. This looks like it's going to be a house-to-house search. And we will bring you the very latest information as we get it.
COLLINS: The bombshell book from legendary journalist Bob Woodward. The focus, the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war. The fallout, a war of words as the White House fires back.
CNN's Kathleen Koch now has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Woodward book has the White House playing offense.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The book's sort of like cotton candy. It kind of melts on contact.
KOCH: Biting dismissals, followed Saturday by a detailed rebuttal of claims the president concealed deteriorating conditions in Iraq and ignored early requests for more troops. But the White House has less to say about the revelation that CIA director George Tenet and his counterterrorism chief, Cofer Black, two months before 9/11 requested an emergency meeting with Condoleezza Rice to sound the alarm that intelligence showed al Qaeda would soon attack the United States.
The book claims Rice was "polite, but they felt the brush-off."
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: We're puzzled by this. No one has seen these type of quotes before. Each of these participants went before the commission and testified. So Condoleezza is scratching her head because we don't believe that's an accurate account.
KOCH: Democrats want answers about whether the meeting occurred, and, if so, why the 9/11 Commission and the rest of the country ware never told about it.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: They were obliged to tell the 9/11 Commission when they were investigating of all relevant meetings that took place, relevant to the attack on 9/11. This sure sounds relevant to me. Why did they not do that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find that stunning. And I think that is as close to a smoking gun that you get.
KOCH: There has already been debate over what impact the book's Iraq revelations would have on voters in the coming midterm elections.
SEN. MIKE DEWINE (R), OHIO: Voters understand mistakes have been made. And so I don't know that this book is going to influence their attitude at all.
KOCH: But the possible concealment of an early warning about the 9/11 attacks could be more damaging.
DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: There is a credibility gap in this administration that has now become a canyon.
KOCH (on camera): President Bush himself has yet to directly address any of the claims raised in the Woodward book. He will have ample opportunity this week as he heads out on a three-day campaign swing through the West.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Bob Woodward talks more about the details in his new book when he joins "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN. HARRIS: American troops have patrolled the streets of Iraq for more than four years as they try to bring peace to the country. Violence still grabs the headlines. More killings and kidnappings today, but the fight for Iraq is more than just a battle against insurgents. It's also a fight for hearts and minds. On the streets, anger and bitterness from some Iraqis who want the U.S. out of their country.
To Baghdad now and CNN's Awa Daemon, who is embedded with U.S. military forces in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The strain of day- to-day life here is taking its toll. Frustration, anger, despair are predominant emotions in the streets of Baghdad. And now more Iraqis are directing it at the Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We want to leave today. Not tomorrow. From the day they arrived, they ruined the country.
DAMON: U.S. forces have struggled to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, who from the start were wary of American intentions in their country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's not just me. All Iraqis want the Americans out, because they are harming, not benefiting the people. They made a lot of promises and they turned out to be lies.
DAMON: The February bombing of the holy Shia shrine in Samarra catapulted ethnic tensions in Iraq, leading to a near all-out civil war. U.S. troops were viewed as being a stabilizing force, but as secretary killing continued to increase, public opinion shifted once again.
ZAKI CHENAB, IRAQ POLITICAL ANALYST: Not a single neighborhood in Iraq is safe. Not a single main road which connects the capital with (INAUDIBLE) is safe. They are scared of killing which is taking place in Iraq, especially the last two months, beyond imagination. To hear of another attack every -- every -- every 15 minutes in Iraq happening, this is beyond imagination.
DAMON (on camera): The Iraqis have been living the unimaginable for over three years now. They are simply tired of the violence and ready for the Americans to leave. More than ready for this war to be over.
The question is, what kind of life awaits them if the Americans leave now?
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tragedy on the highway. Coming up on the CNN NEWSROOM, authorities try to find out what caused a deadly overpass collapse.
That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Just outside Montreal, Quebec, grim scenes from a tragic incident there. Part of a major highway now shut down today after an overpass collapsed. Five people were killed, six others injured.
Details now from CTV reporter Graham Richardson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRAHAM RICHARDSON, REPORTER, CTV (voice over): What's left of two cars crushed to knee height. Inside, five people died instantly as this massive slab of concrete road gave way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me it was like being in a roller-coaster.
RICHARDSON: Robert Hott (ph) and his girlfriend drove on to the bridge the moment it collapsed. They went down with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened so fast and such a situation. So I really didn't have the time to panic.
RICHARDSON: He suffered bruises, his girlfriend is in the hospital with minor injuries. Quebec premier Jean Charest has called a public inquiry. He toured the site, pointing out the bridge was only 36 years old.
JEAN CHAREST, QUEBEC PREMIER: And the bridge that was built here was built when I was 12 years old. And its life expectancy was about 60 years old. And so there are obviously a lot of unanswered questions at this point.
RICHARDSON: Opposition politicians also came to the site, touching on the anger many feel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We live in a modern society and I don't understand why bridges fall down.
RICHARDSON: Six years ago, this bridge collapsed while it was under construction, killing one man.
(on camera): There are very difficult questions for officials here. An hour before the collapse, members of the public had called in to report that concrete had fallen to the road. A crew from Transport Quebec actually came to the site and picked up the concrete and then moved on.
The question, of course, why didn't they shut the road down?
(voice over): The crew from Transport Quebec ordered an inspection of the bridge before leaving. It collapsed less than an hour later. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's for the people that died...
RICHARDSON: This man brought a sign lamenting the incompetence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's disgusting.
RICHARDSON: Officials worked overnight to review Quebec's 4,500 bridges. They say 20 need closer inspection. Two other overpasses have now been closed. Fearing the other side of this bridge may fall down, too, the road underneath could remain closed for months.
Graham Richardson, CTV News, Laval.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And still to come, a scandalized congressman out of office. The Republican Party under the microscope. The Foley fallout just weeks before the midterm elections, that story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And coming up this hour, today's White House briefing. Likely going to be talking about a variety of topics, right here on the CNN NEWSROOM, 11:45 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Good morning, everyone, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM this Monday, October 2nd. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
We've got some breaking news for you. If you're just joining us, inside the last half hour, there is a lockdown under way right now at Mojave High School and Elizondo Elementary School. This is in north Las Vegas, just north of the strip. It appears a former student has gone back on campus with what appeared to be a high-velocity firearm. And there was a foot chase with authorities , with the north Las Vegas police. Canine units have been brought in. And now the police are scouring say neighborhood very near the school. This is a residential neighborhood, apartment complex near Commerce and Lone Mountain, if you're familiar with the area.
But once again, you're looking at pictures now at the school that is in lockdown right now. Everyone inside the school apparently safe at this time. But police have moved their search to a neighborhood very close to the school. An apartment complex there as well, and are going essentially house to house in what they describe as a methodical search, trying to capture the suspect. They have recovered one firearm, but believe that the suspect may still be armed and obviously very dangerous. So that is a search that is ongoing right now. We will continue to follow the story and bring you the very latest.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, the Foley fallout. Today shockwaves rattle Capitol Hill. Will they also reverberate at the polls in the midterm elections coming up in just a few weeks.
Well, CNN national correspondent Bob Franken takes a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Congressman Mark Foley is gone from Congress, but his Republican leadership is struggling to avoid being buried in his fallout in this very competitive election battle for control of Congress, while Democrats would love to bury them.
REP. JANE HARMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: Well, I do think voters in an election season have a right to know what the leaders of Congress did, what they knew, and when they knew and what they did. And I think these matters will have to come out.
FRANKEN: The Republican leaders, in particular House Speaker Dennis Hastert, were trying to not get hopelessly entangled in questions about how they handled the Foley matter. Hastert's aides were notified in the fall of 2005 by Louisiana Republican Congressman Rodney Alexander that a page he had sponsored complained about what the page called "sick" e-mails he had received from Foley. The information was shared over the next few months with the top echelon of the GOP in the House, including Hastert's office. They reached a consensus that Mark Foley's e-mails were merely "over friendly" and Foley was warned and all communications with the page and to be careful about his contacts.
The chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee, Thomas Reynolds, and House Majority Leader John Boehner, say they were told earlier this year and brought to it the attention of Hastert himself. There the matter stood until the explosive revelations of more provocative communication in the form of instant messages to former pages in earlier years and an explosive chain of reactions.
From House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Republican leaders should be questioned under oath about what she called the cover-up. Speaker Hastert himself has sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and another to Florida Governor Jeb Bush asking for federal and state investigations. In fact, sources tell CNN, the FBI has begun a preliminary investigation. All of this is being watched very closely at a White House that is battling to make sure the president's fellow Republicans keep control of Congress.
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: And I know more than anybody else Speaker Hastert wants to make sure that if any crime was committed that they be held accountable.
(on camera): What Republicans in and out of Congress are worried about is that they, too, will be held accountable -- by the voters.
Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: With us in Miami is Tom Fiedler, executive editor at "The Miami Herald."
Tom, good to see you this morning. Thanks for your time.
TOM FIEDLER, EXEC. EDITOR, "THE MIAMI HERALD": Sure, glad to be here.
HARRIS: Your paper received or had a chance to look at the e- mails that are described as "overly friendly," is that correct?
FIEDLER: Yes, that's right, at least the initial e-mail that went to the page who worked for Representative Alexander. We did not see the instant messages.
HARRIS: Yes, and at the time, you decided, the paper decided, not to write a piece based on the e-mails. Can you tell us what your concerns were?
FIEDLER: Several. I think that we felt initially that the language -- although I think it was probably inappropriate -- was also ambiguous in what it actually meant or what a message might be.
The big question for us is whether the e-mail had been initiated by the page rather than the back and forth or initiated by Representative Foley, because I think you could read it as being very innocuous had it been initiated by the page and he was simply responding in a way to be friendly, and it did come across as overly friendly, as the speaker had said.
HARRIS: Hey, Tom, did you think to put -- or maybe you did -- did you put more people on the story with the thought that perhaps there might be more there?
FIEDLER: At the time, we didn't. At the time, we thought that this was an isolated incident. In fact, it was the only one that had come to our attention. Obviously in hindsight, when this resurfaced last Thursday on ABC's Web site, we went back and looked at it to see if there was something that we may have missed. And, of course, along with much of the rest of the country, we learned on Friday that there was these -- that a number of other conversations, including the very explicit -- the text messages.
HARRIS: Am I correct, Mark Foley was a state rep?
FIEDLER: Mark Foley started as a state representative from the town of Lakeworth, which is just south of Palm Beach, and very young. He was the first elected at the age of 23 to the statehouse. He was always considered something of a fast riser. And extremely popular. I think, in many ways, if there is fault to be found here, both with the media and perhaps with the House Republicans, it's that he was so popular that in a situation where there were perhaps shades of gray, the tendency, I believe, was to err on his side, to see the situation from his point of view, rather than perhaps from the other.
HARRIS: Tom, we understand he's checked himself into a treatment center for alcoholism.
FIEDLER: That's right.
HARRIS: Has he ever been treated for alcoholism to your knowledge?
FIEDLER: Not to my knowledge. And in fact, that struck me as somewhat surprising. I've known him, or at least I've reported on him now for 25 or more years, and I had no indication this was an issue. But I would perfect not say that I'm an expert on alcoholism.
HARRIS: Yes. And in this letter to constituents he talks about having emotional behavioral problems. Has he ever talked publicly about any of those problems?
FIEDLER: Never publicly. And I have no idea what he is attempting to characterize as either emotional or behavioral problems. I think it was fairly well known, certainly among the media, and among those who knew him personally, that he was gay. And he attended and supported causes, AIDS benefits, for instance. I would certainly hope that he doesn't characterize that as an emotional problem.
HARRIS: Tom Fiedler, thanks for your time this morning.
FIEDLER: Sure.
HARRIS: We appreciate it.
COLLINS: A silent video, a chilling message. A newly revealed tape featuring 9/11 hijackers, more than a year and a half before their deadly are mission.
CNN's Paula Newton now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire video is silent and yet the images unnerving. The 9/11 mastermind and his accomplice laughing it up and going through their lines for a performance of martyrdom wills. According to the "Sunday Times" of London the tape was apparently shot in Afghanistan a full 21 months before 9/11.
It is startling in the human portrait it paints of Mohammed Atta, AK-47 at his side, stage managing his look just before he stares deadpan at the camera and gives what the paper claims is a death will, justifying himself for flying a plane straight into the World Trade Center.
With his easy style and comical posture, Ziad Jarrah is no less bizarre. And then he recites his will. He was the hijacker authorities believe was destined for Capitol Hill but who then crashed a United Airlines flight in Pennsylvania.
U.S. intelligence sources tell CNN, they have aware of the tape for years, even unsuccessfully tried to have it lip-read. It's assumed U.S. authorities found it in Afghanistan in late 2001, but never released it.
YOSRI FOUDA, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: And I wonder why, because it would have been benefited everyone. NEWTON: Author of "The Sunday Times" article Yosri Fouda won't reveal his sources but says the hour-long tape reveals much about how and why Atta, the so-called ringleader, was so carefully coached by Osama bin Laden.
FOUDA: If it wasn't for Atta, 9/11 may have never happened. The rest were described by some people as dumb and dumber, wherever they went. What you needed to the end of this plot is someone of the caliber of Mohammed Atta, someone to pull the plot together.
NEWTON (on camera): Osama bin Laden himself makes an appearance on the tape, again the whole thing is silent, but it's clear that bin Laden is holding court in Afghanistan, where he carefully plotted the 9/11 attack.
(voice-over): What is so striking about the incidents depicted in the video is al Qaeda broke its own rules by bringing two key plotters together.
ROBERT GRENIER, FORMER DIRECTOR, CIA COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: It must have been very important to the al Qaeda leadership at the time that they get a firsthand look at these fellows, because they were residing a great deal of responsibility in them. And perhaps it was thought that it would be important to bring these fellows to meet the al Qaeda leadership in Kandahar, so that they could motivate them properly.
NEWTON: No one can know if bin Laden has since refined his strategy, finding it too risky to be directly involved in future terror plots but the play by play of this footage reveals a long and methodical path to terror.
Paula Newton, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Just another reminder, to stay with us for today's White House briefing. CNN will bring it to you live when it starts. A new time for you, 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Take to you Las Vegas now, live shots overhead, a helicopter flying here in the area about one mile north of the strip, if you're familiar with Las Vegas, because they are still looking for a former student of a high school there by the name of Mojave High. It's actually paired with Elizondo Elementary School, same campus there, who apparently walked into the building with a gun that police describe as a long gun, possibly an AK-47. No confirmation of that yet. But that student -- former student, I should say, then left the area and we believe him to be holed up in one of these homes. So we are showing this video to you of the SWAT team members and police in north Las Vegas who are trying to find that former student and the weapons that he may still have on him. One weapon recovered, but they're not sure if he may have more. Obviously concerned about the situation. (BUSINESS HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Heidi, Heidi, Heidi.
LEMON: You're having way too much fun up here.
HARRIS: CNN NEWSROOM, 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. Don Lemon is here now with a preview for us.
LEMON: How are you guys are doing? Have a good weekend?
HARRIS: Good, good.
COLLINS: Yes. Sort of, trying to stay well.
LEMON: I hope you feel better.
COLLINS: Thank you. I wouldn't touch me.
LEMON: All right. Of course, we will be following the Foley fallout. The Florida congressman resigned after reports of sexual e- mails and instant messages sent to a young male page. The House Speaker says he's outraged and disgusted by Foley's actions, but how will voters respond? And will this lead to a backlash against Republican leadership? We'll talk about it with CNN's none other than Candy Crowley.
And do Iraqis want Americans out of their country? CNN's Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad on a new poll of how people there feel about U.S. troops. All that when you join Kyra and me in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Wow.
LEMON: We do make a very fetching couple.
HARRIS: Well there you go.
COLLINS: Well, if I don't say so myself.
LEMON: As you two do as well.
COLLINS: All right, Don, we'll be watching. Thank you.
Chad Meyers and the Weather Center now with the very latest on Isaac, which is now a tropical storm, right, Chad?
HARRIS: No Chad?
COLLINS: No Chad?
HARRIS: There he is.
COLLINS: There he is. (WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Today is the day. Firefighters thought they would have that Day Fire completely contained, a perimeter around it, be able to get in there and -- let's keep our fingers crossed. Chad, thank you. Appreciate it.
And stay with us for today's White House briefing. CNN will bring it to you live when it starts. The new time, new time: 12:15 p.m. Eastern.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We want to take you back quickly to Las Vegas, an area just north of there. A school is on lockdown, authorities telling us that apparently around 7:00 this morning, a former student at Mojave High School came into the building with a gun, left the area. And now police and SWAT teams are hot in pursuit of him in an area, a residential area nearby that school.
Still have not located him, but have found one gun. You can still see all of the law enforcement, SWAT teams and K-9 members there, trying to figure out where this former student may be there. They are concerned that he may still have weapons.
HARRIS: This is going to take some time. Essentially officials telling us, this is going to be a house-to-house search. And anyone in those communities are advised to sort of lock the doors. And if they see any suspicious movement from someone they don't identify as being a part of that community, to call them immediately.
Take a look at these pictures, pretty intimidating, of police and SWAT and you see a K-9 unit there as well, moving in on one house. Again, this is going to be a methodical search. It will take some time because this is quite a community, quite a large community, as police essentially go house to house, door to door to try to find the suspect.
COLLINS: And we also want to remind you, something else that we are watching. Coming up, this has been pushed back just a bit. We expected it at 11:45. Now the White House briefing will come your way at 12:15 Eastern. So we will make sure we have that live for you just as soon as it begins.
Meanwhile, CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now.
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 Monday, everybody.
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