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Al Qaeda Vows Revenge for bin Laden Killing; Bin Laden's Gas Bills; Shadowing Osama Bin Laden; Strained U.S.-Pakistani Relations; Plots Uncovered in Bin Laden Raid; Troops React to Bin Laden's Death; Time to Rethink Afghanistan Strategy?; "South Park" Jokes About Bin Laden; Stocks Jump on Jobs Report; Foreign Oil Helping Al Qaeda

Aired May 06, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. on the West. I'm Carol Costello, sitting in for Kyra Phillips this morning.

We have several new developments in the Osama bin Laden story. Just over an hour ago, we received word that al Qaeda is now confirming the death of its founder and the terror group is vowing revenge against Americans.

Later this hour, President Obama leaves for Fort Campbell Kentucky. He's expected to meet privately with the Navy Seals who carried out the raid.

And then "New York Times" is reporting that the CIA spent months watching the bin Laden's from a house just a few blocks away. Really.

And we'll start with that breaking news. Al Qaeda has released a statement confirming the death of its founder, Osama bin Laden. That's according to an intelligence group that monitors militant messages. CNN has translated the message now. It says in part, "Congratulations to the Islamic nation of the martyrdom of their devoted son, Osama. Even when the Americans managed to kill Osama, they managed to do it only by disgrace and betrayal."

It goes on to say, quote, "We call upon our Muslim people in Pakistan where our dear Sheik Osama was killed on their soil to rise up and revolt so they can cleanse this disgrace that was brought against them. Nic Robertson joins me by phone from Pakistan. So, Nic, what do you make of this?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): This is al Qaeda trying to capitalize on Osama Bin Laden's death. They're saying his blood is too heavy a price to be paid to go in vain. So they're saying they'll chains chase American agents wherever they are.

God willing they say, they will turn their happiness into sorrow. What al Qaeda is trying to do here, by sending a message to its supporters in this kind of way is calling on them to act against the United States in its interests wherever they are.

Because it's in their country and overseas, it is also, as you say, telling the people of Pakistan to rise up and throw out the Americans from Pakistan, saying that they're causing the problems in this country.

That it was a few traitors in Pakistan that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden and they're vowing to continue. They're vowing not only for revenge, but they're saying this will not cause us to change our course.

We will continue planning attacks without tiredness and we will essentially, they say, get our revenge, turn their happiness into sorrow, in their words, Carol.

COSTELLO: And in light of that, President Obama decided not to release the death photo of Osama Bin Laden. Was that the right decision?

ROBERTSON: Well, certainly the concern was he made need to release it to prove that Osama Bin Laden was dead, but here we clearly have al Qaeda saying they accept the fact that he's dead. The concern was that if the photograph was released then it would be used to rally attacks against the United States and its interest around the world.

And that is exactly what al Qaeda is doing without the photographs. So one could only imagine how they would try to use every piece of propaganda at their disposal to rally their cause for their message.

So it would seem that President Obama has done the right thing because the al Qaeda who is the biggest threats in the United States interest around the world had accepted Bin Laden's death without the photograph.

They're vowing to continue their attacks, but they have denied additional propaganda in the way of a photograph of a dead and bloodied Osama Bin Laden, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thanks as always, Nic Robertson reporting live from Pakistan. Also, new this morning, a paper trail that may provide a peek into Bin Laden's final movements. It's a gas bill for the home where he lived and died. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in the city of Abbottabad with this exclusive look. So show us the bill.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the last gas bill sent to the Bin Laden compound. Its due date is about in five days' time. Interestingly, the details on this. Mohammed Arshad is being the bill payee.

That is - what presumed fake name given to men referred to - who appeared to have hired that compound on behalf of the Bin Laden family and other who were living there.

More interestingly, too, is that the installation date for the meters in question was in April 2007 so that would suggest, perhaps, the utilities were put in place for whoever lived there from that date, perhaps dating the arrival of the Bin Laden family from around about then. Another interesting piece of information we're hearing from a government official here, too, is that actually there were local property taxes owed on that property of about $700, about 60,000 Pakistani rupees. What an enormous amount and frankly tax evasion in Pakistan is pretty commonplace. You could even argue frankly, they would have stood out have they paid up, Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Paton Walsh reporting live from Pakistan. Now let's turn to the agents next door. Not exactly next door, but certainly nearby. Osama Bin Laden's neighbors, American CIA operatives living in Abbottabad.

According to "The New York Times," the CIA surveillance team photographed residents and visitors from a rented house near Bin Laden's compound and they took great pains to avoid detection not only by the suspected al Qaeda operatives, but also Pakistani intelligence and local police.

The "New York Times" also reports Bin Laden's CIA neighbors used a satellite and radar to search for possible escape tunnels. The paper also says the CIA surveillance team saw a tall man take regular walks inside the compound.

But they were never able to confirm that the man they nicknamed "The Pacer" was actually Bin Laden. Last hour, I spoke by phone with "New York Times" reporter Scott Shane about "The Pacer."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SHANE, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER (via telephone): Even when they went ahead with this operation, they were only 60 to 80 percent sure that Bin Laden lived in that house.

A very tall guy obviously, but I gather that the angle that they had to observe from didn't allow them to estimate the exact height of the people walking around.

So they were aware that a man came out regularly for 20 minutes and sometimes as long as hour-long walks just around the compound inside the wall, but they never were able to get, you know, get a light on him to determine for certain that it was him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Fascinating stuff. As we've been telling you, the raid has severely strained Washington's relationship with Pakistan. A country that was once considered a key partner in the war on terror.

Today, comments between the two countries are testy and the stakes are getting high. CNN's Zain Verjee is live in London with an international perspective for us. Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Let's take a look at what the "Sydney Morning Herald" from Australia is saying. It's got this headline, U.S./Pakistan Tensions Increase. The article goes on to say, "relations have been tested by the U.S. raid on Bin Laden's hideout in the garrison town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, and suspicions about how much Pakistani officials knew about Bin Laden's whereabouts."

Check out "The Scotsman." It's got this headline, Furious Pakistan Bites Back over Cold Blooded Killing. It goes on to say both countries rely on each other, but their relationship has increasingly become defined by mistrust, as if in a failing marriage.

And then take a look at the "Wall Street Journal." It's got this headline, Whose Side is Pakistan On? It says, the circumstances of Osama Bin Laden's demise are a game changer for U.S. relations with Pakistan.

Americans angrily demanding to know how the world's most wanted terrorist spent years unnoticed in the heartland of a supposed ally. But a savvy application of U.S. diplomacy could turn this difficult moment to its advantage with Pakistan, Carol.

COSTELLO: Not only that, but we found out American spies spent months in that same Pakistani neighborhood and nobody found out so lots of things maybe for Pakistan to be embarrassed about.

Something else, when the U.S. conducted that raid, they used this stealth helicopter. This technology to sweep into the compound and that certainly says something about the trust level that America had with Pakistan, right?

VERJEE: Carol, I'm really sorry, I can't hear you. I've completely lost contact.

COSTELLO: OK, so, Zain, we'll ponder that question and she'll be back a little later if we could get audio up and running. Thank you, Zain Verjee live in London.

Intelligence gathered at Osama Bin Laden's compound shows he may have been involved in a new terror plot against the United States. Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve live in Washington. So, Jeanne, tell us more about the plans al Qaeda discussed.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, I want to emphasize, Carol, these were plans. Officials say there's no indication that this was about to go operational. What was discussed back in February of 2010 according to a notice that went out to law enforcement yesterday was al Qaeda members talking about plans to derail trains by putting obstacles on tracks.

They talked about doing these on bridges and over valleys in order to maximize the casualties. According to people who have read this notice that went out, they did not mention any specific cities or rail systems, but they did talk about doing this to coincide with the September 11th anniversary.

Officials say this was not operational. They say it looks at this point as though it was just something that was written on paper. In addition, some other materials have been found, which indicate that al Qaeda was interested in particular places and times to strike. Not necessarily just on rail systems, but more generally amongst the cities that they discussed hitting I'm told are New York, D.C., L.A. and Chicago. There were certain dates that they were keying in on, including September 11th, July 4th, Christmas and also the opening day of the United Nations general assembly when a lot of world leaders would have been gathered in the city of New York.

Now going back to the trains for just a moment, security had already been upped on many transit systems around the country last weekend after news of Osama Bin Laden's death became public. That's because rail systems had been hit many times by terrorists around the world.

They were open to the possibility that there could be retaliatory strikes and so many of them had already upped security, even previous to this notice going out yesterday from the Department of Homeland Security. Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Jeanne Meserve reporting live from Washington, many thanks.

With Bin Laden gone, some people think it's time for the United States to claim victory and pull out of Afghanistan. Coming up in a few minutes, we'll talk with one policy expert who thinks that would be a huge mistake.

Also ahead, we're following the epic flooding along the Mississippi River. We'll have details from water logged Memphis next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's go a little deeper into what Osama Bin Laden's death means for our mission in Afghanistan. Does it change anything for the American men and women risking their lives there?

Let's face it. When American troops first went into Afghanistan, their mission was to route the Taliban and find Osama Bin Laden.

Now? Let's go to Kabul and CNN Mohammed Jamjoon. Mohammed, you talked with American troops. What did they say about Osama Bin Laden's death?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, today we were out of Bagram Air Base that's the main nerve center for the American operations here in Afghanistan. It was a mood of cautious optimism from the troops that we spoke with.

You know, many of them acknowledged that, yes, the killing of Osama Bin Laden was a big achievement for the U.S., but this mission is far from over. One soldier we spoke with said that he was torn as far as his reaction to the killing.

Glad, of course, that it happened, but hoping that people in the states wouldn't think that the troops here should just withdrawal and go home. This is not just about killing. It's about making sure that there is infrastructure in place here, to make sure there are schools, to make sure Afghanistan is in a secure enough place so that's its future for more secure than its past has been. We also got a funny reaction. We spoke with one soldier who was in the south of Afghanistan on a patrol when he heard news. It was basically messaged to them from their base in Kabul and he said they didn't believe it.

He said they got the news one day after May 1st. They were wondering April 1st, maybe it was some kind of an April Fool's joke. They just didn't think that it was true then they got more messages. He just got back on base yesterday. He looked at all the news reports and was really amazed that it actually happened, Carol.

COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoon reporting live from Kabul, thank you.

But the question remains, should the U.S. pull troops out of Afghanistan altogether now that Bin Laden is dead? Let's talk more about that with Cliff May.

He's with the Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on terrorism. He was also with the Republican National Committee.

Cliff, welcome. I know you wrote an op-ed about this so should the United States pull troops out of Afghanistan starting right now?

CLIFF MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: I obviously don't think so. I agree with what you just heard, that the soldiers were saying on the ground. This was a battle won and a war that's not over.

When I say a war that's not over, I mean the war in Afghanistan, but also the larger global conflict we're firing against the people who describe themselves as Jihadist who say they're waging a war against the west.

There are any number of organizations and regimes such as that in Tehran, which is trying to develop nuclear weapons right now that intend to wage a war against us.

COSTELLO: All right. You mentioned Tehran. Cliff, you know, critics might say Bin Laden was found in Pakistan, certainly not in a cave in Afghanistan. Not even along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, so why continue to fight in a country where Bin Laden hasn't been for years?

MAY: Right. Well, of course, the Taliban is a very close affiliate and ally of al Qaeda. We dislodge the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. I think it would be a fairly substantial defeat where the Taliban to come back into power in Afghanistan 10 years later.

It's not that well known, but a lot of Osama Bin Laden's family has lived in Tehran. I'm not going to tell you that the regime in Tehran and al Qaeda are exactly allies, but they do cooperate and collaborate in certain circumstances.

They are more rivals than they are enemies. We have a larger -- we should look up Afghanistan as one battle field and we should be strategic about how many forces we deploy to that battlefield compared to the other ones.

But I don't think you want to simply get out. By the way, you could not even have taken out Osama Bin Laden as we did if we were not deployed deep in Afghanistan. We used Bagram Air Force Base, Jalalabad. That was the staging area for those helicopters.

COSTELLO: I think most Americans understand that. What is confusing now is what America's mission in Afghanistan is? You heard Mohammed say, you know, building schools, making a better life -- but is that our mission? Should that be our mission? I mean, is that routing the Taliban?

MAY: Yes, that's a very good question. Bing West, former of Marine, Pentagon official, an advisory to my organization just wrote a very good book about this called "The Wrong War."

I think what he would say is we should reappraise our mission and know exactly what it is we are doing in Afghanistan and our role there is probably to cripple if not defeat the Taliban, prevent them from coming back to power and help the Afghans to be able to defend themselves against the Taliban, against al Qaeda, against similar groups by building up their military forces and their strength.

We are being criticized, as you could say, it's more a Marine Corps operation than a peace core operation. We want to be careful that we don't slide over into too much nation building and not enough war fighting.

After two years mostly being embedded there, Bing West would say we have slid in that direction. Now we have a national security team being at least reshuffled. New commander to Afghanistan, new secretary of defense, all of that, this would be a good time it seems to me for the president to sit down with his National Security team and ask the question you just ask, Carol.

OK, do we know what is our mission, what is our goal, what is our strategy, are we confident that we're doing it as best as we can. Bing West has a slightly different strategy. He would suggest, but I want to listen to people like General Petraus as well about what they're doing.

We're going into a big fighting season right now as the weather warms up, but I do think it's always important to focus and rethink what's our goal, what's our mission, what's our strategy, are we OK, or is it slipping and sliding away from what we want to accomplish?

COSTELLO: Cliff May, thanks for joining us this morning. If you want to read more from Cliff's opinion piece, it's now up on our web site. Just go to cnn.com/opinion. His piece is called "Time to Rethink Afghanistan Strategy? Big life under the radar, on and off the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're Americans and you can't really put us in a box or a category. We're just tall, short, large, not so large, we try to blend in and be Americans. COSTELLO (voice-over): We'll visit the hometown of a Navy SEAL Team Six.

And rainfall up to 600 percent more than usually leaves epic flooding along the Mississippi River. Details from water logged Memphis, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We will continue our coverage on the Osama Bin Laden killing and the new details that continued to emerge about the operation in just a bit.

But -- right now, it's time to take a look at some other news. Flood waters from the Mississippi River are swamping the Memphis Airport. It's all part of unprecedented rainfall that one official says is 600 percent above normal. And there's more to come with the Mississippi River in Memphis likely to crest this weekend, well above flood stage.

In D.C., the FBI is investigating a series of suspicious letters sent to 25 schools. Police say the mail contains white powder. Several schools were partially evacuated because of it.

In Oregon, imagine waking up from dental surgery with a foreign accent. It actually happened to a woman from New Port. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN BUTLET, WOKE UP WITH NEW ACCENT: If you open up your mouth, somebody says, where are you from? Where did you get that accent? Well, I got it from my dentist in Toledo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Some medical expert says she may have foreign accent syndrome, a rare, but very real speech disorder. I'm still getting over that last story.

It didn't take long. Creators of South Park reportedly worked up to the last minute to get a reference to Osama Bin Laden in this week's program.

More on that with "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer in New York. I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing this.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, I'm a huge fan of this show, too, Carol. They worked very fast in South Park as you know, the show has always done a great job of including current events on their show.

In last night's episode, they made a direct reference to President Obama's announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am pleased to announce that the greatest threat to mankind is now gone forever. Justice has been done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: I need to tell you that "South Park," however, he's not referring specifically to Osama Bin Laden. That was Tyler Perry being buried.

Way too complicated for me to explain why they named Tyler Perry of all people to be so evil. The masterminds behind "South Park" were just nominated for a Tony award earlier this week for the Broadway musical, "The Book of Mormon."

I have a feeling they will be a Tony award winner for that Broadway production.

COSTELLO: Yes, I hear it's fantastic. It looks like moms are looking for names for their babies from vampire movies.

HAMMER: Yes, are you really surprised? Vampire movies and reality television, Carol. According to the Social Security Administration, the top name for boys right now is Jacob. The top name for girls, Isabella.

Those names are very familiar to fans for the Twilight series. Jacob has been the most popular name for boys since 2007. So I don't know if we can directly attribute it to the Twilight phenomenon. I was actually thinking "Lost" might have something to do with it.

For the record, Edward, the other Twilight lead's name, that was way down on the list. It finishes the 136th the most popular boys name last year. The popularity of Isabella, however, that could very well be a result of the vampire craze.

In the year 2000, it was the 45th most popular name. It's seen a steady climb to number one grabbing a top spot now for the second year in a row. If you really want to see the influence of pop culture on baby names, look no further than reality TV.

The names were the biggest increase over the last year, Macy and Bentley. Both of them moved up more than 400 spots. Those are two names familiar to people who watch reality shows 16 and pregnant and teen mom, which featured teen mom Macy and her son, Bentley.

However, Carol, I need to point out Elvis has fallen out of the top 1,000 names for the first time since 1954. And I am happy to report to you on this Friday morning, I'm checking everywhere, Snooki, not trending.

COSTELLO: Thank God. Wouldn't that be awful if Snooki was the top name? I can't even imagine. A.J., thanks. It was a lot of fun.

If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. has got it tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

The political buzz this week has been all about Osama Bin Laden. One of the questions, have Democrats been able to overcome the wimp factor? Our team of political experts weigh in.

Plus, the car you drive just might be a weapon in the war on terror.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: New this morning, the death of Osama Bin Laden, the death of al Qaeda has confirmed the death of its leader. A group that monitors Islamas' web site says Al Qaeda released a statement that threatens to take action against the United States and urged Pakistanis to rise up and revolt.

Documents seized in the raid in Osama Bin Laden's compound revealed al Qaeda had discussed a chilling plot to derail trains in the U.S. This plot was to be carried out on 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Rail agencies are on heightened alert.

The CIA reportedly rented a house in Pakistan where for months a team of agents spied on the compound where Bin Laden was killed. The "Washington Post" reports the CIA relied on Pakistani informants to help put together the pattern of life of the occupants.

A lot of people would like to shake the hands of the SEALs who got Bin Laden, but since the guys on Team Six can't blow their cover. President Obama is going to thank them in person for all of us.

White House correspondent Brianna Keilar has details on today's special op. Tell us more about his agenda, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: How fascinating would this be, Carol, to get to be able to meet this team that was responsible for taking down Osama Bin Laden.

We understand from a senior administration official that while the president is in Fort Campbell, Kentucky today, and he's going to be there to meet combat troops who just came back from Afghanistan. He's also going to get a chance to meet these SEALs and other special ops members who took part in this mission.

Not only to take down Osama Bin Laden, but also to gather all of that intelligence, the computers, the thumb drives, so many of them so much intelligence information that has already led to that alert involving rail security that you mentioned in your last story, Carol.

COSTELLO: In the meantime, the White House has put out some behind the scenes video. Can you show us a bit of it?

KEILAR: Yes. This is really interesting. Every week, and we know this on whitehouse.gov, the White House does put out kind of a behind the scenes, here is what the president did this week.

But the fact is, this was one of the most significant if not the most significant week of the president's time in the White House. So I want you to take a listen to this.

But it really gives you a sense and this is the official White House videographer who's taking these pictures. You get to see President Obama and Vice President Biden. They call former President Clinton, former President Bush.

They're also talking to members of Congress saying that we got Osama Bin Laden. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Sunday, May 1st, the West Wing was abuzz with activity, as the U.S. Special Operations team killed Osama bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan, at the president's direction.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good job, national security team. I'm proud of you. You guys did a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, this is, of course, official White House video. Carol, we don't often put this on our air, but this gives us a glimpse behind the scenes that we otherwise would not have seen.

There was also that moment that really kind of struck me where President Obama was saying good-bye to his national security team after what was just a very, very long night, as you can imagine, and he sort of shook the CIA Director Leon Panetta's hand, as if to say, you know, you did -- you know, you're doing a great job. And then kind of almost shook it again as if to say, no, really, great job, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Did he kiss Hillary Clinton on the cheek?

KEILAR: He did.

COSTELLO: OK.

KEILAR: He did, before shaking Panetta's hand.

COSTELLO: Yes. And if people want to see more, they can go to WhiteHouse.gov?

KEILAR: That's right.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, many thanks.

We know the president is going to visit the SEALs. We can't visit them. But we can visit their hometown. Brian Todd will have that for you in about 20 minutes.

(MUSIC)

COSTELLO: Oh, but it's time for political buzz, a lightning fast conversation hitting the hot political topics of the day. Each of our brilliant political observers get 20 seconds to answer three probing questions.

Dana Loesch is a Tea Party supporter and conservative. Cornell Belcher was a Democratic pollster for the 2008 Obama campaign. And, once again, comedian Pete Dominick will lend his own unique perspective.

So, welcome to you all.

And the first question: have Democrats overcome the wimp factor?

Dana?

DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: One decision, which I applaud -- I applaud the decision of the president to send in a human ops team instead of bombing the compound at Abbottabad. But I think the way you can follow this up and show that Democrats have really made a really good turn is to stop the investigation into the CIA members who are interrogating detained terrorists. At the same time, while you're celebrating the victory of the death of bin Laden, which was achieved by those interrogations.

COSTELLO: Cornell?

CORNELL BELCHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, I'm going to first reject and then I'm going to ridicule the very premise of this. I mean, if we're defining being tough as going half-cocked into war that we can't afford and can't pay for, costing thousands of lives and putting our country in debt -- no, we're not very tough. If wimpy means, you know, a measured, thoughtful response when our national security calls for it, well, then yes, we're pretty wimpy on that. We're Peewee Herman if that's the way we're defining it.

COSTELLO: Pete?

PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN: Yes. I think how we define the toughness is how we well we kill people or how our president orders our military. Well, then, if we're going with that premise, President Obama just, what, a few weeks into his presidency ordered the same SEAL team to snipers, to kill the Somalian pirates, 30,000 troops in Afghanistan and then bin Laden. If that's how you measure tough, I think he wins.

COSTELLO: OK. Second question: Michael Moore says the shooting of bin Laden was an execution and we should call it that. Do you agree?

Cornell?

BELCHER: You know, who cares what Michael Moore thinks on this? Look, Bin Laden, he's a guy. He's a terrorist who killed thousands of Americans. He's killed people all over the world, not only Americans but Muslims as well.

You can call it whatever you want to call it. He needed getting and we got him.

COSTELLO: Dana?

LOESCH: Whose side is Michael Moore on, anyway? Is he upset that he wasn't able to exploit this for another mockumentary and then go back and make millions of dollars off of it? I'm trying to figure out whose side Michael Moore is on. I think this is triumph of good over evil. He needs to stop with the (INAUDIBLE). COSTELLO: Pete?

LOESCH: He has to. It's done.

DOMINICK: Well, I mean, I kind of agree with Michael Moore. I mean, I think obviously it was an execution.

We found out yesterday there was only guy with a weapon. It's disrespectful to Navy SEALs. They could have taken him down with a crossbow. It's a 54-year-old frail man. They could have choked bin Laden with his own beard.

I mean, it really -- we -- definitely, we executed this guy, for sure.

COSTELLO: Got it.

DOMINICK: Whatever they're supposed to do.

COSTELLO: Third question, the week is ending. We've had a few days to digest all of this. So, what does Osama bin Laden's death really mean?

Dana?

LOESCH: Well, I think we saw images all over the television. I think it's fantastic that everyone was able to unite and realize that this was the ultimate triumph of good over evil. We took out a figurehead of a terrorist organization and I think it sends a loud message that it may take a few years, but we'll track you down and we'll find you in whatever rat hole or overpriced concrete compound in which you live.

COSTELLO: Cornell?

BELCHER: This -- I hope it means this. I hope it means that Osama bin Laden and his sort of evil ways become a footnote in history. If you look at the "Arab Spring" that's taking hold all over the Middle East right now, you know, bombs and guns and killing is not the way forward for bringing about change. I think we've seen that in Egypt. That's what I hope this means, is that this is an end to this way of thinking because it's not the way forward.

COSTELLO: Pete?

DOMINICK: It means different things for different people. One thing for young Americans who were coming of age who feel like their innocence was lost. It means something different for military families, victims' families, of course. But I hope -- I hope it means a pivot point for this president to get out of Afghanistan. And I really believe that that is a possibility right now, and I hope that's what it means.

COSTELLO: Dana, Cornell, Pete -- thanks, as always. And we'll be back again Monday. We enjoyed it.

Osama bin Laden's death might have dealt a blow to al Qaeda. But overcoming our foreign oil addiction could finish them off. We'll take a closer look at that, coming up.

And before we go to break, here's a quick stock market check. As you can see, the Dow is up 141 points. There's something weird going on here. But 141 points which is the good news and probably because of the 240,000 jobs the American economy added.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The unemployment rate for April went up to 9 percent. But there still good news about the economy, really.

Let's go to Alison Kosik in New York.

So, Alison, how can that be?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, even though the unemployment rate rose, Carol, it's because, you know, people are getting back into the workforce. They're getting back in the saddle again looking for jobs.

And what it really is, it's a sign of confidence and it's not necessarily a sign of weakness. It's really one more of hope.

Also, Wall Street is really happy about this report because if you look in the fine print in this jobs report, it really is all positive. Wages are up. Every major sector added jobs, except for the government.

Also, Wall Street was going into this report thinking it's not going to be that great. They had low expectations.

So, when this good number showing that U.S. employers added 244,000 jobs, it really came as a big, pleasant surprise. Reaction on Wall Street was swift and strong.

Before the report, Dow futures were up 17 points. Immediately after, futures jumped 100 points. And they are holding on to their gains right now. The Dow up 153 points -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's talk about gas prices because they went down just a smidgen.

KOSIK: A little bit, they did. They did.

And sure -- I mean, keep it in perspective. You know, gas prices are down, less than a penny. But the hope is that gas prices are kind of reset 15 points. You know, when we saw them go up, up, up, we hope they're kind of leveling off a bit, and hopefully leveling from their pick. And with consumers, they really said enough is enough.

So, while you're seeing gas prices drop back, it's because consumers pulled back on the fill up at the gas pump, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, yay for us. Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange.

KOSIK: Yay!

COSTELLO: Yes.

American's independence on foreign oil doesn't just keep gas prices high, counterterrorism experts say it also helps al Qaeda. Weaning ourselves from foreign oil, they say, could deal the group a death blow.

Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The man behind the wheel of this electric car can't stand the site of a gas station.

(on camera): How do you like the car?

JIM WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Oh, I like it a lot.

ACOSTA (voice-over): That's because the former CIA Director James Woolsey sees the nation's addiction to foreign oil as its Achilles heel in the war on al Qaeda.

On every fuel efficient vehicle he drives, Woolsey posts this bumper sticker, "Bin Laden hates this car."

WOOLSEY: There we go.

ACOSTA: Woolsey points to past appeals made by bin Laden for jihadists to bring chaos to the Middle East, to push up gas prices and hurt the American economy. The only solution, Woolsey says, is to break the region's dominance of global energy supplies.

WOOLSEY: So, we really in the interest of everybody need to undermine oil's strategic role, even if they have a monopoly of oil, they don't have a monopoly over transportation. We need to break that link.

ACOSTA (on camera): And so, you want to stick to these guys, simply put.

WOOLSEY: Absolutely, absolutely.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Instead, Americans are the ones feeling stuck. At a congressional town hall in Florida --

EILEEN GAINES, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: My gas bill for my three vans in the last three months have gone up hundreds of dollars a month.

ACOSTA: Small business owner Eileen Gaines explained how the bill to fill up her commercial vehicles stopped her from hiring a new employee.

(on camera): And so, had the gas prices not gone up, you would have been hiring? GAINES: Oh, I would have hired someone two months ago. I really need that much help right now.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: We have to produce more of it ourselves.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Republican Senator Marco Rubio, like many in his party, wants more offshore drilling.

RUBIO: We have to figure out a way to become more efficient in our use of energy. But we also have to figure out to produce more of it domestically.

WOOLSEY: This thing pops open when you press a button.

ACOSTA: For James Woolsey, plugging the car into your house isn't just going green.

WOOLSEY: I think it would be a very embracing message. It would say that the United States can get its act together.

ACOSTA (on camera): Yes.

(voice-over): Sending one more signal to al Qaeda that they're running on empty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Interesting piece.

Jim Acosta joins us now live from D.C.

And, you know, it's not easy to get off foreign oil.

ACOSTA: No.

COSTELLO: Politically charged. I mean, there are so many things at play here.

ACOSTA: Yes. There are no expressways on the road to energy independence, Carol. You have millions of new electric cars on the road. You're going to need countless new charging stations and going offshore for new oil drilling, analysts will tell you that that's not going to have an impact on gas prices for years down the road.

But if you listen to what Woolsey is saying, there's really a lot to put some stock into. And that is, if you look at Osama bin Laden's original fatwa against the United States, he talks about oil. He says we were plundering the resources of the Middle East. He talked about, in a later message in 2004, how the way to cripple the U.S. economy is to go after oil installations in the Middle East.

And so, Woolsey says if we can stop funding two sides, both sides of the war on terror, that is paying for American soldiers and sending our petro dollars to the Middle East, we're going to go a long way towards making it safer, Carol. COSTELLO: Yes, if only.

ACOSTA: If only, yes.

COSTELLO: Jim Acosta, live in Washington.

Some possible White House candidates are giving President Obama points for the Osama bin Laden killing, but they want to take away those points when it comes to his decision to hold on to the death photo. Our Political Ticker is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some potential GOP candidates faced off in a debate last night. And like with everybody else this week, the topic turned to Osama bin Laden' death.

Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, covered the debate. He joins us live from Greenville, South Carolina.

Give us the highlights.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Carol, four of the five candidates on the stage last night said if they were president, they would have released the photo of Osama bin Laden's body. And it wasn't just that that they took issue with when it comes to how this president is handling foreign policy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

TIM PAWLENTY (R), FORMER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR: I do congratulate President Obama for the fine job that he did in taking some tough decisions and being decisive as it related to finding and killing Osama bin Laden. He did a good job. And I tip my cap to him in that moment. But that moment is not the sum total of America's foreign policy. He's made a number of other decisions relating to our security here and around the world that I don't agree with.

RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR: The decision he made with Osama bin Laden was a tactical decision. It wasn't a strategic decision. The strategic decision was made already by President Bush to go after him. What President Obama has done on his watch, the issues that have come up when he's been president, he's gotten it wrong strategically every single time.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

STEINHAUSER: Carol, only five candidates on the stage last night and a lot of the big names were missing like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and maybe even Donald Trump. So, I guess you could say the other big headline from here was the fact that a lot of the candidates, the bigger names weren't here. In fact, I guess you could say the only real big name on the stage last night was former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

It's another sign that this GOP presidential field is far from solved. I think in the next month or two, we'll have a much more firm GOP field -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Paul Steinhauser, many thanks -- reporting live from South Carolina.

We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder: for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

Believe it or not, there is a place where the Navy SEAL's team just blends right in with the scenery. Check out their home town, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The elite Navy SEALs that killed Osama bin Laden are back on American soil. But in the town where they're based, you'd never know it, and you're not meant to.

Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a town where the buzzing of fighter jets is constant, where joyful reunions are a staple, America's most fearsome fighting unit goes unnoticed. Unofficially called SEAL Team Six, they're the Navy commandoes widely believed to have killed Osama bin Laden.

SEAL training takes years.

At least 75 percent of those who try out wash out.

Despite their elite lead status, many of SEAL Team Six's neighbors here at Mary's Restaurant in Virginia Beach wouldn't know one of those warriors if they fell over him.

(on camera): When the SEALs come into a place like this, are they noticeable?

HEATHER SKROBACKI, VIRGINIA BEACH RESIDENT: Personally, for me, I don't think they're noticeable beyond any other person in the military.

TODD (voice-over): John McGuire, a SEAL for 10 years, was once stationed near Virginia Beach.

(on camera): If I'm in a bar with a bunch of SEALs, am I going to know it?

JOHN MCGUIRE, FORMER NAVY SEAL: Hopefully, you won't. We're just Americans. You can't really put us in a box or in a category. We're just tall, short, large, not so large. We try to just blend in and be Americans.

TODD: SEAL Team Six is widely reported to operate out of this facility near Virginia Beach. We couldn't get on base. The unit is covered with such a degree of secrecy the military doesn't acknowledge that it's here or that it even exists -- and that code goes beyond operational security at the base.

When city officials here in Virginia Beach asked if they could honor the SEALs with simple recognition at a town festival this summer, the Navy declined.

(voice-over): City Councilman Bill Desteph isn't surprised. He's a former naval intelligence officer.

BILL DESTEPH, VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCILMAN: There's no city, no matter where these individuals are from, that are -- will be able to confirm or deny or throw a ticker tape parade or anything else.

TODD: What will the ceremony be like? I mean, is it handing you something or say thanks, don't ever talk about this?

MCGUIRE: Well, I might be speculating. I maybe not even that.

TODD: Really?

MCGUIRE: It might be a beer and a hooyah!

TODD (voice-over): Then the SEALs will simply blend in, going to restaurants, stores, coaching Little League, until that next call comes. Then, according to Navy support group head Maryellen Baldwin, their wives or girlfriends won't even know much.

MARYELLEN BALDWIN, NAVY LEAGUE OF HAMPTON ROADS: Well, it's tough times, that's for sure, because at any given time, the families really don't know when they're going be deployed with it. It can happen on the middle of the night. It can happen on a holiday. It really doesn't matter.

TODD: A dedication that might compel these folks to wrap their arms around the SEALs if only they knew who they were.

LEILA BATMAN, GENERAL MANAGER, MARY'S RESTAURANT: We have the la creme de la creme in this area. And thank God we have them.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Stories making news later today:

The chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, returns to tornado-stricken Alabama in about an hour to meet with storm victims.

A little afternoon Eastern from Indianapolis, President Obama talks about clean energy.

And First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Joe Biden host a Mother's Day tea for military wives. That will happen at 3:00 Eastern.

A pop star goes patriotic. Beyonce Knowles does a new take on "God bless the USA." You will hear it and see it, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: What better way to end this week than with Beyonce's version of "God Bless the USA," a television exclusive. It first aired on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT." All the proceeds from the song go to the New York Police and Fire widows and Children's Benefit Fund. Enjoy.

(VIDEO CLIP: BEYONCE'S "GOD BLESS THE USA")

COSTELLO: That was awesome. Thank you, Beyonce. Now, it's time to throw it over to Suzanne Malveaux.