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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
Sting Operation in New Jersey Stops Missile Transfer; California Prepares for Recall; Controversy Over 'The Passion'
Aired August 12, 2003 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go. Good evening again everyone.
It seems like only after 9/11 did we discover our capacity on certain days to be both reassured and terrified at exactly the same time. Today was one of those days. We were reassured that authorities foiled the plot to smuggle a surface-to-air missile into the United States and terrified that plots like it may be going on around the world right now.
From what we know so far this plot seems to have the makings of a Ludlum thriller but clearly we're in just the first few chapters and it is where we begin the whip tonight, Jeanne Meserve working the story in Washington, Jeanne start us with the headline please.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, an international sting operation nabs an alleged arms dealer and two alleged confederates, the type of sophisticated shoulder-fired missile at the heart of the deal could bring down a commercial airliner and this highlights a problem with no easy solution -- Aaron.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, back to you at the top tonight.
On to Liberia now, where the main rebel group agreed to pull back from the capital and a port, Jeff Koinange in Monrovia with the story Jeff the headline.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, call it fourth time lucky as West African peacekeepers and U.S. diplomats finally make a breakthrough and gain access to a strategic port and then some -- Aaron.
BROWN: Jeff, thank you.
And, 56 days to go before the California recall election. You can't wait, can you? Counties are racing to get ready, Dan Lothian on the story again for us, so Dan a headline.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Aaron. It's a short race to election day. There is so much work to be done. Some officials are now saying they're not sure they can get it all done and, of course, there is one big concern, no one wants what happened in Florida to happen here -- Aaron.
BROWN: Dan, thank you, back to you and the rest shortly. Also coming up tonight on NEWSNIGHT, the scorching heat across Europe, not just an annoyance, but a real threat to public health and safety, we'll take a look at how hospitals in Paris are struggling to keep up with people, many of them hit with heatstroke.
And, the controversy tonight over Mel Gibson's "The Passion," his film about the death of Christ, it's not due to be released until next spring but has already generated enormous controversy about whether it will fuel anti-Semitism.
And pure heroin for news junkies everywhere, oh my, our nightly look at tomorrow morning's papers tonight. We can hardly wait for the rooster to crow, all of that to come in the hour ahead.
We begin with the stuff that nightmares are made of the kind of mass produced, cheap to make, easy to use technology that lets a man or a woman destroy hundreds of lives, simple as point and click.
For less than the price of a used Chevy, shoulder-launched antiaircraft missiles are out there. Experts say it's only a matter of time before someone tries to use one here but not today. The missile was a dud. The buyers were federal agents and the alleged smuggler is in custody.
We begin with CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Authorities removing potential evidence from a New York business Tuesday afternoon, one chapter in an unfolding international drama, at the center, a Russian SA-18 shoulder-fired missile capable of shooting down a commercial jetliner.
JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Your basic SA-7 is a shoulder-fired rocket with an infrared sensor in it that guides itself to the plume of the jet airplane but those infrared sensors can be jammed. This IGLA (ph) missile, an SA-18, is an updated version of the SA-7 that helps defeat some of those defensive measures.
MESERVE: A senior government official confirms that Hekmat Lakhani, a British citizen of Indian descent, has been arrested. Government sources say he is an international arms dealer who has sold weapons to al Qaeda in the past.
Months ago, he puts out the word that he can obtain a shoulder- fired missile. U.S. agents posing as Muslim extremists offer to buy. Russian authorities hear the dealer is shopping in their country for the missile. Their undercover agents meet with him in Moscow and St. Petersburg and, with the knowledge of U.S. authorities, sell him an NERT SA-18.
The dealer, not knowing the explosives have been removed, ships the missile to the U.S. under the eye of U.S. authorities. It ends up in Newark, New Jersey. The dealer flies to the U.S. over the weekend to complete the deal and is arrested Tuesday afternoon in Newark. Later Tuesday, two gem dealers are arrested at this building in New York. They allegedly took care of the cash side of the transaction. U.S. officials say search warrants for additional evidence were executed in Britain.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: There are two things to say here. One is this was very good work by American and foreign intelligence but, secondly, it takes a little bit of luck to find this kind of an operation while it's being hatched and you can't always get lucky.
MESERVE: Al Qaeda's November attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner over Mombasa, Kenya with a shoulder-fired missile was a wakeup call for U.S. officials who are now pushing international efforts to stop the flow of missiles to terrorists.
An interagency team is evaluating the vulnerability of airports in the U.S. and overseas and eight government contractors are developing detailed plans for more effective and affordable anti- missile technology that could be used to protect U.S. commercial jetliners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: More details are likely to emerge tomorrow when the three men appear in court and documents are unsealed but, tonight, U.S. officials want to emphasize there is no intelligence indicating a specific or imminent threat to U.S. commercial aircraft from shoulder- fired missiles -- Aaron.
BROWN: Tonight there's no imminent threat. On the question of defensive measures we went through this back around the first of the year I guess, is it realistic to arm every commercial airliner with the kind of sophisticated anti-missile systems that military warplanes have?
MESERVE: Well, some lawmakers want to see that and they've been pushing legislation for that to happen. The Department of Homeland Security says right now there is no system that's 100 percent effective and no system that would make sense from a cost point of view.
So they have asked eight government contractors to come up with more detailed plans about systems that might be feasible that might someday be deployed on commercial aircraft but there's a big question if something is developed who would pay for it? Would it be the airlines? Would it be the government and the U.S. taxpayer?
BROWN: And, just one other thing on the missile that was involved here, how accurate is it?
MESERVE: I'm told that it is a fairly accurate weapon that this has an infrared guided system. Earlier versions of shoulder-fired missiles were heat-seeking. They had to be fired from behind and honed in on the engines. No such restriction on this infrared system so more effective than the other less sophisticated shoulder-fired missiles that we've seen employed in the past.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, busy afternoon and evening, thank you Jeanne Meserve in Washington.
Phil Shenon joins us now. He covers homeland security for "The New York Times." He'll file on this story for tomorrow's edition of "The Times." He joins us from Washington, nice to see you. I'm intrigued, I guess by the cooperation between the Russians and the Americans on this. What if anything can you add to that?
PHILIP SHENON, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, apparently, this really is a great innovation. Both President Putin and President Bush were informed of this that there was to be much closer cooperation than ever before between the law enforcement authorities in Moscow and the law enforcement authorities, the FBI in particular, in Washington, that they would work together on this in cracking this case and, apparently, through this cooperation they really had a big sting tonight.
BROWN: Is it to your knowledge in your reporting is this a unique situation or has this, in fact, been going on now for the last year and a half or so in the post 9/11 period?
SHENON: Well, I think this level of cooperation really has been spurred on by this particular case, which we're told began sometime in the last several months.
BROWN: You've been -- you have written a fair amount about this problem of the surface-to-air missiles. Is it reasonable, if altogether terrifying, to assume that as we sit here talking about it similar plans are being made somewhere, similar deals are in the works somewhere, and that they may in fact be carried out?
SHENON: I think unhappily the answer is yes. It was only several months ago, it was November to be specific, in which terrorists we believe who have been affiliated with al Qaeda tried with two of these missiles to shoot down an Israeli passenger plane as it took off from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean in Kenya and the missiles apparently came quite close.
And, I think, there's every reason to believe and the intelligence agencies tell us that al Qaeda may have dozens of these missiles, including some old American Stingers left over from the Afghanistan war in the 1980s. I think it's only fair to assume that al Qaeda will continue to attempt to use them in the future.
BROWN: There are hundreds of these out there, thousands of these out there?
SHENON: There are hundreds of thousands of these missiles.
BROWN: Hundreds of thousands of them?
SHENON: That exist around the world. Most of them, thank goodness, are in the arsenals of official militaries, official government arsenals, but we do know or at least we're led to believe that there are hundreds, if not thousands, that are roaming about in the black market of arms and that at least dozens are in al Qaeda's hands.
BROWN: When you -- is there anything about this, Phil, that when you heard it and you starting working on this surprised you or is it the kind of thing that you expected to happen in some respects?
SHENON: The sting today I think I had been expecting these sorts of things to happen and I think you'll see more cases like it. There are just too many arms dealers in this world. There's too much money to be made and you have to remember that these weapons can be purchased apparently for only several thousand dollars a piece.
As you said, a used Chevy might cost you more than one of these missiles and it's fair to assume that there are an awful lot of unscrupulous people around this world who want to cash in on this opportunity.
BROWN: Does it take any particular degree of knowledge or sophistication to use one?
SHENON: It takes some knowledge and, apparently, the Mombasa attack, the attack on the Israeli plane didn't succeed because the terrorists may not have known exactly what they were doing. But, again, there are so many of these missiles around that someday somebody is going to fire one and it's going to hit.
BROWN: And, back to the question we asked Jeanne then, in your dealings with homeland security people is it realistic to defend every commercial airliner, assuming that's the target, every commercial airliner from one of these missiles?
SHENON: Well, I mean to some degree it's a budgetary analysis you know. There is this technology out there. It is deployed on military aircraft. It is deployed on Air Force One and do you want to spend the $7 billion to $10 billion it would take to outfit every commercial plane in this country?
Well, if you argue that if one of these missiles hits someday it could really destroy the commercial aircraft industry, really seriously damage the airline industry, isn't that an investment worth making?
There are people on Capitol Hill, both Democrats and Republicans who feel that is an investment worth making. At this point, the Bush administration doesn't agree.
BROWN: And, finally, we've talked a lot particularly in the last couple of weeks it seems to me about the failures of the post 9/11 era. Do we know tonight that systems that were changed after 9/11 and the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, international and domestic, played out in such a way that this thing was broken?
SHENON: I think so. I think the post 9/11 world is a different world for law enforcement and I think you may not have seen this level of cooperation between the Russians and the Americans and the British than you would have seen in the past.
I think there was a statement of the British government tonight that this is the great victory or a great victory of the post Cold War era that these allies could come together on a threat that faces them all, which is global terrorism.
BROWN: Phil, thanks a lot.
SHENON: Thank you.
BROWN: I assume you filed already. We look forward to your piece in "The Times" tomorrow.
SHENON: Thank you.
BROWN: Thank you.
It is at the very least ironic that this story broke one day after a breach in security at one of the busiest airports in the world. If it had been terrorists, of course, it would have been one horrible lead story. It wasn't, so instead of tragedy it's an embarrassment at JFK.
Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One law enforcement official called what happened at JFK Airport Sunday night unacceptable and of great concern.
Three boaters got caught in rough water and washed ashore on airport property. For an hour they wandered across one mile of JFK, passed a runway where taxiing jets were just several hundred feet away.
JOEL PHAGOO, BOATER: We got there by accident but it wouldn't be hard for somebody who wanted to intentionally be there to get there.
CARROLL: The Port Authority, responsible for airport security, denied a request to speak on camera but gave a statement saying: "They certainly should not have been able to do what they have done. Clearly, our work is not complete." New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg downplayed the incident.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: They were hardly terrorists and what happened right away was the authorities saw them and that should give you comfort that if there were people trying to come and come to a runway and do some damage that the police were on top of it right away.
CARROLL: Not exactly. The Port Authority said the three were not detected until the boaters found one of the airport police stations and told officers what happened.
PHAGOO: For somebody who was up to no good, they could have caused a lot of damage.
CARROLL: There are many questions about why no one spotted the three on airport property and how they were able to wash ashore undetected. The Port Authority would not give specifics about what security is in place but a spokesman did say half a billion dollars has been allocated over the next five years to reinforce security and as a result of what happened, the agency said it has improved patrols along the airport's perimeter.
(on camera): The Port Authority says it's responsible for a ten- mile perimeter surrounding the airport and, while they acknowledge more security measures still need to be put into place, they say it will not be as simple as building some sort of a fence.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, with Charles Taylor out and the Marines not yet in, we'll report on efforts to get the main port in Liberia open for desperately needed relief supplies.
And later, Mel Gibson's controversial movie on the death of Jesus drawing both fire and praise months before its release.
From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Even when a serviceman comes home in one piece with his wits about him and his loved ones waiting life is still life and fate is still fate. The yellow ribbons were still up this weekend at a house in Weir, New Hampshire. Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Dale Racicot wanted to take them down himself.
Instead, just a few hours after returning from eight months in Kuwait in Iraq with his wife and two daughters nearby, Sergeant Racicot collapsed of a heart attack. His last words to his family, I love you all. He died shortly later at a hospital.
Sergeant Racicot was a reservist, 54 years old. His daughter said this today about her father's brief homecoming. "We had three hours with him. They were the most precious hours we could have asked for."
There's late word tonight about the possibility of sending more American troops to Liberia, not many more, a senior defense official telling CNN the number would total fewer than 100 and they might come ashore by the week's end.
The timing depends largely on how quickly rebel forces vacate the capital which they promised to do today after a tough round of bargaining, reporting once again from Liberia CNN's Jeff Koinange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KOINANGE (voice-over): A familiar sign in Monrovia these days the Stars and Stripes, a sign American forces are on the move with them the ever present West African peacekeepers.
Today, they are accompanying U.S. Ambassador John Blaney for the fourth time in a week to try and negotiate with LURD rebels to give up the capital's strategic port. With heavily armed Marines in tow, the negotiators go into a closed door meeting. An hour and a half later they emerge victorious.
JOHN BLANEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBERIA: We just concluded discussion of a declaration by LURD that will give permissive entry by peacekeepers of the multinational force to this area of Bushrod Island, which includes the free port of Monrovia.
KOINANGE: As easy as that a piece of paper as proof that the LURD rebels will remove troops from the city of Monrovia and its nearby port out to a point 25 miles from the area.
SEKOU FOFANA, LURD: We have no reasons to maintain ourselves at the free port. One, Taylor has left the mansion. He has left the country.
KOINANGE: With less than 800 West African troops or Ecomil so far in Liberia, the U.S. ambassador continues to leave the door open for the possible deployment of more U.S. troops on the ground.
BLANEY: That has to be determined but the United States is here in full support of Ecomil.
KOINANGE: The transfer of control will take place Thursday but U.S. troops and diplomats wasted no time in going to inspect the port for themselves.
Meanwhile, on a key bridge linking the rebel-controlled port and the government-controlled capital, LURD rebels celebrated for the second straight day the departure of their hated enemy, former President Charles Taylor, but civilians still find themselves trapped on either side without access to family members.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Unintelligible) follow them. We'll follow after them too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: No, Aaron, a slight setback late in the day, a second rebel group calling itself the Movement for Democracy in Liberia or MODEL, which had been occupying the country's second largest port city of Buchanan, about 60 miles south of Monrovia is fast approaching the country's only functioning airport.
Now, what this does, it exposes the peacekeepers' rear flank and could jeopardize a full deployment of peacekeepers here in the capital of Monrovia -- Aaron.
BROWN: And what does this group want? KOINANGE: What they want is the same thing that LURD wants but now, Aaron, basically they feel left out of the loop. LURD, the main rebel group, has been getting most of the glory for kicking out Charles Taylor. Now, MODEL is stepping in and saying, hey, we want a piece of the action -- Aaron.
BROWN: There is work still to be done. Jeff, thank you very much, Jeff Koinange in Liberia.
A few other stories from around the world tonight, beginning with raids near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit again. The former chief of staff of the Iraqi Republican Guard was captured along with a general and a dozen other Iraqis. They're all described as members of a family closely connected with Saddam Hussein. They were captured in raids in 20 homes, raids that took place over three hours.
The U.S. military put out its findings on that incident at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad during the war. You'll recall that two journalists died. Much was made of it. The report says the U.S. troops who fired a tank round into the hotel had intelligence they were being watched by enemy spotters from that area and that they fired in self defense. Reporters continue to argue they saw no enemy troops at the hotel.
And, after a period of relative calm there has been a major surge in violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Two suicide bombings today, the first happened inside a grocery store in central Israel, one Israeli killed, ten hurt. The second bombing happened at a bus stop near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel, one Israeli killed there, two other injured.
Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, sorting out the mess of the California recall ballot, we'll have the latest as potential candidates' list climbs above 200. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Two hundred and forty-seven individuals have now filed papers to join the California recall race. Depending on the locality and the type of ballot, allowing three lines per name using the inverse square rule that's more pages than "War and Peace," more chads than a surfer convention, certainly more confusion than your average election day, a day that some expect to stretch long into November before a winner is certified and that's if the day even arrives on time to begin with.
Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): At the Los Angeles County registrar's office workers have laced up their shoes for a sprint rather than a marathon in the race to election day, scrambling to find volunteers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will need you to be the inspector. LOTHIAN: It turns out this complicated lottery-like process to determine where some 200-plus candidates will be listed on the ballots was the easy part of the recall process. The big challenge now...
DICK ROSENGARTEN, "CALIFORNIA POLITICAL WEEKLY": The county registrars in the 58 counties are yelling and screaming bloody murder. They don't think they have enough time to prepare for this recall.
LOTHIAN: The first hurdle in this short race...
MICHAEL PETRUCELLO, ASSISTANT L.A. COUNTY REGISTRAR: We have to format and print four million sample ballots, mail them to four million voters. We then have to format the ballot itself.
LOTHIAN: And that's just one county. Everyone is concerned that so many names on the ballot may lead to confusion.
FREDRICK WOOCHER, ELECTION LAW ATTORNEY: It's going to be very difficult. Some voters may give up in frustration. Others with poor eyesight may literally never be able to find the name of the person they intend to vote for.
LOTHIAN: Another hurdle, 20,000 to 25,000 polling stations must be set up, 100,000 poll workers recruited. Officials call it a daunting task. California's secretary of state admits there will be problems.
KEVIN SHELLEY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Every day will present us with issues we have never faced before.
LOTHIAN: The Florida debacle in 2000 of hanging dimple and pregnant chads and lawsuits hangs over the heads of election officials here, especially since six of California's most populous counties are being forced to use the punch card system, which was decertified by court order. New replacement machines won't be ready in time. That's prompted the ACLU to take legal action in federal court in an attempt to delay the election for five months.
MARK ROSENBAUM, ACLU OF LOS ANGELES: There's no question that these machines are defective. These machines are going to deny 40,000 Californians their right to vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: There is yet another concern, more lawsuits after the election if there are some problems, major problems in the process. Some fear that a candidate who comes close could take legal action, Florida Part 2 -- Aaron.
BROWN: Oh, good. At the end of the broadcast last night we talked about the, I think it was the "San Francisco Chronicle's" story that Mr. Schwarzenegger had not voted much over the last years. I don't think he voted in a presidential election since '92. Did that story get any traction out west today?
LOTHIAN: We haven't seen a whole lot of traction on that story. I know that over the past few days there was some mention of that. I did read some articles about that but at this point it doesn't appear that that is the major focus out here. People are still waiting to find out what he stands for.
BROWN: Dan, thank you very much, Dan Lothian out in Los Angeles tonight.
We said earlier there's at least the possibility of 247 candidates. Why then, you ask, does it seem like there is only one? The answer is oxygen. The coverage of Mr. Schwarzenegger is so total, so overwhelming, so dare we saw it excessive that it has sucked the oxygen out of the political universe for everyone else, for now.
Here's CNN's Bruce Morton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not about me, it's about us.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... the nine of us running for president of the United States...
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I'm the real Terminator. I want to terminate...
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're out there somewhere, eight men and a woman who want to be president. But something's happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Shut up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORTON: They haven't, of course, but nobody's listening. They're watching Arnold, listening to Arnold campaigning, Arnold handshaking. Arnold's sucking all of the oxygen out of the political fishbowl.
Remember, Governor Dean, when you were on the covers of "TIME" and "Newsweek" the same week? That was then. This is now.
You know the daily political newsletter, the "Hotline"? Monday, the first nine stories were about California. The 10th was about how Arnold, and not the presidential wannabes, was getting all the coverage. Tuesday, the first six were California.
Other California candidates squirm in to share pictures with Arnold. That's Arianna Huffington. When the others talk, they talk about Arnold.
BILL SIMON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: You know, obviously, he's known from the standpoint of name identification. But from the standpoint of his views, from the standpoint of where he stands on the issues, from the standpoint of what his priorities are, he's a blank slate. We need to hear from Arnold.
MORTON (on camera): California is fascinating, of course. All those candidates -- 200, maybe more, a ballot as big as a bedsheet. You need an old-fashioned political machine with precinct captains to tell the voters how to handle that.
(voice-over): Arnold doesn't have a machine, of course, but he's played one in the movies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: I am a machine!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORTON: As Shakespeare said of Caesar, "He doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus." Even the wannabes, the presidential wannabes, are talking California. It may be the only way to get any attention.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So what we're seeing in California is that the California governor is getting the blame for the things that George Bush has done to this country.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to make sure that California recognizes that the recall is a disaster.
MORTON: So the country -- the world, maybe -- is watching Arnold. watching California. Can he do it? Actors have before.
Oh, and if you happen to see a presidential wannabe out there somewhere, give him a smile, a friendly word. It's lonely these days being them.
Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And a footnote to the story now, or, in this case, more like dessert. Ralph Nader was at a news conference, endorsing a fellow Green Party member's run for governor, when the pie man came a- calling. Mr. Nader, to his credit, gave as good as he got. He tossed the pie right back. The culprit, however, got away.
Still to come on NEWSNIGHT, the unbearable heat wave in Europe, as temperatures hit the 100 degree mark across the Continent.
Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And still ahead on NEWSNIGHT, Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion," and, of course, morning papers too.
Break first. This is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: On to the heat wave in Europe now, and a grim statistic we came across today. France's largest funeral director says demand has risen 50 percent in Paris since the heat wave began. The fact is, the heat isn't just making people uncomfortable, it's deadly, as overworked doctors and nurses in Paris will attest.
More from CNN's Alison Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another victim of France's searing heat wave arrives at St. Antoine hospital in Paris, her strength sapped by the unrelenting scorching temperatures. She's just one of hundreds of mainly elderly patients for whom this summer is not merely uncomfortable but potentially lethal.
Some doctors say France's health system is overwhelmed by the influx. Patients wait in makeshift wards in corridors. Elsewhere, relatives do what little they can to provide comfort. The cooling ice bag, doctors resort to basic remedies. "Close the door," he orders. It seems even the air conditioning can't cope this summer.
ADRIENNE REIX, COORDINATOR DOCTOR (through translator): These people, we must admit hem into hospital. We cannot send them back home. This room is full, and many others have been waiting for more than two hours in the heat. But we still haven't been able to examine all the ones we have here, and it's only midday.
BELL: Doctors accuse the government of failing to act faster to remedy the situation.
PATRICK PELLOUX, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FRENCH ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DOCTORS (through translator): What we need to be able to deal with this crisis is to get help from the army's health service. We cannot handle this any more. We added 30 extra beds, which were taken in four days. Our sanitary structures are overpowered. We cannot hold like this any more.
BELL: He estimates more than 100 people have died in France from the heat. The government challenges the doctor's figure. Officials say it's often not clear whether people are suffering from the heat, or from other causes. They also contend that emergency services are coping, despite the influx of patients.
But as far as these medics are concerned, one thing is clear -- like the scorching weather outside, the system here is heading for meltdown.
Allison Bell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Few stories from around the country now, beginning with a shootout at a Xerex -- Xerox plant, rather, in upstate New York. One man was killed, another wounded, during a robbery at the Federal Credit Union at the plant. The local police chief says a surveillance tape shows the robber wearing a bulletproof vest with the initials FBI. Authorities believe the gunman was trying to look like a law enforcement agent. They're still hunting for him tonight.
A new computer worm was spreading quickly through the Internet today. Nearly 200,000 computers have been infected worldwide, though damage has been limited, we are told, mainly because security experts have been bracing for the attack. With the help from Microsoft, the Homeland Security Department has put out two warnings recently about a vulnerability in some operating systems. Not clear yet where this worm has come from.
And a dramatic sight today near Miami Beach -- waterspouts. Waterspouts are like tornadoes that develop over water. One of the funnels came ashore, though not for long. No one hurt, no damage reported. Waterspouts are common during the rainy season in Florida, which occurs any time I'm there.
Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, a 2,000-year-old story that's stirring up controversy now. The uproar over Mel Gibson's "The Passion," after the break.
This is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We ought not be surprised that a movie about religion is the source of considerable controversy. It seems movies about religion almost always are.
Still, the controversy over Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion" is troubling. It has caused the popular actor pain, we are told. It has caused responsible leaders of Jewish groups great anxiety. And if our e-mails are any indication at all, their concerns are well-placed.
It shouldn't be that way, you'd think, but it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): One of Hollywood's most bankable movie stars has given birth to one of the year's most controversial films, "The Passion," Mel Gibson's version of the last hours of the life of Jesus in the language of the time, Aramaic and Latin.
REV. TED HAGGARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: You actually hear what Jesus said in his original language. You hear what Peter said and what Mary said. And that's gripping. And then there were English subtitles in the version that we saw. And so it was amazing.
BROWN: Amazing is one reaction. But it is not nearly the only reaction heard about the film that was partially written and completely financed by Gibson.
SISTER MARY BOYS, UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: There's so much violence that was part of the script, I mean, the suffering of Jesus is -- I have to say, in my reading of the script, to me, there was a fixation on the suffering, the torture, the brutality done to Jesus.
BROWN: That is one criticism. And here is another. The film, some believe, revives the old belief that it was the Jews who killed Christ.
ABE FOXMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: We were troubled, troubled that it portrayed the Jews, the Jewish community, in a manner that we have experienced historically, seeing passion plays used to incite not only a passion of love in terms of Christianity, but at the same time, to instill and incite a hatred of the Jews because of deicide.
BROWN: Although the film has been screened, in whole or in part, to large groups of sympathetic audiences, Evangelicals and some Roman Catholics, it took weeks of prodding before Jewish groups were allowed in.
They worry the movie is reviving the conflict between Jews and Catholics that seemed settled long ago by the Vatican, though they believe rejected by Gibson's fundamentalist strain of Catholicism.
FOXMAN: He was asked then the question, Well, if you make this movie, rejecting, you know, modern-day reappraisals, this will offend the Jews. And his answer then was, Well, I'm going to tell the truth, and whoever it offends.
BOYS: The thing that concerns me about him as a traditionalist Catholic isn't that he wants to have the mass in Latin, but that, in rejecting Vatican II, and therefore subsequent teachings of Vatican II that develop, extend, refine, nuance those teachings, he's really, then, choosing the anti-Jewish teachings that were so long a part of Catholic -- the Catholic heritage.
BROWN: Gibson's spokesman defends the movie's historical accuracy.
PAUL LAUER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, ICON PRODUCTIONS: We've had many people validate it from a biblical and historical perspective. And yet we still are concerned that there are people out there that see potential dangers, and so forth.
BROWN: Mel Gibson says he plans to issue an open letter shortly, calling for more dialogue with those who have criticized his movie. In a statement issued by his production company, Gibson said, "To be certain, neither I nor my film are anti-Semitic. Nor do I hate anybody," he continued, "certainly not the Jews."
LAUER: It's hurt him a great deal. He has many close Jewish friends. He's worked with Jewish people in his career, in -- certainly in the movie industry for 25 years. He's never been accused of any degree of anti-Semitism or hatred or bigotry.
FOXMAN: We're not into censorship, we're into sensitivity. You know, at the end of a dialogue or conversation, he will do what he wants to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: We're joined from Los Angeles now by someone you just heard from briefly in the piece, Paul Layer -- Lauer, I apologize, Paul Gibson's production company, does marketing for them, that's Icon Entertainment. And he joins us from L.A.
It's nice to see you.
Does it give you pause that now at least one representative of a mainstream Jewish group, the ADL, has seen the movie, and his concerns were in no sense alleviated by what he saw?
LAUER: No. Our plan all along has been to screen the film for as many people as possible, get as much input and feedback as possible.
Your piece just suggested that they had to force their way into the screenings, and that's not really the case. Early on, we were including Jewish friends and contacts close to our circle in Hollywood, and we're getting their feedback. We were getting pressured, though, early on in the press, based upon the script that was received without our authorization, that was very different from the actual film that we shot.
Now that we have opened the doors to a member of the ADL and other members from other Jewish groups, we are moving forward in dialogue and collaboration as much as we can.
BROWN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in reading what you've been saying, and we'll move off this particular point in a second, but in reading what you've been saying, you've said that, you know, people have reacted to this outdated draft of the script, a script that was out there a year ago, and this and that.
But here's a case where someone didn't see the outdated version of the script, saw the movie, and came away with a sense that it -- not that Mr. Gibson is anti-Semitic. I haven't heard anyone say that. That the movie will fuel anti-Semitism.
LAUER: Oh, well, that's -- actually that's been said many times. I could show you probably 20 news headlines that quote Mel Gibson's film and Mel Gibson himself as being anti-Semitic.
BROWN: Well, I -- one is different from the other, it seems to me. But in any case, let's not leave the point for a second.
LAUER: Sure.
BROWN: Someone has now seen the actual movie with a sensitivity to a Jewish perspective, and has come away with a sense that it is damaging. Does that not give you pause?
LAUER: Absolutely. Absolutely. We are very concerned about this feedback, and we are processing that feedback, and we have always planned on inviting this kind of dialogue. And in fact, I had an important meeting last week, which was the beginning of what I'm calling a Jewish initiative. I'm half-Jewish myself. I have 50 percent of my relatives are concerned about this, or at least wanting to know the bottom line on this film and what our intentions are.
We plan to convene eight to 10 significant Jewish leaders over the next 30 days, invite their dialogue, their feedback. And there's two different issues here we have to address. One is, what can be done about the film, if anything...
BROWN: Right.
LAUER: ... and still remain faithful to the Gospels as we see it, and as over 300 Christian leaders have now validated, that we are being accurate biblically and historically. That's one issue, what can be done about the film to improve it, or to recognize these Jewish sensibilities?
The second issue, that I think is much more important, is, what can we build around the film to further Jewish-Christian dialogue? Whether it be videotapes, print materials, educational materials. And this is what a lot of these interest groups do, like the ADL.
And so we're reaching out to them now and saying...
BROWN: OK.
LAUER: ... Look, work with us. Build something positive around this controversy.
BROWN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you raise a real -- what I think is a -- the fundamental issue, and a really interesting point, which is that there may, in fact, here be an irreconcilable issue, that Mr. Gibson's view of the crucifixion of Christ may, in fact -- not because he is malevolent in any way, shape, or form -- but may in fact fuel anti- Semitism. That's not his intent, no one's suggesting that, or we're not suggesting that, certainly. But that his vision, his view, may in fact have that reality. Possible?
LAUER: Well, Aaron, it is possible, in the same sense that the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, and practically every religious book known to man, somebody, somewhere are going to use these sacred texts, that nobody would suggest we change, necessarily, someone's going to use it for their evil purposes.
And we condemn, by the way, the Passion plays which led to anti- Semitism, hatred, intolerance. We in no way want to turn back the clock to a pre-Vatican II church that supposedly condemn the Jews.
In fact, if you look at the teachings of the Council of Trent, which Mel Gibson certainly adheres to, in those teachings, it clearly condemns blaming the Jews for the death of Christ, and, in fact, puts the blame on Christians even more so.
Why? Because Christians know better, in knowing Jesus Christ, and still offending him through our sins, whereas Jews, as Jesus himself said of the Jews and the Romans of that time, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."
We look first to ourselves for culpability and for blame in the death of Christ. And we also believe, as Christians, that God Himself ordained this in His plan.
BROWN: Mr. Lauer, thank you. I know this is fascinating that a movie that's months away from being released is generating this sort of controversy. I certainly wouldn't call it buzz, but controversy. We appreciate your sharing your time with us tonight. Thank you very much.
LAUER: Thanks for having me.
BROWN: Thank you.
Paul Lauer. We'll get it right eventually.
Next on NEWSNIGHT, morning papers. Break first. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), okey-dokey. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) make me really happy and get lots of new papers, and they did, and we hardly have any time. There you have it.
This is not new paper, but we like it anyway. We like the headline. The "Boston Herald." Man, this is disgusting, OK? "Gory Details Stun Legend's Pals." This is sort of what's happened to Ted Williams in the cryonics lab. You don't really want to know. But it's big.
"The Star Tribune," the newspaper of Minneapolis. Actually, they say the newspaper of the Twin Cities now, because they have to do that. The big story there, "At Hockey Shrine, Shock Is Strong." This is the death of Herb Brooks, the Olympic hockey coach, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), University of Minnesota hockey coach, for a long time, died in a strange car accident yesterday. Very sad. And it's front-page news in Minneapolis.
The "Times Union" in Albany, New York. This is a good story. I'm surprised it's not on more front pages. "Troops Facing a Long Haul." Troops were told that they'll spend a year in Iraq at least. They may get a quick home leave, but probably not. And that's not making people very happy over there, we suspect.
How much time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forty-one.
BROWN: Forty-one.
"Green Bay Press Gazette." That would be Green Bay, Wisconsin. What do you think the big story there is? It's football, of course it is. Tickets for the September 7 Vikings game -- we'll be rooting for the Vikings here at NEWSNIGHT -- aren't cheap. Actually in the Green Bay feed, we'll say we're working, we're rooting for Green Bay.
"Chicago Sun Times," weather is "Snappy." Twenty seconds. "City to School Kids -- Just Show Up and Win." Chicago plans to offer incentives to students to attend classes. Come on. Truant officers.
That's morning papers. That's the program. We're all back -- aren't we? -- yes, we're all back tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10:00 Eastern time. We hope you are too. Until then, good night for all of us at NEWSNIGHT.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
California Prepares for Recall; Controversy Over 'The Passion'>
Aired August 12, 2003 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go. Good evening again everyone.
It seems like only after 9/11 did we discover our capacity on certain days to be both reassured and terrified at exactly the same time. Today was one of those days. We were reassured that authorities foiled the plot to smuggle a surface-to-air missile into the United States and terrified that plots like it may be going on around the world right now.
From what we know so far this plot seems to have the makings of a Ludlum thriller but clearly we're in just the first few chapters and it is where we begin the whip tonight, Jeanne Meserve working the story in Washington, Jeanne start us with the headline please.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, an international sting operation nabs an alleged arms dealer and two alleged confederates, the type of sophisticated shoulder-fired missile at the heart of the deal could bring down a commercial airliner and this highlights a problem with no easy solution -- Aaron.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, back to you at the top tonight.
On to Liberia now, where the main rebel group agreed to pull back from the capital and a port, Jeff Koinange in Monrovia with the story Jeff the headline.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, call it fourth time lucky as West African peacekeepers and U.S. diplomats finally make a breakthrough and gain access to a strategic port and then some -- Aaron.
BROWN: Jeff, thank you.
And, 56 days to go before the California recall election. You can't wait, can you? Counties are racing to get ready, Dan Lothian on the story again for us, so Dan a headline.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Aaron. It's a short race to election day. There is so much work to be done. Some officials are now saying they're not sure they can get it all done and, of course, there is one big concern, no one wants what happened in Florida to happen here -- Aaron.
BROWN: Dan, thank you, back to you and the rest shortly. Also coming up tonight on NEWSNIGHT, the scorching heat across Europe, not just an annoyance, but a real threat to public health and safety, we'll take a look at how hospitals in Paris are struggling to keep up with people, many of them hit with heatstroke.
And, the controversy tonight over Mel Gibson's "The Passion," his film about the death of Christ, it's not due to be released until next spring but has already generated enormous controversy about whether it will fuel anti-Semitism.
And pure heroin for news junkies everywhere, oh my, our nightly look at tomorrow morning's papers tonight. We can hardly wait for the rooster to crow, all of that to come in the hour ahead.
We begin with the stuff that nightmares are made of the kind of mass produced, cheap to make, easy to use technology that lets a man or a woman destroy hundreds of lives, simple as point and click.
For less than the price of a used Chevy, shoulder-launched antiaircraft missiles are out there. Experts say it's only a matter of time before someone tries to use one here but not today. The missile was a dud. The buyers were federal agents and the alleged smuggler is in custody.
We begin with CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Authorities removing potential evidence from a New York business Tuesday afternoon, one chapter in an unfolding international drama, at the center, a Russian SA-18 shoulder-fired missile capable of shooting down a commercial jetliner.
JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Your basic SA-7 is a shoulder-fired rocket with an infrared sensor in it that guides itself to the plume of the jet airplane but those infrared sensors can be jammed. This IGLA (ph) missile, an SA-18, is an updated version of the SA-7 that helps defeat some of those defensive measures.
MESERVE: A senior government official confirms that Hekmat Lakhani, a British citizen of Indian descent, has been arrested. Government sources say he is an international arms dealer who has sold weapons to al Qaeda in the past.
Months ago, he puts out the word that he can obtain a shoulder- fired missile. U.S. agents posing as Muslim extremists offer to buy. Russian authorities hear the dealer is shopping in their country for the missile. Their undercover agents meet with him in Moscow and St. Petersburg and, with the knowledge of U.S. authorities, sell him an NERT SA-18.
The dealer, not knowing the explosives have been removed, ships the missile to the U.S. under the eye of U.S. authorities. It ends up in Newark, New Jersey. The dealer flies to the U.S. over the weekend to complete the deal and is arrested Tuesday afternoon in Newark. Later Tuesday, two gem dealers are arrested at this building in New York. They allegedly took care of the cash side of the transaction. U.S. officials say search warrants for additional evidence were executed in Britain.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: There are two things to say here. One is this was very good work by American and foreign intelligence but, secondly, it takes a little bit of luck to find this kind of an operation while it's being hatched and you can't always get lucky.
MESERVE: Al Qaeda's November attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner over Mombasa, Kenya with a shoulder-fired missile was a wakeup call for U.S. officials who are now pushing international efforts to stop the flow of missiles to terrorists.
An interagency team is evaluating the vulnerability of airports in the U.S. and overseas and eight government contractors are developing detailed plans for more effective and affordable anti- missile technology that could be used to protect U.S. commercial jetliners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: More details are likely to emerge tomorrow when the three men appear in court and documents are unsealed but, tonight, U.S. officials want to emphasize there is no intelligence indicating a specific or imminent threat to U.S. commercial aircraft from shoulder- fired missiles -- Aaron.
BROWN: Tonight there's no imminent threat. On the question of defensive measures we went through this back around the first of the year I guess, is it realistic to arm every commercial airliner with the kind of sophisticated anti-missile systems that military warplanes have?
MESERVE: Well, some lawmakers want to see that and they've been pushing legislation for that to happen. The Department of Homeland Security says right now there is no system that's 100 percent effective and no system that would make sense from a cost point of view.
So they have asked eight government contractors to come up with more detailed plans about systems that might be feasible that might someday be deployed on commercial aircraft but there's a big question if something is developed who would pay for it? Would it be the airlines? Would it be the government and the U.S. taxpayer?
BROWN: And, just one other thing on the missile that was involved here, how accurate is it?
MESERVE: I'm told that it is a fairly accurate weapon that this has an infrared guided system. Earlier versions of shoulder-fired missiles were heat-seeking. They had to be fired from behind and honed in on the engines. No such restriction on this infrared system so more effective than the other less sophisticated shoulder-fired missiles that we've seen employed in the past.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, busy afternoon and evening, thank you Jeanne Meserve in Washington.
Phil Shenon joins us now. He covers homeland security for "The New York Times." He'll file on this story for tomorrow's edition of "The Times." He joins us from Washington, nice to see you. I'm intrigued, I guess by the cooperation between the Russians and the Americans on this. What if anything can you add to that?
PHILIP SHENON, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, apparently, this really is a great innovation. Both President Putin and President Bush were informed of this that there was to be much closer cooperation than ever before between the law enforcement authorities in Moscow and the law enforcement authorities, the FBI in particular, in Washington, that they would work together on this in cracking this case and, apparently, through this cooperation they really had a big sting tonight.
BROWN: Is it to your knowledge in your reporting is this a unique situation or has this, in fact, been going on now for the last year and a half or so in the post 9/11 period?
SHENON: Well, I think this level of cooperation really has been spurred on by this particular case, which we're told began sometime in the last several months.
BROWN: You've been -- you have written a fair amount about this problem of the surface-to-air missiles. Is it reasonable, if altogether terrifying, to assume that as we sit here talking about it similar plans are being made somewhere, similar deals are in the works somewhere, and that they may in fact be carried out?
SHENON: I think unhappily the answer is yes. It was only several months ago, it was November to be specific, in which terrorists we believe who have been affiliated with al Qaeda tried with two of these missiles to shoot down an Israeli passenger plane as it took off from Mombasa on the Indian Ocean in Kenya and the missiles apparently came quite close.
And, I think, there's every reason to believe and the intelligence agencies tell us that al Qaeda may have dozens of these missiles, including some old American Stingers left over from the Afghanistan war in the 1980s. I think it's only fair to assume that al Qaeda will continue to attempt to use them in the future.
BROWN: There are hundreds of these out there, thousands of these out there?
SHENON: There are hundreds of thousands of these missiles.
BROWN: Hundreds of thousands of them?
SHENON: That exist around the world. Most of them, thank goodness, are in the arsenals of official militaries, official government arsenals, but we do know or at least we're led to believe that there are hundreds, if not thousands, that are roaming about in the black market of arms and that at least dozens are in al Qaeda's hands.
BROWN: When you -- is there anything about this, Phil, that when you heard it and you starting working on this surprised you or is it the kind of thing that you expected to happen in some respects?
SHENON: The sting today I think I had been expecting these sorts of things to happen and I think you'll see more cases like it. There are just too many arms dealers in this world. There's too much money to be made and you have to remember that these weapons can be purchased apparently for only several thousand dollars a piece.
As you said, a used Chevy might cost you more than one of these missiles and it's fair to assume that there are an awful lot of unscrupulous people around this world who want to cash in on this opportunity.
BROWN: Does it take any particular degree of knowledge or sophistication to use one?
SHENON: It takes some knowledge and, apparently, the Mombasa attack, the attack on the Israeli plane didn't succeed because the terrorists may not have known exactly what they were doing. But, again, there are so many of these missiles around that someday somebody is going to fire one and it's going to hit.
BROWN: And, back to the question we asked Jeanne then, in your dealings with homeland security people is it realistic to defend every commercial airliner, assuming that's the target, every commercial airliner from one of these missiles?
SHENON: Well, I mean to some degree it's a budgetary analysis you know. There is this technology out there. It is deployed on military aircraft. It is deployed on Air Force One and do you want to spend the $7 billion to $10 billion it would take to outfit every commercial plane in this country?
Well, if you argue that if one of these missiles hits someday it could really destroy the commercial aircraft industry, really seriously damage the airline industry, isn't that an investment worth making?
There are people on Capitol Hill, both Democrats and Republicans who feel that is an investment worth making. At this point, the Bush administration doesn't agree.
BROWN: And, finally, we've talked a lot particularly in the last couple of weeks it seems to me about the failures of the post 9/11 era. Do we know tonight that systems that were changed after 9/11 and the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, international and domestic, played out in such a way that this thing was broken?
SHENON: I think so. I think the post 9/11 world is a different world for law enforcement and I think you may not have seen this level of cooperation between the Russians and the Americans and the British than you would have seen in the past.
I think there was a statement of the British government tonight that this is the great victory or a great victory of the post Cold War era that these allies could come together on a threat that faces them all, which is global terrorism.
BROWN: Phil, thanks a lot.
SHENON: Thank you.
BROWN: I assume you filed already. We look forward to your piece in "The Times" tomorrow.
SHENON: Thank you.
BROWN: Thank you.
It is at the very least ironic that this story broke one day after a breach in security at one of the busiest airports in the world. If it had been terrorists, of course, it would have been one horrible lead story. It wasn't, so instead of tragedy it's an embarrassment at JFK.
Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One law enforcement official called what happened at JFK Airport Sunday night unacceptable and of great concern.
Three boaters got caught in rough water and washed ashore on airport property. For an hour they wandered across one mile of JFK, passed a runway where taxiing jets were just several hundred feet away.
JOEL PHAGOO, BOATER: We got there by accident but it wouldn't be hard for somebody who wanted to intentionally be there to get there.
CARROLL: The Port Authority, responsible for airport security, denied a request to speak on camera but gave a statement saying: "They certainly should not have been able to do what they have done. Clearly, our work is not complete." New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg downplayed the incident.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: They were hardly terrorists and what happened right away was the authorities saw them and that should give you comfort that if there were people trying to come and come to a runway and do some damage that the police were on top of it right away.
CARROLL: Not exactly. The Port Authority said the three were not detected until the boaters found one of the airport police stations and told officers what happened.
PHAGOO: For somebody who was up to no good, they could have caused a lot of damage.
CARROLL: There are many questions about why no one spotted the three on airport property and how they were able to wash ashore undetected. The Port Authority would not give specifics about what security is in place but a spokesman did say half a billion dollars has been allocated over the next five years to reinforce security and as a result of what happened, the agency said it has improved patrols along the airport's perimeter.
(on camera): The Port Authority says it's responsible for a ten- mile perimeter surrounding the airport and, while they acknowledge more security measures still need to be put into place, they say it will not be as simple as building some sort of a fence.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, with Charles Taylor out and the Marines not yet in, we'll report on efforts to get the main port in Liberia open for desperately needed relief supplies.
And later, Mel Gibson's controversial movie on the death of Jesus drawing both fire and praise months before its release.
From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Even when a serviceman comes home in one piece with his wits about him and his loved ones waiting life is still life and fate is still fate. The yellow ribbons were still up this weekend at a house in Weir, New Hampshire. Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Dale Racicot wanted to take them down himself.
Instead, just a few hours after returning from eight months in Kuwait in Iraq with his wife and two daughters nearby, Sergeant Racicot collapsed of a heart attack. His last words to his family, I love you all. He died shortly later at a hospital.
Sergeant Racicot was a reservist, 54 years old. His daughter said this today about her father's brief homecoming. "We had three hours with him. They were the most precious hours we could have asked for."
There's late word tonight about the possibility of sending more American troops to Liberia, not many more, a senior defense official telling CNN the number would total fewer than 100 and they might come ashore by the week's end.
The timing depends largely on how quickly rebel forces vacate the capital which they promised to do today after a tough round of bargaining, reporting once again from Liberia CNN's Jeff Koinange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KOINANGE (voice-over): A familiar sign in Monrovia these days the Stars and Stripes, a sign American forces are on the move with them the ever present West African peacekeepers.
Today, they are accompanying U.S. Ambassador John Blaney for the fourth time in a week to try and negotiate with LURD rebels to give up the capital's strategic port. With heavily armed Marines in tow, the negotiators go into a closed door meeting. An hour and a half later they emerge victorious.
JOHN BLANEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBERIA: We just concluded discussion of a declaration by LURD that will give permissive entry by peacekeepers of the multinational force to this area of Bushrod Island, which includes the free port of Monrovia.
KOINANGE: As easy as that a piece of paper as proof that the LURD rebels will remove troops from the city of Monrovia and its nearby port out to a point 25 miles from the area.
SEKOU FOFANA, LURD: We have no reasons to maintain ourselves at the free port. One, Taylor has left the mansion. He has left the country.
KOINANGE: With less than 800 West African troops or Ecomil so far in Liberia, the U.S. ambassador continues to leave the door open for the possible deployment of more U.S. troops on the ground.
BLANEY: That has to be determined but the United States is here in full support of Ecomil.
KOINANGE: The transfer of control will take place Thursday but U.S. troops and diplomats wasted no time in going to inspect the port for themselves.
Meanwhile, on a key bridge linking the rebel-controlled port and the government-controlled capital, LURD rebels celebrated for the second straight day the departure of their hated enemy, former President Charles Taylor, but civilians still find themselves trapped on either side without access to family members.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Unintelligible) follow them. We'll follow after them too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: No, Aaron, a slight setback late in the day, a second rebel group calling itself the Movement for Democracy in Liberia or MODEL, which had been occupying the country's second largest port city of Buchanan, about 60 miles south of Monrovia is fast approaching the country's only functioning airport.
Now, what this does, it exposes the peacekeepers' rear flank and could jeopardize a full deployment of peacekeepers here in the capital of Monrovia -- Aaron.
BROWN: And what does this group want? KOINANGE: What they want is the same thing that LURD wants but now, Aaron, basically they feel left out of the loop. LURD, the main rebel group, has been getting most of the glory for kicking out Charles Taylor. Now, MODEL is stepping in and saying, hey, we want a piece of the action -- Aaron.
BROWN: There is work still to be done. Jeff, thank you very much, Jeff Koinange in Liberia.
A few other stories from around the world tonight, beginning with raids near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit again. The former chief of staff of the Iraqi Republican Guard was captured along with a general and a dozen other Iraqis. They're all described as members of a family closely connected with Saddam Hussein. They were captured in raids in 20 homes, raids that took place over three hours.
The U.S. military put out its findings on that incident at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad during the war. You'll recall that two journalists died. Much was made of it. The report says the U.S. troops who fired a tank round into the hotel had intelligence they were being watched by enemy spotters from that area and that they fired in self defense. Reporters continue to argue they saw no enemy troops at the hotel.
And, after a period of relative calm there has been a major surge in violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Two suicide bombings today, the first happened inside a grocery store in central Israel, one Israeli killed, ten hurt. The second bombing happened at a bus stop near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel, one Israeli killed there, two other injured.
Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, sorting out the mess of the California recall ballot, we'll have the latest as potential candidates' list climbs above 200. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Two hundred and forty-seven individuals have now filed papers to join the California recall race. Depending on the locality and the type of ballot, allowing three lines per name using the inverse square rule that's more pages than "War and Peace," more chads than a surfer convention, certainly more confusion than your average election day, a day that some expect to stretch long into November before a winner is certified and that's if the day even arrives on time to begin with.
Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice-over): At the Los Angeles County registrar's office workers have laced up their shoes for a sprint rather than a marathon in the race to election day, scrambling to find volunteers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will need you to be the inspector. LOTHIAN: It turns out this complicated lottery-like process to determine where some 200-plus candidates will be listed on the ballots was the easy part of the recall process. The big challenge now...
DICK ROSENGARTEN, "CALIFORNIA POLITICAL WEEKLY": The county registrars in the 58 counties are yelling and screaming bloody murder. They don't think they have enough time to prepare for this recall.
LOTHIAN: The first hurdle in this short race...
MICHAEL PETRUCELLO, ASSISTANT L.A. COUNTY REGISTRAR: We have to format and print four million sample ballots, mail them to four million voters. We then have to format the ballot itself.
LOTHIAN: And that's just one county. Everyone is concerned that so many names on the ballot may lead to confusion.
FREDRICK WOOCHER, ELECTION LAW ATTORNEY: It's going to be very difficult. Some voters may give up in frustration. Others with poor eyesight may literally never be able to find the name of the person they intend to vote for.
LOTHIAN: Another hurdle, 20,000 to 25,000 polling stations must be set up, 100,000 poll workers recruited. Officials call it a daunting task. California's secretary of state admits there will be problems.
KEVIN SHELLEY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: Every day will present us with issues we have never faced before.
LOTHIAN: The Florida debacle in 2000 of hanging dimple and pregnant chads and lawsuits hangs over the heads of election officials here, especially since six of California's most populous counties are being forced to use the punch card system, which was decertified by court order. New replacement machines won't be ready in time. That's prompted the ACLU to take legal action in federal court in an attempt to delay the election for five months.
MARK ROSENBAUM, ACLU OF LOS ANGELES: There's no question that these machines are defective. These machines are going to deny 40,000 Californians their right to vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: There is yet another concern, more lawsuits after the election if there are some problems, major problems in the process. Some fear that a candidate who comes close could take legal action, Florida Part 2 -- Aaron.
BROWN: Oh, good. At the end of the broadcast last night we talked about the, I think it was the "San Francisco Chronicle's" story that Mr. Schwarzenegger had not voted much over the last years. I don't think he voted in a presidential election since '92. Did that story get any traction out west today?
LOTHIAN: We haven't seen a whole lot of traction on that story. I know that over the past few days there was some mention of that. I did read some articles about that but at this point it doesn't appear that that is the major focus out here. People are still waiting to find out what he stands for.
BROWN: Dan, thank you very much, Dan Lothian out in Los Angeles tonight.
We said earlier there's at least the possibility of 247 candidates. Why then, you ask, does it seem like there is only one? The answer is oxygen. The coverage of Mr. Schwarzenegger is so total, so overwhelming, so dare we saw it excessive that it has sucked the oxygen out of the political universe for everyone else, for now.
Here's CNN's Bruce Morton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not about me, it's about us.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... the nine of us running for president of the United States...
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I'm the real Terminator. I want to terminate...
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're out there somewhere, eight men and a woman who want to be president. But something's happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: Shut up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORTON: They haven't, of course, but nobody's listening. They're watching Arnold, listening to Arnold campaigning, Arnold handshaking. Arnold's sucking all of the oxygen out of the political fishbowl.
Remember, Governor Dean, when you were on the covers of "TIME" and "Newsweek" the same week? That was then. This is now.
You know the daily political newsletter, the "Hotline"? Monday, the first nine stories were about California. The 10th was about how Arnold, and not the presidential wannabes, was getting all the coverage. Tuesday, the first six were California.
Other California candidates squirm in to share pictures with Arnold. That's Arianna Huffington. When the others talk, they talk about Arnold.
BILL SIMON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: You know, obviously, he's known from the standpoint of name identification. But from the standpoint of his views, from the standpoint of where he stands on the issues, from the standpoint of what his priorities are, he's a blank slate. We need to hear from Arnold.
MORTON (on camera): California is fascinating, of course. All those candidates -- 200, maybe more, a ballot as big as a bedsheet. You need an old-fashioned political machine with precinct captains to tell the voters how to handle that.
(voice-over): Arnold doesn't have a machine, of course, but he's played one in the movies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: I am a machine!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORTON: As Shakespeare said of Caesar, "He doth bestride the narrow world like a colossus." Even the wannabes, the presidential wannabes, are talking California. It may be the only way to get any attention.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So what we're seeing in California is that the California governor is getting the blame for the things that George Bush has done to this country.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to make sure that California recognizes that the recall is a disaster.
MORTON: So the country -- the world, maybe -- is watching Arnold. watching California. Can he do it? Actors have before.
Oh, and if you happen to see a presidential wannabe out there somewhere, give him a smile, a friendly word. It's lonely these days being them.
Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And a footnote to the story now, or, in this case, more like dessert. Ralph Nader was at a news conference, endorsing a fellow Green Party member's run for governor, when the pie man came a- calling. Mr. Nader, to his credit, gave as good as he got. He tossed the pie right back. The culprit, however, got away.
Still to come on NEWSNIGHT, the unbearable heat wave in Europe, as temperatures hit the 100 degree mark across the Continent.
Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And still ahead on NEWSNIGHT, Mel Gibson's controversial "The Passion," and, of course, morning papers too.
Break first. This is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: On to the heat wave in Europe now, and a grim statistic we came across today. France's largest funeral director says demand has risen 50 percent in Paris since the heat wave began. The fact is, the heat isn't just making people uncomfortable, it's deadly, as overworked doctors and nurses in Paris will attest.
More from CNN's Alison Bell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another victim of France's searing heat wave arrives at St. Antoine hospital in Paris, her strength sapped by the unrelenting scorching temperatures. She's just one of hundreds of mainly elderly patients for whom this summer is not merely uncomfortable but potentially lethal.
Some doctors say France's health system is overwhelmed by the influx. Patients wait in makeshift wards in corridors. Elsewhere, relatives do what little they can to provide comfort. The cooling ice bag, doctors resort to basic remedies. "Close the door," he orders. It seems even the air conditioning can't cope this summer.
ADRIENNE REIX, COORDINATOR DOCTOR (through translator): These people, we must admit hem into hospital. We cannot send them back home. This room is full, and many others have been waiting for more than two hours in the heat. But we still haven't been able to examine all the ones we have here, and it's only midday.
BELL: Doctors accuse the government of failing to act faster to remedy the situation.
PATRICK PELLOUX, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FRENCH ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DOCTORS (through translator): What we need to be able to deal with this crisis is to get help from the army's health service. We cannot handle this any more. We added 30 extra beds, which were taken in four days. Our sanitary structures are overpowered. We cannot hold like this any more.
BELL: He estimates more than 100 people have died in France from the heat. The government challenges the doctor's figure. Officials say it's often not clear whether people are suffering from the heat, or from other causes. They also contend that emergency services are coping, despite the influx of patients.
But as far as these medics are concerned, one thing is clear -- like the scorching weather outside, the system here is heading for meltdown.
Allison Bell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Few stories from around the country now, beginning with a shootout at a Xerex -- Xerox plant, rather, in upstate New York. One man was killed, another wounded, during a robbery at the Federal Credit Union at the plant. The local police chief says a surveillance tape shows the robber wearing a bulletproof vest with the initials FBI. Authorities believe the gunman was trying to look like a law enforcement agent. They're still hunting for him tonight.
A new computer worm was spreading quickly through the Internet today. Nearly 200,000 computers have been infected worldwide, though damage has been limited, we are told, mainly because security experts have been bracing for the attack. With the help from Microsoft, the Homeland Security Department has put out two warnings recently about a vulnerability in some operating systems. Not clear yet where this worm has come from.
And a dramatic sight today near Miami Beach -- waterspouts. Waterspouts are like tornadoes that develop over water. One of the funnels came ashore, though not for long. No one hurt, no damage reported. Waterspouts are common during the rainy season in Florida, which occurs any time I'm there.
Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, a 2,000-year-old story that's stirring up controversy now. The uproar over Mel Gibson's "The Passion," after the break.
This is NEWSNIGHT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We ought not be surprised that a movie about religion is the source of considerable controversy. It seems movies about religion almost always are.
Still, the controversy over Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion" is troubling. It has caused the popular actor pain, we are told. It has caused responsible leaders of Jewish groups great anxiety. And if our e-mails are any indication at all, their concerns are well-placed.
It shouldn't be that way, you'd think, but it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): One of Hollywood's most bankable movie stars has given birth to one of the year's most controversial films, "The Passion," Mel Gibson's version of the last hours of the life of Jesus in the language of the time, Aramaic and Latin.
REV. TED HAGGARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: You actually hear what Jesus said in his original language. You hear what Peter said and what Mary said. And that's gripping. And then there were English subtitles in the version that we saw. And so it was amazing.
BROWN: Amazing is one reaction. But it is not nearly the only reaction heard about the film that was partially written and completely financed by Gibson.
SISTER MARY BOYS, UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: There's so much violence that was part of the script, I mean, the suffering of Jesus is -- I have to say, in my reading of the script, to me, there was a fixation on the suffering, the torture, the brutality done to Jesus.
BROWN: That is one criticism. And here is another. The film, some believe, revives the old belief that it was the Jews who killed Christ.
ABE FOXMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: We were troubled, troubled that it portrayed the Jews, the Jewish community, in a manner that we have experienced historically, seeing passion plays used to incite not only a passion of love in terms of Christianity, but at the same time, to instill and incite a hatred of the Jews because of deicide.
BROWN: Although the film has been screened, in whole or in part, to large groups of sympathetic audiences, Evangelicals and some Roman Catholics, it took weeks of prodding before Jewish groups were allowed in.
They worry the movie is reviving the conflict between Jews and Catholics that seemed settled long ago by the Vatican, though they believe rejected by Gibson's fundamentalist strain of Catholicism.
FOXMAN: He was asked then the question, Well, if you make this movie, rejecting, you know, modern-day reappraisals, this will offend the Jews. And his answer then was, Well, I'm going to tell the truth, and whoever it offends.
BOYS: The thing that concerns me about him as a traditionalist Catholic isn't that he wants to have the mass in Latin, but that, in rejecting Vatican II, and therefore subsequent teachings of Vatican II that develop, extend, refine, nuance those teachings, he's really, then, choosing the anti-Jewish teachings that were so long a part of Catholic -- the Catholic heritage.
BROWN: Gibson's spokesman defends the movie's historical accuracy.
PAUL LAUER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, ICON PRODUCTIONS: We've had many people validate it from a biblical and historical perspective. And yet we still are concerned that there are people out there that see potential dangers, and so forth.
BROWN: Mel Gibson says he plans to issue an open letter shortly, calling for more dialogue with those who have criticized his movie. In a statement issued by his production company, Gibson said, "To be certain, neither I nor my film are anti-Semitic. Nor do I hate anybody," he continued, "certainly not the Jews."
LAUER: It's hurt him a great deal. He has many close Jewish friends. He's worked with Jewish people in his career, in -- certainly in the movie industry for 25 years. He's never been accused of any degree of anti-Semitism or hatred or bigotry.
FOXMAN: We're not into censorship, we're into sensitivity. You know, at the end of a dialogue or conversation, he will do what he wants to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: We're joined from Los Angeles now by someone you just heard from briefly in the piece, Paul Layer -- Lauer, I apologize, Paul Gibson's production company, does marketing for them, that's Icon Entertainment. And he joins us from L.A.
It's nice to see you.
Does it give you pause that now at least one representative of a mainstream Jewish group, the ADL, has seen the movie, and his concerns were in no sense alleviated by what he saw?
LAUER: No. Our plan all along has been to screen the film for as many people as possible, get as much input and feedback as possible.
Your piece just suggested that they had to force their way into the screenings, and that's not really the case. Early on, we were including Jewish friends and contacts close to our circle in Hollywood, and we're getting their feedback. We were getting pressured, though, early on in the press, based upon the script that was received without our authorization, that was very different from the actual film that we shot.
Now that we have opened the doors to a member of the ADL and other members from other Jewish groups, we are moving forward in dialogue and collaboration as much as we can.
BROWN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in reading what you've been saying, and we'll move off this particular point in a second, but in reading what you've been saying, you've said that, you know, people have reacted to this outdated draft of the script, a script that was out there a year ago, and this and that.
But here's a case where someone didn't see the outdated version of the script, saw the movie, and came away with a sense that it -- not that Mr. Gibson is anti-Semitic. I haven't heard anyone say that. That the movie will fuel anti-Semitism.
LAUER: Oh, well, that's -- actually that's been said many times. I could show you probably 20 news headlines that quote Mel Gibson's film and Mel Gibson himself as being anti-Semitic.
BROWN: Well, I -- one is different from the other, it seems to me. But in any case, let's not leave the point for a second.
LAUER: Sure.
BROWN: Someone has now seen the actual movie with a sensitivity to a Jewish perspective, and has come away with a sense that it is damaging. Does that not give you pause?
LAUER: Absolutely. Absolutely. We are very concerned about this feedback, and we are processing that feedback, and we have always planned on inviting this kind of dialogue. And in fact, I had an important meeting last week, which was the beginning of what I'm calling a Jewish initiative. I'm half-Jewish myself. I have 50 percent of my relatives are concerned about this, or at least wanting to know the bottom line on this film and what our intentions are.
We plan to convene eight to 10 significant Jewish leaders over the next 30 days, invite their dialogue, their feedback. And there's two different issues here we have to address. One is, what can be done about the film, if anything...
BROWN: Right.
LAUER: ... and still remain faithful to the Gospels as we see it, and as over 300 Christian leaders have now validated, that we are being accurate biblically and historically. That's one issue, what can be done about the film to improve it, or to recognize these Jewish sensibilities?
The second issue, that I think is much more important, is, what can we build around the film to further Jewish-Christian dialogue? Whether it be videotapes, print materials, educational materials. And this is what a lot of these interest groups do, like the ADL.
And so we're reaching out to them now and saying...
BROWN: OK.
LAUER: ... Look, work with us. Build something positive around this controversy.
BROWN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you raise a real -- what I think is a -- the fundamental issue, and a really interesting point, which is that there may, in fact, here be an irreconcilable issue, that Mr. Gibson's view of the crucifixion of Christ may, in fact -- not because he is malevolent in any way, shape, or form -- but may in fact fuel anti- Semitism. That's not his intent, no one's suggesting that, or we're not suggesting that, certainly. But that his vision, his view, may in fact have that reality. Possible?
LAUER: Well, Aaron, it is possible, in the same sense that the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, and practically every religious book known to man, somebody, somewhere are going to use these sacred texts, that nobody would suggest we change, necessarily, someone's going to use it for their evil purposes.
And we condemn, by the way, the Passion plays which led to anti- Semitism, hatred, intolerance. We in no way want to turn back the clock to a pre-Vatican II church that supposedly condemn the Jews.
In fact, if you look at the teachings of the Council of Trent, which Mel Gibson certainly adheres to, in those teachings, it clearly condemns blaming the Jews for the death of Christ, and, in fact, puts the blame on Christians even more so.
Why? Because Christians know better, in knowing Jesus Christ, and still offending him through our sins, whereas Jews, as Jesus himself said of the Jews and the Romans of that time, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."
We look first to ourselves for culpability and for blame in the death of Christ. And we also believe, as Christians, that God Himself ordained this in His plan.
BROWN: Mr. Lauer, thank you. I know this is fascinating that a movie that's months away from being released is generating this sort of controversy. I certainly wouldn't call it buzz, but controversy. We appreciate your sharing your time with us tonight. Thank you very much.
LAUER: Thanks for having me.
BROWN: Thank you.
Paul Lauer. We'll get it right eventually.
Next on NEWSNIGHT, morning papers. Break first. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), okey-dokey. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) make me really happy and get lots of new papers, and they did, and we hardly have any time. There you have it.
This is not new paper, but we like it anyway. We like the headline. The "Boston Herald." Man, this is disgusting, OK? "Gory Details Stun Legend's Pals." This is sort of what's happened to Ted Williams in the cryonics lab. You don't really want to know. But it's big.
"The Star Tribune," the newspaper of Minneapolis. Actually, they say the newspaper of the Twin Cities now, because they have to do that. The big story there, "At Hockey Shrine, Shock Is Strong." This is the death of Herb Brooks, the Olympic hockey coach, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), University of Minnesota hockey coach, for a long time, died in a strange car accident yesterday. Very sad. And it's front-page news in Minneapolis.
The "Times Union" in Albany, New York. This is a good story. I'm surprised it's not on more front pages. "Troops Facing a Long Haul." Troops were told that they'll spend a year in Iraq at least. They may get a quick home leave, but probably not. And that's not making people very happy over there, we suspect.
How much time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forty-one.
BROWN: Forty-one.
"Green Bay Press Gazette." That would be Green Bay, Wisconsin. What do you think the big story there is? It's football, of course it is. Tickets for the September 7 Vikings game -- we'll be rooting for the Vikings here at NEWSNIGHT -- aren't cheap. Actually in the Green Bay feed, we'll say we're working, we're rooting for Green Bay.
"Chicago Sun Times," weather is "Snappy." Twenty seconds. "City to School Kids -- Just Show Up and Win." Chicago plans to offer incentives to students to attend classes. Come on. Truant officers.
That's morning papers. That's the program. We're all back -- aren't we? -- yes, we're all back tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10:00 Eastern time. We hope you are too. Until then, good night for all of us at NEWSNIGHT.
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California Prepares for Recall; Controversy Over 'The Passion'>
