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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

FBI warns of terrorist attack on U.S. soil; Artillery shell found in Iraq tests positive for sarin nerve gas; Military shakeup replaces Sanchez in Iraq; U.S. needs France and Germany to back new U.N. resolution; U.N. may miss May 30 deadline of Iraqi leaders; Hussain Shahristani possible new prime minister of Iraq

Aired May 25, 2004 - 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: Good evening again everyone.
Today is just a perfect example of how complicated Iraq has become for all of us. Over the course of the hour, we'll report on the struggle to find an interim government and, for the first time, we'll put a name on that new government, at least the prime minister.

At the same time, we'll also report on the dangers of the future or, at least, the potential dangers that the interim government faces, the inability or the unwillingness of the United States to disarm and disband the many militias that exist in the country.

Sometimes when you look at Iraq these days it seems like every group but the Lions Club has their own armed militia loyal only to their own narrow constituency. If they can't be disbanded they somehow have to be controlled and as the Sadr militia has shown over the last couple of months that is no easy task.

So, on the Iraq front there is a bit of good and a bit of bad to report but we begin tonight with yet another sign, a clear sign we are living still and for a long time in the new normal.

For that Kelli Arena begins the program and starts the whip, Kelli a headline.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, more intelligence coming in suggesting another major attack on U.S. soil but officials stress there are no specifics.

BROWN: Kelli, we'll get back to you at the top tonight for what we know.

Next to the White House where diplomacy reigns tonight, Dana Bash with the watch, Dana a headline.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the morning after the president tried to step up efforts to get support for his mission in Iraq, the president stepped up efforts on the international front. He called French President Jacques Chirac a leading war opponent whom he now needs to bless his plan for peace -- Aaron.

BROWN: Dana, thank you.

Finally to Boston, more woes for the Catholic Church and Catholic churches there, CNN's Dan Lothian back in Boston, Dan a headline.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Aaron, the Boston Archdiocese has fallen on hard times. The pews are empty and so are the offering plates. Now doors are being closed in order to keep most of the other churches open -- Aaron.

BROWN: And finally the Iraq story, the changes for the military at the top and more, Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the countdown to the turnover of sovereignty has led to some confusion between the United States and Britain over whether the new Iraqi government would have veto power over the U.S. military. There's some strategic ambiguity here and the secretary of state insists it's no big deal -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you. We'll get back to you and the rest shortly.

Also coming up on the program tonight the other candidate's war plan. What would John Kerry do differently? Would he do anything differently? Some answers tonight.

Plus the FBI gets an extra 70,000 pair of eyes. Will it make catching terrorists any easier? A particularly important story given our lead tonight.

And just when you thought we were done the rooster will crow and your morning paper will arrive. That is a promise, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin tonight with a sure sign of summer coming as sure as the Memorial Day weekend used to be. New signs of a terror attack in the making, a big one it seems footnoted all with the usual qualifications about time and place and means and methods.

Intelligence officials call the information coming in the most disturbing since the days leading up to 9/11, not a good place to be but not an unexpected one either.

We begin tonight with CNN's Kelli Arena.

ARENA: Aaron, law enforcement officials in New York, Boston and Los Angeles tonight essentially telling citizens to take a deep breath. Now that comes on the heels of sources telling us that new information came in which builds on previous intelligence suggesting a major attack on U.S. soil possibly as early as this summer.

Now the fact that al Qaeda wants to hit the United States is not new, Aaron, but it's the level of corroboration and a variety of upcoming high profile events, such as the dedication of the World War II memorial this weekend that has U.S. officials just a bit more on edge. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE LAPD CHIEF OF POLICE: And there has been a drumbeat behind that of information of intelligence talking about al Qaeda's continued desire to attack in the United States either in a way the reflects the Madrid attack against a soft public target or in a way that falls into the September 11th paradigm, some spectacular attack.

Either way it requires us with so many large public events coming up going into an election season, having sporting events and international events taking place in American cities and elsewhere to really gear up and to challenge that, to make it as difficult as possible to enlist help not just from all the law enforcement and intelligence agencies but from our best asset, private security and the public at large.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The intelligence that's come in, in recent weeks, is considered credible but it's not specific. Officials say no time, place or method has been mentioned and there is some concern, as always, about a chemical, biological or radiological attack. However, sources tell me there is no new intelligence on that front.

Now we're told that the FBI's 18,000 state and local partners will be getting some guidance from headquarters in the weekly bulletin that the FBI sends out every Wednesday.

And, Aaron, on another note and this is very much developing at this time, we're told by counterterrorism officials that the FBI is likely to issue be-on-the-lookout alerts for several individuals but they refuse to elaborate. We expect to hear more possibly from the FBI director and attorney general tomorrow.

BROWN: I just want to go back over a couple things at the risk of being redundant.

ARENA: OK.

BROWN: On this last point the information that we're reporting tonight indicates that the terrorists are already in the country, is that correct?

ARENA: That's an assessment that some analysts have made is that there could possibly be people already in place but there is no specific intelligence suggesting that anyone is in an exact location or that they are -- that anyone is here on the soil right now.

BROWN: OK.

ARENA: What the intelligence is, is just a corroboration that something big is being planned that could take place as early as this summer or possibly between the conventions and the election.

BROWN: All right. One more thing on this and, again, at the risk of redundancy. We have been through this drill over the last two and a half years many, many times now.

ARENA: Yes, we have.

BROWN: You probably know exactly how many. What makes this one different from all the others if anything?

ARENA: The corroboration. The higher level officials that I was able to contact this evening all used the word corroboration. There is a steady stream of information that continues to come in and the more corroboration that counterterrorism officials get the more concerned they become, the more credible they believe that information is, even though there's nothing specific.

As we said no target, no method, no exact time for an attack the fact that they're getting it from a variety of sources and it's telling them the same thing or indicating the same thing is what has them very concerned right now.

BROWN: Kelli, thank you, Kelli Arena in Washington tonight. Thank you.

One quick programming note. Tom Ridge, the Secretary of Homeland Security, will be a guest tomorrow morning on "AMERICAN MORNING." Look for the interview to air, news permitting, around 7:30 or so Eastern time here on CNN. That's again tomorrow morning on "AMERICAN MORNING."

As if to add to the chill tonight, there came word that an artillery shell used in a roadside bomb in Iraq did in fact contain sarin nerve gas. A year ago it would have been headline news. Tonight it's a big story again, more for the ramifications than the discovery itself.

Reporting the story for us tonight CNN's David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Confirmation from U.S. lab tests that there are sarin nerve gas components in the shell discovered May 15th near Baghdad Airport elevates concern that there could be more chemical weapon shells in Iraq, shells that could fall into the wrong hands.

JONATHAN TUCKER, CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES: Terrorists, if they knew what shells contain the binary components, could extract them, mix them together in a laboratory to produce sarin and then use that for terrorist purposes, so that is a potential concern.

ENSOR: U.S. forces have found thousands of 155mm artillery shells throughout Iraq and many of them have been used as conventional bombs rigged up into roadside bombs by insurgents.

Officials say they suspect the insurgents who used the chemical shell did not know what they had. It was not marked in any way. The team headed by the CIA's Charles Duelfer in Iraq is searching for additional chemical shells. Officials say this one appears to be an old shell, possibly predating the first Gulf War.

(on camera): The sarin gas shell and another mustard shell found in Iraq do show that when Iraq denied in the 1990s having any further chemical weapons it was not telling the truth.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: On now to the handover in Iraq and the tussle over defining sovereignty, especially in the military realm. Who controls what? Who will have a veto? You can find a pretty solid definition of sovereignty in your dictionary. The problem is it says nothing about Iraq and the reality is that even the closest of allies have a difference of opinion on who really has control.

From the Pentagon tonight CNN's Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The plan to transfer sovereignty to Iraq raises questions about the amount of autonomy U.S. commanders will have and is creating some confusion about whether the interim Iraqi government will have veto power over U.S. military operations.

But what if as happened recently in Fallujah the U.S. wants to get tough and Iraq's interim leaders don't? Britain's prime minister suggests they would have a veto.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there's a political decision as to whether you go into a place like Fallujah in a particular way that has to be done with the consent of the Iraqi government and the final political control remains with the Iraqi government. That's what the transfer of sovereignty means.

MCINTYRE: But the U.S. insists it will have the final say in launching military action.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: If it comes down to the United States Armed Forces protecting themselves or in some way accomplishing their mission in a way that might not be in total consonance with what the Iraqi interim government might want to do at a particular moment in time, U.S. forces remain under U.S. command and will do what is necessary to protect themselves.

MCINTYRE: After June 30th, the U.S. plans to reorganize the command structure in Iraq to improve coordination. A four-star general who sources say will be Army Vice Chief of Staff General George Casey will work alongside U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. Under them will be Lieutenant General Thomas Metts (ph) who is now a deputy to Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.

Pentagon officials insist Sanchez' rotation out of the top commander's job was in the cards all along and has nothing to do with his handling of the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, COALITION MILITARY SPOKESMAN: We have always expected General Sanchez to depart sometime after sovereignty, transfer of sovereignty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Another American general has been given the thorny task of dealing with all of Iraq's various militias, some of which are strongly anti-American and tonight a senior defense official concedes that it may not be practical to disband all the militias as they once hoped. Instead, he said in his words, "we'll simply try to round off the rough edges of them and integrate them into the Iraqi security forces" -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you. We'll get to the militia question in a little bit in the program. Thank you.

There's a bit of Groundhog Day quality about Iraq at this moment, diplomats back at the United Nations, the president back working the phones, the French and the Germans back raising objections.

This time though the objections have not turned into obstructions. All parties have a deadline to work against and that seems to be making a difference for now.

From the White House tonight, CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): The morning after launching a major campaign to revive support for his Iraq policy, the president stepped up his personal diplomacy calling a war foe, French President Jacques Chirac, to enlist international support.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Chirac and others have said is they want to make sure that the transfer of sovereignty to the interim government is a real transfer and that's what we want.

BASH: More than a year after France, among others, blocked U.N. support for war in Iraq, the president now needs them to bless a U.N. blueprint for peace and U.S. officials took pains to acknowledge Mr. Bush understands the French president wants adjustments to the administration's U.N. plan.

Some of the key sticking points, the precise definition of Iraqi sovereignty, what political power the interim government will have, whether there should be a date certain for troop withdrawal as France and Germany want and how much authority the interim government will have over the coalition military.

Several Security Council members say real Iraqi sovereignty can't be achieved without official power over a multinational force. Bush officials say U.S. troops must maintain the ability to protect themselves.

BUSH: I will continue to ask the world to help.

BASH: But the administration is eager to paint an optimistic picture. One senior official calls all difference bridgeable. From countries the U.S. now needs cautious support.

JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): This is a very good basis on which we attempt to reach a consensus and which I believe we can reach.

MICHAEL BARNIER, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We hope that this time we will be listened to.

BASH: Back home where the president is hoping his Iraq initiatives will turn his sinking public approval around, critics say the five point prescription does not address key concerns like beefing up security immediately.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Everyone knows there's not enough security in Iraq and there's not enough help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now on the issue of security a senior administration official said the White House does not expect this new U.N. resolution to result in any more countries sending troops. The official said they simply hope it will prevent countries with troops there from bringing them home -- Aaron.

BROWN: Dana, thank you, Dana Bash at the White House tonight.

We hear all the time about the deadline for Iraq. We just heard it again but in actuality there are two, the 30th of June and the 31st of May when the U.N. special envoy announces a caretaker government if the deadline is met. That's less than a week from now, in U.N. standard time barely a wink of an eye.

From the U.N. tonight, CNN's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United Nations Security Council may be a political powerhouse but it can only do so much on Iraq until it hears from one man, Lakhdar Brahimi the U.N.'s diplomatic fireman.

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Lakhdar Brahimi has quite a difficult task to do. We all know that.

ROTH: Brahimi has spent months canvassing Iraq trying to help form a caretaker government to serve until elections. Several Security Council members are unwilling to sign onto the U.S. resolution until they know who will be in power and how much independence they are granted. With time ticking, the secretary- general invited the Security Council in for a briefing on Brahimi's quest. KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Well, we had indicated that our target date was the end of May and obviously we are still working towards that date and I hope we will be able to meet that target.

ROTH: Annan told the Security Council Brahimi is making progress but will not be rushed by his original promise to organize a government by the end of May.

MUNIR AKRAM, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: As he said it's not done until it's done and I think we are all putting a lot of trust in Mr. Brahimi.

ROTH: With Iraq so volatile, diplomats groan when they hear leaks of potential figures Brahimi may want to tap.

HERALDO MUNOZ, CHILEAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We shouldn't try to ruin or undermine his effort by throwing names. Only he knows and the Iraqis know the names that are truly being considered.

ROTH (on camera): Brahimi may announce in a few days in Baghdad what the new government will look like and then return here to help the Security Council work out differences on a new resolution turning over control to those Iraqi authorities.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Now at the risk of being called a cynic, for every diplomat over at the U.N. who finds the leaking of names unhelpful at this moment there is another who, for whatever reason, thinks the opposite.

And so tonight a name has come out, an interesting and surprising name that tells us a fair amount about how Mr. Brahimi has gone about his business. The details of all of this will appear in tomorrow's "Washington Post."

Robin Wright will share the byline. We talked with Ms. Wright a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, Robin, it sounds like you've done a little reporting today and the U.N. may be closing in at least on a prime minister candidate. Tell us what you're hearing.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, a lot can happen between now and Monday or Tuesday when Lakhdar Brahimi expects to announce the new rundown for president, prime minister, two vice presidencies and 26 cabinet posts.

But, at the moment, the leading candidate is a very unusual choice, a man named Hussain Shahristani who's a nuclear scientist, a Shiite Muslim, who spent almost a decade in the most notorious prison in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, for refusing to go along with Saddam Hussein's nuclear program.

BROWN: Let's work with that for a minute. What makes him such an unusual choice?

WRIGHT: Well, the U.S. and U.N. envoys currently in Iraq are trying to look beyond the well known politicians, beyond the U.S. allies and the exiles who returned to Iraq and have kind of dominated the political scene over the past year to some people who would have strong credibility among Iraqis.

The Governing Council has really not done well in the eyes of most Iraqis and so they're reaching out to try to give the caretaker government that will take over on June 30th real credibility and this is a man who fought Saddam Hussein, was a Shiite Muslim, part of the majority community in Iraq, who has very strong ties with Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who is a major player in Iraqi politics behind the scenes.

BROWN: That was my next question. Is he acceptable to al- Sistani and, if so, why?

WRIGHT: Well, he has talked to Sistani several times since he has returned. One of our correspondents in Baghdad talked to him today and they have -- these are two men who are of like minds in terms of what they see for Iraq once the occupation ends, including on the issue of foreign forces, which is one of the looming issues.

BROWN: Does this choice, if it pans out, tell us anything about how the other seats at the table are going to be parceled out?

WRIGHT: A very good question. The presidency is probably going to be taken by a Sunni Muslim and this is important because it's a way of signaling to the community that dominated politics in Iraq for, you know, decades that the United States, the U.N., the international community wants to include them. This is not an attempt to isolate them despite the insurgency.

The leading candidate there is Adnan Pachachi who is currently a member of the governing council, a former foreign minister, a former U.N. ambassador. The two vice presidential slots are likely to be taken by a Kurd and another Shiite Muslim.

There is one bit glitch in this in that the Kurds have demanded one of the two top jobs, the ceremonial presidency or the prime minister-ship because they feel that this is a way of signaling that they are an important community that this balance between Arabs and Kurds is being acknowledged.

So that still has to be sorted out and the quid pro quo in sorting this all out is perhaps giving the Kurds more important cabinet positions but then the 26 cabinet positions are likely to be broken down in large part along the ethnic and religious divisions.

BROWN: It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, nice scoop today Robin and thanks for sharing it with us tonight.

WRIGHT: Thank you.

BROWN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Robin Wright who writes these days for "The Washington Post" and we talked with her a bit earlier tonight.

Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, the militias in Iraq are they the glue that holds the country together or are they a precursor to a massive civil war? Two guests in the next block with differing points of view, as you'd suspect.

And on the subject of war, we look to the man who wants to replace the president to find out what John Kerry would do differently to get out of Iraq. We'll take a break first.

From New York this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Back in poly-sci 101 you probably learned that sovereignty requires the state to have a monopoly on the means and the use of force. One chain of command, no private armies, no warlords, no mobs, in short something other than Iraq today which has plenty of all of the above. And the American commitment to changing it appears to be fading, the problem?

Joining us tonight, Lawrence Korb former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Richard Naab a former regional coordinator for the Coalition Provisional Authority, the CPA. We're glad to have both of you here.

Richard let me start with you. If we can set aside the Kurdish militia for a second and tell me why this is not a terrible thing to have these armed groups running around loyal to only themselves.

ARMY COL. RICHARD NAAB (RET.), FMR. REGIONAL COORDINATOR, CPA: Well, I think that's -- I don't accept your description. They have loyalties and surely the competing factions for Baghdad are right now very uncomfortable with the future. They're not sure and they can't afford, if they commit all their political strength to Baghdad to have one of the other competing factions totally dominate as they had in the past.

Therefore, in the short term you have to work with that and you have to work, take your poly-sci solution and you have to put it in the context and the context is Iraq and the context calls for an Iraqi solution and they know how to work the problem and the north is a good example of how to do it.

BROWN: All right, since you threw the north into this let's deal with...

NAAB: Sure. BROWN: ...the Kurdish militia, the Peshmerga (ph). This is a very disciplined reasonably well trained and commanded group but are their loyalties to a new Iraq or are their loyalties to the Kurds?

NAAB: Well, I think there's some of both of that. Of course they agree to a concept of a unified Iraq and, by the way, I include in my definition of the north Mosul or Nineveh (ph) Province where we had tremendous success and where it's fairly stable today and even (unintelligible) province, Kirkuk although it could go either way.

But nevertheless their loyalties are to the Kurdistan regional government. We had a problem in '91 when I first worked with them and anybody that's lived there for any length of time at all knows that the societies, everyone is armed just about.

So, what you have to do is work in that context and try to make those forces work for you and the Kurds have re-subordinated their Peshmerga, which is an honorable profession. They were our allies going in. We used them to control ammunition dumps, et cetera. We couldn't have done it without them.

BROWN: Let me go to Mr. Korb here.

NAAB: OK.

BROWN: You are somewhat less confident that this is not a prescription if not tomorrow in some tomorrow ahead for civil war.

LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Very definitely because when the United States leaves and we're not quite sure when or when you have a new government, if that government doesn't have the monopoly of violence over the forces of violence it won't be able to hold it together.

It's going to be tough enough to get those three factions to work together in any type of unified government. Now, if you're prepared to see Iraq break up, if you're prepared to see civil war then of course you can leave the militias alone.

Our initial intention was to disband all the militias but since we didn't send in enough troops we had to even rely on Sadr's militia when we first went in there to provide security and to provide humanitarian relief to the people, people in Baghdad and we're paying for those mistakes now.

I agree with Colonel Naab that the militias up in the Kurdish areas are somewhat more disciplined but the fact of the matter is if you don't disband those you're not going to be able to disband those militias that are loyal to a lot of the factions down in the Shiite areas.

BROWN: Do you -- I'm sorry. Do you agree also with him, I think I heard this right, that essentially as a practical matter we can't do much? They're not going to willingly disarm so rather than create more aggravation for ourselves right now we just have to try a workaround somehow? KORB: Well, obviously since we've waited so long it's going to be harder but if we leave without doing it we will not have fulfilled, carried out our mission and we're really increasing the risks that this thing could fall apart.

And, you know, after all we've invested an awful lot of blood and money in trying to make Iraq a stable place and these militias, if they exist when we leave, are going to make it much less -- increase the chances that it will be much less stable.

BROWN: Nice point, counterpoint, gentlemen thank you very much. Thank you.

KORB: Thank you.

BROWN: Unless things change dramatically, Iraq will be a huge issue in the fall campaign of course. A day after the president gave his primetime speech on the situation there, his presumptive opponent took a swipe or two, as is his want.

On the campaign trail in Portland, Oregon today, John Kerry accused President Bush of running a clandestine draft by turning the National Guard into the Reserves or rather the National Guard and the Reserves into "almost active duty," almost.

Convincing voters that he would do thing not just differently but better is a major challenge facing Senator Kerry these days. Here's how he'll handle it reported by CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sinking in the polls last year, John Kerry struggled to explain how having voted for war in Iraq, his policy was different from the president's.

KERRY: If anybody out there believes that if John Kerry were president of the United States, we would be at war with Iraq today, then I don't want them -- they wouldn't vote for me and they shouldn't.

CROWLEY: To this day, it is his central argument: He would do it better.

KERRY: That Europe, which has a fundamental interest in not having a failed Iraq at its doorstep, that the Arab countries, which have an even more compelling interest in not having a civil war and a failed Iraq as their neighbor, are at the table and involved. But they're not, none of them.

CROWLEY: But plan for plan there is not much that separates the two.

KERRY: We do not have the choice just to pick up and leave and leave behind a failed state, a new haven for terrorists.

CROWLEY: In fact, the president's speech Monday had many of the bullet points of the Kerry plan.

KERRY: To do this right, we have to truly internationalize both politically and militarily.

CROWLEY: Kerry wants U.N. involvement in the political future of Iraq. The U.S. and Britain are shopping a resolution of support for the Iraqi transitional government. Kerry said the president should bring NATO in.

KERRY: The president must immediately and personally reach out and convince them that Iraqi security and stability is that global interest that all must contribute to.

CROWLEY: NATO meets in Istanbul next month. So, check.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the summit, we will discuss NATO's role in helping Iraq build and secure its democracy.

CROWLEY: With so much agreement, the political advantage would seem to fall to the president. But the senator has ratcheted up the stakes, arguing, the way George Bush went to war has made it impossible for him to end it.

KERRY: I believe it will take a new president of the United States to clear the air.

CROWLEY (on camera): It is a variation on the same theme, not just that John Kerry can bring peace more quickly and better, but that George Bush can't do it at all.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, a tough day for Catholics in Boston. There have been a lot of those of late -- why the archdiocese is closing the doors of 65 churches.

A break first. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: In Boston today, church officials delivered news that many Catholics have been dreading for months, the Archdiocese there saying it will close nearly one-fifth of its churches in the months ahead. The decision was presented as bitter, but necessary medicine. The news, though not unexpected, hit hard.

From Boston tonight, CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The fate of Catholic parishes in Boston's Archdiocese came sealed in a FedEx envelope. For parishioners in 65 of the 357 churches... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, God, give us back our church.

LOTHIAN: ... the message was painful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saint Susanna Parish must close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great parish must close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did everything for the church and now I have nothing.

LOTHIAN: This is all part of what the archdiocese calls a massive restructuring, prompted in part by a shortage of priests, declining attendance and donations.

SEAN O'MALLEY, ARCHBISHOP OF BOSTON: I wish that there were some way that all of these wonderful houses of life and prayer could remain open and alive and full. But there is not.

LOTHIAN: Archbishop Sean O'Malley calls the closures necessary for the future health of the church. But many who gathered at their churches to hear the news were angry, lost in the memories of baptisms, first communions and marriages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally feel betrayed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not give one dime any more to the archdiocese.

LOTHIAN: Some vowed to appeal. Others at this parish in the Boston suburb of Dedham talked about going it alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say give here. Let's be independent.

LOTHIAN: The archdiocese, already bruised by the clergy's sex abuse scandal, says the closures are not connected. But Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented many of the abused victims and continues to file lawsuits, says the church is paying a price for the past.

MITCHELL GARABEDIAN, ATTORNEY: It is the result of so much evil happening over so many years.

LOTHIAN: In fact, some blame the scandal for the decrease in donations and shortage of priests, now resulting in closures. On a day filled with tears of sadness, there were also tears of joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't it great? It is great.

LOTHIAN: The letter that arrived here at a much more positive message. This church, like nearly 300 others, will not be closing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God for little favors and prayers. I believe in prayers.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LOTHIAN: While some doors might be closing, they're not locked yet. It will be a rolling process over the next two to six months. And there are still some options. Priests will be able to appeal to the archbishop. And if denied there, they can take it to the Vatican.

But, Aaron, they must have hard issues, not just a desire to stay open.

BROWN: Dan, thank you -- Dan Lothian up in Boston tonight.

A few more quick items that made news around the country today, varied items, they are, starting with research showing that women who take seven or more aspirin each week have a lower risk of developing the most common variety of breast cancer than women who don't, 26 percent lower, which does not mean you ought to start popping aspirin without seeing your doctor.

In other news, a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is under arrest on kiddie porn charges. Spanky the clown, whose real name is Thomas Riccio, was picked up in connection with an international investigation of subscribers to a porno site that was shut down last July. The other day, it was Tigger at Disney World. Now this. What is the world coming to?

Georgia next. Not far from Atlanta, crews were fighting a chemical fire late into the day. It sent clouds of chlorine-laced smoke into the air, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people and sending at least two to the hospital with breathing problems.

And in the Midwest, a break in the heavy weather is coming, but only after a day and a night that brought more rain, more wind and lots more rising water. The Des Plaines River is pouring over its banks all the way to the suburbs of Chicago. One man died in the flooding. In central Iowa, forecasters expect the Raccoon River to crest nearly 20 feet above flood stage.

Elsewhere, it is in fact much worse. In Haiti and the Dominican, days of torrential rain caused flash flooding and mudslides. Upwards of 360 people have died, many along the border of the two countries. Hundreds more remain missing tonight.

Still to come on NEWSNIGHT, new help in the war on terror, how the FBI is helping state and city police keep an eye out for suspected terrorists.

A break first. On CNN, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: As we reported earlier, the new normal got a bit scarier again today with new intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda or other terrorists are planning to launch a major attack in the United States sometime this summer, which brings us to the needle in the hay stack.

The 9/11 terrorists lived under the radar for many months in the United States before they struck, going unnoticed for the most part, even by local police. The FBI is now hoping a new database will fix that gap in the war on terror.

Here is CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks, three of the 19 hijackers were pulled over for speeding. At the time, no one had a clue what they were up to. But the significance of those traffic stops has not been lost on authorities.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We all know terrorists and their supporters are mobile, networked, operate across jurisdictional boundaries, and we can defeat these adversaries only, only if our agencies work together.

FEYERICK: In the first program of its kind, the FBI will soon begin sharing some of its counterterrorism data with New York State Troopers, sheriffs and local police. In exchange, the FBI gets lots more foot soldiers, some 70,000 officers statewide, looking for bad guys.

JAMES KALLSTROM, NEW YORK COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: The targets may `be in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, L.A., or Houston. But the terrorists aren't necessarily there. The terrorists could be in some small town in this great state.

FEYERICK: Officials tell CNN since 9/11, police in small cities have been frustrated by the lack of intelligence they get, even when the country is on high alert. The database includes people of interest to authorities and those on government watch lists. Once an officer has those details, they may receive guidance from the state's new intelligence center on what to do next.

JAMES KRALIK, ROCKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: This is a major step forward for that cop on the street.

FEYERICK: Officials say the intelligence data cannot be used to go on fishing expeditions, a violation of civil liberties.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Our goal is very simple, to do everything in our power to prevent another terrorist attack.

FEYERICK (on camera): Officials say the program is not yet foolproof. For example, potential terrorists may remain under the radar, like the three 9/11 hijackers stopped for speeding and let go. If the program does work, the FBI plans to expand it across the country.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, dissecting the president's speech from last night. He read from a script, but did everyone around the world hear the same thing? Jeff Greenfield is not so sure. He'll tell you why after the break.

This is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The speech President Bush gave last night is proof of something that every parent with a teenager knows well. It is possible to listen to the same words and hear vastly different things. And so it is with the language of war.

Here is our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: We will persevere and defeat this enemy and hold this hard-won ground for the realm of liberty.

May God bless our country.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): With that ringing declaration, the president's speech ended. They were words whose meaning was clear.

But again and again in Monday night's speech, the president used words that mean very different things to those who support and oppose his policy and strategy, for instance:

BUSH: Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror.

GREENFIELD: What the president means is that those who mean America ill will take retreat or failure in Iraq as a sign of U.S. weakness and will likely step up their efforts against this country.

Bush's critics, like retired Marine Commandant Zinni and ex-White House terrorism chief Clarke, see Iraq as a diversion from the struggle against terror. They argument it was the U.S. invasion and its aftermath that put America at the risk of failure.

BUSH: Our coalition will transfer full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens and Iraqis will govern their own affairs.

GREENFIELD: The president was determined to show Iraq and the world that the June 30 transfer of power was real, that Iraq would soon be running its own affairs. But then there was this.

BUSH: American military forces in Iraq will operate under American command.

GREENFIELD: The dilemma is obvious. Right now, there is no Iraqi government capable of keeping order. But if American military forces are operating under American military command, who gets to decide what they do and where they do it? Can a nation have full sovereignty if another nation's armed troops decide where and how force is used?

BUSH: A free representative government that serves its people and fights on their behalf.

GREENFIELD: Every American understands this idea, a government where majority rules, minority rights are recognized and when there is disagreement, you often split the difference. But does it, can it mean the same thing in a country where different religious and ethnic groups may not be disposed to split the difference, where armed militias fight along such lines? There is a big debate raging among experts now about whether a strong national government in Iraq is even a good idea at all or whether Iraq needs far more autonomy, with Shiites, Sunni and Kurds each governing themselves.

Can ancient divisions so steeped in blood for so long really be bridged? That may be one of the most crucial questions of all.

(on camera): It is likely that no issue will be more hotly debated this year than Iraq. What will make this debate even more heated is that the opposing sides may not even agree on what their disagreeing about.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: Okeydoke, time to check morning papers from around the country and around the world.

We are actually going to start with a paper from today. We almost never do it. It has to be an exceptional moment to do it. And this is. Ready? This is from "The Morning News" up in -- or down in Arkansas, from Fayette, Arkansas. "Duggars" -- or perhaps it's Duggars -- "Welcome Baby No. 15." This woman, this is her 15th child. Yikes. God bless you. Well, that's nice, anyway. The baby is healthy. And we're pleased for that.

"Christian Science Monitor," good story here. "The South Emerges As Jobs Haven." If you're looking for work, I guess head South to Raleigh, North Carolina, among other places.

I like this story, too, from "The Oregonian." Good to have them back. They were gone for a while. They make a major play on the Brandon Mayfield story. "Fbi Traces Fingerprint Error." This is the young lawyer who was arrested, held as a material witness in the Madrid bombing over a mistaken fingerprint, at least. Maybe there is more to it. "Mayfield Case Prompts a Review and Casts New Doubt on Print Reliability."

It's one of those things we always believe was infallible, right? Well, not always, it turns out.

"Philadelphia Inquirer," I will bet they do a Smarty Jones story every day until the Belmont Stakes. "Fate Stepped in for Smarty Even Before His Birth." They've pretty much adopted this horse because he races at the racetrack in Philadelphia. Going for the triple crown, not this weekend, I think. No, right, Bob? Next weekend in New York, yes.

"The Detroit News" leads -- well, they lead, honestly, with an auto story, OK? "Ford Cited for Holding Key Evidence." But forget that. Or don't forget that. It's up to you. This is the story I care about, because I have a 15-year-old. "Skimpy Schoolwear Frustrates Parents." You know, those hip huggers and the short -- you know what I'm talking about. That's front-page news to me.

It is oddly front-page news to "The Boston Herald." Up in the corner, "Whose Belly is That?" they ask. I believe it is Madonna's belly. But I don't actually know that because you would have to go to page three and I never get past the front page of any of these papers.

How are we doing on time? Fifteen? Oh, my goodness. There was something here I liked. And I -- well, there we go.

"The Chicago Sun-Times." "Gang Chiefs Helped Elect Alderman." Hey, it's Chicago. Anything can happen. And the weather tomorrow in Chicago -- I'll probably get nasty mail for that, won't I, for saying that? I apologize in advance. The weather tomorrow in Chicago, "fresh."

We'll wrap up the day in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Good to have you with us tonight. We'll see you tomorrow. 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

Aired May 25, 2004 - 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: Good evening again everyone.
Today is just a perfect example of how complicated Iraq has become for all of us. Over the course of the hour, we'll report on the struggle to find an interim government and, for the first time, we'll put a name on that new government, at least the prime minister.

At the same time, we'll also report on the dangers of the future or, at least, the potential dangers that the interim government faces, the inability or the unwillingness of the United States to disarm and disband the many militias that exist in the country.

Sometimes when you look at Iraq these days it seems like every group but the Lions Club has their own armed militia loyal only to their own narrow constituency. If they can't be disbanded they somehow have to be controlled and as the Sadr militia has shown over the last couple of months that is no easy task.

So, on the Iraq front there is a bit of good and a bit of bad to report but we begin tonight with yet another sign, a clear sign we are living still and for a long time in the new normal.

For that Kelli Arena begins the program and starts the whip, Kelli a headline.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, more intelligence coming in suggesting another major attack on U.S. soil but officials stress there are no specifics.

BROWN: Kelli, we'll get back to you at the top tonight for what we know.

Next to the White House where diplomacy reigns tonight, Dana Bash with the watch, Dana a headline.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the morning after the president tried to step up efforts to get support for his mission in Iraq, the president stepped up efforts on the international front. He called French President Jacques Chirac a leading war opponent whom he now needs to bless his plan for peace -- Aaron.

BROWN: Dana, thank you.

Finally to Boston, more woes for the Catholic Church and Catholic churches there, CNN's Dan Lothian back in Boston, Dan a headline.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Aaron, the Boston Archdiocese has fallen on hard times. The pews are empty and so are the offering plates. Now doors are being closed in order to keep most of the other churches open -- Aaron.

BROWN: And finally the Iraq story, the changes for the military at the top and more, Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the countdown to the turnover of sovereignty has led to some confusion between the United States and Britain over whether the new Iraqi government would have veto power over the U.S. military. There's some strategic ambiguity here and the secretary of state insists it's no big deal -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you. We'll get back to you and the rest shortly.

Also coming up on the program tonight the other candidate's war plan. What would John Kerry do differently? Would he do anything differently? Some answers tonight.

Plus the FBI gets an extra 70,000 pair of eyes. Will it make catching terrorists any easier? A particularly important story given our lead tonight.

And just when you thought we were done the rooster will crow and your morning paper will arrive. That is a promise, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin tonight with a sure sign of summer coming as sure as the Memorial Day weekend used to be. New signs of a terror attack in the making, a big one it seems footnoted all with the usual qualifications about time and place and means and methods.

Intelligence officials call the information coming in the most disturbing since the days leading up to 9/11, not a good place to be but not an unexpected one either.

We begin tonight with CNN's Kelli Arena.

ARENA: Aaron, law enforcement officials in New York, Boston and Los Angeles tonight essentially telling citizens to take a deep breath. Now that comes on the heels of sources telling us that new information came in which builds on previous intelligence suggesting a major attack on U.S. soil possibly as early as this summer.

Now the fact that al Qaeda wants to hit the United States is not new, Aaron, but it's the level of corroboration and a variety of upcoming high profile events, such as the dedication of the World War II memorial this weekend that has U.S. officials just a bit more on edge. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE LAPD CHIEF OF POLICE: And there has been a drumbeat behind that of information of intelligence talking about al Qaeda's continued desire to attack in the United States either in a way the reflects the Madrid attack against a soft public target or in a way that falls into the September 11th paradigm, some spectacular attack.

Either way it requires us with so many large public events coming up going into an election season, having sporting events and international events taking place in American cities and elsewhere to really gear up and to challenge that, to make it as difficult as possible to enlist help not just from all the law enforcement and intelligence agencies but from our best asset, private security and the public at large.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The intelligence that's come in, in recent weeks, is considered credible but it's not specific. Officials say no time, place or method has been mentioned and there is some concern, as always, about a chemical, biological or radiological attack. However, sources tell me there is no new intelligence on that front.

Now we're told that the FBI's 18,000 state and local partners will be getting some guidance from headquarters in the weekly bulletin that the FBI sends out every Wednesday.

And, Aaron, on another note and this is very much developing at this time, we're told by counterterrorism officials that the FBI is likely to issue be-on-the-lookout alerts for several individuals but they refuse to elaborate. We expect to hear more possibly from the FBI director and attorney general tomorrow.

BROWN: I just want to go back over a couple things at the risk of being redundant.

ARENA: OK.

BROWN: On this last point the information that we're reporting tonight indicates that the terrorists are already in the country, is that correct?

ARENA: That's an assessment that some analysts have made is that there could possibly be people already in place but there is no specific intelligence suggesting that anyone is in an exact location or that they are -- that anyone is here on the soil right now.

BROWN: OK.

ARENA: What the intelligence is, is just a corroboration that something big is being planned that could take place as early as this summer or possibly between the conventions and the election.

BROWN: All right. One more thing on this and, again, at the risk of redundancy. We have been through this drill over the last two and a half years many, many times now.

ARENA: Yes, we have.

BROWN: You probably know exactly how many. What makes this one different from all the others if anything?

ARENA: The corroboration. The higher level officials that I was able to contact this evening all used the word corroboration. There is a steady stream of information that continues to come in and the more corroboration that counterterrorism officials get the more concerned they become, the more credible they believe that information is, even though there's nothing specific.

As we said no target, no method, no exact time for an attack the fact that they're getting it from a variety of sources and it's telling them the same thing or indicating the same thing is what has them very concerned right now.

BROWN: Kelli, thank you, Kelli Arena in Washington tonight. Thank you.

One quick programming note. Tom Ridge, the Secretary of Homeland Security, will be a guest tomorrow morning on "AMERICAN MORNING." Look for the interview to air, news permitting, around 7:30 or so Eastern time here on CNN. That's again tomorrow morning on "AMERICAN MORNING."

As if to add to the chill tonight, there came word that an artillery shell used in a roadside bomb in Iraq did in fact contain sarin nerve gas. A year ago it would have been headline news. Tonight it's a big story again, more for the ramifications than the discovery itself.

Reporting the story for us tonight CNN's David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Confirmation from U.S. lab tests that there are sarin nerve gas components in the shell discovered May 15th near Baghdad Airport elevates concern that there could be more chemical weapon shells in Iraq, shells that could fall into the wrong hands.

JONATHAN TUCKER, CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES: Terrorists, if they knew what shells contain the binary components, could extract them, mix them together in a laboratory to produce sarin and then use that for terrorist purposes, so that is a potential concern.

ENSOR: U.S. forces have found thousands of 155mm artillery shells throughout Iraq and many of them have been used as conventional bombs rigged up into roadside bombs by insurgents.

Officials say they suspect the insurgents who used the chemical shell did not know what they had. It was not marked in any way. The team headed by the CIA's Charles Duelfer in Iraq is searching for additional chemical shells. Officials say this one appears to be an old shell, possibly predating the first Gulf War.

(on camera): The sarin gas shell and another mustard shell found in Iraq do show that when Iraq denied in the 1990s having any further chemical weapons it was not telling the truth.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: On now to the handover in Iraq and the tussle over defining sovereignty, especially in the military realm. Who controls what? Who will have a veto? You can find a pretty solid definition of sovereignty in your dictionary. The problem is it says nothing about Iraq and the reality is that even the closest of allies have a difference of opinion on who really has control.

From the Pentagon tonight CNN's Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The plan to transfer sovereignty to Iraq raises questions about the amount of autonomy U.S. commanders will have and is creating some confusion about whether the interim Iraqi government will have veto power over U.S. military operations.

But what if as happened recently in Fallujah the U.S. wants to get tough and Iraq's interim leaders don't? Britain's prime minister suggests they would have a veto.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there's a political decision as to whether you go into a place like Fallujah in a particular way that has to be done with the consent of the Iraqi government and the final political control remains with the Iraqi government. That's what the transfer of sovereignty means.

MCINTYRE: But the U.S. insists it will have the final say in launching military action.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: If it comes down to the United States Armed Forces protecting themselves or in some way accomplishing their mission in a way that might not be in total consonance with what the Iraqi interim government might want to do at a particular moment in time, U.S. forces remain under U.S. command and will do what is necessary to protect themselves.

MCINTYRE: After June 30th, the U.S. plans to reorganize the command structure in Iraq to improve coordination. A four-star general who sources say will be Army Vice Chief of Staff General George Casey will work alongside U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. Under them will be Lieutenant General Thomas Metts (ph) who is now a deputy to Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.

Pentagon officials insist Sanchez' rotation out of the top commander's job was in the cards all along and has nothing to do with his handling of the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, COALITION MILITARY SPOKESMAN: We have always expected General Sanchez to depart sometime after sovereignty, transfer of sovereignty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Another American general has been given the thorny task of dealing with all of Iraq's various militias, some of which are strongly anti-American and tonight a senior defense official concedes that it may not be practical to disband all the militias as they once hoped. Instead, he said in his words, "we'll simply try to round off the rough edges of them and integrate them into the Iraqi security forces" -- Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you. We'll get to the militia question in a little bit in the program. Thank you.

There's a bit of Groundhog Day quality about Iraq at this moment, diplomats back at the United Nations, the president back working the phones, the French and the Germans back raising objections.

This time though the objections have not turned into obstructions. All parties have a deadline to work against and that seems to be making a difference for now.

From the White House tonight, CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): The morning after launching a major campaign to revive support for his Iraq policy, the president stepped up his personal diplomacy calling a war foe, French President Jacques Chirac, to enlist international support.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Chirac and others have said is they want to make sure that the transfer of sovereignty to the interim government is a real transfer and that's what we want.

BASH: More than a year after France, among others, blocked U.N. support for war in Iraq, the president now needs them to bless a U.N. blueprint for peace and U.S. officials took pains to acknowledge Mr. Bush understands the French president wants adjustments to the administration's U.N. plan.

Some of the key sticking points, the precise definition of Iraqi sovereignty, what political power the interim government will have, whether there should be a date certain for troop withdrawal as France and Germany want and how much authority the interim government will have over the coalition military.

Several Security Council members say real Iraqi sovereignty can't be achieved without official power over a multinational force. Bush officials say U.S. troops must maintain the ability to protect themselves.

BUSH: I will continue to ask the world to help.

BASH: But the administration is eager to paint an optimistic picture. One senior official calls all difference bridgeable. From countries the U.S. now needs cautious support.

JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): This is a very good basis on which we attempt to reach a consensus and which I believe we can reach.

MICHAEL BARNIER, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We hope that this time we will be listened to.

BASH: Back home where the president is hoping his Iraq initiatives will turn his sinking public approval around, critics say the five point prescription does not address key concerns like beefing up security immediately.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Everyone knows there's not enough security in Iraq and there's not enough help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now on the issue of security a senior administration official said the White House does not expect this new U.N. resolution to result in any more countries sending troops. The official said they simply hope it will prevent countries with troops there from bringing them home -- Aaron.

BROWN: Dana, thank you, Dana Bash at the White House tonight.

We hear all the time about the deadline for Iraq. We just heard it again but in actuality there are two, the 30th of June and the 31st of May when the U.N. special envoy announces a caretaker government if the deadline is met. That's less than a week from now, in U.N. standard time barely a wink of an eye.

From the U.N. tonight, CNN's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United Nations Security Council may be a political powerhouse but it can only do so much on Iraq until it hears from one man, Lakhdar Brahimi the U.N.'s diplomatic fireman.

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Lakhdar Brahimi has quite a difficult task to do. We all know that.

ROTH: Brahimi has spent months canvassing Iraq trying to help form a caretaker government to serve until elections. Several Security Council members are unwilling to sign onto the U.S. resolution until they know who will be in power and how much independence they are granted. With time ticking, the secretary- general invited the Security Council in for a briefing on Brahimi's quest. KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Well, we had indicated that our target date was the end of May and obviously we are still working towards that date and I hope we will be able to meet that target.

ROTH: Annan told the Security Council Brahimi is making progress but will not be rushed by his original promise to organize a government by the end of May.

MUNIR AKRAM, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: As he said it's not done until it's done and I think we are all putting a lot of trust in Mr. Brahimi.

ROTH: With Iraq so volatile, diplomats groan when they hear leaks of potential figures Brahimi may want to tap.

HERALDO MUNOZ, CHILEAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We shouldn't try to ruin or undermine his effort by throwing names. Only he knows and the Iraqis know the names that are truly being considered.

ROTH (on camera): Brahimi may announce in a few days in Baghdad what the new government will look like and then return here to help the Security Council work out differences on a new resolution turning over control to those Iraqi authorities.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Now at the risk of being called a cynic, for every diplomat over at the U.N. who finds the leaking of names unhelpful at this moment there is another who, for whatever reason, thinks the opposite.

And so tonight a name has come out, an interesting and surprising name that tells us a fair amount about how Mr. Brahimi has gone about his business. The details of all of this will appear in tomorrow's "Washington Post."

Robin Wright will share the byline. We talked with Ms. Wright a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, Robin, it sounds like you've done a little reporting today and the U.N. may be closing in at least on a prime minister candidate. Tell us what you're hearing.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, a lot can happen between now and Monday or Tuesday when Lakhdar Brahimi expects to announce the new rundown for president, prime minister, two vice presidencies and 26 cabinet posts.

But, at the moment, the leading candidate is a very unusual choice, a man named Hussain Shahristani who's a nuclear scientist, a Shiite Muslim, who spent almost a decade in the most notorious prison in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, for refusing to go along with Saddam Hussein's nuclear program.

BROWN: Let's work with that for a minute. What makes him such an unusual choice?

WRIGHT: Well, the U.S. and U.N. envoys currently in Iraq are trying to look beyond the well known politicians, beyond the U.S. allies and the exiles who returned to Iraq and have kind of dominated the political scene over the past year to some people who would have strong credibility among Iraqis.

The Governing Council has really not done well in the eyes of most Iraqis and so they're reaching out to try to give the caretaker government that will take over on June 30th real credibility and this is a man who fought Saddam Hussein, was a Shiite Muslim, part of the majority community in Iraq, who has very strong ties with Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who is a major player in Iraqi politics behind the scenes.

BROWN: That was my next question. Is he acceptable to al- Sistani and, if so, why?

WRIGHT: Well, he has talked to Sistani several times since he has returned. One of our correspondents in Baghdad talked to him today and they have -- these are two men who are of like minds in terms of what they see for Iraq once the occupation ends, including on the issue of foreign forces, which is one of the looming issues.

BROWN: Does this choice, if it pans out, tell us anything about how the other seats at the table are going to be parceled out?

WRIGHT: A very good question. The presidency is probably going to be taken by a Sunni Muslim and this is important because it's a way of signaling to the community that dominated politics in Iraq for, you know, decades that the United States, the U.N., the international community wants to include them. This is not an attempt to isolate them despite the insurgency.

The leading candidate there is Adnan Pachachi who is currently a member of the governing council, a former foreign minister, a former U.N. ambassador. The two vice presidential slots are likely to be taken by a Kurd and another Shiite Muslim.

There is one bit glitch in this in that the Kurds have demanded one of the two top jobs, the ceremonial presidency or the prime minister-ship because they feel that this is a way of signaling that they are an important community that this balance between Arabs and Kurds is being acknowledged.

So that still has to be sorted out and the quid pro quo in sorting this all out is perhaps giving the Kurds more important cabinet positions but then the 26 cabinet positions are likely to be broken down in large part along the ethnic and religious divisions.

BROWN: It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, nice scoop today Robin and thanks for sharing it with us tonight.

WRIGHT: Thank you.

BROWN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Robin Wright who writes these days for "The Washington Post" and we talked with her a bit earlier tonight.

Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, the militias in Iraq are they the glue that holds the country together or are they a precursor to a massive civil war? Two guests in the next block with differing points of view, as you'd suspect.

And on the subject of war, we look to the man who wants to replace the president to find out what John Kerry would do differently to get out of Iraq. We'll take a break first.

From New York this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Back in poly-sci 101 you probably learned that sovereignty requires the state to have a monopoly on the means and the use of force. One chain of command, no private armies, no warlords, no mobs, in short something other than Iraq today which has plenty of all of the above. And the American commitment to changing it appears to be fading, the problem?

Joining us tonight, Lawrence Korb former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Richard Naab a former regional coordinator for the Coalition Provisional Authority, the CPA. We're glad to have both of you here.

Richard let me start with you. If we can set aside the Kurdish militia for a second and tell me why this is not a terrible thing to have these armed groups running around loyal to only themselves.

ARMY COL. RICHARD NAAB (RET.), FMR. REGIONAL COORDINATOR, CPA: Well, I think that's -- I don't accept your description. They have loyalties and surely the competing factions for Baghdad are right now very uncomfortable with the future. They're not sure and they can't afford, if they commit all their political strength to Baghdad to have one of the other competing factions totally dominate as they had in the past.

Therefore, in the short term you have to work with that and you have to work, take your poly-sci solution and you have to put it in the context and the context is Iraq and the context calls for an Iraqi solution and they know how to work the problem and the north is a good example of how to do it.

BROWN: All right, since you threw the north into this let's deal with...

NAAB: Sure. BROWN: ...the Kurdish militia, the Peshmerga (ph). This is a very disciplined reasonably well trained and commanded group but are their loyalties to a new Iraq or are their loyalties to the Kurds?

NAAB: Well, I think there's some of both of that. Of course they agree to a concept of a unified Iraq and, by the way, I include in my definition of the north Mosul or Nineveh (ph) Province where we had tremendous success and where it's fairly stable today and even (unintelligible) province, Kirkuk although it could go either way.

But nevertheless their loyalties are to the Kurdistan regional government. We had a problem in '91 when I first worked with them and anybody that's lived there for any length of time at all knows that the societies, everyone is armed just about.

So, what you have to do is work in that context and try to make those forces work for you and the Kurds have re-subordinated their Peshmerga, which is an honorable profession. They were our allies going in. We used them to control ammunition dumps, et cetera. We couldn't have done it without them.

BROWN: Let me go to Mr. Korb here.

NAAB: OK.

BROWN: You are somewhat less confident that this is not a prescription if not tomorrow in some tomorrow ahead for civil war.

LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Very definitely because when the United States leaves and we're not quite sure when or when you have a new government, if that government doesn't have the monopoly of violence over the forces of violence it won't be able to hold it together.

It's going to be tough enough to get those three factions to work together in any type of unified government. Now, if you're prepared to see Iraq break up, if you're prepared to see civil war then of course you can leave the militias alone.

Our initial intention was to disband all the militias but since we didn't send in enough troops we had to even rely on Sadr's militia when we first went in there to provide security and to provide humanitarian relief to the people, people in Baghdad and we're paying for those mistakes now.

I agree with Colonel Naab that the militias up in the Kurdish areas are somewhat more disciplined but the fact of the matter is if you don't disband those you're not going to be able to disband those militias that are loyal to a lot of the factions down in the Shiite areas.

BROWN: Do you -- I'm sorry. Do you agree also with him, I think I heard this right, that essentially as a practical matter we can't do much? They're not going to willingly disarm so rather than create more aggravation for ourselves right now we just have to try a workaround somehow? KORB: Well, obviously since we've waited so long it's going to be harder but if we leave without doing it we will not have fulfilled, carried out our mission and we're really increasing the risks that this thing could fall apart.

And, you know, after all we've invested an awful lot of blood and money in trying to make Iraq a stable place and these militias, if they exist when we leave, are going to make it much less -- increase the chances that it will be much less stable.

BROWN: Nice point, counterpoint, gentlemen thank you very much. Thank you.

KORB: Thank you.

BROWN: Unless things change dramatically, Iraq will be a huge issue in the fall campaign of course. A day after the president gave his primetime speech on the situation there, his presumptive opponent took a swipe or two, as is his want.

On the campaign trail in Portland, Oregon today, John Kerry accused President Bush of running a clandestine draft by turning the National Guard into the Reserves or rather the National Guard and the Reserves into "almost active duty," almost.

Convincing voters that he would do thing not just differently but better is a major challenge facing Senator Kerry these days. Here's how he'll handle it reported by CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sinking in the polls last year, John Kerry struggled to explain how having voted for war in Iraq, his policy was different from the president's.

KERRY: If anybody out there believes that if John Kerry were president of the United States, we would be at war with Iraq today, then I don't want them -- they wouldn't vote for me and they shouldn't.

CROWLEY: To this day, it is his central argument: He would do it better.

KERRY: That Europe, which has a fundamental interest in not having a failed Iraq at its doorstep, that the Arab countries, which have an even more compelling interest in not having a civil war and a failed Iraq as their neighbor, are at the table and involved. But they're not, none of them.

CROWLEY: But plan for plan there is not much that separates the two.

KERRY: We do not have the choice just to pick up and leave and leave behind a failed state, a new haven for terrorists.

CROWLEY: In fact, the president's speech Monday had many of the bullet points of the Kerry plan.

KERRY: To do this right, we have to truly internationalize both politically and militarily.

CROWLEY: Kerry wants U.N. involvement in the political future of Iraq. The U.S. and Britain are shopping a resolution of support for the Iraqi transitional government. Kerry said the president should bring NATO in.

KERRY: The president must immediately and personally reach out and convince them that Iraqi security and stability is that global interest that all must contribute to.

CROWLEY: NATO meets in Istanbul next month. So, check.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the summit, we will discuss NATO's role in helping Iraq build and secure its democracy.

CROWLEY: With so much agreement, the political advantage would seem to fall to the president. But the senator has ratcheted up the stakes, arguing, the way George Bush went to war has made it impossible for him to end it.

KERRY: I believe it will take a new president of the United States to clear the air.

CROWLEY (on camera): It is a variation on the same theme, not just that John Kerry can bring peace more quickly and better, but that George Bush can't do it at all.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, a tough day for Catholics in Boston. There have been a lot of those of late -- why the archdiocese is closing the doors of 65 churches.

A break first. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: In Boston today, church officials delivered news that many Catholics have been dreading for months, the Archdiocese there saying it will close nearly one-fifth of its churches in the months ahead. The decision was presented as bitter, but necessary medicine. The news, though not unexpected, hit hard.

From Boston tonight, CNN's Dan Lothian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The fate of Catholic parishes in Boston's Archdiocese came sealed in a FedEx envelope. For parishioners in 65 of the 357 churches... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, God, give us back our church.

LOTHIAN: ... the message was painful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saint Susanna Parish must close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great parish must close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did everything for the church and now I have nothing.

LOTHIAN: This is all part of what the archdiocese calls a massive restructuring, prompted in part by a shortage of priests, declining attendance and donations.

SEAN O'MALLEY, ARCHBISHOP OF BOSTON: I wish that there were some way that all of these wonderful houses of life and prayer could remain open and alive and full. But there is not.

LOTHIAN: Archbishop Sean O'Malley calls the closures necessary for the future health of the church. But many who gathered at their churches to hear the news were angry, lost in the memories of baptisms, first communions and marriages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally feel betrayed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not give one dime any more to the archdiocese.

LOTHIAN: Some vowed to appeal. Others at this parish in the Boston suburb of Dedham talked about going it alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say give here. Let's be independent.

LOTHIAN: The archdiocese, already bruised by the clergy's sex abuse scandal, says the closures are not connected. But Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented many of the abused victims and continues to file lawsuits, says the church is paying a price for the past.

MITCHELL GARABEDIAN, ATTORNEY: It is the result of so much evil happening over so many years.

LOTHIAN: In fact, some blame the scandal for the decrease in donations and shortage of priests, now resulting in closures. On a day filled with tears of sadness, there were also tears of joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't it great? It is great.

LOTHIAN: The letter that arrived here at a much more positive message. This church, like nearly 300 others, will not be closing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God for little favors and prayers. I believe in prayers.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LOTHIAN: While some doors might be closing, they're not locked yet. It will be a rolling process over the next two to six months. And there are still some options. Priests will be able to appeal to the archbishop. And if denied there, they can take it to the Vatican.

But, Aaron, they must have hard issues, not just a desire to stay open.

BROWN: Dan, thank you -- Dan Lothian up in Boston tonight.

A few more quick items that made news around the country today, varied items, they are, starting with research showing that women who take seven or more aspirin each week have a lower risk of developing the most common variety of breast cancer than women who don't, 26 percent lower, which does not mean you ought to start popping aspirin without seeing your doctor.

In other news, a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is under arrest on kiddie porn charges. Spanky the clown, whose real name is Thomas Riccio, was picked up in connection with an international investigation of subscribers to a porno site that was shut down last July. The other day, it was Tigger at Disney World. Now this. What is the world coming to?

Georgia next. Not far from Atlanta, crews were fighting a chemical fire late into the day. It sent clouds of chlorine-laced smoke into the air, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people and sending at least two to the hospital with breathing problems.

And in the Midwest, a break in the heavy weather is coming, but only after a day and a night that brought more rain, more wind and lots more rising water. The Des Plaines River is pouring over its banks all the way to the suburbs of Chicago. One man died in the flooding. In central Iowa, forecasters expect the Raccoon River to crest nearly 20 feet above flood stage.

Elsewhere, it is in fact much worse. In Haiti and the Dominican, days of torrential rain caused flash flooding and mudslides. Upwards of 360 people have died, many along the border of the two countries. Hundreds more remain missing tonight.

Still to come on NEWSNIGHT, new help in the war on terror, how the FBI is helping state and city police keep an eye out for suspected terrorists.

A break first. On CNN, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: As we reported earlier, the new normal got a bit scarier again today with new intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda or other terrorists are planning to launch a major attack in the United States sometime this summer, which brings us to the needle in the hay stack.

The 9/11 terrorists lived under the radar for many months in the United States before they struck, going unnoticed for the most part, even by local police. The FBI is now hoping a new database will fix that gap in the war on terror.

Here is CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks, three of the 19 hijackers were pulled over for speeding. At the time, no one had a clue what they were up to. But the significance of those traffic stops has not been lost on authorities.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We all know terrorists and their supporters are mobile, networked, operate across jurisdictional boundaries, and we can defeat these adversaries only, only if our agencies work together.

FEYERICK: In the first program of its kind, the FBI will soon begin sharing some of its counterterrorism data with New York State Troopers, sheriffs and local police. In exchange, the FBI gets lots more foot soldiers, some 70,000 officers statewide, looking for bad guys.

JAMES KALLSTROM, NEW YORK COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: The targets may `be in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, L.A., or Houston. But the terrorists aren't necessarily there. The terrorists could be in some small town in this great state.

FEYERICK: Officials tell CNN since 9/11, police in small cities have been frustrated by the lack of intelligence they get, even when the country is on high alert. The database includes people of interest to authorities and those on government watch lists. Once an officer has those details, they may receive guidance from the state's new intelligence center on what to do next.

JAMES KRALIK, ROCKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: This is a major step forward for that cop on the street.

FEYERICK: Officials say the intelligence data cannot be used to go on fishing expeditions, a violation of civil liberties.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Our goal is very simple, to do everything in our power to prevent another terrorist attack.

FEYERICK (on camera): Officials say the program is not yet foolproof. For example, potential terrorists may remain under the radar, like the three 9/11 hijackers stopped for speeding and let go. If the program does work, the FBI plans to expand it across the country.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, dissecting the president's speech from last night. He read from a script, but did everyone around the world hear the same thing? Jeff Greenfield is not so sure. He'll tell you why after the break.

This is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The speech President Bush gave last night is proof of something that every parent with a teenager knows well. It is possible to listen to the same words and hear vastly different things. And so it is with the language of war.

Here is our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: We will persevere and defeat this enemy and hold this hard-won ground for the realm of liberty.

May God bless our country.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): With that ringing declaration, the president's speech ended. They were words whose meaning was clear.

But again and again in Monday night's speech, the president used words that mean very different things to those who support and oppose his policy and strategy, for instance:

BUSH: Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror.

GREENFIELD: What the president means is that those who mean America ill will take retreat or failure in Iraq as a sign of U.S. weakness and will likely step up their efforts against this country.

Bush's critics, like retired Marine Commandant Zinni and ex-White House terrorism chief Clarke, see Iraq as a diversion from the struggle against terror. They argument it was the U.S. invasion and its aftermath that put America at the risk of failure.

BUSH: Our coalition will transfer full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens and Iraqis will govern their own affairs.

GREENFIELD: The president was determined to show Iraq and the world that the June 30 transfer of power was real, that Iraq would soon be running its own affairs. But then there was this.

BUSH: American military forces in Iraq will operate under American command.

GREENFIELD: The dilemma is obvious. Right now, there is no Iraqi government capable of keeping order. But if American military forces are operating under American military command, who gets to decide what they do and where they do it? Can a nation have full sovereignty if another nation's armed troops decide where and how force is used?

BUSH: A free representative government that serves its people and fights on their behalf.

GREENFIELD: Every American understands this idea, a government where majority rules, minority rights are recognized and when there is disagreement, you often split the difference. But does it, can it mean the same thing in a country where different religious and ethnic groups may not be disposed to split the difference, where armed militias fight along such lines? There is a big debate raging among experts now about whether a strong national government in Iraq is even a good idea at all or whether Iraq needs far more autonomy, with Shiites, Sunni and Kurds each governing themselves.

Can ancient divisions so steeped in blood for so long really be bridged? That may be one of the most crucial questions of all.

(on camera): It is likely that no issue will be more hotly debated this year than Iraq. What will make this debate even more heated is that the opposing sides may not even agree on what their disagreeing about.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: Okeydoke, time to check morning papers from around the country and around the world.

We are actually going to start with a paper from today. We almost never do it. It has to be an exceptional moment to do it. And this is. Ready? This is from "The Morning News" up in -- or down in Arkansas, from Fayette, Arkansas. "Duggars" -- or perhaps it's Duggars -- "Welcome Baby No. 15." This woman, this is her 15th child. Yikes. God bless you. Well, that's nice, anyway. The baby is healthy. And we're pleased for that.

"Christian Science Monitor," good story here. "The South Emerges As Jobs Haven." If you're looking for work, I guess head South to Raleigh, North Carolina, among other places.

I like this story, too, from "The Oregonian." Good to have them back. They were gone for a while. They make a major play on the Brandon Mayfield story. "Fbi Traces Fingerprint Error." This is the young lawyer who was arrested, held as a material witness in the Madrid bombing over a mistaken fingerprint, at least. Maybe there is more to it. "Mayfield Case Prompts a Review and Casts New Doubt on Print Reliability."

It's one of those things we always believe was infallible, right? Well, not always, it turns out.

"Philadelphia Inquirer," I will bet they do a Smarty Jones story every day until the Belmont Stakes. "Fate Stepped in for Smarty Even Before His Birth." They've pretty much adopted this horse because he races at the racetrack in Philadelphia. Going for the triple crown, not this weekend, I think. No, right, Bob? Next weekend in New York, yes.

"The Detroit News" leads -- well, they lead, honestly, with an auto story, OK? "Ford Cited for Holding Key Evidence." But forget that. Or don't forget that. It's up to you. This is the story I care about, because I have a 15-year-old. "Skimpy Schoolwear Frustrates Parents." You know, those hip huggers and the short -- you know what I'm talking about. That's front-page news to me.

It is oddly front-page news to "The Boston Herald." Up in the corner, "Whose Belly is That?" they ask. I believe it is Madonna's belly. But I don't actually know that because you would have to go to page three and I never get past the front page of any of these papers.

How are we doing on time? Fifteen? Oh, my goodness. There was something here I liked. And I -- well, there we go.

"The Chicago Sun-Times." "Gang Chiefs Helped Elect Alderman." Hey, it's Chicago. Anything can happen. And the weather tomorrow in Chicago -- I'll probably get nasty mail for that, won't I, for saying that? I apologize in advance. The weather tomorrow in Chicago, "fresh."

We'll wrap up the day in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Good to have you with us tonight. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night for all of us at NEWSNIGHT.

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