Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

No-Fly Zone Over Libya; Japan's Escalating Nuclear Crisis; Violence Continues Despite Libya Cease-Fire; Crushing a Symbol of Protest; Libyan Deputy Minister Speaks; Obama, Congress Leaders Talk Libya

Aired March 18, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now here as we talk, though, what's happening in Japan and closer to home, the uncertain situation there at the nuclear power plant in Japan has a number of people here in the U.S. wondering if they could be living near a danger zone.

And so you can actually find out. You go to CNNMoney.com/nuclearplants, CNNMoney.com/nuclearplants, and you can take a look at what you're looking at there, which is this interactive map. It shows you the names of nuclear plants in your area, how old they are, who operates them. All you have to do is plug in your zip code. It's pretty amazing.

And now here we go. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: A frightening waiting game in Libya, and Japan races against the clock. We're all over these two breaking stories. I'm Brooke Baldwin; the news is now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fighting and bombing is going on right now.

BALDWIN (voice-over): The Libyan regime declares a cease-fire, but moments later, witnesses report more bombings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is lying. He is a lying war criminal.

BALDWIN: Moammar Gadhafi promises hell. He warns all those who stand up against him, join me or face the consequences. But is he really giving up? The world waits and watches.

Japan raising the threat level for its nuclear crisis. The radiation levels are still fluctuating, and survivors are now spending their eighth day facing a future of fear and uncertainty. Find out what those nuclear workers are doing right now.

Also, we will break down this new video of the plant damage frame by frame. The discoveries are revealing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Want to get you some more on the breaking developments here out of Libya. President Obama says the U.S. will help lead the international enforcement of a no-fly zone over the country. Meantime, the Libyan government is claiming it's observing a cease- fire, but we here at CNN, we're getting reports from witnesses on the ground who live in Misrata, it's a town near Tripoli, that government attacks are increasing, increasing.

Remember that when you watch this video. This was taken in Misrata just a couple of days ago. World disapproval is now coming to a head. Libya's claim that it's imposing a cease-fire came just hours after the United Nations Security Council 10-0 vote, five abstentions, imposing this no-fly zone over Libya.

This clears the way for military action. Countries like France and Britain and Spain, they are now discussing what options they have here if Moammar Gadhafi does not stop these attacks. Also important, keep in mind, there are two Arab nations. You have Qatar, and you have the UAE, the United Arab Emirates. They are reportedly supporting the international effort against Gadhafi as well.

Also, world leaders will gather at a U.N. summit in Paris tomorrow, sole topic for discussion, Libya. More on that in just a moment here, but first I want to get to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, been reporting for us out of Tripoli.

And, Nic, we know that we're hearing Libya -- we're hearing Moammar Gadhafi saying one thing, it's imposed a cease-fire. You hear witnesses on the ground in Misrata saying something very different. So, point blank, is Gadhafi lying?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is buying time, that's what it appears. And judgment -- and we heard it from the deputy foreign minister last night -- the judgment from the regime here is that they think that the international community is not ready to enforce the no-fly zone and the protection of civilians here.

So they are saying one thing and using the time that they think they have to get results on the ground. Misrata is one of them. The last thing this regime wants is another small pocket of opposition essentially what they would see behind their lines. I think the same is true in the east of the country, Ajdabiya, just near Benghazi. They would like to take control of that; they would like to sort of close off Benghazi; they would like have facts on the ground; they would like to control the highway to the east to Tobruk.

So they think they have time to do this. That's the picture that's emerging from here -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nic, I know you have been traveling. We have been talking the last couple of days about what you have seen with regard to Gadhafi's forces, military, ammunition. Would a no-fly zone be enough to keep them from advancing toward the end game here, toward Benghazi?

ROBERTSON: A no-fly zone will have an impact and it will have -- but more of a psychological impact for the opposition, because at least they will know they are not going to be bombed from above.

But the reality is that the strength of Gadhafi's forces are his forces on the ground and it's the heavy artillery, the capability to fire Katyusha rockets. We have seen evidence of that in towns that have been taken, where Katyusha rockets have been fired from a distance. These rockets (AUDIO GAP) lined in a quite well-defined (AUDIO GAP) but we have seen them landing in houses and schools.

So if there are civilians in those buildings, if that's the way those weapons are being used, they are more or as destructive as bombs that are being fired. So a no-fly zone doesn't -- doesn't impede the government's ability to use those types of weapons. So it's -- it's strikes that would take out armaments like that that will be needed if the army here, Gadhafi's army, continues to fight on the ground, despite saying a cease-fire, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nic, I have got one more for you, and that is with this whole U.N. resolution. We know that the international intervention can take place if citizens, if Libyans are threatened, i.e., perhaps, according to some of these reports out of Misrata or forces opening fire in Ajdabiya.

So if and when that happens, will that simply be an opportunity for Gadhafi to ramp up his rhetoric about unifying Libya, and how will that be felt among the rest of the country?

ROBERTSON: Sure.

Any international intervention here, be it an airstrike, this is something that Gadhafi will use. He's laid out the groundwork for this over the past few weeks. He's said, look, what the rebels are doing is trying to invite the international community to come in and join them. This is a throwback to the days of the colonialist days here, of Italy's colonialism and the United States' presence in the country before that.

And this is how Gadhafi rose to power back in the late '60s, when he came to power. He came in and he was seen as somebody who was able to essentially throw out the last remaining presence of the United States, close down their air bases here, and the same with the Italians. That's his reputation here, and what he's saying is, without me, this is all going to come back.

So the first airstrikes that come in here, he will say this is the international community coming in, colonizing. This is the fault of the rebels. You need me to stop it. You need me to unify the country. These other people are just going to divide up the country. So that is what we will see. Very likely, Brooke, that's what we hear.

BALDWIN: Nic Robertson live in Tripoli -- Nic, thank you.

And President Obama speaking just a short time ago about Libya specifically and he made not just one, but two things very clear. Number one, he said that the U.S. will support a no-fly zone, and number two, he said the U.S. is not going to deploy ground troops to Libya.

So what specifically will the U.S. role be as we move forward?

I want to bring in White House correspondent Dan Lothian here.

And, Dan, it was very clear to me that the president reiterated the fact that the U.S. is playing a part, not necessarily the leading force, but a part of this operation going forward.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

First of all, the president spelling out that the U.S. is prepared to take military action, but that's also in conjunction with those international partners, Great Britain, also France, the Arab League. This administration wants to be very clear in showing that this is an international partnership there, that the U.S. is not going it alone, very mindful of the fact of potential criticism from other countries that this is the United States invading another Arab country.

So they want to make it clear. You heard the president in his remarks today several times talk about how the U.S. is not going in there alone, but clearly the U.S. and its partners saying that Gadhafi has had ample warning, that it's time for him to enforce this cease- fire, for him to pull back from Benghazi, pull out of some of these other cities, also restore power, electricity, water to places that have been cut off, and then the president, of course, making it clear that none of this is negotiable, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You know, what else he also pointed out was what the U.S. will not do. He said the U.S. will not send in troops on the ground in Libya, and he said, and I'm quoting, not going to use force to go beyond the well-defined goals, specifically the protection of the Libyan citizens.

Do you think the president wasn't just speaking to Libya, but the world populace in general, essentially saying this is a protection mission, not necessarily a removal operation?

LOTHIAN: Of course, especially to some of those liberals who aren't necessarily happy about the U.S. getting engaged militarily in another country.

So, yes, the president was talking to the American people and also giving them a reason for why the U.S. believes that they should be involved, engaged in Libya, why Libya matters, the president pointing out that if left unchecked that Gadhafi could commit atrocities against his own people, that it could lead to a humanitarian crisis and could be destabilizing in the region.

And so that's why the U.S. in partnership with the international community feels that force, military force might be necessary in order to enforce that no-fly zone and get Libya to comply with the U.N. resolution.

BALDWIN: Dan Lothian live at the White House, Dan, thank you so much.

And the crisis in Libya taking center stage tomorrow at a summit in Paris, and the central question there will be this. How should world leaders respond? And which countries will take part?

CNN's Jim Bittermann reporting from France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, this meeting, which is being called at the behest of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is likely to be the last political diplomatic discussion before the military takes over.

That is what French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe hinted at earlier after he came out of a meeting in the prime minister's office with other members of the government and the National Assembly, who were briefed about what the government's plans are for the military attacks. Juppe said all is in readiness.

As well, it will be a quite high-level meeting apparently, because U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is going to come back for this meeting. She was just here earlier in the week. Secretary- General of the U.N., Ban Ki-Moon, is going to be here, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League.

Moammar Gadhafi's promise to institute a cease-fire is not being taken very seriously here. In fact, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry says it doesn't change a thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jim Bittermann for us in France, thank you, Jim.

Now, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Doom was in the air. Everyone felt that it was the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is the first time we are actually hearing an eyewitness account. This is from someone talking about the first hydrogen explosion within that nuclear plant in Japan. It reveals a lot more about the dire and dangerous situation there.

Plus, Japan now has risen its nuclear crisis level, so we're going to find out what that means for survivors and those plant workers still risking their own lives inside. We will get a live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We want you to hear this. This definitely caught our eye, because it's the first eyewitness account of the initial hydrogen plant inside the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. It's from a pharmacist who was evacuating bedridden patients near the plant last Saturday.

Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He says it felt like a blast from a huge drum being pounded. He says it wasn't a nuclear explosion, but everyone felt the wave.

He says the air blast lasted for a second, and then doom was in the air. Everyone felt that it was the end.

He says things were falling to the ground like ashes of death, but they were actually fragments of heat insulation.

He evacuated patients who were crying that it was the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You know, we keep getting those kind of eyewitness reports. Also, amazing pictures coming into us here from CNN from the earthquake and tsunami.

Imagine you're standing under this crane, folks. This is a crane obviously swaying a little bit here. Got to watch closely. This is during Friday's quake. The crane is 35 stories tall.

Now watch this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So this is the perspective of a driver in the car as a tsunami wave kind of comes crashing over him as he's driving. We know he's OK. In fact, we know that because this is his voice we're listening to describing how he survived.

He says he didn't have any choice but to stay in his car, keep driving. And if you keep watching the video with me, you can see the waves there. He starts to float in his car, and he just stayed in the car until the water went down. He was able to drive on.

All of this exactly one week after the quake hit. A moment of silence across Japan today.

More than 10,000 people are still missing after last Friday's earthquake and tsunami. Another 6,900 are confirmed dead. That is more than were killed in the great Hanshin earthquake; 6,400 people died in that quake which hit Kobe, Japan, back in 1995.

And now I want to take you straight to Tokyo, live to Martin Savidge.

And, Martin, we've been talking a lot about the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and we know that Japan raised the nuclear threat level here.

Can you just explain to me what that really means?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Brooke.

This is something called the international nuclear and radiologic event scale. It's a scale that runs from one to seven, one being the low part, seven being a Chernobyl. And what they decided to do is raise the event up there at Fukushima from a four to a level five.

Now, you might say, well, what does that mean? Essentially, use their terminology, it means that the event has broader consequences. There is the chance for significant public exposure, and, of course, we already know there's been damage to the core.

Now, actually it should be cores because we're talking about six nuclear reactors out of that site, not just one of them.

The reason it went up today, not so much that they think something terrible happened today. It is cumulative, and this is kind of a lagging indicator.

But they did fly a helicopter over the facility today. And when they did that, they got a much better view of what was happening on the ground and realized it's as bad as they feared. So that's why they raised the level here.

In the meantime tonight, they have continued their routine of using these new fire trucks that have been brought in, actually from the city of Tokyo. They are meant to fight fires in high-rise buildings. They have an extremely long reach, and this way they hope to spray water in the areas that need to be cooled, while trying to keep distance for the fire fighters to keep them protected from the levels of radiation.

They stop every now and then, back the trucks out and then allow other crews to go in that are trying to work on attaching electricity, bringing in generators, because they hope by turning the power back on at the power plant they can get the main pumps going. That would go a long way to at least help stabilize things.

But nobody knows for sure, Brooke, in those pumps actually work. I mean, they were hit by a tsunami, then they've been blasted by those hydrogen explosions out there. Nobody has any guarantees, but they are trying everything they can.

BALDWIN: Nobody knows, and perhaps no one knows here with regard to the long-term plan, Marty, in dealing with these reactors.

Is there even a long-term plan yet?

SAVIDGE: No, there really isn't. I mean, a number of ideas are being talked about. What will you do once you get it controlled?

It could be that if you stabilize it enough, that you can slowly cool this reactor down, all the reactors, and begin to shut them down completely. But even after that point you'll have to do something.

Now some have talked about maybe they will try a Chernobyl effect, which is essentially to try to bury these reactors. But again, it's more than one and these are above ground. So it's not going to be like the one in Ukraine. We'll have to see exactly.

Right now, they are focused on let's just try to prevent the disaster. The long term is still something for somebody else to consider another day.

BALDWIN: Martin Savidge for us live in Tokyo. Marty, thank you.

And we've been telling you each and every day sort of how these reactors work. We've been getting into the weeds because you're engaged, you're intelligent and you to know.

So coming up next here, we're actually getting our first up-close look at the plant, the actual damage. Nuclear engineering expert, professor here, Gary Was, he's back in the studio with me today. He's been studying some of the video here frame by frame. He is going to walk us through what he found, what he finds startling.

We are back in 70 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Back to Japan and the nuclear crisis.

Back with us, Gary Was, professor, expert, nuclear engineer, University of Michigan. Good enough to be with us again here in Atlanta as we're talking through what in the world is happening at this nuclear power plant.

And we took some time, you took some time, I know, to go through some video here, to analyze it today. So if everyone remembers here, these are the pictures we took and showed you yesterday about the time, about this time yesterday, when we were on the air. They were the first close-up pictures we were getting at some of the nuclear reactor sites.

And this is our closest look yet here, and this part is important. This video was shot on Wednesday, but I want you to look right away at something that caught our eye.

Watch this.

We're pretty sure here that this is reactor number one, right? So this is reactor number one. We've frozen the image and, Gary, tell me what exactly we're looking at here.

PROF. GARY WAS, NUCLEAR ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: We're looking at mainly the top of reactor unit number one. Over on the right-hand side is where the edge of the building is.

There is a -- a small orange image in this area right here, and -- and there's some question as to what that might be. It's very near to the edge of the building. It looks to be about ground level, and the dimensions are small, a foot size or something like that.

BALDWIN: So you're saying with a bit of a orange glow.

WAS: Here it is right here. You can see it better.

BALDWIN: Oh, right here.

WAS: That one right there.

BALDWIN: Right there.

So if, Gary, if this is fire, how dangerous could this be?

WAS: Well, we're trying to figure out what it was. And the edge of the building appears to be about here, this looks like part of the building wall, and I say it looks to be at ground level. So the reactor is going to be over here, and the dimensions are going to be much bigger.

BALDWIN: So it's --

WAS: Not connected to the reactor.

BALDWIN: Far enough away from the nuclear reactor not to cause massive panic.

WAS: Right, but we don't know what that is.

BALDWIN: OK.

Let's look here. Roger, let's pull up reactor number three. And this has been the focus and specifically, the Japanese focus here. And we see smoke, maybe some steam.

WAS: Steam.

BALDWIN: Steam over there.

What does this picture tell you, Gary?

WAS: Right here, so this was number three, this was damaged by hydrogen explosion on Monday, I believe. And there is steam coming out on the side, on this side. That's likely from the spent-fuel pool.

BALDWIN: OK.

WAS: And if anything, that's probably of a bit of a positive sign, because if there's steam it means there's water and so there's some water in that spent-fuel pool, which I've been saying very important to keep those rods come.

BALDWIN: How much we don't know yet, but the fact that there is steam means there was some kind of water.

OK, guys, let's go to the next image. This is going to be reactor number three and some -- some gaping holes here. Let me erase this for us.

Reactor number four. Know we've talked a lot about the spent fuel rod ponds here, but what do you see in this image?

WAS: So, again, this is the top of the reactor here where the most damage has occurred.

BALDWIN: OK.

WAS: There's what appears to be a hole in the side. This is the south-facing side of the reactor.

Oops, I moved it. I moved the whole thing.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Finger off, Gary Was. Hang on just a second. Now you can draw. OK.

WAS: Very good. Thank you.

BALDWIN: You're welcome.

WAS: So that's the hole, and that's on the same side as the steam was coming out in number three. So it's a bit of conjecture, but --

BALDWIN: What do you mean by that? Connect the dots.

WAS: The dots may be that this is also a spent-fuel-pool-induced hole, perhaps a hydrogen explosion, we don't know, but sort of consistent with that idea being on this same side.

BALDWIN: So help me just quickly before we talk recriticality. Help me understand, this is one of the buildings and this is within this you have the nuclear reactors which is inside the containment vessel.

WAS: Right.

BALDWIN: And then on the upper level, this is where those -- this is helping me understand where it is, so the spent-fuel rod ponds are up here somewhere.

WAS: That's right.

They are right about in this area right in here in terms of an elevation.

BALDWIN: OK. Now to the fourth and final question here. Recriticality, it's something I've read up. I want you to explain as best as you can. What does that mean?

WAS: Sure.

Recriticality is the resumption or the startup of the fission chain reaction process. And there's concern that either in the reactor and spent-fuel pools, even though the reaction should be shut down, that it can become recritical again. And that means the fission process occurs, release of neutrons and energy.

In the spent-fuel pools that's prevented by the racks that the fuel fits into. It's full of boron which absorbs the neutrons, prevents that occurring.

BALDWIN: Boron, that's the good stuff.

WAS: That's the good stuff.

And the water should be borated, that also helps.

BALDWIN: OK.

WAS: If it runs dry, that's not going to be a recriticality because you need water for criticality.

So it's really unlikely that could occur. The only way we can postulate that recriticality could occur is that if you lose all the boron and have the bare fuel sitting in water. It's very -- it's pretty unlikely, but that answers -- that's at least one scenario.

BALDWIN: And maybe that's one of the reasons why we're hearing these reports of why they are bringing in tons and tons and tons of boron that they mix in with the water to then --

WAS: Exactly.

BALDWIN: We'll do boron another day.

Gary Was, you've been amazing. Thank you so much for explaining this all to us. I think we're all fascinated and wishing them the best.

And now, let's go back to Libya. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we really need to call this what it is, and we're going to war against Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: A no-fly zone changes the entire game in Libya. Foreign militaries are watching and waiting to see what Moammar Gadhafi could possibly do next.

But if the regime breaks the cease-fire, does one country strike? We're going to breakdown that possibility.

Also developing right now, east of Libya have you a state of emergency declared in Yemen. Blood is spilling, tens of thousands filling the streets in protesting their government.

We're back in 70 seconds with "Globe Trekking." Hala Gorani next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now I want to get you back to what's happening in Libya. More violence reported there today even as Gadhafi's foreign minister announced its immediate halt to military action hours after the U.N. approved a no-fly zone.

Hala Gorani is here with me, and I know -- I want to ask you about the so-called cease-fire.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Right.

BALDWIN: What this really means, and then what other countries are involved here with the U.S. as we go forward in this effort.

GORANI: Right. Well, we heard from the U.S. president a little bit earlier regarding the no-fly zone. Several times he said that this was an international initiative. That this is a cooperative effort. The U.S. is not going at it alone. It's already spread thin, as everyone knows, in Afghanistan, and still in Iraq.

He mentioned France, the United Kingdom and the Arab League, importantly, because Arab countries are now through the Arab League for the first time really joining militarily western countries to try to solve a problem in another Arab country.

Even if it's symbolic, Brooke, this is very important, because the perception is that whatever that Arab country, is we believe possibly Qatar, possible the UAE, Jordan has said no, but other countries in the Gulf are saying, we are going to take part in all of this. So symbolically, it's extremely important.

The question is when because you mentioned a cease-fire that was announced but Musa Kusa, the Libyan foreign minister. While our crews on the ground, witnesses who spoke to CNN, all said there is no such thing.

BALDWIN: Misrata is on fire.

GORANI: Exactly. We're seeing dead people everywhere according to medical sources in parts of eastern Libya so there is still violence.

BALDWIN: That is the big question now is when -- when and who?

GORANI: When and who. Well, it's been over the last few days made clear by France that they are going to take part, a leading role. The U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said British tornado and typhoon jets are being positioned right now, moved into place to take part in a no-fly zone.

Several countries are now coming out and wanting to make sure they don't sort of rattle anybody or anything and stay out of it and stay neutral. Interestingly Malta, you remember Malta is the Mediterranean island where so many of the evacuees left Libya when the troubles started.

Malta said, wait a minute, we won't be used as a base to enforce the no-fly zone so you have diplomatic and strategic positioning of jets, militarily some positioning of key elements to enforce the no- fly zone and every country that is somehow directly or indirectly involved with this effort making statements as to how involved they want to be.

BALDWIN: And then you have Yemen. I spoke with Mohammed Jamjoom who's been covering that for us. I think he said 40 deaths just in the last 24 hours.

GORANI: Let me tell you something. We were watching some video that came in morning and also pouring over the still images in which you can clearly see what kind of injuries killed these people. And some of the protesters were shot in the head. I would say a majority of the still images, too graphic for us to show our viewers right now, were of protesters shot in the head.

These are not, cannot be as the government is saying, shots fired in the air. These people were targeted. They were targeted to -- to the shooters targeted to kill them. So the question is why is the government now going ahead in Yemen and increasing the intensity of the violence against the protesters?

And some of the analysts we speak to say, look, if they believe they can get away with it, that western countries are not going to speak up in defense of the pro-democracy activists. They will go ahead and do it, and the president, as you mentioned before the commercial break, state of emergency.

But right now we're seeing horrific images out of Yemen and that's the crisis that's been unfolding for weeks and weeks now.

BALDWIN: The Middle East. Not quiet at all lately.

GORANI: I hope we have an opportunity on Monday to speak of Syria because Syria might just be the next frontier.

BALDWIN: Next one.

GORANI: We've seen very small protests, but very rare protests take place today.

BALDWIN: OK, Hala Gorani. Thank you, as always here and on top of the violence in Yemen and in Libya, another country is in turmoil right now. Let me set scene for you.

The government in Bahrain just made a dangerous move. Basically bulldozing the area where the protesters have been speaking out here. They called it the Pearl Square. We're going live to CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom who just, what, yesterday got kicked out of Bahrain. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Monuments are meant to mark memories, but, look, what happens when a government doesn't like the memories. It tears down the monument.

This pile of metal that you're looking at here, it used to be a monument at the center of Pearl Square, but it became an important symbol of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom was in Bahrain until just about this time yesterday when he was escorted out. He's now live in Dubai. Mohammed, has the government of Bahrain explained why it demolished this monument?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The government, Brooke, did issue a statement on the Bahraini news agency, and -- and it was a very interesting one. They said that they removed the monument in order to improve the infrastructure there in the capital to help with the flow of traffic, among other reasons that were given.

That's a very strange thing to say when this is a monument that, as you said, has become a symbol of the uprising there, for the protests that have been going on for the past month, and it just makes one wonder if the government didn't think by removing this it would remove the revolutionary zeal or spirit that the protesters had there. Brooke --

BALDWIN: Can we just back up and just big picture here why is this monument so significant? And what role has it or perhaps Pearl Square played in these anti-government demonstrations?

JAMJOOM: Pearl round about is where the majority of the anti- government demonstrations have happened over the past month. Starting February 14th, in Bahrain, and that's where thousands of people were gathering, most of them Shiite protesters.

It became a very symbolic place when I was there just a couple of days ago. That's where the violent crackdown occurred after -- after the forces of the gulf cooperation council entered, just a couple of nights before that into the country.

It's -- it's a place that has become a symbol for Bahrainis of this uprising that was going on. So it's an important symbol for those Bahrainis for that pro-democracy movement that's going on there, for the anti-government movement going on there as well.

And what's interesting to be seen now is since they cleared the area and since they've actually taken the monument down, will people be able to come out and demonstrate?

BALDWIN: Will they, yes or no?

JAMJOOM: The opposition indicates that they will and one of the opposition members who we spoke with earlier in the day actually said that this is a very stupid move on the part of the Bahraini government because they are not going to be able to remove the memories or cleanse the memories of what happen there and they believe people will come out and demonstrate in the streets, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Mohammed, thank you so much. Now, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Against the most serious forms of radiation, such as gamma radiation, there's really hardly anything you can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: From masks to half-mask suits, how people are protecting themselves from radiation all across Japan. Dr. Gupta is going to walk me through the risks and threats coming from that Fukushima Daiichi power plant. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You know, we've reported today, in fact this afternoon, that the city of Sacramento has been able to quantify and detect just a small amount of radiation that has come in from that nuclear power plant way across the ocean over in Japan.

But I want to update you because we're hearing from the Environmental Protection Agency. A spokesperson telling us it has found no increase in radiation levels at all, contradicting what the comprehensive test ban treaty says they found in Sacramento. I wanted to let you know about that.

Meantime, I want to take you back to Japan though, as the country is raising the crisis level at its damaged nuclear power plant and workers there. They are still frantically trying to avert a meltdown, possibly meltdowns, and some evacuees fleeing the danger zone are not surviving.

Details now from our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Brooke, obviously the big news today talking about the classification of this nuclear accident. On a scale of one to seven, they are classifying this as a five. A little bit of context.

Chernobyl was a seven, but this now puts it on par with what happened at Three Mile Island, saying this is a nuclear accident with widespread consequences. The workers, Brooke, in this plant, we've talked about this before, but, again, they are still working literally around the clock trying to put out fires, handle explosions, turn valves, all with very little protection.

There's not much that they can protect themselves with as far as the most dangerous form of radiation, these gamma rays, so the radiation levels we know spiked on Friday after the last 12 hours, 14 hours, but the workers themselves are probably being exposed to higher levels of radiation. They are trying to control that radiation. Obviously the evacuations continue around these plants. In fact a heartbreaking story, Brooke, these elderly people being evacuated from these hospitals and nursing homes and taken to these evacuation centers, but some of them aren't even making it on the bus ride to the evacuation center.

Literally people are dying on the buses and because of the abysmal conditions, because of the cold and because of the lack of basic supplies, and some of these people dying even after they got to the evacuation center.

Why it is that some of the basic supplies, which are here in country, food, water, blankets, medications aren't getting to the people who need it most, is still a little bit of a mystery. Some of these roadways are just very difficult to traverse, for sure, but at this time there are people in tremendous need, especially along the northeast part of Japan, who simply aren't getting the supplies that they real want.

All of this, obviously, compounded by anxieties about radiation. Now, there is a dust cloud, a plume that people have been talking about. It's unclear where exactly it's going to travel. It's literally dependant on wind patterns. Some say it will head toward the Arctic Circle now.

Nevertheless, screenings have begun in U.S. airports for people, screening the airplanes, screening the cargo, screening the mail and screening the passengers as well. It's likely we'll get screened when we eventually get back to the states, but so far no harmful levels of radiation have been found.

Certainly nothing that would be life-threatening, but, Brooke, a lot going on here. Again that earthquake and tsunami, the cold weather and all those anxieties about radiation, that all continues.

Brooke, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Sanjay, doing an amazing job. Thank you so much. Don't forget to catch Sanjay's special coverage this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, at 7:30 in the morning, Eastern Time. Also, 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon from Japan.

And President Obama making a vital decision about Libya, speaking today and sending a clear message, not just to Libya, but to the rest of the world.

Coming up next, you're going to hear from a Republican who is inside the room, inside the Situation Room with the president, before he spoke to the nation. You will want to hear this. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Right now we're going to listen in. This is the Libyan deputy foreign minister. This is what is happening right now live on Libyan television calling for, Angie what, did he say, international observers to come to Libya. Let's just listen in. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is briefly an announcement for today.

BALDWIN: OK. So from I got there, the quick headline from the Libyan deputy foreign minister is the fact that the government there is calling for international observers to come to Libya, to make sure the cease-fire that Moammar Gadhafi has apparently said is happening is in fact happening.

And this is in stark, stark contrast to some of the reports we're getting on the ground, specifically out of Misrata and some other cities, where the violence continues, the bombing continues. But again, that is what we just heard from the government out of Libya.

Now, as we talk here about Libya, we heard from the president just this afternoon. He held a briefing at the White House with lawmakers actually before he spoke to the nation, and they spoke about essentially the U.S. role moving forward in Libya. So within the Situation Room leaders from both the House and the Senate, also leaders of the intelligence, armed services and Foreign Affairs Committee, all in this room, backing up the president.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, there was also Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. Republican Congressman Mike Rogers was also at the briefing, and here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Did anyone in that room, Congressman, express any concern over what the president would be doing, what he would be saying, or was everyone in support of the mission?

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN: Well, generally, I think everyone was in support of it. I think Senator Lugar had some questions. And I don't really want to disclose what happened in a confidential meeting with the president and the secretaries.

But at the end of the day, I think the president outlined exactly why this was important. And for those of us who have been advocating for several weeks for a no-fly zone, hopefully to get the result of a cease-fire, which happened today, we were -- I was clearly eager to hear what his proposal us.

And I think at the end of the day, you have to support the president in this particular case. I think the way he outlined it, and with his -- he gave Gadhafi a very set of very clear standards to meet, lest there be military action taken on behalf of a very international force, including the Arab League, which is very unusual in a circumstance like this.

BALDWIN: Right. I think the president made it very, very clear that the U.S. is playing a role in part of the operation, members of the Arab states, also Spain, France, U.K., for example. But one thing he did mention that the U.S. will not be doing, and that was the U.S. will not be sending in group troops to Libya. Was that at all up for discussion during this meeting or that was entirely off the table?

ROGERS: I didn't hear anybody pushing for troops on the ground. The president said he was not going to support putting troops on the ground. And I think we were all in agreement that would have been a very bad idea.

So I think, given what the circumstances are, I think the plan is a good one. We're joining with our European and Arab League allies to enforce this no-fly zone to make sure that Gadhafi doesn't slaughter more people and go into Benghazi, as he has said, house by house and would show no mercy, and we have equities in knowing that the chemical and possible biological stockpiles that are there don't fall in the wrong hands.

So I think it's the right tempered approach to what is a very serious problem and have lots and have lots of countries bought into the solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So the next 24 hours specifically will be very critical in Libya. Will the world move in? Will the world attack the Gadhafi regime if the violence on the ground doesn't stop?

Wolf Blitzer covered the Middle East for years and years, and we will get his opinion as to what could happen next coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: President Obama says American troops will not be going into Libya. He could not have made that more clear and now the world is watching to see if Moammar Gadhafi will continue violence against his own people.

I want to bring in Wolf Blitzer.

Wolf, I just want to read you some of the headlines here that we've been listening in to Libyan state television. We've been listening to the Libyan deputy foreign minister speak. A couple of quick headlines.

He's essentially calling for international observers to come to Libya, to make sure that the cease-fire that Gadhafi is apparently called for, and to make sure it's happening. He's also specifically called out the French president, calling out Nicolas Sarkozy saying he should have come to Libya to observe versus, you know, leading the call for the no-fly zone.

And one other thing, he said there are Gadhafi forces armed outside of Benghazi. Rebel stronghold of Benghazi, but they are not going in. What do you make of all of that? And is that a direct response to president Obama speaking? WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It certainly a direct response, not only to President Obama, but to the United Nations Security Council. I'm sensing there's a desperation in Tripoli right now surrounding Gadhafi.

He may not know what's going on. Gadhafi, maybe some of his sons aren't very familiar. I heard Nic Robertson telling us earlier, they may be in denial. But I think some of the other people like this bureaucrat, this deputy foreign minister, like some of the others being forced to go out there and speak.

I think they see the handwriting on the wall that it's over for all practical purposes for Gadhafi. He may not know it yet, but pretty soon he'll appreciate what's going on whether it takes another day or two or three for military action to begin. BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: It's going to happen sooner rather than later. You'll hear more about this in the next hour. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, always outspoken. She'll be here in "THE SITUATION ROOM." We've got good questions for her.

BALDWIN: We look forward to hearing the responses to those questions. Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. Got to take a quick break, be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want you to take a look at something. The uncertain situation at Japan's damaged nuclear plant has a number of people here in the U.S. wondering if they could be living near a danger zone. So take a look at this.

Here's where you can find this, just go to cnnmoney.com/nuclearplants. Just plug in your zip code and it will show you, an interactive map showing the names of any nuclear plants closest to you, how old they are and who operates them.

Quickly here, want to remind you here tonight, CNN, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, Piers Morgan will be live from London with special coverage of the unfolding situations, both in Japan and Libya. CNN primetime tonight.

For now, let's go to Wolf Blitzer with the latest on what's happening in both Libya, across the Middle East and Japan.

Wolf, in Washington, to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Brooke.