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U.S. Jet Crashes in Libya, Both Crew Members in American Hands; Congress Criticizes Obama

Aired March 22, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin this hour with a developing story out of Libya. This is the crash site of a U.S. fighter jet. It went down over night in a rebel-patrolled part of the country.

Here's what one witness saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): We noticed this aircraft hovering around the Aviar (ph) and the surrounding area. After a while, we heard an explosion and there was a second aircraft behind that was trying to circle around the exploded aircraft. We thought it was a rocket at first. But then it became clear after we saw it on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Two crew members on board that plane suffered minor injuries and are now safely in U.S. hands.

CNN's Arwa Damon is at the crash site in eastern Libya. She joins us by phone. Arwa, describe what you're seeing.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Hi, Carol. Right in front of us is what is left of that F-15 fighter jet. Residents in the area telling us that they realized that it must have been a foreign fighter jet, that it must have been experiencing some sort of mechanical failure. They described as we heard that one eyewitness there (INAUDIBLE) the crash and then they say residents in this entire area all took to the field trying to find the pilot. They say they realized that these pilots were here to help them, help them in their cause and they wanted to do whatever they could to help those pilots that they thought would be in great need of that.

One eyewitness telling us that it took them around four hours to finally find the pilot. He appears to be in good shape. The only problem was that no one spoke English. So then they took him to an area around 10 minutes away from the crash site, tracked down an English speaker. Eventually they say this one pilot was taken away by a helicopter. The second pilot appears to have landed in another area. Residents that we've been speaking to saying that they only made contact with one pilot. They say they brought him food. They brought him water, did whatever they could even though the language barrier was there to express their gratitude. Because people here in eastern Libya, Carol, firmly believed that had it not been for foreign intervention, Gadhafi would have eventually massacred all of them.

COSTELLO: Well, we're certainly thankful for their help and that those two crew members are safe. What an amazing story. Tell us about the fighting on the ground because I know it continues on a new front.

DAMON: Yes, it does, Carol. There's still fighting also happening in a number of cities to include Misrata. The problem with Misrata, we're hearing is that Gadhafi's troops are embedded, fighting inside the city itself which, of course, makes it impossible or at least very difficult for any sort of air power to be used against them. We are also hearing reports of on-going fighting (INAUDIBLE) around 100 miles to the west of Benghazi.

But opposition forces have been able to gain critical ground after air strikes really dealt a significant blow to Gadhafi's forces. They now do feel as if at the very least, this is much more of an even playing field. They do feel as if in the days, weeks ahead perhaps they're going to be able to regain that critical ground, but there are great concerns as to what is happening inside these areas that Gadhafi's forces still occupy.

Eyewitnesses speaking of massacres taking place. We spoke to a woman whose daughters live in Misrata. She hasn't been able to get through to them for around a week. She was absolutely devastated. We tried to help her out by having her dial from our satellite phone, but all cell phones in Misrata are down. The landlines weren't working. And she had actually seen what she believes to be a footage of one of her daughter's homes being damaged on one of the networks here.

So while the residents of Benghazi are extremely happy that for the time being they have been saved or helped from the onslaught of Gadhafi's forces, everyone is very well aware that the fight for Libya is far from over, Carol.

COSTELLO: Arwa Damon, reporting live from the eastern part of Libya. Thanks so much.

Our next guest can tell us more about the rescue operations of that downed U.S. air craft. Retired Navy Captain Craig Williams, commanded a carrier air group and was a pilot himself. He joins us by phone from Ft. Worth, Texas. Welcome.

CAPT. CRAIG WILLIAMS, U.S. NAVY (RET.) (ON THE PHONE): Good morning.

COSTELLO: So tell us what that feels like. You realized that your plane has some sort of mechanical problem and you're going down. What goes through your mind?

WILLIAMS: Lots of things. First of all, are you in a friendly environment or enemy territory. Fortunately, knock on wood, I never had to eject. So I had mechanical issues, but fortunately did not have that issue. But to answer your question, things start happening. It's almost time to rush and guys that have ejected talk about that.

COSTELLO: So at what point do you know it's so bad that you have to eject? Do you make that decision together?

WILLIAMS: In a two-man cockpit, you would. You would discuss the situation and based on training and lots of training and emergency procedures, you know, as the air crew in that jet exactly what is going to operate and what won't. And they obviously realized that the jet wasn't going to fly any more, so it was time to jump out.

COSTELLO: And the difficulty with flying over Libya is you really don't know who is the enemy and who is not, who is the rebels and who is pro-Gadhafi forces. So you've ejected and you've landed in this terrain. And these people run up to help you. I mean, first of all it took them four hours to find this pilot. These rebels that helped these U.S. airmen. So what do you do when you land on the ground?

WILLIAMS: Several different things. First of all, try to - get to determine your own capacity. Are you injured? Are you safe? What is the terrain? Are there friendlies nearby that you may know of, et cetera. But first of all, just taking a survey of your own body and seeing if you're mobile or if you're going to have to figure out how to hide in a very close proximity to where you are.

COSTELLO: Do you have a weapon on you?

WILLIAMS: You do. Most often you take off and launch and you have a handgun of sorts, typically a nine millimeter.

COSTELLO: So someone runs up to you. You don't speak their language. Do you have a couple of words on stand by that you can use so you can sort of figure out who these people are?

WILLIAMS: Most often you have some basic stuff available to you to help communicate with the local populous.

COSTELLO: So when this airman realized that these were friendly people, rescuing them, I can't imagine what went through his mind.

WILLIAMS: I am sure it was very frightening. As you said, I think one of the greatest challenges that the folks are going to have over there is determining good guys from bad guys, especially from the air, as you are delivering ordinance, but then on the ground as you mentioned trying to figure out, hey, is that a good buy or a bad guy coming out to assist or capture me?

COSTELLO: Well, we're glad it all ended well. Captain Williams, thanks so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

WILLIAMS: You're very welcome. Have a great day.

COSTELLO: You too. The military action in Libya is stirring strong criticism from members of both parties. They say President Obama overstepped his authority by launching military strikes without the consent of Congress. One fellow Democrat is going even farther. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is making the case that the president should face impeachment.

CNN's Jim Acosta joins us now from Washington. I know you spoke to Kucinich, Jim, so is he really serious about this?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, he may be backing off of that talk just a little bit this morning. I talked to him just about a half an hour ago. And you're right, the criticism is getting louder every day. And unlike some of the president's other political battles in recent years, this criticism is coming from both parties, liberals and Mr. Obama's own party are howling over the fact that the administration took military action without a vote in Congress.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich told me earlier this morning the president's moves could be actions could be an impeachable offense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: I raised the question in a conversation with fellow Democrats about how far can any president go in the exercise of his authority. And in this case, it's very clear that President Obama exceeded his authority. Now the immediate thing that Congress needs to do when it returns is to cut off any funds for continuing in Libya. And I intend to bring forward such an amendment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: He is going to be bringing forth that amendment, but not one for impeachment at this point, Carol. The president, we should mention, did send a letter to Congress yesterday explaining his actions that letter to House Speaker John Boehner, the White House argues, does satisfy the president's legal obligations to inform Congress and a deputy national security adviser made a comment about this yesterday at a White House briefing saying that "Our view is a mission of this kind, which is time limited, well defined and discreet clearly falls within the president's constitutional authority."

Now, as for the Republicans, as you know, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar who is respected by the White House on foreign policy matters is accusing the president of failing to set a clear policy on Libya and other top GOP leaders are pointing to the big difference about President Obama's statements about the need to get rid of Moammar Gadhafi and the U.N. Security Council resolution which does not call for a regime change. So there is a difference there. But the president does have some political cover at this point, Carol.

As you know, there's a new CNN poll out showing most Americans support this current limited mission in Libya, just not a prolonged ground war.

COSTELLO: Yes, like 70 percent. I bet the president can't wait to get home from South America.

ACOSTA: A big inbox.

COSTELLO: I know. Jim, know you've been digging and you have found something about Dennis Kucinich, about fund-raising and using this to fund raise?

ACOSTA: Well, he has put out a tweet this morning, and if you click on the link to that tweet, you will be directed to his - one of his web sites, his campaign web site which talks about the economy, what you'd like to see done for the economy and also there is some talk about whether or not the president overstepped his bounds in Libya and there is a fund-raising call in the context of that release.

But it wouldn't be fair to say that he's fund-raising off of this impeachment talk. But he is certainly generating a lot of attention, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, he is. Jim Acosta, many thanks.

ACOSTA: You bet.

COSTELLO: Live in Washington.

As we mentioned, the latest CNN poll suggests that 70 percent of Americans favor the action in Libya. So if most of the nation is behind the president, does it even matter what Congress thinks? We'll ask Eliot Spitzer from CNN's "In the Arena" in just a few minutes.

And if you're upset over rising gas prices over the last year, well, get ready for some real pumper shock. Last night, CNN's E.D. Hill spoke with the former president of Shell Oil about where gas prices are headed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

E.D. HILL, CNN "IN THE ARENA" HOST: If you have to put on your cap and see into the future, a year from now, you're filling up your car with gas, what do you expect to be paying a gallon?

JOHN HOFMEISTER, FMR. SHELL OIL PRESIDENT: t his time next year, I'd say in the 4, 4.25 range.

HILL: And the year after that?

HOFMEISTER: Later, in 2012, probably very close to $5 a gallon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I know you're saying, oh, yes. CNN's Money Poppy Harlow joins us from New York. So Poppy, this is a guy who should know.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM: Sure. I mean, look, he was one of the most prominent figures at one of the biggest oil companies in the world. But this is not a new statement, Carol. Hofmeister has said this a few months ago, as well. But he's sticking to his guns. And we have seen this run up in gas prices given the rise in oil. And looking at live oil trading right now, $102 a barrel is where we're at. $3.55 a gallon, that is the national average. You may be paying a lot more than that at different states across the country.

The concern now is if this crude market is so jittery right now, we've seen a big rise, you can see it portrayed right there on your screen. Gas is up 12 percent in the past month. Oil is up quite a lot, especially when you look over the last year. The question is the unrest in Libya, which produces about two percent of the world's oil and sits on the biggest oil reserve in Africa, will that spread to much bigger producers like Saudi Arabia?

Another factor here at play is the situation in Japan. Japan nuclear power, for all intents and purposes, off line. What happens when you get to the recovery in Japan? How much oil energy is that going to take? That's a big question right now. And I want to point out to you a very interesting survey that we did at cnnmoney.com, exclusively.

Economists said two-thirds of all the economists we polled, we polled about 23 percent of them said that oil prices are their single biggest concern, Carol, when it comes to this broader economic recovery. Every day when you spend more at the gas pump, you're not spending that on other things, so economists are very, very worried about this run up that we're seeing.

COSTELLO: Poppy Harlow, live in New York. Many thanks.

So how much is the operation in Libya costing the United States? Let's put it this way, every time a Tomahawk missile is fired, that's more than $500,000 right there. One report says "Operation Odyssey Dawn" could end up costing more than, yes, $1 billion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: With debt and spending such big issues right now been, let's find out how much the Libyan operation is costing the United States.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence in here. And Chris, you've been doing some major league math, I should say. So break it down for us.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I'm not great in math, Carol, but it doesn't take a genius to know this operation is costing a lot of money. You know, we've talked a lot about federal spending and like that. And the Libya operation is no exception when it comes to costliness. I mean if you look at just the cost of say one F-15 fighter jet, it's about $10,000 an hour to keep it flying.

You know, because you've got fuel, you've got maintenance, you got all the things that go into it. So when you're talking about establishing, say, this no-fly zone, a lot of calculations have to go in, not just the military application, but the cost of it. Because ultimately, it's the United States and these other nations that are going to have to bear that cost. If you look at establishing say a full no-fly zone over the entire country, that would cost anywhere from $100 to $300 million a week.

A limited no-fly zone, which is sort of what they've done here in which you would only be trying to cover the northern part of the country, even that is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of just under $100 million a week. So, again, the cheapest way you could do it is to just sit offshore on the ship, fire on to northern Libya. That would be in the neighborhood of about $25 million a week. So there is no easy, cheap solutions for this.

Also you're talking about munitions, combat pay for troops. All of this has to get factored in. And one of the main ways that the cost gets eaten up are some of these Tomahawk missiles that get fired. You know, we saw in the first 48 hours just a barrage of Tomahawk. Last count, we had it at about 159 that were fired. Now let's just say that the U.S. hasn't fired all of them. The Brits have fired off some of those.

But let's say out of that 159, the U.S. has fired off say, 130. Well, at a cost of say $1.4 million each, you're talking about $182 million just for the Tomahawks. And remember, the U.S. fires these Tomahawks. Well, the military buys Tomahawks every year. So at some point, maybe not right away, but at some point towards the end of the year, at some point they're going to have to replenish what was expended in this conflict.

COSTELLO: Not that anyone was ever talking about cutting defense spending, but hey, if they were thinking about that, go by deficit reduction that way. Chris Lawrence, reporting live from the Pentagon, thanks.

LAWRENCE: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: There might be political cost to for the president. He is taking heat from both parties, mostly because he didn't get the support of the full Congress before the missiles starting flying. Here is what a Republican and a Democrat had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: In my judgment, if we're not on the edge of an act of war, we are close enough that the president really ought to have a debate in the Congress, (INAUDIBLE) in behalf of the American people a very clear definition on why American forces are going to be at risk, what the objectives are so we can claim success on the basis literally of having to define what we are about.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: We have, under our constitution, the responsibility to hold it together and as much as I like Barack Obama, and I personally do like him, I love the Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's talk about this with Eliot Spitzer from CNN's "In the Arena." So Eliot, first of all, welcome.

ELIOT SPITZER, CNN HOST "IN THE ARENA": Thank you.

COSTELLO: You have a member of the president's own party waving constitutional red flags and even using the "I" word, as in impeachment. Is there anything to this?

SPITZER: No. In one word this is a constant struggle between the Congress and the executive branch over who is the commander in chief. This is what the president is doing right now, what President Obama is doing is nearly identical to what President Clinton did in Bosnia where we enforced a no-fly zone pursuant to a U.N. mandate. Congress there also did not weigh in with a declaration of war. There has not been a declaration of war, technically, since 1942, We've obviously fought many wars. This is a constant on-going battle between the two branches of government. In the end, success will determine whether or not the president politically, if Gadhafi is deposed, he wins.

COSTELLO: I get that. I get all of that. But let's face it, we're in conflicts that Americans don't like much right now. Like Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, we're like doing this no-fly thing over Libya. The lawmakers, we elect them in our home districts. We expect them to be our voice. And that the president didn't listen to our voice upsets some people.

SPITZER: Sure it does. But let me be very clear, at a political level, the public will follow the president's lead initially in this overseas action against Gadhafi. Editorial pages and those who dictate public opinion on these matters all agree Gadhafi should be deposed. The larger problem the president has is the one that Senator Lugar alluded to, perhaps not as much in the clip that you showed right there, which is the lack of definition to the purpose of this mission.

The real purpose is to get rid of Gadhafi. The United Nation's mandate is only to protect civilians. President Obama must get rid of Gadhafi if he's going to get the political upside of this and also that is what is right and what he should be doing here.

COSTELLO: And when you look inside this coalition that's conducting this no-fly zone, there are questions of who is leading it. I mean, will it eventually be France? I mean, I know America doesn't want to lead, but maybe we'll have to. Who knows?

SPITZER: Well, Carol, the problem the president has on this is the upside of multi-lateralism is you get the impression and (INAUDIBLE) that the entire world has coalesced around this objective of getting rid of Gadhafi. The down side to multi-lateralism is that you give up the mantle of leadership.

President Obama should want to lead this, but he keeps pulling back. And I think that tension between multi-lateralism and our desire to actually be in the lead is causing not only confusion militarily, but confusion in the eye of the public and I think that does not help the president. He has not spoken to the public with enough clarity about what we're doing, why we're doing it, how long will it take. If we did all that, he could resolve this. Dennis Kucinich saying that the war powers act has been violated. He is just background noise that disappears. What is important is what is the mission, how do we accomplish it? Then President Obama will get the upside.

COSTELLO: We'll see what he does when he comes back home.

Eliot Spitzer, many thanks for joining us.

SPITZER: Indeed.

COSTELLO: And by the way, Eliot's guest tonight is Bill Maher. You know, Bill has something to say about this.

"In the Arena" airs every week night at 8:00 Eastern on CNN.

A U.S. fighter jet goes down. A rescue operation springs into action. We'll take a closer look at this morning's dramatic mission to bring home the injured U.S. crew members.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. Time for a break. (INAUDIBLE) Charlie Sheen to tell you about. The Hollywood bay boy popped up unannounced on last night's Jimmy Kimmel show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing? How are you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought you a gift.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That means the internet is all abuzz with rumors that Sheen has met with Fox over the past few days. Also there is talk CBS reportedly wants Sheen back on "Two and a Half Men."

Here are some stories making news across country.

Southern California cleaning up after a fierce storm that struck on the first day of spring. Snow fell at higher elevations. The storm also brought high winds and thunderstorms and record rainfall in other areas.

In Minnesota, people are keeping a nervous eye on rising rivers fueled by heavy rain and melting snow. Chunks of floating ice and debris are getting caught under the bridges and that's complicating the problem.

In Miami, people can now stay fit without ever paying for a gym membership. The cities of Miami and Miami Beach have opened several free outdoor gyms. Many are right on the beach. Doesn't that look fun? "Men's Health" magazine recently ranked Miami as the fattest city in America. One Miami commissioner says no more excuses.

Workers at the Kennedy Space Center have created a human tribute to the space shuttle program. It took more than an hour to get everybody in place. We sped it up because we didn't have all that time. All 2,000 workers at the Kennedy Space Center were invited to take part in the tribute to the soon to be retired program.

Alaska could be the next battleground in the fight over public workers collective bargaining rights. A state lawmaker introduced a bill similar to the controversial Wisconsin measure. It's prospects, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago, so let's check the numbers. It's up about just over 12 points. A lot of people are looking for jobs. Almost nine percent of the country is still unemployed. So should potential workers be measured by their credit scores?

CNN business news correspondent Stephanie Elam joins us from New York. A lot of employers check people's credit history. And that can make or break whether you get hired.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is so true, Carol. And it's happening all over the place. A lot of people are dealing with this. And what we found out is that there are four states that are already limiting the number of credit checks that can be done on a potential employee by the employer.

So, taking a look here, you've got Washington state, Oregon, Hawaii and Illinois. All four of these states already limit credit checks for folks trying to get a job. Now in Maryland, legislation has made it through the state senate. It's still awaiting approval by the house of delegates.

But what the issue is here, advocates say, you know what? You're not helping people improve their lives by doing a credit check, deciding they have bad credit and then not giving them a job. So, take a look at the cycle. We've had a really bad economy. So, you've got a bad economy. From there, you go to the fact that people are losing jobs and they can't pay their bills. And if they can't pay their bills, then their credit score goes down. The economy starts to improve, they go out to try and get a job, they look at the credit score, they don't get a job and their credit score continues to suffer because they're still not able to pay their jobs - pay their bills.

Now, there's more than just because of late payments or missed payments that your credit can be down. It could be a divorce, it could be someone has died in your family, it could be because of medical expenses. There's several reasons that this could happen.

But opponents say the government needs to stay out of what private industry is doing. But overall, Carol, 60 percent of employers actually do credit checks. This is something that happens all across the country. It happens a lot. The most popular jobs to get credit checks are financial responsibility jobs where you might be handling money, senior executive positions as well, and positions with access to confidential nearly.

Now, in Maryland, some employers will be except from this. For one thing, banks have to do credit checks. That's just mandatory. That's something that has to happen. But other jobs that handle sensitive data - and the way that this was proposed and has gotten through the senate -- they would still be exempt from having to limit their credit checks. But overall, looking to try to make it easier on workers who are trying to find a job after what has been a really difficult economic situation for them.

COSTELLO: Well, yes. Your credit history sometimes doesn't tell the whole story. So, it's an interesting issue, though.

ELAM: And no one is asking! And no one is asking what the reasons are.

COSTELLO: Exactly. They're just making a snap judgment about that person, and maybe you're out the door, which is a sad thing. I also understand, Stephanie, you have some money saving apps that we need to know about.

ELAM: Yes. In case you are trying to make your credit score go up and you're looking to save money, we have some apps to help you out. We also know gas prices have gotten a little higher than you may want to spend.

Let's take a look first at Gas Buddy. This is an app that you can get. It gives you a list of gas prices near you, tells the price per gallon, gives you the directions to the station. With gas prices rising over several weeks that we have seen now, this could save you more than $100 a year if you go and do that.

There's also The Find. Now, The Find, it scans bar codes and it finds the best prices online and at retailers near you that you could go to. And it will also let you know if there's coupons out there, as well, on The Find.

And Grocery I.Q. This one here, you scan the bar code again with your phone. And you can just do this for all the groceries you need. And it will give you an exact shopping list, show you coupons that are available, put the lists in food groups, whatever you need to do, then you can e-mail the list and for all of those folks out there that have to e-mail their spouse and say can you pick this up, now they'll actually know exactly what you're talking about because they'll have the information. And you won't come back with something you'll have no interest in ever using.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: My husband would ignore the e-mail.

ELAM: See, well, that doesn't help the list at all, does it? COSTELLO: He'd be like, "I didn't get that!" Thank you very much, Stephanie Elam, live from New York.

ELAM: Sure.

COSTELLO: Checking top stories now. An Alaska state lawmaker has introduced a bill aimed at restricting the collective bargaining rights of most public workers. The bill is similar to a newly signed law in Wisconsin that's now tied up in the courts. Opponents of the Alaska bill give it little chance of passing this session, mainly because the session is about two-thirds of the way over.

A judge has ordered Jared Lee Loughner to undergo a mental evaluation at a special facility as soon as possible. The test will help determine if he is competent to stand trial. Loughner, as you know, is accused of killing six people and wounding several others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

And oil prices fell a bit today. Traders pointed to the news that air strikes have slowed pro-Gadhafi forces and that, except for Libya, oil supplies in the region have not been disrupted.

We are following the developing story out of Libya this morning. A U.S. Air Force fighter jet has crashed after some sort of equipment malfunction. It was not because of enemy fire. The U.S. military says both crew members, a pilot and a weapons officer got out of the F-15E strike eagle safely. They both ejected and are now in U.S. custody, or U.S. hands, I should say. A senior official tells us the military plane picked up the pilot. And Libyan rebels found the second crew member, took care of him until coalition forces could get him out.

The revolt is giving three Libyan-American brothers new hope they'll get some answers in a two-decade search for their father. Izzat Almegaryaf is an opposition activist who spoke out against Gadhafi. His sons and his wife have not seen him since 1990 when they say he was kidnapped and turned over to the Libyan security forces. He's been sighted a few times. And there's been a trickle of smuggled letters from prison. His family is still holding out hope that he is alive

Ahmed, one of his sons, is joining me now. And Ahmed, tell me about the initial incident, about when your father was kidnapped.

AHMED ALMEGARYAF, SON OF ACTIVIST IZZAT ALMEGARYAF: He was kidnapped from Egypt in 1990 and handed over to the Libyan intelligence services.

COSTELLO: So he was kidnapped in Egypt, handed over to the Libyan intelligence services. And what exactly was he doing? Why did they kidnap him?

ALMEGARYAF: He was an advocate of democracy. He wanted to bring in democracy to Libyans inside Libya.

COSTELLO: So, you think since 1990 been he's been held in some Libyan prison. You've gotten a few letters. What have they said?

ALMEGARYAF: One of the letters basically described everything that happened to him from when they took him from Egypt and flew him into Libya. As soon as he arrived in Libya, Tripoli, they took him to a notorious prison known about the massacres, Abu Salim prison.

COSTELLO: And what has life been like in prison for him, as far as you know?

ALMEGARYAF: He didn't really discuss much about his condition. Probably didn't want us to be overwhelmed with stress and all the psychological torment that Gadhafi has caused our family.

COSTELLO: We want to talk briefly about this briefcase you have with you. Your father had this had his possession when he was kidnapped in Egypt. Tell us about it.

ALMEGARYAF: My father, he was a constant troubler. And whenever -- the day they kidnapped for him, he left this behind for us to see the places that he had traveled to, the things that he was up to. And he was supposed to fly to France a couple of days before his kidnapping.

COSTELLO: Oh! So, now that Moammar Gadhafi is on the run, there's this no-fly zone established, does it give you renewed hope that you might get your father out somehow?

ALMEGARYAF: We would love more than anything to see our father, to have our father. Unfortunately, we've heard of, you know, my father potentially being one of those killed in the Abu Salim massacre where they killed 1,200 of the inmates.

COSTELLO: But still, what is happening in Libya, does it give you hope for your father's home country?

ALMEGARYAF: Definitely. It gives -- it's -- I can't say enough about it. It's made me so happy to be a Libyan and for the cause my father has fought for. I'm very hopeful, hope to see him, if he is alive, and I'm very proud of what my people have done.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your story.

ALMEGARYAF: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

ALMEGARYAF: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson now. He's at the site of an apparently coalition air strike in the port city of Tripoli. Nic is actually on the phone. What's happening?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRSPONDENT (on the phone): So, Carol, we've been taken to a -- what the government describes as a repair facility in the naval part of the port facility here in Tripoli. A lot of people gathered along the sea front to see for themselves what all the damage was about.

But the government has taken us right inside this repair system, and inside we've seen four mobile rocket launching systems and at least two very precise missile strikes. These rocket launching systems were inside a large warehouse building. The thin, tin roof of that has been ripped apart. The mobile rocket launchers are completely burnt out. There are rockets under wraps, if you will, at the site of this facility. It appears to be very much a military facility. It is in the naval part of the harbor here. The rocket launcher is completely destroyed.

The apparent reason that the government has brought us here to what is so obviously a military site, a military target that are very clearly destroyed -- and we're told there are no casualties here because the people feared this would be a target and there was nobody here at the time of the strike. The government says this was a repair facility, that there were no active rocket systems here. That appears to be the reason why they are showing us this facility.

But several of the warehouses here have been hit. It's quite surprising how accurate the missiles have been. There is a crater right behind four of these rocket -- large, large 30-foot trucks that are rocket launching systems. The missile came through the roof and landed right behind four of these systems. So, incredibly accurate fire through the roof of the building.

One of the craters I walked into is about 15 feet deep from the force of the explosion. And much of the military equipment here still smoldering, still burning after the strike which happened about 12 to 15 hours ago --

COSTELLO: I think we just lost Nic. Nic Robertson, many thanks. Reporting live from Tripoli on new air strikes that apparently hit their targets.

In Yemen, a top general says he is on the protesters' side. And he would order his troops to protect them, not crush them. Coming up, we'll find out what this means for Yemen's president.

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COSTELLO: Want to return now to our top story, the overnight crash of a U.S. fighter jet in Libya. Both crew members were safely rescued and an operation launched at sea. Want to take a closer look at that. CNN's Diana Magnay is aboard the USS Kearsarge in the Mediterranean. What more do you know, Diana?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. The rescue operation was in part undertaken by two Osprey aircraft which are based on this ship. They are essentially a mix between a helicopter and an airplane. So, they take off as a helicopter and flew to the area in northeastern Libya where this F-15 crashed.

We know that the crash happened because of the technical reasons, because of a mechanical failing and not because it was taken out of the sky. And that the two pilots ejected, landing in different areas, which is why the Osprey operation sent from this ship only managed to pick up one of the pilots.

Now, he is currently in a medical facility here. They have extensive medical facility, the hospital on board this ship. He was apparently in good enough condition that he was able to walk off the plane into the hospital. So he is well. Both pilots, we know, are in American hands.

Just a little bit more information about that rescue mission, Carol, is that on board the Osprey, there were four crew members and a special unit of Marines, 12 Marines. It's called a trap unit. And they are specially dedicated to that kind of recovery mission. So quite a big operation, really, to get that one pilot here on to the Kearsarge, and the other pilot, we know, also to be in American hands, Carol.

COSTELLO: Should we assume -- I know we can't give out their names just yet, but should we assume their families have been notified?

MAGNAY: We do know that the next of kin have been notified about what happened and about the fact that a rescue mission has been taking place. So, that has been done. I was informed of that by the public affairs officer here on board the Kearsarge. The families have been aware of what happened and the fact that their loved ones are safe.

COSTELLO: Diana Magnay, reporting off the coast of Libya. Thanks so much.

In Japan's disaster zone, the death toll just continues to climb. There are simply too many victims and too little time for proper funerals. How families are grieving through makeshift farewells and how they plan to move forward from here.

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COSTELLO: New car seat guidelines are out that could keep your child in car seats a lot longer. The American Academy of Pediatrics is advising parents to keep their toddlers in rear-safety facing seats until they're 2 years old. The group is also recommending that parent keep their older kids in booster seats until they grow to 4 feet 9 inches tall. Wow.

Doctors in Boston have performed a full facial transplant, the first time it's ever been done in the United States. The recipient is Dallas Wiens, a 25 year-old construction worker from Texas. He was severely burned in an accident. A team of more than 30 doctors, nurses and staff performed this 15-hour surgery.

Kelly Nighting has won a place in the record books by completing the Los Angeles Marathon. The 400-pound sumo wrestler is now officially the heaviest person to ever finish a marathon. He jogged for the first eight miles, and then walked for the final 18. So, see? There are no excuses any more. Because if he can do it, you can, too.

Libya pounded for another day by fresh air strikes. But who is in charge and how will it end? Some of those details are still fuzzy, even for the countries involved. Retired general Russell Honore weighs in, coming up in about 30 minutes in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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COSTELLO: Breaking news to tell you about out of Cairo, Egypt. This is the ministry of interior, and it is on fire. We believe seven floors are engulfed in flames. I know the revolution is over in Egypt, but the protesting certainly has not died down. In fact, hundreds are in front of that building protesting wages. Wages and work issues. As you might remember, at the height of the revolution for freedom in Egypt, the ministry of the interior was often targeted. It's one of the most hated institutions in Egypt.

And actually, we have Ian joining us from Cairo. So, Ian, tell us more about what's going on here in Cairo.

IAN LEE, REPORTER (on the phone): Well, Carol, right now, the ministry interior is going up in flames. This started about 45 minutes ago. Flames, black smoke started billowing from the ministry. You know, rushing there, looking at it, talking to people that.

You know, there were protesters, thousands of protesters outside the ministry of interior. But talking to everyone, they said this fire started from within the ministry and looking at it, it would be very difficult for the protesters to start the fire from where it began. It's still unclear how this fire started or was it an accident or was it a protestor?

Right now, one of the wings of the ministry of interior is up in flames. The fire department has responded, but right now, it doesn't look like they're stopping the blaze.

COSTELLO: Are there people in the building?

LEE: Yes. There are people who are fleeing the building. There are many buildings within the ministry of interior compound. There's people in other buildings watching the flames as they spread. But it looks like people are still running out of the ministry of the interior, the wing that is on fire.

COSTELLO: And also, just tell us a little bit about these protesters because everybody said, you know, after the revolution ended in Egypt, that democracy is a slow build. Are people expecting too much too fast?

LEE: Well, you know, I definitely -- after the, you know, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, we were seeing labor groups from, you know, factory workers to the police come out in the streets demanding better rights, more rights, demanding better wages. And then today, there were thousands of police in front of the ministry of interior demanding better wages, better working conditions, fewer hours.

And so, you know, it definitely -- you know, they're definitely still in the streets, still demanding certain things.

COSTELLO: And how was the government responding, the new government?

LEE: Well, you know, it definitely -- the government has made, you know, some promises to them. The former minister of interior came out and promised, you know, to look into things. He resigned, so a lot of these policemen who are out here today were calling for him to come back because he made promises to them about better wages, better working conditions.

So, the government really hasn't addressed all the issues yet because they just had their referendum and approved the constitutional amendments. So, you know, the process is still a bit slow.

COSTELLO: All right. Again, the department -- or the ministry of interior on fire in Cairo, Egypt. At least seven floors in flames. We understand there are people in the building and protesters outside. They want better working conditions and more jobs. When we get more information, we'll pass it along.

We're going to take a break. We'll be back.

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COSTELLO: Check our stories making news today. President Obama is heading to El Salvador. He has a meeting with El Salvador's president. And later, he and the first lady will visit a school in a community center.

Attorney General Eric Holder is talking about the safety of law enforcement officers with police officials from across the country. They're meeting right now in Washington.

Jury selection is expected to begin in New Orleans in a class action lawsuit stemming from Hurricane Katrina. The family of a New Orleans man say he should not have died at Memorial Hospital after the storm hit in 2005.

And in New York, Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is being sentenced to six years probation for having improper sexual conduct with an underage girl.

Now it's time to toss it over to Suzanne for a continuation of the NEWSROOM. And I'll see you in about 10 minutes.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, Carol.