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Damage On Both Sides; U.S. F-15 Crashes Due To Equipment Failure; Trump's Dealings With Gadhafi; Trump On Presidential Run; World Markets Amid The Turmoil; Cost of U.S. Involvement ; Yemen on the Verge of Civil War?; Japan's Radiation Threat; NFL's Lawrence Taylor Pleads Guilty to Underage Sex Charges; Hydrogen Fuel Breakthrough; Weapons of War: The Weaponry of Operation Odyssey Dawn

Aired March 22, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Suzanne. Thank you.

Much news to tell you about today. Allied air strikes are still inflicting damage on the military assets of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya but not without a cost. You're looking now at the wreckage of a U.S. F-15 that crashed today in rebel-held eastern Libya, for reasons the U.S. military says were mechanical, not hostile.

I will say that again for you. The U.S. says the plane had equipment problems and was not shot down. The two-man crew ejected and the pilot was rescued fairly quickly.

The weapons officer was found by Libyan rebels who took care of him until coalition troops could reach him. We're told neither man is badly hurt. Neither badly hurt.

Back in Tripoli, journalists today saw the apparent results of an allied missile strike on a port. CNN's Nic Robertson saw the smoldering remains of truck mounted rocket launchers and he will join us live to tell us about it in just a moment.

We also have remarkable pictures from Misrata, a city down the coast that Gadhafi forces have bombarded for days.

(VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: This is amateur video uploaded to YouTube yesterday. Now, we can't confirm when or where it was shot, but we do know Misrata's main hospital reports 77 deaths since Sunday. The U.N.-approved campaign to protect Libyan civilians began Saturday, and it's still not clear who will actually end up in charge.

Arab states don't want to work for NATO and the U.S. has other campaigns to worry about. NATO says it will enforce a Libyan arms embargo the in meantime.

So, let's bring in our live reporter. CNN's Diana Magnay is on the USS Kearsarge, the ship that launched the rescue effort for the downed American pilot. Nic Robertson is here from Tripoli. Nic, let's start with you. Tell us what you saw at this port.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a naval facility. We were taken to some warehouses that had sort of the thin tin roofing that you have on large, big warehouse facilities. And inside we were shown four mobile rocket launcher systems, each capable of carrying two rockets, the sort of thing that you can tilt up and swivel around to shoot in any direction.

The trucks were about 30 foot or so long, and all four of them parked close together inside this facility, have been targeted and hit by either a missile or a -- or a bomb that had fallen right behind them underneath the tin roof and ripped them apart, destroyed them.

We couldn't see any rockets inside them. There were rockets elsewhere in the warehouse. Government officials told us that this was just a repair and training facility. It was clear that some equipment had been dragged away from there before we arrived, but it appeared to us to be very much a military facility. And I think that it shows you something about the impact of coalition strikes here in Tripoli.

But the government really is only able to show us strikes that have some military significance. They've not been able to back up their claims that hospitals and schools have been hit and there are civilians wounded. They just don't have -- it doesn't seem to exist. They can't show that to us. So, what we saw today was really clearly a military target in the naval port facility here being hit -- Randi.

KAYE: And now it's after 7:00 p.m. in Tripoli, do you see any new signs of bombing runs or any more anti-aircraft fire?

ROBERTSON: We just had a little bit of heavy machine gun fire probably not antiaircraft gunfire a little bit in the distance, but nothing yet. Nothing on the scale of what we saw last night. Generally that trace of fire -- the antiaircraft gunfire starts after a -- after a couple of missiles or bombs have landed close by, and we haven't heard anything like that so far -- Randi.

KAYE: And how is the Gadhafi regime holding up? Are there any new signs at this hour that he seems to be cracking?

ROBERTSON: No, not from what we hear from the leadership in the regime. They all seem to speak with the same voice that nothing's going to change, Gadhafi is not going to back down, there's no chance of a sort of military coup (ph) and toppling him. What's interesting, when we went to see this port facility today, there were a lot of Libyans coming out along the colwash (ph) sea coast road there to take a look from a distance to --

KAYE: All right. We seem to have lost Nic Robertson there, he is reporting from Tripoli. Let's get to Diana Magnay, she is on the ship carrying the injured pilot. Diana, can you tell -- can you tell us a little bit about how this rescue took place?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's just one pilot, the pilot on board this ship. He was rescued by really quite a big operation. It's called a trap unit. That's a sort of special unit of Marines who went out last night in two auspri (ph) aircraft, it's a mix between sort of a helicopter that can launch off a ship like this one and then two support super stallion helicopter.

And they flew over, the Marines went on the ground to rescue the one pilot, but they weren't able to pick up the other crew member, the weapons officer in that mission, because when the pilots ejected they ejected and landed in separate places. So, we know that the weapons officer was looked after by rebel forces for a period of time, but he is now in American hands.

And as far as the pilot is concerned, he is in good condition. When he arrived here on this vessel, he walked into the medical facility. They have extensive medical facilities on board this ship. So, both men are in good condition, both men in American hands, and one of them on board this ship.

KAYE: That is very good news and certainly that the rebel forces there helped rescue that weapons officer as well. Diana Magnay, thank you.

It is just after 2:00 a.m. Wednesday in Japan, and workers at the Fukushima plant finally have something to celebrate. The crisis is by no means over, of course, but today they managed to restore electricity to the control room of the number three reactor. That's one of four that's been devastated by explosions, fires or both.

And electricity, of course, means a lot, you can power water pumps after they're repaired, as well as lights and ventilation and monitoring systems. Crews are still spraying water on reactors three and four and scientists still are testing water, air and soil for miles around.

We told you about the bans on local milk and produce. Well, today, high levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were found in soil samples 25 miles from the plant. The official death toll from Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami stands at 9,080 with more than 13,000 still missing. One of those in one category or the other is a grandfather who thought he'd be safe in his own bedroom. CNN's Gary Tuchman met his family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chikako Sugai lost her bridal shop when the tsunami hit her home town of Katsunuma, Japan, but it's the least of her worries. That's because she's not sure of the whereabouts of her father in this decimated city.

CHIKAKO SUGAI, MISSING MAN'S DAUGHTER (translator): Maybe he's home, maybe he's still in the house.

TUCHMAN: Her mother evacuated before the tsunami but her father, 79-year-old Setsuo Sato, said he would be safe on the second floor of his home, so he stayed behind. So, why doesn't Shikako know if he survived?

SUGAI (through translator): There's no way to get there.

TUCHMAN: Incredibly, this part of the city has been so utterly pulverized, that there are impenetrable mountains and craters of rubble. Firefighters could not get to the house to search for Setsuo Sato.

We couldn't believe there wasn't some way to get there, so Chikako's son Shutaro starts to walk with us towards the neighborhood so perhaps we could all find out what happened to his grandfather, but as the size and scope of the wreckage got more intense, he went look looking for firefighters who could help and we continued the journey. We were still nowhere near the house when we made a discovery.

(on-camera): The carnage we're seeing is horrifying. As you know, the number of people on the missing list is very high. One of the missing is in the back seat of this car, we see the body of a man who apparently drowned in the tsunami.

(voice-over): We saw firefighters combing wreckage and we notified them so soldiers could remove the body. We also told them all what we were trying to do, but the firefighters were not able to find a way to get there either. Forty-eight hours have now gone by since we first arrived. And we that firefighters have cut a path. We can walk through this muddy swamp and we think we'll be able to get to the house. And then we see it. The home is a half mile from where it used to be. The first floor is destroyed, but the second floor is intact. However, there is no sign of human life. No sign of Satsuo Sato.

(on-camera): If he did stay here, it appears he could have survived. Here, the linens and the futons are still in place. Up here, Adjuno (ph) class picture. Shutaro, the grandson, is in the picture. We don't know what happened to his grandfather.

Chikako had already been informed by authorities that her father was not in the house. We retrieved sentimental momentos from his bedroom for her, and she told us --

SUGAI (translator): Others have been found. Survivors have been in the news, so I still have some hope.

TUCHMAN: Satsuo Sato is now one of many names on the list of the missing.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Katsunuma, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: As the situation in Libya flares up, Donald Trump talks to us about his ties to Moammar Gadhafi. You'll want to hear what he has to say.

We want to know what you have to say about the U.S. involvement in Libya. Send us your thoughts. Here's how to reach us at Twitter, Facebook and our blog. We'll read your responses later in the show, so be sure to stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Believe it or not, Donald Trump has a link to Moammar Gadhafi. Trump once leased land to the Libyan leader, so what happened to the money that exchanged hands? CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow joins me now from New York.

Poppy, tell us about these business dealings, will you?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Sure. Well, we know that Donald Trump does business with people all around the world, but I have to say, Randi, I was a bit surprised when we sat down yesterday to hear about the specifics of this land deal he did with Moammar Gadhafi here in New York. So, I'm going to let you listen to him explain that and then take a very close listen to what he says he did with the money from Gadhafi. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I deal with everybody, and I like that. What did I do with Gadhafi? I leased him a piece of land for his tent. He paid me more than I get in a whole year. And then he wasn't able to use the piece of land.

So, people would say, did I take advantage? Did I visit it? So, I got in one night more money than I would have gotten all year for this piece of land up in Westchester, and then didn't let him use it. That's called being intelligent.

HARLOW: Do you still have the money that Gadhafi paid you?

TRUMP: You're not talking that kind of money. Do I still have it? What does that mean?

HARLOW: I mean what happened to the money? Some celebrities that perform for Gadhafi gave that money to charity or given it away. Because that's the question on people's minds.

TRUMP: Sure. I give tremendous. In fact, the other night, Comedy Central roasted me, they gave me a tremendous amount of money, it's already gone to charity. So, I give money to charity. I gave that money to charity. And, in fact, I said when I did it, I'm going to take Gadhafi's money, I'm not going to make it easy on him, and I'm going to give the money to charity, and that's exactly what I did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: So, Randi, Donald Trump making it very clear that he didn't keep that money, but interesting, you know, we've seen celebrities like Beyonce and others who performed for Gadhafi, and there's been controversy over who's given the money back or not. Donald trump making it clear there he did not hang on to that money -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes, Poppy, I'm still stuck on the fact that Gadhafi was looking to buy land in Westchester.

HARLOW: He was renting land to pitch a tent, actually, around the U.N. general assembly, but still shocking.

KAYE: Yes. Yes.

So, tell me whether or not -- did Trump say anything about he's going to run for president?

HARLOW: We, of course, asked him the question. You know, you look at the polls recently and Donald Trump has been up there. So some of the naysayers need to pay attention to those numbers because Donald Trump is seriously considering a bid for the White House. Here's what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I'll make a decision sometime prior to June .And if I make a decision to run, I will fight very hard for the office and I will fight very hard for the country.

HARLOW: Which way are you leaning right now? Can you give percentages?

TRUMP: I can't say -- I can't tell you that. But I can tell you this. I love the country. I want this country to succeed. And with proper leadership, it can succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And, Randi, you heard him say "proper leadership" there. He was very critical of Congress, the Obama administration, saying he doesn't think they're, quote, "very smart." He said, we need stronger leadership. He said the economy's not recovering. That this is a false recovery. And he said he hates the position that America is in right now.

Like him or dislike him, Donald Trump has some clear beliefs here and he says this potential run for the presidency is a much more serious one than back in 1999 when there was a lot of attention around that as well. So we'll wait. We'll see. He said to me the decision will come likely before June -- Randi.

KAYE: And the entire interview, because that really leaves people wanting more, can we see that anywhere?

HARLOW: Yes, you can see a lot of the interview. We've got it posted here on cnnmoney.com. He talked about all the oil in Iraq, what we should do with our wars, OPEC. A lot more from Donald Trump online.

KAYE: All right. Poppy Harlow, great to see you. Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: You got it.

KAYE: So, is another volatile week unfolding for world financial markets with the ongoing crises in the Middle East, North Africa and Japan taking new turns every hour? The one and only Richard Quest joins us to talk about all that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: How are international markets handling the ongoing crises in the Middle East, North Africa and Japan? CNN's foremost international business correspondent and anchor of "Quest Means Business" joins us now for more. Richard Quest.

Richard, it's been a wild couple of months from the uprising in Egypt, through the bombings in Libya this week. So how is all of this affecting the international markets?

RICHARD QUEST, ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": I think the core point that you always need to remember when you talk about markets is the ease. They hate uncertainty. They had fragility. And when you look at the moment at the events that have taken place, whether it's in Egypt, or in Tunisia, or whether it's what's happening now in Libya, they all create the absolute uncertainty that investors shy away from. Of course there are the contrarians that like to bet against every event that takes place.

For instance, in Japan, we've seen a dramatic reduction in stock values. The Nikkei has fallen very sharply. But, Randi, even that has now started to come back. It takes nerves of steel in this particular market. Volatility, Randi, is the order of the day.

KAYE: So, but a lot of people, of course, are wondering about the long-term effects if news in all of these regions continue.

QUEST: Yes. And they would be right to because, again, it's that uncertainty and fragility in your 401(k) plan gets hit, your IRAs get hit. Just about any form of investment you have gets hit. And that's the object in a game like this, is the wealth preservation.

But let's just take the price of oil, for example. I know, for example, at over $100 a barrel, oil is exceptionally volatile in the United States at the moment. Certainly with the price per gallon headed toward $4 a gallon and beyond.

And this graph shows exactly why this is a situation people are going to have to learn to live with. Even more so as the summer driving season comes along. Americans are going to have to expect to pay more at the pump or, at the very least, Randi, they won't be paying less. And that takes a toll on economic growth, on business, and on ordinary men and women driving.

KAYE: Yes, this is the time when certainly a lot of people are taking their summer vacations, so they're watching that graph that you just had up there very closely.

What about this talk of AT&T purchasing T-Mobile? Is that having an impact on the markets?

QUEST: You know, if I had a ship's bell and a whistle, I'd go make a loud noise. I mean that's exactly the sort of thing the market loves. I haven't got my normal "Quest Means Business" bell to ding for you. They loved it. Mergers, acquisitions, deals being done.

Why? Fees are being earned. Growth is being created. Think of it as a cake that is baking bigger and bigger. Of course there are some who may lose jobs. There will be problems on the way. But any time Wall Street sniffs a deal being made, to mix my metaphors, we're off to the races.

KAYE: Richard, only you can make a conversation about the international markets that much fun. Oh, there you go! You got it. All right, well that was fun and informative as well. Thank you, Richard. See you soon.

QUEST: Thank you.

KAYE: And be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern. And don't miss "Your Money" with Ali Velshi. That's Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.

Checking the time right now. Twenty-two minutes past the hour. Here's some other top stories.

A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in eastern Libya today. U.S. officials say it went down because of an equipment malfunction, not enemy fire. Officials say both crew members, a pilot and a weapons officer, ejected from the F-15 Strike Eagle and were rescued and are now safely out of Libya.

In Japan, workers have restored electricity to the control room of the number three reactor at that damage nuclear power plant. They sprayed water on the housing of reactor number three for about 50 minutes today and plan to spray reactor number four for several hours as well as they work to cool the nuclear fuel and restore electricity throughout the plant.

A huge fire broke out earlier today at the Egyptian Interior Ministry building in Cairo. It started after thousands of ministry workers and policemen staged a protest there to demand better working conditions. Protestors denied setting that fire.

More than $1 million per missile. The cost of operations over in Libya are piling up. But how much is the U.S. really expecting to spend? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

We have gotten plenty of comments on our blog about the U.S. involvement in Libya. And one common theme is the cost. So how much is the U.S. spending on Operation Odyssey Dawn? Let's bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.

Chris, good to see you. What do we know about the cost so far? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know it's high. That's for sure. And we know that right now it's getting paid for out of sort of this general fund, but that eventually it's going to take a bite out of the budget if this mission keeps going on for a sustainable amount of time.

Take a look at what we mean. In imposing a no-fly zone, it sounds simple, but take a look at the cost there. To impose just a limited no-fly zone, which is what the U.S. and its partners have done. So you're talking about just the northern part of the country, around from Benghazi to Tripoli, where even the cost of that is $30 million to $100 million a week.

Why does it cost so much? Well, take a look at what's involved. You're talking about an initial barrage of 24 to 48 hours of massive amounts of tomahawk missiles. To date, there's been about 160 of them fired. Well, those tomahawks, according to the U.N. Navy, with everything included, cost about $1.4 million each. So even if the U.S. didn't shoot them all -- we know the British shot some of them -- say the U.S. shot 130 of them, well, you'll still be talking about $182 million for the tomahawks that have been fired so far.

And when you look at what comes after the tomahawks, you're talking about fighter jets. B-2 bombers. Well, the cost of keeping just an F-15 in the air for an hour, all told, about $10,000 an hour. So when you see these stories about these sorties (ph) that are being flown with all of these planes flying for hours and hours, you can quickly see how you'd get up into the $50 million, $80 million, $100 million range -- Randi.

KAYE: So, but in term of all these costs, we've already paid for a lot of this, right, and then we have -- we'll have to pay for it later when we have to replace all of these missiles?

LAWRENCE: True. Like it's hard to put a price tag on say what it costs a ship to operate in the Mediterranean to perform this mission, because this ship would have been out there anyway. But certain things, like a tomahawk missile, well, the Navy usually buys a couple hundred a year. But if you're shooting off a couple hundred in just a matter of a week or two weeks, then those are going to have to get replenished at some point. So at some point down the line, if this goes on, you're going to have to see it be accounted for in the budget.

KAYE: All right, Chris Lawrence, thank you. Very interesting numbers. Big numbers. Thanks again.

This scene out of Cairo today. A peaceful protest but things got really heated at Egypt's interior ministry, as you can see there. The details about what exactly happened, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Here's a look at some stories developing right now in news you may have missed. The U.S. Military says an American fighter jet crashed in Libya today due to mechanical problems. You could see there, the burnt remains of the F-15. Both crew members ejected but were separated. The U.S. Military picked up the pilot while anti-Gadhafi forces picked up the weapons officer. They suffered minor injuries and are now safely back with the U.S. Military.

More unsettling details are surfacing in Japan as its nuclear crisis deepens. More smoke spewed from reactors two and three at Fukushima nuclear power plant. But the main concern today shifts now to reactors one and two.

Tokyo Electric's president says the damage to those two reactors is worse than they thought. Sea water pumped to cool the reactors has been corroding and damaging the components and repairs will take longer than they first thought.

On a positive note, though, technicians were able to restore power to the control room in reactor three, which has been a top priority for nuclear workers.

A dramatic scene in downtown Cairo. That is the Egyptian interior ministry building following a protest earlier today. You can see flames on the roof and massive plumes of smoke. People were seen running from the building. Just before the fire broke out, thousands of ministry employees were protesting for higher wages. Protestors deny starting that fire.

One of the greatest players in the NFL will now be known as a registered sex offender. Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty to charges related to sex with an underage prostitute last May. The NFL Hall of Fame linebacker was sentenced today to six years' probation and fined $2,000.

Another sports legend is in court, Barry Bonds. Federal prosecutors began laying out their case today against the baseball legend in San Francisco. Prosecutors say Bonds lied to a grand jury in 2003, when he said he did not know his trainer was giving him illegal steroids. Several former teammates are expected to testify against the home run king.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back from covering the disaster in Japan. What he thinks about the radiation threat, coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Nine thousand eighty people are now confirmed dead in Japan, more than 13,000 others are still missing, more than a week and a half after the earthquake and tsunami. And there are lingering concerns about radiation from the troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has just returned from covering the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's no question there's going to be concerns about radiation, Randi. And I will tell you, as much as we're talking about this today and over the last week, those concerns about radiation will be there for a long time to come. In part because of the huge amount of cleanup, the huge amount of concerns regarding contamination, specifically around the Fukushima plant. So this is something we've seen in the past, obviously, with Three Mile Island and also what happened in northern Ukraine around Chernobyl.

Now, the larger question and a question that we're starting to get a better answer about is the impact overall on human health. Certainly from direct exposure to radiation and also from potential contamination of food.

With regard to direct exposure, there have been a lot of levels measured around the Fukushima Daiichi plant. There's no question those levels are higher, much, much higher than normal in the immediate vicinity of the plant. But outside of the evacuation zone, the levels have not approached, at any time, a level high enough, according to measurements, to have an impact on human health. Even as far away as Tokyo, the levels have been 20 times normal, but still much lower than would cause any kind of impact on human health.

Larger concerns now this morning about food, specifically food such as vegetables like spinach where radioactive particles may be able to settle on spinach. We hear over 100 kilometers away there's been evidence of the particles on spinach and also in milk. Think of it like this, the grass that is eaten by cows, subsequently those cows make milk, radioactive iodine can be concentrated in the milk. We did see that after Chernobyl and those will be two persistent concerns.

But again, just how much of an impact on human health will that cause? That is unclear at this point. But as one person put it in terms of statistics, you'd have to eat spinach almost every day from one of these areas to essentially get the same amount of radiation equivalent in one CAT scan.

So, not trivial by any means but as far as impact on human health probably very, very small.

That's as things stand now, Randi. Could things get worse? Perhaps. It looks like things are getting better overall in terms of control at these nuclear reactors. But if the amount of radiation went up, if the dispersion went up, if more people were affected, obviously all of those health concerns would change.

But as things stand now, certainly in Japan, outside the evacuation zone and even more certainly across the ocean in the United States, the fears, concerns about radiation causing an impact on human health, very, very low.

Randi, back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All right Sanjay, thank you very much.

To find out how you can help victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, go to impact your world at CNN.com/impact. We have all the information there, in case you do want to help out.

Another U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda could be on the verge of civil war. The latest on the crisis in Yemen right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Forty minutes past the hour.

The small north African country of Yemen has played a key role in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda. But what's concerning Washington right now is that Yemen may be on the verge of civil war. That was the warning today from Yemen's longtime president.

It came after President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he would step down at the beginning of next year. The opposition's response was quick. Saleh has one option -- leave right now without delay. If he fails to do so, the opposition vowed to continue street demonstrations like this one today in the capital.

All of this comes after a number of high-level officials, including a senior military commander switched sides to the opposition. The defecting general has ordered his troops to protect demonstrators but there are growing signs of a dangerous split in the military. The defense minister says that the armed forces remain loyal to the president.

In Egypt today, trouble for a country that only recently enjoyed a mostly peaceful revolution. A huge fire broke out at the interior ministry building in downtown Cairo. It happened after a peaceful demonstration.

CNN's Ivan Watson joins us from Cairo.

Ivan, any word on how this fire started?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We just got off the phone, Randi, with the spokesman for the interior ministry. And he suggested that it may have been caused by an electrical malfunction on one of the top floors and that a lot of uniforms and pieces of furniture that were stored there are a part of the reason why the fire spread so quickly.

Kind of difficult to believe, he said the investigation should be wrapped up by tomorrow and they'll release some further information, but this is the second very suspicious blaze to hit the interior ministry here in just 30 days, Randi, and coming right after demonstrations right outside this interior ministry building.

KAYE: And Ivan, we talked a lot during the revolution and the protests there in Tahrir Square that you were covering. We talked a lot about this building. Tell us again why it's so significant and how it is related to the police force.

WATSON: Well, part of this revolution here was because Egypt was a police state and much of those law enforcement (INAUDIBLE) and secret police who had been so effective at breaking up dissent and peaceful opposition protests were managed out of the interior ministry, the headquarters of the police apparatus.

Now, when the famous images of the Tahrir Square protests began, there were also very close to Tahrir Square, demonstrators trying to get close to this interior ministry building, and they were routinely being shot at by some of the security forces that were still holed up inside.

We saw people getting pulled out with bullet wounds, with buckshot wounds, hour after hour, deadly clashes that were taking place there. And now we see this suspicious fire erupting right after thousands of police officers were holding what had been a peaceful but kind of an angry protest right outside the walls of the building. They were demanding higher wages, Randi.

KAYE: Are there important records in there that they might have wanted to destroy, that someone might have wanted to?

WATSON: Right next to the main headquarters there of this fortified building is the criminal records building, Randi. And when the first fire -- and I witnessed it about 30 days ago here -- there had been this other demonstration there of interior ministry employees and somebody tried to set fire to the front of the criminal records building.

And there was a lot of rumors afterwards that perhaps people inside were trying to burn some of the criminal records, some of the files left by this police state, perhaps to destroy incriminating evidence. We don't know what's behind that.

What is clear is this country is still politically far from stable about a month and a half after its longtime dictatorial president was overthrown.

KAYE: All right. Ivan Watson for us in Cairo. Ivan, thank you.

Forty-four minutes past the hour. Taking a look now at our top stories.

The U.S. military says an American war plane crashed in Libya today after experiencing equipment malfunction. The pilot and weapons officer ejected safely and both are now out of Libya. Officials say the F-15 Strike Eagle had flown to Libya from Aviano Air Base in Italy.

In Japan, workers succeeded in restoring power to the control room of one of the reactors at the earthquake-damaged nuclear plant. The next step is repair the water pumps that cool the reactors. Until that happens, workers must continue spraying water on the reactor building.

In Syria, anti-government protesters took to the streets again today. We're told these pictures show people who were injured in clashes with security forces over the weekend; we haven't been able to confirm this report. Protestors are demanding greater freedom and an end to corruption. The country has been under emergency laws for nearly 50 years.

Powering your car may soon be safer, cheaper, and even better for the environment. It is today's "Big I," coming up right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The disaster in Japan has refocused the world's attention on nuclear energy. Several hydrogen explosions have occurred at the nuclear power plant in northern Japan putting people at risk for radiation poisoning.

Normally, when we think of these hydrogen explosions we think of what you see there on your screen. Mixing hydrogen and oxygen together can be highly flammable, so while it's a great form of energy, it can also be very dangerous if it's not used properly.

But we do want to point out that most all of the energy used in this country can be dangerous, including the gasoline you even put in your car. So let's talk for a minute about how it's used when it's used correctly.

NASA uses hydrogen to power the space shuttle, the only byproduct of hydrogen power is water. Astronauts actually drink that byproduct.

Today, there are 300 vehicles on the road in this country powered by hydrogen.

So how do we fix the problem of the hydrogen/oxygen dangerous mix? Well, we have a possible solution in today's "Big I." The Department of Energy has made a huge breakthrough when it comes to transporting and storing the gas, and here to tell us about that is Jeff Urban, he works with the Department of Energy as a lead scientist at the Berkeley Lab. He has a title I will tell you as long as my arm, so Jeff, we're just going to call you a super smart guy, OK? That's your new title for today.

JEFF URBAN, LEAD SCIENTIST, BERKELEY LABS: Fair enough.

KAYE: First of all, Jeff, great to have you with us.

Tell us about this big breakthrough.

URBAN: Yes, this really came out of a big dilemma in the hydrogen storage community, which is how do you safely and densely hold on to a large quantity of hydrogen, something that you'd need to power a vehicle, you know, as you mentioned at the outset, but also do so in a way so that you can release the fuel when you want to on demand and in quantities that you'd like to.

So what we did is we basically engineered a material for which we could take advantage of the intrinsically faster kinetics of really small crystals, nanocrystals in this case, but by working with them in such a way that they're encased or embedded in a gas-selective polymer such that they can be dealt with very safely, just allowing the hydrogen to go in and out but protecting them from oxygen and water and other chemicals.

KAYE: So in really simple terms, terms that even, you know, I'll be able to understand here, because I'm not a scientist, what does it mean for the folks at home?

URBAN: What it means is I think we now have a strategy and there's a materials design plan to developing ways to safely and productively use hydrogen as a carrier for energy.

And I'm excited about it. I think it's a big advance because historically one has either only been able to hold on to a very small density of hydrogen, such that you couldn't really power a car for 300 miles, which is kind of the benchmark, or else you would really need to pump very high temperatures or very high pressures to release it, and that's just not practical for working on your everyday vehicles.

KAYE: And so when it comes to hydrogen myths, can you help us dispel some of them? I mean, how safe really is this energy?

URBAN: Well, I think you really nailed it at the outset.

So any energy carrier, any fuel has intrinsic dangers. Hydrogen, I'm excited about it, because it has a lot of potential benefits. You know, in contrast to gasoline, which we're all familiar with, hydrogen is intrinsically nontoxic and it doesn't pool on the ground, it doesn't accumulate in that way, it's 15 times less dense than air, and it has very clean byproducts.

As you mentioned, any of the sort of traditional fuels that we work with day to day, whether it's powering our car or even having a little butane lighter in our pocket, they have dangers that we really to a large degree don't think about anymore because we have great safety regulations in place. Probably the biggest dangers in cars nowadays is user error.

KAYE: All right, Jeff Urban, thank you for making it so easy. And we told everybody you were a super smart guy and it certainly sounds like it. So you proved us right.

URBAN: Thank you.

KAYE: All right, Jeff, good to see you, thanks.

To check out Jeff's research, head to Ali's blog, CNN.com/Ali. We'll also link you up to the Department of Energy's hydrogen info web site if you want to dig on this some more.

Whether you believe that global warming is a natural cycle of the planet or manmade, it's proving to be a problem for this lovely planet of ours. Well, this week, our special correspondent and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau and his team from CNN is heading to one of the coldest places on earth as part of a vital expedition, joining an elite group of scientists planning to conduct research into global warming.

Today is just day one. They are currently in Resolute Bay in the northern Canadian arctic. After a day of training, the expedition will make its way to the Catlin Arctic Survey Ice Survey Base where temperatures dip to a very chilly 40 degrees below zero.

Every year, scientists head to the ice base to conduct global warming research. Well, the ice base is about 675 nautical miles from the North Pole.

So to read Philippe Cousteau's compete day one blog, head to Ali's blog once again, CNN.com/Ali, and we'll also link you up to the Catlin Arctic Survey as well.

And check this out, this is something you really got to see, a human space shuttle. Two thousand workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida gathered in the parking lot to create that huge spacecraft you see there. This is time-lapse video of the creation, they didn't to it that fast. It was done in honor of the space program this past Friday. There are two final shuttle launches planned for the program, just two.

The weapons of war. Want to know what the U.S. is using in Operation Odyssey Dawn? We'll break down the big pieces coming your way next.

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KAYE: With our focus on the military operations in Libya and the U.S. involvement, we wanted to take a moment to talk about some of the weaponry being used in Operation Odyssey Dawn.

So let's start with the American F-15 Strike Eagle. This is it right here. It goes about 1875 miles per hour. It can fly at a low altitude day or night, really in any kind of weather.

Now, that is the plane that went down in Libya. Both crew members, as we've been telling you this afternoon, are safe.

And as you can see, the Strike Eagle flies at low attitudes, as I said, and works in all kinds of weather. It's also very well armed.

Next, let's talk about the Tomahawk Cruise missiles, lot of talk about those. You can see it's pretty fast traveling at 550 miles per hour. It's normally programmed on the ship before being fired.

The U.S. fired 20 of them into Libya in the last 18 or so hours. A total of 159 Tomahawks have been fired into Libya by the U.S. since the operation first began Saturday. It carries about 1,000 pounds of explosions. The missiles are being fired from American Navy ships in the Mediterranean, that includes the USS Barry. It's one of two guided missile destroyers there. Here is a look at it right here. It's about 500 feet long, 346,000 officers on board.

The U.S. also had three submarines in the Mediterranean firing cruise missiles, but one of them has since left the area.

Finally, let's show you and talk a bit about the USS Mt. Whitney. This is the command and control ship for the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet. Here you see it. The crew, about 700 or so, carries on board guns, rockets, all types of things.

And it is the command center for the coordinated operation going on right now. Liaisons from the other coalition partners are also on board. And the U.S. admiral, Samuel Locklear, is the coalition commander orchestrating Operation Odyssey Dawn from this very ship, the Mt. Whitney.