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Ground War in Libya; Radiation Fears in Tokyo; Actress Elizabeth Taylor Dies; President of Yemen Agrees to Presidential Elections Before End of Year; Protests in Syria Bring Violence; A Bomb is Set Off in Jerusalem

Aired March 23, 2011 - 14:59   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Randi Kaye, thank you.

We want to bring it back to Libya here. The focus of the Libyan war now shifting from the sky to the ground.

We're going to get to that in just a moment. But here, let's listen to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: -- to Yemen's current political situation. That includes genuine participation by all sides. And we are certainly making our views known on a regular and consistent basis, both publicly and privately.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, have you discussed with your Moroccan counterparts the reforms, constitutional reforms that were announced by the king recently as well as the decision a month ago of a national human rights body?

CLINTON: Yes, we discussed at some length. I expressed to the minister our appreciation for the king's actions. We think that the reforms that he is outlining hold great promise, first and foremost for the Moroccan people themselves, but also as a model for others in the region. Because as the minister said, what His Majesty King Mohammed VI is doing is economic reform, social reform, political reform.

And some countries are only going one direction, and there needs to be a comprehensive approach, which is exactly what has been proposed in Morocco.

Perhaps you'd like to add something, Minister?

TAIEB FASSI FIHRI, MOROCCAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Just to confirm that we discussed this matter.

(LAUGHTER)

And that we -- we have the same position.

(LAUGHTER)

I talk about two -- two legs to walk. Now maybe it's three legs.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: But the reason that I would just add that we're so encouraged is because the king has been making reforms over the last several years. And so we're already seeing the result of those reforms, and these additional announcement that he -- announcements that he has made will add to that.

So we're -- we're seeing exactly what the king had said he will do being enacted.

QUESTION: How about the reform he's done on human rights?

CLINTON: Well, the human rights council that has been announced I think is an excellent idea. We obviously want to see it come into effect. We want to see it in action. But it -- it fits very well with the full range of reforms that have been announced, and we think it will serve a very important purpose.

Thank you all.

FASSI FIHRI: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You have been listening to Secretary Clinton. We wanted to bring that up to you live. And forgive me as I reach for my printer. We wanted to bring that to you live because she's speaking specifically about Yemen.

And we have seen all kinds of very violent clashes on the streets of Yemen, and a lot of people are calling for the president, President Saleh, to step down.

We now know President Saleh has told the country the he will step down at the beginning of next year, so that's incredibly significant, but also significant, something that I just grabbed off the printer here -- this is the statement that CNN has just gotten from the office of the president of the Republic of Yemen.

And I just want to run down these first five items that he has apparently accepted. Number one, he has accepted the fact that they will form a government of national unity that would be responsible for the formation of a national committee to draft a new constitution for the country.

Number two, drafting a new electoral law and a referendum on the basis of existing comparative advantages. Number three, formation of a new supreme committee for elections and referendum. And four and five, create referendum on a new constitution, holding of parliamentary elections with the new council of representatives-elect forming a government and electing a new president here, buried in number five, before the end of the year 2011.

We will speak a little bit more about this with the former ambassador to Yemen a little later on in the show and also to Mohammed Jamjoom, who has very much so covered what's happening here in the recent weeks in Yemen.

But I want to talk Libya now and the focus in this Libyan war shifting from the sky to the ground. A no-fly zone is in place along the entire coast of Libya. And it appears to be working. Libyan air force planes have not been spotted in the skies.

But now the coalition is hammering Libyan ground troops who are threatening cities held by rebels, but Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi not at all showing any signs of backing down. In fact, he appeared in public for the very first time since Sunday, and you could call this vintage Gadhafi. He is as defiant as ever. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN LEADER (through translator): We will be victorious in this fight. We will not give up.

They will not terrorize us. We are making fun of their rockets. The Libyans are laughing at these rockets. We will defeat them in any way, by any method.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, in a U.S. military briefing just a couple of hours ago, we were told that there was no indication Gadhafi's forces are moving away from either Misrata or Ajdabiya.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in the capital city of Tripoli.

And, Nic, tell me what you have been seeing there in the last 24 hours and also how Gadhafi's defiance, if at all, has changed some of the forces within -- within the capital city.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the things we have seen really that reflects the fact that this no-fly zone seems to be fully in place is overnight last night, just before dawn this morning, we heard what sounded like jet aircraft flying overhead and then several loud explosions.

So, it does give the impression that the coalition can fly and can target locations in and around this city effectively, it would seem, almost with impunity right now.

Ajdabiya in the east of the country is a red line for Gadhafi. As government officials have said, they want to hold on to that city. And it does appear somewhere that they're not moving their forces out of, that they will keep them inside the city, and the same as Misrata. The impression from there is that although a couple of coalition strikes overnight diminished the fighting there (AUDIO GAP) people in the city to get out to the stores for the first time in seven days, according to an opposition spokesperson in the city, Gadhafi's forces are inside the city.

So I think what we're going to see is that now that the airspace is dominated and that they can perhaps, coalition forces can perhaps get better visibility on Gadhafi's forces inside Misrata and inside Ajdabiya, it perhaps means that we can expect to see those forces being targeted on the ground.

That may have an impact on Gadhafi and whether he's willing to sort of go for a real cease-fire, as he says is on at the moment. But so far, in terms of the leadership and in terms of the military around Gadhafi and the capital, Tripoli, we're not seeing any cracks appear, so far at least, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, I know we were talking about that yesterday. And you said no cracks yesterday, no cracks today. And I know you have seen a lot of people waving the green flags, many loyalists in public. But I imagine, and you tell me, in terms of the people you have been speaking to off camera, does their story change when the camera is not on?

ROBERTSON: Well, it's very interesting.

Just a few hours ago, I was contacted by a group of people who say that they're in the city here in Tripoli. And I can't verify this, but they say they're in Tripoli, and they say that they're having organizations and meetings to discuss what to do after Gadhafi goes, because people are concerned that once he goes, then his sort of iron- grip authority and law here, that lawlessness will break out in the city, that there will be definite tribal elements, different vested interests trying to take advantage and control in different areas.

And because they're concerned about that, they say that they're having meetings right now, and they had the first one today, to try to organize about what -- what to do about -- ready to have humanitarian supplies, about how to organize security in communities.

So, this is a group that we can't verify that they're doing this, but they do say that they are working on it. And they also say that, while they're in opposition to the government, they are worried about where the violence might go to if there is further violence across the country, how it's going to spiral out.

There's a lot of people here who want to see change, but they do want to see it in sort of a peaceful and controlled way.

BALDWIN: Peaceful and controlled, but it definitely indicates they are thinking ahead, thinking beyond, if you will. Nic Robertson there live in Tripoli, Nic, my thanks to you.

And coming up next here, Gadhafi's planes -- Nic had alluded to this -- they haven't flown in about 24 hours now, but how crippled are his forces really? We are going to have a closer look there.

Also, radiation gets into tap water in Tokyo. But how worried should people there really be? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, I know you know that the president has been in South America for the past couple of days, but he has now cut his Latin America trip short to return to Washington. Air Force One has just taken off from El Salvador. And in an exclusive interview with CNN, the president said the coalition airstrikes on Libya's military have already saved lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Gadhafi had turned his troops on his people and said that they should go into Benghazi, a city of 700,000 people, and show no mercy. And because the international community rallied, his troops have now pulled back from Benghazi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Also need to tell you that Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Cairo today. You know the geography, folks. That's right next to Libya. This is Gates' first trip to the region since the coalition started striking Libya's military. Of course he was asked about the possibility of negotiating with Moammar Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Gadhafi has basically sworn that he will show no mercy to anybody who has been in opposition. That's not exactly an invitation to negotiate.

It seems to me that if there is a mediation to be done, it is -- if there is a role to be played, it is among the Libyans themselves. This matter, at the end of the day, is going to have to be settled by Libyans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Settled by Libyans. But the coalition does appear to be making pretty rapid progress right now in Libya.

I want to bring in Chris Lawrence live there at the Pentagon.

And, Chris, is it safe to say now that the no-fly zone is firmly in place?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

From the word we were getting just a couple hours ago, Brooke, they feel it is now firmly in place. If you take a look at this map, we can show you exactly how this has progressed over the last, say, 48 hours or so. About 48 hours ago, from what we were able to determine, the no-fly zone was mostly around the area of Benghazi and to the east of that.

But in the last 24, 36 hours, that has now been extended. And if you take a look at this other map, you can see now where sort of the no- fly zone has been extended, in the coalition commander's words, from tip to tip, from Benghazi all the way to Tripoli along that northern coast -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: And, you know, Chris, we had spoken about this yesterday, but what's the status update 24 hours later with regard to the status of Gadhafi's air force?

LAWRENCE: Yes, Brooke, coming into this, he had about 30 surface-to- air missile sites. Those were the targets of that initial barrage of Tomahawk missiles that were fired that took out most of those, as well as targeting a lot of his early-warning radar sites.

His air forces have not flown. Now, the U.S. -- that F-15 that went down yesterday, the U.S. says it was a mechanical failure from the beginning. Gadhafi's forces have claimed they shot it down.

But what's believed to still remain are some mobile surface-to-air batteries. And coalition commanders have said they're not necessarily really targeting those because there are so many of them, they're so mobile, and so they're only taken out as the situation warrants.

BALDWIN: OK. Chris Lawrence live for me at the Pentagon, Chris, thanks to you.

And with Gadhafi's air force unable to fly, as Chris just mentioned, and coalition planes patrolling the Libyan skies, is the coalition any closer to handing over command oft operation in Libya?

Foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is live there in Paris.

And-, Jill, first, I know you're getting some more specific details today about public opinion of this military action in Libya. What are you hearing?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brooke, it's interesting.

We have been looking at some polls. And there's a new poll that -- a French poll that just came out, and it is by Ifop, which is -- did it for the "France Soir" newspaper, and it shows a lot of support actually among French people.

Here's what they're saying. When they did a poll before military action -- that was on March 3 and 4 -- 36 percent supported and 63 percent opposed military action. But after that military action started, 66 percent support it and 34 percent oppose it. In other words, it almost completely flipped.

We talked with one man here on the streets in Paris, and here's how he explained what French people think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When there is a revolution somewhere, when a dictator tries to kill his people, France had to do something. It's a tradition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So, now, if you look at Americans and what they think, there are a few polls out there, a Gallup poll on Wednesday showing 47 percent of Americans supporting it and 37 percent against action in -- the U.N. action in Libya. So, that's a little bit less support.

But you do have a CNN poll from Monday which shows 70 percent -- well, seven in 10 supporting the no-fly zone. So, looking at all of these polls -- and they do vary somewhat, Brooke -- I think you would have to say, as long as it's being described as humanitarian, to rescue people and save them from being attacked by Gadhafi, people tend to support it.

And, interestingly, in France and the United States, it doesn't really make any difference whether you're a Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative. They're pretty much on board in the same way.

BALDWIN: That's interesting to see sort of how the French then would compare to Americans in terms of opinion.

But I have to go back to something we have been talking about, Jill, and that is who will emerge as the leader of this operation going forward. You know, and most specifically here, what role have you learned would NATO possibly play? We know France, where you are, they have said NATO should not have a commanding role, because that would be opposed by the Arab states.

So, what are you learning today?

DOUGHERTY: Right.

But, you know, there is a lot of movement on that now. Just today, the British are saying that -- remember, we were talking about the political like committee that would help to lead this.

BALDWIN: Yes.

DOUGHERTY: They are having a meeting of those foreign ministers coming up in London, so that's progress ton that side. It's a little unclear yet whether NATO can actually specifically define what it would do.

And so we're going to watch that very carefully. There may be some news on that. But when you talk generally, it sounds OK. But when it gets into specifics, that's the question.

BALDWIN: And the specifics in this case it seems very much so matter. Jill Dougherty live in Paris, Jill, thank you.

Coming up, we're not going too far from Libya, but I do want to talk Japan and radiation in Tokyo's tap water now. And it's too much for infants. But what does that really mean and how are people in Tokyo coping with that?

Also, for the very first time, we are hearing from those nuclear plant workers. They're the ones who have been working around the clock trying to prevent some sort of a nuclear catastrophe. What are they saying? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK. Here's the latest. This is what you need to know out of Japan now.

Radioactive iodine has now turned up in Tokyo. And a government official is saying it's clear beyond a doubt that it came from Fukushima, Fukushima the scene of a nuclear crisis that's now in its 12th day.

Fukushima to Tokyo, if you look at the map here, it is 150 miles. And, by the way, the population of Tokyo is about 12 million people. So that is obviously the bad news here today. We're going to talk a little bit more about that later. But I want to hone back in on this, iodine-131. The government says the levels are low.

For more, here's CNN's Paula Hancocks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a call for calm that's not necessarily being heeded in Tokyo this Wednesday. The chief cabinet secretary has asked the residents of Tokyo not to hoard bottle water.

Now, this comes after there was a warning not to give infants tap water here in Tokyo and also not to use tap water when it comes to making baby formula. This is after officials found that there was radioactive iodine in the tap water in Tokyo more than 240 kilometers or 150 miles south of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

And the levels of this iodine were at least double the safety limit for infants. Now, there has been a run on water. We know that many shops have sold out of bottled water, as people have been panic- buying. Supermarkets say that they will be replenished on Thursday. They will get more supplies.

But one shop did tell us that they're going to start rationing the water, giving just one bottle of water to each person that queues up. As for food contamination, we understand on Wednesday that the government has restricted even more food movement -- 11 types of vegetables have been found with high radioactive levels within them. They have been banned from being exported, from being sold.

And we understand the United States has also put restrictions in place of its own, and this is for goods that are being grown in and around the Fukushima prefecture.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Paula, thank you.

So I want to get back to the atomic radiation issue in Tokyo from the nuclear plant at Fukushima Daiichi. Now, today, four of the six reactors there remain in states of danger. But I want you to take a look at something first here.

What you're looking at is reactor number three. This is the control room. And, look, do you notice something? The lights are back on. The next important step here is to get the gauges working. So lights on, that's a good sign. Not so good, this, the smoke. We're still talking here about reactor number three; this is the one whose fuel contains a mix of plutonium, black smoke number three for the second time in two days.

Now, they had to rush the workers out and they canceled a test of the unit's cooling system. They're hoping to get the system up and going again now that the power has been reestablished. And that, of course, could turn out to be crucial there.

Now to the situation today at reactor number one. Now, NHK is reporting that the unit's temperature surged to something like 400 degrees Celsius. So we did a little math. That's 752 degrees Fahrenheit. They had to double the volume of the water to the unit just to try to get that temperature back down.

So units one through four still unstable, still getting water to try to keep some of those storage pools, the spent fuel rods cool. And just so you know, units five and six, they're are off to the side, not even showing them in the picture. Authorities say they're at least now under control.

But before we move on here, we have talked a lot about those brave plant workers. And look at this. These are the first pictures we have seen of some of these folks who have been in there battling, battling away, potentially risking their own lives to prevent some sort of catastrophe.

Here is another shot. We just have gotten this, the workers involved in the crucial effort being scanned for radiation. A couple of workers spoke. Here is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It had settled down quite a lot compared to the beginning and we could even begin to see a bright hope that maybe it would somehow work out in a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are constantly switching over all the time, since the work cannot be stopped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Seem pretty calm. Again, radioactive iodine from the plant at Fukushima has turned up now in Tokyo. And we will talk a little more about that later.

An unattended bag blows up at a busy bus stop in Jerusalem. We will take you there live and tell you where the death toll now stands.

Also, this: an emotional, emotional moment caught on camera. These are tears of joy from a wife who just found out her husband is still alive. He was one of those four missing journalists in Libya. We will tell you her story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: I want to bring in former Senator John Warner of Virginia, joining me now on the phone as we speak today about Elizabeth Taylor.

Senator Warner, it's good to speak with you. It's been a while. I actually interviewed you way back in the day out of Charlottesville, Virginia. And I want to speak with you about Elizabeth Taylor.

How did you two meet?

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: Well, first, I want to express my gratefulness on behalf of the children, my children, and others for the condolences that have been sent to our family.

BALDWIN: Of course.

WARNER: How did we meet?

BALDWIN: Yes, sir.

WARNER: Well, I can remember it very well.

I was chairman of the federal effort of the nation's bicentennial. And in July of 1976, the queen made a visit to the United States, and I was invited to escort her, at the request of Her Majesty's staff, to the small dinner party given at the British Embassy.

I say small, but President Ford was there, Vice President Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger. It was quite a party. And we met. And then a week or so later, she said she'd like to come down to see my farms and ride a horse, and that was the beginning.

BALDWIN: If I may be so bold, sir, who courted whom?

WARNER: That I can't remember.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: You really can't?

(CROSSTALK)

WARNER: No. You know, this is a serious day. And we were always friends.

She was my partner in laying a foundation for my Senate campaigns and serving in the Senate for 30 years.

BALDWIN: Mm-hmm.

WARNER: She loved the state of Virginia, which I represented, and -- because it reminded her so much of her British heritage.

BALDWIN: How did she feel about politics? How did she feel about Washington?

WARNER: Well, she liked it, but the problems were that any member of Congress or parliamentarian in England, the hours were erratic. We couldn't make plans. She said, listen, you stay where you are, and I'll go back and forth, and I'll go back on Broadway. So she did.

So we never had any harsh feelings towards us but eventually we decided we'd just remain friends and parted ways and remained friends to the end.

BALDWIN: As we look at her pictures, her eyes, Larry King was describing them as violet, not blue. She's stunning, a humanitarian. What will you remember most?

WARNER: Well, I tell you, I will remember her as a woman whose heart and soul were as beautiful as her classic face and her majestic eyes. That's about all I have to say, and I thank you for this opportunity.

BALDWIN: "Her majestic eyes." Senator Warner, thank you.

WARNER: I say that with a deep sense of humility and gratitude. Goodbye.

BALDWIN: I thank you so much for calling in. And CNN Newsroom will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to continue our coverable here of Elizabeth Taylor surrounded by her family in Los Angeles today. The world lost an iconic actress and entrepreneur, not to mention humanitarian. Elizabeth Taylor died at the age of 79.

And looking back at her career, you know she was the winner of not just one but two best actress Oscars and a Golden Globe. This is the cover of "TIME" magazine in 1949. She also won a Golden Globe. She will be remembered for many, many things, senator warner just mentioned her majestic eyes. Many others will remember her devotion to charity and fight against HIV/AIDS.

Also they'll remember her loyalty to friend Michael Jackson during his trying times. It might have seemed like an odd friendship to many but meant so much to them.

The memory of this Hollywood legend will be preserved in numerous iconic films, such as "Butterfield 8," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "National Velvet," and "Cleopatra."

Ben Mankiewicz, host of "Turner Classic Movies" joins me now with what he's thinking about the news today. Ben, let me first begin, when you hear the name Elizabeth Taylor, what's the first thing that pops into your mind?

BEN MANKIEWICZ, HOST, "TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES": I think quite possibly the greatest movie star of all time. I don't think that's saying too much.

BALDWIN: I mentioned "National Velvet," her breakout role. She was only 12. She grew older, had many, many other roles. What do you think was her big breakout role?

MANKIEWICZ: Well, her big breakout role -- first of all, you could argue it's "National Velvet" and "Lassie Comes Home" before that. But she wasn't given a lot of serious work as a grown-up actress until the middle '50s. Then you get films like "Giant" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Braintree County."

Then finally she gets that best actress Oscar with "Butterfield 8." then you mentioned "Cleopatra," the first actress to be paid $1 million. When you factor in overtime and how much that movie ran over-budget, she made about $2 million off of that, which I think is about $1 billion today.

BALDWIN: I was reading something you said, Ben, that she was so beautiful and we're reminded as we look at these pictures, you said maybe she was too beautiful to be taken seriously until "Cleopatra" happened. That really changed the game.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes. Well, "Cleopatra" changed the game but she was already a best actress Oscar winner and already a really big movie star. When I said that, I'm just quoting directors who said that the presumption is you see someone this beautiful that she can't possibly be that talented.

I think there was a great deal of complication to Elizabeth Taylor that we don't usually get from stars. We don't like our movie stars to be complicated. But here was this woman who steals Debbie Reynolds' husband Eddie Fisher and the country hates her. Then just about a year later she's all of a sudden nominated for a best actress Oscar and everyone is rooting for her because of her resilience of coming back from a near-death experience. She was hard to read and hard to figure out. I think that really makes her unlike any other star.

BALDWIN: And, you know, you mentioned the word "complicated," and you talk about her life off screen, we mentioned her charity work, advocacy for HIV/AIDS. I think of diamonds, married eight times to seven men, Richard Burton twice. I want to read you something Gene Seymour more wrote, no leading lead actress, not even Angelina Jolie can claim to have an off-screen life as riveting, tumultuous and entertaining." He really goes on really calling her the last star. What do you make of that?

MANKIEWICZ: I think that's right. I think that the sort of dichotomy of Elizabeth Taylor is what's most striking about her. We saw in her the flaws and strengths that we see in family members and our friends and not just the way we look at movie stars. Vincent Canby, the great late film critic from the "New York Times" said that Elizabeth Taylor to him more than anyone else represented all that movies are. She represented them as an art and as an industry. And I think that also sums it up pretty well.

BALDWIN: Art and industry, and perhaps for all of us just a tad relatable. I don't know about her beauty, but a tad relatable.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes. She was a marketable star and a great actress. Everyone saw that. I really don't think there will ever be anyone like her and I don't think there was anyone like her then either.

BALDWIN: Ben Mankiewicz, thank you.

And coming up tonight, we'll have a special "Piers Morgan Tonight," paying special tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. There's a special hosted by Larry king, good friend of Elizabeth Taylor. He'll be hosting tonight, 9:00 eastern.

Now watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My life has been like a yo-yo. I have been up and down so many times. We must give our love and affection to those who are in need, and we must give of our time and our money for the benefit of humanity. One call I want to take personally and immediately.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why, mother, your Sunday chapel dress.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, that's most attractive. You like it? Good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will never be free of you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It has been four years now since the last bomb attack in Jerusalem, four years in fact until today. A bomb went off today around the start of the evening rush hour. One person was killed, more than 50 injured, several critically.

Now, the blast happened near the central bus station and a number of the victims were actually passengers on the bus. Authorities say the bomb was packed in a bag.

Live now in Jerusalem is CNN's Kevin Flower. Kevin, let me ask you about the people there in Jerusalem. What are they making of the bombing, especially as I mentioned since it comes after relative quiet for four years?

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Brooke, it was sort of a disturbing deja vu for Jerusalem residents. The image of a bus that seems -- the initial images that look like the bus that exploded or just an explosion near a bus reminds lots of Israelis of the suicide bombing attacks of the second Palestinian intifada about a decade ago.

So those are the thoughts that went through people's minds here when they first heard the news or those people walking by. So a lot of fear, a lot of trepidation initially from Israelis about what this means for the future here in Israel.

And so the Israeli prime minister, who is scheduled to leave for a trip to Moscow today, postponed his trip for a few hours, and he spoke to reporters before getting on the plane, and he pledged that Israel would act decisively, responsibly and intelligently to keep the calm and security that the country has enjoyed relatively speaking, for a number of years and warned any would be attackers going forward that the government will show a "will of iron" to protect its country and its citizens.

Now, other Israeli officials have gone further and actually blamed Palestinians for this attack. There have been no claims of responsibility and police have not arrested anybody yet. We should make it clear that the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned this attack, calling it disgraceful.

BALDWIN: You mentioned nobody has come forward to claim responsibility, but we do know that the Israelis yesterday carried out an air strike in Gaza. At least four people were killed there. I imagine it's probably too early, but I've got to ask, is there any suggestion that these two events could be linked?

FLOWER: Well, that is the question that a lot of people are asking here. And you're right, it's set against this backdrop of escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians in and around the Gaza Strip. So just since Saturday we've seen 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes for missiles and rockets that have been sent over to Israel. So it comes within an environment of increased violence, and that has a lot of people worried here that perhaps there's more down the road, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Kevin Flower, thank you for the latest there.

And it's getting even more violent in several countries across the Middle East today. You see the protestors clashing with government forces in Yemen, in Bahrain, and in Syria. Coming up, I'll speak with a former ambassador to Yemen about what's happening there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Yemen's embattled president Ali Abdul Saleh is clinging to power after the defections and resignations of some members of his inner circle, but are there signs today a possible compromise with protestors who he demands to leave immediately?

His office says "Saleh is committed to reaching a settlement with the JMP," which is an acronym for the Joint Meeting Parties, "to prevent any future bloodshed of the Yemeni people." So he has accepted five points which have been submitted by the opposition party, some of which include the formation of a government of national unity, forming a national committee to draft a new constitution, and perhaps most importantly holding elections to get a new president in office before the end of the year. That's the fifth and final point.

Now, tens of thousands of anti-government protestors have been crowding the streets in the capital of Sana'a cheering the exits of dozens of military officials, diplomats and government official. Arab TV network Al Jazeera says overnight the Yemen government pulled the plug on its reporting. The government says the network favors the demonstrators. Barbara Bodine is the former ambassador to Yemen in Washington. Barbara, let's talk about the five points I spoke about at the top of the show. You've taken a look at these. What's the most significant, looking at these, what's most significant, the date at the end of the year?

BARBARA BODINE, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO YEMEN: The most significant is the date at the end of the year. They've been negotiating a number of points, but the sticking point has always been when would his term end. Constitutionally, it would be 2013. He then offered 2012. We're now down to 2011, the end of this year. So that is a very significant change.

BALDWIN: That's a significant change. Also, though, we know that President Saleh has been a key, key ally for Washington in the fight against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Secretary Gates warned that instability could lead to diversion of attention from fighting AQAP. When, not if, anymore, when Saleh steps down, how would his absence undermine U.S. counter terrorism efforts?

BODINE: I think it's important to point out that the security vacuum already exists. With the demonstrations that have been going on, with the diversion of forces, with the preoccupation by the government officials, we already have the vacuum that Al Qaeda can exploit.

And so, to the extent that a negotiated agreement on some kind of transfer, elections, new constitution and all of the rest, to the extent that that process can begin, we will work with whoever the Yemeni people will select. We're not going to be backing any particular candidate.

BALDWIN: Barbara, you mentioned, the vacuum that already exists, would you worry at all that that vacuum could worsen with Saleh's absence or is there a clear number two which you wouldn't worry as much about AQAP?

BODINE: There isn't a clear number two. There is no clear successor. We should be very careful not to try to put the template of Egypt on this. The military is not going to take over. It is very divided, and it's not a successor organization. So there isn't a clear successor, or even successor group.

BALDWIN: We know that in exchange for President Saleh's counter terrorism operation the U.S. has given Yemen several hundred million dollars of U.S. security, humanitarian assistance. When Saleh leave, if perhaps among those in Yemen, this is not a priority for them immediately, then what?

BODINE: I think first of all, let's put the security assistance in perspective. We're talking about a couple hundred million dollars, if you look at a number of other of our allies around the region, most of our assistants is in the high six figures if not into the billions. Some of that is economic assistance.

What I think we will need to do with the new government, transition government and new government is sit down with them and work through what are the priorities, how can we help? Most people in Yemen do see AQAP as a threat to them and a threat to their own future.

BALDWIN: They do?

BODINE: Yes. So it's going to be a question of priorities and emphasis.

BALDWIN: OK, former ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine, thank you so much.

And when we come back we are going to take you back to Syria where we get reported that injured protests don't want to go to the hospital because some who did go, have disappeared. That is next.

And then did you know there is a nuclear power plant just outside of New York City? Also it sits next to a fault line. How prepared is it for an earthquake or any kind of catastrophe. We have an exclusive look inside. Stay here.

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BALDWIN: I want to begin with Mohammad Jamjoom in Abu Dhabi. Mohammad, I want to begin with Syria. I just said, it, 15 dead. What is happening there?

MOHAMMAD JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, we have reports from eyewitnesses and activists earlier today. Earlier they told us security forces opened fire on demonstrators outside of a mosque there and that six people were killed as a result.

BALDWIN: This is certainly disconcerting to neighbors right around Syria, but what about the U.S.? Why is Syria important to the United States?

JAMJOOM: The quickest way to break this down, Syria is a key regional player, Syria very closely tied to Lebanon, also very closely allied with Iran. Even though the U.S. accuses Syria of being a state-backed sponsor of terrorism and terrorist groups, none the less, the relations between the west and Syria have warmed after years of isolation of Syria because of the groups they backed.

What the U.S. knows is there will be no comprehensive Middle East peace unless Syria is a factor. And that's why the U.S. is worried, what would happen if the president is forced to leave, nobody knows at this point.

BALDWIN: Let's switch to Bahrain. Why is it the foreign minister is now worried about these divisions between religious communities? What's the story there?

JAMJOOM: Bahrain is a country that has a Sunni government but is 70 percent Shiite, the population. And that's been so much of the tension the past few weeks. So many Shiite protestors out in the streets, they feel oppressed. They feel the government doesn't give them a fair shake, that they don't have as much economic opportunity as the Sunnis in that country. Nonetheless, the government claims that's not the case, but they understand there's tension. Now, what really ratcheted up the tension in the past week is the fact that you had forces from Gulf cooperation council countries like Saudi Arabia come into Bahrain to help the Bahraini government against the protestors and to protect Bahraini installations.

hese are Sunni forces, forces from Sunni countries going into a Shiite-majority country.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

JAMJOOM: The opposition there, the protesters, they saw that as being like a declaration of war against them. It ratcheted up attention -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Mohammed Jamjoom watching all the developments there from Syria to Bahrain -- Mohammed, thank you.