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Pressure On Pakistan; Tornado Telethon to Help Victims; Carter On Bin Laden's Death; White House Will Not Release Photos of Bin Laden; Identifying a Terrorist; A Look at Facial Recognition Software

Aired May 04, 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: The White House had said that three men and one woman had been killed.

Bin Laden also had about $745 in cash. And two telephone numbers sewn into his clothing when he was killed.

In another development, the U.S. is demanding Pakistan explain what it knew and what it did not know about Bin Laden's location. CIA director Leon Panetta minced no words in a closed briefing on Capitol Hill telling lawmakers that either they, Pakistan, were involved or incompetent. Neither place is a good place to be.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official has reacted angrily to Panetta and other U.S. officials who have asserted that Pakistan's leaders must have known about Bin Laden's whereabouts. He says, quote, "What worse statement can come than that we heard from Panetta? I'm afraid this statement is totally regrettable."

At the White House and on Capitol Hill, a growing dispute over whether the photos of Bin Laden's body should be made public.

As the president prepares to meet with 9/11 families at ground zero tomorrow, the administration is also facing pressure from some lawmakers to reexamine the long relationship with Pakistan. For more on this, we turn to Brianna Keilar at the White House.

Brianna, the CIA director Leon Panetta saying that the Bin Laden photo will be released. Are you getting any confirmation on that?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He said he thinks it will be released, Randi, and the final decision will come down to the White House. And what we can tell is that there doesn't appear to be consensus in the administration, at this point, about releasing the photo of a dead Osama Bin Laden.

There's also differing opinions about this on Capitol Hill and it isn't even falling along party lines. You have some people who say, we have these photos, we should release them, this is visual proof that Osama Bin Laden is dead, and then you have others who say, there are others who say there are people out there who the DNA evidence isn't enough for and these photos aren't going to be enough for them. Releasing them could be inflammatory, it could insight Muslim extremists, and it could put troops overseas in danger. We're hoping to learn a little more and to press White House press secretary Jay Carney here in the next hour at the briefing at 2:00 -- Randi.

KAYE: And Brianna, in terms of what the administration is actually doing to try and figure out what Pakistan knew and didn't know about Bin Laden's location, what have you been able to find out?

KEILAR: No, we don't know the answer to that specifically, what did they know, what don't they know right now. A lot of questions have been raised, Here at the White House, as well as from lawmakers, how is it possible that Osama Bin Laden was hiding out for years, not far from the capital of Pakistan, a mile or so from what is the Pakistani equivalent of west point. And it's really drawing a lot of questions out about what kind of relationship should the U.S. have with Pakistan? We're hearing some really kind of nuance points of views about this.

Jay Carney was asked yesterday, the White House press secretary was asked, should the U.S. not trust Pakistan? And he said it's not a question of trust, it's a question of shared interest. He said the relationship is complicated, yes, we have our differences.

And we've also heard as well from lawmakers, like Lindsay graham of South Carolina, that you can't abandon Pakistan, even if they have serious objections to this thought that Pakistan is either, in the words of Leon Panetta, incompetent or knew something about Osama Bin Laden being at that compound.

KAYE: All right. Brianna Keilar at the White House for us. Brianna, thank you.

Well, there have been a lot of facts and fiction spread since the news broke on Bin Laden's death Sunday night, but one detail is a fact, the Al Qaeda leader's million-dollar compound was in Pakistan. Just half a mile from a military academy, and in a town roaming with retired ex- military officers.

Pakistan has been an ally in America's fight against terror, losing lives and military and police operations since 9/11, but there is a growing debate, as we were just talking about, as to whether Pakistan authorities did or did not know Bin Laden was living right under their noses, in plain sight. Jon Stewart summed up those feels last night like only Jon Stewart can, and it is today's "Sound Effect."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": The nagging question in my mind concerns Pakistan. A country whose suburb of Abbottabad has been a home to Bin Laden for apparently the last six years. And you know, Pakistan, of course, was last year's honored recipient of the United States $3.2 billion be our friend please scholarship, awarded each year -- awarded each year to the country that if we didn't give them $3.2 billion would in no way be our friend. I was reminded of an interview that Pakistan's prime minister did last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Osama Bin Laden is not in Pakistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you know for sure he's not in Pakistan? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of military actions are very successful. If there would have been any chance, he would have been arrested.

STEWART: Oh, really? Would have been arrested? Your military -- your military actions were successful, you would have gotten him. You know, not only was there a chance that Bin Laden had been living in Pakistan for six years, he was living a half a mile from Pakistan's version of West Point in a town surrounded by retired ex-military officers. A half mile. Put that in New York City terms, Bin Laden was on 21st and 7th Avenue. They were on 21st and 9th Avenue. If the Pakistani military academy were dominos, they would have delivered to Bin Laden on foot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Just a little levity in all of this for you.

As we mentioned, Pakistan is reacting strongly to U.S. assertions that the government must have had some indication of Bin Laden's whereabouts. Pakistani intelligence officials also say they've questioned some of the people left behind after the U.S. raid, including Bin Laden's daughter. Nic Robertson joins us from Abbottabad, the sight of Bin Laden's compound. Nic, what are you hearing today from the Pakistanis?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pakistani intelligence sources -- senior source says that Bin Laden's daughter, who they say is aged between 12 and 13, saw her father being shot by the Navy SEALs as they approached him in the upstairs room in that compound.

They're also saying that they are treating some of the wounded from that compound, which according to U.S. officials would be Bin Laden's wife, who was shot in the leg, when she was in the same room where Osama Bin Laden, when the SEALs approached him. According to Pakistani officials, she is getting good treatment. They say that she is a 27-year-old Yemeni woman. And they also say that they also have in custody eight to nine children, who were taken from that compound.

The Pakistani intelligence source also says that four men were killed in the compound along with Bin Laden, one of his sons, two brothers who were inside the compound at the time, believed to be living there, and one other unknown man. That's according to Pakistani intelligence sources -- Randi.

KAYE: And Nic, you've covered this region for quite some time. Do you get the sense that those in Pakistan, at least Pakistani authorities, are also feeling the heat? Do they realize that the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan is a bit rocky right now?

ROBERTSON: They absolutely feel it. They've been very embittered over what's happened over this year. The relationship between the CIA and the ISI, Pakistani intelligence services has really eroded massively, more significantly than in the past, over the CIA contractor who killed two Pakistani individuals, was arrested and then released. That really eroded the trust. But both sides know there's a lot at stake here. Pakistan needs the United States in many ways. The United States needs Pakistan to get the Taliban to the negotiating table in Afghanistan, to get to negotiate a settlement there, to help United States forces to leave Afghanistan, to help bring stability there.

And on the streets here, there's mixed feelings. There's mistrust with their own government. Some people don't believe Bin Laden was ever in the compound, ever killed, they believe that this is just a story put out by the United States and by their own government here.

There are many other people here who say, look, Bin Laden could got a -- could have got away living here almost in plain sight because in this city, there's a lot of people that come and go. And there are a lot -- and people wouldn't necessarily pry into other people's compounds. So, there's a lot at stake for the government. And there's a lot of anxiety in the people here that this story will just move on and won't cause them any further problems.

KAYE: I'm sure. Nic Robertson for us in Pakistan. Nic, thank you.

As we follow all the day's developments in the Osama Bin Laden's story, we're also watching a couple of other big stories. The Army Corps of Engineers says holes that it intentionally blasted into a Missouri levee are working and are helping protect towns in Illinois and Kentucky from flooding.

The goal was to allow floodwaters to spread over agricultural land designated as a floodway. But the controversial move is pouring water across 200 square miles of Missouri farmland, damaging what Missouri governor, Jay Nixon, describes as the most productive part of our continent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sick to your stomach. As farms -- farm is all I've ever done since -- and it's under water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the sacrifice that these people are making is for the greater good, and it -- their sacrifices are going to benefit hundreds of thousands of people all through this region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The National Weather Service is just confirming at least 178 tornadoes hit during the outbreak on April 27th, making it the largest tornado outbreak in U.S. history.

As Alabama's governor, Robert Bentley, pledges to rebuild his tornado- ravaged state, many are reaching out to help the thousands of tornado victims throughout the Southeast. A special tornado telethon going on right now, here's how you can donate. All donations will go to the tornado relief fund through the united way in central Alabama.

When you call in, you can direct your donations to any state hit by the tornadoes. This telethon runs through 3:00 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow, if you'd like to donate.

They are the elite of the elite and they took down the world's most wanted man. Well, in two minutes, just who are these guys? We'll look at what it takes to be part of this Navy SEAL special team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: There is a live shot of the White House. We are awaiting a briefing in the White House briefing room, it's supposed to start at 1:30. Now we're getting word it's a bit delayed, so we're expecting it sometime between 1:30 and 2:00. We will, of course, bring it to you when it does start, we're interested in what they're going to say today.

The press secretary, Jay Carney, he may talk a little bit about the debate to release these photos of Bin Laden after his death.

When he spoke yesterday, we did get some interesting nuggets, some new information, including the fact that Bin Laden was not armed. Also, new today, we are now learning that his daughter -- one of his daughters had actually seen him get killed. We were wondering if the White House would react to that, and of course, we're wondering if they'll say any more about the relationship with Pakistan and the efforts to find out just how much authorities in Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of Bin Laden. So once again, we'll keep an eye on the White House for you, waiting for that briefing anytime now between 1:30 and 2:00. Of course, we'll bring it to you as soon as it gets under way.

We all want to know more about the navy SEALs, credited with killing Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. To understand who they are, let's break down for you how one becomes a SEAL. First, you have to pass a pretty intense test before ever starting your training. To meet the minimum requirements to begin training in Coronado, California, you must swim 500 yards in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, do 42 push-ups in just two minutes and then 50 sit-ups in another two minutes.

Then, no, it's not over yet, do six pull-ups and run one and a half miles in 11 minutes. Do you think you could do that? Well, if you pass, then you start Basic Underwater Demolition school, or BUDs as it's called, which has been called the toughing training in the world. Months of sheer hell.

In total, SEALs train between 18 and 24 months, with the pinnacle of training coming during what is not surprisingly called hell week. Five days in which trainees are constantly cold, hungry, sleep deprived, and, yes, wet. It's designed to push a man past his breaking point and recruits sleep a total of four hours maximum over the entire five days.

Sounds pretty grueling, doesn't it? Most recruits drop out long before this because they can't take the training, which involves running 15 miles topped with a two-mile open water swim and other intense physical conditioning. The Navy says a SEAL can fire more ammo in one training session than some troops do their entire careers. Historically, 75 percent of those who start training never actually finish. But the success rate is rising. That's in large part because the SEALs are targeting men more likely to succeed. Unconventional athletes, like water polo players, there are no women in the SEALs and most are white, though according to "The Washington Post," the SEALs have stepped up efforts to increase the numbers of minorities in the ranks. There are fewer than 2,600 SEALs in the entire world.

And these guys aren't dumb or action hero wannabes. According to a former SEAL, the guys who don't make it through training are the Rambo wannabes. If you cannot work in a team format but also function autonomously, you won't last for very long. That's what that former SEAL says. He says getting on this special team means you've established yourself as a mature and steady operator with a real-world track record of high stakes sensitive missions. That is pretty darn impressive.

Well, when we come back, how many Americans do you think use food stamps to get by? Ten million? Maybe 20 million? I think this number is going to surprise you. Back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We'll get back to our continuing coverage of the killing of Osama bin Laden in just a moment.

But first, I wanted to take a moment to hit "Your Money," because we've got some new data this week on the use of food stamps in America. And it may even be actually some good news. First, a startling number, 44.2 million Americans are receiving benefits from the food stamp program right now. In February, the last month we've got data for, it rose 11.6 percent from the same month the year before.

And as we look across the country, well, there are pockets where the need is actually greater. Across the south, for example, many of the states are above the national average of 14 percent. Mississippi and Oregon both have the distinction of having the biggest percentage of their population on the food stamp program. And up there you see the state with the least, actually, which is Wyoming. That's at just 6.6 percent if you take a look there.

The number of Americans using the program surged when the recession hit. And that is a stark reminder that this program was borne out of the depression when an unemployed factory worker used stamps to buy surplus eggs and butter in Rochester, New York. Of course, these aren't just statistics, they are families and faces. People just trying to get by in some very tough economic times.

So, where is the good news in all this? Well, the increase in the number of people using food stamps is starting to level off, actually. And that could be an indication things are stabilizing in the economy.

We turn our focus back to the killing of Osama bin Laden now. His death comes nearly 10 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But at what human and financial cost? Well, here's a look by the numbers, according to theweek.com. We're going to start off with this number first, 2,976. That is the official tally, the number of victims, the number of people killed on 9/11. Not including the terrorists.

Next, our next number for you is 20 percent. That is the percentage of Americans who say that they knew someone who was either injured or killed in the attacks. Twenty-six days, that's how many days actually passed before the U.S. started bombing Afghanistan.

Now, from 2002 to 2008, the U.S. sent more than $5 billion -- $5.4 billion in military aid to Pakistan to help patrol the Afghan border against the Taliban and al Qaeda. Now, Pakistani officials say that during that time they killed 1,000 terrorists. There's the number for you right there. As for the billions, there have been allegations that Pakistan misspent as much as 70 percent of that money.

Now, fast forward to Sunday. Here's the number we want you to know. Forty minutes. That's how long it took the Navy SEALs. It took them just that long to complete the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

Between 20 and 25 SEALs carried out the mission with zero U.S. casualties. President Obama participated in at least nine meetings. That's the number of meetings he had at the White House in the situation room prior to Sunday's raid.

And finally, take a look at this number, 99.9 percent. That is what they believe, in terms of accuracy, that's what they believe. Officials say that's the accuracy of a DNA test confirming it was indeed bin Laden who the Navy SEALs killed.

Former President Jimmy Carter sat down with our very own Suzanne Malveaux giving his thoughts on bin Laden's death. We will go in- depth with Suzanne next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: CNN in-depth. What if any effect does Osama bin Laden's death have on the greater war on terror? CNN's Suzanne Malveaux traveled to the Plains, Georgia, office of former President Jimmy Carter to get his take. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What do you make of the fact that Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan, in a city, a $1 million home, not far from Islamabad? I mean do we -- do we think that we can trust the Pakistani government, Zardari?

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think when we're in doubt about Pakistan, we have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

MALVEAUX: Why?

CARTER: Because they are so crucial. You have to remember that Pakistan probably has at least 100 nuclear weapons. And I think that our alliance with Pakistan, despite some obvious difficulties, is extremely important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And Suzanne joins us now in studio.

So what do you think of his take?

MALVEAUX: You know, he was very pragmatic about it. And I know we've heard from a lot of U.S. officials today who have been very critical of Pakistan and its role. What President Carter was saying is that we really have to see both sides of this because, first of all, they're a nuclear power. We need them desperately in the war on terror. They have not been perfect friends to the United States, but it would be even more risky, more dangerous if we were to isolate ourselves or isolate Pakistan from our administration.

He says a couple of things. He does not believe that the president of Pakistan knew about bin Laden's whereabouts. Although I thought it was very interesting earlier somebody described that place, that compound where he was staying, that $1 million home as being close to what we would consider the equivalent of West Point.

KAYE: Right.

MALVEAUX: That it was like really very close to this military facility.

KAYE: Which is why so many people are wondering how did they miss (ph).

MALVEAUX: Exactly. How is that possible. The, you know, hidden in plain view kind of thing. But he does believe that Pakistani intelligence officials probably had an idea that Osama bin Laden was in that compound. But he says there are mistakes on both sides. He says the Pakistan government has made mistakes, have not been a good partner. But he says the U.S. has made mistakes as well. If you think about the drones that have fired onto the Afghan side and the Pakistan side that have killed civilians from time to time. Both governments have weighed in on that. So he says let's hold back a little bit. Let's not be so critical of Pakistan during this time because ultimately we still consider them a crucial ally in that area.

KAYE: Did he say if he thinks we'll ever know? Did he think we'll ever get a true answer about whether or not they knew?

MALVEAUX: I don't think -- I don't think he's confident that we really will ever get that kind of information. I mean they've been cagey. A lot of people see them, at the very least, cagey about the whereabouts. And it was surprising that it was not in this kind of remote area that -- or even in a cave, like a lot of people had suspected.

But he also says, this is the time to reconsider where we are in the war on terror. And that it is not over, but it certainly expedites us to the finish line. Our work in Afghanistan, he says, it's not about al Qaeda, it's not even about terrorists there. He said, we've known for a long time that we didn't have a significant group of terrorists that were still inside of Afghanistan. What it's about now is trying to win over the Taliban, get a more friendly kind of government to the United States and then we can actually pull out.

KAYE: I just want to -- we just have a little bit of breaking news, Suzanne, so let me just interrupt you.

We do have some breaking news. According to CBS News, President Obama has decided he will not release the photos of Osama bin Laden in death. I want to repeat that again. Breaking news from CBS getting this news apparently from the White House. This has been a tweet put out on Twitter that President Obama has decided not to release the photos. Coming to us from CBS.

We know that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and also Defense Secretary Robert Hates was advising the president not to release these photos. Others were saying that he should. Now we can tell you that CNN has actually confirmed that the White House will not be releasing these very controversial photos of Osama bin Laden.

Suzanne, what do you think?

MALVEAUX: That's interesting, because one of the things that you find is that the compound where he was killed, they are now -- our own Nic Robertson is reporting they are now considering -- the Pakistani government is considering whether or not to blow up that compound, because they don't want bin Laden to be considered a martyr. They don't want this to be a tourist attraction. They don't want some sort of gathering.

I think those are the same kinds of decisions and things that they are thinking about at the White House. How is bin Laden remembered? How is he memorialized? Is he martyred? And I think those are the kinds of things you think about when you either produce those photos of his body.

KAYE: Having been a White House correspondent, though, for so many years, I mean, what do you think went into this decision? Obviously he was feeling pressure from both sides and even really pressure from the Taliban, saying we don't believe it. We want to know.

MALVEAUX: Well, certainly. Certainly.

KAYE: What do you think went into that?

MALVEAUX: You know, it's interesting, because they went through this whole thing with Saddam Hussein. That that -- you know, the thinking behind that, whether or not they released those pictures --

KAYE: Which they did.

MALVEAUX: -- which they ultimately did of Saddam Hussein.

I think there are a number of things. There are sensitivities to the Muslim community, whether or not this is going to play to the radical element or the extremists. And also, the cost. Because the cost is, and you bring up a very good point, is that there will always be people who will be suspicious of, well, we didn't see the body.

KAYE: Right.

MALVEAUX: You know, he may still be out there.

KAYE: But even if he did --

MALVEAUX: There may be a life beyond, you know, bin Laden and this assassination. And those are the kinds of things that they're thinking.

KAYE: Do you think the president considered that even if he had released the photos, that some would say, oh, those have been doctored? How do we know those are real?

MALVEAUX: I don't think -- you know, it's almost like they can't win, you know? There are always going to be questions around this. There are always going to be people who are not satisfied. And so I think they are looking at how does this read in the Muslim world? How does it read in the Middle East? Those sensitivities up against -- weighing up against that balance of like, well, you know, offer the proof.

KAYE: Right.

If you're just joining us, we just want to tell you that the White House has decided, CNN has confirmed that the White House has decided not to release these photos of Osama bin Laden after he was killed by the Navy SEAL team.

And I know that we were just in the process, as this news came out, of talking about your great interview with former President Jimmy Carter. I think we have time for one more quick question about that.

How does he see -- there's been a call to flee Afghanistan, to get the troops out of there, to withdraw. How does he see our role there? does he think it's time to go?

MALVEAUX: He believes that -- he's long believed that it's time to go. I mean, he does not have a lot of faith in the mission. What he has said is that the people who are responsible for 9/11 and particularly now with Obama's (sic) death. They're not sitting around in Afghanistan anymore. They're certainly in Pakistan, they're in other areas of the country. It is not a centralized location for al Qaeda.

What they need to do now, what he believes the Obama administration needs to do now is negotiate, is talk, is win over, cajole, whatever is necessary to win over the Taliban so that it is a more American- friendly place, so that that U.S. troops can get out very quickly.

KAYE: Did he say anything about the photos, what he thought if they should be released or not now that we know they're not coming out?

MALVEAUX: He did not weigh in on the photos.

KAYE: Didn't want to touch it, or --

MALVEAUX: Well, you know, we should have probably asked him that question, as well, but we covered a whole bunch of other things.

KAYE: I'm sure.

MALVEAUX: He just got back from North Korea so there's a lot on that, as well.

KAYE: Well, it's a great interview from what we've seen. We didn't get to all of it but I'm sure we'll see plenty more of it.

Suzanne, thank you.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

KAYE: Good to have you.

Facial recognition has come a long way from mug shots and sketches. It is technology like this that helped identify Osama bin Laden. We'll see how it works straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's quiet in the Professor Anil Jain's lab. But don't be fooled. His team is hard at work using key strokes in the fight against crime.

ANIL J. JAIN, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: We are working in the area called biometric recognition where the goal is to identify a person based on the body characteristics. It could be fingerprints, face.

TUCHMAN: Matching traits to databases helps shrink the pool of suspects.

JAIN: That means it's a fairly good match.

TUCHMAN: Programs scans people's tattoos and then searches for similar ones. A match there could mean they've been arrested before or they belong to a certain street gang.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If some part of fingerprint are missing by burning off his fingertips.

TUCHMAN: Another program looks at fingerprints. Before this crime buster database was built, police had trouble working with only partial prints, or fingerprints that had been altered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very significant feature that we can detect altered fingerprint.

BRENDAN KLARE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: One's basically a perfect match. TUCHMAN: And this last cybercrime fighter site matches artist sketches to mug shots, an especially important program for police as well as the public.

KLARE: These are murderers, sexual assaults, armed robberies. These are very serious crimes that are committed and the technology should match the level of crime.

TUCHMAN: Technology that offers a few more ways to make sure if you do the crime, you're going to do the time.

Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Well, we've been telling you we have this breaking news now that the White House will not be releasing those photos of Osama bin Laden after he was killed.

We want to get you straight to the White House where our Dan Lothian is standing by. And we also have Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

But let's stay with Dan.

Can you tell us, San, what was the thinking here behind the president's decision to not release these photos?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I should point out, first of all, that the White House briefing that was to have begun at 1:30, was pushed back to 2:00 p.m., so no doubt that will be the focus of this briefing. A lot of those questions will be asked.

But over the last couple of days, the White House has been talking about sort of the internal debate that has been ongoing as to whether or not they should release those photos. They understood that there was a lot of pressure out there for those photos to be released, but they also understood that there were some sensitivities and that by releasing them can could be inflammatory.

And there was also this thinking that those who had doubts that Osama bin Laden was in fact dead, would not necessarily be convinced by these photos. Whether or not all of that played into the president's ultimate decision, as you pointed out, that he will not be releasing these photos, we don't know, but certainly we will be asking. But this has been something, again, that this White House has been deliberating, ever since Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces, Randi.

KAYE: And Dan, can you give us an idea, who was in the president's ear? Who was saying release them and don't release them?

LOTHIAN: That is something that we have been trying to get at. White House officials not saying anything more than just that there have been those internal deliberations. Jay carney trying to ratchet it back just a bit saying that this was not some intense kind of negotiations, but rather discussions that were taking.

But no doubt, all of those who are part of President Obama's national security team who were intimately involved in this entire operations, many of those who we saw inside the room, those pictures that were released later from the White House, no doubt they were all playing a role in talking to the president about this.

The question was asked yesterday whether or not there were any external advice that the president was getting as to whether or not these photos should be released. Jay Carney saying that that was not the case.

So certainly inside the president's inner circle, his cabinet level officials as well, joining that debate and ultimately leading to the president's conclusion today.

KAYE: And Dan, stick around. I know you have this 2:00, roughly 2:00 White House briefing. If you can, just stay right there.

I want to bring in Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

Dana, what is the reaction there now to this decision not to release these photos?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't have reaction yet to the decision but I can tell you that all day long we -- our team has been talking to members of Congress in the House, in the Senate, in both parties and it has been and is a real split here, Randi, over whether or not this is the right decision, whether or not these photos should be released.

And it's very interesting, it doesn't necessarily fall on party lines. It seems to be personal opinions of people, some of whom have informed opinions.

For example, Saxby Chambliss, he is the senator from Georgia, he is also the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, he says he has seen one photo. He said what you would -- it looks like what you would expect by somebody who's been shot in the head. It's not pretty. However, Randi, he is somebody who says that the photos should be released. He said, why not? It's the best thing to do to get this photo -- and these photos out there to kind of prove to the world that Osama bin Laden is, in fact, dead.

The other side is also coming from some very high-ranking people here in Congress, also with intelligence background, on the Intelligence Committee, for example. The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, both of them, Randi, have said that they think it is the wrong thing to do to release the photos and that effectively President Obama is making the right decision not to disclose them.

So it is a very interesting split and people are passionate -- if you walk the halls here -- about their position on whether or not it's the right thing to do. KAYE: And from what I understand, there was the disagreement about whether or not to release them, but then there was also disagreement about, if you are going to release them, when do you release them?

BASH: Yes.

KAYE: For example, Carl Levin, right, he thought that we should wait awhile.

BASH: Absolutely. He thinks that if they're going to be released they should wait a while. I was just talking to Senator Bill Nelson of Florida in the hallway who said the same thing. He is among many senators, and House members who have said, look, right now is not the time to do it. It's incendiary. It could backfire. And if there really is a desire to do it, pick a date down the road. Do it then.

But it is actually interesting that this decision, Randi, is coming a day after the CIA director, Leon Panetta, was here on Capitol Hill, briefing the House, briefing the Senate, and making it clear both privately and then we learned publicly he did some television interviews that he does personally believe that they should be released and he thought ultimately they will be released. That's not what happened here.

You were asking Dan Lothian about some of who was in the president's hear, some of the decision making. Very interesting that based on what the CIA director himself said here in Congress and publicly, that the president made an opposite decision.

KAYE: Yes. It is certainly interesting. I wonder who was in Leon Panetta's ear is really the question.

Dana Bash, Dan Lothian at the White House, thank you both so much.

And again, we're going to let Dan head to the White House briefing, which should get under way maybe within the next 15 minutes. It's a bit flexible right now. But we'll certainly bring that to you, because we are expecting much more information about the decision not to go ahead and release these fought photos of Osama bin Laden after he was killed by the Navy SEALs.

After a quick break, facial recognition. It is technology like this that helped identify Osama bin Laden. We will see how it works, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Breaking news. We are just learning that President Obama does not plan, does not plan to release the photos of Osama bin Laden to prove that he is, in fact, dead. The decision comes amid growing debate whether the photos were necessary proof or possibly too gruesome to be public.

We know Osama bin Laden was identified according to the White House by facial recognition. One of his wives at the compound, as well, identified him. Also through DNA he was identified. But apparently there was still pressure as to whether or not these photos should be released. There was concern on the part of the White House and some member of Congress that maybe it would incite some violence, certainly for our troops abroad. And also, that it might send the wrong message.

So once again we just want to tell you that those photos are not going to be released.

We also want to remind you we're waiting for a White House briefing coming up within the next 15 minutes or so, we hope. And we will bring that to you live to bring you the very latest on that.

Meanwhile, I mentioned this DNA test and this facial recognition software. Well, that confirmed that it was in fact bin Laden who was killed. A south Florida company makes the type of facial recognition software that Navy SEALs might have used to help identify him.

Reporter Ted White with our affiliate WPBF walks us through exactly how this technology works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED WHITE, WPBF REPORTER (voice-over): Nestled in this Palm Beach Gardens office park, workers at Crossmatch Technologies are raising the bar to help U.S. troops fight the war on terror.

MIKE OEHLER, CROSSMATCH TECHNOLOGIES: The C-2 is being used very commonly in-field for identifying people.

WHITE: They designed and manufactured a hand-held device called Security Electronic Enrollment Kit, or SEEK-2. It's a sophisticated tool that special operations forces carry to ensure they've got the right man.

OEHLER: This is a full Windows XP computer that will capture fingerprints, it can capture facial images. It also opens up and captures iris images.

WHITE: It's much quicker than waiting for a DNA comparison.

According to a senior Defense Department official, chances are the Navy SEALs used this tool Sunday after they stormed Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound and killed the al Qaeda leader. His biometric information could be scanned, verified and sent wirelessly to the FBI's database within seconds.

OEHLER: So it can match against that data base against 60,000 known or suspect terrorists almost immediately.

WHITE (on camera): The Department of Defense started using a heavier version of this technology six years ago, during the Iraqi war. This is the jump kit, it weighs about 22 pounds.

Two years ago, they switched to the SEEK-2. It weighs about four pounds and is about the size of a cigar box. (voice-over): It's makers say it is fast, portable, reliable with a longer battery life.

OEHLER: The capture of an iris image.

WHITE: Technology, they say, can match 500,000 iris images per second.

OEHLER: Capturing fingerprints is as simple as placing fingers on the scanner.

WHITE: All of the biometric files can be sent over a satellite or a 3G link, even in low connectivity areas.

CSI-like technology that's helping our nation track terrorists around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And once again, that was Ted White with our affiliate WPBF.

Straight ahead, a former Navy SEAL gives us insight into what it may have been like for the SEAL team that raided bin Laden's compound. You do not want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And once again, we want to remind you that we are waiting for a White House briefing. No doubt, there you see a live picture of the podium.

We are expecting Jay Carney, the press secretary, certainly to address the breaking news that we have just been telling you about here, the president's decision not to release the photos of Osama bin Laden. Those would have been photos taken after he was killed by the Navy SEAL team at his compound in Pakistan, and also of his burial at sea.

So we can tell you now that those photos will not be released. CIA Director Leon Panetta had said he expected they would be released just yesterday, so we are very curious to hear how the White House explains the decision. And we are expecting to hear from Jay Carney there at that podium just minutes away, and we will bring it to you as it happens.

Becoming a Navy SEAL is incredibly hard, but even more difficult is making the cut for SEAL Team Six. The vast majority who try, fail. Howard Watson made the cut, he is the author of "SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper."

Anderson Cooper talked to him about what it takes to do what he once did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": So Howard, when you heard that Navy SEALs were involved in this, you instantly knew that it would be Navy SEAL Team Six?

HOWARD WATSON, AUTHOR, "SEAL TEAM SIX": I highly suspected it.

COOPER: Why?

WATSON: This is their type of op. An extremist op. Close quarters battle, which is what SEAL Team Six is best in.

COOPER: What's the difference between Navy SEAL Team Six and other Navy SEAL Teams?

WATSON: All SEALs are special. Let me say that.

When you go to SEAL Team Six, you develop another unique skill set, close-quarters battle, as I mentioned. The -- you take that to the next level. The breaching, the runs in the kill house.

COOPER: When you say breaching, you mean?

WATSON: Breaching the doors to get in. The demolitions, explosives, mechanical breaching. Just basically being able to get into anywhere, fight your way up multi-levels, down multi-levels and clear a building and get out.

So when I -- when I heard that, there was no doubt in my military mind it was SEAL Team Six.

COOPER: And it's handpicked from other SEAL Teams. I mean, you get into the SEALs first, and then they select from various SEAL teams people for SEAL Team Six?

WATSON: That's exactly right. I was with SEAL Team Two. After Desert Storm, I put in my application to the SEAL Team Six. You go in front of a review board, and they evaluate you, ask you questions. And then you go to Six, but you're still not there to stay.

You go through what's called a Green Team. It's a selection course. You go through a Green Team, and when you make it through that, which is more highly-intensified training, then you actually get to become a SEAL Team Six member.

COOPER: How tough is the training? It's got to just be --

WATSON: Well, we have a saying on the team, you don't have to be crazy, but it helps.

It's -- it's tough. I mean, physically -- physically tough is one thing, but it's mentally tough. Day in and day out grind. It's tough on your family, your personal life.

But you know, it's something you've got to want. It's a desire to be a member of something very special, and that's our motto, someone special.

COOPER: And the fact that so few people know about it, do you guys take pride in that, in that sort of doing your jobs without recognition from a larger public?

WATSON: Sure. Nobody does it for the accolades or whatever. I think a lot of people know about SEAL Team Six. I wouldn't have written my book.

COOPER: I found it interesting even in your book, you have pictures of all, you know, your brothers in arms, but you have to black out all their faces.

WATSON: Sure. I don't know if some are still active or whatever. And I'm not going to give them up, their faces or whatever. So that's why I did that.

COOPER: all right. What -- what was the hardest part about being in the SEALs?

WATSON: Being able to try to manage time between two masters, between family and life and, you know, the SEAL Team that you belong to, which you can be called out on a minute's notice and be gone for months at a time.

COOPER: Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

WATSON: God bless our troops.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: As new details emerge, "AC 360" takes you inside of the covert mission, what it took to find and ultimately kill Osama bin Laden. That's on CNN tonight, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Breaking news this hour that President Obama will keep photos of Osama bin Laden classified, but do most Americans actually want to see them? CNN has a new polling on this very topic, and I will show you the results right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We are keeping a very close eye on the podium there that is inside the White House Briefing Room. We are waiting for Press Secretary Jay Carney and we don't know who else to talk to us a little bit about the president's decision not to release the photos of Osama bin Laden's body.

That decision just came to us a short time ago. We announced it here on CNN. We are curious what the thinking was behind that. We certainly know that the president had a lot of people in his ear telling him one way or other what to do about the photos, so we hope to learn much more about how he came to the decision not the release the photos.

We will keep an eye on the podium and as soon as the White House briefing gets underway, we will bring it to you live right here on CNN.