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Ten Years Under Terror's Cloud; A Day of Remembrance; Texas Governor Perry Leads Many GOP Polls; Gadhafi Son Reportedly Flees Libya; 9/11 Survivor's Story; CNN To Host First Tea Party Debate; Terror Suspects Jailed in Sweden

Aired September 11, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone.

I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

Breaking news we're covering now. A new development this hour from the conflict in Libya. We're working to confirm several reports that one of the sons of toppled leader, Moammar Gadhafi, has left Libya and may have surfaced in another country.

Live now from Kabul, Afghanistan, our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson -- so, Nic, you know that Saadi Gadhafi may have left. You apparently know him personally. You've had e-mail exchanges, etc.

What are you learning. About his whereabouts?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know from the minister of justice and from a ministerial spokesman, as well, is that Saadi Gadhafi has crossed into Niger, that he has, according to the government, been in Agadez. They say he was allowed into the country for humanitarian reasons.

Now, Agadez is sort of in the center of Niger. And Niger is to the south of -- of Libya, across part of the Sahara Desert.

We do know -- and I do know from talking to Saadi Gadhafi last weekend, last -- exactly a week ago today -- that he has split, essentially, with his family, with his father and with his brother.

And it does seem, when I was talking to him last weekend, he said, I want to go on CNN and I want to speak -- speak to the -- speak to the world, essentially, but only when I have something to say.

And what he meant was he was still trying to make a deal with the rebels, with the National Transitional Council, to bring about a cease-fire. That, clearly, he realizes has completely fallen apart and there is no option for that. And now it appears he has fled south of Libya, out of the country to Niger. And it's not clear exactly what will happen to him next.

I've tried his satellite telephone. That appears to be switched off. And I'm waiting for him to respond to my e-mails -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, Nic, you have to wonder, might that be kind of a decoy that he has broken ties with Moammar Gadhafi?

Because hasn't it been reported that there are other family members that have sought refuge in Niger?

ROBERTSON: Certainly, we know that some top military officials from within the regime, Gadhafi's regime, fled to Niger. They were allowed into the country. A convoy of somewhere between seven and 12 vehicles, two convoys, crossed in just a couple of days ago. But at that time, Niger -- Nigerian officials have said there were none of Gadhafi family members in that convoy. It could have been that they were planning the route and proving the route that was a safe escape route, that they weren't going to be cut off by National Transitional Council fighters.

But what we have seen publicly is a real public split in the family that appears, from -- from my contacts with Saadi Gadhafi, to have been bubbling under the surface for the past few months. He reached out to the National Transitional Council, trying to organize a cease- fire. He went on an Arabic language television station -- satellite television station -- talking about this. Whereas, at the same time, his other brother, Saif Gadhafi, the sort of heir apparent, if you will, to Moammar Gadhafi, and Moammar Gadhafi himself have both been on another satellite station that broadcasts out of Syria, saying that the fight should carry on, that the loyalists should continue to fight the government.

So we've seen this public split. So I think that also talking to one of the National Transitional Council commanders, who had negotiated directly with Saadi Gadhafi, he told me that those discussions have been underway.

So we can see that there is a rift, that two parts of the family have taken two different approaches. That's in the public domain.

What his aim is to do in Niger and what his travel options from there will be, if he's able to travel further on, are unclear at the moment -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks so much, from Kabul. Still whereabouts unknown, Moammar Gadhafi.

All right. Across America and around the world now, a day of remembrance on this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

(music)

WHITFIELD: In New York, somber ceremonies at the new 9/11 Memorial. The names of the nearly 2,800 people who died in the World Trade Center attacks were read. And moments of silence were held for when the towers were hit and when they fell. Family members gathered at the memorial's stone walls to etch the names of their loved ones.

And President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush helped lead the commemoration there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten years ago, at 9:37 a.m., the Pentagon was attacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Vice President Joe Biden helped lead the memorial service for victims of the attack on the Pentagon and troops placed wreaths at the memorial there. One hundred and eighty-four people were killed when the hijacked American Airlines jetliner struck the building.

(singing)

WHITFIELD: And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a memorial service for the victims who died when United Airlines Flight 93 plunged to the ground there. They're believed to have prevented the hijackers from flying the plane into the U.S. Capitol in Washington. President Barack Obama laid a wreath at the ceremony to honor the 40 victims on that flight.

We have reporters covering all the angles of this day of remembrance.

Poppy Harlow is in New York, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, David Mattingly in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Athena Jones in Washington.

We begin with Poppy Harlow, who joins us live from the top of the Two World Financial Center in New York -- Poppy, tell me more about the perspective there.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's been interesting to watch this, Fredricka, all day, since 8:00 this morning when the ceremony began. Of course, President Barack Obama here, along with President Bush, and both of the first ladies, the current and former, speaking to this audience.

But it was interesting. It wasn't about politics. It wasn't about parties. It was all about the people that were being remembered.

I'm standing right above just the glorious memorial that was opened for the first time, Fredricka, just a few hours ago. Family members let in for the first time to see the two massive pools and the names of each and every victim, a loved one to many of these people, etched out. And it was interesting. What really stood out to me, is that the family members, after the ceremony was over, would walk in and they would touch with their hand their loved one's name. Clearly very emotional.

And we got some perspective from a young boy who lost his uncle on 9/11.

I want you to take a listen to his sound. Of course, very moving to hear from a child.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL MCNEAL, NEPHEW OF 9/11 VICTIM: He was very smart. And I -- I know -- I didn't know him -- I never knew him. But I bet we would -- we would have played, like he would have helped me learn. And he would have helped me, like, study for tests and stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: We also heard this morning from a man who was a little boy when his father died, Peter Negron, who spoke in front of the audience here. And he said, "I grew up without my father. I would have loved him to teach me things when I was in high school." And now he has grown up and said, you know, what it would have meant to him to have his father.

So a range of so many stories here today, Fredricka. People are sharing 2,606 lives lost right here in Lower Manhattan, behind me, when those planes collided with these buildings. A cathartic day for some, a day for others that it's just too hard to be here.

But all of New York, all of America and, really, all of the world came together today, because a lot of people lost on 9/11 weren't -- weren't just from America. They were really from around the world. And you saw that and you felt that down here today.

WHITFIELD: And, Poppy, I know you've spent a lot of time at Ground Zero, the rebuilding process. That has to be a real emotional tug, that a number of the builders have, and a huge responsibility.

HARLOW: A huge responsibility. You know, Fredricka, there -- there was some criticism -- why is it taking so long to get all of this built?

I've got to tell you, when I was down there in the pits last week, I even went up to the top of the of -- of the tower you see here behind me, up to the 70th floor there. It took them four years, until 2005, to really clean this out, it was such a disaster, and then start rebuilding.

So they haven't been rebuilding since 2001. It is that complex. It took that much time. One of the construction workers I spoke with that we heard from last hour, he built the first World Trade Center back in the '70s. And he came back here to build this one. It -- it's not just his story. That's the story for a number of the workers here.

I also spent a lot of time with a few women. You wouldn't think a lot of female construction workers would be on this project. There's about 3,500 people working here, if you can imagine it, and 30 of them are women. So we also got chance to sit down with them.

And they said it's been an inspiration to them to be part of history, but also an inspiration to their daughters to watch their mothers building something like this.

So, of course, it's a somber day. But I think it's also a day of hope.

If you look at just the stunning memorial and look at the buildings that are now being built, I should tell you one story a week. So at a very rapid clip. And it will eventually be filled, once again, and this area will be back to life. It's also, I think, an encouraging day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Poppy Harlow, thank you so much.

Remembrances all day today in at least three different locations -- New York's Ground Zero, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and then a the Pentagon, as well. And just last hour, we saw the president there, as he has been at all of those locations. At the Pentagon, he laid a wreath at the 9/11 Memorial. A ceremony was also held there earlier today. About 750 people attended, including 9/11 families and survivors.

The memories of that horrific day are still vivid and haunting for those who lived through it.

Here now is CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN YATES, 9/11 PENTAGON SURVIVOR:

Dennis Johnson was -- was my division chief. Odessa Morris directly below. And she was our budget analyst. Jose Calderon was our supply NCO.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Yates, who remembers his Pentagon co-workers killed in the attack.

(on camera): On that morning, how close were you?

Where were you here?

YATES: I was standing about six feet inside this wall.

STARR: (voice-over): And then American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. A fireball headed right for Yates and his co-workers.

YATES: My greatest fear in life is at hand. Yes, I've always been afraid to die in a fire.

STARR: John Yates knew these hallways and offices intimately. It was knowledge that would wind up saving him.

YATES: I was crawling on my hands and knees, reaching out, OK. And then, you know, going a little bit farther. And everything I touched burned me.

STARR: Yates suffered burns over more than 30 percent of his body. But because he worked in a renovated, stronger section of the building, most of these long Pentagon hallways remained interact.

(on camera): It's the length of this hallway behind all of this...

YATES: Yes. STARR: -- that you had basically crawled through the flame and the smoke?

YATES: Yes. And the debris. Then I heard a voice. And this voice just said, go out through this one particular door down -- it's clear down there. So I just started crawling toward that voice.

STARR: (voice-over): The Pentagon has improved the odds of surviving a disaster. Sajeel Ahmed, the Pentagon's director of facilities, shows us the latest.

SAJEEL AHMED, DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, PENTAGON: Every suite has two escape routes.

STARR: Right in the CNN office, we have a breakaway window. There are cases of breathing masks in the hallways and continuous illumination tapes to show escape routes in heavy smoke. Facing the outside, 2,000 pound blast-resistant windows, held in place by steel. Some were already in place on 9/11 and they held just feet from the devastation.

(on camera): So if a plane hits, if there is a bomb, the wall does not collapse, hopefully.

AHMED: Hopefully.

STARR: (voice-over): Yates will tell you he survived the burns, but the attack challenged his soul.

YATES: I was standing in the middle of five people and I'm the only one that survived.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Yates.

YATES: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?

YATES: Good.

You?

STARR: John had to close out his dead colleagues' security files when he came back to work months later.

YATES: It's the hardest thing I've done.

STARR: But he will not run from the memories.

YATES: I can't escape it, you know, I get up in the morning and turn the light on in the bathroom and shave and I see -- and I see my face. I see my burns. I watch -- take a shower. I see it every single day. I live with it. But it's not who I am.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

STARR: The Pentagon came back to work 10 years ago. But still, some days are a little tougher than others -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Understandable.

Barbara Starr, thanks so much, from the Pentagon.

And CNN's David Mattingly is at -- in Shanksville right now, in that memorial site. The president, we saw just moments ago, was at the Pentagon laying a wreath. We know he was also in Shanksville earlier today and got a chance to see firsthand those pillars of marble where each of the 40 victims' names are etched in there -- give me an idea, David, what people have been saying and feeling there, in what's usually a very solemn field. But today it was filled with filled with a lot of people and a lot of hope and a lot of despair.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was very, very emotional today, Fredricka, a very big change from what -- the emotions that were here 10 years ago. But today, it's about remembering loss.

And it was very personal. Even though this was a public ceremony with maybe millions of people watching on television, it was still about a very deep sense of personal loss, not just for the families, but for the people close to them, as well, and for all the people who have been moved by the story of the people on board Flight 93.

But it was probably Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett who has probably summed it up the best, when we said that people sometimes struggle to describe what this place really means to so many people, that they often look into history, try to compare it to, say, the Alamo or to the battlefield at Gettysburg.

He says that's not quite right. This place is unique because the people who died here were not soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TOM CORBETT (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We look to the past for comparisons, trying to fully grasp what this hillside means. And nothing can really fit it. The truth is that this location, this place, is like no other, because the deeds aboard Flight 93 were like no other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And today, family members came up to the microphone to read out the names of their lost loved ones, the 40 names of the men and women, the flight crew and passengers and the people who board -- who died on board Flight 93.

And now this national park will stand here for future generations, to make sure that their sacrifice will have its proper place in history -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, David.

And, you know, the coroner, who worked that tragic scene on 9/11, not only spoke at today's ceremony, but gave a very emotional speech. Explain what unfolded today.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Right. You're talking about Wally Miller. It was his responsibility to make sure that the remains were recovered and returned to each of the families. And he was able to do that, that very terrible and delicate and difficult task.

Through it all, he became very close to these family members. He became part of their family. Just like so many people here in some -- in this county, not just Shanksville, but Somerset County here in Pennsylvania, have, as well. They've dedicated a lot of their time, a lot of their energy to protecting this field and what it means.

So the fact that this park here, this national park is here now, is not only a tribute to the people on board Flight 93 and to their families, it's also a tribute to the people of this area, who rallied around this place, who wanted to make sure that their sacrifice and their memory will not be forgotten -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: David Mattingly in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Thanks so much.

Turning to politics now, tomorrow is the first Tea Party debate. Next, we're going live to Tampa, where we'll get an idea of what to expect from the Republican candidates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, we're just a day away from an event that could have a major impact on the presidential race. It's the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate in Tampa, Florida.

And CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is there -- so, Paul, what makes this debate different than the others?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I think you said right off the bat, Fred. It is a Tea Party debate. This is the first ever Tea Party Republican presidential debate. And no denying that the Tea Party movement, two-and-a-half years old now, extremely influential in Republican politics. We saw that last year in the mid- term elections. They also were pretty important -- a pretty important factor in helping the Republicans win back control of the House.

And I think everybody believes that they will be important in choosing the next Republican presidential nominee.

Tea Party activists will be able to ask questions at this debate. I got a sneak peek behind the scenes with Kate Lunger.

She heads up CNN's special events.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE LUNGER, SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN SPECIAL EVENTS: There's eight podiums here where our candidates will be.

Wolf Blitzer is going to be the moderator. We're going to have about 1,000 people in our audience on Monday night and about 100 or so will be down here in the red zone, asking questions.

We're also going to take questions from some of our Tea Party watch party party remotes in Virginia, Arizona and Ohio. And don't forget, you guys at home can also participate with our social media component. You can ask questions via Twitter, Facebook and CNN.com.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: So, you know, Fred, really, truly, a historic debate, a first of its kind, the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate.

WHITFIELD: OK, so why is the location of this debate significant?

I must say, it looks like a postcard, like a painting behind you.

STEINHAUSER: Isn't that beautiful?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

STEINHAUSER: You know it's important if you bring the bus in. We brought the CNN Election Express, so you know it's a big deal. And there were -- you can see right here, the main gate at the Florida State fairgrounds. We're just outside of Tampa, Florida.

And this is the first debate in Florida. And that is also interesting. We've seen debates in South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states that vote in the primary and caucus calendar.

But Florida is probably going to trail them very quickly. It's going to be very, very early in the primary and caucus season. And Florida is such an important state in presidential politics, not only in the general election, but also in the primary politics. And, of course, Florida is going to be the site of the Republican presidential convention, right here in Tampa. And, of course, Fred, there's a lot of senior citizens and a lot of people near retirement age in this state.

And listen to this. Jon Huntsman, we teamed up with him earlier today.

And this is what he had to say about Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's critically important. In fact, I do believe that this is where the Republican nominee will be chosen. And somewhere between Orlando and Tampa, the great I-4 corridor, there's going to be a lot of important campaigning, a lot of connecting with the people of Florida and, ultimately, I believe the decision made that will determine the next nominee of the Republican Party. And -- and I do believe the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Huntsman will be one of the eight presidential candidates on the stage tomorrow night. This debate could impact the race for the White House -- Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul.

Thanks so much.

We're going to see you again in the next hour, you, along with Don Lemon and Shannon Travis. We're going to have like a nice little roundtable discussion about what's at stake and what could likely unfold during that debate Monday night.

See you again in a moment, Paul.

And then, a few minutes from now, Republican strategist, Alex Castellanos, will be weighing in on tomorrow night's debate in Tampa. We'll find out what he expects to hear when the Republican presidential candidates take to the stage.

And be sure to tune in Monday night at CNN. The Tea Party Express and other Tea Party groups co-host the Republican candidates' debate. It is in Tampa, Florida, the site of the 2012 GOP National Convention. And, of course, the debate unfolding Monday night, 8:00 Eastern. Don't miss it.

Coming up, four people locked up overnight, suspected of planning terror attacks. This is in Sweden. The arrest going down on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 here in the States. Details of this arrest and what police think they may have prevented, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: My father is Sebastian Gorki, who I never met because I was in my mom's belly. I love you, father. I love you for loving the idea of having me. You gave me the gift of life. And I wish you could be here to enjoy it with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Overnight, police and SWAT teams swooped in on a group of people believed to be planning and act of terrorism. It happened in Sweden's second largest city. But police aren't saying much about it.

CNN's Per Nyberg joins me now from London.

So, Per, is it normal for police in Sweden to release such, you know, just -- just a little bit of information about something potentially rather significant?

PER NYBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, not at all, Fredricka. Normally, we would have a lot more details about something like this. It's been very quiet today. And they're saying the investigation is at a very early stage.

But we do know that police were quite nervous ahead of this 9/11 anniversary. And when this happened, they did not want it to disturb events in New York.

WHITFIELD: OK, so what do police know about the suspects?

What are they willing to say publicly?

NYBERG: Pretty much nothing at all. All we know is that there were four individuals arrested overnight by a SWAT team, together with the local police and counterterrorism units. We do know that they've been held in custody today, formally, by police. And they've all been assigned lawyers.

We also know that they evacuated an art center. Several hundred people had to leave, an art center that's right next to a big bridge in town, as well. We don't know what they found there. But all we know is that it seems like a major plot was about to happen.

WHITFIELD: OK. And -- and, you know, does this kind of come out of nowhere or has there been -- have there been other incidents that have kind of heightened concerns about plots being hatched, etc.?

NYBERG: About a year ago, Sweden raised its terror threat level to level three, which is elevated. And last Christmas, Sweden had its first suicide bomber on the streets of Stockholm. Fortunately, no one was injured severely from that incident. There's also been a number of arrests in connection with the Mohammed -- the cartoons that were drawn in Denmark, you know, Jyllands-Posten, just last December.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

NYBERG: Five individuals were arrested for bringing automatic weapons with them down to Copenhagen, trying to attack that.

So there have been a number of arrests recently.

WHITFIELD: Per Nyberg, thanks so much, from London.

All right. Back in this country, the Republican presidential candidates get ready to face-off in another debate. This one tomorrow night in Tampa, Florida.

We'll speak live with Republican strategist, Alex Castellanos, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Republican presidential candidates meet face-to-face in another debate tomorrow night. It's the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate in Tampa, Florida.

Republican consultant and CNN political contributor, Alex Castellanos, is with us now from Tampa. Good to see you -- Alex.

ALEX CASTELLANOS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so is a Tea Party-backed candidate likely to fare better, feel more compelled to appeal to Tea Party supporters at this debate, such as a Michelle Bachmann, for instance?

CASTELLANOS: That's -- that's why they're here. This is the core of the Republican Party, the heart of it. And these candidates are going home tonight.

Now, for Rick Perry, that's good news. He's very close to the Tea Party. He's -- he kind of represents their anger.

For Mitt Romney, that's a little different. He's more of an establishment Republican. So for Mitt Romney, it's an away game tonight. For Rick Perry, it's a home game.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, you know, Perry and Romney, they have not been seeing eye to eye as it pertains to Social Security.

Is that battle likely to carry out on this stage, as well?

CASTELLANOS: CASTELLANOS: Yes. I think, you know, usually you don't start political campaigns by setting grandma's hair on fire. But that's what Rick Perry seemed to do the other night. He said that not only that that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, which a lot of these Republicans believe. They think, you know, there's no fund in the Social Security trust fund. There's no -- there's no money there. It's broke.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Except a lot of these Florida residents are not going to be happy with that.

CASTELLANOS: Oh, yes. And all those Florida residents, they heard something else, Fredricka. They heard that if he could go back 70 years, he might undue Social Security. And that's a little farther. So tonight, he's got to get up on that stage and say, look, yes, it's a Ponzi scheme. I can't back off that. But I'm going to fix the Ponzi scheme. I'm going to make sure it's there for everybody who's getting it now or near retirement age and in the future, we're going to fix it so that there's actually some money in the Social Security trust fund.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, to say the Republican Party has been experiencing a lot of division is kind of an understatement. Maybe the big understatement of the year. But now you're talking about the rise of the Tea Party power. There seems to be an acknowledgment now of the Republican Party saying, OK, Tea Party, how can we work together? But then you have to wonder, who's going to win this battle? Is it going to be the republican identity at stake or the Tea Party movement identity at stake?

CASTELLANOS: Well, that's -- that's kind of the key question. I think you've hit it on the head. If you ask most Republicans, 70, 80 percent of Republicans identify with the goals and the principles of the Tea Party. Now, a lot of Republicans are concerned that sometimes the Tea Party goes too far. But in terms of what the Tea Party is about, it's about reducing the size of Washington. Cutting spending. Reducing the debt. Not leaving it to our kids. Growing the economy and jobs. And those are really -- that's what's animated the Tea Party.

The Tea Party -- I think the challenge, for example, for Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney is the cool candidate tonight. You know, he's the one for the head, not the heart. But this group of folks would sell every other government building in Washington and replace it with three good websites if they could. They want to know what you're going to do to knock that place down. And that's got an easier job, I think, for Rick Perry, for a Michele Bachmann, even for a Ron Paul than for a Mitt Romney.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alex Castellanos, thanks so much. You know, a lot of people particularly on this 9/11 say, they miss what was felt, say, 9/12. There was a sense of collective unity in this country. And we've heard it from voters in so many different ways. They want to see that kind of unity return to Capitol Hill. And return to the relationship between Capitol Hill and the White House. It'll be interesting to see if that, too, is going to be a topic in which to discuss or debate about at that debate tomorrow night, Monday night, there in Tampa. Alex Castellanos, thanks so much. Good to see you.

CASTELLANOS: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Of course, be sure to tune in Monday night at CNN, the Tea Party express and other Tea Party groups co-host the republican candidates debate. It is in Tampa, Florida. The site of the 2012 GOP national convention. The debate first, tomorrow, Monday night, 8:00 Eastern Time.

OK. To started what we remember happened ten years ago today. So, what difference does a decade make to that terror group's ability to do harm? I asked our terrorism analyst exactly that, and his answer is coming up, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an honor to say my brother's name, Christopher Edmund Lunder. Who with his sparkling blue eyes and infectious smile is greatly missed and deeply loved every single day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my father, Calixto Anaya, Jr., we love you. You're my hero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Al Qaeda may have lost its leader, Osama Bin Laden, this year, ten years after 9/11. But does al Qaeda still have a stronghold on terrorism? Earlier I asked our terrorism analyst Paul Cruikshank about al Qaeda's ability to strike again. Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: There's still a threat today. There's evidence of some sort of plot, perhaps, coming from Pakistan, from al Qaeda over there. That information is not corroborated at this point at this moment. But they still have a safe haven in Pakistan. There's still a lot of western recruits going to the training camps in Pakistan. And that's giving them opportunities to recruit them, train them in bomb making training and send them back to the west for attacks. They still have a safe haven there. The drone strikes have been very damaging to the organization that Bin Laden is now dead, other senior operatives have being killed. But they've been able to promote fresh blood up through the ranks.

They may also do things in tribal areas in Pakistan like train people in drone. So that people aren't so exposed to these drone strikes. There's also a threat now from various affiliates around the world. The threat has grown more fragmented, more decentralized, more defused. There's a group in Yemen, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, that's the most immediate threat now to the United States, Fredricka. Also there's already this homegrown threat now. Lone wolves not linked to al Qaeda but inspired by their ideology that may launch attack. Al Qaeda is encouraging this at the moment -- Fredricka.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Paul Cruikshank telling me also that since al Qaeda has been so splintered and so decentralized, the terror threat is actually harder to pin down now than it was ten years ago, he said. Much more in the NEWSROOM right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My beautiful, amazing mother, Grace Alegre-Cua. I love you and I miss you and I hope you're so proud of all of us and I know you're looking down smiling upon us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my sister, Bridget Ann Esposito. You're a special angel sent down by God, loved by all, taken but not forgotten. You're forever in our hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The vast majority of the goods and services that you buy are made in America. But that doesn't include things like shoes, clothing and electronics. Most of those products come from overseas. Yesterday, I talked to financial consultant Eric Amado. And he explained why it costs so much to produce goods in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC AMADO, FINANCIAL CONSULTANT: We have high labor costs in the United States. People like to make money in the United States. Also we have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world right now. I think we just surpassed Japan as the highest tax rate. And also we have stringent health care and safety regulations here in the United States. So, when you put all these variables together, it makes it very difficult to compete with other countries.

WHITFIELD: So, how encouraging is it when you hear that the U.S. when it does manufacture things, the quality is much better when it pertains to drugs or airplanes or even textiles? Is that at least a push in the right direction that perhaps if we're manufacturing those things well, then those companies might be able to hire more Americans, too?

AMADO: Yes. If we have great manufacturing standards here in the United States, like you said, with those products, we can hire more Americans. But the main reason why we can't hire more Americans right now is several things. For example, we have a lot of people out there that do not have the skills and qualification to meet some of the top grade jobs that we need to hire in the United States. For example, Microsoft is always going across seas to find -- get good employees, good engineers. And also, the changing in the business landscape. Every day, you know, something's changing. Like for example, the iPod is coming on board. And that changes everything. And also, you know, there's a lot of debt with corporations. So, these are some of the main reasons why, you know, companies are laying off and we just don't have a good unemployment rate right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can catch financial fix every Saturday at 2:00 Eastern Time and on Sundays again, 4:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN.

Texas Governor Rick Perry came late to the GOP presidential race. But now he's at the top of a GOP polls. Can he keep his momentum? We'll discuss that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A Texas governor who wants to be president. In a very short time Rick Perry has quickly shot to the top of the most Republican polls for president. His critics say, he's long on appeal, short on message. Supporters say he's the real deal. CNN's Ed Lavandera talked to both.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes your instincts tell you when a man is right for the job.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing chaps and riding a horse. This was Rick Perry's first statewide political ad back in 1990.

BILL MILLER, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: I'll tell you a great story.

LAVANDERA: Legendary Texas political consultant Bill Miller remembers women posting pictures of Perry in chaps in offices all over Austin. He knew then Rick Perry had the "It" factor.

MILLER: He told me that, yes, he's a good looking guy. When you meet him you kind of get a vitality and energy off of him that you'll feel which will surprise you.

LAVANDERA: So, Miller isn't surprised to see Perry rocket to the top of the polls for the republican presidential nomination. He credits Perry's risk taking like joining the Tea Party movement early.

MILLER: We didn't know where it was going or how it would play out. So, he's a risk taker, but a smart one. Because the bets he makes have paid off well for him politically.

LAVANDERA: Harold Cook is another veteran political consultant in Austin. He knows a thing or two about crafting political messages. He says Perry has a great narrative but he hasn't locked up the nomination yet.

HAROLD COOK, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: If you hope to knock Perry down as a republican opponent, you're going to have to get in the middle of his own jobs narrative and you're going to have to knock it down a couple notches. The notches are there to knock. They just haven't tried yet.

LAVANDERA: Cook is a democrat and he wouldn't let an opportunity slip by without trying to burst the Rick Perry phenomenon bubble.

COOK: As easy as Perry is to underestimate, it's also kind of easy to overestimate Perry. He is not some magic monolith of a campaign here. Since 1994, the only thing you've had to do as a republican in Texas to win your election is to avoid being the democrat.

LAVANDERA: Rick Perry is also used to being the front-runner. He's always held the lead. And he's comfortable in front of crowds. He was a yell leader, kind of like a male cheer leader, at Texas A&M University.

MILLER: So, all of that, you know, in a weird kind of way helps him and I think makes him a better politician, a better campaigner. And certainly by all accounts he's as good a campaigner as anyone seen down here in our lifetimes.

LAVANDERA: But there's still months left in this race. Rick Perry can't ride off into the sunset as the republican nominee just yet. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And be sure to tune in tomorrow night as CNN, the Tea Party express and other Tea Party groups, co-host the republican candidates debate. It's in Tampa, Florida, the site of the 2012 GOP national convention. The debate, Monday night, 8:00 Eastern Time.

All right. Some other stories we're following. At least two dozen new wildfires are now burning in Texas and other big fires are still spreading. The biggest is in Bastrop County near Austin. It has burned more than 34,000 acres and is it's only half contained. Texas is under the driest weather since 1895.

And in the northeast, it's floodwaters that are causing all sorts of problems. More than 2,000 homes in northern Pennsylvania are damaged. Record breaking floods there. And in neighboring New York are blamed on the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

In the decade since the 9/11 attacks, we've been in two major wars including in Afghanistan. Next, why the NATO commander in Afghanistan thinks it's important to keep American forces there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad, you're a grandfather now. My son is nearly three years old. And I will never let a day go by without him knowing that his grandfather was a hero. We love you. We miss you. Be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: March 11th, six months ago to this day, that's when that massive earthquake struck of Japan's coast. It triggered a devastating tsunami that led to meltdowns and radiation leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Across Japan today, people pause to remember the disaster and the more than 20,000 people dead, still missing or still unidentified. Not every public gathering was this solemn. Thousands marched on the power company's headquarters and government buildings, furious at what they consider poor handling of the crisis.

And overnight police in Sweden arrested four people believed to be plotting terror attacks. This is the coastal city of Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city after Stockholm. Swedish authorities say, the suspects were in the preparation stage of an attack. No other details that been given. Police say, they have probable cause to put the suspects in jail.

And in Afghanistan, a suicide attacker set off a truck bomb at the entry gate to a coalition base. At least two Afghan civilians are dead. And nearly 80 NATO personnel are hurt. The Taliban claims responsibility. Thousands of American troops are still in Afghanistan on this tenth anniversary of 9/11. The man who commands international forces there sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ten years from the September 11th attacks, why are we still here?

GEN. JOHN R. ALLEN, ISAF COMMANDER: We're here because Afghanistan must be left as a sovereign nation, a member of the international community, governed by a democratic country -- government that ultimately dispenses human rights, dispenses the rule of law and is not a platform for foreign terrorism. It's not a platform ultimately to launch attacks on the United States ever again, on the west and upon the thousands and thousands of innocent people who have suffered as a direct result of al Qaeda and Taliban's ideology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.

Back in this country, politics. The Tea Party candidates and their die-hard supporters, they're getting a national stage at an entire debate right here on CNN tomorrow night. But just which of those hopefuls really has the heart of the Tea Party voters? The answer is -- none of them? Hear for yourself with Don Lemon, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're gearing up for the first ever Tea Party debate Monday night moderated by Wolf Blitzer in Tampa, Florida. And CNN's Don Lemon is there as well. And he found some people who support the Tea Party movement but haven't yet picked a candidate.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Who would you like to see on that stage or toss their hat into the ring?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, well, you know, my favorite is my role model, Sarah. I would love to see Sarah do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sarah Palin?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll take a bullet for her. I think she's wonderful. And I mean that. Because I need a job.

LEMON: Why haven't you decided? Why haven't you declared?

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I think that I'm not the only one who has not decided yet and not ready to announce one way or the other yet. There's still -- you know, there's still a lot of contemplation that needs to go into such an earth shattering, life changing decision for a family.

LEMON: No one person you'd like to see, no Sarah Palin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like Sarah Palin. But I'm happy there's enough people in the race now. But I haven't seen enough of them. So, I'm still giving it a look at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And me as well.

LEMON: But everyone is saying, it's going to be a two-person race. It's going to be Romney or it's going to be Perry. If it's those two?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like pizza. I hope Herman Cain.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm sure Herman Cain would like to hear that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not so sure it will be those two. But we need to hear more of them. WHITFIELD: All right. Don Lemon will be broadcasting live tonight at 6:00 p.m. from Tampa, Florida. And the site of Monday's Republican debate and the site of the 2012 GOP national convention.