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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: America's Threat of Bioterrorism

Aired September 27, 2001 - 08:16   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Ten men have been arrested in three U.S. cities on charges they fraudulently obtained licenses to transport hazardous materials. A widespread crackdown is under way to head off possible chemical or biological attacks by terrorists.

With a bioterrorism report this morning, we are joined by three of our correspondents: Bill Delaney in Vermont at the Canadian border; Ed Lavandera is at a Texas truck stop in the Dallas area; and Jason Carroll is at New York's Queens Borough Bridge, which connects midtown Manhattan with Queens.

First, let's go to Bill Delaney -- Bill.

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we are here at an outpost of our long border with Canada -- Highgate Springs in Vermont, the border between the United States and Canada, between Canada and the contiguous 48 states; 3,987 miles. It's a long border -- Canada, our largest trading partner; $1.4 billion a day in trade, John, between the United States and Canada.

But many say this border is not as well protected as it should be. No less a person than U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft suggesting that to the Senate Judiciary Committee just days ago when he said, "We tend to take this northern border for granted, and we can't any longer." Security, of course, here, like in so many other places, has been increased.

Now, officials here at this border crossing tell us commercial traffic, at the moment, is normal. That means about 11,000 to 12,000 trucks a month pass here. They are being scrutinized more carefully. Some trucks delayed usually about an hour compared to how it used to be. Truck drivers not complaining much about that, though some trucks are being held up for much longer periods of time.

A shipment from Indonesia headed for Burlington a few days ago held up for four days. We are told of a truck from Egypt carrying Egyptian cotton that was also held up for quite some time -- bales of cotton literally taken apart with sniffing dogs -- precautions being taken here.

Our border with Mexico is much shorter, but there are some 9,000 border agents along that border, along that frontier; along our frontier with Canada, just several hundred agents all the way along. U.S. senator from Maine, Susan Collins, a Republican, has urged that those numbers be at least doubled -- back to you, John.

KING: Well, Bill, how do officials say they will strike the balance between their concerns about bioterrorism and hazardous materials with concerns about the economy? The Canadian prime minister, Jean Chretien, was here meeting with President Bush just the other day, and this was one of his major concerns: that the United States would go overboard in clamping down on the border.

DELANEY: This is the excruciating balance here. The ambassador to Canada from the United States, Paul Celluci, has called for a security perimeter -- a new security perimeter with more electronic surveillance to keep trade flowing while being able to increase scrutiny of trucks and passengers.

I should point out that passenger cars are down a third; as I said, commercial trucks still at about the same rate of traffic. But, yes, that's the excruciating balance between enormous trade and the need to be more vigilant than ever along this long border -- John.

KING: All right -- Bill Delaney in Vermont along the Canadian border.

Let's move to the south now -- Ed Lavandera in Texas -- tell us the experience there, sir. I see those trucks behind you. Add (ph) to the driver's patience, or do they think this is going too far?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually a lot of the drivers we've had a chance to speak with this morning say that at least here in Texas, it's been kind of business as usual so far.

This is -- we're along Interstate 20, which is just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hundreds of trucks come through this Flying J truck stop every day, and some of the guys that we've had a chance to speak with this morning say, as they have driven, it's very common for them to hit a couple of weigh stations and inspection areas along the way on their routes every day. But so far, it's just been kind of business as usual.

We're joined now here by L.C. Caudel (ph), and he's on his way from Maryland to Houston. And he's -- for about 15 years, you've been driving hazardous materials across the country. L.C., do you think people would be surprised by what you can carry across the country?

L.C. CAUDEL (ph), TRUCK DRIVER: Sure. Yes, there's lots of regulations of, you know, guide on what we can and cannot do with chemicals. So I do carry a lot of hazmats.

But the actual checkpoints and stuff, they don't seem to be much different than it was before. But we already had a lot of regulations in place. Before all this terrorism happened, we didn't have any real problems more than usual. OK. Now, they do check and have been checking hazmats for a lot more than they do just a vanload of materials, because they don't have any need to look at them as close.

LAVANDERA: Do you get a lot of inspections in terms of a lot of questions about you, personally? CAUDEL (ph): No.

LAVANDERA: Are you checked out individually?

CAUDEL (ph): Well, of course, anytime you hand them your driver's license, you're checked out. OK. They don't spend $50,000 on a police car to put a number in and not get nothing back.

LAVANDERA: Do you feel comfortable? I mean, do you know the guys here behind a lot of these wheels? Do you feel comfortable with who is out there on the road?

CAUDEL (ph): So far. OK. I haven't heard anything really going on, you know, on the highways. I haven't seen anything going on.

LAVANDERA: You also mentioned that you left Maryland earlier -- just a couple of days ago, and that you saw a little more scrutiny on the East Coast, but as you have come west, it's died off a little.

CAUDEL (ph): Yes. It's -- well, I even talked to DOT officer there in Virginia, right down -- right below Arlington. And I imagine it's going to be a little bit tighter there.

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: L.C. thank you very much -- appreciate it. L.C. also says that -- we spent some time yesterday with the Department of Public Safety here in Texas. They say its business as usual at some of the weigh stations around the area. And what they do is really check out, and as they're talking to the drivers, they base a lot of their information on the interview as they're sitting there talking to them looking at the demeanor of each individual driver -- John, back to you.

KING: Ed Lavandera near Dallas -- thank you very much for that, and your guest just noted security a bit tighter more in the east, near where these terrorist strikes took place.

Let's check in now with Jason Carroll at the Queens Borough Bridge -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, John.

I'm here at a security checkpoint at the Queens Borough Bridge, and I have to tell you the situation here today is much different than it was yesterday. Take a look behind me. You can see this is the security checkpoint out there where you see those orange pylons.

Now, John, when I was out here yesterday, just about every truck, every van was stopped and searched. But today, most of the vans and trucks that we see here are simply being allowed to pass through.

Now, when I asked an officer why the change -- why the change today? He told me that the search today is far more narrow-focused. He said that the officers out here this morning are briefed to look for only certain types of trucks or vehicles, and only those types of trucks or vehicles will be searched.

Now, when I asked him to elaborate on that in terms of what types of trucks or vehicles they would be looking at today, he said that that was classified information.

I did call the New York City police department and asked them to elaborate as well, and they said at this point, they were not able to do that. They didn't have any comment on why there was a change today, but they did say that they would get back to us later today to try to clarify why the search has changed -- John.

KING: Jason, are the city police doing these checks? Or do you see any evidence of federal agents out there?

CARROLL: So far, all I'm seeing our here, John, are New York City police officers. There are some traffic cops out here as well, but no federal marshals are conducting these searches. But that was the same situation we saw out here yesterday. There were New York City police officers who were conducting the searches.

KING: All right. Jason Carroll at the Queens Borough Bridge in New York, Bill Delaney along the U.S.-Canadian border in Vermont, and Ed Lavandera at a truck stop near Dallas -- we thank the three of you for that today. We'll continue to keep track of that issue.

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