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CNN Live At Daybreak
Homeland Security: Most Wanted List Grows, Capitol Security Increases
Aired October 12, 2001 - 08:02 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has assured Americans, every step possible is being taken to guard against more terrorist attacks. But he urges caution.
More on that now from Senior White House Correspondent, John King. John, just based on everything I've read here this morning, it would appear as though everybody basically thought the President hit the ball out of the ballpark last night.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the President's senior aides, certainly thrilled with his performance last night. They believe he made his case to the American people and around the world.
On his update on the war on terrorism, Paula, some breaking news this morning. CNN has obtained a list of 39 new individuals and entities the administration will add to the list of individuals, companies, organizations - charities, even - that it believes are fronts for terrorism, and financial sponsors of terrorism.
The Secretary of the Treasury a short time ago signed new orders freezing the assets of all of these organizations here in the United States. That list will be shared with governments around the world, as well.
And this - you heard the President last night talk about the importance of the international coalition. This new list will test the strength of that coalition.
Several of the organizations are businesses in Yemen. Several are individuals and entities in Saudi Arabia. Some of these individuals and companies are in Pakistan, others in Tunisia, one in London, England, one, perhaps, the administration says, in the Philippines.
The administration now urging other governments to reach out, freeze and seize the assets of groups it says are supporting Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda organization.
This was a key point of the President last night at his primetime news conference. He said he has built an international coalition, and now it will be put to the test.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: Some coalition members will feel more comfortable doing certain things than other coalition members will. And my attitude is, and the attitude of my administration is, we'll accept any help that a government's comfortable in giving. And we should not try to force governments to do something that, that they can't do. Any help is better than no help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Mr. Bush also saying in that news conference, at one point he said he had given the Taliban its chance. Then he corrected himself. He said, actually, if they cough him up now - meaning Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants - he would stop the aerial assault on Afghanistan, the President going on in that news conference to tell the American people, just phase one of this war in Afghanistan could take a year or two.
He said he did not know if Osama bin Laden was dead or alive, but the President promised to press ahead. Also in that news conference, he was, of course, asked about this new advisory put out by the FBI yesterday, warning Americans that, while there is no specific or credible threat on the United States or on any specific target, there is information, now in the hands of the United States government, indicating, government officials say, the possibility, indeed, some believe the likelihood of an attempt to launch a terrorist strike on the United States over the next several days.
It was a difficult decision for the administration, but the President said he thought it best if that warning be made public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I think it is important for the American people to under - to know their government is on full alert. And that's what that warning showed. We take every threat seriously. And the American people shouldn't be surprised that we're issuing alerts. After all, on our TV screens the other day, we saw the evil one threatening, calling for more destruction and death in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The President also promising in that news conference to maintain the war on several fronts. He said he was encouraged by promises of cooperation from the government of Syria, a long-time sponsor of terrorism, in the view of the United States.
The President will put that to the test in the days and weeks ahead. Also, today, he will refocus attention on what he announced at the very end of the news conference - an attempt to urge the American children, school children, to give $1 to a new fund to help feed the children of Afghanistan. The President will focus more on that today.
I want to turn now to my colleague, CNN Congressional correspondent, Kate Snow, on Capitol Hill, for some new developments in the fight over security precautions up there - Kate. KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, in light of that FBI warning, the Capitol police receiving constant updates, we're told, from the FBI and from national security agencies.
And one change that they have made -- or one change that they're talking about, I should say -- is they're considering, now, bringing in U.S. military forces to reinforce those who already work at the U.S. Capitol doing security. Those would be the U.S. Capitol Police officers.
Now those troops would be used to relieve some of those officers who have been working incredibly long hours. Almost every single officer right now on the force, which is 1,250 strong, now working some 12 hours a day, at least, many of them pulling double shifts right now.
Military troops would be stationed where those police officers are stationed now, helping with security, and also allowing some of those officers to rotate out and get some specialized training that they're due for.
If authorities decide to go this route, it's important to note that this would be a temporary change. One senior senator that I spoke with about this yesterday said, it would have to be short-term to avoid creating a fortress around the U.S. Capitol, that sentiment also echoed by the spokesman for the Capitol Police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
U.S. CAPITOL POLICE SPOKESMAN: We want to encourage people to come to the Capitol complex. We don't want to send the wrong signals. And while we want to make sure this place is safe and secure, we're not going to make it a fortress. You know, that's not what our goal is. And that's not what America wants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And one other, one other change affecting things in Washington, here today, at least locally, and affecting the commuter traffic, is a change involving the area around the United States Capitol.
A 40-square-block area is now off limits to trucks of a certain size. Any truck over 1.25 tons, that's about the size of a small FedEx truck, OK, is now not allowed to drive on the streets, just around the United States Capitol.
Officers out this morning trying to get the word out about that and rerouting trucks around the area -- John.
KING: Thank you very much. Kate Snow, our Congressional correspondent. These remarkable security precautions, sometimes changing with the latest information into the FBI, but one legacy of the strikes of September 11th.
One result of that here at the White House has been, we haven't seen much of the Vice President. He has been kept away from the President at a separate location, as a precaution, for much of the past month. But he did show up to work yesterday, and just moments ago, the Vice President came in this morning, as well, for morning meetings here at the White House.
For now, let's go back to Paula Zahn in New York.
ZAHN: John, let's quickly go back to the President's remarks last night. About the only criticism I've heard is that perhaps the President could be more specific on how Americans could better respond to anything that could be potentially threatening.
I'm wondering if you could give us a sense of, of the debate that went on behind the doors, about how much information you give the American public to inform them, but not scare them.
KING: It is a very delicate balance. And it was a subject of a relatively fierce and heated debate, we're told, within the administration. On the one hand, if the government has information that there is a threat, even if that threat is not specific to a time and a place and a target, if it did not release it, and then there was an attack, obviously, the government would be criticized.
At the same time, the President does not want to overly alarm the American people by telling them there is a continued threat. The administration decided in this case, we are told, because there was so much information, and because it was coming in from several agencies - not just the CIA, not just the FBI, not just overseas intelligence sources, but a cumulative - reports from several agencies saying, they believe there was a high probability of an attempt to strike somewhere in the United States in the next several days.
The President decided in the end, the administration had no choice, that its responsibility was to put the American people on alert. You're right, though. He just told Americans to be on alert if they see any suspicious behavior reported, but he also said keep going about your business. Do not be frightened into hiding by the terrorists.
ZAHN: All right. Thanks, John. We'll see you throughout the morning.
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