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Live From...
FBI Tries to Move Into Age of Terrorism; Are Steroids Ruining Baseball?; How Do Air Marshals Make the Cut?
Aired May 29, 2002 - 20:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, HOST: Coming up on LIVE FROM, the FBI tries to move into the age of terrorism and we'll tell you about the Pan Am 103 settlement. Is there a settlement? All that and more up next.
ANNOUNCER: Rebuilding the FBI to target terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: Where there are responsible changes to be made, we will make them. Where there are mistakes to acknowledge, we will not shy away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll go live to Washington for the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Preparation, the factor that separates the men from the boys, the heavies from the lightweights, those who will live from those who will die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: From tackling gangsters in the old days to tracking terrorists today. We'll go in-depth on the major changes at the Bureau.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I warned you. Do not move. This is my plane.
PATTI DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their training is secret so is who they are and how many. But their mission is no secret -- stop hijackers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: CNN cameras take you behind the scenes for a look at how air marshals make the cut.
Pumped up players on the ball field? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It throws a cloud of suspicion over the players themselves and the records that are being set. And no sport holds its records in higher sanctity than baseball does.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Are steroids ruining baseball? We'll go live to New York's Shea Stadium for fan reaction.
CNN's live from Washington, New York and other datelines around the globe. Now, Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Good evening, thanks for being with us. Tonight, the FBI is saying there may have been more missed signs of terrorists operating in the United States prior to the 9/11 attacks. The report by FBI director Robert Mueller comes as the agency tries desperately to deflect criticism it bungled clues to the September attacks.
Attorney General John Ashcroft announced this afternoon a sweeping overhaul of the agency aimed at preventing further terrorist attacks against the United States. Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena joining us live from Washington with the latest on all of this.
Kelli, first of all, what about these additional potential missed signals?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, as you said it, the FBI -- as you said it, the FBI is still reeling from criticism that it failed to act on information pre-9/11 and FBI director Robert Mueller today did disclose new information about what he calls "possible missed signals."
Now, an FBI pilot back in 1998 warned about -- quote -- "large numbers of Middle Eastern males receiving flight training at Oklahoma airports," which he said could be related to planned terrorist activity.
The FBI also disclosed that an unidentified country restricted from purchasing U.S. technology tried to buy a flight simulator in the United States. Now, those disclosures came as the director was rolling out his plan for reform. And that plan is aimed at changing the culture, structure and priorities of the FBI, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's a big task. You're talking about...
ARENA: It sure is.
O'BRIEN: ... something with a deep history, an insular culture to say the least, 11,000 agents. I've heard some people say today they were just kind of rearranging some deck chairs on the Titanic. That might be going a little too far, but nevertheless, are these changes sweeping enough to deflect all of this criticism?
ARENA: Well, Miles, this is a plan that's been in the works for months. It defines the FBI's number priority as preventing another terrorist attack and specifically, the plan calls for a doubling of antiterrorist resources, for increasing analytical capacity and the transfer of more than 518 agents to counter-terrorism and security.
The plan also creates and Office of Intelligence and it calls for more cooperation with the CIA. In fact, 25 CIA agents will work at FBI headquarters. Still more will be assigned to field offices.
And Miles, for the very first time though, very interestingly, Robert Mueller conceded that if all of the pieces had been put together, it is possible that the FBI may have come across information that would have led investigators to the hijackers.
O'BRIEN: The concession obviously...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Because our focus is on preventing terrorist attacks more so than in the past, we must be open to new ideas, to criticism from within and from without and to admitting and learning from our mistakes. And I certainly do not have a monopoly -- a monopoly on the right answers and so, I seek the input from those both within the organization as well as those without the organization.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTOR (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, there's no doubt, there needs to be a reorganization. To work on reorganization, there needs to be a change of attitude. There has been identified the culture of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) where the FBI has not shared information with the CIA. We've got to break down those barriers. We're dealing with a life and death situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENA: Now, while the overhaul today has received a generally positive reaction from congressional leaders, they say that there's got to be real change and accountability at the bureau for it to be able to achieve this stated goal of preventing other terrorist attacks. And that congressional investigation into what happened pre- 9/11 continues, Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Kelli Arena back in the Justice Department for us. Thank you. As always...
ARENA: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: ... we appreciate it.
Now, one of the important changes slated for the FBI -- how the massive federal police force manages its standing army of more than 11,000 field agents. That issue came starkly to light in a scathing memo from an FBI whistleblower in Minneapolis. Special Agent Coleen Rowley accused Director Robert Mueller of misleading Congress. She also accused other top officials of bungling some of the work that might have saved some lives. CNN's Candy Crowley has this look at the agent that neighbors describe as being tough as nails. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Rowleys of Apple Valley, Minnesota live on a cul-de-sac so quiet that Ross Rowley worried their rooster was disturbing the peace. It's a friendly, but not too friendly spot where neighbors exchanged waves and Christmas cards.
AUDREY PACHOLSKI, NEIGHBOR: They do a nice Christmas letter that I am sure she organizes a lot of. And their pictures and the kids will write, in their own handwriting, you know, and they'll tell stories of the year and what happened and what they've done and not much about her, the kids, the family.
CROWLEY: Coleen, who organized the neighborhood watch, is the breadwinner. Ross, a stay-at-home dad. They were living the life Americana until Coleen wrote the memo that rocked the house that Hoover built.
DAG SOHLBERG, FORMER FBI AGENT: Coleen Rowley is a very forthright, direct, unassuming, intelligent person. I like to say that she's without guile. I mean what you see is what you get. And what you get is an honest opinion when you ask it of her.
CROWLEY: Agent Rowley has spent nearly half of her 21-year career in the Minneapolis division where among other things; she was the front person in the case of spree killer, Andrew Cananan (ph).
COLEEN ROWLEY, JULY 1997: Well, we're continuing to basically pull out all the stops and exhaust every possible investigating lead.
CROWLEY: An avid runner by passion, a lawyer by trade, Rowley was the go-to person for Minneapolis field agents who wanted wire tap or surveillance authority.
Her scorching memo to the FBI was prompted in part by her unsuccessful pre-September 11 attempt to get Bureau approval of a warrant to search the computer of Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker.
MUELLER: And let me just take a moment to thank Agent Rowley for her letter. It is critically important that I hear criticisms of the organization, including criticisms of me in order to improve the organization, to improve the FBI.
CROWLEY: Rowley isn't talking just now, but those who have worked with her, describe Rowley as tenacious and hard-working, a tough, type A personality who enjoys, literally, running against the wind.
SOHLBERG: I've run in law enforcement, run with her in bad rain and she seemed to thrive on it, you know, the rain and the wind in her face just kind of egged her on and she enjoys a challenge.
CROWLEY: And around the cul-de-sac, they don't seem the least surprised that their neighbor took on her boss. PACHOLSKI: She knows what she wants and she knows what she wants to do. You're not going to change that lady's mind.
CROWLEY (on-camera): Some of those who know her are surprised but pleased it was Agent Rowley who so publicly criticized the Bureau she has longed to work for since childhood. "She was not one to draw attention to herself," said a former colleague. She worked hard, did her job and then went home to be a wife and mother.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: The FBI envisioned the massive overhaul plan as a far cry from the G-man of J. Edgar Hoover's day at the agency as the agency director. CNN national correspondent Bruce Morton looks at the agency then and now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They knew how to do it in the movies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very interesting. I've come to financial disbursement pattern here, which shows some...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You carry a badge?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carry a gun.
MORTON: The Federal agents are off to get the bad guys. This old FBI printing film seems pretty clear-cut too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Preparation, the factor that separates the men from the boys, the heavies from the lightweights, those who will live from those who will die.
MORTON: But lately, it hasn't worked like that. Never mind the September 11 chances no one followed up, go back. Shoot to kill orders at Ruby Ridge in 1992, the FBI killed Randy Weaver's wife, Vicky, while she had their 10-month-old baby in her arms.
Waco, mostly an alcohol, tobacco and firearm show, but the FBI got criticized for its role too.
In the mid 90's, the FBI's famous crime lab was investigated. The Justice Department inspector general criticized it for flawed scientific work and inaccurate pro-prosecution testimony in major cases.
Oklahoma City, the Bureau turned out not to have told the defense lawyers about hundreds of documents until just days before Timothy McVeigh's scheduled execution. The execution had to be postponed and the U.S. district judge called the Bureau's conduct "shocking." The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park bombing, the FBI wrongly identified Richard Jewell as a suspect. Eric Rudolph, the man who finally charged fled and was never captured.
Ming Ho Lee (ph), the Taiwan born U.S. citizen accused of 59 felony counts at the Los Alamos labs, spent nine months in jail, pleaded guilty to one charge and the judge apologized to him and then, Robert Hanssen, the mole to end all moles.
Some see a troubled agency with few priorities going back to its first director, J. Edgar Hoover. Ron Kessler has written a history of the Bureau. He blames Louis Freeh, the director who preceded Robert Mueller.
RON KESSLER, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: No question, the FBI is now known as a bunch of bunglers whereas before Louis Freeh took over, it was known as a very fine agency. There have been any number of fiascos almost every six months under Louis Freeh's management and Congress really gave Freeh a free pass and allowed him to continue without any criticism, in fact, at the end, they called him the best director ever while all these fiascos were going on.
MORTON (on-camera): Others wonder whether the FBI is well suited to counter intelligence work, which has never been its principal assignment. They note that other countries have separate agencies. The British, for instance, have the police, including Scotland Yard, MI-5 for counterintelligence and MI-6 for spying on other people. It's a debate that's likely to continue.
Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, let's continue the debate with an expert. Kris Kolesnik is a man who knows a lot about the FBI and a lot about whistleblowers. He is the head of the National Whistleblower Center in Washington, 18 years of experience in government oversight.
Good to have you with us.
KRIS KOLESNIK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER CENTER: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: All right, first of all, what's your first cut assessment on what was revealed today by Mr. Mueller and Mr. Ashcroft?
KOLESNIK: Well, I think it's a good step in the right direction. I think there are a lot of things that are going to have to be overcome. Structurally, I think, you know, they are moving in the right direction. But I didn't hear a whole lot of discussion about the culture. That's going to be a tough one to tackle.
O'BRIEN: I would say that's a pretty tufted response from you given what you know about FBI. Are you pulling your punches a little bit? You seem as if you have some criticism buried in that statement there. KOLESNIK: Well, you know, as a former oversight specialist you're always skeptical, sort of like good journalists. And I have too much history with the FBI to be too optimistic. All of the scandals that Bruce Morton's report just had on, I had investigated up in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
O'BRIEN: So what's -- what is -- do you think there's something different here than there was post Ruby Ridge or post Waco? Is there a different air to all this or does this sound like the same sort of reforms that might have been announced after those?
KOLESNIK: Well, I think the difference is Mueller himself. I think he's earnest and I think he's got the right -- he's got the right attitude. He's has a touch of humility, which that organization really needs.
It has -- there is too much arrogance in the FBI. And you saw Mr. Mueller today talk about how much he appreciated the whistleblowers letter even though it directly criticized him. That's...
O'BRIEN: That was pretty unusual, wasn't it?
KOLESNIK: ... one thing, the attitude.
O'BRIEN: That was...
KOLESNIK: That was very unusual. And the other thing that's very important is this is the first time in all the years that I've been working on FBI oversight that I ever heard a director of the FBI come out and point out and acknowledge all the weaknesses of the FBI, things that we've been working on, trying to get them to fess up to for years and years...
O'BRIEN: Let's talk -- yeah, because we're -- while we have, I want to talk about that last point that Bruce Morton made as to whether the FBI is the right agency for the job. The -- there should be a separate agency, which handles counterintelligence, which focuses on terrorism? Is the FBI so structured in other directions -- and those are valid places for federal law enforcement to be -- that it can't really do the job properly?
KOLESNIK: Right. It's preoccupied and it's cultured as such that it reacts. And it's always been that way. You have a lot of people still at the top who are hang-overs from the Louis Freeh era who have never ever done anything pro-active to prevent.
Counterterrorism is a prevention. It's -- it requires, you know, predictiveness and that culture in the FBI only reacts whenever there is an incident that already occurs. And that's what I mean about the culture that has to be addressed. Even their analysis capability was geared toward making criminal cases not for counterterrorism purposes.
O'BRIEN: All right. Very quickly, because we are running out of time, quick, the FBI could barely communicate within its own ranks. They're talking today about closer ties to the CIA. Is that really going to happen?
KOLESNIK: Well, now, there's another cultural problem. I believe it when I see it. But I think having CIA analysts in the FBI, I think is going to be hopeful because at least, they're used to connecting the dots and in a counterterrorism way not for a criminal case.
O'BRIEN: Kris Kolesnik is a man who knows a lot about the FBI, a lot about whistleblowers. Thank you very much for being with us. He's the head of the National Whistleblower Center...
KOLESNIK: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: ... in Washington. We appreciate your insights on this story.
We have a breaking story to tell you about just coming in to CNN from Mt. Rainier in Washington. There are reports that a man and a woman were found dead this afternoon near the summit of Rainier, actually at about 7,800 feet. That would be a little bit of the summit. Reports are a bit sketchy, but they were apparently with a climbing group trying to summit at Rainier. They had built a snow cave perhaps to weather a storm. That cave collapsed and there are reports that two people died in that incident. A rescue effort is -- remains underway for those who are survivors. All this happening within the past hour. We are tracking that for you.
We're going to take a break. Back with more in a moment.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, $5 million for the capture of Philippine's terrorists holding an American couple hostage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that ordinary citizens of the Philippines and elsewhere may have information that can help bring the Abu Sayyaf terrorists to justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll go live to the State Department for the latest.
After eight-and-a-half months of dangerous and emotional work the cleanup at Ground Zero officially ends tomorrow. We'll take you there live for a preview of the ceremony.
The fallout from an MVP's steroid confession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't surprise me. I mean sports are sports. Guys are always trying to get the upper hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll go live to New York's Shea Stadium for the latest on steroid use in the big leagues, but first, time for your opinion. Will more manpower help the FBI solve its problems? To take the quick vote, head to CNN.com. For AOL users, the keyword is CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: A terrorist bomb blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. The bombing killed 270 people, including 189 Americans. A Libyan intelligence official was convicted of murder in the bombing. A co-defendant was acquitted. The U.S. and U.N. imposed sanctions on Libya after the bombing.
O'BRIEN: There's confusion tonight over reports that Libya is prepared to pay almost $3 billion in compensation to families of those killed in the Pan Am 103 bombing. For the latest on this story, we go live to our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel. Andrea is seldom confused, so she will clear this up for us.
Andrea, what is the story?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the story is that we heard earlier today from the Libyan government, from unnamed officials, saying they never made any kind of an offer of compensation to the families of victims of Pan Am Flight 103. But in fact, the lawyers who have been dealing with representatives from the Libyan government say that is absolutely not their understanding. They've been negotiating with representatives, both businesspeople, folks from banks, and also from the Libyan Supreme Court who have been, of course, getting their orders from Mommar Khadafi, the Libyan leader.
So it seems as if, what happened here is the Libyan government wants to hedge its bets a little bit before it knows that in fact sanctions will be lifted and doesn't want to be coming out in the open right now and saying, yes, in fact we are making a deal over Pan Am Flight 103 because we were behind it.
O'BRIEN: Well, this is an issue that has really divided the families of Pan Am 103, this group that is part of this suit and others who feel this amounts to nothing more than blood money. Essentially, Khadafi gets a free ride off the sanctions list for some money. I guess there are a lot of families who feel very strongly about this.
KOPPEL: Right, and I think it comes down to -- you're absolutely right. There are some family members who are saying, we don't want to be negotiating with Khadafi over money. This is about Libyan -- the Libyan government accepting responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and unless and until Khadafi comes out in some way, shape or form and says, yes, we were behind it and we accept responsibility, they don't want to be talking about the money first. So that's really that side of it.
But the other side of it is that there are some people who are saying, absolutely, this -- you know, we want money. We think that the Libyan government needs to compensate us, not that anybody ever could for the loss of their family members and we want the Libyans to pay for that in addition, to their accepting responsibility. O'BRIEN: All right, let's take a look briefly at another front in the war on terror, southeast Asia, the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to al Qaeda. The State Department issuing a war today. Tell us a little bit about that.
KOPPEL: This is a program called -- that the State Department has that's called Rewards For Justice. Some of our viewers may remember not that long ago the U.S. was issuing millions of dollars worth of reward for Osama bin Laden's capture and conviction, and also for the head of the -- Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban. So far, though, those leads really haven't gone anywhere and those two individuals are still on the lam.
Having said that, this is a situation in the Philippines that's been going on for about a year. Two Americans, the Burnhams (ph) from Kansas, have been held hostage by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, and the State Department has really been pulling its straws here. U.S. military on the ground there in the Philippines. They haven't been able to win their capture, Miles, and so, they're hoping that a $5 million reward might lead somewhere.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Andrea Koppel, thanks very much. We appreciate that, joining us from the State Department as always.
In Afghanistan, hundreds of British troops are hunting for al Qaeda and Taliban troops along the border with Pakistan. As you see right there, that red line across the map there. Operation Buzzard, as it is called, aims to stop fighters from slipping back into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Afghan warlord, Gulbuden Hec Matara (ph) is accused of trying to kill American soldiers and is known to have connections in the area. But British officials won't say if he is a target of the operation.
American officials say al Qaeda fighters may be involved in the India/Pakistan conflict through their ties with militants in the disputed Kashmir region. The officials say al Qaeda may be trying to distract the Pakistani government from pursuing the terrorist network. Pakistan has moved some troops from the border with Pakistan to the border with India.
There was more heavy shilling between India and Pakistan today. Pakistan says 12 civilians were killed on its side of the Kashmir frontier. India says Pakistani artillery fire killed 11 Indian civilians in Kashmir. The nuclear arm neighbors have massed one million troops, each along the border.
We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move. This is my plane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Next, they're the last line of defense against terrorists on board airliners. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS (voice-over): On this pistol range, air marshals must score better than even Secret Service agents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: CNN cameras give you a rare look behind the scenes at their training camp.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Prior to September 11, the ranks of U.S. air marshals had dwindled and it faced extinction. Now, of course, the airborne law enforcement ranks are being rejuvenated, but are they being properly trained to protect our skies? CNN's Patti Davis got a rare behind-the-scenes look at what air marshals have to go through to make the cut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will hurt you! Do not move! This is my plane!
DAVIS: Their training is secret so is who they are and how many. But their mission is no secret -- stop hijackers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police, down on the ground.
DAVIS: Here, federal air marshals simulate fighting off attacks aboard this L-1011 at 35,000 feet and here, bringing down a moving target in close quarters.
Air marshals have been on planes since 1968, but since September 11, sources tell us their ranks have grown from 50 to around 1,000. But critics charge in this zeal to protect the U.S., the government is rushing air marshals on flights without the advanced marksmanship skills they need. It's a charge the Federal Air Marshal Service denies.
THOMAS QUINN, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL SERVICE: They have the highest minimum standard on the standard law enforcement practical pistol course of any other federal law enforcement agency.
DAVIS: Officials invited reporters to see for themselves. On this pistol range, air marshals must score better than even Secret Service agents. Think it's easy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right in the middle of the target.
DAVIS (on-camera): I don't know if I control this on an airplane though.
(voice-over): Pilots who want to carry guns as well, argue there will never be enough air marshals to cover the more than 20,000 U.S. flights every day. SCOTT LEWIS, ALLIED PILOTS SECURITY ALLIANCE: If you're flying on airplanes with the hopes that there are air marshals onboard your airplane to protect you in the event something goes wrong, you're living in a fool's paradise.
DAVIS (on camera): The Bush Administration has said no to arming pilots. They're counting on federal air marshals being the last line of defense on a plane.
DAVIS (voice over): Officials say they're confident with nearly 200,000 applicants, they'll find enough skilled air marshals to help stop another terrorist hijacking. Patty Davis, CNN, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: When we come back, the last steel columns come down, the cleanup at what was once the World Trade Center is over. What's next? We'll go live to Ground Zero for some answers.
Plus, memories of 9/11, as exploding manhole covers cause New Yorkers to run for their lives. We'll tell you what happened today in Midtown Manhattan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. A report from New York City on the eve of a somber ceremony marking the end of the Ground Zero recovery effort is just moments away, but first a news alert for you.
There is apparently a major shift in the way the FBI does business. FBI Director Robert Mueller today outlined a massive reorganization with a strong focus on preventing terrorism. The agency plans to redirect resources and put hundreds of new agents into counterterrorism efforts. Also, look for more cooperation between the FBI and the CIA.
The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for the capture of five Abu Sayyaf leaders who kidnapped three Americans in the Philippines last year, killing one of them. Abu Sayyaf is a Muslim separatist group that admits being part of the al Qaeda network.
Libya denies it made an official offer of $2.7 billion to families of victims of the Pam Am 103 explosion. An unofficial deal might have been offered by a non-government negotiator, but the deal would require the U.S. and the U.N. to lift sanctions against Libya.
Italian intelligence agencies may have taped conversations by suspected al Qaeda operatives talking about the September 11th attacks more than a year before they happened. Our Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci has the latest on another case of possible missed clues.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: The transcripts were published in the two Italian leading newspapers, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, and they do report the conversation between the leader of an Islamic mosque in the northern city of Milan, and a Yemeni Sheikh visiting Italy.
According to the transcript, the Yemeni Sheikh tells the mosque leader: "In the future, listen to the news and remember these words: above the head." The Sheikh continues saying: "The action will be one of those strikes you never forget," adding, "It will be a terrifying thing. It will move from south to north, from east to west. He who made this plan is a madman, but a genius. It will turn you to ice."
He also says: "You know we are in a country full of enemies of god, but we are always mujahideen fighters, freedom fighters. We can conquer any power using sparks and airplanes. They can't stop us even with their greater weaponry. We just have to hit them and keep our heads high."
Now Italian authorities are stopping short of making any direct connection between the two suspects and the December 11th attacks, but they do say that because of the September 11th attacks, those transcripts were available to them at the beginning of the year 2001 now are gaining more relevance.
It took all of this time for Italian authorities to transcribe, to analyze and to even translate those transcripts because they were of poor quality, and Italian investigators were also complaining that it took the translators way too much time to come to an acceptable version.
Now the mosque leader is a known person to Italian authorities. He was part of an Italian investigation both before and after the September 11th attacks. He is said to have fled Italy two months before the September 11th attack. That investigation resulted in the arrest of at least eight Islamic militants.
In the conversations, the two suspects are also allegedly talking about training camps in Yemen, as well as the need to find safe passports. I am Alessio Vinci, CNN, reporting from Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: And now to Ground Zero. We are on the eve of a somber ceremony tomorrow. After eight and a half months of hard work, workers will stop to remember the removal of rubble at the World Trade Center site. For more on all this, we are joined by CNN's Jason Carroll, live from Manhattan. Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Miles, that ceremony is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 10:29 a.m., about the same time the first tower collapsed back on September 11th.
Right now, I want you to take a look at a live picture down there at Ground Zero. While you're looking at that live picture, I can go over some of the details of what will be happening down there tomorrow morning. There are no speeches that are scheduled. It's going to be a simple ceremony. An empty stretcher symbolizing all the victims will be carried out of the pit. Also, the last standing piece of metal, a 50-ton steel girder, will be carried out as well, during a procession that will stop at the edge of the site for a helicopter flyover.
Many of the victims' families will be down there as well, Miles. Also, recovery crews that have been working down there day in and day out for the past eight and a half months, they'll be down there as well. Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency released a videotape of all of their efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): It began as a desperate search for survivors, but rescue workers quickly realized this was a resting place for thousands who died on September 11th.
Workers moved immense piles of steel and concrete, at one point three million tons of it, including a large section of the towers to applause, moments of silence when victims were found. Recovery workers on 12-hour shifts; some lost loved ones in the terrorist attack. It wasn't just a job. It was a duty, a calling.
With each day, a new layer uncovered, cars in the garages, weeks later the train station below ground, then the shopping galleries, frozen in time on that September day.
At Christmas, a fire truck; at Easter, the work continued. Finally in May, the bottom of Ground Zero. All that remains, one steel girder from the South Tower, a symbol of strength. Two thousand eight hundred twenty-three people were killed, 1,092 of them were identified. Many of the workers will now leave, realizing the only thing worse than digging is being told to stop digging.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
It's hard to believe it's just been now about eight months since September 11th. Again, that ceremony tomorrow scheduled to begin at 10:29 a.m. Miles, there will be another ceremony on Sunday. That will be for the victims' family members who are unable to attend tomorrow morning's ceremony. Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jason Carroll in New York, thank you very much. Join CNN's Aaron Brown tomorrow for live coverage of the World Trade Center ceremonies. "Ground Zero: The Last Day" begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, 7:00 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
New Yorkers still on the edge from the September 11th attack got a scare that sent some people running this morning. A series of underground explosions blew several manhole covers out of the ground. Police say rush hour traffic was snarled and transit lines temporarily shut down.
Apparently it all started with overloaded electrical lines. They generated a gas that exploded under pressure. No major injuries reported, however.
A remarkable undersea find from World War II, coming up, has President John F. Kennedy's past surfaced? We'll tell you about a discovery in the South Seas.
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O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Here are some other stories making news right now. In Mexico, a break in the mystery surrounding a stolen shipment of cyanide, authorities recovered 70 drums of the toxic chemical in the Mexican town of Honey, about 75 miles from where a tractor trailer hauling the cyanide was hijacked this month, but six drums remain unaccounted for.
A murder defendant was shot dead in Milwaukee in a courtroom today. Police say just as the jury returned with its verdict, the defendant tried to grab a bailiff's gun. It went off striking the bailiff in the leg. A police detective in the courtroom shot and killed the defendant.
The military's troubled Osprey aircraft is getting a second chance. The Marine Corps today resumed flight testing of the controversial aircraft, which takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane. The military grounded the Osprey 17 months ago, after two crashes killed a total of 23 marines.
Today would have been President John F. Kennedy's 85th birthday, and marking the milestone is word of a remarkable discovery. The remains of what's believed to be the World War II patrol boat Kennedy commanded had been found off the Solomon Islands. The search was led by Robert Ballard, the man who located the Titanic wreckage. While promising, Ballard says the findings are still inconclusive. President Kennedy's wooden PT-109 sank after it was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer in 1943.
The U.S. Government plans to pay $235 million for mineral rights near the Florida Everglades to protect Florida beaches and parks from oil and gas drilling. In addition, the government will pay several oil companies $115 million for their natural gas leases in the Destin Dome unit off of Pensacola.
A new controversy has baseball fans buzzing today. Coming up, we'll go live to Shay Stadium to hear from players and fans about new revelations of steroid use and abuse in the majors.
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O'BRIEN: And now some reaction to a story we first reported to you yesterday about baseball and steroids. Chicago Cubs Manager Don Baylor says the allegations have put a stain on the game.
The charges were contained in the June 3rd issue of "Sports Illustrated" which features a special report on the subject. Former major leaguer Ken Caminiti, who says he took steroids for years, estimates that at least half of all players are taking the muscle- enhancing drugs. The "Sports Illustrated" report is fueling discussion among fans to say the least. CNN's Josie Karp live from Shay Stadium with some insights into what they're saying there in Gotham. Hello, Josie.
JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles, this evening we talked to players here at Shay Stadium, both for the Mets and also for the Phillies, and those players really seem to agree on two points in general regarding steroid abuse and use at the major league level.
Number one, players don't believe, the active players that we talked to, that steroid use is as high and as prevalent as Ken Caminiti suggested. They really scoffed at the idea that at least 50 percent of all major leaguers use steroids. They believe that number is much, much lower.
And the other point that many players made over and over again is, they don't feel like steroids pose a real threat to the health of Major League Baseball. They feel like the threat is much greater to the individual.
What is clear from talking to all these players is the fact that Caminiti has certainly inspired dialog in the major league clubhouse and at the same time, he's also invited some very unwelcome scrutiny.
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MO VAUGHN, METS FIRST BASEMAN: If you have something to admit that you want to get off your chest that you feel guilty or whatever, fine. But don't bring, you know, the other players into it, especially if you have no facts.
LARRY BOWA, PHILLIES MANAGER: I'm sure everybody around baseball has seen someone on steroids at one time or another, but to say that number is 85 percent or 50, I couldn't say that, because I don't know.
SHAWN ESTES, METS PITCHER: You notice it more with the smaller guys. They end up bulking up in a hurry. But, you know, I really don't know how much of an advantage it is.
MIKE PIAZZA, METS CATCHER: I've never seen anybody using them. I mean you know to me if a guy comes in spring training that's gained 20 or 30 pounds, maybe he was working out, you know. Don't discount the fact that it does take a certain amount of discipline to go into the gym and improve your body.
DOUG GLANVILLE, PHILLIES CENTER FIELDER: Testing is a touchy subject obviously. You know the system we have has gone for a while, but I think you have to -- the fine line that you have to define is very difficult.
KARP (voice over): Major League players are warned about the dangers associated with steroids during meetings every spring. Fans at Wednesday's game called on the league to do more to address the issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They should test and they should ban the people who are using them. It's no different than cheating in any other way in the game.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It makes you think that you don't look up to them as much as you do when they don't because when they don't they're really trying and when they do, it's like they have an extra help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think baseball probably feels like, well if we do this, if you take away the steroids, they're not going to hit as many home runs; ergo people are not going to come to the games. It's not going to be as interesting, so that's just turning a blind eye.
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KARP: If any Major League player had a right to feel violated by Ken Caminiti's admission that he used steroids, it was probably the Mets Mike Piazza, because Caminiti said he did use steroids in 1996, when he was the unanimous choice as the National League MVP, where Piazza was runner-up to Caminiti for that award.
But when he was asked about it today, Piazza said he doesn't feel like he was cheated out of the award because he doesn't really feel like steroids give a player that big an advantage. Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Josie Karp at Shay Stadium, needless to say, quite a bit of reaction there to Mr. Caminiti's statements. The player's union issued a statement today. I'm paraphrasing what they said. Essentially, players are saying it's an issue that has been addressed already as part of the collective bargaining agreement, and has been dealt with and will be addressed.
Let's check in with a guest on all of this. Steve Malzberg, where are you? There you are.
STEVE MALZBERG, WABC RADIO: Hi, Miles.
O'BRIEN: You were hiding behind a graphic. It's good to see you.
MALZBERG: I'm sorry, good to see you again.
O'BRIEN: All right. You know it's funny whenever you talk about baseball it always gets down to that collective bargaining agreement. Here it is the issue of drug testing. I think most people probably would have had the conclusion prior to all this happening that the drug issue had been dealt with, that there was some sort of routine testing, which is what you have in most other sports, right?
MALZBERG: Well, there is drug testing. First of all, the Major League Player's Association is the strongest union in sports. Let's make no mistake about that, and they're coming up to a very critical time here this year. There might be a lock out or a strike if there's not another agreement reached, because the one they're working under has run out. Having said that -
O'BRIEN: Yes, but is this a strike issue, this one?
MALZBERG: No. No. This is not a strike issue.
O'BRIEN: No.
MALZBERG: But they have a drug testing plan in place for cocaine and other illegal drugs. Now steroids are illegal in this country, unless a doctor prescribes them to you. Now I don't know if the number is 50 percent or 20 percent. I think Mike Piazza has a lot of nerve saying, you know, he's never seen it. He's never heard of it. He doesn't know who does it. It doesn't help you. I mean that's shutting your eyes to the reality from all I've heard and all I know.
O'BRIEN: Methinks he doth protest too much there, to quote some Shakespeare for you.
MALZBERG: Yes, but again it could be a player's personal doctor writing the prescription and giving it to them or maybe even team doctors are doing it to some players.
So it certainly does exist. Some players use it, and I think the most important voice we heard from in that report was the little child who said, if the players are cheating, you're certainly not going to look up to them they way you did.
And we need to know if Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, I'm not saying they are, but we need to know if they were cheating in setting their records.
O'BRIEN: All right, a couple things though. All this time, we've been thinking it's the small ballparks that has caused this huge hitting orgy that's been going on in baseball over the past few years, maybe not so, huh?
MALZBERG: Well, the small ballparks, this is one reason as the woman following the child in the report said of Major League Baseball might be turning a blind eye to this because they want more home runs. They want more scoring. So we've seen the fences come in, the small parks. We've heard about corked bats. We've heard the balls are juiced.
We've heard all kinds of things and certainly we know that Mark McGwire admitted to using Andro (ph), which is an over-the-counter kind of enhancer. And if steroids are being used by these athletes to set these records and enhance their performance, I think Major League Baseball and the player's association owe it to the fans and to the players themselves to address this issue.
O'BRIEN: Steve, it's a slippery slope though. Once you go down this slope and you have the perception out there that the other players are taking these things, a player would probably feel to stay competitive I got to go along with it. How do you undo it?
MALZBERG: Well, you could ban it or maybe you could say we're going to test and we're not going to reveal the people who are positive, but we're going to give them two years to wean themselves off, because you don't just stop steroids, by the way. I understand that could be dangerous.
So let them handle it in-house. Let them handle it in the collective bargaining agreement, but let them assure the fans that within two years, this is going to stop.
I don't think we can expect to learn oh this one was on it. This one is on it, and have them banned from baseball, no. But start anew. Let's wipe the slate clean. Anybody who's tested positive, we'll keep it in-house, but they have two years to get off or they will be kicked out of baseball.
O'BRIEN: Steve Malzberg, talks sports with the folks in New York and they love to share their opinions, don't they Steve?
MALZBERG: Yes, just got off the air at eight o'clock Eastern time.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for shuttling on over to our bureau and joining us. We appreciate it.
MALZBERG: My pleasure, anytime.
O'BRIEN: All right, in some more upbeat sports news, the Carolina Hurricanes are getting ready for their first appearance ever in the Stanley Cup Finals, and their fans a bit excited about that.
They began lining up for tickets when the Hurricanes won the NHL's Eastern Conference Championship last night, hundreds of people waiting outside the ticket office when it opened this morning and in 30 minutes, the tickets were sold out.
Well, happy 99th. Bob Hope is celebrating a birthday and the West Coast gives quite an honor to a man who's made millions laugh.
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O'BRIEN: No public appearances are planned for comedian Bob Hope on his 99th birthday. He spent the day with his wife in his California home. He is, after all, ailing somewhat. His work for U.S. troops was recognized today with a dedication of a veteran's chapel named after him at the Los Angeles cemetery. A lot has changed since Bob Hope was born in 1903.
Remember, that was the year the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane in December. It's also the year that Henry Ford came out with a car known as the Model T. You can have it in any color you like, so long as it's black.
That's all the time we have for tonight's LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien, thanks for being with us.
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