Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Government Will Begin Teaching Cargo Pilots to Respond to Potential Terrorists Attacks
Aired April 23, 2004 - 14:30 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, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, a political policy change. The top civilian administrator in Iraq is adopting a rule concerning Ba'ath Party members or former Ba'ath Party members. Paul Bremer says thousands of them will be allowed back to their jobs, particularly teachers. The Ba'ath Party of course helped power under Saddam Hussein's rule.
North Korea is asking for the U.N.'s help in the wake of that deadly train explosion we've been telling you about. Sweden's ambassador to North Korea says a live power line may have sparked the blast. The death toll ranges from dozens killed to several hundred. Yesterday's explosion also destroyed as many as 2,000 homes.
The U.S. is entering an economic era with Libya. Bush administration officials say some sanctions against Libya may be lifted as early as today. Lifting sanctions would make most commercial business investment and trade with Libya possible. The move comes after Libya gave up its program for weapons of mass destruction.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Next week the government will begin teaching cargo pilots to respond to potential terrorists attacks. CNN went along with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge this week as he toured the training facility. Here's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrorists storm the cockpit of a 727. The pilot shoots them and secures the door. A simulation and demonstration for home Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge who traveled to New Mexico this week to watch the Transportation Security Administration train pilots to use guns in the cockpit.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This is a -- I think a terrific investment in just one additional layer of protection.
MESERVE: Hand to hand defensive combat. One facet of six days of intensive training. There are interactive video simulations with laser guns. And, of course, there is instruction and practice with real firearms.
For security reasons we cannot identify participants pilots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The program works. We -- I just wish there were more of us.
MESERVE: With this one facility training 100 pilot as week, estimates are less than 3,000 of the country's 100,000 pilots are certified to carry a gun in the cockpit. One critic says the small size undermines the program.
SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: My concern is that they won't be the deterrent they could be and national security will be jeopardized.
MESERVE (on camera): Bunning wants to expand training and knock down what he characterizes as TSA roadblocks that deter more pilots from signing up, like psychological tests and background investigations that some pilots consider redundant.
MARC FLAGG, CARGO PILOT: Most professional pilots have been former law enforcement officers, former military. We have all gone through background checks, held security clearances, handled firearms.
MESERVE: Flagg, a cargo pilot and former Navy flyer, backs reform in what he believes is a crucial program, a conviction born of personal tragedy. Flagg's mother and father died on 9/11 when hijackers slammed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
FLAGG: I believe that had the pilots been armed on that day, we would have had a different outcome.
MESERVE: And for the pilots who have volunteered to train on their own time and money in the New Mexico desert, that is exactly the aim.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Another thing to fix on the International Space Station. I'll talk with the only people in position to fix it. Up next.
And then, here kitty, kitty, kitty. Here, kitty. We've got the tail of the bobcat in the construction site. These new homeowners get more than they bargain for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's a busy time on board the International Space Station. This week the incoming and out going crews ticking off a long list of chores and checklists to ensure the fresh team know where's to find everything from the coffee to the power tools, to the toilet paper.
And the new team already has potentially important task ahead of them after yet another failure of a gyroscope that keeps the station pointed in the right direction. I spoke with the outgoing commander and the incoming crew earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL FOALE, COMMANDER OF CURRENT CREW ON ISS: Miles, this is Michael Foale, Gennady Paldaka and Michael Fincke on board the International Space Station. We hear you loud and clear. It's good to talk to you.
O'BRIEN: It is good to talk to you all, it is good to see you all. You look great up there.
Mike Foale, let's begin with you, talk to the news of the day. The loss of yet another gyro leave you with the minimum of two. Put this problem into some perspective, would you, Mike?
FOALE: We have two ways to orient the space station in space. And that's important that we get solar energy on to our solar rays to get electric power which supplies the life of the station.
The easiest way to orient the station in a traditional sense is to fire is the thrusters or jets. And the Russian segment provides that ability for us.
The American segment, the United States laboratory and equipment that's attached to it, has gyroscopes, a total of four. Two of which now are not operating. These gyroscopes spin and by trying to twist the gyroscopes that are attached to the station we actually end up twisting the space station.
So the issue is not that we would go out of control or that we would be unable to get power on to the space station's solar rays. The issue would be if we had to go over to space station (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because of one more gyro failing, which has not yet failed. Then we would start using up fuel. And that would put pressure on our managers on Earth to come up with ways to plan ahead more fuel for the International Space Station.
O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of how easy it will be to fix it in space.
FOALE: It would involve two people getting into the U.S. space suit, the EMU, the Extra (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Mobility Unit, and performing I don't think a very long EBA (ph) mission to change out that (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: Well, welcome to space, Mike Fink. Just getting your feet wet, so to speak, or what you're call up there. And you've already got a big task ahead of you. Are you ready for the challenge?
MIKE FINCKE, FLIGHT ENGINEER OF REPLACEMENT CREW: Miles, assume that it does come to us, not a problem at all. We've trained in Houston with the special space station skills program to help us for such contingencies.
And it just goes to show the strength of continued human presence aboard the International Space Station so that if something like this comes up, that there's people on board that can go out and fix things.
O'BRIEN: Talk about a welcome to space crew. Six months on your first flight. How's it going so far? You adapting well? Any concerns you have as you look for that time ahead?
FINCKE: Miles, this trip has been everything I've ever hoped for as my career as an astronaut. It's really magnificent to see it in person, to actually float on board, fly around like I'm Superman. It's just everything that I've hoped for. I'm looking forward to the next six months.
O'BRIEN: All right, Superman.
Final thought from Mike Foale. You talked about the gyros. While you've been up there, you've had to fix a leak, a treadmill, had issue with the electrons that generate oxygen on board the space station. Is this a little bit of evidence that the space station is falling apart even before it can be completed?
FOALE: I think you used a bad word there, Miles, saying falling apart. Things aren't failing the space station. Things are failing on board the space station and attached to the space station because the space station consists of an enormous thousands and thousands of intricately-constructed and integrated components.
I think this is normal maintenance. This is not rally much different than maintaining a more like a ship than an automobile. A ship you can't go and buy a new one every five years, whatever. A ship you have to keep maintaining and improving. And that's what we're doing with the national space station.
O'BRIEN: Thank you for your time. And Mike Foale, in particular, happy landing, sir. See you on Earth soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: He'll be back Thursday of next week. Mike Foale, Gennady Paldaka and Mike Fincke earlier today from space. And it's always a treat to talk to them -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Cool stuff.
First it was the president of the United States, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Now presidential hopeful John Kerry is taking to the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington, D.C. at the annual convention. Let's listen in.
(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)
PHILLIPS: Presidential hopeful John Kerry there addressing writers and editors from the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The president of the United States also did the same thing along with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
To our knowledge, they didn't have any protesters, but earlier today John Kerry did. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Would you like to hear an answer? Would you like to hear -- would you like to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The protesters were talking about generic AIDS drugs, generic AIDS drugs now. Bush or Kerry, as you can see, escorted out of the convention there.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MARKET UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Hey, hey, hey, look who's coming to the big screen. Details in today's "Entertainment Buzz." Looks just like him.
And what can you tell about a man about his body language? We'll look at America's presidential candidates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 23, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, a political policy change. The top civilian administrator in Iraq is adopting a rule concerning Ba'ath Party members or former Ba'ath Party members. Paul Bremer says thousands of them will be allowed back to their jobs, particularly teachers. The Ba'ath Party of course helped power under Saddam Hussein's rule.
North Korea is asking for the U.N.'s help in the wake of that deadly train explosion we've been telling you about. Sweden's ambassador to North Korea says a live power line may have sparked the blast. The death toll ranges from dozens killed to several hundred. Yesterday's explosion also destroyed as many as 2,000 homes.
The U.S. is entering an economic era with Libya. Bush administration officials say some sanctions against Libya may be lifted as early as today. Lifting sanctions would make most commercial business investment and trade with Libya possible. The move comes after Libya gave up its program for weapons of mass destruction.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Next week the government will begin teaching cargo pilots to respond to potential terrorists attacks. CNN went along with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge this week as he toured the training facility. Here's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrorists storm the cockpit of a 727. The pilot shoots them and secures the door. A simulation and demonstration for home Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge who traveled to New Mexico this week to watch the Transportation Security Administration train pilots to use guns in the cockpit.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This is a -- I think a terrific investment in just one additional layer of protection.
MESERVE: Hand to hand defensive combat. One facet of six days of intensive training. There are interactive video simulations with laser guns. And, of course, there is instruction and practice with real firearms.
For security reasons we cannot identify participants pilots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The program works. We -- I just wish there were more of us.
MESERVE: With this one facility training 100 pilot as week, estimates are less than 3,000 of the country's 100,000 pilots are certified to carry a gun in the cockpit. One critic says the small size undermines the program.
SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: My concern is that they won't be the deterrent they could be and national security will be jeopardized.
MESERVE (on camera): Bunning wants to expand training and knock down what he characterizes as TSA roadblocks that deter more pilots from signing up, like psychological tests and background investigations that some pilots consider redundant.
MARC FLAGG, CARGO PILOT: Most professional pilots have been former law enforcement officers, former military. We have all gone through background checks, held security clearances, handled firearms.
MESERVE: Flagg, a cargo pilot and former Navy flyer, backs reform in what he believes is a crucial program, a conviction born of personal tragedy. Flagg's mother and father died on 9/11 when hijackers slammed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
FLAGG: I believe that had the pilots been armed on that day, we would have had a different outcome.
MESERVE: And for the pilots who have volunteered to train on their own time and money in the New Mexico desert, that is exactly the aim.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Another thing to fix on the International Space Station. I'll talk with the only people in position to fix it. Up next.
And then, here kitty, kitty, kitty. Here, kitty. We've got the tail of the bobcat in the construction site. These new homeowners get more than they bargain for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's a busy time on board the International Space Station. This week the incoming and out going crews ticking off a long list of chores and checklists to ensure the fresh team know where's to find everything from the coffee to the power tools, to the toilet paper.
And the new team already has potentially important task ahead of them after yet another failure of a gyroscope that keeps the station pointed in the right direction. I spoke with the outgoing commander and the incoming crew earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL FOALE, COMMANDER OF CURRENT CREW ON ISS: Miles, this is Michael Foale, Gennady Paldaka and Michael Fincke on board the International Space Station. We hear you loud and clear. It's good to talk to you.
O'BRIEN: It is good to talk to you all, it is good to see you all. You look great up there.
Mike Foale, let's begin with you, talk to the news of the day. The loss of yet another gyro leave you with the minimum of two. Put this problem into some perspective, would you, Mike?
FOALE: We have two ways to orient the space station in space. And that's important that we get solar energy on to our solar rays to get electric power which supplies the life of the station.
The easiest way to orient the station in a traditional sense is to fire is the thrusters or jets. And the Russian segment provides that ability for us.
The American segment, the United States laboratory and equipment that's attached to it, has gyroscopes, a total of four. Two of which now are not operating. These gyroscopes spin and by trying to twist the gyroscopes that are attached to the station we actually end up twisting the space station.
So the issue is not that we would go out of control or that we would be unable to get power on to the space station's solar rays. The issue would be if we had to go over to space station (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because of one more gyro failing, which has not yet failed. Then we would start using up fuel. And that would put pressure on our managers on Earth to come up with ways to plan ahead more fuel for the International Space Station.
O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of how easy it will be to fix it in space.
FOALE: It would involve two people getting into the U.S. space suit, the EMU, the Extra (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Mobility Unit, and performing I don't think a very long EBA (ph) mission to change out that (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: Well, welcome to space, Mike Fink. Just getting your feet wet, so to speak, or what you're call up there. And you've already got a big task ahead of you. Are you ready for the challenge?
MIKE FINCKE, FLIGHT ENGINEER OF REPLACEMENT CREW: Miles, assume that it does come to us, not a problem at all. We've trained in Houston with the special space station skills program to help us for such contingencies.
And it just goes to show the strength of continued human presence aboard the International Space Station so that if something like this comes up, that there's people on board that can go out and fix things.
O'BRIEN: Talk about a welcome to space crew. Six months on your first flight. How's it going so far? You adapting well? Any concerns you have as you look for that time ahead?
FINCKE: Miles, this trip has been everything I've ever hoped for as my career as an astronaut. It's really magnificent to see it in person, to actually float on board, fly around like I'm Superman. It's just everything that I've hoped for. I'm looking forward to the next six months.
O'BRIEN: All right, Superman.
Final thought from Mike Foale. You talked about the gyros. While you've been up there, you've had to fix a leak, a treadmill, had issue with the electrons that generate oxygen on board the space station. Is this a little bit of evidence that the space station is falling apart even before it can be completed?
FOALE: I think you used a bad word there, Miles, saying falling apart. Things aren't failing the space station. Things are failing on board the space station and attached to the space station because the space station consists of an enormous thousands and thousands of intricately-constructed and integrated components.
I think this is normal maintenance. This is not rally much different than maintaining a more like a ship than an automobile. A ship you can't go and buy a new one every five years, whatever. A ship you have to keep maintaining and improving. And that's what we're doing with the national space station.
O'BRIEN: Thank you for your time. And Mike Foale, in particular, happy landing, sir. See you on Earth soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: He'll be back Thursday of next week. Mike Foale, Gennady Paldaka and Mike Fincke earlier today from space. And it's always a treat to talk to them -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Cool stuff.
First it was the president of the United States, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Now presidential hopeful John Kerry is taking to the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington, D.C. at the annual convention. Let's listen in.
(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)
PHILLIPS: Presidential hopeful John Kerry there addressing writers and editors from the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The president of the United States also did the same thing along with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
To our knowledge, they didn't have any protesters, but earlier today John Kerry did. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Would you like to hear an answer? Would you like to hear -- would you like to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The protesters were talking about generic AIDS drugs, generic AIDS drugs now. Bush or Kerry, as you can see, escorted out of the convention there.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MARKET UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Hey, hey, hey, look who's coming to the big screen. Details in today's "Entertainment Buzz." Looks just like him.
And what can you tell about a man about his body language? We'll look at America's presidential candidates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
