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Victims' Families React to 9/11 Commission Report

Aired July 22, 2004 - 13:38   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Along with the release of the 9/11 report, there's newly released surveillance video of passenger screening at Dulles International Airport. The footage is chilling in retrospect. Five men who passed through this checkpoint on the morning of September 11th went on to hijack American airlines flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. Several triggered metal detectors. And at least two of them were searched by agents using handheld wands, but nothing was found. And then the men went on to board the fatal flight.
Even in knives or box cutters had turned up, it's doubtful that those hijackers would have been stopped. At the time, it wasn't illegal to carry such items on the planes. The video was released by a law firm representing some survivor's families who are now suing the airlines and security industry.

Well, that tape is hard to watch. And along with the release of today's 9/11 final report, it's an especially difficult day for people like Cheryl McGuinness. Cheryl, as you may remember, has joined us before here on LIVE FROM. Her husband, Tom McGuinness, was the copilot of American Airlines flight 11, the first plane that hit the World Trade Center.

Cheryl join us today by phone from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Cheryl, it's great to have you with us. I want your first reaction to what you heard today from this report. Did anything make you feel at peace at all?

CHERYL MCGUINNESS, LOST HUSBAND IN 9/11: Kyra, it's great to be here again.

And you know, my first reaction to the report is I'm really thankful it's finally here, that we can now get the recommendations from the commission that they've been working so diligently to get, and take a look at it and hopefully implement some recommendations and make changes to keep our country safe for our children and our children's children.

PHILLIPS: And Cheryl, in the report it said the 9/11 attacks came as a shock but didn't come as a surprise. That hit me for a number of reasons. Because you have told me that you and Tom used to talk. Tom was a navy top gun pilot. He would talk about the so- called enemy that he was supposed to defend against. But this is an enemy that neither one of you ever expected to hit the United States.

MCGUINNESS: Absolutely. I'm shocked to hear that -- that news, and I thought it was completely surprising and shocking.

PHILLIPS: When you talk about who is -- who was the enemy, the greater enemy, do you believe it's the Islamic extremists, or do you think it's the neglect of the warnings and intelligence that lacked?

MCGUINNESS: Well, I think it's -- you know, I -- it's difficult to say, you know, who is to blame and what group or anything like that. I honestly believe that it wasn't just an attack on America, although it happened here in America. I believe it was an attack on all of mankind, and I feel like it showed the worst that mankind can do and that -- what we're capable of doing.

And although, you know, you know as well as I that as long as -- you know, 3,000 of our loved one -- husbands, wives, fathers, children -- died, they didn't kill our spirit. They didn't take away our hope and the promise of tomorrow that we have.

PHILLIPS: Cheryl, Fred Fielding -- who, of course, is on the commission -- came forward and talked about the recommendations that they have made and some criticism that maybe these recommendations are too bold. I want to get you to respond to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED FIELDING, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: Why do you make recommendations that are so bold? Why do you make recommendations that are going to be very difficult because somebody has to give up something, somebody has to break a cookie jar? Why do you do that? Why don't you do something that you know has a better percentage chance of passing?

I think after our discussions, the answer we came to and the reason you see the recommendations we have, is -- the question is, if not now, when?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Cheryl, are the recommendations bold enough? Are they justified? Will they make a difference? And is it worth the money, is it worth the difficulty that Fred Fielding talks about?

MCGUINNESS: It absolutely is worth the difficulty. This is the time to be bold and courageous and to step up and to say what we need to do and to implement some changes. Many Americans were lost that day, and we need to do all we can to keep our country safe. And this is the time to be bold and to make change.

PHILLIPS: Well, I've got to ask you before we go, Cheryl, speaking about being bold and stepping out and not being afraid, I know your son is taking flight lessons and wanting to pursue the same things your husband did. How's that going?

MCGUINNESS: His flying lessons are going great. He's still keeping his dream alive that he talked about and wants to be just like his dad.

PHILLIPS: Cheryl McGuinness, you're a strong woman. You have an amazing family. Thank you for being with us today.

MCGUINESS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Miles?

O'BRIEN: In Utah, the search continues this hour for a missing pregnant woman who went for a run on Monday and has not been seen since. And while the hunt for Lori Hacking continues, there is some reason to doubt the credibility of her husband Mark.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is following the case. She join us live now from Salt Lake City -- Kimberly.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles. Well, I'll tell you, there have been a number of twists and turns and now somewhat of a cloud of suspicion over the investigation into the rather mysterious disappearance of 27-year-old runner Lori Hacking.

Police confirm that Mark Hacking, Lori's Husband, is, quote, "a person of interest." They've not gone so far as to call him a suspect in the case. However, nobody is a suspect in the case at this point. They have, in fact, questioned him several times over in the past several days, and they've not yet cleared him in the case.

Both of the couple's cars have been seized, as well as a Dumpster with some of the bedding from the couple's home. Police will be running forensics tests today, searching for clues and following up on leads. Rescue efforts do continue, though.

Although police have covered the eight-mile quite extensively and several times over where Lori was last seen, Lori's best friend, Rebecca Caroll feels compelled to go back. She says Lori had no clue about her husband's web of lies and deceits. She had no idea that he wasn't admitted to medical school, no idea he hadn't graduated from an undergraduate university. In fact, she says the pair even paid a visit to several campuses in North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA CARROLL, LORI HACKING'S BEST FRIEND: She had no clue whatsoever. I know that. We just went to dinner for a few weeks ago, and all we talked about was going to medical school and that they were trying to have a baby. And -- you know, she had no idea; we had no idea. It's just -- it's so hard to believe that. How could he pull that off for all this time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Now, there are fewer volunteers that have been out this morning, perhaps because of the air of suspicion. At least several volunteers I spoke with were truly committed, although they had some questions and doubt in the back of their mind.

Family members say that Mark Hacking has been in a psychiatric hospital under a doctor's care, and he is simply too stressed and under too much emotional strain to go out and search. His father spoke earlier who -- after being with him all night long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS HACKING, MARK HACKING'S FATHER: This self deception got started, and it finally has come to an end. And he feels relieved that it's come to an end. It's like lifting a heavy load off his back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Now, despite what appears to be years of complicated lies, I asked a family member if, in fact, Mark had ever undergone any psychiatric care before. And he said, no, that had not happened.

Reporting live from Salt Lake City, Kimberly Osias. Back to you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Kimberly.

Thousand-dollar creams, 60-minute face-lifts -- they're the latest craze among the big-time celebrities who'll pay an arm and leg to take years off their face. But can these treatments be taken at face value, if you will?

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen faces the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may not recognize this woman, but in the celebrity world, she's a celebrity -- Tracie Martyn, facialist to the stars.

KERRY DIAMOND, BEAUTY EDITOR, "HARPER'S BAZAAR": She's got clients like Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, the designer Diane Von Furstenberg, Iman, and they all swear by her.

COHEN: For celebrities, the sky's the limit when it comes to their faces.

DIAMOND: It's all about super high-tech cream, it's about high- tech treatments that you can get at the dermatologist. Because when you're a celebrity, your face is everything.

COHEN: And that's why celebs dish out $387 for a one-hour Tracie Martyn facial. Her claim?

TRACIE MARTYN, FACIALIST: It's very mild electrical current, and it actually helps to reduce puffiness and to help redefine and contour the jawline.

COHEN: For a celebrity, spending $300 for less than two ounces of skin cream is all in a day's work. And how about this?

DR. FRANCESCA FUSCO, DERMATOLOGIST: When I turn this unit on, what's going to happen is 2,000 yellow tiny lights will start to flicker, and it'll last for about 30 seconds. COHEN: And those 30 seconds cost $150.

So, are flashing lights and electrical currents, not to mention $1,200 skin creams, really better than the stuff the rest of us buy at the drugstore? We asked dermatologist Dr. Ron Shelton.

DR. RON SHELTON, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY: The problem is that we don't have enough scientific evidence for many of these treatments.

COHEN: In fact, by and large, claims on non-prescription skin products and treatments are not regulated by the government. So, manufacturers are free to say all sorts of things.

Dr. Shelton's advice?

SHELTON: If you use a good, old facial moisturizer in the average drugstores, I think you'll be fine.

COHEN: These products, while maybe not star quality, are good enough for the rest of us.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to tell you a little bit about Lance Armstrong, but I think we probably should go to Washington right now. The speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, is about to respond to this, the 9/11 report book.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ... contribution to our understanding of what happened in the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11th. President Clinton is not to blame for these attack. President Bush is not to blame for these attacks. Al Qaeda is to blame for these attacks. We are at war with these religious fanatics, and those terrorist states that support them. They hate Americans, and they want to kill us.

We must win this war. We can't negotiate with these terrorists. We can't hope that they go away. We have to stop them before they strike again. We must use every weapon in our arsenal to win this war. We have made great progress, thanks to the leadership of President Bush and some of these people who are gathers right here behind me. We took the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. We strengthened our homeland defense. We strengthened anti- terrorist laws with the Patriot Act. We prepared ourselves for the worst-case scenario by passing important legislation on first responders. Just yesterday, President Bush signed the BioShield bill. We will not weaken in our resolve to win this war and to protect our citizens. I want to thank Governor Tom Kean and former Representative Lee Hamilton and the entire commission for their important work. We will look at their recommendations carefully. I will ask our committee chairman to hold hearings on these recommendations over the next several months, so that we can act on them as quickly as possible.

As a nation, we must unite in our resolve to defeat this enemy and protect the American way of life for our children and our grandchildren.

Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right, that's Dennis Hastert, who is the speaker of the house.

Are we going to continue to listen to additional Republican comments, or are we moving on?

I guess we're moving on.

Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, we will talk with 9/11 Commission chairman and a group of senators who are on the intelligence committee about today's report, where do we go from here.

LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES THOMPSON, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: If these reforms are not the best that can be done for the American people, then the Congress and the president need to tell us what's better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The 9/11 report, will it ultimately make America safer from terrorism? This hour, reaction from the White House, Capitol Hill, and from 9/11 family members.

PHILLIPS: And live pictures of the Senate office building where we're expecting several more senators to speak live about the next steps, after seeing this report.

O'BRIEN: Chilling videotape emerges of some 9/11 hijackers setting off airport security scanners on that fateful morning.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

This hour of power on CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Failures of the past, fixes for the future; 567 pages on the roots, result and ramifications of September 11, 2001. It comes from the independent panel that's been immersed in 9/11 for 20 months. Besides independent, the panel is bipartisan, and unanimous in many conclusions, beginning with the failure of two administrations in, quote, "policy, management, capability, and above all, imagination."

Looking forward, the panel recommends, among other things, a cabinet-level chief of intelligence, and if you've been watching CNN, you've heard the members say there's not time waste.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: looking at a cabinet level chief of intelligence. If you've been watching CNN, you've heard the members say there's no time to waste.

Everyone was caught unaware by September 11th -- the president, the congress, the American people, law-enforcement agencies. Blame, if there's blame, has to be spread all across the board, because the American people never demanded more or better.

But now we've been warned, specifically warned, and now we've been told by everyone from the president of the United States on down, it's going to happen again. And if it happens and we haven't moved, then the American people are entitled to make very fundamental judgments about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Judgment calls are hit or miss, but information, the panel says, absolutely has to be gathered shared and acted upon. Sounds like fairly basic.

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 July 22, 2004 - 13:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Along with the release of the 9/11 report, there's newly released surveillance video of passenger screening at Dulles International Airport. The footage is chilling in retrospect. Five men who passed through this checkpoint on the morning of September 11th went on to hijack American airlines flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. Several triggered metal detectors. And at least two of them were searched by agents using handheld wands, but nothing was found. And then the men went on to board the fatal flight.
Even in knives or box cutters had turned up, it's doubtful that those hijackers would have been stopped. At the time, it wasn't illegal to carry such items on the planes. The video was released by a law firm representing some survivor's families who are now suing the airlines and security industry.

Well, that tape is hard to watch. And along with the release of today's 9/11 final report, it's an especially difficult day for people like Cheryl McGuinness. Cheryl, as you may remember, has joined us before here on LIVE FROM. Her husband, Tom McGuinness, was the copilot of American Airlines flight 11, the first plane that hit the World Trade Center.

Cheryl join us today by phone from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Cheryl, it's great to have you with us. I want your first reaction to what you heard today from this report. Did anything make you feel at peace at all?

CHERYL MCGUINNESS, LOST HUSBAND IN 9/11: Kyra, it's great to be here again.

And you know, my first reaction to the report is I'm really thankful it's finally here, that we can now get the recommendations from the commission that they've been working so diligently to get, and take a look at it and hopefully implement some recommendations and make changes to keep our country safe for our children and our children's children.

PHILLIPS: And Cheryl, in the report it said the 9/11 attacks came as a shock but didn't come as a surprise. That hit me for a number of reasons. Because you have told me that you and Tom used to talk. Tom was a navy top gun pilot. He would talk about the so- called enemy that he was supposed to defend against. But this is an enemy that neither one of you ever expected to hit the United States.

MCGUINNESS: Absolutely. I'm shocked to hear that -- that news, and I thought it was completely surprising and shocking.

PHILLIPS: When you talk about who is -- who was the enemy, the greater enemy, do you believe it's the Islamic extremists, or do you think it's the neglect of the warnings and intelligence that lacked?

MCGUINNESS: Well, I think it's -- you know, I -- it's difficult to say, you know, who is to blame and what group or anything like that. I honestly believe that it wasn't just an attack on America, although it happened here in America. I believe it was an attack on all of mankind, and I feel like it showed the worst that mankind can do and that -- what we're capable of doing.

And although, you know, you know as well as I that as long as -- you know, 3,000 of our loved one -- husbands, wives, fathers, children -- died, they didn't kill our spirit. They didn't take away our hope and the promise of tomorrow that we have.

PHILLIPS: Cheryl, Fred Fielding -- who, of course, is on the commission -- came forward and talked about the recommendations that they have made and some criticism that maybe these recommendations are too bold. I want to get you to respond to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED FIELDING, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: Why do you make recommendations that are so bold? Why do you make recommendations that are going to be very difficult because somebody has to give up something, somebody has to break a cookie jar? Why do you do that? Why don't you do something that you know has a better percentage chance of passing?

I think after our discussions, the answer we came to and the reason you see the recommendations we have, is -- the question is, if not now, when?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Cheryl, are the recommendations bold enough? Are they justified? Will they make a difference? And is it worth the money, is it worth the difficulty that Fred Fielding talks about?

MCGUINNESS: It absolutely is worth the difficulty. This is the time to be bold and courageous and to step up and to say what we need to do and to implement some changes. Many Americans were lost that day, and we need to do all we can to keep our country safe. And this is the time to be bold and to make change.

PHILLIPS: Well, I've got to ask you before we go, Cheryl, speaking about being bold and stepping out and not being afraid, I know your son is taking flight lessons and wanting to pursue the same things your husband did. How's that going?

MCGUINNESS: His flying lessons are going great. He's still keeping his dream alive that he talked about and wants to be just like his dad.

PHILLIPS: Cheryl McGuinness, you're a strong woman. You have an amazing family. Thank you for being with us today.

MCGUINESS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Miles?

O'BRIEN: In Utah, the search continues this hour for a missing pregnant woman who went for a run on Monday and has not been seen since. And while the hunt for Lori Hacking continues, there is some reason to doubt the credibility of her husband Mark.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is following the case. She join us live now from Salt Lake City -- Kimberly.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles. Well, I'll tell you, there have been a number of twists and turns and now somewhat of a cloud of suspicion over the investigation into the rather mysterious disappearance of 27-year-old runner Lori Hacking.

Police confirm that Mark Hacking, Lori's Husband, is, quote, "a person of interest." They've not gone so far as to call him a suspect in the case. However, nobody is a suspect in the case at this point. They have, in fact, questioned him several times over in the past several days, and they've not yet cleared him in the case.

Both of the couple's cars have been seized, as well as a Dumpster with some of the bedding from the couple's home. Police will be running forensics tests today, searching for clues and following up on leads. Rescue efforts do continue, though.

Although police have covered the eight-mile quite extensively and several times over where Lori was last seen, Lori's best friend, Rebecca Caroll feels compelled to go back. She says Lori had no clue about her husband's web of lies and deceits. She had no idea that he wasn't admitted to medical school, no idea he hadn't graduated from an undergraduate university. In fact, she says the pair even paid a visit to several campuses in North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA CARROLL, LORI HACKING'S BEST FRIEND: She had no clue whatsoever. I know that. We just went to dinner for a few weeks ago, and all we talked about was going to medical school and that they were trying to have a baby. And -- you know, she had no idea; we had no idea. It's just -- it's so hard to believe that. How could he pull that off for all this time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Now, there are fewer volunteers that have been out this morning, perhaps because of the air of suspicion. At least several volunteers I spoke with were truly committed, although they had some questions and doubt in the back of their mind.

Family members say that Mark Hacking has been in a psychiatric hospital under a doctor's care, and he is simply too stressed and under too much emotional strain to go out and search. His father spoke earlier who -- after being with him all night long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS HACKING, MARK HACKING'S FATHER: This self deception got started, and it finally has come to an end. And he feels relieved that it's come to an end. It's like lifting a heavy load off his back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Now, despite what appears to be years of complicated lies, I asked a family member if, in fact, Mark had ever undergone any psychiatric care before. And he said, no, that had not happened.

Reporting live from Salt Lake City, Kimberly Osias. Back to you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Kimberly.

Thousand-dollar creams, 60-minute face-lifts -- they're the latest craze among the big-time celebrities who'll pay an arm and leg to take years off their face. But can these treatments be taken at face value, if you will?

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen faces the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may not recognize this woman, but in the celebrity world, she's a celebrity -- Tracie Martyn, facialist to the stars.

KERRY DIAMOND, BEAUTY EDITOR, "HARPER'S BAZAAR": She's got clients like Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, the designer Diane Von Furstenberg, Iman, and they all swear by her.

COHEN: For celebrities, the sky's the limit when it comes to their faces.

DIAMOND: It's all about super high-tech cream, it's about high- tech treatments that you can get at the dermatologist. Because when you're a celebrity, your face is everything.

COHEN: And that's why celebs dish out $387 for a one-hour Tracie Martyn facial. Her claim?

TRACIE MARTYN, FACIALIST: It's very mild electrical current, and it actually helps to reduce puffiness and to help redefine and contour the jawline.

COHEN: For a celebrity, spending $300 for less than two ounces of skin cream is all in a day's work. And how about this?

DR. FRANCESCA FUSCO, DERMATOLOGIST: When I turn this unit on, what's going to happen is 2,000 yellow tiny lights will start to flicker, and it'll last for about 30 seconds. COHEN: And those 30 seconds cost $150.

So, are flashing lights and electrical currents, not to mention $1,200 skin creams, really better than the stuff the rest of us buy at the drugstore? We asked dermatologist Dr. Ron Shelton.

DR. RON SHELTON, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY: The problem is that we don't have enough scientific evidence for many of these treatments.

COHEN: In fact, by and large, claims on non-prescription skin products and treatments are not regulated by the government. So, manufacturers are free to say all sorts of things.

Dr. Shelton's advice?

SHELTON: If you use a good, old facial moisturizer in the average drugstores, I think you'll be fine.

COHEN: These products, while maybe not star quality, are good enough for the rest of us.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to tell you a little bit about Lance Armstrong, but I think we probably should go to Washington right now. The speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, is about to respond to this, the 9/11 report book.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ... contribution to our understanding of what happened in the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11th. President Clinton is not to blame for these attack. President Bush is not to blame for these attacks. Al Qaeda is to blame for these attacks. We are at war with these religious fanatics, and those terrorist states that support them. They hate Americans, and they want to kill us.

We must win this war. We can't negotiate with these terrorists. We can't hope that they go away. We have to stop them before they strike again. We must use every weapon in our arsenal to win this war. We have made great progress, thanks to the leadership of President Bush and some of these people who are gathers right here behind me. We took the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. We strengthened our homeland defense. We strengthened anti- terrorist laws with the Patriot Act. We prepared ourselves for the worst-case scenario by passing important legislation on first responders. Just yesterday, President Bush signed the BioShield bill. We will not weaken in our resolve to win this war and to protect our citizens. I want to thank Governor Tom Kean and former Representative Lee Hamilton and the entire commission for their important work. We will look at their recommendations carefully. I will ask our committee chairman to hold hearings on these recommendations over the next several months, so that we can act on them as quickly as possible.

As a nation, we must unite in our resolve to defeat this enemy and protect the American way of life for our children and our grandchildren.

Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right, that's Dennis Hastert, who is the speaker of the house.

Are we going to continue to listen to additional Republican comments, or are we moving on?

I guess we're moving on.

Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, we will talk with 9/11 Commission chairman and a group of senators who are on the intelligence committee about today's report, where do we go from here.

LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES THOMPSON, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: If these reforms are not the best that can be done for the American people, then the Congress and the president need to tell us what's better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The 9/11 report, will it ultimately make America safer from terrorism? This hour, reaction from the White House, Capitol Hill, and from 9/11 family members.

PHILLIPS: And live pictures of the Senate office building where we're expecting several more senators to speak live about the next steps, after seeing this report.

O'BRIEN: Chilling videotape emerges of some 9/11 hijackers setting off airport security scanners on that fateful morning.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

This hour of power on CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Failures of the past, fixes for the future; 567 pages on the roots, result and ramifications of September 11, 2001. It comes from the independent panel that's been immersed in 9/11 for 20 months. Besides independent, the panel is bipartisan, and unanimous in many conclusions, beginning with the failure of two administrations in, quote, "policy, management, capability, and above all, imagination."

Looking forward, the panel recommends, among other things, a cabinet-level chief of intelligence, and if you've been watching CNN, you've heard the members say there's not time waste.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMPSON: looking at a cabinet level chief of intelligence. If you've been watching CNN, you've heard the members say there's no time to waste.

Everyone was caught unaware by September 11th -- the president, the congress, the American people, law-enforcement agencies. Blame, if there's blame, has to be spread all across the board, because the American people never demanded more or better.

But now we've been warned, specifically warned, and now we've been told by everyone from the president of the United States on down, it's going to happen again. And if it happens and we haven't moved, then the American people are entitled to make very fundamental judgments about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Judgment calls are hit or miss, but information, the panel says, absolutely has to be gathered shared and acted upon. Sounds like fairly basic.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com