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Kidnapped Children Found Unharmed; Condoleezza Rice Confirmation Clears Committee; Bush Attends Pre-Inaugural Festivities; Bloody Day in Iraq; Midwestern Mom by Day, Cyber Spy by Night

Aired January 19, 2005 - 13:00   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.


RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We can tell you that there is some good news this morning. Sheriff's deputies went to a house about 9:30 this morning, missed the couple by about half an hour, interviewed family members, got a pretty good idea of where they were headed. They were told Grayson County, Virginia, or Knoxville.
They alerted the highway patrol. They put out a fresh Amber Alert for a black Ford vehicle with a Tennessee license plate. And turns out they had some luck. That couple is now in custody.

They were picked up in Virginia, in Flattop, Virginia, on a road known as Schoolhouse Road. The children were with them in the car. They are now safe and sound. They will be back here.

We're not sure yet exactly when they'll be returned and reunited with their foster parents. The sheriff has alerted the foster parents to the fact that the kids were found and located, and the foster family, we're told, is ecstatic.

So right now, the couple, Mr. Cantor and Miss Chambers, are in custody, along with two other adults that were in that car along with the children today. And apparently, this arrest was made without incident -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Randi, just a couple quick questions. Do we know who those other two people in the car with these parents, who they are?

KAYE: We do know there was one woman in the car. We're told she's a distant cousin. And we have -- we do have a picture of her. I'm not sure if we can show that to you right now. But her name is Sheron Annett Woodards. She is a distant cousin of either Alisha Chambers or James Cantor. The sheriff wasn't able to tell us exactly who she's a distant cousin of.

Also, there was one adult white male that just entered the picture, who was also in that car, apparently, with them today in Virginia.

HARRIS: And Randi, this all started because this couple was wanted on meth charges. Is that correct? In North Carolina?

KAYE: That's correct. Back in March, their home in Boone, North Carolina, was raided by sheriff's deputies, and they discovered a meth lab there. James Cantor was not home at the time. He has actually been on the run since March. Alisha Chambers out on bond.

The children, as in many meth cases, they were apparently exposed to the meth. The 2 1/2-year-old Paul has tested positive for having meth in his system. They were seized, sent to this foster home, where they've been living now for eight months.

And that is why this family, this couple, had apparently shown up at the foster home with a gun, we're being told, at 9:15 Saturday morning, to get their children back, as the foster mom told us last night.

HARRIS: And Randi, do we expect to hear from the sheriff in Watauga County today?

KAYE: Well, we just knocked on his door, Tony, and we're trying to get a little bit more information. As you can imagine, he's swamped. He's thrilled by the success, this being day five of the manhunt.

HARRIS: Yes.

KAYE: A lot of man-hours put into this manhunt. So he is hoping to come out here shortly.

HARRIS: Good.

KAYE: Because the local media and the national media to answer some questions for.

HARRIS: Randi, we appreciate it. That's good news today. Thank you very much.

KAYE: Absolutely. Thank you.

CAROL LIN, CO-HOST: Good, indeed. We've got some news off of Capitol Hill, as well, this morning about a woman who has been questioned and criticized. But now it looks like Condoleezza Rice will be confirmed as the next secretary of state.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved her nomination this morning, after two days of hearings dominated by questions about Iraq. The next stop is the full Senate, where she's considered a shoo-in.

CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel has more from Washington.

It wasn't easy going for Condoleezza Rice on the Hill.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No it, wasn't, Carol. The committee's vote taking place about two hours ago now. Final tally coming in at about 16-2 with Democrats Barbara Boxer of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts, both of whom had led some of the most contentious cross examination of Rice, voting against the confirmation. But over the last couple of days, senators Boxer and Kerry, along with Joe Biden of Delaware, really tried to hold Rice's feet to the fire on Iraq. During one exchange today, Senator Biden pressed Rice on U.S. exit strategy for Iraq, specifically, to discuss what the Bush administration plans for after the January 30 elections in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: It's not about revisiting the past, Dr. Rice. It's about how you're going to meet the challenge in the future. And I must tell you, for the first time in the last four years, I have doubts about it, either because you're not tell telling us, the president doesn't know, or you all don't have a plan. Because that's -- and I'm telling you honestly, that's what I walk away from this hearing worried about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: For some of her biggest boosters, though, one of the things that makes Rice such an appealing candidate for secretary of state is that she will really have the president's ear. Unlike the man she's soon to replace, now outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was often portrayed as being on the losing side of various policies, because he and the president, to say the very least, did not see eye to eye on so many policies.

Rice is perceived as being more in lock step with the conservatives in the administration.

Now hoping to get a little more insight into what to expect from her as secretary of state, the new senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, asked her how willing she would be to give the president her unvarnished views on various issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: I have no difficulty telling the president exactly what I think. I've done that for four years. Sometimes he agrees and sometimes he doesn't. The fact is that I felt very strongly that no one else should ever know the times when he disagreed and the times when he didn't...

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Which I respect. I have no problem with that in your role as national security.

RICE: Yes. Well, but in my role as secretary, I want it to be clearly understood that I still believe that we are one administration with the president in the lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: All in all a very different hearing from the one that took place four years ago. That was over retired General Colin Powell. It was really a love fest, and he was confirmed unanimously.

This was much more contentious on Capitol Hill over Secretary Rice. Nonetheless, as you had pointed out Carol, Rice's final confirmation was never in question. Tomorrow morning, before the president is sworn in for his second term, there will be a vote of the full Senate, expected to confirm Rice as the 66th secretary of state and the first African-American woman to hold the job.

LIN: All right. Andrea, though, quick question for you. Senator Biden was challenging her to give an answer to an exit strategy. Did she ever answer the question?

KOPPEL: In a word, no. She laid out the fact that, obviously, after the elections, the Iraqi people are going to have a democratically elected government, albeit one that's an interim government, because the real elections don't take place until the end of the year. But the fact is, she said it's something that they have to discuss, and she didn't give a specific answer.

LIN: There you go. All right. Thanks very much. Andrea Koppel, reporting live in Washington.

The man Rice is poised to replace bid farewell to his troops today. Colin Powell gathered workers at the State Department this morning, and he congratulated them for the part they played over four years that shook the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: You all know that I've always focused on the concept of family. We are one big family, and we exist to serve the American people. We serve the American people by helping the president execute his foreign policy.

And we have much to look back on with satisfaction, many successes that we can take credit, along with the president, for. Whether it's the effective response that we made to the global war on terror when it was shoved at us on 9/11 and how we have responded and pulled together the world in this threat to civilization. How we have succeed in getting rid of two of the most despotic regimes in the face of the earth in Kabul and in Baghdad.

And even though the task is difficult, how we will see to it that these two nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, have the freedom and democracy that their people richly deserve. And that will happen. And you had a lot to do with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Not only did the secretary call his co-workers his family, but he also called them carriers of America's values.

HARRIS: Excitement is building for all of the pomp and pageantry surrounding President Bush's second swearing in. The president is already caught up in the festivities on this busy inauguration eve.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us from her snowy post with details -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

Well, a very snowy and a very busy day here at the White House. And you know, the White House has been criticized for some of the fanfare you're talking about. For having going on with the inaugural festivities at a time of war, at a time when there are about 150,000 troops in Iraq.

The White House is try to balance that with events acknowledging the times. Last night, you see there the first event for the inauguration, the inaugural events. It was honoring men and women who serve.

Mr. Bush was positioned in that crowd with men and women of the armed services.

Now today, Mr. Bush and the first lady went to the National Archives to be tourists, not something that this president does very often. He looked at some historical documents like the Declaration of Independence.

And later, Mr. Bush will attend a concert on the very snowy ellipse right next to the White House. At this point, we hear that it is still on, despite the snow. No word yet on whether the fireworks are actually going to go off.

But the president does have a few events, though, that are out of the public eye, private, closed to the press. A lunch here at the White House with members of his family. And also some dinners with some high rollers, some of those who are funding all of these inaugural activities. Three dinners tonight with some people from companies, private donors who are giving what will probably be, all told, $40 million to fund the inaugural galas.

Now, then of course, there is a reason why we are all talking about this. It is the swearing in, which is about 23 hours from now. And the president's speech.

We're told, as of this morning, Tony, that the president has gone through about 16 drafts and that they think the duration will be about 17 minutes long. He's going to have another practice session later on today.

And of course, we have heard some of the themes from the president himself, saying that he's going to talk about the importance of spreading liberty and freedom around the world and at home, talk about what he likes to call an ownership society -- Tony.

HARRIS: Seventeen minutes. That's important information, particularly if the weather is as foul tomorrow as it is today. Dana, we appreciate it. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

HARRIS: In about 30 minutes, CNN's Mike Brooks joins me to talk about the unprecedented security going up around the headquarters tomorrow for the inauguration in Washington, D.C. And CNN will have special coverage of the inaugural events. Today, CNN's Judy Woodruff and Wolf Blitzer host "GEORGE W. BUSH: THE ROAD AHEAD" at 3:30 Eastern, 12:30 Pacific.

And from the swearing in to the parades and parties, CNN will have it all live right here tomorrow.

LIN: Tony, serving as a backdrop to the inauguration, it has been another violent day in Iraq. Four car bombings rocked Baghdad in a 90-minute span, killing more than two dozen people. The group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi is claiming responsibility for all of them.

CNN's Jeff Koinange has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wave after wave of car bomb attacks across Baghdad and beyond on this Wednesday.

First, it was right outside the Australian embassy, a suicide bomber detonating himself, killing a bystander and wounding up to five. Two Australian soldiers are among the wounded.

Less than half an hour later, even more powerful car bomb. This one, right outside the Iraqi emergency police headquarters. This one killed up to 18 people, wounding more than 30.

Next up, right outside an Iraqi military complex, two soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated himself. And on the southern entrance to Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated himself at an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint, killing four, including two Iraqi National Guardsmen. One U.S. soldier was also killed in the attack.

This was no doubt one of the bloodiest days in Baghdad in a long time, as insurgents step up their attacks ahead of the crucial January 30 poll, now just 11 days away.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Average Americans answering the call to keep you safe. It's a case of "Annie, get your mouse." She's a stay at home by day and tracks terrorists online by night. How does she do it? That story just ahead.

And crash course at the South Pole by scientists and a whole bunch of penguins really hoping to break the ice.

And later on LIVE FROM, comedy connection. Late-night legend Johnny Carson keeps in touch in order to make you laugh.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: When President Bush launched the war on terror, some private citizens heard it as a personal call to arms. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez met up with one of these unofficial foot soldiers, a Midwest mom, who's defending America with the help of her computer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere deep in the heartland of America...

ANNIE, CYBER SPY: You will wear the coat and you will wear it zipped up.

Let's see if you washed her face. Get your coat on.

GUTIERREZ: ... a citizen warrior starts her day.

ANNIE: There's your buddy. Have a good day.

GUTIERREZ: Call her Annie. She won't reveal her real name, her kids' faces or even where they live, because by day, this 49-year-old woman is a stay-at-home mom. But by night, her mundane life in the burbs becomes a hunt for terrorists.

ANNIE: I am getting ready to visit some Islamic extremist militant forums.

GUTIERREZ: Annie the housewife becomes Annie the cyber spy.

ANNIE: These are a few of my favorite forums.

GUTIERREZ: Trolling sites she never knew existed.

ANNIE: Al Ansar, Castle Forum.

GUTIERREZ: Annie says she looks for suspicious postings and monitors live forums for ominous chatter into the wee hours of the morning.

(on camera) You don't speak Arabic? You don't read it.

ANNIE: Now, but we use software programs to translate it.

Ah, here we go.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Within minutes, Annie shows me step-by- step instructions for a suicide bomb belt and how to detonate explosives with a cell phone.

ANNIE: There's assassinations, recruiting, training.

GUTIERREZ: But Annie is mainly interested in the talk that goes on between extremists, whom she says use code words and hymns to hide messages.

ANNIE: They also can insert pictures on their boards, and inside those pictures are embedded files.

GUTIERREZ: It's a sophisticated cat and mouse game. The government shuts the sites down, but they just pop up again.

ANNIE: We have several FBI contacts. We have the CIA, the Secret Service.

GUTIERREZ: Annie and a half-dozen citizens from Canada to Singapore formed the group Phoenix Global Intelligence. They decipher information. Anything sensitive is turned over to authorities.

(on camera) But what if they say that they're not trained intelligence people? They don't even speak the language?

ANNIE: No. We're sort of like a global neighborhood watch program. And after 9/11, what did they tell you? Don't be afraid to call and report anything suspicious. That's what we're doing.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): The group claims cryptic electronic messages on the Internet that they intercepted warned of attacks in advance, like the explosion outside of the Al Arabiya television station in central Baghdad. Seven people were killed, 19 wounded.

ANNIE: We had intercepted messages two weeks before they were bombed.

GUTIERREZ: Taba, Egypt, terrorists attacked the Hilton Hotel last October. Thirty-four tourists die in the bloodbath.

ANNIE: There was another one that happened after we read it online.

GUTIERREZ: Riyadh City, May 2003, cars packed with explosives detonate in three residential complexes. Thirty-five people are killed, including nine Americans.

ANNIE: There was information submitted to the FBI almost directly down to the time and location.

GUTIERREZ: We contacted the Office of Homeland Security and the FBI. Neither agency would comment on the citizen group or any tips they may have provided.

Computer security expert Clifford Neuman says private citizens can be extra eyes for the government, but they don't typically have the technology to crack codes.

PROF. CLIFFORD NEUMAN, COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT: If you're looking at communications that are going on within a terrorist network, it is unlikely that a private citizen is going to see those communications or be able to understand those communications.

GUTIERREZ: But before you write Annie and her group off as wannabe spies with too much time on their hands, one of the members, a mother from Montana, did help catch a wannabe al Qaeda. She was a key witness in the government's case against a National Guardsman. (on camera) Where was his mistake?

ANNIE: Probably posting on the Internet.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Posing as an Algerian extremist, Shannon Ross Miller exchanged e-mails with Ryan G. Anderson, a Muslim convert. In the e-mails, Anderson, part of a tank crew, promised to reveal U.S. vulnerabilities. Anderson was convicted of attempted treason and sentenced to life.

ANNIE: He responded to coming to a jihad and he didn't know he was talking to. He didn't ever stop to think, "Who is this person I'm talking to?"

GUTIERREZ: Annie says she has the perfect cover.

ANNIE: My family supports me. My mother, she's 80 and doesn't approve, of course.

GUTIERREZ: She says no one would suspect a Midwestern housewife working after-hours as a cyber spy.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, somewhere in the Midwest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Please be sure to tune in tonight for CNN's special report, "DEFENDING AMERICA." Join Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn for a two- hour look at U.S. security from coast to coast, from airport safety to border security, to reports on how well our food and water supplies are protected. Are we safer now than we were on 9/11? It all begins tonight at 7 Eastern.

And of course, CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. So stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, unprecedented security for the presidential inauguration. We'll take you inside preparations that the head of the Secret Services says are leaving nothing to chance.

The fireworks, the fancy balls, who's paying for the inauguration hoopla? The politics behind the patriotism.

Also later on LIVE FROM, Johnny Carson made you laugh for years as host of "The Tonight Show." But more than 12 years after he retired, he's still finding a way to tickle your funny bone. Find out how later on LIVE FROM.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We're talking -- having a whole other discussion. But there are no more excuses -- well, at least one less excuse for procrastinating when it comes to doing your taxes. You can now prepare them electronically -- wow -- for free.

LIN: You're kidding.

HARRIS: Yes. Free is for me.

LIN: All right. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Susan, I don't know why we're talking about procrastinating when it's January.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired January 19, 2005 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We can tell you that there is some good news this morning. Sheriff's deputies went to a house about 9:30 this morning, missed the couple by about half an hour, interviewed family members, got a pretty good idea of where they were headed. They were told Grayson County, Virginia, or Knoxville.
They alerted the highway patrol. They put out a fresh Amber Alert for a black Ford vehicle with a Tennessee license plate. And turns out they had some luck. That couple is now in custody.

They were picked up in Virginia, in Flattop, Virginia, on a road known as Schoolhouse Road. The children were with them in the car. They are now safe and sound. They will be back here.

We're not sure yet exactly when they'll be returned and reunited with their foster parents. The sheriff has alerted the foster parents to the fact that the kids were found and located, and the foster family, we're told, is ecstatic.

So right now, the couple, Mr. Cantor and Miss Chambers, are in custody, along with two other adults that were in that car along with the children today. And apparently, this arrest was made without incident -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Randi, just a couple quick questions. Do we know who those other two people in the car with these parents, who they are?

KAYE: We do know there was one woman in the car. We're told she's a distant cousin. And we have -- we do have a picture of her. I'm not sure if we can show that to you right now. But her name is Sheron Annett Woodards. She is a distant cousin of either Alisha Chambers or James Cantor. The sheriff wasn't able to tell us exactly who she's a distant cousin of.

Also, there was one adult white male that just entered the picture, who was also in that car, apparently, with them today in Virginia.

HARRIS: And Randi, this all started because this couple was wanted on meth charges. Is that correct? In North Carolina?

KAYE: That's correct. Back in March, their home in Boone, North Carolina, was raided by sheriff's deputies, and they discovered a meth lab there. James Cantor was not home at the time. He has actually been on the run since March. Alisha Chambers out on bond.

The children, as in many meth cases, they were apparently exposed to the meth. The 2 1/2-year-old Paul has tested positive for having meth in his system. They were seized, sent to this foster home, where they've been living now for eight months.

And that is why this family, this couple, had apparently shown up at the foster home with a gun, we're being told, at 9:15 Saturday morning, to get their children back, as the foster mom told us last night.

HARRIS: And Randi, do we expect to hear from the sheriff in Watauga County today?

KAYE: Well, we just knocked on his door, Tony, and we're trying to get a little bit more information. As you can imagine, he's swamped. He's thrilled by the success, this being day five of the manhunt.

HARRIS: Yes.

KAYE: A lot of man-hours put into this manhunt. So he is hoping to come out here shortly.

HARRIS: Good.

KAYE: Because the local media and the national media to answer some questions for.

HARRIS: Randi, we appreciate it. That's good news today. Thank you very much.

KAYE: Absolutely. Thank you.

CAROL LIN, CO-HOST: Good, indeed. We've got some news off of Capitol Hill, as well, this morning about a woman who has been questioned and criticized. But now it looks like Condoleezza Rice will be confirmed as the next secretary of state.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved her nomination this morning, after two days of hearings dominated by questions about Iraq. The next stop is the full Senate, where she's considered a shoo-in.

CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel has more from Washington.

It wasn't easy going for Condoleezza Rice on the Hill.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No it, wasn't, Carol. The committee's vote taking place about two hours ago now. Final tally coming in at about 16-2 with Democrats Barbara Boxer of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts, both of whom had led some of the most contentious cross examination of Rice, voting against the confirmation. But over the last couple of days, senators Boxer and Kerry, along with Joe Biden of Delaware, really tried to hold Rice's feet to the fire on Iraq. During one exchange today, Senator Biden pressed Rice on U.S. exit strategy for Iraq, specifically, to discuss what the Bush administration plans for after the January 30 elections in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: It's not about revisiting the past, Dr. Rice. It's about how you're going to meet the challenge in the future. And I must tell you, for the first time in the last four years, I have doubts about it, either because you're not tell telling us, the president doesn't know, or you all don't have a plan. Because that's -- and I'm telling you honestly, that's what I walk away from this hearing worried about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: For some of her biggest boosters, though, one of the things that makes Rice such an appealing candidate for secretary of state is that she will really have the president's ear. Unlike the man she's soon to replace, now outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was often portrayed as being on the losing side of various policies, because he and the president, to say the very least, did not see eye to eye on so many policies.

Rice is perceived as being more in lock step with the conservatives in the administration.

Now hoping to get a little more insight into what to expect from her as secretary of state, the new senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, asked her how willing she would be to give the president her unvarnished views on various issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: I have no difficulty telling the president exactly what I think. I've done that for four years. Sometimes he agrees and sometimes he doesn't. The fact is that I felt very strongly that no one else should ever know the times when he disagreed and the times when he didn't...

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Which I respect. I have no problem with that in your role as national security.

RICE: Yes. Well, but in my role as secretary, I want it to be clearly understood that I still believe that we are one administration with the president in the lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: All in all a very different hearing from the one that took place four years ago. That was over retired General Colin Powell. It was really a love fest, and he was confirmed unanimously.

This was much more contentious on Capitol Hill over Secretary Rice. Nonetheless, as you had pointed out Carol, Rice's final confirmation was never in question. Tomorrow morning, before the president is sworn in for his second term, there will be a vote of the full Senate, expected to confirm Rice as the 66th secretary of state and the first African-American woman to hold the job.

LIN: All right. Andrea, though, quick question for you. Senator Biden was challenging her to give an answer to an exit strategy. Did she ever answer the question?

KOPPEL: In a word, no. She laid out the fact that, obviously, after the elections, the Iraqi people are going to have a democratically elected government, albeit one that's an interim government, because the real elections don't take place until the end of the year. But the fact is, she said it's something that they have to discuss, and she didn't give a specific answer.

LIN: There you go. All right. Thanks very much. Andrea Koppel, reporting live in Washington.

The man Rice is poised to replace bid farewell to his troops today. Colin Powell gathered workers at the State Department this morning, and he congratulated them for the part they played over four years that shook the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: You all know that I've always focused on the concept of family. We are one big family, and we exist to serve the American people. We serve the American people by helping the president execute his foreign policy.

And we have much to look back on with satisfaction, many successes that we can take credit, along with the president, for. Whether it's the effective response that we made to the global war on terror when it was shoved at us on 9/11 and how we have responded and pulled together the world in this threat to civilization. How we have succeed in getting rid of two of the most despotic regimes in the face of the earth in Kabul and in Baghdad.

And even though the task is difficult, how we will see to it that these two nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, have the freedom and democracy that their people richly deserve. And that will happen. And you had a lot to do with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Not only did the secretary call his co-workers his family, but he also called them carriers of America's values.

HARRIS: Excitement is building for all of the pomp and pageantry surrounding President Bush's second swearing in. The president is already caught up in the festivities on this busy inauguration eve.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us from her snowy post with details -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

Well, a very snowy and a very busy day here at the White House. And you know, the White House has been criticized for some of the fanfare you're talking about. For having going on with the inaugural festivities at a time of war, at a time when there are about 150,000 troops in Iraq.

The White House is try to balance that with events acknowledging the times. Last night, you see there the first event for the inauguration, the inaugural events. It was honoring men and women who serve.

Mr. Bush was positioned in that crowd with men and women of the armed services.

Now today, Mr. Bush and the first lady went to the National Archives to be tourists, not something that this president does very often. He looked at some historical documents like the Declaration of Independence.

And later, Mr. Bush will attend a concert on the very snowy ellipse right next to the White House. At this point, we hear that it is still on, despite the snow. No word yet on whether the fireworks are actually going to go off.

But the president does have a few events, though, that are out of the public eye, private, closed to the press. A lunch here at the White House with members of his family. And also some dinners with some high rollers, some of those who are funding all of these inaugural activities. Three dinners tonight with some people from companies, private donors who are giving what will probably be, all told, $40 million to fund the inaugural galas.

Now, then of course, there is a reason why we are all talking about this. It is the swearing in, which is about 23 hours from now. And the president's speech.

We're told, as of this morning, Tony, that the president has gone through about 16 drafts and that they think the duration will be about 17 minutes long. He's going to have another practice session later on today.

And of course, we have heard some of the themes from the president himself, saying that he's going to talk about the importance of spreading liberty and freedom around the world and at home, talk about what he likes to call an ownership society -- Tony.

HARRIS: Seventeen minutes. That's important information, particularly if the weather is as foul tomorrow as it is today. Dana, we appreciate it. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

HARRIS: In about 30 minutes, CNN's Mike Brooks joins me to talk about the unprecedented security going up around the headquarters tomorrow for the inauguration in Washington, D.C. And CNN will have special coverage of the inaugural events. Today, CNN's Judy Woodruff and Wolf Blitzer host "GEORGE W. BUSH: THE ROAD AHEAD" at 3:30 Eastern, 12:30 Pacific.

And from the swearing in to the parades and parties, CNN will have it all live right here tomorrow.

LIN: Tony, serving as a backdrop to the inauguration, it has been another violent day in Iraq. Four car bombings rocked Baghdad in a 90-minute span, killing more than two dozen people. The group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi is claiming responsibility for all of them.

CNN's Jeff Koinange has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wave after wave of car bomb attacks across Baghdad and beyond on this Wednesday.

First, it was right outside the Australian embassy, a suicide bomber detonating himself, killing a bystander and wounding up to five. Two Australian soldiers are among the wounded.

Less than half an hour later, even more powerful car bomb. This one, right outside the Iraqi emergency police headquarters. This one killed up to 18 people, wounding more than 30.

Next up, right outside an Iraqi military complex, two soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated himself. And on the southern entrance to Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated himself at an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint, killing four, including two Iraqi National Guardsmen. One U.S. soldier was also killed in the attack.

This was no doubt one of the bloodiest days in Baghdad in a long time, as insurgents step up their attacks ahead of the crucial January 30 poll, now just 11 days away.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Baghdad.

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HARRIS: Average Americans answering the call to keep you safe. It's a case of "Annie, get your mouse." She's a stay at home by day and tracks terrorists online by night. How does she do it? That story just ahead.

And crash course at the South Pole by scientists and a whole bunch of penguins really hoping to break the ice.

And later on LIVE FROM, comedy connection. Late-night legend Johnny Carson keeps in touch in order to make you laugh.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: When President Bush launched the war on terror, some private citizens heard it as a personal call to arms. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez met up with one of these unofficial foot soldiers, a Midwest mom, who's defending America with the help of her computer.

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THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere deep in the heartland of America...

ANNIE, CYBER SPY: You will wear the coat and you will wear it zipped up.

Let's see if you washed her face. Get your coat on.

GUTIERREZ: ... a citizen warrior starts her day.

ANNIE: There's your buddy. Have a good day.

GUTIERREZ: Call her Annie. She won't reveal her real name, her kids' faces or even where they live, because by day, this 49-year-old woman is a stay-at-home mom. But by night, her mundane life in the burbs becomes a hunt for terrorists.

ANNIE: I am getting ready to visit some Islamic extremist militant forums.

GUTIERREZ: Annie the housewife becomes Annie the cyber spy.

ANNIE: These are a few of my favorite forums.

GUTIERREZ: Trolling sites she never knew existed.

ANNIE: Al Ansar, Castle Forum.

GUTIERREZ: Annie says she looks for suspicious postings and monitors live forums for ominous chatter into the wee hours of the morning.

(on camera) You don't speak Arabic? You don't read it.

ANNIE: Now, but we use software programs to translate it.

Ah, here we go.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Within minutes, Annie shows me step-by- step instructions for a suicide bomb belt and how to detonate explosives with a cell phone.

ANNIE: There's assassinations, recruiting, training.

GUTIERREZ: But Annie is mainly interested in the talk that goes on between extremists, whom she says use code words and hymns to hide messages.

ANNIE: They also can insert pictures on their boards, and inside those pictures are embedded files.

GUTIERREZ: It's a sophisticated cat and mouse game. The government shuts the sites down, but they just pop up again.

ANNIE: We have several FBI contacts. We have the CIA, the Secret Service.

GUTIERREZ: Annie and a half-dozen citizens from Canada to Singapore formed the group Phoenix Global Intelligence. They decipher information. Anything sensitive is turned over to authorities.

(on camera) But what if they say that they're not trained intelligence people? They don't even speak the language?

ANNIE: No. We're sort of like a global neighborhood watch program. And after 9/11, what did they tell you? Don't be afraid to call and report anything suspicious. That's what we're doing.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): The group claims cryptic electronic messages on the Internet that they intercepted warned of attacks in advance, like the explosion outside of the Al Arabiya television station in central Baghdad. Seven people were killed, 19 wounded.

ANNIE: We had intercepted messages two weeks before they were bombed.

GUTIERREZ: Taba, Egypt, terrorists attacked the Hilton Hotel last October. Thirty-four tourists die in the bloodbath.

ANNIE: There was another one that happened after we read it online.

GUTIERREZ: Riyadh City, May 2003, cars packed with explosives detonate in three residential complexes. Thirty-five people are killed, including nine Americans.

ANNIE: There was information submitted to the FBI almost directly down to the time and location.

GUTIERREZ: We contacted the Office of Homeland Security and the FBI. Neither agency would comment on the citizen group or any tips they may have provided.

Computer security expert Clifford Neuman says private citizens can be extra eyes for the government, but they don't typically have the technology to crack codes.

PROF. CLIFFORD NEUMAN, COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT: If you're looking at communications that are going on within a terrorist network, it is unlikely that a private citizen is going to see those communications or be able to understand those communications.

GUTIERREZ: But before you write Annie and her group off as wannabe spies with too much time on their hands, one of the members, a mother from Montana, did help catch a wannabe al Qaeda. She was a key witness in the government's case against a National Guardsman. (on camera) Where was his mistake?

ANNIE: Probably posting on the Internet.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Posing as an Algerian extremist, Shannon Ross Miller exchanged e-mails with Ryan G. Anderson, a Muslim convert. In the e-mails, Anderson, part of a tank crew, promised to reveal U.S. vulnerabilities. Anderson was convicted of attempted treason and sentenced to life.

ANNIE: He responded to coming to a jihad and he didn't know he was talking to. He didn't ever stop to think, "Who is this person I'm talking to?"

GUTIERREZ: Annie says she has the perfect cover.

ANNIE: My family supports me. My mother, she's 80 and doesn't approve, of course.

GUTIERREZ: She says no one would suspect a Midwestern housewife working after-hours as a cyber spy.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, somewhere in the Midwest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Please be sure to tune in tonight for CNN's special report, "DEFENDING AMERICA." Join Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn for a two- hour look at U.S. security from coast to coast, from airport safety to border security, to reports on how well our food and water supplies are protected. Are we safer now than we were on 9/11? It all begins tonight at 7 Eastern.

And of course, CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. So stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, unprecedented security for the presidential inauguration. We'll take you inside preparations that the head of the Secret Services says are leaving nothing to chance.

The fireworks, the fancy balls, who's paying for the inauguration hoopla? The politics behind the patriotism.

Also later on LIVE FROM, Johnny Carson made you laugh for years as host of "The Tonight Show." But more than 12 years after he retired, he's still finding a way to tickle your funny bone. Find out how later on LIVE FROM.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We're talking -- having a whole other discussion. But there are no more excuses -- well, at least one less excuse for procrastinating when it comes to doing your taxes. You can now prepare them electronically -- wow -- for free.

LIN: You're kidding.

HARRIS: Yes. Free is for me.

LIN: All right. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Susan, I don't know why we're talking about procrastinating when it's January.

(STOCK REPORT)

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