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NASA Prepares for In Flight Repair; London Bus Fire Not Terrorism Related; U.S. Presses Pakistan to Take Action against Terrorists; Bush Signs CAFTA

Aired August 02, 2005 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really very easy to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm tethered to the...

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PHILLIPS: A simple repair on Earth. But how complex will it get for shuttle astronauts orbiting hundreds of miles above the Earth?

Picturing progress. A rare look inside rebuilding Iraq and what it means for America's future.

And player's penitence. Rafael Palmiero says he did not knowingly take steroid. A sports medicine expert weighs in.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Talk about final frontiers. Steven Robinson is preparing today to go where no man or woman has gone before, to the underside of an orbiting space shuttle attempting a repair that he calls very delicate, but simple.

NASA isn't even positive there's a problem, but sees at least a theoretical chance that, quote, "bad things could happen" if some gap fillers airport pulled out or filed down before re-entry.

CNN's space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, fills us in live from New York.

He says it's simple. I don't know, Miles, if I can believe that it's that simple.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Well, Kyra, sitting here in New York, holding a tile -- this is not from Discovery, I'll point out. This is surplus. And holding a little bit of gap filler, it all seems pretty simple. This is just between two tiles. And all you do is go to it and pluck it out, right?

Well, you've got to remember a certain thing. They're traveling around the planet at 17,000 miles an hour. They're 220 miles up. Temperature swings of 400 degrees in 45 minutes flat. And then things get a little more complicated. There's even more to that. Take a look.

First of all, I want to show you the spot to look at. Right down here. That is the spot that is of question. There are actually two locations in this spot where that gap filler is protruding. Why would that be a concern? Well, take a look at animation. We'll try to explain it to you.

It's important as the shuttle comes in from space that it have a very smooth bottom. Because, as it comes in, tremendous heat as it first encounters the first wisps of the atmosphere. There's actually a layer of molecules that builds up as a barrier around the shuttle as it comes in. And that layer of molecules is dependent on a nice, smooth flow of molecules over here.

Now, if there's something in the middle that's sticking up, kind of creates a little pump. What that does is, on back side the bump, makes it almost like a blow torch and can increase the temperatures from 2,300 to 2,500 or higher.

And the question is can those tiles withstand it? No one can say for certain if this would lead to a Columbia sort of scenario. But it's not a good scenario. And so, since we know about it, NASA has decided the prudent thing to do is try to go out and fix it.

Now, the crew has been up in space, going through the timeline, looking at things very carefully. Because any time you put an astronaut in this Michelin mankind of suit in close proximity to these very fragile tiles -- as you can see, I've been dinging them very easily -- they're kind of made of ceramic. Anytime you put somebody close to that the possibility of doing more harm than good is quite distinct.

Just a little while ago, Dave Wolf, one of veteran spacewalkers in the shuttle program, gave reporters a little show and tell of how the work will go.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The work site will be in roughly this range for the person. And they'll come in very slowly, and our nominal plan is simply to get a hold of this gap filler and pull it out. And we expect it will be that simple.

If this is too tight and it's hard to judge all the thermal conditions that could occur, the next -- our next step will be to use these forcep tools. And we'll come in, get onto that, clip them shut, and that lets us exert more detailed force.

This is an IVA, or a hacksaw, or was a hacksaw that we keep in the shuttle for uses. And we've set it up as an extra vehicular tool. They will simply go in -- we've already started this one -- and do a sawing motion.

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O'BRIEN: So the question is how does Steve Robinson repair the shuttle? The answer, of course, Kyra, very carefully.

PHILLIPS: All right, what time can we expect this?

O'BRIEN: This will be in the wee hours of the morning is when they start. About 4:15 Eastern is when the spacewalk begins. About 3 1/2 hours into it, roughly 7:30 Eastern, plenty of live coverage here on CNN, Steve Robinson will try what has never been tried before, the repair of a shuttle in orbit -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow, you still have that plugged in at home so you can watch it, Miles, midmorning?

O'BRIEN: You bet.

PHILLIPS: All right.

O'BRIEN: My favorite channel.

PHILLIPS: I knew it. I know. Your kids, too. Miles O'Brien, thank you.

For much more on the shuttle mission, you can go to our web site, also. CNN.com. We've got images of Discovery in space, as well as in depth information about the mission and Discovery's crew.

Scary, yes. Terror, no. A small fire on a cross-town bus in London had first responders scrambling today and nervous commuters briefly fearing the worst. CNN's Chris Burns checks in with the latest now.

Chris, what happened?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, you can imagine the city that had been hit twice with terror in the last month, less than a month since more than 50 people died in those terror bombings on July 7. Less than two weeks since the city was once again terrorized by those botched bombings.

And again this happens. You see smoke rising up from a bus near King's Cross Station. That is near one of the bombing sites of July 7. Of course people would be very concerned. Of course police would send a bomb squad there. Of course they would send ambulances there and cordon off the street.

Turned out, it was just an engine fire in that double decker bus. But a lot of concern. There was one injury. One person who was in haste, trying to get out of that bus, who twisted or turned his or her ankle. But that was about it.

But the city is very, very much on edge. We saw two more subway lines open up today, but under heavy security. A lot of police around. You don't see so many London Bobbies anymore. You see more Robocop-types with submachine guns in the streets, but a lot of people are happy to see that -- Kyra.

BURNS: All right. And what's the latest on Hamdi Adus Issac? BURNS: Well, Hamdi Adus Issac, he is, of course, still in custody in Rome. There's the talk about the British trying to get him extradited. It does look like it could take awhile. It could take another month or so.

His lawyer is saying that she's going to fight it tooth and nail. She wants him to stay, because she doesn't think he can get a fair trial here. Of course, the London tabloids, of course, virtually convicting him and the other three who are held here in those botched bombings of July 21.

And so that's where it stands right now. But it is hoped by British authorities that they will get him here.

What is very important is he's singing to Italian authorities. He's talking, and British -- the British would like to get his testimony to try to -- to try to get to go out -- to try to get to the bottom of this case. The British have 17 other people here in custody. But the time is ticking. They have two weeks before they have to get enough evidence to either charge them or free them -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chris Burns, thank you so much.

Well, the deadly bus and train attacks of 7/7 weren't the first to lead investigators to Pakistan, where the roots of Muslim extremism may run deeper than the power of the western allied government to defeat them.

Here's CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pakistanis protesting President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown against extremists following the London attacks. Not since 9/11 has Musharraf been under such pressure from Britain and the U.S. to act against terrorist groups. But is Pakistan doing enough?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We've seen the cycle go on and on. Something like London happens, there's a crackdown. And then there's sort of -- and then there's, you know, several months where nothing really happens.

STARR: Musharraf has now banned students from outside Pakistan from attending religious schools believed to incite violence. Two of the attackers from the first London bombings last month are believed to have attended such schools.

Pakistani military forces, last week, moved into the city of Quetta, a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban. Hundreds were arrested. Musharraf insists al Qaeda no longer functions from inside Pakistan.

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: We have broken the vertical and the horizontal command and communication links of the al Qaeda.

STARR: Musharraf also is under pressure from his army and security services, which might mutiny if he moves too aggressively. There have been several attempts on his life. The U.S. knows he doesn't control much of the country, and al Qaeda remains very much a threat.

Moreover, officials say in recent months, Pakistani forces have backed out of operations where there had been tips about Osama bin Laden's location.

U.S. officials tell CNN that al Qaeda is using hard to track, high frequency communications along the border with Afghanistan where it's believed bin Laden is hiding. It's a likely path for him to get his messages out.

Still, since the London attacks, one U.S. official believes bin Laden, quote, "has sensed a disturbance in his previous safe havens. He would logically look at his options, which are narrowing."

(on camera) In the wake of the London attack, the U.S. and Britain want Pakistan to do more against extremists. But Washington and London understand President Musharraf has a difficult political predicament.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

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PHILLIPS: Bolton appointment. Check. "Atta boys" to the astronauts. Check. CAFTA signing. Check. President Bush crammed a lot into a two-week workweek ahead of his month long Texas vacation.

CNN's Bob Franken brings us up to date with a reality check.

Hi, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he'll be leaving soon for Texas, so I guess we'll have canceled checks. But before he departed today, he wanted to gloat a little bit, so he had one of those signing ceremonies in Washington, surrounded by people who had supported CAFTA. That would include the ambassadors from the six countries that were involved in the Central American Free Trade Agreement and supportive members of Congress.

As he signed the legislation that was very hard-fought, because of stiff opposition, as trade legislation usually encounters, stiff opposition from those who claim that this kind of legislation means a net loss of jobs in the United States.

The president argued, as he has throughout the whole campaign for this, that it's really good for the U.S. economy.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By further opening up their markets, CAFTA will help those democracies attract the trade and investment needed for economic growth. This economic growth will boost demand for U.S. goods and reduce poverty and contribute to the rise of a vibrant middle class.

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FRANKEN: That would be a vibrant middle class in the countries that are affected. The six countries are now joining a list of others that have been included in trade legislation.

Meanwhile, the United States goes on to other areas. There's a round of Doha talks, it's called, trying to open up much of the east and Middle East to the same kind of trade legislation that NAFTA, now CAFTA, has gotten -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. I just want to get a little spiritual with you, for a moment, Bob. I know that's a rare moment between you and me, but...

FRANKEN: Are we going to have a Zen moment here?

PHILLIPS: Yes, we're going to have a Zen moment or a spiritual moment or whatever kind of moment you want to talk about.

Creation of life, the president talking about intelligent design, wanting it to be taught alongside evolution. Tell me what's going on at the White House, the discussion about this. Is there a lot of discussion? It definitely caused a lot of discussion yesterday.

FRANKEN: Well, it did. But what's interesting about that is he has said nothing that he hasn't said for years and years and years.

He was interviewed by some of the Texas newspapers, and they decided that the headline was the president saying he believes intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution in schools.

Would be pretty interesting, had he not said that going all the way back to when he was governor, when it was called creationism and he made the same comment. His argument being that different mind sets should be taught in the schools.

PHILLIPS: Bob Franken, with everything, including everything intelligent, from the White House, thank you so much.

All right. When students hit the books again later this month or next, should the good book be among them? In the next hour of LIVE FROM, we're going to get chapter and verse on Bible study in public schools. Some say it's a no brainer. But to others, it's unthinkable.

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PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, juicing the game. One of baseball's hottest players gets burned. But Rafael Palmiero says he didn't knowingly take roids. Is that possible? Later on LIVE FROM, one man's cold medicine is another man's key to getting high. One state makes a bold move that could force a doctor's visit if you want relief from the sniffles.

Also ahead, is it simple education or covert conversion. A Texas public school district's plans for a Bible course raises a fundamental question.

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PHILLIPS: This just in to CNN. Live pictures now via our affiliate WRAL. We are getting word that this is an Amtrak train accident. It's happened here in Raleigh, North Carolina. The train actually was coming from Charlotte.

We're told there was a dump truck on the track. The driver of that truck has been killed. There were 220 passengers on board this Amtrak train when this accident took place. We're told some passengers have suffered minor injuries. But that's all we know at this point.

We're following this Amtrak train accident in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was coming from Charlotte. A dump truck was on the track here at this intersection that you see. The driver of that truck was killed. Two hundred and 20 passengers on board. Minor injuries with regard to some of those passengers.

We're working this story. We'll bring you more information as soon as we have it. We want to thank our affiliate, WRAL, for bringing us not only this picture from the helicopter, but also from the ground.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS: Ten years fro now, could we be dealing with a nuclear Iran? The "Washington Post" reports a new intelligence review indicating Tehran is a decade away from manufacturing a nuclear bomb.

Iran is threatening to resume work at this nuke fuel plant unless the European Union comes up with more economic and political incentives. In a deal forged nine months ago, Iran agreed to suspend its nuclear program in exchange for trade benefits.

Also out, a discouraging report on rebuilding Iraq. A congressional watchdog agency says the U.S. may have little to show for the billions of dollars in reconstruction funds. A big reason, surging security costs.

Retired Rear Admiral Chuck Kubic -- he's now working for a private company to rebuild Iraq -- knows about this firsthand. He joins me by phone from Iraq. Can you hear me OK, Chuck?

REAR ADMIRAL CHUCK KUBIC (RET.), U.S. NAVY: I sure can, Kyra. Great to talk with you again.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's good talking to you, too. And you've been really good about keeping in touch with us about the rebuilding process there in Iraq. You were first there during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an active admiral. Now you are working for this private company. You have the perspective from both sides.

When you read this report, do you agree that the surging cost for security are definitely playing a part in, maybe, how slow the process is to rebuild Iraq?

KUBIC: Well, first of all, Kyra, I've seen the newspaper articles, but I really haven't had a chance to read the report. But I suspect that the auditors have done a good job with the numbers, and I'm not going to question their numbers that, in some cases, these security costs may be very high.

But I think we all have to put that into perspective. You know, security is a reality here. It's also a reality throughout the world. Costs are rising because of increased threats. If you just think about the cost of airline tickets now with all the extra security there. I think you're seeing the same phenomenon everywhere.

But here in Iraq, there was a conscious decision three years ago to not add additional troops to be able to guard contractors. And so they've asked us to include the cost of security in the contracts that we bid.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're looking at pictures right now -- and I want to get to those contracts in just a minute. But since we're looking at pictures of actual Iraqi workers, working for you on these projects, tell me how they're dealing with the security issues. They're not quitting, are they?

KUBIC: No, they really aren't, Kyra. In fact, we are really blending in the actual security with the construction operations. And some of the pictures you may even see security positions, guards, towers, with machine guns in them. And all of that is a part of ensuring that the job sites are as safe as they can.

Now this does add cost. In some cases, we're seeing costs in the range of six to 10 percent. But in other case, the actual cost of the labor over there is a much smaller component of a building cost then, say, in the U.S.

In many case, the actual costs of the buildings, even with the security build in, is equal or less than what you might see building in a large city in the U.S.

PHILLIPS: So you've got security costs. You do have inflation, you've told me. Tell me how you go about doing these bids for contracts. It's pretty competitive, isn't it? KUBIC: Well, it really is. I think that's something people don't realize. We aren't the only contractor here. We have lots of strong competitors. And so we have to look at every job and balance how much we're going to spend for security with the actual construction work.

And we do that in a way not to short security, because it's very, very important. And as we get into building a job, sometimes these costs do rise. Because if we run into delays, sometimes the transportation is very slow because of security concerns. That can stretch a job out and actually cause the cost to rise.

But in large respect, these jobs are being completed very, very quickly. Our company has finished a large base that we've built for the Iraqi military. The base is approaching about $100 million to construct it. But it was done, really, in about 10 months. And so the work is being done. It's being done well. We're getting good work from the Iraqis. And we're getting it at a fair price.

PHILLIPS: Chuck, have you completed any projects thus far that have been infiltrated by insurgents or destroyed by insurgents that you've had to go back and do again?

KUBIC: Well, we have had, you know, some cases like that. It's been relatively minor. And in some cases, the supply lines coming to the base have been attacked, in other cases, the bases themselves.

But I'll tell you, I'm really proud of these workers over here. They're really quite inspiring. Even though they're facing some of these threats, they're not quitting. They're standing up to the terrorists. And every day that they build is another day that they're defeating terrorism.

PHILLIPS: Well, you've got to look them straight in the eye and tell them why they shouldn't quit. I mean, how do you empower them? How do you encourage them to stay, when a hot of these workers have had threats on their lives?

KUBIC: Well, one of the things, Kyra, is the -- you know, wages are going up. And they are also motivated to make a fair wage, living for their family. When we actually moved into Iraq the going rate was about 50 cents a day for a worker. The first workers I hired over two years ago, we paid them $2 a day.

Last year, wages were up to about $7 a day. And now in some of the more difficult areas, we're paying upwards to $18 a day. But that's really for a 10 hour day, and so it's still only $1.80 an hour.

So they're making a fair wage. It's much bigger than they had made previously. And they're motivated by the same things that motivate others. They want to rebuild their country. They want to take care of their families.

PHILLIPS: Well, I remember being there with you during the war. And you had bags of dollar bills. And you were paying these workers a dollar. And that was more than they ever received from Saddam Hussein. So to hear $18 a day is pretty amazing.

I know it's tough. I know it's dangerous. Retired Rear Admiral Chuck Kubic, as always, thank you for your time. And we definitely commend your efforts. Thank you.

KUBIC: Well, thank you, Kyra. It's good talking to you again.

PHILLIPS: Absolute pleasure. Stay safe.

KUBIC: Bye-bye.

PHILLIPS: We're working a developing story. We're telling you about this Amtrak train crash, via our affiliate, live pictures here, WRAL.

What we know so far is it was coming from Charlotte. This accident happened in Raleigh, North Carolina. A dump truck was actually on the track. The driver of that truck has died. Two hundred and 20 passengers on board.

With me on the phone now is Chief Bryant Woodall. He's with the Raleigh Fire Department, not far from the scene.

Chief, have you been able to go to the scene yet? Or are you just monitoring it from home base?

BRYANT WOODALL, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're close by the scene now.

PHILLIPS: Tell me what you know, chief.

WOODALL: Well, as you said, it is involving a construction vehicle. And the -- that was struck it is a railroad crossing just outside of town, about a mile from the local Amtrak station. And as far as we know, the one fatality is all the -- the only person that we're dealing with as far as injuries or fatalities.

PHILLIPS: Now chief, it looks like the train came off the tracks. Would that be because of the impact when it hit this truck?

WOODALL: That's correct. It was basically the lead engine and couple cars behind the lead engine.

PHILLIPS: And chief, you know this area very well. And I'm looking at this shot from the helicopter via WRAL. I don't -- actually, I do see the warning bar there. It looks like it is down.

Are there stop signs and warning bars on both sides? It looks like there are. And was there a problem with that? Do you know if the truck ran those or didn't see them or what might have happened with regard to the -- you know, the beeping lights and the warning a train was coming?

WOODALL: Well, obviously, as you said, the warning devices are there. And they are down now. And -- but as far as exactly what happened, we're not sure about that at this time. PHILLIPS: Do you know anything about the driver that was driving that dump truck?

WOODALL: We do not. They are trying to find information about it now.

PHILLIPS: All right. Two hundred and twenty passengers on board. You're saying, so far what you know, there are just minor injuries. Is that right?

WOODALL: There are no injuries to the passengers as far as we know.

PHILLIPS: OK, no injuries at all. All right. Has this happened before in this area?

WOODALL: Not to my knowledge.

PHILLIPS: So basically, systems have worked pretty well when it's come to those warning lights and bars there where the track is.

WOODALL: So far as we know, yes.

PHILLIPS: Do you know how fast that train was going?

WOODALL: I do not.

PHILLIPS: So what do you do now, Chief? Obviously, you're going to be -- you're headed to the scene. What goes forward from here with regard to getting all those passengers off, making sure they're OK? Are there still passengers on board?

WOODALL: Absolutely. We're working with the local transit system to bring in buses to move them into town, which will be about a mile or a mile and a half. But that and a small amount of diesel fuel spilled is -- that's the two issues we have right now that we're dealing with immediately.

PHILLIPS: Evacuated the area?

WOODALL: No.

PHILLIPS: OK. So it's not that big of a threat with regard to cars that are close by, considering fuel possibly there on the ground.

WOODALL: No, it isn't. It's not a contamination issue. It's pretty well contained where it is.

PHILLIPS: Raleigh Fire Department Chief Bryant Woodall. Sir, I appreciate your time.

WOODALL: You're very welcome.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, it's already a hurricane season for the record books. And now forecasters say it could get a lot worse. New predictions ahead on LIVE FROM. Friends and family say this man is a really nice guy. Others swear he helped Nazis in World War II and doesn't deserve to be an American. We're following the emotional court case in Chicago later on LIVE FROM.

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