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Tragedy at Sago Mine Kills 12; Trouble on Board Frontier Airlines Plane; Inside the Coal Business; Dick Cheney Addresses Heritage Foundation
Aired January 04, 2006 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Straight to Fredricka Whitfield in the newsroom with some breaking news.
Fred, what do you have?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kyra, trouble on board a Frontier Airlines plane, Flight 169 from Denver on its way to San Jose, California, international airport. And when the plane does land there at San Jose, which you see it there at the gate, awaiting a passenger who apparently crew members reported as having suspicious behavior. Among those waiting, FBI and police.
They take that passenger into custody. We don't know exactly who this passenger was, nor are the Frontier Airlines spokespeople describing what kind of unusual or suspicious behavior this person exhibited, just that it gave them merit to involve the FBI and other police who have now taken custody of that person.
Of course when we get more information of what kind of behavior was taking place on board, and if anybody else on board was jeopardized their safety, jeopardized, et cetera, we'll be able to bring that to you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fred. Well, stay in touch. Thank you so much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The loved ones and the family was out on the porch wrapped in blankets awaiting for their fathers or their brothers to come up and just give them a hug because that's what we was told, they was -- they was alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Cruelty on top of tragedy. Half a day after friends and family of the Sago miners learned that 12 of the 13 were dead, it's not the bad news that many in the heart of West Virginia can't forgive, it's the wrong news. Still not clear how it happened, but 40-plus hours into their ordeal the dozens keeping vigil at Sago Baptist Church learned one miner was dead, but a dozen survived.
The nation rejoiced, but the quickly-changing covers of the "New York Daily News" tell the story. Three hours later, definitive word that only one man came out alive, 12 others, husbands, fathers, brothers, neighbors, would not. In a heartbeat -- in a heartbeat, joy became anguish and then anger and, as you know, if you were keeping vigil with CNN, this is what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We have some breaking news. We do not know exactly what is going on here in Upshur County. They are ringing the bells of the church. This is the first time that has occurred.
We heard some shouting over at the church.
You're a friend of Terry Helms. Terry was -- what have you heard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just come out of the mine, said we got 12 alive. That's good news.
COOPER: Where did you -- who told you that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just come out of the mines and sent an official down, said we got 12 alive.
COOPER: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Charlie -- Charlie, we've got to -- come back to us.
Wait, wait, wait, come here. What's happening?
LYNETTE ROBY, WITNESSED DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT: There's only one -- there's only one made it out alive. And I think the name was Randal. The governor's in there, and this big in charge CEO of the mine is apologizing. And it's all -- they did nothing but -- I don't know how this information could come out that people were alive.
COOPER: Where have...
ROBY: There's only one person alive and he's en route to the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is stunned right now. Everybody's stunned and sickened to their stomach. We feel like we've been lied to. We feel like we've been lied to all along.
I don't even know if the governor knew the truth or not. I think he was here, I think that he's done everything he could. And I don't even know if they told him the truth or not.
HATFIELD: What happened is that through stray cell phone conversations, it appears that this miscommunication from the rescue team underground to the command center was picked up by various people that simply overheard a conversation, was relayed through cell phone communications without our ever having made a release. International Coal Group never made any release about all 12 of the miners being -- being alive and well.
MANCHIN: It had to be a miscommunication, misinterpretation, something. I don't think that anyone would have said if something was different than what they found.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finally they come. Mr. Hatfield, the CEO of the mines, he'd say he didn't know nothing. Finally, he come up and he said they was all living.
He even give us the directions of how he was bringing them in, he was going to take the emergency car, go up and get them. He was going to bring them to the church, to the families. Not only my family, but all families.
And he was supposed to come back within an hour. He come back three hours later with the news that they're gone, that there is no survivors. We want to know why and how people can get by with this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So many questions surrounding this tragedy. For starters, could it have been prevented? And is the dangerous job of a coal miner any different or, for that matter, any safer than it was 50 years ago?
For a number of answers, I'm joined by Tony Oppegard, recently served as the top prosecutor in Kentucky's Department of Mines and Minerals.
Tony, good to have you with us.
I guess, first, I just want to get your reaction to this communication, miscommunication situation. Have you ever seen anything like it? And what do you make of it?
TONY OPPEGARD, FMR. COUNSEL, KENTUCKY DEPT. OF MINES AND MINERALS: Well, I haven't. But I don't really feel qualified to speak to that because I don't know all the facts about what happened. Obviously, it was, you know, tragic the way that it happened, but that's really all I want to say about it.
PHILLIPS: Well, for 18 years, you have been an attorney for miners, dealt with a number of cases. What seems to be the most common case to this day that just keeps repeating and you think to yourself, as someone that talks about safety, why hasn't this been changed?
OPPEGARD: Well, typically the most dangerous parts of the job for coal miners are roof falls and explosions. And historically, those are the biggest killers of miners. And really, the history of coal mine legislation in this country has been built on disasters.
It's really been built on the blood of coal miners. It seems like it takes a disaster for major legislation to be passed that benefits miners and, you know, gives them stronger safety rights.
The first major law in recent history was 1969, and that was after the Farmington disaster in 1968 that killed 78 miners in Farmington, West Virginia. And then in 1976, we had 26 miners and federal mine inspectors killed in Scotia. That was in Letcher County, Kentucky, in eastern Kentucky, in twin explosions two days apart.
And because of that, the 1969 Coal Act was amended and the -- it was called the 1977 Federal Coal Mine Safety and Health Act, and the law was strengthened, miners were given more rights, particularly training rights, and the law was beefed up in other ways. But it's always disasters that get attention and give miners stronger rights.
PHILLIPS: You know what, Tony? The first thing that comes to mind when you say it takes a disaster to somehow trigger coal mine legislation, I think of New Orleans and the poverty that was revealed when Hurricane Katrina hit. And it took a disaster like that to even start talking about the issue of poverty and how to deal with those that were living, say, in the Lower Ninth Ward that didn't have the opportunities that others did.
So, here we go. Another explosion, 12 miners dead. Everybody's talking about it, it's in the headlines.
Do you think that something will get triggered from this? Do you think there will be some type of new legislation? And, if so, what does it need to be? And why -- why does that happen? Why does it have to take a disaster to be an advocate for these workers?
OPPEGARD: Well, it's a good point. First of all, I just think it's human nature that until something tragic happens, we don't pay as much attention to it as we should.
Unfortunately, for coal miners -- and I have tremendous respect for coal miners because they have a very difficult job, they work in dark, cramped conditions. They have very small margin for error, where the smallest mistake can cost you an arm, a leg or your life. And they work among -- around heavy equipment. And I have tremendous respect for them.
And unfortunately, most coal miners die one at a time. Maybe one or two at a time.
I'm representing a family in eastern Kentucky right now who had a miner killed last Friday. He was run over by a ram car. His legs were severed, and he bled to death. But it's not big news because it was one miner. And unfortunately, it seems like it does take a disaster to draw human attention to it.
What I would call on MSHA to do is to hold public hearings in this instance. MSHA does not have subpoena power unless they call for public hearings. Typically, when accident investigations are conducted by MSHA, all of the interviews with miners, other people who might have information about the accident, they're all voluntary.
And MSHA will call the miners, and the families will not be present. Typically, MSHA will read them a statement and say this is a voluntary interview, you have the right to terminate the interview at any time, you may refuse to answer any question that you do not want to answer. And typically, the coal company lawyer will be sitting there, a representative of the company will be sitting there, but there will not be a representative of the families there. And I don't think that's right. I've never thought it's been right. And in order to avoid that happening in this case, I think MSHA should hold public hearings. They have the right...
PHILLIPS: Well...
OPPEGARD: ... they have the right under Section 103B to hold public hearings and to subpoena witnesses.
PHILLIPS: That's a very interesting point. And I guess I start thinking about this other story -- the other story we've been covering today with Jack Abramoff and just talking about the power of lobbyists. And you look at all this money that's been channeled to certain places and all these payoffs and all this fraud and corruption.
You know, who's lobbying for these miners and their safety? Are there active lobbyists? I mean, are there people that are bringing this up on a regular basis, saying, we have got to pay them more for the danger and we also need to decrease the issues of why it's so dangerous?
OPPEGARD: Well, honestly, there's very few miners' advocates. Obviously, United Mine Workers of America, they're the strongest miners advocates, people like Joe Mane (ph), who has spent their lives fighting for mine safety, fighting for coal miners.
We had a great champion in United States senator Paul Wellstone, the senator from Minnesota who was tragically killed a few years ago in a plane crash.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
OPPEGARD: He was a great champion for miners. He came to eastern Kentucky and met with a lot of non-union miners and heard about all the safety problems that they encountered, how they had to work in unsafe conditions in order to keep their jobs, in order to feed their families. And typically, in non-union mines, if you refuse to perform unsafe work, which you have the right, the federal right to do, but if you refuse you're going to get fired.
And if you get fired, it's going to take you a year or two litigating a case to try to get your job back, to try to get your back pay. And miners have a real -- they're between a rock and a hard place.
They have a Hobson's Choice. You know, do I work in dangerous conditions, or do I just try to get along as best I can?
PHILLIPS: And let...
OPPEGARD: Or do I refuse, you know, and then I'll get fired?
PHILLIPS: Well, and that brings up just my final question. I want to ask this before we talk about this company. We have a piece giving a little background on the company. Is it the company's fault? And do you think there are going to be a number of lawsuits that come forward against this company because of, say, violations, or say they find out something went wrong in that mine, it wasn't human error, it was, you know, somehow the company's fault? Just what you said, the fact that these workers, you know, take on this job knowing that it's dangerous, you know, where -- where's the fault?
I mean, can you say it's definitely the company's fault and these miners' families can sue this company, or is it a gray area?
OPPEGARD: I think we have to wait until the MSHA investigation is completed to get all the facts, find out exactly what happened. But obviously, if there's an explosion in the mine, the company has to have some fault there because there has to be -- assuming it's a methane explosion, if there's a buildup of methane, that's a violation of their ventilation plans.
Somehow the ventilation wasn't sweeping that methane out of the mine. You have to have an ignition source.
Whether or not there are citations issued, we have to wait for the investigation to see. But clearly something was wrong in this mine otherwise there wouldn't have been an explosion.
PHILLIPS: Well, you know we're going to stay on top it. And Tony, I know you are. So let's talk again.
Tony Oppegard, former general counsel of the Department of Mines and Minerals.
Sure appreciate your insight. Let's talk again.
OPPEGARD: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Tony.
We've heard a lot about the Sago Mine in the recent days, as you know, and there are a number of reported safety violations. But you may not know that the financially troubled operation there changed hands just a few weeks ago, swallowed up a much larger company.
CNN's Tom Foreman has more on the Sago Mine, its safety problems and its new owners.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The number of safety violations at the Sago Mine has risen rapidly in the past two years. And last year, inspectors called 96 of them serious and substantial. Add 11 roof collapses in the last six months, and a former top federal official who monitored mine safety, Davitt McAteer, sees red flags.
DAVITT MCATEER, MINE SAFETY EXPERT: That's a signal to you. And it says, you better do something, and you need to intervene here and change what's happening at the workplace, because, in mining, the small problems mount up quickly and catastrophically.
FOREMAN: The Sago Mine accident comes on the heels of seismic shifts in the mining business. In the 1990s, with coal prices low, many small mines cut back production, went bankrupt or shut down. And that opened the door for billionaire investor Wilbur Ross.
Ross made headlines and a fortune buying up failing steel companies. Now his International Coal Group is doing the same in mining. His relatively new company now owns a substantial portion of the nation's coal reserves.
ICG took over Sago only six weeks ago, and officials say the company has corrected many safety problems. But its executives don't want to discuss that at the moment.
HATFIELD: We have no interest in getting into the finger- pointing or who's responsible for what or what went wrong a year ago.
FOREMAN (on camera): Federal safety records indicate the coal business has grown safer in recent years with injuries and fatalities dropping even as production rises. But it remains dangerous work.
(voice over): The association that represents many mining companies, although not International Coal, says the Sago violations, while serious, did not necessarily signal an immediate threat.
BRUCE WATZMAN, NATIONAL MINING ASSOC.: When I looked at it generally, I didn't see anything that caught my attention as being so out of the ordinary.
FOREMAN (on camera): And in making a quick review of these violations, you don't see anything there that leaps out at you as in endangering miners' lives?
WATZMAN: No, I did not.
FOREMAN: So what are these citations about?
WATZMAN: They could be paperwork errors, they could be reporting errors, a lot of violations, but many of which were not significant to really impact miner safety.
FOREMAN (voice over): So what to make of the International Coal Group?
MCATEER: They're a company that's entered the mining business and has accumulated lots of resources. And we have yet to see the proof in the pudding in terms of safety and health.
FOREMAN: Now accident investigators will be making their own judgment on that and deciding who, if anyone, should be held responsible.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Once again, I want to remind you that we're waiting for the CEO of that company and his attorney. Ben Hatfield, of course, CEO of International Coal Group, and also Roger Nickelson (ph), the general counsel to that company, they're expected to step up to the mics shortly. We'll bring it live -- bring it to you live, rather, as soon as they do that.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Vice President Dick Cheney is preparing to give a speech minutes from now on the Iraq and the war -- on Iraq, rather, and the war on terrorism. We're hearing that Mr. Cheney will also aggressively defend the president in authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans.
The disclosure of the wiretap program, as you know, set off a storm of controversy in Washington and across the country. Cheney's speech is scheduled for 2:30 Eastern Time. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it starts.
And as we've said, revelations the president authorized those secret wiretaps caused quite an uproar. Well, now it appears that the NSA may have expanded its domestic spying operations on its own before getting the OK from the president. This information coming from a letter released by California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and reported in "The New York Times."
The letter was written to the then head of the NSA, General Michael Hayden, in October of 2001. Pelosi wrote that she and other lawmakers were concerned about whether the president has authorized the agency to conduct the eavesdropping work.
Hayden responded that he had not. The Bush administration says Hayden had the authority under an intelligence directive issued nearly 25 years ago on collecting intelligence.
Well, turning to our top story now, tragedy at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, if -- and it's a big "if" -- roar anger has subsided in Upshur County, it's replaced by a resolve to find out who knew what and when.
CNN's Kimberly Osias is there.
Kimberly, have things calmed down a bit?
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it is definitely quiet inside the Sago Baptist Church. You know, of course, that was truly -- I apologize, Kyra. We are right in front of a train track, actually, that is blocking the entrance there where we believe the bodies are slated to come up soon, these 12 bodies of the miners, of course, that perished in this terrible, terrible tragedy.
And I apologize, Kyra. You had asked me about things shifting. And, of course, they have.
I mean, this has been an unbearable roller-coaster for these families inside the church, outside. I mean, jubilation turning to sadness now, anger.
And what they tell me, these families tell me, is, quite frankly, they can't watch our news anymore. They were glued to the coverage. They can't any more because look at this -- this is -- these are the headlines.
This is the local "Exponent Telegram." "12 Found Alive" emblazoned across in bold. And they can't escape it. And these family members say they've got to begin the process of grieving, they have got to begin to start to look for answers and start to see where they are going to go from here.
And as I mentioned, behind me, this area, you can see a sheriff's deputy standing right there. We saw an ambulance go in just a short time ago, and we believe those bodies are to be coming up. A very, very grisly task at hand for these families to deal with now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's interesting that you bring up the front page of that newspaper, Kimberly. Also, you know, this is the same thing we woke up to this morning on the front of "USA Today," "12 Miners Found Alive." And you see family members there smiling.
And this other one, the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," you know, our local paper, "12 Miners Alive." And you see the governor on the front. "Only one dead in 41-hour ordeal."
It's pretty chilling to see all those headlines.
And I'm curious, just looking at the miscommunication, and then also the talk of the explosion in the mine, the issue of the safety records, this company just recently taking over this mine, I mean, there are so many questions out there to, you know, who is accountable, who needs to be held accountable?
I just want to play a piece of an interview. I think this came to us last night. The first time we heard the word "lawsuit." We want to listen to this, and then I've got a question for you, Kimberly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad, Jim Bennett!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's only one that survived?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only one!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They lied to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They even told us 30 minute ago that the miners agreed to come up here to the church instead of going to the hospital first. So how could they agree if they didn't know? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they're dead, how can they agree to come up here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who said that? Who said that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that were bringing the information.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was an outsider that came in that said the mine officials had told them they were working their way over to the -- over to the church.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all know more than they did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twelve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they have been trying to run you off?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That there was 12 miners. Yes, 12 survivors. And my dad was supposedly one of them.
I do -- I call this injustice. And I will tell you all right here right now, I will -- I plan on suing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Pretty strong words. A lot of emotion.
A lot of us wondering what's going to happen from here legally, Kimberly. You've talked to a lot of family members. I know earlier on you said the ones you've talked to haven't mentioned that, but it's interesting to see what happens days after the accident.
OSIAS: Indeed, you heard the word "injustice." Very, very angry words being bandied about.
And I remember just in the wee hours before we left, there was -- there was a lot of anger before those moments of jubilation. In fact, there were times within this 48-hour period, this whole ordeal, that some miners, those six -- remember, there were six that escaped, Kyra. You remember those.
There was one man that actually, he, I am told, that -- from those inside the church that he almost was blinded because of these flames. And he was so angry at the rescue efforts and how they seem to have been stalled that he wanted to get back in the mine.
So, you can well understand. I mean, it is incredibly tough with what these families have gone through.
Hope is one thing, false hope is another thing. And then, now, dealing with all these issues right now for these families -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: And we'll be following them all. Kimberly Osias. Thank you so much.
And even with all the talk of possible lawsuits, investigations, what was the deal with that mine, was it safe, there are so many people talking about the miracle. West Virginians call him their one miracle.
He's 27 years old, he's a father of two, he's married to his childhood sweetheart, a licensed electrician who has dreams of putting coal mines behind him forever. He had dreams of that. He told his wife Anna that was the case. And at the moment, he's being treated for dehydration and an injured lung and kidney problems.
CNN's Chris Huntington has more from West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown to talk about Randal McCloy and how we just heard from his doctor not long ago.
Pretty amazing story, Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a remarkable story.
Randal McCloy is only 27. I asked the doctor during the press conference if McCloy's youth and relative robust condition prior to the accident was a factor in his ability to survive it. And the doctor basically didn't want to completely chalk it up to that, but he said, "Absolutely." If you're in good health, if you're strong, that's a huge factor.
Here's the way Dr. Larry Roberts, the head of trauma here at West Virginia University Medical Center, summed up McCloy's condition right now, showing some improvement relative to what he told us this morning.
Keep in mind, McCloy came here at 3:00 this morning with a collapsed lung. Dr. Roberts was a little more emphatic in this press conference this afternoon, Kyra, about the severity of that collapsed lung. He said it was almost completely collapsed, but they've made progress getting that back up.
Also, terrific progress in restoring McCloy's oxygen level in his blood. He said overall, McCloy's vital signs are very, very strong. Strong heart, strong blood pressure.
He does apparently have some kidney problems, a result of dehydration and immobilization, again, for days down there in the mine.
He was able to squeeze the doctor's fingers and respond to his wife with facial expressions. Again, a positive.
But there is one crucial element that the doctor is looking out for, and he danced around this delicately in the press conference, Kyra, and I don't want to cast any pall over this situation, but what the doctors are looking for, and Dr. Roberts in particular said he needs to see, is a level of alertness. And here's how he put it upon questioning in the press conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LARRY ROBERTS, WEST VIRGINIA UNIV. HOSPITALS: What I'm alluding to with the lack of him being wide awake and fully communicating to us is, was he deprived of oxygen for a sufficiently long period of time? And we don't know that. And my -- that's something that time will tell.
At the moment, of course, he's getting more than sufficient oxygen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: So, Kyra, of course that's going to be one of the crucial factors in Randal McCloy's full recovery, how long did he go without sufficient oxygen, whether due to a collapsed lung or some factor of carbon monoxide poisoning.
I just want to give you one final wrap-up on his condition. They're going to start decreasing the level of sedatives that they're keeping McCloy under, but they're not going to take him off it. As the doctor said, if you take him completely off sedatives at this point, his natural reaction is going to want to be to rip out tubes. And he's still on breathing tubes, still getting some assistance from a ventilator.
And, of course, he is getting electrolytes intravenously. And so they don't to allow him to completely wake up and perhaps be irascible. They're hoping that they can fully wake him up in the next day or two.
Another feature of the press conference that we just had was the first public appearance of McCloy's wife, Anna. She looked devastated, I have to tell you that. She was clutching the hand of the first lady, the governor's wife here in West Virginia, Gayle Manchin, who has availed herself to the McCloy family.
Repeatedly, reporters at the press conferences asked Anna to say something, and she repeatedly said, "No comment," until the very end of the press conference, when she said this -- and you have to listen carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA MCCLOY, WIFE OF SAGO SURVIVOR: I just ask everybody to keep on praying.
QUESTION: Is that what's getting you through?
MCCLOY: Yes, everybody's prayers.
QUESTION: And your family support -- you have a lot of family?
MCCLOY: Yes. Lots of family support.
QUESTION: And you're happy that it's a good outcome for your family?
MCCLOY: So far, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: Anna and Randal McCloy, childhood sweethearts, married with two children. McCloy's condition still critical, but guardedly improving -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Chris Huntington, thanks so much.
And we're expecting to hear from the CEO, Ben Hatfield, CEO of ICG, and also his chief counsel, his general counsel, rather, Roger Nickelson (ph), of the International Coal Group.
We're waiting for that. We'll bring it to you as soon as it happens.
We're also waiting to hear from Vice President Dick Cheney. He's preparing to make remarks this hour on Iraq and the war on terrorism, and of course to talk about the NSA and the president authorizing it to eavesdrop on Americans.
We'll bring you both of those live events as soon as they start.
Meanwhile, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Straight to Fredricka Whitfield.
She's got more on sort of a suspicious behavior of a passenger on an airline -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: That's right.
In fact, now the FBI out of San Francisco is saying that they continue to talk to this person. They are identifying this person as a male. And the flight crew onboard this Frontier Flight 169 reported that this person had exhibited some very suspicious behavior. Well, by the time this plane landed, it was en route to the San Jose International Airport from Denver. Once it did get on the ground, the FBI and other police were there to greet the passengers.
And then when they got a hold of this one passenger exhibiting this extremely unusual behavior, they noticed that he had some writings, a journal that said on it, quote, "suicide bomber." That raised a few eyebrows. They have searched his belongings.
But as of now, the investigators say they continue to talk to this person, but they're revealing very little else about him -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep checking in with you. Thanks, Fred. Nearly every day, another gruesome chapter is produced in the Iraq war. Today was no exception. A suicide bomber slipped into a group of more than 100 mourners at a cemetery and detonated an explosive vest. At least 36 people were killed, 40 others wounded. It happened about 60 miles north of Baghdad during a funeral for a nephew of a prominent Shiite politician. The nephew was killed during an assassination attempt on his uncle yesterday. The funeral attack was one of several insurgent strikes across Iraq today that killed more than 45 people, making it the deadliest day since last month's national elections.
On a road north of Baghdad, insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns attacked a fuel convoy not once, but twice. In the first, at least one driver was killed and one tanker truck destroyed. About an hour later, insurgents hit the convoy again, destroying 19 tankers. No word yet on the fate of those drivers. The attacks struck a blow to the government's effort to ease severe fuel shortages in Baghdad. Tanker drivers had stopped working last month due to security concerns. They had only resumed driving this week after being promised increased protection.
Concerning news today out of Afghanistan where officials in a rural province say that Taliban militants attacked and killed a school master. His offense, we're told, was allowing girls into his classrooms. It's the latest in a string of recent deadly assaults on Afghan educators. The Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan believes educating girls violates Islamic law. The school master, killed yesterday, was reportedly beheaded while his family watched.
Advances against terrorists, more international corruption (ph) in fighting them -- that's President Bush's prediction for carrying out his war on terror in the new year.
Mr. Bush huddled with his top guns in that war at the Pentagon earlier today. Among those taking part, the top U.S. general in Iraq, the top U.S. general charged with training Iraqi soldiers and police, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney.
As for the war in Iraq, Mr. Bush offered an upbeat assessment, repeating that some U.S. troops will be withdrawn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The commanders have recently determined that we can reduce our combat forces in Iraq from 17 to 15 brigades. And the reason they were able to do so is because the Iraqis are more capable.
The adjustment is under way. This adjustment will result in a net decrease of several thousand troops below the pre-election baseline of 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The decrease comes in addition to the reduction of about 20,000 troops who were in Iraq to assist with security during the December elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Public support for the Iraq war has dropped in recent months with the majority of Americans polled saying that it was a mistake to invade that country. Those numbers have gone up some since a P.R. blitz by the administration around the time of Iraq's elections last month.
Well, we're awaiting a speech expected minutes from now from Vice President Dick Cheney. One subject Mr. Cheney plans to discuss is the National Security Administration wiretap program and why he says the president has the right to authorize the warrantless wiretaps.
CNN national security correspondent David Ensor joins us now from Washington to talk more about the secretive agency and its role in spy operations.
And, David, let's talk about the vice president -- expected, probably, to defend the legality of the domestic spying program.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, indeed, Kyra.
He's always been a firm defender of presidential prerogatives, and you can expect a robust defense from the vice president of the president's authorization of the National Security Agency to do these half domestic surveillance efforts.
He will argue that they're constitutional. He will note that they have helped stop terrorists and he will point out that there's been no major terrorist attack against the United States in the last four years and suggest that this may be part of the reason.
But the administration does realize that critics believe the president broke the law, they'll argue that strenuously in the coming weeks.
And there are likely to be hearings -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: David, he's getting ready to speak right now.
Let's listen and then talk about it later.
RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, thank you very much and thank you for the warm welcome.
It's great to be back at Heritage. In 2006, Heritage will mark its 33rd anniversary. And in all these years, this has been one of the leading think tanks in the country. The foundation has been a place of sound ideas, of intellectual leadership and first-rate scholarship. And your standards have never wavered.
You've made a tremendous contribution to the debate in the city and the nation. You've earned the respect and the appreciation of all of us who are privileged to serve in public office.
As always, when I pay a visit, I notice a number of old friends in the room. It's good to see all of you. And it looks like everybody pretty well recovered from their new year's celebrations.
For my part, I came back to town on Sunday after spending the holidays back home in Wyoming with Lynne and our family.
Just prior to Christmas, as most of you know, I made a trip out to the Middle East, to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Oman. Our plan was to make several other stops as well. And then we got word that the Senate was headed for a close vote on the deficit reduction package and that I might be needed to break a tie, since breaking ties is about the only real job given to me by the Constitution.
(LAUGHTER)
I decided I'd better hurry back. And it was worth it because by vote did turn out be necessary. And the great thing about it is, every time I vote, our side wins.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
Even though we had to cut the triple a little short, it was a tremendous experience to go to the broader Middle East and to stand on the ground of two new democracies.
In Afghanistan, we witnessed the first full session of their newly elected parliament; a significant event in any country, but one that had special meaning in a nation that just over four years ago was in the grip of a cruel dictatorship.
CHENEY: I met as well with one of the great men of the age, President Hamid Karzai, who has led his country with courage and character from day one.
At Bagram Air Base outside Kabul, I received briefings on the ongoing efforts against the terrorists who still threaten the Afghan people, and had a chance to thank the men and women stationed there.
There's still tough fighting going on in Afghanistan, some of it in very rough country, high in the mountains and along the border areas. Our people are getting the job done, together with coalition partners and an increasingly strong and professional Afghan military.
And this young century is turning out to be a time of promise in Afghanistan with a stable democracy, a market economy, equality for women and millions of children going to school for the very first time.
It's impossible to overstate all that our coalition has achieved in Afghanistan. And when our forces return home from that part of the world, they can be proud of the service they've rendered for the rest of their lives.
I was pleased to convey that message in person to our troops at Christmas time, not just in Afghanistan but in Iraq as well. And on that leg of the journey, I stopped at Baghdad to see the president and prime minister; went over to Taji Air Base where Americans are training Iraqis; and finally to Al-Assad Air Base where our military's main staging ground is, west of Baghdad.
And here again, we see exemplary work by the men and women of our military within a area of operations the size of Utah. They've scored daily victories, even hourly victories in the western Euphrates River Valley all the way up to the Syrian border.
CHENEY: They've secured crossing points, destroyed enemy weapons caches and cleared urban areas of terrorists.
Our coalition has also put tremendous effort in the standing up of the Iraqi security forces, and we've come a great distance over the past year. More and more, coalition forces have Iraqis at their side helping to clear out terrorists and then staying in the area to maintain the peace.
We're helping build an Iraqi force that is sharp and well- equipped, and this was vital to the success of last month's elections.
There are over 100 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the terrorists along with our forces today. More than a dozen military bases our coalition used to occupy have been turned back to the Iraqis.
Gradually, Iraqi forces are taking control of more and more territory. And as they undertake further missions on their own, confidence is growing within the country. More intelligence tips are coming in from the Iraqi people themselves.
As the Iraqi army gains strength and experience and as the political process advances, we'll be able to decrease troop levels without losing our capacity to defeat the terrorists.
And as President Bush has made very clear, any decision about troop levels will be driven by conditions on the ground and by the judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timelines set by politicians here in Washington, D.C.
(APPLAUSE)
We will stand firmly with Iraq's leaders as they establish the institutions of a unified and a lasting democracy.
On the political track, every benchmark has been met successfully, starting with a turnover of sovereignty a year and a half ago, national elections last January, the drafting of the constitution last summer, and the ratification of that constitution by voters in October and, of course, most recently, the election of a new government under that constitution in December.
CHENEY: Political leaders of Iraq are steady, they're courageous. And the citizens, police, soldiers of that country have proudly stepped forward as active participants and guardians in a new democracy -- running for office, speaking out, voting and sacrificing for their country.
When I met with Prime Minister Jaafari in Baghdad, he pointed the voter turnout figures for the national elections, three of them in 2005: around 59 percent in January, some 63 percent in October and approximately 70 percent turnout in December.
Iraqi citizens have done all of this despite threats from terrorists who offer no political agenda for Iraq's future and wage a campaign of mass slaughter against the Iraqi people themselves -- the vast majority of whom are fellow Muslims.
Day after day, month after month, Iraqis have proven their determination to live in freedom, to chart their own destiny and to defend their country. And they can know that the United States will keep our commitment to them. We will continue the work of reconstruction.
Our forces will keep going after the terrorists and continue training the Iraqi military so that Iraqis can eventually take the lead in their country's security and our men and women can come home.
We will succeed in this mission. And when it is concluded, we will be a safer country here in the United States as well.
As always, the people of our armed forces are the ones at the tip of the spear. And we are not a country that takes its military for granted. We are a democracy defended by volunteers who deserve all the tools and all the support we can provide them.
Americans appreciate every man and woman who goes out on long deployments, endures the hardship of separation from home and family, fellow citizens who wear heavy armor when the thermometer hits 125 degrees, work 7 days a week, often 14, 16, 18 hours a day.
CHENEY: We stand in total admiration when we learn of soldiers, airmen, Marines and Navy corpsmen that expose themselves to heavy fire to assist wounded comrades, or when we learn of a lance corporal who came on a burning vehicle with an unconscious Marine inside; with his bare hands he tore open the air conditioner assembly so he could pull his comrade to safety.
The people in our military today are some of the bravest men and women this nation has ever produced.
(APPLAUSE)
Lately, our forces in Iraq have been receiving some mixed signals out of Washington. And they might have been wondering whether America has what it takes to stay in the fight. I assured them that the American people do not support a policy of passivity, resignation or defeatism in the face of terror.
If we have learned anything in the last 25 years from Beirut, to Somalia, to the USS Cole, it is that terrorist attacks are not caused by the projection of force; they are invited by the perception of weakness. And this nation made a decision: We will never go back to the false comforts of the world before September 11, 2001. We will engage these enemies with a goal of victory. And, with the American military in the fight, that victory is certain.
(APPLAUSE)
The president and I believe that the victory of freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq will be an inspiration to democratic reformers in other lands.
In the broader Middle East and beyond, America will continue to encourage free institutions, individual liberty and tolerance because these are the ideas and the aspirations that overcome ideologies of terror and violence and can turn societies to the pursuit of peace.
CHENEY: And as the people of that region experience new hope and progress and control over their own lives, we will see the power of freedom to change our world and a terrible threat will be removed from the lives of our children and our grandchildren.
Wartime conditions are in every case a test of military skill and national resolve, but this is especially true in the war on terror.
Four years ago, President Bush told Congress and the country that the path ahead would be difficult, that we were heading into a long struggle unlike any we have ever known.
All of this has come to pass. We have faced and are facing today enemies who hate us, who hate our country and who hate the liberties for which we stand. They dwell on the shadows, wear no uniform and have no regard for the laws of warfare and feel unconstrained by any standard of morality.
We've never had a fight like this. And those of us in positions of responsibility have a duty to wage a broad-scale effort for the sake of the nation's freedom and our security. That effort includes the homefront, with a great deal of urgent and difficult work needed to persevere.
In his speech to Congress after 9/11, President Bush said that the United States would, and I quote, "direct every resource at our command, every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence and every necessary weapon of war to the disruption and defeat of the global terror network."
The Congress of the United States backed him up in full, authorizing the president to defeat an enemy that had already slipped into our country and waged a horrific attack that killed 3,000 innocent, unsuspecting men, women and children on 9/11.
The president also signed the Patriot Act, which removed the artificial barrier that used to exist between law enforcement and intelligence and give federal officials the ability to pursue terrorists with the tools they already used against drug traffickers and other kinds of criminals.
There was no need for a tie-breaking vote on the Patriot Act because the Senate passed 98-1.
(APPLAUSE)
CHENEY: That law has helped us to disrupt terrorist activity, to break up terrorist cells within the United States and to protect the lives of Americans. We look forward to a renewal of the Patriot Act in 2006, because that law has done exactly what it was intended to do and this country cannot afford to be without its protections.
Another vital step the president took in the days following 9/11 was to authorize the National Security Agency to intercept a certain category of terrorist-linked international communications. There are no communications more important to the safety of the United States than those related to Al Qaida that have one end in the United States.
If we had been able to do this before 9/11, we might have been able to pick up on two hijackers who subsequently flew a jet into the Pentagon. They were in the United States communicating with Al Qaida associates overseas, but we did not know they were here plotting until it was too late.
If you recall, the report of the 9/11 Commission...
PHILLIPS: Live from the Heritage Foundation, Vice President Dick Cheney talking about the war on terror, the war in Iraq and also talking about the National Security Administration's wiretap program and why he says the president does have the right to authorize those warrantless wiretaps.
We're going to continue to monitor the vice president, but you can also on CNN Pipeline, a special new service from cnn.com. It makes its debut this week. It's out now and promises to reshape the way that you get your news over the Internet. I actually have it up here on my screen right here next to my desk.
And you can just log on to cnn.com/pipeline and you can finish watching the president's speech right now or you can go on to other various pipes -- one, two, three.
Here on pipe three we're still waiting for that mine accident briefing. Roger Nickelson (ph), the International Coal Group general counsel, and also Ben Hatfield, the CEO of ICG, expecting to come up for that live news conference. And we're going to bring that to you as soon as it happens.
We're going to tell you more about Pipeline and other news coming up right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Entertainment report time.
A health scare for one A-list celeb and a trip to prison for another. It's never a dull moment on the Hollywood beat.
CNN's Sibila Vargas can vouch for that.
Hey, Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I certainly can.
Well, some scary moments for actress Lindsay Lohan. The "Herbie Fully Loaded" star had to be taken to a hospital after having an asthma attack. Lohan's publicist says the 19-year-old star was being treated at a hospital in Miami and is resting comfortably. Lohan was in Miami to celebrate New Year's Eve, but recent events are sure to spark all kinds of questions about her health.
In the latest issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine, which is on newsstands right now, the pop star reportedly tells the magazine she uses, quote, "drugs a little." But she also reportedly insists she's gotten it out of her system and even admits to battling bulimia.
Now, Lohan is set to begin shooting the film "Chapter 27" in two weeks. It stars Jared Ledo (ph) as Mark David Chapman, the man who killed Lennon.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix knows how to sing the blues in Folsom Prison. Phoenix, who plays Johnny Cash in the critically-acclaimed "Walk the Line," recently visited Folsom Prison for real to recreate a famous performance by Cash in 1968. That performance became a popular live album. About 50 inmates also watched a screening of the movie, which has earned a Golden Globe nomination.
And it's official, Ryan Seacrest will be the new face of E Entertainment Television. Along with hosting "E News Live," Seacrest will executive produce their live from the red carpet awards show coverage starting with the Golden Globes. He'll also host his daily radio morning show from the E Building and of course he'll continue hosting "American Idol," and from time to time he'll act as fill-in host to our favorite, CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."
And all hail the queen -- of course, you may be thinking I'm talking about Kyra Phillips. Well, that's the queen of CNN. But Queen Latifah, that is. She is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. She'll get the 2,298th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and it comes just nine days before the release of her latest film, "Last Holiday."
And that's what's happening in the world of entertainment.
Let's get back to our queen, Queen Kyra Phillips.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Oh, Sibila. I'm still voting for that star for you on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
VARGAS: Some day.
PHILLIPS: There you go.
Thanks, Sibila.
Well, CNN Pipeline, a special new service from cnn.com makes its debut this week.
Richard Lui joins me now live from the CNN Pipeline control room with a behind-the-scenes look.
And I want to know what's happening on pipe four there, Richard -- or no -- yes -- oh, they switched it. It's different now. Never mind.
See, it changes by the minute, Richard.
RICHARD LUI, CNN PIPELINE: We keep you guessing. That's what we want to do.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you do.
Look at that -- two things have already changed. OK. I better keep looking at my computer screen.
LUI: You know, you're going to be our best customer, Kyra, because as you said earlier, you've been watching it all afternoon. We really love you for that.
PHILLIPS: No problem. I got it up right here.
LUI: Well, let's go over, take a look at the player.
Maybe we have the same things you do. Maybe Sibila Vargas will actually be on one of the pipes right now if she's doing the Walk of Fame right now.
I want to go to what we were watching earlier on CNN domestic right now, and that of course was Dick Cheney. He was at the Heritage Foundation, we are still covering him right now. So if you wanted to watch that, you could do that on the Pipeline player. As well as if you wanted to get some entertainment stories, you go to select section here, pull it down. You could do a find on all of the top entertainment stories. You can also pump in right up here if you want to put Ryan Seacrest and pull from the thousands of videos.
Now, I wanted to show this back of the -- behind the factory doors, if you will, because we're at the Web master's den. And right here we have Wes (ph).
Hey, Wes.
And he's pulling from all of these back here, as well as information off the Net. He is pulling -- yes. And he is pulling right now all of the feeds right on to the pipes right over there.
Now, sometimes, one thing you'll notice about the pipes is they'll go black, you'll see a reporter that might be going like that or you might even see bars, which we don't like to have. But that's part of Pipeline; the idea, of course, that you get it raw and you get it edgy and you get it now. And that's right over there.
Another part of this, Kyra, is that this is the first channel for CNN that is high-def, as well as 16 by nine. You can see these screens over here. They look a little different. They're a little bit shorter and a little fatter. So that's one of the great technology moves by CNN right now, to try this out on Pipeline. Of course, you can cover all of the breaking stories as well.
And you're going to be there watching it right?
PHILLIPS: Of course I am.
And you know what's funny, Richard? Already I know of a couple people that have their X.M. Radio, they listen to CNN. So if they're in their office and they're listening and they want to actually see what's happening, they'll click on to cnn.com and now -- they're clicking on to cnn.com/pipeline, so they got -- you've got X.M. Radio, you've got...
LUI: Everywhere.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm telling you. Or Pipeline, or dot.com, or you can just run into the break room at work and see it on television. We're everywhere.
LUI: That's right. Absolutely.
Pipeline -- that is the idea. If you don't necessarily have CNN there, you can get on X.M. Radio, as you mentioned, as well as on your computer if you're at work or you're someplace like an airport.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Richard, stay with me for a minute. Maybe we can even move you over close toward Wes because you guys are monitoring the same thing that we are.
LUI: Right.
PHILLIPS: And I'm looking on cnn.com/pipeline, you've got it on pipe three. And that's the same news conference that we're waiting for right now.
LUI: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Roger Nickelson (ph), the general counsel for International Coal Group, and also Ben Hatfield, the CEO of that company. Both expected to step up to the mic possibly 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Now, so, is it you and Wes are monitoring the same thing and you're going to -- you've already brought it up now on the main -- have you brought it up on the main page yet or do you have your newscast up right now?
LUI: What we've got right now is on pipe one we've got the normal newscast. We are waiting, just as you are, on pipe three for those executives and officials to come to the microphones since 10 o'clock this morning. We hope to be able to bring it just as when you do. And the people that will be looking at this is Wes, as well as the senior producers -- they're keeping their eye on it and they'll bring it to the main pipe when it does come up.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
All right. And I'm actually turning down the volume right now, because I'm actually hearing Pipeline in addition to hearing myself. There we go.
LUI: You are our best customer.
PHILLIPS: I'm trying. I'm trying, Richard.
Thank you so much. You're terrific.
LUI: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks for giving us a little behind the scenes there, you and Wes.
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