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Live From...
Changes At The White House; Mumps 101; Security Checkpoint Areas At Atlanta Airport Shut Down
Aired April 19, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you straight to the newsroom.
And Carol Lin is keeping a watch on the developments at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
What's new?
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Boy.
Now, Fred, they have completely shut down all security screening. Passengers who haven't gone through the TSA checkpoint will not be able to get through, because, at the main checkpoint, one of the security screeners detected a suspicious package.
Now, we also just heard from a CNN producer who was actually on a flight that was getting ready for takeoff, phoned in, said they have stopped that plane from taking off, perhaps other planes as well.
So, the bomb-detection team, the explosives unit, is heading to the main security checkpoint. They're checking out the situation to see what this suspicious package is -- no word on whether anyone has been detained or arrested, Fred. But we do know now that nobody is getting through those security screening checkpoints yet, until they figure the situation out.
WHITFIELD: All right, Carol Lin, thank you so much...
LIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... from the newsroom there.
Meantime, the architect and the spokesman, it's hard to name two more high-profile members of the Bush administration than Karl Rove and Scott McClellan. But both are part of the latest White House shakeup. Rove is losing some of his duties. And McClellan, well, he's resigning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It has been an extraordinary honor and privilege to have served you for more than seven years now, the last two years and nine months as your press secretary.
The White House is going through a period of transition. Change can be helpful. And this is a good time and a good position to help bring about change. I'm ready to move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN senior national correspondent John Roberts is on the story. And he joins me now from Washington.
John, good to see you.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good afternoon to you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, a lot of folks saw that this was coming. So, why is it a surprise today?
ROBERTS: It wasn't really a surprise today. If it was a surprise, it was a surprise that Scott McClellan walked out to the helicopter with President Bush, stopped at the podium and said, "I'm resigning."
I mean, it was kind of the timing, more than anything. After Josh Bolten had indicated to Republicans, with whom CNN spoke, that the White House had a communications problem, it became evident that Scott McClellan's job was definitely on the line.
There have been a lot of Republicans over the last 18 months who believe that McClellan wasn't the person to be articulating the White House message on a daily basis. He has come under a lot of criticism in the press very recently, and even going back a number of months.
So, it really was felt that, if somebody was going to go, it was going to be somebody from the communications shop. And that usually means the spokesman.
WHITFIELD: Well, this is an administration which is associated with really running a very tight ship. So, one would think that a resignation wouldn't come, at least in this very important, pivotal position, without someone already appointed or named.
So, do we expect that the White House already knows who that spokesperson, the next one, is, that they're keeping it close right now?
ROBERTS: I think they probably have a pretty good idea.
I know that, you know, insider talk is that the pressure was beginning to get to McClellan a little bit, and they thought that it would be better to make an announcement. They also want to give Scott his day in the sun, which is today.
And they will -- they could make an announcement very soon after that. There's a -- some speculation as to who might take over his position. Some people are talking about Rob Nichols, who is the current spokesman for the Treasury Department.
Other people have talked about Tony Snow, who is a FOX News broadcaster. Torie Clarke, the former Pentagon spokesperson, has been talked about, though she has indicated many times publicly that she doesn't want it, even privately. I have spoken to her about it.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROBERTS: And also Dan Senor, who was Paul Bremer's spokesman for the interim provisional -- Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, though Dan Senor, as you will remember, just got married to NBC's Campbell Brown. They're living in New York.
He gave up a job at Google, because he didn't want to move away from her.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ROBERTS: So, I don't expect he would want to move away from her for the 160,000-some-odd...
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: ... thousand dollars that the White House spokesman job pays.
WHITFIELD: And it's a tough job, some might even say thankless at times...
ROBERTS: Oh.
WHITFIELD: ... even though it's a very high-profile one.
So, come on, John. It takes a very special breed for someone to even want to raise their hand for that job.
ROBERTS: You know, there is an inside joke with all press secretaries, that there is a flak jacket that has been passed down generation to generation.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Every outgoing press secretary leaves a little note in the pocket of this flak jacket.
WHITFIELD: And even it isn't protection enough sometimes.
ROBERTS: Right.
I mean, it's like being Dick Cheney's hunting buddy. You know, you have got...
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: ... to be prepared to take a face full of birdshot at that podium every day. I'm going to get it for that one, aren't I?
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Only you can get away with saying that, given all the time that you spent in that White House press corps. Wow. So, might we wait another few days, or maybe even weeks, before we really hear who this next spokesperson is?
ROBERTS: I think it's going to be a matter of days. That's a position that you don't want to leave hanging. So, I -- I would expect that, if not before the weekend, shortly after the weekend, we will probably hear who Scott's successor is going to be.
WHITFIELD: All right, John Roberts, thanks so much, from Washington. And I hope you have a flak jacket today.
ROBERTS: Oh, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: I can hardly wait to read the blogs. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Well, Scott McClellan was already a veteran of the rough-and-tumble world of politics when he took over as White House press secretary. The first to show him was his mother what the ropes would be like.
Here's CNN fact -- here's a CNN fact check.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scott McClellan got his first taste of politics, Texas-style, when he was in the third grade.
That's when his mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, became the mayor of Austin. By the time he reached high school, he was working in her campaigns. When he entered the University of Texas, he was running them.
But his big break came when George W. Bush's longtime aide, Karen Hughes, picked McClellan to be then Governor Bush's deputy press secretary. Once Mr. Bush entered the White House, McClellan was named assistant White House press secretary. He got the top job when Ari Fleischer stepped down in 2003.
McClellan, who is 38 and married, comes from an eccentric family. His mother is the first woman ever elected Texas comptroller. Last year, she quit the Republican Party to run as an independent against the state's GOP governor. McClellan's father, Barr McClellan, is the author of a book claiming that Lyndon Johnson killed President John F. Kennedy. McClellan's parents are divorced. One of his brothers, Mark McClellan, now runs the Medicare system, after a stint as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. The other big story we're following for you out of Afghanistan -- let's check in again with Carol Lin.
LIN: Fred, I have got with me on the telephone Colonel Tom Collins. He's in Kabul. He's the U.S. military spokesperson.
Colonel, are you on the phone right now?
COLONEL TOM COLLINS, U.S. ARMY: Yes, I am.
LIN: You heard the explosion. What was it like?
COLLINS: Well, it was a very loud explosion. It came in at about 11:00 here, Kabul time. We're some distance away.
We're still assessing what happened. Early indications are that it was a rocket of some kind, but we're still looking into the matter.
LIN: All right.
For folks just tuning in, we're covering a huge explosion in the diplomatic compound in Kabul. With me on the telephone is Colonel Tom Collins.
Colonel, do you know of any injuries yet?
COLLINS: We have initial reports of minor injuries to an Afghan security guard. That's the initial report. We're still looking into the matter, so, we don't know too much at this point right now.
LIN: Give me an idea of where the firing position would have been. How was it that somebody was able to fire an explosive device into that compound?
COLLINS: Well, you know, it's really hard to tell at this point where it came from. You know, it's pitch-black dark here. It's 11:00 at night.
This just happened about 30 minutes ago. So, we're still kind of looking into where it came from. I don't have any information as to where -- exactly where it was fired from.
LIN: Can you confirm, Colonel, whether this explosive device was targeting the American diplomatic mission?
COLLINS: You know, I don't know that. Just, I know it was near the ISAP (ph) compound or towards that way, but I don't know exactly where it was.
LIN: So, at the time of the explosion, shortly after, the staff was able to escape to a bunker. Can you tell us a little bit more about the escape plan?
COLLINS: You know, I have not heard that report. I'm sorry to, you know, not be able to provide you a whole lot of information at this point, but I just haven't heard that. LIN: Do you still hear the sound of sirens outside?
COLLINS: We did a few minutes ago. They seem to have fallen off for the moment.
LIN: So, at least that may be a good indication that there are not at least a number of...
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Yes.
And, initially -- our initial reports are that one Afghan security guard was -- received a minor injury. We're pretty sure that the extent of damage is not greater than that. But, again, we're still looking into it.
LIN: Colonel, a short time ago, I spoke with a freelance journalist on the ground there in Kabul. And we were both talking about the unusual nature of this attack. Typically, Kabul has been pretty safe. The rest of the country, a risky proposition, but Kabul, at least, was secure. What do you make of this latest attack?
COLLINS: Well, to tell you the truth, I think it's the enemy conducting a harassing fire.
Kabul is generally, relatively speaking, pretty safe. We're making a lot of progress into the provinces. You may have heard about violence recently in the Kunar Province and further south, around Kandahar. But there's a reason for that.
I mean, the government here in Kabul is extending its authority now out into the provinces, pushing more troops out into those areas. And the enemies of the legitimate government of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan are going to oppose that move into the provinces.
So, you know, in a way, it's natural that we're going to see a spike in the violence. But, ultimately, I think the government here is making progress. Kabul is relatively safe.
LIN: But isn't this is not the first attack on the diplomatic mission, is it?
COLLINS: No.
I mean, there have been attacks in the past. I mean, we have been in Afghanistan a few years now. I mean, periodically this happens. But, again, it's more harassing than anything else. I wouldn't call what happened tonight effective, in any means.
I mean, they might scare people a little bit. But it just ups our guard. It just makes us more vigilant to the threat that remains out there.
LIN: Colonel Tom Collins, thanks very much. Stay safe out there -- Fred, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right, an update now on another story that's developing.
Now we're hearing, at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the entire north terminal, which is generally home to flights of American Airlines and AirTran, is now being evacuated -- this now coming after TSA screeners reported seeing suspicious -- a suspicious item in a carry-on baggage that had been taken through the screening area that led to the closing of the screening areas, most of them, until all of them, just within the past hour, were all closed.
And now we're hearing it has led to the evacuation being ordered of the north terminal -- that airport primarily made up of a north and south terminals -- at that airport. And now the north terminal, which is home to mostly American Airlines and AirTran flights, now being evacuated, obviously, going to be involving thousands of people, this being one of the busiest airports in the entire country -- and now this very huge security -- possible security breach taking place there.
Of course, we will continue to watch what's going on there at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and keep you up to date when we get any more information.
Meantime, the news keeps coming, and we will keep bringing it to you -- more of LIVE FROM next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A huge disruption taking place at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, where, now, the north terminal, which houses mostly American Airlines and AirTran -- planes, departing planes and incoming, that entire north terminal now being evacuated, because a TSA screener has reported seeing a suspicious item in a carry-on package -- carry-on baggage, rather -- going through the checkpoint area.
They, in the last hour or so, closed down the checkpoints area, and now they have closed an entire north terminal, now leading to an evacuation, no doubt affecting thousands of travelers there at one of the nation's busiest airports. Of course, when we get any more information, we will be able to bring that along to you.
Meantime, another big concern in this country, a case of mumps -- well, it used to be a rite of passage for kids in the U.S., but mumps became a pretty rare event after a vaccine was developed back in 1967. Now a big mumps outbreak is focusing new attention on an old virus.
CNN's Christy Feig has a refresher course.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What started as a few mumps cases in Iowa in December has now spread to more than 800 suspected cases in nine states according to the CDC. It's the largest mumps outbreak in the U.S. in 20 years. Mumps is a virus spread by coughing and sneezing. That's why it transfers easily in crowded living spaces.
DR. MARGO SMITH, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: You have a total, a large group of people who are in close contact with one another, and they are unprotected, you need one person who starts that domino effect, and it just goes from one to the next to the next to the next.
FEIG: The disease appears to have spread to eight other states: Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Michigan, according to the CDC. The most common symptoms are fever, headache and swollen salivary glands under the jaw. In rare cases, it can progress to meningitis and encephalitis.
SMITH: It feels like you have swollen glands, a little discomfort. And you notice that your face appears to be puffy around the angle of the jaw.
FEIG: There is no treatment. In children, it lasts 10 to 12 days. The best protection is vaccination. Most people are vaccinated as a child and again before high school or college.
SMITH: No vaccine is 100 percent. And there is the possibility that some six these individuals, even though they got vaccinated, had an incomplete immune response.
FEIG: But some of those infected in the Midwest say they never got those vaccines. Short of vaccination, Dr. Smith says the best way to prevent from getting sick is to wash your hands.
I'm Christy Feig, reporting from Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Could airplanes or college campuses be contributing to this unusual outbreak? Health officials are checking it out, among them, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Director Julie Gerberding joins me now from the CDC right here in Atlanta.
All right, well, how concerned are you about this latest outbreak of mumps?
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Well, this is the biggest outbreak we have had in 20 years. And it's causing a great deal of confusion and difficulty for many young people and their parents, who are worried about it. Fortunately, mumps is not usually a serious disease.
And serious complications do occur, but they're generally rare. But this is going to be a tough outbreak to completely contain, simply because the virus has taken a foothold, and the network of transmission is expanding outward from its probable hub in Iowa. We are seeing wonderful steps in progress, with the vaccination programs getting under way, the isolation of people who have the disease, and, importantly, helping doctors and parents, who probably haven't seen a case of mumps in a long time...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
GERBERDING: ... begin to recognize what it is again.
WHITFIELD: Right. And a lot of parents and a lot of folks are so unfamiliar with mumps, and, in recent years, they really doesn't know what signs to look for. So, what do you look for?
GERBERDING: Well, it usually starts with the fever and the kinds of symptoms that are associated with any sort of viral illness.
But, then, typically, you do see the swelling of the saliva glands. And that gives the fullness in the cheeks, near the jaw line. It can also be associated, particularly in older boys and men, with swelling of the testicles, which is very painful, and, even rarely, leads to infertility. So, that is an important consequence that is a good clue to the diagnosis. There...
WHITFIELD: Are there some people that are more susceptible or more vulnerable to it than others?
GERBERDING: Well, people who haven't been vaccinated are clearly the highest risk. But there are also people who are incompletely vaccinated. It really takes two doses of the vaccine.
And kids in the age group of 17 to 25 or so may be in the transition zone, when we were moving from the recommendation of a single dose to the recommendation for a second dose of vaccine. So, those kids are at particularly high risk right now. But, also, this vaccine, although it's a very good vaccine, it isn't 100 percent effective, even if you get both doses.
So, about 10 percent of people who are properly immunized are still at risk. Once an outbreak gets going, those people then contribute to the ongoing spread.
WHITFIELD: It -- and, now, are there certain people that perhaps never got a mumps shot or perhaps it was such a long time ago that they received one that, perhaps, it's time now to line up to get one?
GERBERDING: No. We don't have information right now to suggest this is a problem with waning immunity.
It's two things. One is that it really takes two doses to be completely vaccinated. And the second, and probably most important, issue right now is that, even when properly vaccinated, you can be susceptible. That's why, in addition to vaccine, which is the most important step, people who have mumps need to isolate themselves from others, so that they don't pose a risk to other people.
WHITFIELD: And, here, the CDC and other health agencies have been focusing this country, at least publicly, on a possible bird flu spread. And now, instead, we're focusing on mumps. In what way does this put a strain perhaps on the CDC or other medical agencies in this country, whose primary focus as of late has been bird flu?
GERBERDING: Well, we're learning to multitask in public health. We have certainly had a series of emerging infectious disease. And that reminds us that, while we need to prepare for the things that could happen and could cause great harm, we also have to take the steps to deal with the everyday realities, like mumps, like sexually transmitted diseases or tuberculosis or AIDS.
There's always something. And we just have to be prepared on all of our fronts.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Julie Gerberding, thanks so much, of the CDC, for being with us this afternoon.
GERBERDING: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, the waters are rising. Residents are on the run, as farmland and villages are overrun. LIVE FROM brings you the danger along the Danube straight ahead.
And we're continuing to monitor a developing story: evacuations now out of the north terminal at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport because of security concerns.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: More now on the evacuations taking place at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport with Carol Lin -- Carol.
LIN: Fred, we have got a producer on the scene who is actually trying to travel, I believe.
Kimberly Babbit is on the telephone with me right now.
Kimberly, how far did you get?
KIMBERLY BABBIT, "CNN PRESENTS" PRODUCER: Hi. Yes, it's Kimberly here.
I just got here. And, actually, I'm at the north terminal. And I'm told by the passengers waiting outside -- I mean, there has got to be, I would say, several hundred. They have been waiting here for about an hour and 15 minutes. Basically, they were told that all flights are at a standstill, and, you know, just continue to wait in this line, until someone else comes out to speak to them.
LIN: Kimberly, where are you -- where are you standing right now? Did they move you outside the airport, or are you able to stay in the terminal?
BABBIT: No. I am out -- we are outside the airport, on the curb, where you do curbside check-in. And I cannot see inside the airport. And -- but at this point, there's absolutely no movement. Every -- everything is at a standstill, is what I'm told.
LIN: What do the flight signs say inside, you know, the area where people look to see the status of their flight? What does that say?
BABBIT: Right now, I can't see that. But, when we called travel to see what officially has been told, apparently, American Airlines said that everything was still on -- that all of the flights were still on schedule.
LIN: So, is it your sense that the airport is still open, and it's just that select flights are leaving?
BABBIT: It's still open, but it doesn't look like anybody's going anywhere. Everyone is just standing out here. And it's raining. And you have got a lot of angry and frustrated people.
LIN: I'm sure everybody is trying to get on the move. And the weather is not getting much better out there.
BABBIT: No.
LIN: So, Kimberly, what did they say in the announcement? Did they say that there was a security issue? What was the wording?
BABBIT: you know, I wasn't here for the announcement, so I'm not sure. But, from what I have been told, that there was an announcement that everyone was to be evacuated and just stand outside, until otherwise told. They could come back inside.
But that was, again, about an hour-and-a-half ago.
LIN: And no communications since then?
BABBIT: Yes. No, we have been -- we have heard nothing else since then.
LIN: All right, Kimberly Babbit, thank you very much, a CNN documentary producer out there at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.
Fred, I was e-mailing -- one of our producers is actually stuck on an airplane that is still parked at the gate. And what Leslie is telling me is that the pilot just said that they have a security situation, is how the pilot described it. And, then, they asked the flight attendants to start serving drinks. And they're playing a movie.
And, according to Leslie Perrot, the mood seems pretty light on the flight, as they try to figure out when they can depart and the situation is calm enough so that her flight can take off.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, we are going to try and get some more answers from a spokesperson at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Felicia Browder is on the phone with us now.
And, Felicia, we understand the entire north terminal is being evacuated, right, because of this suspicious item that was found in a hand -- a carry-on baggage at one of the checkpoints?
FELICIA BROWDER, SPOKESWOMAN, HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: That is not correct. The terminal is not being evacuated.
At 1:37 p.m., a suspicious device was found by the TSA in an X- ray machine. And, at that time, we closed the main security checkpoint. At this time, all of the security checkpoints at the airport are closed. But the airport itself is open. We are still receiving inbound flights. It's departing flights that are not going out.
The airport is open. And what we're asking folks to do who may be bound for the airport in the next couple of hours is to call ahead to their airline to find out the status of their flights.
WHITFIELD: OK, so, no evacuations taking place of any kind?
BROWDER: No evacuations of the airport terminal. Evacuations of the security checkpoints took place earlier, because, of course, although we're the busiest airport in the world, we also are focused on safety. And that's what we're working in mind at this time.
WHITFIELD: OK. You did say suspicious device that was located in this carry-on baggage. Can you tell me any more now about this device?
BROWDER: We don't have details at this time about the bag or the device. We're not disclosing any details about that at this time.
We will keep the public updated. Our general manager, Ben DeCosta, will speak with the media in about a half-an-hour here to give details and more information. But, at this time, again, the airport is open. We do have inbound flights coming into the airport.
For departing flights, we do have a delay. And we're asking passengers to call ahead to their airlines.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
BROWDER: We're working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
WHITFIELD: OK.
And we're looking now at a live picture outside the area where people pull in to drop off their passengers and baggage, et cetera, and, clearly, a number of people who are being inconvenienced by all of this.
Now, tell me about whether you have a person that is in any way connected to this baggage that was located through the checkpoint that is suspicious.
BROWDER: We are working on the person, and we are working on the baggage.
I do not have those details to disclose at this time. But, again, our general manager, Ben DeCosta, will give a briefing to the media and the public in about a half-an-hour here, related to those details.
We do understand that some folks are inconvenienced right now. And we're working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, striking that delicate balance between customer service and safety.
WHITFIELD: Right, and even your Web site, you know, underscores that. You've got, you know, in an average day, about 500 flights in the air on the way to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, on an average day. And now you've got a situation like this.
So while you say many of the inbound flights are allowed to land there at Hartsfield, you've got a number of flights that are not able to take off. But overall, even with those inbound flights, are any of them being diverted?
BROWDER: No. We have no diversions at this time that I'm aware of. And we are aware of the inconvenience and the impact to the passengers. We're working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. We do realize the impact that it is having but we're working to resolve it.
WHITFIELD: And what are you going to do with all these people, at least on curbside, that we're looking at right now. Clearly as more and more people are pulling up, because they're not hearing the word that a lot of departing flights are not going to be taking off, you have got this security investigation, you're going to have a lot more people there crowding the curbside area. How are you going to be able to manage that? What are you going to do in terms of personnel to manage the kind of flow here?
BROWDER: Well, we've mobilized our customer service representatives. We've mobilized police officers here at the airport, as well as other support staff. We will work to get passengers processed as quickly as possible. I spoke with AirTran Airlines. The airlines are working with us. We have their full support.
Again, we are the world's busiest airport. We have had incidents and we're used to processing large numbers of people. So we're working with safety in mind to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and get passengers back on their way.
WHITFIELD: So, Felicia, again, within the next 30 minutes you're saying the general manager of Hartsfield Airport, Ben DeCosta, will be having a press conference to perhaps give a little bit more information about where you go from here?
BROWDER: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: All right.
BROWDER: And, again, we ask any passengers who may be bound for the airport, because we do have these folks out on the curb -- we are asking anyone bound for the airport to please call ahead to your airline to verify the status of your flight.
WHITFIELD: All right, Felicia Browder, thanks so much, spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson -- Carol.
LIN: And Mike Brooks is former head of security of Delta Airlines, and I've got him on the telephone right now. Mike, what do you know about the situation at the airport?
MIKE BROOKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERT: Hello, Carol. How are you today?
LIN: Good, good. I don't know if you heard the question but, Mike, what do you know about the situation on the ground at the airport?
BROOKS: Yes, Carol, I lost you for just one second. But some sources close to the investigation are telling me that apparently a screener noticed a bag as it was going through the x-ray machine, and apparently thought it might be an actual device.
By the time a TSA official got to that bag, the passenger had already picked up the bag and went on his or her way. Now, they're not saying whether or not they have anyone in custody, but they did find the bag. That's why they had evacuated the north part of the airport as a precaution.
The Atlanta Police Bomb Squad are -- they're taking a look at it right now. They're using robots and their bomb technicians to make sure that just in case it is an actual device, that they take all the precautions that they would normally with a suspicious package. You also have the Atlanta Fire Department there on the scene in support of the police department.
But one of the things, also, Carol, to keep in mind, this is also served by a subway. Apparently, I was told that the subway is also being shut down. And there's a possibility -- we're looking at live pictures there at the airport, at the curb where people drop off passengers when they come to the airport.
And, Carol, there's a possibility, just to alleviate some of that traffic, that they may shut off the ramps coming into the north and south terminal. But that is yet to be determined.
But right now it's still fairly early on in the investigation and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is also responding to the scene to take a look at this device and try to find out whether or not it is an actual device or not.
LIN: Mike, so they have a device but they don't have anybody in custody, is that correct?
BROOKS: They're holding some of the information fairly close to the vest.
(CROSSTALK)
LIN: What's your sense? Do they have somebody in custody?
BROOKS: Most likely they would but, again, that's speculation and I don't like to speculate, Carol. But they do have the bag and usually -- and somebody had to take that bag off of the screen device after it went through before the TSA official got to it.
So, you know, it's hard to say right now but if they do, I can guarantee you that they're investigating, they were questioning this person as to whether this is an actual device. But the TSA felt strongly enough about this, Carol, that it looked like that there were some components of an actual device.
LIN: No, I understand that, because the reason why I asked, first of all, if anybody has gone through the TSA checkpoint at Hartsfield, when you pick up your bag, you've got to go through at least -- you know, you're going to pass at least five TSA agents. I mean, they're sort of stationed in layered positions, so it's not easy to grab a suspicious bag and take off.
BROOKS: Right.
LIN: They're going to grab you, so that's why I'm thinking that. But I have a question about why they would then close down the entire terminal and also close off the subway station leading into the airport. What are they concerned about? I'm wondering if they were concerned about an escape route, accomplices, or the safety of those people who are then coming into the airport.
BROOKS: Well, you have to worry about the initial safety of the people coming into that airport. And there in the screening area, as you know, Carol, you have both the north and the south terminals feeding into that security, as we're looking on the graphic now. You see the area where the circle is. That's the security checkpoint.
You have both the north and the south ticketing area feeding into one place. That's why they have gone ahead and shut that down. And you also have the MARTA system right there by the north ticketing area, where the subway feeds in. So they don't want to have any more people coming into that station that isn't -- that's necessary. And that's why they've gone ahead and shut that off, too.
LIN: But why are they allowing flights to land and for people to deplane but they're detaining certain flights and keeping the outbound flights at the gate?
BROOKS: Well, they're saying they're allowing flights to land. Now, what they can do is they can go ahead and stack the planes up on the runway, on the tarmac, and not allow anyone to deplane that would also put them in the terminal. They said they're letting them land but they didn't say that they're letting anyone off of the plane.
LIN: So why not let planes depart then? I mean, we've got people -- we know of people on flights right now. They're stuck at the gate.
BROOKS: Right.
LIN: Why not let them go?
BROOKS: That's just something they're going -- well, one of the possibilities too, Carol, that we keep everyone there at the gate, not allow anyone back onto the tram that connects all of the terminals from the gate, from the security all the way to E Terminal, the international terminal.
They could go ahead and shut that down and hold everyone at those particular gates. You see we have the T, A, B, C, D and E terminals. If you shut that down, the little tram that runs in between then, and hold everyone there so that they would not be going back into the main terminal where the problem is.
LIN: So it's about controlling? It's about controlling the movements of people through that airport. If they've got this device in hand, don't you think by looking at it pretty quickly they're going to know if it's the real deal, if they've got a bomb?
BROOKS: They may. For the most part, they'll go ahead and x-ray it. Then they use the robot. We don't know -- you know, it will take quite some time, I can tell you, having done this myself -- having been on the bomb response squad with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in D.C.
They'll take their time, do a diagnostic, look at this, see whether or not the components are there. And then they may possibly use the robot, put it in a containment vessel or they may go ahead and render it safe there in place. But that's down the road. They're still conducting a diagnostic evaluation right now on the device, Carol.
LIN: So you're talking about another hour or two?
BROOKS: I would say at least that, that's correct.
LIN: Mike Brooks, thanks so much. Great to talk to you again -- Fred.
BROOKS: Thank you, Carol.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll continue to keep close tabs on the developments out of Hartsfield.
More of LIVE FROM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: We want to continue to update you on what's happening at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, where the security checkpoints have been closed, meaning all of the passengers you see there on curbside there at Jackson Airport, none of them are being allowed to enter into the terminals, the concourse areas where the planes will be taking off. It also means that no planes are taking off, departing from Atlanta airport. However, the Atlanta airport is welcoming inbound flights.
Now, on the phone with us is the AirTran spokesperson Judy Graham Weaver. Perhaps you can give us some perspective, from your point of view, Judy.
What is your understanding as to what is taking place and why? We know a suspicious device has been located in a carry-on baggage through the checkpoint and that's what started this whole thing. What's your point of view?
JUDY GRAHAM-WEAVER, AIRTRAN SPOKESWOMAN: Right. Initially we got the same information, that a suspicious package was found in the north terminal at the main checkpoint. So initially, it was just the main checkpoint that was shut down, but since then, they've shut -- TSA has shut down all of the checkpoints at the airport.
So none of our passengers are able to process through the checkpoint. At first, we were checking in passengers on curbside when they closed in that ticketing area, but at this point we aren't able to do that. But, of course, those passengers can't go through check point.
WHITFIELD: So we're talking about thousands of passengers, just from the one view that we have here, which looks like quite a few hundred passengers on the outside. You all process thousands of people all the time every hour. What are you telling them? How are you containing the area?
GRAHAM-WEAVER: Our staff at the airport is certainly trying to communicate with the passengers about the situation, and we are, of course, in compliance with the TSA and with the airport officials in working with the situation and making sure that we are in compliance to move people where they need to be and allow those officials to come in and do their jobs. So we're just trying to contain people and communicate to them about the situation as we get information.
WHITFIELD: And what's the ripple effect to your flight plans there? While we heard from the spokesperson, Felicia Browder, that inbound planes are allowed to land, certainly there would be a ripple effect all the way around?
GRAHAM-WEAVER: Sure. One of the things that we've started doing throughout our system is, in flights that are scheduled to come into Atlanta this afternoon while this situation is going on, we are holding some of those flights on the ground, for example, in Savannah and in some of those inbound flights coming in, so that there's not more people coming into the situation. So it certainly will have a ripple effect as the afternoon goes on.
Good timing -- the good news is the timing is probably the best for the day, as far as the number of flights. But as we move closer to that 5:00 hour, which is the busiest time of the day for AirTran Airways, it will have a ripple effect and affect a lot of our passengers. WHITFIELD: For many of your AirTran flights, jets, that are parked at the concourse gateways, can you tell me whether any extensive searches are taking place right now? Or whether the baggage that has been loaded on any of those planes is being taken off?
GRAHAM-WEAVER: I have not been given any information about searching of airplanes at this point, or the baggage that had made it through the checkpoints. So, no, I don't have any information about that.
WHITFIELD: And what do you instruct people who, you know, are on the way -- perhaps they didn't get notice that this is actually taking place. They're going to end up there at the curbside.
GRAHAM-WEAVER: Right.
WHITFIELD: What's your best advice to folks?
GRAHAM-WEAVER: Really, the best advice is to just wait and try to watch for the information and keep in touch with us about your flight status for the rest of the day. Because, as you said, it will certainly have a ripple effect as the day goes on. We will continuously work with the officials at the airport to get information to our passengers and to the public about how this is going to unfold as the afternoon goes on and when those flights will start departing again. But at this point, they will just have to wait patiently.
WHITFIELD: All right, Judy Graham-Weaver of AirTran, thank you so much.
Again, no flights taking off out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport right now because investigators are looking into a suspicious device that was found in a carry-on baggage at one of the checkpoints. And now that live shot you were seeing, a number of people who are now curbside, just waiting to find out what's next.
Of course we're going to continue to keep close watch on the developments there out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. For now, we're going to take a short break.
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WHITFIELD: More now on nearly all things at a standstill, at least, at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Carol Lin is in the newsroom -- Carol.
LIN: Fred, we're using all of our resources. And, of course, we've got people on planes because CNN travels the world.
So joining me on the telephone is CNN producer Leslie Perrot. Leslie, you're still on the Delta flight stuck at the gate, right?
LESLIE PERROT, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: I am, Carol, and we just got an update from the pilot just about two minutes ago. He said we have been cleared away from the gate -- we will be cleared away from the gate in a couple of minutes. So that sounds like good news. I don't have any other information other than that.
LIN: Is that all that he has given to the passengers on board? he's not mentioned anything about a security breach or possible explosive device?
PERROT: At about I would say about 2:35 Eastern, he came on -- we were about to pull away from the gate, and he came on board and said that there was a security incident, and we would be holding at the gate and that all outbound traffic had been halted. And probably about an hour later, he came on and said all inbound traffic had stopped, including the local rail service.
LIN: Did this worry the passengers on board, Leslie?
PERROT: No. They seemed to be taking it all in stride, actually. We've been offered drinks and snacks and even a movie on board.
LIN: But it looks like you're about to be able to take off, then?
PERROT: It is indeed, yes. In fact, they may tell me to turn off my cell phone shortly.
LIN: OK, then very quickly, what do you see outside of your window if you've got a window seat there?
PERROT: I actually do have a window seat, and I see -- we're at -- we're literally at the gate, so all I can see some -- one vehicle moving. Actually, a couple of little vehicles moving. I don't see any luggage cars moving. And it looks it's starting to rain here in Atlanta.
LIN: All right. I know we were expecting some serious thundershowers, so let's hope you get out on time. Leslie, good to have you. Travel safe, OK?
PERROT: All right, thank you Carol.
LIN: And we'll see you when you get back. Leslie Perrot, on the telephone with us. Fred, she was describing a scene earlier to me that the passengers were actually pretty jovial, feeling pretty good they were getting free drinks and snacks and a movie.
But the situation as we know is that they were allowing inbound traffic into the airport, but they had closed off the north terminal. According to a CNN security expert, Mike Brooks, was telling us that his sources were telling him that the subway has been shut down because the metro actually runs directly to the airport.
As the explosive device team was examining this device, Mike said his sources weren't telling him that anybody was under arrest. But it would seem likely that if somebody put that bag on the conveyor belt and if they made it through the security checkpoint, there are several officers on the other side.
You can't get very far if there's a suspicious package on the conveyor belt -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Of course we're going to get an update at the top of the hour, 4:00 Eastern hour, from the general manager of the airport, Ben DeCosta. He's expected to have a news conference.
And of course, when that takes place, we'll be able to bring that to you live.
Meantime, as Carol was just explaining, a lot of inbound flights being allowed. We've heard that from the spokesperson, Felicia Browder earlier, from the airport.
But according to the spokesperson, no outbound flights. But that contradicts what one of our producers on one of the planes is already starting to experience, with possible their plane being pushed back.
On the phone with us though is Jim Tilmon, he's an aviation expert and a former American Airlines pilot. Jim, perhaps you can just explain to us how unusual or perhaps is this the latest protocol in this day and age of high security at an airport? When you have an investigation like this underway that inbound flights would be allowed to come into this world's busiest airport, but the departing flights would have to stay at their gates or at least at the concourses on the runways, et cetera? Unusual or is this typical to you right now?
JIM TILMON, AVIATION EXPERT (on phone): There's nothing typical in that whole scenario, because protocols change by the hour practically. You have these policies that are general, but you to have your protocols tailored to the situation.
The thing that I was questioning the information we've been given through CNN -- to CNN, about flights being allowed in and nobody being allowed out. If anybody has ever flown into an airport and sit on the ground waiting for a gate, you have to know that you can't park the airplane until the other airplanes are off the gate.
So if all the aircraft that have been sitting there ready to go have been held, there's no place to park the airplanes that are coming in. So it would make good sense to me if they keep everybody on the ground and divert some flights, if that's the way they're going to go.
WHITFIELD: And what's interesting, too, if you're familiar with the Atlanta airport, for any of the viewers out there, when you arrive and deplane, you end up blending in pretty well with all the other passengers who are getting ready to get on to their gates and get onto the planes and depart.
So in terms of really trying to police or contain the flow of traffic, pedestrian traffic there, that is difficult, no matter which way you look at it but particularly if you do have some planes allowed in and others not allowed out.
TILMON: I'm just convinced that we're not getting all the facts right now. There's a lot to this thing that we're not hearing. I mean, the fact that you've got the subway, you've got all these other accesses to the airport, that are shut down. You're not inconveniencing a few hundred people. You're inconveniencing thousands of people and there has to be more information that's forthcoming. And I hope that you get that at the 4:00 hour.
WHITFIELD: And what would TSA or any other airport security be up against when trying to now match this passenger with this carry-on bag that was suspicious through the checkpoint?
TILMON: Well, you know, I'm very puzzled by this whole thing. I mean, if there was something that was suspicious with that bag, it should never have ever gotten off the belt. I can't imagine how a TSA person would allow it through and the passenger have an opportunity to pick up that bag and walk anywhere without being stopped.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's the part we don't know. We only know that they did notice this bag. But isn't it -- I mean, there are layers of security at Hartsfield checkpoint. But often times, the person -- TSA agent asks, "Who's bag is this?" Well if someone doesn't say, "It's my bag," then isn't it easy enough for that passenger to just keep walking?
TILMON: If nobody identifies that bag, it should be pulled off immediately. And they do have layers of people. There again, that's why I can't figure out why they don't have the person. Because I've been there many times and it's almost -- you've got not this one, not two, but several layers of people that are there to stop someone before they can go into the actual queue. So again, I think that a lot of the questions that you and I have at this moment are questions that are realistic, but we're not getting realistic answers so far.
WHITFIELD: Right, well hopefully at the top of the hour, in about five minutes from now, the general manager for the airport might be able to give us some pretty concrete answers. For now, though, Jim Tilmon, an aviation expert and former pilot with American Airlines. Thanks so much for being with us.
Also at the top of the hour, Wolf Blitzer. Let's check in with him right now to see what you have cooking.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Fred. We're going to be watching this breaking story out of Atlanta. We'll have all the latest information on that. We won't go away from it.
We're also watching other important news right here in Washington. There's been a White House shakeup. Scott McClellan, the press secretary out. Karl Rove loses some policy power as well. Will changing faces help boost the president's sagging popularity? The former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer joins us here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Plus Paul Begala and one woman that the White House may have been hoping to hire, Torie Clarke. They're here in our "Strategy Session."
Also, Rudy Giuliani and the religious right. We'll find out why he's teaming up with the founder of the Christian Coalition right now. Plus, much ado about a hairdo? Congresswoman's Cynthia McKinney's run in on Capitol Hill security. We have the police report, there's new information that's coming out. We'll tell you what's going on on that front, as well.
And oil profit outrage. Exxon's former CEO gets a multi-million dollar platinum parachute. We'll find out why he's blasting critics for blasting him. He's just spoken out on that deal. All that, Fred, coming up right at the top of the hour.
WHITFIELD: All right, we look forward to all of that, Wolf. Thanks so much. More of LIVE FROM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: Now an update on Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. You see all the people now moving inside because all the security gates have now been opened after being shut a short time because of a suspicious device found in a carry-on bag that went through the checkpoint. Of course we're going to continue to keep close tabs on this story throughout the afternoon.
Now Ali Velshi is in New York. Ali, what's going on?
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