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Jill Carroll Speaks Out; Lebanese Refugees Head Home; Securing America's Skies

Aired August 14, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour now.
And we are saying, checked, yes. Inspected, screens, examined? Maybe not. Well, you know about the stepped-up security rules for carry-on baggages at airports. But there are no new restrictions on bags you check at the curb or counter, some of which is never checked for any kind of explosives.

CNN's Peter Viles reports from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air travelers adjusted quickly to the new security rules by checking more baggage, avoiding the hassle of new carry-on rules. But what if terrorists think the same way? How safe is all that checked luggage and cargo in the bottom of the plane?

MIKE BOYD, AIRLINE CONSULTANT: We don't know what's underneath the floor in that airplane, in -- in terms of what cargo is there, or baggage. Anything can be put in that now. And the fact of the matter is, that stuff could be set off in flight from the cabin.

VILES: The 9/11 Commission voiced -- and continues to voice -- similar concerns. There is no nationwide system in place to detect all explosives in checked baggage.

THOMAS KEAN, 9/11 COMMISSION VICE CHAIRMAN: There is technology available now that can detect explosives in baggage. It has not yet been deployed at most airports. That has to happen.

VILES (on camera): Now, this challenge is particularly acute here in Los Angeles, where the entire airport baggage system is already scheduled to be replaced. And, yet, the amount of traffic handled by that system spiked by 30 to 50 percent immediately after the terror threat.

(voice-over): It's an open secret that the TSA lacks the technology to screen all cargo for explosives.

NICO MELENDEZ, SPOKESMAN, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Right now, there's no technology in place to be able to screen some of our larger pieces of cargo. So, we're -- we have been working with industry to develop technology, so we can meet that.

VILES: But the immediate focus is on liquid explosives, a challenge, because they can be made from common chemicals.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The difficulty is, what do we do with explosives made out of very common chemicals, chemicals that most everybody has with them in their dry-cleaning or their cosmetics, because we don't want a system that has so many false positives that we have hour -- hours and hours waiting on line at the airport because we have to open every bottle and every cosmetics case.

VILES: The administration says it's moving quickly to develop new explosive-detection systems. The question is, is it moving quickly enough?

Peter Viles, for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Train cars filled with chlorine or other hazardous materials, they may not be pretty, but they are necessary. And experts warn, they, too, are tempting targets for terrorists.

Here's a "Fact Check."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four years ago, the FBI warned that al Qaeda might be planning to blow up or derail 90-ton rail tank cars filled with chlorine, ammonia, propane, or hazardous materials.

A recent U.S. Navy study concluded that an accident or terrorist attack involving a single car of chlorine near a densely populated area could kill as many as 100,000 people -- one potential target, Capitol Hill and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Freight trains sometimes carrying deadly chemicals run regularly nearby. In all, U.S. cargo trains transport nearly two million shipments of hazardous materials every year. In 2004, federal safety officials warned that more than half of the nation's 60,000 pressurized rail tank cars did not meet industry standards.

Last year, chlorine gas was released after a train crash in South Carolina. Nine people died, more than 50 hospitalized. Three people were killed in a similar type accident in Texas in 2004.

Railroad officials say they are up to the task of protecting trains. They say they have spent more than $200 million since 9/11 on rail security, and it's more effective than almost any other industry. But they do not disclose specifics for security reasons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom -- Betty Nguyen working details on a developing story -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, it has been such a busy day, especially out of California. We had that suspicious package. Give you an update in just a second, but, first, power outages to tell you about. Here's what we know so far.

A power outage hit the downtown civic center area today. Now, it occurred shortly before noon, California time. But the extent of it, how many people are without power, that is still not known.

Here's a live look from us -- from KTLA, I believe, coming into us of downtown Los Angeles, where, we understand, that the civic center area, power is out. Don't know how many buildings affected, how many people affected.

But, obviously, this is a big deal in a downtown that holds a whole lot of people.

Now, on the other story that we are following, just want to give you just a brief update. A LAX plane landed a little bit earlier today, after a suspicious package was reported on board.

From what we understand, according to the Associated Press, that the all-clear has been given. But the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad are still searching that plane. But, as we know, the all-clear has been given, as far as that suspicious package goes.

So, that's the latest that we have here, Kyra. We will stay on top of it.

PHILLIPS: All right, it looks like we are just getting word, the power is back on now. It looks like...

NGUYEN: Back on now.

PHILLIPS: ... that was pretty quick, yes.

But we will investigate further, to why that happened. But it looks like it's back up and running in that city. Good news.

NGUYEN: That's good news, yes.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Betty.

NGUYEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, Lebanon is being urged to rush troops in to the south to help turn a shaky cease-fire into a lasting peace. Several thousand U.N. troops are already there.

Joining us now from the U.N., CNN's Richard Roth.

Richard, what do you know?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are 2,000 there now, but the U.N. may have to go up to 15,000 in southern Lebanon -- a very key role now for the U.N. peacekeepers. They will assist the Lebanese government forces that are supposed to move in, when Israel moves out, in trying to police that hostile territory. The peacekeepers, though, need peacekeepers. The U.N. is trying to talk to various European countries and others, Malaysia and others, to get forces.

The United Nations does not have its own standing army. And, of course, a lot of the controversy leading up to that resolution passed Friday evening was about the rules of engagement. How much force can this U.N. team implement and use? The peacekeepers say they are not supposed to disarm Hezbollah.

Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary-general, says he is pleased a cease-fire seems to be holding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: ... cessation. I also urge them to move swiftly to convert it into a lasting cease-fire, in cooperation with UNIFIL, through the measures prescribed in the Security Council resolution.

The United Nations is actively carrying out its part in those measures. And I strongly urge all parties to do likewise, including especially those member states that can contribute to the enhanced UNIFIL.

Millions around the world have pinned their hopes for peace on the implementation of this agreement. Neither side should have any reason to disappoint those hopes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Kofi Annan also talked on the phone with the president of Iran -- the president of Iran saying that his country was ready to restore peace and tranquility in the region, though some see his country as being responsible for Hezbollah's attacks on Israel.

Iran, for its part, may be the target of the next significant Security Council resolution, Kyra, at the end of the month. By August 31, Iran has to show it is ready to cooperate with international nuclear inspectors, or else it could face a resolution regarding sanctions -- back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Richard Roth from the U.N., thanks so much.

And we are getting word, 3:30 Eastern time, we're expecting the president of the United States to make a statement there at the State Department, talking about the Middle East and the cease-fire. As soon as the president starts speaking, we will take it live.

No cease-fires in Baghdad -- three car bombs went off today alone, killing at least three people and wounding seven others. As the violence surges, at least 12,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers will try and bring order to the Iraqi capital. Conflicting accounts of a series of explosions in Baghdad yesterday -- Iraq's prime minister says that rockets and a car bomb from a Sunni neighborhood killed at least 57 people in a Shiite neighborhood nearby. But U.S. troops say a gas line explosion, presumably accidental, is to blame. Nevertheless, a Sunni extremist group has claimed responsibility. And rescue workers are still searching for bodies.

Eighty-two days as a hostage in Iraq -- now journalist Jill Carroll is telling her story publicly for the first time. Part one of an 11-part series is posted on the "Christian Science Monitor" Web site. And, in an interview, Carroll talks about her Iraqi interpreter, killed when she was kidnapped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL, JOURNALIST: And then, as I was bending down and kind of being shoved over, I looked -- I was looking out the corner, like through -- the -- in the crack of a door that was opening, you know? And I saw -- you know, I saw Alan was there. And they -- then I saw them kill Alan.

And, then, they got in a car and we drove off. And the driver was -- someone else had gotten in the driver's seat. The guy I had seen through the front windshield, he got in the driver's seat. And Adnan, I don't know where he was.

(CROSSTALK)

CARROLL: I didn't see what happened to him. And, so, we are driving off, and they are screaming, "Jihad, jihad, jihad." And they were, like overjoyed, like they won the lottery.

And, so, I would choke down this food. Like, the bread would, like, stick in my throat. And I just -- my stomach -- I wanted to throw up whenever I had -- every -- I remember having -- chewing chicken in my mouth that first day, and, like, trying to swallow it, and, like, just wanting to -- and just gagging in my throat, because your adrenaline is going, and you're terrified, and your heart is racing.

And you're sitting there. You don't know what's going to happen at any minute. And, for all you know, they are going to come in at any minute, and just blow your head off.

You will do something -- you have something hidden?

I was like, no, everything -- all my clothed were from them. They took all my other clothes, you know?

He says, in your hair, maybe something hidden in your hair.

And I was like, no, no. And I grabbed my head scarf and pulled it off. And I took my -- and I took my little hair thing out. So, my hair was like, loose. So, he could see there was nothing -- no cell phone hidden in my hair, no nothing, no chip implanted in my scalp. You know, there would be, like, a homing device. They thought I had a homing device or something, or something.

Did you have any way to signal your government, signal the military?

And I was like, no, I'm not. You know, I was hysterical. And I was, like, just trying to, you know, be really -- and I also sort of over -- actually became overly anxious to show him that it worried me so much, that he thought this about me, just to show him that I would never want to do this. I would never bring soldiers to here, to this place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And we learned last week that four Iraqi men are being held in connection with Carroll's kidnapping.

Target: USA -- does a serious threat exist north of the border? Our Zain Verjee is in Toronto. She's joins me live straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, 11 Egyptian exchange students are no longer wandering America.

The last two were rounded up last night in Richmond, Virginia. The others were tracked down in Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, and Iowa last week. They were part of a group that arrived in the U.S. two weeks ago, but only six showed up, as expected, at Montana State. Feds say the students don't pose a threat, but will most likely be deported.

The 9/11 terrorists came from outside the U.S., but many worry, the next attack could be homegrown. One such alleged plot is still sending shockwaves north of the border.

CNN's Zain Verjee joins me now from Toronto.

What's fueling the extremists in Canada, Zain?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Kyra, we talked to a number of people here. And they say, basically, it's this.

You have got young men who turn on the television, open the newspapers every day. And what they see is this: images of Muslims being killed in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Lebanon, in Gaza. And they are angry, and they are frustrated, and they want to vent.

The experts we spoke to also said, look, you know, you look over at what the Canadian government has been doing. They have been sending troops to Afghanistan. That's angered a lot of Muslim men here in Canada. The Canadian government has also offered its support for Israel in Israel's fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. And all of that is fueling an enormous amount of antagonism among young Muslim men here in Canada. And that creates a fertile breeding ground for predatory imams to prey on them and exploit them -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Zain, what are Muslims doing within the community to -- to combat this type of -- of conversation and criticism?

VERJEE: Well, we spoke to a number of imams, who told us that what they are doing is, they're working with the Canadian intelligence organization here, trying to police their own communities, just to see what's going on among the youth in the mosques.

But, you know, Kyra, if this alleged plot does turn out to be true, it would be an indication that there is a -- a real serious issue in the Muslim community. You know, a lot of the Muslims that we spoke to didn't necessarily acknowledge that there was a problem.

And those that did didn't necessarily offer any solution in how to ultimately stop it. So, there are a lot of deep-seated and deep- rooted issues there that do need to be addressed.

PHILLIPS: Now, I remember -- I think I'm remembering correctly -- you lived in Canada. You have talked about what a...

VERJEE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: ... a multicultural society this is, right?

So, now, you are back there. What's your sense...

VERJEE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: ... just walking through the cultural communities and talking to the locals?

VERJEE: You know, Canada's multicultural policy is an extremely unique one.

It is held up in high esteem throughout the rest of the world as really being a role model for a successful pluralist society, where a lot of tolerance is shown between communities and between people of various faiths.

Just walking down the streets, for example, in the Muslim community yesterday, you know, there was a real sense that, you know: This is Canada. We're -- it's home. We're Muslims. You know, we feel safe here. And we feel accepted by people.

Many Muslims said to me that, with this alleged plot, and the -- the focus and the attention, and the microscope that they feel they are under, they feel that they are under siege and they need to justify themselves somehow.

But one expert, you know, Kyra, we spoke to said, you know, it would be a real pity, that, with all of this, and -- and if the Canadian government was to put such an enormous focus on national security in the country, it may end up undermining the one thing that makes Canada so great, which is its very unique policy of multiculturalism -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Zain Verjee, live from Toronto -- appreciate it, Zain

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Well, big crowds, little screening -- is mass transit turning into a mass target for terrorists?

CNN's Alina Cho took a ride to found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you talk to security experts, they will tell you the major problem with mass transit is that, unlike the airports, there are no formal screening systems in place. And that makes public transportation an attractive target for terrorists.

(voice-over): The usual suspects, the subways, the buses, even the ferries -- we took a ride with transportation security expert Don Rondeau. He told us, the alleged terror plot exposed in London last week is a reminder the U.S. remains vulnerable, and mass transit used by millions each day is a prime target.

DON RONDEAU, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADVISER, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTERTERRORISM FOR SECURITY PROFESSIONALS: The fact that you're underground would hamper rescue efforts. Some of the tactics used by terrorists take advantage of the fact that there is not ventilation, that there is not substantial exits to evacuate people.

CHO: Rondeau says, there's little that would stop a terrorist from getting on a subway and launching an attack. A briefcase like this one could easily hide a bomb.

RONDEAU: So, it doesn't require a great deal of skill or the ability to obtain hard-to-obtain chemicals. They can go in their five-and-dime and get what they need to get the job done.

CHO: The same line of thinking can be applied to buses -- lots of people, too little security.

RONDEAU: Here we have a place that is moving, contained, that would make rescue difficult, where people are virtually unscreened.

CHO: Look no further than London, July of last year. Suicide bombers killed more than 50 commuters in bus and subway attacks.

The ferries are also exposed. Rondeau says, a strike there would leave people stranded at sea.

RONDEAU: It's at a distance from you. So, your time to react to it is impacted. Your ability to control the environment is impacted. And, in the event that something were to occur, well, it makes a -- a rescue much more difficult.

CHO: So, how can mass transit be secure? Rondeau says blast- proof seating made with Kevlar, new ventilation systems that would suck out contaminated air, and inject clean air in its place.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there's a lot of security measures in place we don't see.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Sometimes, we have people. Sometimes, we have cameras. Sometimes, we have both. We're constantly changing our strategies, so that they are not predictable.

CHO: Rondeau says, nothing can replace vigilance.

RONDEAU: We're a busy country. We're a busy people. And I believe that, somehow, we have been sidetracked. We have yet to realize that we are a nation at war. There are people out there who have declared that they want to destroy America. They are showing that they mean business.

CHO (on camera): And, yet, the reality is, millions of people a day are going to continue to ride the buses, the subways and the ferries. Security experts say, you should, but to remember to always stay vigilant.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Perplexed about packing? Confused about your carry- on? Well, the TSA tweaks new travel rules. We will have the changes -- straight ahead in our CNN "Security Watch."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Want to remind you, once again, we are waiting for the president of the United States to make a statement here in the Treaty Room at the State Department, talking about the Middle East, the cease-fire, and where they are going forward from here.

As soon as that happens, as soon as the president steps into the room, we will take it live.

So, are you in a state of carry-on confusion because of the heightened terror alert? Well, you are not alone. Here's what you can and can't bring on airliners at U.S. airports right now.

You are allowed to bring as much as four ounces of liquid, non- prescription medicine, also solid lipstick and baby food. Banned items include aerosols, mascara, baby teethers with liquid or liquid -- or with gel or liquid, kids' toys with gel, and even gel candies.

Also, get ready to take your shoes off again. All passengers' shoes have to clear X-ray machines.

Well, the back-to-school shopping season is well underway. And you are likely to find some of the best bargains in the computer aisle.

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange, with that story.

All the parents around here talking about today and the first day back to school -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to believe. I just bought my first bathing suit of the season, Kyra.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You are a little behind, Susan. It's August.

LISOVICZ: I know. That's...

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: That's the story of my life, Kyra. I'm -- I am good in deadlines professionally, not in my real life.

The good news here, PC prices are hitting record lows this back- to-school, with low-end desktops selling for as little as $299. And, according to the research firm Current Analysis, laptops are the hottest sellers, accounting for 60 percent of the PC market. Average laptop prices have dropped below their traditional floor of $1,000. And bargain models can found for less than $400.

Analysts say, prices will likely stay low into the winter holidays, which is probably when I would start thinking about them, right, Kyra?

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely.

All right, give us the word, as we are wrapping up here, on Wall Street. How are the numbers?

LISOVICZ: You know, we started out with a terrific rally. But we have given up most of those gains.

And, you know, the big reason is, oil prices dropped so sharply today. Still, closing -- oil settled down 82 cents, at $73.53 -- $73.53 a barrel. But they had been down $1.50 earlier in the session -- obviously, what is affecting the commodities there, the cease-fire in the Middle East, and BP's plan to keep open half of the Prudhoe Bay in Alaska.

But, you know, what we're seeing in stocks overall is thinking about tomorrow. We are going to get some inflation figures on wholesale prices. And that has really been one of the watchwords of late: inflation. Where is this economy going? And you are going to see it play out in the final 30 minutes or so of trading -- the Dow industrials up 115 points earlier in the session, hanging on, up 16 points right now -- the NASDAQ composite, meanwhile, up 13 points, or about two-thirds of a percent.

And that's the latest from Wall Street. I will be back at the end of the hour for a roundup of the trading day. Stay with us. LIVE FROM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And we want to remind you, we are waiting for the president to step up to the podium here at the State Department, actually, in the Treaty Room. He will be talking about the developments in the Middle East, as well as how it all affects the overall war on terror.

He has been meeting with a number of movers and shakers in Washington from the Pentagon. And Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, has been involved with a number of them, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

We will wait for the president to step up to the podium, and take it live as soon as he does.

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