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American Embassy Attacked in Saudi Arabia; Surge in Violence Kills 50 in Iraq; Bush Pressures Congress to Pass Intel Reform

Aired December 06, 2004 - 10:00   ET

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

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


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And boy there is a lot of news on this day. Two terrorist attacks in two different parts of the world.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And we'll have more on that. Right now, a look at what's happening now in the news.

SANCHEZ: And here we go.

President Bush does make another push for on-time elections in Iraq. Mr. Bush held talks last hour at the White House with Iraqi interim President Ghazi al Yawer, as you just saw. Both leaders want the January 30 vote to go ahead, despite the growing number of leaders asking for a delay because of the upsurge in violence there.

Smoke rises from the American consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia today. Saudi officials say five militants attacked the consulate. The militants threw explosives at the compound then shot their way inside. Saudi officials say security forces killed three militants and wounded at least two others. The U.S. Embassy spokesperson says no Americans were taken hostage in this incident.

In Spain, seven bombs exploded almost simultaneously in different cities across the country. The Basque separatist group ETA warned of the bombs in advance. Five people were slightly injured in the bombings, but there are no reports of major injuries. Today's blasts follow similar bombings Friday, where five bombs were simultaneously detonated at five gas stations throughout the country.

Relatives of the 9/11 victims are trying to keep the pressure on Congress. Lawmakers back for one more chance to try and pass an intelligence reform bill before the session ends. President Bush has endorsed the bill. But some Democrats want him to go a step further and actually pressure some of the holdout lawmakers.

And we welcome one and all. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.

We begin with the deadly attack on a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials describe the attack as being well coordinated. Militant threw explosives at two gates and then charged into the sprawling compound in the port city of Jeddah. Smoke poured into the sky as the helicopters circled overhead and ambulances raced to the scene. There are a number of casualties reportedly, though no Americans are among those.

CNN's Caroline Faraj is following the story. She is in the sea of Dubai and she joins us via videophone -- Caroline.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Daryn, good morning. What happened up until now is that the operation is over and the Saudi officials confirm to CNN that the five militants, three of them were killed during the exchange of fire, and two were injured and then arrested. Also, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirms to us right now five of the non-American staff were basically among the dead people doing the attack. And they also confirm that handful of people are still hospitalized.

However, they reiterated that none of the American -- Americans inside the consulate were basically taken hostages. Nor, even injured during the attack -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Any idea who's responsible for the attack -- Caroline?

FARAJ: So far, the Saudis were telling us that these are -- they call them, quote-unquote, "terrorists," and they are wanted people. And they believe that they have the same ideas, the same strategy of al Qaeda. However, they did not state clearly that they are members of al Qaeda today. And we haven't seen any statements issued by this group claiming any responsibility. But they believe they believe in the same ideas of al Qaeda and they follow their steps -- Daryn.

Caroline Faraj joining us with the latest on Saudi Arabia from Dubai, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Now we move on -- now we move on to the fight for Iraq and the street battle in Baghdad. U.S. troops engaged in a shoot-out with insurgents there. The armed rebels have reportedly just descended on busy Haifa Street, saying that they were hunting for Iraqis collaborating with Americans. Witnesses say that they killed one Iraqi.

Meanwhile in Tikrit, gunmen opened fire on U.S.-employed workers yesterday as they stepped out of a work bus. At least 17 civilians were killed in the hail of bullets. They work for a civilian contractor that disposes of confiscate weapons. Thirteen other civilians were wounded during this attack.

KAGAN: The escalating violence adds more urgency to the question of Iraq's elections that right now are scheduled for the end of January. Despite a weekend of extraordinary violence that killed dozens of Iraqi, at least five U.S. troops, Iraq's government appears unwavering in its time frame to hit those elections in January.

Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad and he joins us with the latest from the capital -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Talking about this violence over the weekend, more than 50 people were killed in that weekend violence on Saturday and Sunday. More than 100 others wounded. Saturday, the biggest attack on Saturday was a car bomb here in downtown Baghdad. Then there was the killing of some Kurdish security guards up in the northern city of Mosul. And then yesterday, Sunday, that drive-by shooting, which ended up in the killing of 17 Iraqi civilian contractors working in a weapons depot, to help destroy some of the weaponry seized from the insurgents.

All of this, of course, has fueled debate over the January elections. We've heard from Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy to Iraq. His view is that it's too violent to hold elections on January 30. We've also heard from the Iraqi President Ghazi al Yawer; him saying no, we believe that the elections should go ahead on January 30 as planned. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHAZI AL YAWER, INTERIM PRESIDENT, IRAQ: There is no sacred date. But the thing is, this is a challenge that Iraqis have to take. And after reviewing the situation, I think the worst thing to do is to postpone elections. This will give a tactical victory to the insurgents, to the forces of darkness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: Now interestingly enough, Iraq's president there said that January 30 was not a sacred date. In fact, talking to constitutional lawyers here in Iraq, they say January 31 is a sacred date. That's the dateline -- deadline by which elections must be held. The constitutional lawyer that we've spoken to says there is no provision in any Iraqi law to postpone these elections beyond January 31 deadline.

Exactly what happens beyond that regarding the current Iraqi government isn't clear. That's not explicitly spelled out in the law, but certainly what seems to be ahead if those elections are postponed is a big legal vacuum -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Karl, Ghazi al-Yawer, the president who's visiting here in the U.S. today, we just heard from him, made the rounds over the weekend. The significance of his speaking out, in particular, since he is a Sunni Muslim?

PENHAUL: Yes, to some extent. Although we have heard both from influential Sunni Muslims and influential Shiias that this isn't necessarily a religious divide. Those who favor postponement in the elections, and those who favor going ahead with elections on time. Although a number of Sunni parties, as you correctly say, have come out calling for a postponement or even a boycott.

Whereas on general terms the Shiite majority want these elections at the earliest opportunity, because they possibly have the most to gain from these elections -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul with the latest from Baghdad. Karl, thank you.

SANCHEZ: National security or political jockeying? Those are questions regarding the issue of reforming the nation's intelligence community. It returns to the forefront in Washington again this week.

Now, the families of those killed in the 9/11 attacks can deliver their own impassioned pleas, as the president weighs in and the House returns to session.

CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry is going to be following this throughout the day. And he's joining us now from Capitol Hill to set the scene for us -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Rick. It's crunch time for Congress to act on the reform recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission. You remember it? It came out, this report, back in July. Congress has been reviewing that report since the summer. A lot of congressional hearing. A lot of debate.

But if they do not actually pass this legislation in the next two days, it will die for the year. And then Congress in January will have to go back and start over from scratch.

That's why, as you mentioned, there are some 9/11 families holding vigils across the country, demanding that Congress compromise on this and pass this legislation.

But it's also important to note there are other 9/11 families who say that the current bill, the current deal on the table is not good enough. And that it could actually do more harm than good.

There is also a lot of talk about what this legislation would actually do. The key part of it would create a new director of National Intelligence. A quarterback, if you will, that would oversee the nation's 15 spy agencies. Something that the 9/11 Commission has said is desperately needed to try and help prevent another terrorist attack.

Incoming Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is now pressuring President Bush to try to end the Republican family feud that has thus far blocked a deal from occurring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER-ELECT: A president who controls both Houses of Congress should use his power. And he said that he has power. He has a mandate. Let him pull a few bucks out of that pocket of mandate and give it to the House and Senate, and say here's part of my mandate. I want this legislation to pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And just a few minutes ago on CNN, you have heard the president once again urging Congress, telling reporters that he wants to see Congress pass this legislation this week.

But the president is facing resistance on two fronts. First of all, there are some House Republicans who are concerned that the legislation lacks tough immigration provisions in order to try to strengthen the nation's borders. There are also some other House Republicans and some Senate Republicans who are concerned that perhaps this new director of National Intelligence will disrupt the military's chain of command. And that could help -- could actually hurt troops in the field.

There are other Republicans, though, who disagree with Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who has been raising this objection. These other Republicans, like John McCain say the troops in the field will be fine. They say this is really a distraction. A turf battle about the Pentagon losing power. And Senate majority leader bill Frist says he thinks when all is said and done, everyone will come together and this legislation will pass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I think everybody is going to come to the table. And in the best spirit of the way these bodies work, when they work well, will come together. And there will be compromise, but compromise that will be to the satisfaction of the majority of people in the House and the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: But at this point, there are very mixed signals on whether or not that can happen. As Mr. Frist knows, if he brings the bill up in the Senate, it's very likely he will have a vast bipartisan majority that will pass it.

There are also many people on Capitol Hill in both parties who believe that if speaker Dennis Hastert brings the bill to the House floor, it will also have a bipartisan majority and it will pass. But the problem is that speaker Hastert believes most of those votes would come from Democrats. And he does not want to bring up a legislation -- a piece of legislation that will be opposed by a majority of Republicans.

So the question now is whether or not the pressure from President Bush will be enough to get speaker Hastert to actually schedule a floor vote. That's where we are right now. The speaker is still noncommittal on whether he will bring this up -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Of course, it depends on what kind of pressure. Ed Henry I get the feeling we're going to be talking to you again throughout these next couple of hours as this story unfolds. We thank you.

HENRY: That's right.

SANCHEZ: And once again just to bring you up to date. Daryn, we'll probably have at least one, maybe two lawmakers at a hearing very soon calling for just that; for this thing to somehow get resolved one way or another.

KAGAN: And hear from family members, as well. No one more impassioned than they are. We're going to look forward to that.

A lot more ahead including more news and weather. Right now a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: New this morning, we're going to bring you a series of special reports. We call it "CNN Security Watch."

SANCHEZ: Yes. This hour we're going to look at security at U.S. ports. Is the government doing enough or all it can to somehow try and keep potentially dangerous cargo out?

CNN's Miguel Marquez starts our report from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since 9/11, port security has become a Coast Guard mantra.

CAPT. PETER V. NEFFENGER, U.S. COAST GUARD: Detect, deter, prevent and respond to any terrorist type incident.

MARQUEZ: The preventing is done by identifying high interest ships long before they reach U.S. shores. And once here, it's the Coast Guard's job to board them to insure crew and cargo check out. In the nation's busiest seaport, it's a Herculean task.

NEFFENGER: I don't want to discover something when it's already in the port.

MARQUEZ: What's in the port are containers. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach process 45 percent of the containers carrying goods, like clothing and electronics, arriving on U.S. shores.

NEFFENGER: Modern seaports weren't designed with security in mind. They were designed for efficiency.

MARQUEZ: For port workers, background checks and TSA identity cards are on the way. In the age of terrorism, the threats to such a vast system are easily imagined.

VERA ADAMS, U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICES: Traditional explosives, anything radioactive, that might be coming in that might be used against the country, in people coming in.

MARQUEZ: So while the Coast Guard secures the ships, the Customs Service is responsible for what's inside each container.

ADAMS: We have a layered system of filters.

MARQUEZ: The number of containers are so vast that only a small fraction, about 6 percent, are identified for X-ray scanning. Either dockside or by more traditional means. And even a smaller number of goods are inspected by hand. The Customs Service says the key to security is in identifying those containers that need to be searched or scanned.

ADAMS: It's important to focus on examining all the containers we identify as high risk. Not to have a certain set percentage as a goal. MARQUEZ: Law enforcement officials say protecting U.S. ports and shipping supply lines comes down to intelligence. Knowing every shipper worldwide, how they operate, and who their friends are.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: By the way, with America soon to be importing as much food as it exports, how safe is what we eat? Our "Security Watch" continues in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY with a look at just that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, you might be interested right now in getting your home decorated for the holidays, rather than fixed up for sale. But if you have been thinking about putting your house on the market, you might want to do it now rather than later, believe it or not.

Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has today's "Top Five Tips."

Ger, good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you.

Don't wait for spring. That's the first tip. If you're thinking about selling your house, you should understand that this marketplace is becoming less and less seasonal. Spring is becoming an important time, but not as important as some other months. So, think about doing it now.

And of course, if you're going to do that, you'll definitely want to think about the prospect of rising interest rates, it's making some people get in the market early -- Daryn.

KAGAN: There's somebody you call before you call a real estate agent.

WILLIS: Yes, there is. You might want to get an inspection right away to see if there's anything wrong with your home. You might also want the appraisal so you know how much that home is worth. It's very hard to price homes. You might want to get in an expert. Or go to the web at electronic appraiser.com to get a cheaper, 30 buck is the cost, $30 is the cost, to get an appraisal online.

KAGAN: Now if you do decide to go to a real estate agent, getting a good one is really important.

WILLIS: You definitely want to shop around for somebody who has a lot of experience in your neighborhood. And remember to negotiate the listing agreement. It's critical to do that. Because if at the end of the day you end up selling your own house, you don't want to have to pay the commission. KAGAN: And this is a sale, so marketing is important.

WILLIS: Yes, you need to find your inner marketing executive. Seventy percent of buyers out there check out homes on the web. They're looking at the pictures. The pictures are all important. So make sure you take some really fabulous shots of your house. And of course, your house can be just as attractive in the winter months as it can be in the summer.

KAGAN: Easy for you to say, a topic for another time.

Think about when you'd want to move out before you sell.

WILLIS: Exactly. One of the hard things if you're selling your house is getting into a new home in the right time. Managing that time crunch. Sometimes people have to get a bridge loan. It's really expensive to do if you have that interim between the time you sell your house, and find a new one.

One thing to think about here, you might want to make the sale of your home contingent on your finding a new one. That will save you a lot of headaches, a lot of money and a lot of time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Good tips. Get started today. Gerri Willis, thank you.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: A final push is under way today to try and pass that 9/11-reform bill in Congress. And we're standing by for a live presser with some of the backers of the bill. Also some families of the victims.

KAGAN: We'll track you live to Capitol Hill when that happens.

A break right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired December 6, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And boy there is a lot of news on this day. Two terrorist attacks in two different parts of the world.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And we'll have more on that. Right now, a look at what's happening now in the news.

SANCHEZ: And here we go.

President Bush does make another push for on-time elections in Iraq. Mr. Bush held talks last hour at the White House with Iraqi interim President Ghazi al Yawer, as you just saw. Both leaders want the January 30 vote to go ahead, despite the growing number of leaders asking for a delay because of the upsurge in violence there.

Smoke rises from the American consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia today. Saudi officials say five militants attacked the consulate. The militants threw explosives at the compound then shot their way inside. Saudi officials say security forces killed three militants and wounded at least two others. The U.S. Embassy spokesperson says no Americans were taken hostage in this incident.

In Spain, seven bombs exploded almost simultaneously in different cities across the country. The Basque separatist group ETA warned of the bombs in advance. Five people were slightly injured in the bombings, but there are no reports of major injuries. Today's blasts follow similar bombings Friday, where five bombs were simultaneously detonated at five gas stations throughout the country.

Relatives of the 9/11 victims are trying to keep the pressure on Congress. Lawmakers back for one more chance to try and pass an intelligence reform bill before the session ends. President Bush has endorsed the bill. But some Democrats want him to go a step further and actually pressure some of the holdout lawmakers.

And we welcome one and all. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.

We begin with the deadly attack on a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials describe the attack as being well coordinated. Militant threw explosives at two gates and then charged into the sprawling compound in the port city of Jeddah. Smoke poured into the sky as the helicopters circled overhead and ambulances raced to the scene. There are a number of casualties reportedly, though no Americans are among those.

CNN's Caroline Faraj is following the story. She is in the sea of Dubai and she joins us via videophone -- Caroline.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Daryn, good morning. What happened up until now is that the operation is over and the Saudi officials confirm to CNN that the five militants, three of them were killed during the exchange of fire, and two were injured and then arrested. Also, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirms to us right now five of the non-American staff were basically among the dead people doing the attack. And they also confirm that handful of people are still hospitalized.

However, they reiterated that none of the American -- Americans inside the consulate were basically taken hostages. Nor, even injured during the attack -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Any idea who's responsible for the attack -- Caroline?

FARAJ: So far, the Saudis were telling us that these are -- they call them, quote-unquote, "terrorists," and they are wanted people. And they believe that they have the same ideas, the same strategy of al Qaeda. However, they did not state clearly that they are members of al Qaeda today. And we haven't seen any statements issued by this group claiming any responsibility. But they believe they believe in the same ideas of al Qaeda and they follow their steps -- Daryn.

Caroline Faraj joining us with the latest on Saudi Arabia from Dubai, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Now we move on -- now we move on to the fight for Iraq and the street battle in Baghdad. U.S. troops engaged in a shoot-out with insurgents there. The armed rebels have reportedly just descended on busy Haifa Street, saying that they were hunting for Iraqis collaborating with Americans. Witnesses say that they killed one Iraqi.

Meanwhile in Tikrit, gunmen opened fire on U.S.-employed workers yesterday as they stepped out of a work bus. At least 17 civilians were killed in the hail of bullets. They work for a civilian contractor that disposes of confiscate weapons. Thirteen other civilians were wounded during this attack.

KAGAN: The escalating violence adds more urgency to the question of Iraq's elections that right now are scheduled for the end of January. Despite a weekend of extraordinary violence that killed dozens of Iraqi, at least five U.S. troops, Iraq's government appears unwavering in its time frame to hit those elections in January.

Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad and he joins us with the latest from the capital -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Talking about this violence over the weekend, more than 50 people were killed in that weekend violence on Saturday and Sunday. More than 100 others wounded. Saturday, the biggest attack on Saturday was a car bomb here in downtown Baghdad. Then there was the killing of some Kurdish security guards up in the northern city of Mosul. And then yesterday, Sunday, that drive-by shooting, which ended up in the killing of 17 Iraqi civilian contractors working in a weapons depot, to help destroy some of the weaponry seized from the insurgents.

All of this, of course, has fueled debate over the January elections. We've heard from Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy to Iraq. His view is that it's too violent to hold elections on January 30. We've also heard from the Iraqi President Ghazi al Yawer; him saying no, we believe that the elections should go ahead on January 30 as planned. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHAZI AL YAWER, INTERIM PRESIDENT, IRAQ: There is no sacred date. But the thing is, this is a challenge that Iraqis have to take. And after reviewing the situation, I think the worst thing to do is to postpone elections. This will give a tactical victory to the insurgents, to the forces of darkness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: Now interestingly enough, Iraq's president there said that January 30 was not a sacred date. In fact, talking to constitutional lawyers here in Iraq, they say January 31 is a sacred date. That's the dateline -- deadline by which elections must be held. The constitutional lawyer that we've spoken to says there is no provision in any Iraqi law to postpone these elections beyond January 31 deadline.

Exactly what happens beyond that regarding the current Iraqi government isn't clear. That's not explicitly spelled out in the law, but certainly what seems to be ahead if those elections are postponed is a big legal vacuum -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Karl, Ghazi al-Yawer, the president who's visiting here in the U.S. today, we just heard from him, made the rounds over the weekend. The significance of his speaking out, in particular, since he is a Sunni Muslim?

PENHAUL: Yes, to some extent. Although we have heard both from influential Sunni Muslims and influential Shiias that this isn't necessarily a religious divide. Those who favor postponement in the elections, and those who favor going ahead with elections on time. Although a number of Sunni parties, as you correctly say, have come out calling for a postponement or even a boycott.

Whereas on general terms the Shiite majority want these elections at the earliest opportunity, because they possibly have the most to gain from these elections -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul with the latest from Baghdad. Karl, thank you.

SANCHEZ: National security or political jockeying? Those are questions regarding the issue of reforming the nation's intelligence community. It returns to the forefront in Washington again this week.

Now, the families of those killed in the 9/11 attacks can deliver their own impassioned pleas, as the president weighs in and the House returns to session.

CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry is going to be following this throughout the day. And he's joining us now from Capitol Hill to set the scene for us -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Rick. It's crunch time for Congress to act on the reform recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission. You remember it? It came out, this report, back in July. Congress has been reviewing that report since the summer. A lot of congressional hearing. A lot of debate.

But if they do not actually pass this legislation in the next two days, it will die for the year. And then Congress in January will have to go back and start over from scratch.

That's why, as you mentioned, there are some 9/11 families holding vigils across the country, demanding that Congress compromise on this and pass this legislation.

But it's also important to note there are other 9/11 families who say that the current bill, the current deal on the table is not good enough. And that it could actually do more harm than good.

There is also a lot of talk about what this legislation would actually do. The key part of it would create a new director of National Intelligence. A quarterback, if you will, that would oversee the nation's 15 spy agencies. Something that the 9/11 Commission has said is desperately needed to try and help prevent another terrorist attack.

Incoming Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is now pressuring President Bush to try to end the Republican family feud that has thus far blocked a deal from occurring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER-ELECT: A president who controls both Houses of Congress should use his power. And he said that he has power. He has a mandate. Let him pull a few bucks out of that pocket of mandate and give it to the House and Senate, and say here's part of my mandate. I want this legislation to pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And just a few minutes ago on CNN, you have heard the president once again urging Congress, telling reporters that he wants to see Congress pass this legislation this week.

But the president is facing resistance on two fronts. First of all, there are some House Republicans who are concerned that the legislation lacks tough immigration provisions in order to try to strengthen the nation's borders. There are also some other House Republicans and some Senate Republicans who are concerned that perhaps this new director of National Intelligence will disrupt the military's chain of command. And that could help -- could actually hurt troops in the field.

There are other Republicans, though, who disagree with Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who has been raising this objection. These other Republicans, like John McCain say the troops in the field will be fine. They say this is really a distraction. A turf battle about the Pentagon losing power. And Senate majority leader bill Frist says he thinks when all is said and done, everyone will come together and this legislation will pass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I think everybody is going to come to the table. And in the best spirit of the way these bodies work, when they work well, will come together. And there will be compromise, but compromise that will be to the satisfaction of the majority of people in the House and the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: But at this point, there are very mixed signals on whether or not that can happen. As Mr. Frist knows, if he brings the bill up in the Senate, it's very likely he will have a vast bipartisan majority that will pass it.

There are also many people on Capitol Hill in both parties who believe that if speaker Dennis Hastert brings the bill to the House floor, it will also have a bipartisan majority and it will pass. But the problem is that speaker Hastert believes most of those votes would come from Democrats. And he does not want to bring up a legislation -- a piece of legislation that will be opposed by a majority of Republicans.

So the question now is whether or not the pressure from President Bush will be enough to get speaker Hastert to actually schedule a floor vote. That's where we are right now. The speaker is still noncommittal on whether he will bring this up -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Of course, it depends on what kind of pressure. Ed Henry I get the feeling we're going to be talking to you again throughout these next couple of hours as this story unfolds. We thank you.

HENRY: That's right.

SANCHEZ: And once again just to bring you up to date. Daryn, we'll probably have at least one, maybe two lawmakers at a hearing very soon calling for just that; for this thing to somehow get resolved one way or another.

KAGAN: And hear from family members, as well. No one more impassioned than they are. We're going to look forward to that.

A lot more ahead including more news and weather. Right now a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: New this morning, we're going to bring you a series of special reports. We call it "CNN Security Watch."

SANCHEZ: Yes. This hour we're going to look at security at U.S. ports. Is the government doing enough or all it can to somehow try and keep potentially dangerous cargo out?

CNN's Miguel Marquez starts our report from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since 9/11, port security has become a Coast Guard mantra.

CAPT. PETER V. NEFFENGER, U.S. COAST GUARD: Detect, deter, prevent and respond to any terrorist type incident.

MARQUEZ: The preventing is done by identifying high interest ships long before they reach U.S. shores. And once here, it's the Coast Guard's job to board them to insure crew and cargo check out. In the nation's busiest seaport, it's a Herculean task.

NEFFENGER: I don't want to discover something when it's already in the port.

MARQUEZ: What's in the port are containers. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach process 45 percent of the containers carrying goods, like clothing and electronics, arriving on U.S. shores.

NEFFENGER: Modern seaports weren't designed with security in mind. They were designed for efficiency.

MARQUEZ: For port workers, background checks and TSA identity cards are on the way. In the age of terrorism, the threats to such a vast system are easily imagined.

VERA ADAMS, U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICES: Traditional explosives, anything radioactive, that might be coming in that might be used against the country, in people coming in.

MARQUEZ: So while the Coast Guard secures the ships, the Customs Service is responsible for what's inside each container.

ADAMS: We have a layered system of filters.

MARQUEZ: The number of containers are so vast that only a small fraction, about 6 percent, are identified for X-ray scanning. Either dockside or by more traditional means. And even a smaller number of goods are inspected by hand. The Customs Service says the key to security is in identifying those containers that need to be searched or scanned.

ADAMS: It's important to focus on examining all the containers we identify as high risk. Not to have a certain set percentage as a goal. MARQUEZ: Law enforcement officials say protecting U.S. ports and shipping supply lines comes down to intelligence. Knowing every shipper worldwide, how they operate, and who their friends are.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: By the way, with America soon to be importing as much food as it exports, how safe is what we eat? Our "Security Watch" continues in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY with a look at just that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, you might be interested right now in getting your home decorated for the holidays, rather than fixed up for sale. But if you have been thinking about putting your house on the market, you might want to do it now rather than later, believe it or not.

Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has today's "Top Five Tips."

Ger, good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you.

Don't wait for spring. That's the first tip. If you're thinking about selling your house, you should understand that this marketplace is becoming less and less seasonal. Spring is becoming an important time, but not as important as some other months. So, think about doing it now.

And of course, if you're going to do that, you'll definitely want to think about the prospect of rising interest rates, it's making some people get in the market early -- Daryn.

KAGAN: There's somebody you call before you call a real estate agent.

WILLIS: Yes, there is. You might want to get an inspection right away to see if there's anything wrong with your home. You might also want the appraisal so you know how much that home is worth. It's very hard to price homes. You might want to get in an expert. Or go to the web at electronic appraiser.com to get a cheaper, 30 buck is the cost, $30 is the cost, to get an appraisal online.

KAGAN: Now if you do decide to go to a real estate agent, getting a good one is really important.

WILLIS: You definitely want to shop around for somebody who has a lot of experience in your neighborhood. And remember to negotiate the listing agreement. It's critical to do that. Because if at the end of the day you end up selling your own house, you don't want to have to pay the commission. KAGAN: And this is a sale, so marketing is important.

WILLIS: Yes, you need to find your inner marketing executive. Seventy percent of buyers out there check out homes on the web. They're looking at the pictures. The pictures are all important. So make sure you take some really fabulous shots of your house. And of course, your house can be just as attractive in the winter months as it can be in the summer.

KAGAN: Easy for you to say, a topic for another time.

Think about when you'd want to move out before you sell.

WILLIS: Exactly. One of the hard things if you're selling your house is getting into a new home in the right time. Managing that time crunch. Sometimes people have to get a bridge loan. It's really expensive to do if you have that interim between the time you sell your house, and find a new one.

One thing to think about here, you might want to make the sale of your home contingent on your finding a new one. That will save you a lot of headaches, a lot of money and a lot of time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Good tips. Get started today. Gerri Willis, thank you.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: A final push is under way today to try and pass that 9/11-reform bill in Congress. And we're standing by for a live presser with some of the backers of the bill. Also some families of the victims.

KAGAN: We'll track you live to Capitol Hill when that happens.

A break right now.

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