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CNN Live Today
Discovery Crew Prepares for Risky Manuever; Security Scare on London Bus
Aired August 02, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The crew of the shuttle Discovery preparing for a risky maneuver, this one never done before. One of astronauts will attempt a repair on Discovery during a space walk underneath the shuttle. NASA wants to remove material protruding from the shuttle's thermal tiles. Details just ahead in a live report.
Also, the president is scheduled to call the shuttle crew shortly. We're going to bring you that phone call live.
We are following a developing story out of Iraq where six U.S. Marines have been killed in combat. The fighting took place yesterday near the town of Haditha. That's about 135 miles northwest of Baghdad. Closer to the capital, a seventh Marine died in a suicide car bombing. All were assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations will be officially received at the world body next hour. John Bolton will present his credentials to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. President Bush bypassed Senate opponents and appointed Bolton to the post yesterday during a congressional recess.
Leaders from the Middle East and around the world gathered in Saudi Arabia today for the funeral of King Fahd. Following the ceremony, the Saudi monarch was buried in an unmarked grave in a desert cemetery in Riyadh. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the former Crown Prince Abdullah.
The hurricane season got off to a fast and furious start, and now national forecasters say the worst may be yet to come. An updated outlook just released this hour predicts as many as 21 tropical storms with five to seven major hurricanes. That's up from the earlier predictions of three to five major hurricanes.
Good morning to you on this Tuesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
There is no rest for the weary or the worried aboard the space shuttle Discovery. We're going to get to the space shuttle in a moment. First, though, we want to talk about this topic of hurricanes. It already has seen like a very intense and difficult year. And as we were just mentioned, the worst may be yet to come.
In fact, they're talking about so many storms, they might run out of names in the alphabet. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras to tell us more about this -- Jacqui? JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Daryn. Yes, they're having the press conference on it right now, but they've upped those numbers very significantly now. We've already had seven named storms in the Atlantic basin, and that has been a record for this early in the season.
The forecast now, officially from NOA, just updated here today, expecting 18 to 21 named storms, 9 to 11 of them becoming hurricanes and 5 to 7 of those becoming major hurricanes. If we got 21, that would tie the all-time record for number of storms within one season, and it would use up this entire list. We would make it all the way to Wilma.
If we use up all of these names, what do we do? Well, we go to the Greek alphabet. So then we would go to alpha, beta, you know the rest, so down the line.
So this is very significant. The original forecast that they released in May was 12 to 15 named storms. So we're looking at compared to average, double the number. We usually see ten named storms. We're talking 20, 21, yes, twice as many.
Not a pretty picture, as we get closer towards the peak of hurricane season, which begins about the end of August and guess throughout much of September. I believe September 10th is the actual peak date.
Things are relatively quiet right now in the Atlantic. That's some good news. We have a little upper level disturbance right here that possibly could turn into something, but it doesn't look like upper-level conditions are very favorable for that.
We'll have the rest of the nation's forecast coming up before the end of the hour -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Jacqui, I noticed looking at that list, they already skipped some letters, like there's no Zelda?
JERAS: Right. Yes, there are 21 names on the list. Of course, 26 letters of the alphabet. So we skip a few. Yes, tough to come up with a good z name, I guess, every year.
KAGAN: Well, work on that. Maybe they won't end up in this situation in the future. Jacqui, thank you.
Let's get back to the space shuttle Discovery. No rest for the weary or the worried aboard the space shuttle Discovery. NASA officials have agreed on yet another chore for the crew.
Get this. They're going to do a risky and unprecedented space walk to remove strips of fabric that are dangling from the shuttle's underside. Our space correspondent Miles O'Brien following these latest developments to tell us why they have decided to do what they have never done before.
Good morning, Miles. MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
It is risky. Of course, any time you put on a spacesuit and walk around in space, or float around in space, 17,500 miles an hour, 220 miles above us, that's a risky proposition. But nevertheless, what the space walking veterans tell us this morning is that the task at hand, relatively straightforward.
Now, let's go back to what we're talking about here, the damage. The bottom side of the space shuttle Discovery has a few bumps on it. Gap filler, this is stuff which goes between tiles, like this one. Take a look at that one. That's not one, obviously, from Discovery.
But what's kind of interesting about it -- you notice they've now been handling it fairly gingerly, and it's already kind of nicking. These are very sensitive tiles. And between them, these kind of thick fabric gap fillers.
A few of them have come out. And they have about a one-inch protrusion in two locations. NASA is worried about those spots, because, on re-entry, those bumps could interrupt that super hot air flow over the surface of the space shuttle.
`Now, as the shuttle comes in, it's, you know, Mach 25, down to Mach 18. These are tremendous speeds. It's exposed to tremendous heat. And there's this thing called the boundary there. It's basically a cushion of molecules around it which sort of buffers it against the heat.
Now, if you have a little stubble on that smooth bottom there, it can trip that boundary layer, cause it to be turbulent. It's like focusing the flame of a blow torch right on a specific spot. So that's the concern.
NASA sees the two bumps. It's relatively easy to go pull them out, so why not do it? Listen to the space walker, Steve Robinson, who will be doing the task, see what he has to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE ROBINSON, SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY CREWMEMBER: There won't be any yanking going on at all. There will be a gentle pull with my hand. And if that doesn't work, I have some forceps. I'll give a slightly more than gentle pull. If that doesn't work, I saw it off with a hacksaw. No yanking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: All right, so no yanking. Let's be clear on that. A little gentle pull, one to five pounds of pressure. That's not much at all. It doesn't come out, he'll get the tools out.
And, Daryn, this is the first time this has been tried. It's also the first time that NASA has had this kind of imagery to realize that they might have a problem like this. There you see sort of a demonstration of what the gap filler looks like on the ground there. And so it's important that -- you know, having seen it, it really was incumbent upon NASA to do something about it, even though the engineers would tell you that it's probably not something that would cause a repeat of Columbia.
Nevertheless, they're there, they can do it. So why not?
Daryn?
KAGAN: OK. So the astronaut goes out, he says no yanking. He has some tools. Good to know he has a hacksaw, by the way.
O'BRIEN: Good to have.
KAGAN: Yes, good to have. Always handy.
But you go in there and you start fooling around. How do you know you're not going to do more damage and make a bigger hole?
O'BRIEN: Well, that takes me back to my point a moment ago on these tiles. You know, they're very fragile. This thing has amazing heat resisting capability, but it's very light, very frangible, breaks off very easily, kind of stiff. You can hear it, you know.
And I think these guys are very used to -- their training is all about being around fragile things. But that is the big concern, that, you know, for some reason, something goes wrong, you could cause much more harm than good.
These guys are pros, though. They're good at it. They know how to operate it. And the plan they have is fairly forward, as space walks go. It still is kind of a complicated business.
KAGAN: Yes, one would think. Miles, thank you. Don't go too far, because we have some other space business to get to in just a little bit.
O'BRIEN: All right.
KAGAN: A reminder for our viewers, but before I move on, President Bush scheduled to call the crew of the shuttle Discovery in just a couple minutes. We'll bring that conversation to you live. And Miles, our space expert guru person will be with us along to listen in on that call.
And CNN always has the latest news online. Find the latest on the shuttle, the space walk, the repairs, the overall mission at CNN.com/space.
Let's get some other news in, though, before the president's phone call. It is eight minutes after the hour.
Focusing now on the London terror attacks and that widening investigation. British police are now questioning two more suspects in connection to the failed bombings of July 21st. Meanwhile, Italian authorities holding one of the alleged would-be bombers have now filed charges.
That's where we find our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci.
Alessio, hello.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, the Italian authorities want to know why one of the would-be bombers traveled from London to Italy after the failed attacks of July the 21st. And they want to know primarily whether he came here because he simply wanted to hide or whether because he was planning an attack.
Now, initial investigation, initial evidence suggests that he came here because he had relatives. Nevertheless, police officials and investigators continue their work. And one prosecutor here has charged him with international terrorism. That charge, however, coming from evidence primarily collected in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI (voice-over): Italian police say they arrested the suspect in Rome after tracing calls he made from a cell phone monitored initially by Scotland Yard, calls he made from Britain to Italy, and, police say, to Saudi Arabia.
At least one intercept was recorded. And when Italian police compared it to a voice recording provided by British police, they had their man.
CARLO DE STEFANO, CHIEF, ANTI-TERROR POLICE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We could immediately verify that the voice of the fugitive was compatible with the phone model sent to us by the British police. So we were almost completely sure we were in front of the attacker.
VINCI: Italian officials say the suspect falsified his name and nationality when he applied for political asylum in Britain years ago. He was born in Ethiopia as Hamdi Issac, but when he arrived in Britain, he used the alias Osman Hussain, claiming to be from Somalia.
Given the suspect was known by two different names in Italy and Britain may explain why he managed to leave London days after the failed attacks and traveled to Italy by train through France without being intercepted by border police.
According to Italian investigators, before moving to England in the late 1990s, Hamdi Issac lived in Italy between 1991 and 1996 with a regular resident permit.
Two of his brothers still remain here. And Italian police have detained both of them. One is accused of destroying or hiding documents sought by investigators. But the charge does not involve terrorism.
DE STEFANO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We find ourselves confronted with the elements that very probably are part of an impromptu group rather than part of a group operating on an international scale. VINCI: Issac's court-appointed lawyer says her client admitted to magistrates that he was involved in the July 21st failed attacks, but denied any links with the July 7th attacks or Al Qaeda. The strike, he claims, was meant to grab attention and not harm anyone, although London investigators say the bombs simply malfunctioned and were powerful enough to kill.
"Honestly, he doesn't appear as someone who wanted to die," the lawyer told CNN. "He recognizes that what he has done is absolutely deplorable," she added, saying her client claims he was misled and didn't know much about the content of the backpack he carried onboard a train.
Hamdi Issac wants to remain in Italy and has asked his lawyer to fight extradition on the grounds he may not get a fair trial in Britain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: Daryn, I spoke to the judge who is in charge of deciding whether or not to extradite Hamdi Issac this morning. And he told me basically that the procedure, the documentation, that Britain has put forward to the Italian authorities is pretty much complete, that he would hear the case in a matter of weeks, perhaps by the end of August or the beginning of September.
Now, Britain has requested that this extradition under a newly adopted European arrest warrant, which basically means that Italy has up to 90 days before making a decision whether to extradite the suspect back to London.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Alessio Vinci. Thank you, Alessio, live from Rome, Italy.
President Bush appointed his man through the political back door. But today, John Bolton is expected to walk through the front door of the United Nations, and report for work as the ambassador from the U.S. You're going to hear how he will be received.
The price of homeland security may already seem a bit too much to some, but what will it be like ten years from now? We'll have a preview of what daily life could be like.
And one of baseball's biggest hitters tests positive for steroids. I'll be speaking with the reporter who broke the story. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a live picture looking into space, the view from the space shuttle.
We're expecting a couple of things. We're looking forward to a call from President Bush. He'll be calling from the White House up to the space shuttle in about -- within the next five to ten minutes. We're going to have that phone call for you live.
And then also, the big talk of the space walk that will take place to repair some of the damage that the shuttle suffered upon takeoff. Trying to keep things as safe as possible for the astronauts.
Much more on space just ahead. Right now, the London attacks have prompted a crackdown in Pakistan. That is a Muslim nation that has been a staunch ally in the war on terror.
And while the U.S. and Great Britain have pressured Pakistan's president to carry out aggressive moves, there also, meanwhile, is concern that anger within the country could jeopardize his very survival. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us to explain the situation from within Pakistan.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. Well, since the London attacks, there is renewed focus on Pakistan and how much that government is doing in the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Pakistanis protesting President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown against extremists following the London attacks. Not since 9/11 has Musharraf been under such pressure from Britain and the U.S. to act against terrorist groups. But is Pakistan doing enough?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We've seen the cycle go on and on. Something like London happens, there's a crackdown. And then there's sort of -- and then there's, you know, several months where nothing really happens.
STARR: Musharraf has now banned students from outside Pakistan from attending religious schools believed to insight violence. Two of the attackers from the first London bombings last month are believed to have attended such schools.
Pakistani military forces last week moved into the city of Quetta, a safe haven for Al Qaeda and Taliban. Hundreds were arrested. Musharraf insists Al Qaeda no longer functions from inside Pakistan.
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: We have broken the vertical and the horizontal command and communication links of the Al Qaeda.
STARR: Musharraf also is under pressure from his army and security services, which might mutiny if he moves too aggressively. There have been several attempts on his life. The U.S. knows he doesn't control much of the country, and Al Qaeda remains very much a threat.
Moreover, officials say, in recent months, Pakistani forces have backed out of operations where there had been tips about Osama bin Laden's locations. U.S. officials tell CNN that Al Qaeda is using hard-to-track, high-frequency communications along the border with Afghanistan where it's believed bin Laden is hiding. It's a likely path for him to get his messages out.
Still, since the London attacks, one U.S. official believes bin Laden, quote, "has sensed a disturbance in his previous safe havens. He would logically look at his options, which are narrowing."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, Daryn, U.S. military commanders say they will continue, however, to help train and equip Pakistani military forces for their counterterrorism mission -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon saying that there were major mistakes in two military press releases and their quoting of an anonymous Iraqi. The Pentagon's top spokesman says anonymous sources are not allowed in the official releases.
At issue, there are two quotes, nearly identical, used in releases after two separate attacks. The first quote was issued on July 13th. It refers to insurgents as, quote, "enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today, and I will now take the fight to the terrorists," end quote.
The second quote was issued after a July 24th attack. It includes the identical wording, also highlighted in yellow there on your screen. The Pentagon spokesman says, as far as he knows, the quotes were genuine and not fabricated.
Real deal up in space. The space shuttle Discovery, a phone call is going to be coming to them very soon from the president. He's going to be calling from the White House, and you'll see that and hear that live right here on CNN in just a couple minutes. Right now, we fit in a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, we're standing by. President Bush will be placing a phone call to the space shuttle Discovery astronauts. We'll be listening in. There's a live picture of the crew. We'll be listening in to the phone call, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: This just in to CNN, news out of London. We're getting reports that there is a security alert on board a bus in London. According to some of the wire services, this is around the King's Cross station.
There's very little information at this point. But we are getting more information as it comes in. Once again, a security alert on a bus in London. More on that in a moment. Now, here's President Bush talking to the space shuttle Discovery astronauts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning. Thank you for taking my phone call. I just wanted to tell you all how proud the American people are of our astronauts. I want to thank you for being risk-takers for the sake of exploration.
I want to welcome our Japanese, and Australian, and Russian friends, and wish you god speed in your mission. I know you've got very important work to do ahead of you. And we look forward to seeing the successful completion of this mission.
And obviously, as you prepare to come back, a lot of Americans will be praying for a safe return. So it's great talking to you. Thanks for being such great examples of courage for a lot of our fellow citizens.
EILEEN COLLINS, SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY COMMANDER: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. We want to tell you that we really enjoy what we're doing. We really believe in our mission. And we believe in space exploration and getting people off the planet and seeing what's out there.
So the steps that we're taking right now are really worth it, and we want everybody to know that. And thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us.
BUSH: I want to thank you, Commander, and thank your fellow astronauts there. I agree with you. I think what you're doing is really important, and you've got a strong supporter for your mission here in the White House.
I will tell you, Laura went down and watched the launch in Florida with my little brother, Jeb, and came back all excited about, you know, the energy there on the east coast of Florida. But we're with you and wish you all the very best.
Thanks for taking my phone call. Now, get back to work.
COLLINS: Thank you very much, sir. We did fly over Texas today and had a good look at it. It looks beautiful. Have a good day.
BUSH: Well, thank you.
KAGAN: A lot of polite conversation there between the president of the United States and the crew of the space shuttle Discovery, saying that they just flew over Texas, checked on it, thought the president might like to know everything's looking OK in Texas. Good news, because the president heads to Crawford later today for some vacation time.
Our Miles O'Brien, our space correspondent, is standing by. The president made mention of wishing them a safe return and a safe recovery, something you would do to somebody, polite in such conversation, yet of particular importance, considering what this mission faces.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's why it's so important to get back to work, as the president said in his closing comments there.
Yes, they are busy trying to refine this new timeline for a space walk. That were going to do a space walk tomorrow regardless. What they've done is just changed some of the tasks. Some of the lower priority items will be saved for yet another day, another mission, or perhaps done by the space station after the shuttle leaves.
But what they will do -- astronaut Steve Robinson will be at the end of the space station robot arm. And he'll be flown, attached to it by his feet, flown into close proximity with the belly of the space shuttle Discovery right near the nose section, between a couple of tiles, not unlike these.
There is some gap fillers, kind of thick fabric, that he'll just try to pluck out. He says, if he has to yank, he's not going to do it. He'll actually cut. Because you can imagine yanking, you'd have to pull these tiles off.
KAGAN: Miles?
O'BRIEN: Go ahead, Daryn, yes?
KAGAN: Miles, I'm just going to jump in here, because we do have the breaking news out of London.
O'BRIEN: OK.
KAGAN: Thanks for staying late, though, and explaining what they face on board shuttle Discovery. Miles O'Brien, thank you, Miles.
We're going to join now ITN and their coverage of what's happening right now in London.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evacuate from outside that station?
CHRIS SHIP, ITN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed so. (INAUDIBLE) I'm standing on one right now with police, taped around them the whole area. We can't get close to Gray's Inn Road, where this bus is. But it's right at the junction of Gray's Inn Road and Euston Road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just seeing a map of that now, Chris.
SHIP: Indeed, and Euston Road as many might know -- they've traveling in and out of King's Cross -- is a main road that runs right in front of King's Cross station.
You can imagine it's causing a fair amount of traffic mayhem. I'm looking down at Gray's Inn Road at a moment and can just see a certain section of it from the road that I'm on. A number of cars, there's a cement mixer stopped in the road there.
Clearly, whatever happen here was certainly urgent enough for police to stop the traffic in the road and evacuate those from Gray's Inn Road itself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris, you've clearly described to us the police actives. What about the other emergency services? I believe there are ambulances heading to the scene. Have they arrived?
SHIP: Indeed, I've seen a number of ambulances passed (INAUDIBLE) on their way down here. There were a number of ambulances which were passing us.
Because of our limited vantage point from where we are, I can't tell you where the ambulances have gone. But all three emergency services are here, the police, the fire brigade, and the ambulance, all present in and around this area.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Chris Ship, for now, many thanks for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think we have another eyewitness on phone.
Maria Hadjuconstanti, can you hear us?
MARIA HADJICONSTANTI, KING'S CROSS EYEWITNESS: Yes, I can. Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can. Can you tell me what you saw and heard?
HADJICONSTANTI: Well, I come out of the tube station about 30 minutes ago when they just began to cordon off just that part of King's Cross tube station in the beginning of York Way and Gray's Inn Road. KAGAN: Pretty much. You guys have a great day.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
KAGAN: You guys have a great day in New York City. We'll go ahead and get started. Let's do that by taking a look at what's happening now in the news.
The crew of the shuttle Discovery preparing for a risky maneuver, this one never done before. One of astronauts will attempt a repair on Discovery during a space walk underneath the shuttle. NASA wants to remove material protruding from the shuttle's thermal tiles. Details just ahead in a live report.
Also, the president is scheduled to call the shuttle crew shortly. We're going to bring you that phone call live.
We are following a developing story out of Iraq where six U.S. Marines have been killed in combat. The fighting took place yesterday near the town of Haditha. That's about 135 miles northwest of Baghdad. Closer to the capital, a seventh Marine died in a suicide car bombing. All were assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations will be officially received at the world body next hour. John Bolton will present his credentials to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. President Bush bypassed Senate opponents and appointed Bolton to the post yesterday during a congressional recess.
Leaders from the Middle East and around the world gathered in Saudi Arabia today for the funeral of King Fahd. Following the ceremony, the Saudi monarch was buried in an unmarked grave in a desert cemetery in Riyadh. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the former Crown Prince Abdullah.
The hurricane season got off to a fast and furious start, and now national forecasters say the worst may be yet to come. An updated outlook just released this hour predicts as many as 21 tropical storms with five to seven major hurricanes. That's up from the earlier predictions of three to five major hurricanes.
Good morning to you on this Tuesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
There is no rest for the weary or the worried aboard the space shuttle Discovery. We're going to get to the space shuttle in a moment. First, though, we want to talk about this topic of hurricanes. It already has seen like a very intense and difficult year. And as we were just mentioned, the worst may be yet to come.
In fact, they're talking about so many storms, they might run out of names in the alphabet. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras to tell us more about this -- Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Daryn. Yes, they're having the press conference on it right now, but they've upped those numbers very significantly now. We've already had seven named storms in the Atlantic basin, and that has been a record for this early in the season.
The forecast now, officially from NOA, just updated here today, expecting 18 to 21 named storms, 9 to 11 of them becoming hurricanes and 5 to 7 of those becoming major hurricanes. If we got 21, that would tie the all-time record for number of storms within one season, and it would use up this entire list. We would make it all the way to Wilma.
If we use up all of these names, what do we do? Well, we go to the Greek alphabet. So then we would go to alpha, beta, you know the rest, so down the line.
So this is very significant. The original forecast that they released in May was 12 to 15 named storms. So we're looking at compared to average, double the number. We usually see ten named storms. We're talking 20, 21, yes, twice as many.
Not a pretty picture, as we get closer towards the peak of hurricane season, which begins about the end of August and guess throughout much of September. I believe September 10th is the actual peak date.
Things are relatively quiet right now in the Atlantic. That's some good news. We have a little upper level disturbance right here that possibly could turn into something, but it doesn't look like upper-level conditions are very favorable for that.
We'll have the rest of the nation's forecast coming up before the end of the hour -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Jacqui, I noticed looking at that list, they already skipped some letters, like there's no Zelda?
JERAS: Right. Yes, there are 21 names on the list. Of course, 26 letters of the alphabet. So we skip a few. Yes, tough to come up with a good z name, I guess, every year.
KAGAN: Well, work on that. Maybe they won't end up in this situation in the future. Jacqui, thank you.
Let's get back to the space shuttle Discovery. No rest for the weary or the worried aboard the space shuttle Discovery. NASA officials have agreed on yet another chore for the crew.
Get this. They're going to do a risky and unprecedented space walk to remove strips of fabric that are dangling from the shuttle's underside. Our space correspondent Miles O'Brien following these latest developments to tell us why they have decided to do what they have never done before.
Good morning, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
It is risky. Of course, any time you put on a spacesuit and walk around in space, or float around in space, 17,500 miles an hour, 220 miles above us, that's a risky proposition. But nevertheless, what the space walking veterans tell us this morning is that the task at hand, relatively straightforward.
Now, let's go back to what we're talking about here, the damage. The bottom side of the space shuttle Discovery has a few bumps on it. Gap filler, this is stuff which goes between tiles, like this one. Take a look at that one. That's not one, obviously, from Discovery.
But what's kind of interesting about it -- you notice they've now been handling it fairly gingerly, and it's already kind of nicking. These are very sensitive tiles. And between them, these kind of thick fabric gap fillers.
A few of them have come out. And they have about a one-inch protrusion in two locations. NASA is worried about those spots, because, on re-entry, those bumps could interrupt that super hot air flow over the surface of the space shuttle.
`Now, as the shuttle comes in, it's, you know, Mach 25, down to Mach 18. These are tremendous speeds. It's exposed to tremendous heat. And there's this thing called the boundary there. It's basically a cushion of molecules around it which sort of buffers it against the heat.
Now, if you have a little stubble on that smooth bottom there, it can trip that boundary layer, cause it to be turbulent. It's like focusing the flame of a blow torch right on a specific spot. So that's the concern.
NASA sees the two bumps. It's relatively easy to go pull them out, so why not do it? Listen to the space walker, Steve Robinson, who will be doing the task, see what he has to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE ROBINSON, SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY CREWMEMBER: There won't be any yanking going on at all. There will be a gentle pull with my hand. And if that doesn't work, I have some forceps. I'll give a slightly more than gentle pull. If that doesn't work, I saw it off with a hacksaw. No yanking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: All right, so no yanking. Let's be clear on that. A little gentle pull, one to five pounds of pressure. That's not much at all. It doesn't come out, he'll get the tools out.
And, Daryn, this is the first time this has been tried. It's also the first time that NASA has had this kind of imagery to realize that they might have a problem like this. There you see sort of a demonstration of what the gap filler looks like on the ground there.
And so it's important that -- you know, having seen it, it really was incumbent upon NASA to do something about it, even though the engineers would tell you that it's probably not something that would cause a repeat of Columbia.
Nevertheless, they're there, they can do it. So why not?
Daryn?
KAGAN: OK. So the astronaut goes out, he says no yanking. He has some tools. Good to know he has a hacksaw, by the way.
O'BRIEN: Good to have.
KAGAN: Yes, good to have. Always handy.
But you go in there and you start fooling around. How do you know you're not going to do more damage and make a bigger hole?
O'BRIEN: Well, that takes me back to my point a moment ago on these tiles. You know, they're very fragile. This thing has amazing heat resisting capability, but it's very light, very frangible, breaks off very easily, kind of stiff. You can hear it, you know.
And I think these guys are very used to -- their training is all about being around fragile things. But that is the big concern, that, you know, for some reason, something goes wrong, you could cause much more harm than good.
These guys are pros, though. They're good at it. They know how to operate it. And the plan they have is fairly forward, as space walks go. It still is kind of a complicated business.
KAGAN: Yes, one would think. Miles, thank you. Don't go too far, because we have some other space business to get to in just a little bit.
O'BRIEN: All right.
KAGAN: A reminder for our viewers, but before I move on, President Bush scheduled to call the crew of the shuttle Discovery in just a couple minutes. We'll bring that conversation to you live. And Miles, our space expert guru person will be with us along to listen in on that call.
And CNN always has the latest news online. Find the latest on the shuttle, the space walk, the repairs, the overall mission at CNN.com/space.
Let's get some other news in, though, before the president's phone call. It is eight minutes after the hour.
Focusing now on the London terror attacks and that widening investigation. British police are now questioning two more suspects in connection to the failed bombings of July 21st. Meanwhile, Italian authorities holding one of the alleged would-be bombers have now filed charges.
That's where we find our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci.
Alessio, hello.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, the Italian authorities want to know why one of the would-be bombers traveled from London to Italy after the failed attacks of July the 21st. And they want to know primarily whether he came here because he simply wanted to hide or whether because he was planning an attack.
Now, initial investigation, initial evidence suggests that he came here because he had relatives. Nevertheless, police officials and investigators continue their work. And one prosecutor here has charged him with international terrorism. That charge, however, coming from evidence primarily collected in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI (voice-over): Italian police say they arrested the suspect in Rome after tracing calls he made from a cell phone monitored initially by Scotland Yard, calls he made from Britain to Italy, and, police say, to Saudi Arabia.
At least one intercept was recorded. And when Italian police compared it to a voice recording provided by British police, they had their man.
CARLO DE STEFANO, CHIEF, ANTI-TERROR POLICE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We could immediately verify that the voice of the fugitive was compatible with the phone model sent to us by the British police. So we were almost completely sure we were in front of the attacker.
VINCI: Italian officials say the suspect falsified his name and nationality when he applied for political asylum in Britain years ago. He was born in Ethiopia as Hamdi Issac, but when he arrived in Britain, he used the alias Osman Hussain, claiming to be from Somalia.
Given the suspect was known by two different names in Italy and Britain may explain why he managed to leave London days after the failed attacks and traveled to Italy by train through France without being intercepted by border police.
According to Italian investigators, before moving to England in the late 1990s, Hamdi Issac lived in Italy between 1991 and 1996 with a regular resident permit.
Two of his brothers still remain here. And Italian police have detained both of them. One is accused of destroying or hiding documents sought by investigators. But the charge does not involve terrorism.
DE STEFANO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We find ourselves confronted with the elements that very probably are part of an impromptu group rather than part of a group operating on an international scale.
VINCI: Issac's court-appointed lawyer says her client admitted to magistrates that he was involved in the July 21st failed attacks, but denied any links with the July 7th attacks or Al Qaeda. The strike, he claims, was meant to grab attention and not harm anyone, although London investigators say the bombs simply malfunctioned and were powerful enough to kill.
"Honestly, he doesn't appear as someone who wanted to die," the lawyer told CNN. "He recognizes that what he has done is absolutely deplorable," she added, saying her client claims he was misled and didn't know much about the content of the backpack he carried onboard a train.
Hamdi Issac wants to remain in Italy and has asked his lawyer to fight extradition on the grounds he may not get a fair trial in Britain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: Daryn, I spoke to the judge who is in charge of deciding whether or not to extradite Hamdi Issac this morning. And he told me basically that the procedure, the documentation, that Britain has put forward to the Italian authorities is pretty much complete, that he would hear the case in a matter of weeks, perhaps by the end of August or the beginning of September.
Now, Britain has requested that this extradition under a newly adopted European arrest warrant, which basically means that Italy has up to 90 days before making a decision whether to extradite the suspect back to London.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Alessio Vinci. Thank you, Alessio, live from Rome, Italy.
President Bush appointed his man through the political back door. But today, John Bolton is expected to walk through the front door of the United Nations, and report for work as the ambassador from the U.S. You're going to hear how he will be received.
The price of homeland security may already seem a bit too much to some, but what will it be like ten years from now? We'll have a preview of what daily life could be like.
And one of baseball's biggest hitters tests positive for steroids. I'll be speaking with the reporter who broke the story. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a live picture looking into space, the view from the space shuttle.
We're expecting a couple of things. We're looking forward to a call from President Bush. He'll be calling from the White House up to the space shuttle in about -- within the next five to ten minutes. We're going to have that phone call for you live.
And then also, the big talk of the space walk that will take place to repair some of the damage that the shuttle suffered upon takeoff. Trying to keep things as safe as possible for the astronauts.
Much more on space just ahead. Right now, the London attacks have prompted a crackdown in Pakistan. That is a Muslim nation that has been a staunch ally in the war on terror.
And while the U.S. and Great Britain have pressured Pakistan's president to carry out aggressive moves, there also, meanwhile, is concern that anger within the country could jeopardize his very survival. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us to explain the situation from within Pakistan.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. Well, since the London attacks, there is renewed focus on Pakistan and how much that government is doing in the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Pakistanis protesting President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown against extremists following the London attacks. Not since 9/11 has Musharraf been under such pressure from Britain and the U.S. to act against terrorist groups. But is Pakistan doing enough?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We've seen the cycle go on and on. Something like London happens, there's a crackdown. And then there's sort of -- and then there's, you know, several months where nothing really happens.
STARR: Musharraf has now banned students from outside Pakistan from attending religious schools believed to insight violence. Two of the attackers from the first London bombings last month are believed to have attended such schools.
Pakistani military forces last week moved into the city of Quetta, a safe haven for Al Qaeda and Taliban. Hundreds were arrested. Musharraf insists Al Qaeda no longer functions from inside Pakistan.
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: We have broken the vertical and the horizontal command and communication links of the Al Qaeda.
STARR: Musharraf also is under pressure from his army and security services, which might mutiny if he moves too aggressively. There have been several attempts on his life. The U.S. knows he doesn't control much of the country, and Al Qaeda remains very much a threat.
Moreover, officials say, in recent months, Pakistani forces have backed out of operations where there had been tips about Osama bin Laden's locations. U.S. officials tell CNN that Al Qaeda is using hard-to-track, high-frequency communications along the border with Afghanistan where it's believed bin Laden is hiding. It's a likely path for him to get his messages out.
Still, since the London attacks, one U.S. official believes bin Laden, quote, "has sensed a disturbance in his previous safe havens. He would logically look at his options, which are narrowing."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, Daryn, U.S. military commanders say they will continue, however, to help train and equip Pakistani military forces for their counterterrorism mission -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon saying that there were major mistakes in two military press releases and their quoting of an anonymous Iraqi. The Pentagon's top spokesman says anonymous sources are not allowed in the official releases.
At issue, there are two quotes, nearly identical, used in releases after two separate attacks. The first quote was issued on July 13th. It refers to insurgents as, quote, "enemies of humanity without religion or any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today, and I will now take the fight to the terrorists," end quote.
The second quote was issued after a July 24th attack. It includes the identical wording, also highlighted in yellow there on your screen. The Pentagon spokesman says, as far as he knows, the quotes were genuine and not fabricated.
Real deal up in space. The space shuttle Discovery, a phone call is going to be coming to them very soon from the president. He's going to be calling from the White House, and you'll see that and hear that live right here on CNN in just a couple minutes. Right now, we fit in a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, we're standing by. President Bush will be placing a phone call to the space shuttle Discovery astronauts. We'll be listening in. There's a live picture of the crew. We'll be listening in to the phone call, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: This just in to CNN, news out of London. We're getting reports that there is a security alert on board a bus in London. According to some of the wire services, this is around the King's Cross station.
There's very little information at this point. But we are getting more information as it comes in. Once again, a security alert on a bus in London. More on that in a moment. Now, here's President Bush talking to the space shuttle Discovery astronauts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning. Thank you for taking my phone call. I just wanted to tell you all how proud the American people are of our astronauts. I want to thank you for being risk-takers for the sake of exploration.
I want to welcome our Japanese, and Australian, and Russian friends, and wish you god speed in your mission. I know you've got very important work to do ahead of you. And we look forward to seeing the successful completion of this mission.
And obviously, as you prepare to come back, a lot of Americans will be praying for a safe return. So it's great talking to you. Thanks for being such great examples of courage for a lot of our fellow citizens.
EILEEN COLLINS, SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY COMMANDER: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. We want to tell you that we really enjoy what we're doing. We really believe in our mission. And we believe in space exploration and getting people off the planet and seeing what's out there. So the steps that we're taking right now are really worth it, and we want everybody to know that. And thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us.
BUSH: I want to thank you, Commander, and thank your fellow astronauts there. I agree with you. I think what you're doing is really important, and you've got a strong supporter for your mission here in the White House.
I will tell you, Laura went down and watched the launch in Florida with my little brother, Jeb, and came back all excited about, you know, the energy there on the east coast of Florida. But we're with you and wish you all the very best.
Thanks for taking my phone call. Now, get back to work.
COLLINS: Thank you very much, sir. We did fly over Texas today and had a good look at it. It looks beautiful. Have a good day.
BUSH: Well, thank you.
KAGAN: A lot of polite conversation there between the president of the United States and the crew of the space shuttle Discovery, saying that they just flew over Texas, checked on it, thought the president might like to know everything's looking OK in Texas. Good news, because the president heads to Crawford later today for some vacation time.
Our Miles O'Brien, our space correspondent, is standing by.
The president made mention of wishing them a safe return and a safe recovery, something you would do to somebody, polite in such conversation, yet of particular importance, considering what this mission faces.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's why it's so important to get back to work, as the president said in his closing comments there.
Yes, they are busy trying to refine this new timeline for a space walk. That were going to do a space walk tomorrow regardless. What they've done is just changed some of the tasks. Some of the lower priority items will be saved for yet another day, another mission, or perhaps done by the space station after the shuttle leaves.
But what they will do -- astronaut Steve Robinson will be at the end of the space station robot arm. And he'll be flown, attached to it by his feet, flown into close proximity with the belly of the space shuttle Discovery right near the nose section, between a couple of tiles, not unlike these.
There is some gap fillers, kind of thick fabric, that he'll just try to pluck out. He says, if he has to yank, he's not going to do it. He'll actually cut. Because you can imagine yanking, you'd have to pull these tiles off.
KAGAN: Miles? O'BRIEN: Go ahead, Daryn, yes?
KAGAN: Miles, I'm just going to jump in here, because we do have the breaking news out of London.
O'BRIEN: OK.
KAGAN: Thanks for staying late, though, and explaining what they face on board shuttle Discovery. Miles O'Brien, thank you, Miles.
We're going to join now ITN and their coverage of what's happening right now in London.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Evacuate from outside that station?
CHRIS SHIP, ITN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed so. (INAUDIBLE) I'm standing on one right now with police, taped around them the whole area. We can't get close to Gray's Inn Road, where this bus is. But it's right at the junction of Gray's Inn Road and Euston Road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just seeing a map of that now, Chris.
SHIP: Indeed, and Euston Road as many might know -- they've traveling in and out of King's Cross -- is a main road that runs right in front of King's Cross station.
You can imagine it's causing a fair amount of traffic mayhem. I'm looking down at Gray's Inn Road at a moment and can just see a certain section of it from the road that I'm on. A number of cars, there's a cement mixer stopped in the road there.
Clearly, whatever happen here was certainly urgent enough for police to stop the traffic in the road and evacuate those from Gray's Inn Road itself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris, you've clearly described to us the police actives. What about the other emergency services? I believe there are ambulances heading to the scene. Have they arrived?
SHIP: Indeed, I've seen a number of ambulances passed (INAUDIBLE) on their way down here. There were a number of ambulances which were passing us.
Because of our limited vantage point from where we are, I can't tell you where the ambulances have gone. But all three emergency services are here, the police, the fire brigade, and the ambulance, all present in and around this area.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Chris Ship, for now, many thanks for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think we have another eyewitness on phone.
Maria Hadjuconstanti, can you hear us?
MARIA HADJICONSTANTI, KING'S CROSS EYEWITNESS: Yes, I can. Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can. Can you tell me what you saw and heard?
HADJICONSTANTI: Well, I come out of the tube station about 30 minutes ago when they just began to cordon off just that part of King's Cross tube station in the beginning of York Way and Gray's Inn Road. The cordon's now one back to where some (INAUDIBLE), where the tubes and trains are running.
There's a lot of police running around here. I haven't seen any ambulances or fire services yet. But a lot of policemen going in on motorbikes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, but it's your understanding that it's the bus that is concerning people? Nothing in the station or down on the tube that was worrying police?
HADJICONSTANTI: The police have said there's actually been a suspect, I believe, a (INAUDIBLE), being found next to the bus which is outside the Tenslink (ph) Station, which is a few minutes walk from the King's Cross Tube Station here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, and the scene there now is what exactly?
HADJICONSTANTI: Just lots of people walking around trying to find out how to get to the their destinations. Lots of police around. They seem to be answering people's traveling worries, but no one really knows what's happening or how serious this package could be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. I'm just seeing here that the police have issued a statement, saying I don't think we should jump to any conclusions, and then adding that a van from the bomb-disposal unit is on its way to the scene. Police there are pushing people well back, I see?
HADJICONSTANTI: Yes, they're pushing them very well back. They're not letting anybody near the area of the (INAUDIBLE). They're very fearful it could be something genuine, and obviously they don't want anybody to get hurt. The public seems to be quite understanding about this, especially what's happened over the past few weeks, but some stopping just to see what's going on, really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. And, Maria, have you managed to speak to anybody who came off the bus at all?
HADJICONSTANTI: No, the bus is quite far back from where I'm standing. I must be a good, 200, 300 yards away from it. I can't see bus, so haven't heard from any passengers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, and do you know if there's any activity going on around the bus at the moment, in terms of police activity or bomb-disposal activity?
HADJICONSTANTI: As I say, I've seen policemen going in with motorbikes. I've seen dogs coming out of the cars, but it's around the corner. So from where all the public are, nobody can see the bus. They've blocked it off quite a way back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. OK, Maria, thanks very much, indeed.
And we're just getting a report here from the press association saying that police are investigating the cause of fire on a bus in Central London. Roads were cordoned off around the smoking bus near King's Cross Station. Police sources say there have been no explosions. We're investigating what it is that caused the fire. So we're hearing several reports about (INAUDIBLE) being found by the bus, and this all happened at the top of Gray's Inn Road, and parts of Pensonville (ph) Road has also been closed off. A Scotland Yard spokesman has just said we heard reports of smoke coming from a double-decker bus on Gray's Inn Road. In fact, that's the road the ITN studios are on. We're just trying to establish exactly what the circumstances are. We've closed roads in the immediate vicinity as a precaution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A London Fire Brigade spokesman has added that there was a small fire on a bus, and it seems there was a bag found there on that bus as well. Nobody was injured. The ambulance service has been called. A transport for London spokesman said the incident just confirming that involved a 205 bus close to King's Cross Station. Buses in the area have, of course, been delayed, as has all the traffic there, because, as we know, the areas around that incident have been closed off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're talking to Maria Hadjiconstanti, who is an eyewitness at the scene. And, Maria, I would imagine, things made all the more tense because of what happened at King's Cross on July 7th.
HADJICONSTANTI: Yes, a lot of people do seem quite anxious now...
KAGAN: We've listening in to ITN and their coverage of what's taking place in London right now. We do know it concerns a city bus there, some suspicion around that bus and a number of streets being cordoned off. Of course, this makes news internationally because of what has happened, not once, but twice in the last month in London.
Our Jim Boulden is in our London bureau with more on what we know so far about hats taking place -- Jim.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
Yes, police tell us that there was a bus that was smoking in that area of King's Cross, and they are, of course, taking no chances at all. They have evacuated that bus, and we're being told that many people in the area are being evacuated as well. Two stations in the area being evacuated. They're pushing people back further and further. They are saying that there was no bang. That is from a police source. No bang was heard. And they're investigating what that was. But it looks like a double-decker bus was smoking, and that concerns people. The London Fire Brigade has said there was a small fire on this bus, and there seems to be some bags found as well. Of course bags might have been left by people who evacuated at the time. Of course they are taking absolutely no chances, especially because one of the bombs went off near King's Cross on July 7th, and of course the police are moving people back. We're being told it was a bus number 202 from White Chapel heading to Paddington Station, and we also know that that is a very, very busy area. The King's Cross Station, one of the biggest and most populated stations in London. Many would be heading on their way to home and cannot get through that area. The police say that they are sending ambulances to the area, and the bomb squad is on the way, if they have not arrived already.
KAGAN: And, Jim, this happens, as I was saying, in light of the two incidents in July, but also in recent days, hasn't the city of London been on heightened alert and increased police presence?
BOULDEN: Absolutely. Since July 7th, we have seen a number of buses pulled over. We've seen a number of incidents happening. They're called suspect packages here. We remember them during the days of the IRA. If they found a bus way package that was left, if they found a rucksack or a backpack or they found briefcase, the bus would be evacuated, the train would be evacuated. And in this time, they're of course evacuating a large area, because they don't want to take any chances, and it has been heightened. There's been many police in every single station that I've gone through. There've been police on buses, armed police in the major stations. So if they've seen this bus, smoking or catching fire, they would have been able to react very quickly.
We also heard from some eyewitnesses there who say that people are cooperating, and of course nobody is taking any chances, and they are moving back quickly. They are listening to police, and they are getting back into their areas.
And I did talk to a man on the phone just about five minutes ago. He's about four blocks away from where the incident is happening. He said he has not been evacuated. His building has not been evacuated. He's in a law firm very near that area. So it doesn't look as if they're starting to get people out of buildings yet, but certainly getting people off the streets. And I imagine there are many, thousands of people in that area at the moment -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And talk about that area you were alluding to a little bit, King's Cross, especially the significance of the bombing on July 7th?
BOULDEN: Well, on July 7th, the more people died underneath that station than anywhere else. It was a train going from King's Cross into Central London, and I think it was up to 26 who were people killed on that train. The bombers, of course, met on that station. There are CCTV video of them in Houston going into the King's Cross area, and then they wall went their separate ways that morning. So there has been a lot of police presence in that area, and it is one of most heavily used stations in that area for people going north to the north of capital, and also going into northern England, so you would imagine an enormous amount of people at train station, an enormous amount of people in the underground train station, and also many buses go through that area, because it is a major link. And so when police say that they are stopping buses and pushing people off, that means many more people are now going into the street.
But I have to say, we are hearing people are cooperating with police. That's no surprise, really, and they are moving back so that the police can get their job done.
The police are saying, I must repeat, don't take any -- don't jump to any conclusions now. We did not hear a bang. People did not report a bang on this train. And it could very well be an engine fire.
KAGAN: Yes, let me just...
BOULDEN: When they say they are suspect packages...
KAGAN: I just want to jump in here, because we are hearing through our contacts here that Scotland Yard is saying, at this point, they do believe it just might be an engine fire, given buses have problems every day, and that they, at this point, are going in the direction that it was not any kind of terrorist activity.
We're going to continue to follow, but thank you for jumping in there. Thank you.
Our Walter Rodgers is actually on the scene, or very close to it, as he can get, and tells us what he knows -- Walter.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
We just heard on a police radio that there is a full stand-down after a false alarm here in Central London, very close to the King's Cross Station. Now, of course, that's a nervous point, because at King's Cross, that was where the bombers on July 7th met and then launched out. What happened was, at about 14:38. That's 2:38 in the afternoon London Time, smoke was seen on a double-decker bus, and of course nerves still here in London are raw and taut.
However, this, as I say, was a false alarm. Police have sealed off the street at the northern end of Gray's Inn Road, and that abuts to the King's Cross Station. So, again, people here were very nervous. Smoke was seen on a double-decker bus. There was, however, no reports of an explosion, although there are at least half a dozen buses in this area lined up and stopped. Police sealed off the northern ends of Gray's Inn Road. But as I just mentioned, we heard on a police radio, there was a full stand-down. They are standing down, investigating the incident, but that's it.
Back to you.
KAGAN: Walter Rodgers, thank you. Walter, thank you for the latest on that. Understandable how people would be on edge. given the events of last month in London. And our thanks to Jim Boulden as well.
So once again, it appears it is a fault alarm, a double-decker bus with engine trouble. Not any kind of terroristic activity.
We're going to take a break. Much more news ahead after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, we've been following a story out of London. Just within the last hour, London police sealed out of several streets in the western part of the city due to a double-decker bus, that they saw smoke coming from it. Of course there were concerns given what has taken place in London. Scotland Yard now saying stand-down, that they believe it is just engine trouble coming from that double-decker bus, which brings us to our "Security Watch" this morning, surveillance cameras,long waits at airport check-ins, even random bag checks. Certainly a lot has changed in our post-9/11 world.
But as our Tom Foreman now reports, more change is coming is actually coming, and that has some privacy advocates very worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the four years since the world came to face greater fears, greater forces, greater security, Lisa Casmer (ph) has accepted one thing above all else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world has changed a lot. It's a difference place to live.
FOREMAN: Living and working near Washington, D.C., she watches America's security revolution up close. And she doesn't always like it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to worry every time I go anywhere about emptying my pocket and having somebody look at everything that I have and look through my purse.
(on camera): Some people say we just have to put up with this and it's worth it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To some extent, I definitely agree. But, like I said, I think that there is such a thing as too much, as excessive.
FOREMAN: But jumps forward five to 15 years and security analysts say most Americans will be in for a lot more. Commuting, count on cameras. Experts say the millions of police and private surveillance cameras already at work will be increasingly watched by computers. So, if you circle a government building too many times, license plate recognition could give police instant pictures and a map of everywhere else you have been, then match that with your driver's license, cell phone, Internet and credit records.
JAMES LEWIS, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: There are some really big gaps in our security.
FOREMAN: Jim Lewis is with the Center For Strategic and International Studies.
LEWIS: We're seeing some of these things tested for power plants, where cameras will notice if a car is driving around, if someone appears to be in a vehicle and surveilling the plant.
FOREMAN: At some offices and large public places, biometric systems are already becoming more common, scanning eyes or fingerprints to guard access to buildings and especially computers. Sophisticated I.D. badges designed to thwart counterfeiting are also growing in use at work and at schools. And more contain radio tracking devices to record your location every second, again matching your electronic record with any suspicious activity.
The use of sophisticated software to do data mining is already something that the private sector is doing. And it will be natural to look for solutions in antiterrorism there as well.
FOREMAN: The biggest challenge is public transportation because it involves so many people moving so rapidly. Today, security is obvious at most hubs, with police sometimes armed with machine guns making their presence known. Bomb dogs, random bags searches. And experts are promoting more of all of this in the name of future safety.
In a dozen years, they say, when you enter many train stations, subways or airports, you will walk through built-in biohazard, bomb and weapon detectors. Even highly advanced X-rays that look through your clothing may become cost-effective. No wonder, in the rush to security, privacy experts say American laws, written long before such technology, much also be scrutinized.
CEDRIC LAURANT, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER: The problem is that there no privacy framework in place that specifies what's going to happen with that data, for which purpose it could be used.
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: ... electronic data.
(CROSSTALK)
LAURANT: Who will get access to it.
FOREMAN (on camera): Still, the Security Industry Association says, while, right now, the nation's security infrastructure is like an unfinished building, with bare beams and wires hanging everywhere, over the next decades, it will be completed. And in the process it will largely disappear.
(voice-over): So much so, that they dream of a day when at the airports you will be so thoroughly scanned, identified tracked walking through the building that you'll get right on to your plane.
Lisa Casmer can't wait, because right now, the endless of talk of terror and security is unsettling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That it definitely makes people more aware.
FOREMAN: And when she turns on the news each evening, though she knows she is safer, she doesn't always feel that way.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're starting to see a pattern here.
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And here's another hot-button issue: national I.D. cards. The former head of Homeland Security says he is for them. We'll tell you why, as our special "Safe at Home" series continues on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Catch that 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Well, It is just months after telling Congress he never, never used steroids, one of baseball's biggest hitters has tested positive for the performance-enhancer drugs. You're going to hear what Rafael Palmeiro has to say for himself.
Also I'll be talking with a "Sports Illustrated" reporter about what this means for baseball and Palmeiro's career.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The markets have been open about an hour and 20 minutes. Things looking strong today as Wall Street pushes forward. The Dow is up 51 points. The Nasdaq in positive territory, as well. It is up 15.
Much more news ahead. Actually, let's get to it light now.
Major League Baseball has a new embarrassment to confront. One of the game's top hitters and a virtual shoo-in for the Hall of Fame has been suspended for using illegal steroids. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro says doesn't know how he injected the performance-enhancing drug. He's been suspended for ten games. Last month, Palmeiro became just the fourth player with 500 homers and 3,000 hits. And just about five months ago, he adamantly told Congress he never used the banned substance.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
RAFAEL PALMEIRO, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: I accept this punishment and want to address it publicly. I want to apologize to Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles organization, my teammates and most of all, my fans. I don't know what it was. I don't know what caused this. Why would I do this in a year where I went in front of Congress? Why would I do this in a season where I was going to get my 3,000 hits? I would not put my career on the line, I would not put reputation on the line. I'm not a crazy person. I'm not stupid.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAGAN: Palmeiro is the first top tier player to be caught in Major League Baseball steroids testing.
For a closer look at what it means to the sport and for the player's bid for the Hall of Fame, let's check in with Tom Verducci of "Sports Illustrated," who has been covering this steroids story long before most people were even talking about it. Tom, good morning.
TOM VERDUCCI, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Six other players have been caught in the testing already, but Rafael Palmeiro -- this is the biggest player so far.
VERDUCCI: Oh, by far. As you mentioned, he was a shoo-in first ballot Hall of Famer, one of only four players with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. And especially given that performance that we saw in Washington on March the 17th in front of Congress...
KAGAN: He was so adamant. Everybody was praising him, looking at Mark McGwire, saying Mark McGwire was too wishy-washy. Why couldn't you be adamant and strong like Rafael Palmeiro was?
VERDUCCI: He wagged his finger at those Congressmen and used the word "never." Now, as adamant as he was that day, I think what's telling here is that he is not being forthcoming now that we know he not only tested positive for steroids, but the Baseball Arbitration Panel rejected his grievance and upheld the suspension.
And I think we're seeing a lack of forthrightness from Rafael Palmeiro at this point. The man who was wagging his finger at people in March suddenly has gone coldly quiet when it comes to saying what the substance was and how this got into his body.
KAGAN: A couple quick questions for you. Ultimately, does he make it into the Hall of Fame?
VERDUCCI: That's a great question. I don't think he's to get in on the first ballot. I am a Hall of Fame voter. I have a very tough time voting for someone who has -- we have absolute proof now that he used steroids. I don't take that lightly.
KAGAN: OK. And what does this say about baseball and how they're handling this more toughly?
VERDUCCI: Well, let's remember here, the system worked. He did go through the whole process, in terms of testing and the grievance procedure through, total anonymity. There were no leaks. He went through the process, was found to be guilty and now he's serving his suspension. Now, let's face it. He's getting half the suspension that Kenny Rogers got for pushing a cameraman.
This gets us back to Bud Selig's claim early in the season that he wants that three strikes and you're out penalty, 50 days first offense, not ten days. The Players' Association has tabled this. I think this puts that discussion back on the front burner, that they do need stricter penalties.
KAGAN: Bad timing for Baltimore Orioles. Lost 12 of their last 13 games. Not a good time for them to go without their first base star. Tom, thank you.
VERDUCCI: Thank you.
KAGAN: Tom Verducci from "Sports Illustrated." Ahead in our next hour, it's his first day on the job. New U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton meets with Kofi Annan. That's coming up in about 30 minutes.
Plus, he's Harry Potter and all of his friends. Well, he is the voice of them. The voice behind the Potter audio books joins me live. You'll want to stay tuned for that, as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Some anxious moments in London this morning. Police responding to reports of smoke coming from a bus, but they now say it turned out to be engine trouble. The incident triggered a security alert in the city, still jittery from the attacks on its transit system.
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