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CNN Live Today
Crisis In The Middle East; Target: USA; Ariel Sharon's Condition Worsens; Snow Hosts Press Conference
Aired August 14, 2006 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just a short time ago addressed the Israeli parliament. He says the fighting has claimed 159 Israeli lives, civilians and soldiers, and he offered condolences to the families of the dead. The Israeli leader also praised his country's military in its fight against Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, (through translator): The soldiers of the IDF have struck a major blow at this murderous organization. The extent of this blow is not yet known. But in terms of its long-term capabilities, its enormous arsenal of arms that it built up and stockpiled for many, many years and also with regard to its self-confidence and self-confidence of its personnel and its leaders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Let's get more on what the prime minister had to say and check in along the northern Israeli border. Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is there and we will check in with him when we're able to get a connection.
We do have a connection with Anthony Mills who is in Beirut in the Lebanese capital.
Anthony, what can you tell us about what's happening there?
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, just a short while ago, actually a few hours ago now, at midday Beirut time, that's five hours ago, according to a U.N. spokesperson here, the head of the United Nations forces in Lebanon, General Alam Pelagrene (ph) met with high ranking officials of the Israeli army and of the Lebanese army and discussed with them ways of implementing -- the implementation of this cessation of hostilities agreement. They discussed the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon, as well as a rapid deployment of Lebanese forces into south Lebanon.
Meanwhile, of course, thousands of Lebanese -- displaced Lebanese people have been returning home, especially to their homes in the south, but also to their homes in south Beirut, a strong hold -- the Hezbollah stronghold part of the city which has been pounded. One concern right now in Lebanon is that the travel ban on vehicles issued by the Israeli defense forces two days ago remains in effect. And so the view is that these people who are rushing to return home, seizing this opportunity granted by the cessation of hostilities, are actually still in danger.
Daryn.
KAGAN: And so, Anthony, people going home. But isn't there some danger in going home? I'm hearing about unexploded bombs and cells that are just laying around.
MILLS: That's right, Daryn.
On the one hand there is the danger of this ban on travel in vehicles, but also, absolutely, the dangers of unexploded ordnance that is lying around, even in streets in some cases, in homes, in the rubble of homes and so on. And according to security sources here, two people have been killed today by unexploded ordnance and as many 11 injured. Now they are being advised to stay away from any suspicion looking objects.
But, of course, in the rush to return home, people who spent weeks now outside their houses, they hear of this cessation of hostility agreement, they see that the bombardment have ceased and they rush to get home, to get back to their houses, to inspect the damage and simply to really get back home. Sometimes, of course, not paying as much attention to that danger in the process.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Anthony Mills live from Beirut. Thank you.
And we are still working on getting in touch with Matthew Chance in northern Israel. When we do make that connection, we will go live there.
Meanwhile, let's move on to other news of the day. Going from code red to code orange. The Department of Homeland Security lowing the threat level for flights to the U.S. from Britain. The risk of attack is now considered high, rather than severe. Authorities say both domestic and international flights remain under a heightened level of security. The move comes four days after British police say they busted a plot to bomb U.S.-bound airliners.
Airport security is still tight. In fact, the TSA has added a precaution. All air travelers must now remove their shoes and have them x-rayed. Also some tweaks to the carry-on restrictions. The general no liquid rules still holds, but traveler with infants can now carry baby food as well as milk or formula which were allowed under the old rules.
And diabetics can bring insulin or glucose gel aboard. And small amounts of over-the-counter liquid medicines are now permitted, as well as prescription drugs in the passengers names. And, ladies, good news for us. Pack that lipstick. Solid sticks of lip stick are now OK, but the liquid gloss still is not flying. You can find the full lists of dos and don'ts at tsa.gov.
For more on the changes to airport security, let's go to Brianna Keilar at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Brianna, good morning.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
And it's all about expediting the security check-in process here at O'Hare. And that means checking bags instead of carrying them on. This is curb-side check in. We've been told by baggage handlers that there's been an increase in baggage. And we've talked with several people who are checking bags here that are actually very small. Could easily be carry-ons. And they say normally they do carry them on but they're just trying to speed things up.
And we're going to go ahead and take a look inside now. The security lines have been ebbing and flowing throughout the day here. But right now they're moving about as well as they have been moving all day.
The story is really that people are really starting to make all of these regulation changes just part of their routine. They're arriving at the airport about 45 to 60 minutes ahead of where they would have arrived before and they're also purging their carry-ons of all of those liquid and gel-like substances that maybe before they would have taken. So a lot of people just sort of going with the flow here. They're not really getting upset. They're just sort of taking it all in stride.
Daryn.
KAGAN: So bottom line, before you head to the airport, where should you check to find out what you can bring and can't bring?
KEILAR: Well, CNN is a great resource. You just sort of went through the whole list.
KAGAN: Right. But like online, you know.
KEILAR: That's right. You can go -- a lot of the airlines are -- they are advertising exactly what you can and cannot take. And as we've said, sometimes those things are changing from day to day. So it's very good for you to go online to whatever airline you're traveling with and they can let you know there on the website.
KAGAN: All right. Brianna Keilar, thank you, live from Chicago.
I think we have been able to establish contact now with -- oh, no, we haven't been able to establish contact with Matthew Chance. We will get to him.
But a relatively open point of entry. The northern border of the U.S., rather than the northern border of Israel. Our Bob Franken is checking security there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Our captain, Ken Belfield, has been running charters and person trips to and from Canada since he was a kid. Even after all the focus on border security, he shares a wildly held opinion here that just about any boater can slip in between official points of entry.
KEN BELFIELD, CHARTER CAPTAIN: It's pretty wide open. It's more based on the honor system. It's pretty easy.
FRANKEN: That honor system governs registration at both ends of the trip here across the mile-wide St. Lawrence River.
This time of year, people go back and forth in their boats by the hundreds, as we are. And they can do so very easily without anyone knowing who they really are or what they're really doing.
Many literally swim across. And in winter up here, the water freezes enough to walk.
BELFIELD: Makes you really stop and think how easy people can -- people that want to hurt the Americans can come over and do what they want to do.
FRANKEN: It has made many in government focus on a 4,000 mile U.S./Canadian border that has gaps that can be exploited.
REP. PETER KING, CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Well, we've had hearings. We've done field trips, field visits and it's something that I have a concern about.
FRANKEN: As for the seemingly lax system here, custom and border patrol officials insist changes are continuously being made. But at the moment, any boater can simply ignore the regulations that our captain follows.
BELFIELD: Yes, I'd like to report back in the United States.
FRANKEN: He reports on a special video phone and identifies all on board.
Franken. F-r-a-n-k-e-n.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And Bob start over with that thought because your microphone wasn't on.
FRANKEN: OK. I was just going to say, you just got a demonstration of how non-selective they are about who they let into the United States. But it's fair to say . . .
KAGAN: I was going to say. This means they let you in, huh?
FRANKEN: They did. They did. I'm on the U.S. side.
KAGAN: Be afraid.
Locals there, are they concerned about this and who could be crossing, or are they more concerned with the lack of convenience that might be coming?
FRANKEN: Well, as a matter of fact, yes, the two sides have existed -- you can see the Canadian side just less than a mile from here -- as, in effect, suburbs of each other. They've gone back and forth. They've had commerce. This is for generations. Now, because of the present realities, things are tightening down. There's a controversy here about the plan to begin in January a passport program where Canadians will have to show their passports to get into the United States. And that's causing quite a bit of consternation here because they feel that's going to inhibit travelers and commerce.
KAGAN: All right. Bob Franken live from the northern U.S. border. Thank you.
And now we've been able to establish some sort of contact with Matthew Chance who is in northern Israel. We have Matthew on the phone to talk about what it looks like there right now.
Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks very much.
And, yes, it's been a bit of electronic jamming or something going on which is taking down our satellite dish for the moment, but we're working on it.
In the meantime, the ceasefire that's been in play now for about nine hours is still very much holding, certainly from this perspective in northern Israel. The big artillery guns that have been pounding targets across southern Lebanon, Hezbollah targets, for the past several weeks, they've been silent since the ceasefire came into force. And according to the Israeli police, Hezbollah has not been firing any of the Katyusha rockets that we've got so accustomed to in this part of the country either.
Not even one has landed since the ceasefire came into force. And so that's a really good, positive development in this conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. It does seem that the work the U.N. put in is having some kind of an effect.
There have been transgressions, clashes, between the Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighter suspects on the ground. At least two people killed according to Israeli forces when their soldiers inside Lebanon opened fire on suspicious personnel who were carrying weapons and advancing towards IDF, Israeli military positions. But, for the most part, as I say, this ceasefire, which many people believe both here in Israel and in Lebanon is very tenuous, is still staying much in force.
Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Matthew Chance on the phone from northern Israel. Matthew, thank you for that.
Standing by, we're watching a little bit of -- it's not ceremony, but it is a change for the White House press pool today. New digs. You see how we're across the street. Well, so are most of the White House reporters. The renovation of the White House briefing room has begun today. And so they've moved the reporters across the street. Why that's significant and what it looks like, we'll tell you about going forward.
Also, too many cell phones. Now five men are jailed. Their alleged link to terrorism is straight ahead.
And your trip begins with tight airport security. After that, your security is up to you. What you need to know before you travel overseas. Find out on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Getting back to the story with Lebanon and Israel. What happens to the thousands of refugees now that it appears there's a ceasefire in place. Our Brent Sadler is in the town of Nabatiye in Lebanon to talk about that.
Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Daryn. Good morning.
I'm in the south, just north of the Litani River where we know there's been a lot of action. You can see behind me a lot of devastation in this market town of Nabatiye. A couple of days ago I tried to get here, Daryn. It was impossible because of the intensity of air strikes and shelling from Israel.
Let me show you this situation here now. What you can see behind here is one of the side streets of Nabatiye. Very heavily destroyed. This area, I checked out these buildings. These are shops. These are clothes shops, trinket shops, as well as a butcher is also here. This is one of the commercial side streets of Nabatiye.
Normally this town has about 70,000 people of it. Most of them are still out of the town. But as you can see, cars now coming back into Nabatiye. And nearly not paying a lot of attention to what the Israelis have been saying through the army that it is not safe for Lebanese to return to their homes, the displaced people to come back, because Israel is still conducting, it says, defensive military operations in the south.
Also Israel warning that there are a lot of unexploded ordnance lying about towns, villages and in open spaces. But we do have, as you can see, grim determination of countless thousands of Lebanese from the south returning home to look at livelihoods and homes that clearly have been lost as a result of this four-week war in the south of Lebanon.
Daryn.
KAGAN: What kind of reactions are you seeing as they come home to their city?
SADLER: Well, primarily, utter disbelief when people come back and look at this kind of devastation which they consider to be the commercial heart of their city. They say it has nothing whatsoever to do with Hezbollah weapons or Hezbollah Katyusha rockets firing into Israel. I've seen people crying in front of their property. I've seen people hugging each other with joy. And I've seen many Hezbollah flags flying on cars heading down to the south.
The main route to the south, out of the Lebanese capital Beirut, was choked with cars. Hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles heading down to the south within just a few hours of that cessation of hostilities time coming into place. And there are many concerns here that because of this immediate reaction by so many people to come back so soon, that this shift in the population might be premature.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Brent Sadler live from southern Lebanon from the town of Nabatiye. Thank you.
Let's go live to not the White House but what is now the White House briefing room. It is across the street from the White House. Renovations at the White House have begun. Let's listen in to Tony Snow.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Troops to the international force and the president stressed that Iran and Syria must halt the supply of weapons to Hezbollah and respect the sovereignty of Lebanon.
In addition, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior at the top of the hour will be announcing that routine surveillance has indicated the possible presence of an H5N1 avian influenza virus in wild mute swans in Michigan. However, this is not what we're accustomed to hearing about from Asia. At this point, they believe it is a strain of low pathogenicity, similar to strains that have been seen before in North America.
Does not appear to be related to the highly pathogenic strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. For further information, I would direct you to the briefing by Interior and Agriculture Department officials who will be talking about that in just a few minutes. And I'm ready for questions.
Terry.
QUESTION: If you look at this -- of the month-long war in the Mideast, who won?
SNOW: Right now what's won, is diplomacy has won. There has been an attempt to make effective U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, which called for the abolition of militias in the southern part of Lebanon, and also -- by the way, that would include Hezbollah or any other militia -- and also the cessation of attempts to arm such militias from abroad. That is now the focus of effort by the United States, the United Nations, the international community.
At this point, we are hoping that the people of Lebanon will be the ultimate victors because they'll be able to have a government in which the democratic will of the people is expressed through the policy of their government. They don't have to be worrying about Hezbollah having its own independent foreign policy or the ability to try to wage war and engage neighboring states.
QUESTION: Do you think that Hezbollah has been weakened? What is its structure (ph) . . .
SNOW: I'm not going to give you a military assessment. I mean it's pretty obvious that there's been some weakening. I'm not going to try to assess it. But by Israeli reckoning, more than 500 Hezbollah guerillas killed and certainly rocket capacities degraded and so on. But again, that would be presumptuous of me to try to give you an on the ground military assessment. I will let the interested parties talk about it.
Bret.
QUESTION: Tony, the president has spoken many times about the support from Syria and Iran for Hezbollah. Is he confident now under the terms of this ceasefire that that support will somehow be interrupted?
SNOW: Well, we're going to find out, aren't we? That really does have to be one of the outcomes for this. I think, in part, it will require placing on the northern border of Lebanon somebody who's capable of handling security in such a way as to intercept, interrupt and, with any luck, stop the transport into Lebanon of arms from Iran and Syria. It's folly to make predictions, but that is certainly the intention. It's one of the reasons why we're talking about a beefed- up UNIFIL force. That's one of the reasons why the president was talking today with Prime Minister Prodi (ph) about ways to move forward and it's why there have been ongoing discussions with some of our allies to build a much more robust force than UNIFIL has had in the past, or for that matter more robust than the capabilities, at least at present, of the Lebanese armed forces.
QUESTION: But northern border protection is not part of this ceasefire.
SNOW: Well, it's one of the things and it is making effective the provisions of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 which does, in fact, specify that armaments should not be coming in from foreign governments. Now, you're right, I don't want to be trying to prejudge what people are going to be doing, but it does seem that there's going to be some need to be able to prevent the influx of weapons into the country.
Martha.
QUESTION: So you mentioned there was no defensive action today at the ceasefire. What do you define as defensive action? If Israel continues to go into areas after being (INAUDIBLE), id that a defensive action?
SNOW: It appears that at this point, let me just put it this way, nobody seems to have initiated any kind of movements. And I'll leave it at that for now.
QUESTION: Could you define what you mean by defensive action? Why you chose to use that language?
SNOW: Because that was the language that was recited to me. That's a very good question. Why don't we -- I'll tell you what, we'll try to be more specific in terms of -- let me be very precise. There have been no troop movements apparently on either side designed to change the military status quo that prevailed at 5:00 a.m. GMT, which is when the ceasefire took hold. And rather than getting myself into the sticky wicket of trying to define defensive because I have a feeling it's going to be one of those, you know, when you see it, I can tell you that there have been two minor skirmishes and that is it today.
Helen.
QUESTION: I had two questions. Did the president call for respective sovereignty by both sides?
SNOW: Respective sovereignty?
QUESTION: You didn't mention (INAUDIBLE).
SNOW: I think what happens here is that, yes, the president has called for everybody to respect the sovereignty of the government of Lebanon. And one of the things that he's pointed out in the past is that when you've had a power vacuum in the south, which has been the case in the past, it has invited Hezbollah to go in and serve as a government within a government or a state within a state. The Israelis have agreed to pull out as international forces move in, providing credible security for the people in southern Lebanon and also, at the same time, providing some assurance that Hezbollah will not try to rearm again.
QUESTION: My second question is, why does the president want to modify the Geneva Accord Convention to permit inhumane cruel treatment of detainees?
SNOW: The president has never suggested modifying the Geneva Conventions.
QUESTION: You mean (ph) all these stories are wrong?
SNOW: The Geneva Conventions has been construed. There are two things you've got to keep in mind. Number one, the Geneva Conventions always must be construed especially, you're -- talking about common article three. In matters that are consistent with the U.S. law. The second thing is, this is a new situation because the Geneva Convention in the past have not been construed as applying to those who do not fight for duly constituted military forces. We will wait to see when we have the final decision on how to implement the Hamdan (ph) case. I think at this point what you're reacting to is things that you've seen. And I'll be happy to entertain more specific questions when we have a proffer.
QUESTION: Has he (INAUDIBLE) speculated they're not true?
SNOW: No, it's all trying to figure out the proper way, also. One of the difficulties in common article three is there there's a great deal of vague language. And rather than "trying to change the Geneva Accords," what we're trying to do is to interpret them.
QUESTION: Do you have any concern about how Prime Minister Olmert's political standing has been affected by all of this? A lot of criticism within his own country and around the world?
SNOW: No, but I think the president does understand what happens when you're in a period of war, which is that you're always going to take some political heat if you're trying to do what you think is right. And he certainly understands and appreciates the fact that there are going to be responses from people in any nation that is affected by war and he certainly has a keen understanding and appreciation.
QUESTION: Prime Minister Olmert today said that Israel will continue to pursue Hezbollah leaders "everywhere and any time." I mean, do you view that as in-line with the ceasefire?
SNOW: Well, I think what we ought to do is just see what people do on the ground and we'll react to things going on on the ground.
QUESTION: Tony, could you characterize for us the president's, the administration's impressions of this cessation of hostilities so far? And also, is it still the case that no U.S. troops will be involved in this beefed-up (INAUDIBLE)?
SNOW: As the president has said at some point, U.S. forces may be involved and become supportive in logistics. But, no. It's probably a little premature to be taking a look at a ceasefire that's been in affect for nine and a half hours. But I think the one thing we can say is that this is one of the things that the president and the secretary of state have been pushing for from July 12th on, which is to try to create conditions diplomatically that are going to provide some credible way of giving effect to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559.
So that is why there's been a lot of conversation. And as you saw, there was that diplomatic taffy pull as we tried to figure out how to get to the resolution that all sides would support in which you would have resolution that had clearly stated goals, that would define what we're talking about in terms of security and sovereignty for the government of Lebanon in the southern part of Lebanon.
That would have an international commitment so that the armed forces, the Lebanese armed forces also would have the kind of support they need to effectively control the southern part of the country. And would not only restate the provisions of 1559, but also look forward on some of the other questions that have been raised. And there is language within the resolution to deal with some of the outstanding negotiation issues, including that of prisoners.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) hopeful, optimistic (INAUDIBLE)? TONY: It's nine and a half hours. I mean it's what we've - you know, the one thing you want to do is, obviously, we want, not only for the ceasefire to hold, but to set and train the kind of events that are going to get us to where we want to be, which is a free- standing, democratic government in Lebanon that no longer has to worry about provocations that are waged within its borders by a militia that does not represent the people of Lebanon.
QUESTION: How soon do you expect the international forces to start deploying in there? And who should be in it? I mean you talked about the United State's role. Who should be in it?
SNOW: I'll let you ask the parties involved. That is a matter of ongoing discussion. I think the French and Italians have been on record as having some interest. But I would be loth to try to tell you exactly who's going to be in it. My understanding is that a lot of these things ought to be worked out within . . .
KAGAN: Going to pop in here just for a moment while we're watching this news conference from the White House. The daily press briefing. I want to let you know about former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. We're getting word, CNN is, from Israel that -- or from Israel and Jerusalem that the former prime minister's condition has "greatly deteriorated" is the words that they're using. There's a new brain scan showing deterioration of his brain function. A chest scan showing he has a new infection. Sharon has been unconscious since suffering a massive stroke back in early January. Of course, that's when Ehud Olmert, the current prime minister, took over. We'll continue to bring you the latest out of Jerusalem as it becomes available on Ariel Sharon.
Right now let's go back to the daily news conference at the White House.
SNOW: The people on the ground. The people also within Lebanon. The Lebanese government has a role to play. The government's of Syria and Iran have a role to play. Hezbollah has a role to play. The Israelis have a role to play. And we'll have to see how all those things work out in the hours, days and weeks ahead.
Jim.
QUESTION: Tony, what does the president want to get out of today's meetings with these experts? And if I may, I guess he's had several of these now. Have these meetings affected policy, at least in terms of tactic? And how will today's hearing about ideas about changing tactics?
SNOW: Well, number one, these meetings happen all the time. And the meetings that we're going through today are meetings with the national security team. Tomorrow we'll have the homeland security and counter-terror team. We'll have the economic advisors at the end of the week. He does that every summer.
Today's topics at the Department of Defense have to deal -- first, the conversation deals with transformation within the Department of Defense which, as you know, has been a priority of the secretary from the very beginning and also some discussion of the far east. The Iraq experts are being brought in today to help provide differing views and overviews of the situation. In particular, taking a look at the roles, the politics, the outlooks, the culture of Sunni, Shia and Kurd forces within Iraq, but also to take a broader look at the region, see how everything pieces together.
It is -- I think it's safe to say with what the president does in sessions like this is invite people to express very openly their candid views on things. And you're going to find people who have disagreements within this group of four about the situation, about who can play what role.
But having said that, they play a role in the sense that they add to the president's knowledge and understanding of the region. They introduce new ideas and they allow him to question closely people who spend the vast majority of their time studying issues that are of keen concern to him at this point in this country. Yes, absolutely.
Now, that's -- Helen, that's an important point. We do not invite in amen choruses. What you do is you invite smart people in who have different parts of view. At Camp David, we heard widely differing recommendations an how to proceed militarily within Iraq. And that is -- that's a very useful service. You don't want people who are simply saying exactly the same thing. You want to be able to take an issue, look at it from different angles, try to understand the arguments and the information that motivates those arguments. It gives the president just a much broader spectrum by which to view what's going on.
QUESTION: Does that affect the policy? And, you know, there's been a lot of (INAUDIBLE) criticism of these...
KAGAN: Going to pop in here again, because we want to get back to the story surrounding former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Getting word that his condition has gone downhill severely. Our Paula Hancocks standing by in Jerusalem with more on that -- Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest information we that have is, in fact, his condition has deteriorated seriously. According to the hospital where he is being treated, the Sheba Medical Center, they say they have done a brain scan on Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli prime minister, and it shows a deterioration in his brain function.
Also, his urine output has decreased significantly, and a chest scan showed that he had a new infection. So three things, they say, that these tests have shown over the past few minutes. They have announced that, in fact, his deterioration in his condition.
And we have -- we did know that just a couple of weeks ago, I think it was, just at the end of July, his condition once again deteriorated. At that point, we know that he did have the kidney problem. We know that he was accumulating liquids in his body. His kidneys were not functioning as well as they would be, or as well as they should be. And so, once again, we see this deterioration in his functioning of his internal organs. We understand that the family is being kept up-to-date of exactly his condition.
KAGAN: Paula, have doctors discussed to what length they will go to save Ariel Sharon's life at this point? I remember right after the stroke, they went to incredible lengths with a number of surgeries, only to leave him in this condition. Is this a point of letting nature take its course, or are they still doing everything they can to save his life?
HANCOCKS: Well, at this point, as far as we understand they are doing everything they can. If they have had this conversation obviously the conversation that the doctors would have had with the family themselves. This is not been made public. But at this point, as far we understand, they're doing everything they can. They say have had this conversation. This would obviously be a conversation that the doctors would have had with the family themselves. This has not been made public.
But at this point, it does appear as though they are doing everything they can to save him. Now, we know that back on January the 4th, when he suffered that massive stroke and slipped into a coma, he has not regained consciousness since that time -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Clearly, he has remained in the coma this whole time. But what kind of presence has Ariel Sharon and just the memory of Ariel Sharon had over Israel on the last four weeks? Do you hear a lot of mention of his name, a lot of what if he was still in charge?
HANCOCKS: There has been some. Not as much as you might expect. I was actually personally expecting a lot more. What would Ariel Sharon have done if he was still well enough to be leading the country? I think really people know what happened to him on January the 4th. There was almost a mourning period for him after he slipped into that coma, and as soon as it was realized and acknowledged that he would not be able to lead the country again, in that respect, people then turned to Ehud Olmert, the current Israeli prime minister, and they moved on in that sense.
Of course for the family, it's a very different matter. But politically, Ariel Sharon's era ended when he did slip into that coma. And just a couple of weeks after that, when it was acknowledged that he would not be able to recover sufficiently to be able to lead the country again.
KAGAN: And have they given any kind of indication of the kind of updates they'll be giving us?
HANCOCKS: At this point, no. This has just happened in the last ten minutes or so. And they have just said that his condition has deteriorated. Now, immediately after did he slip into that coma, we got a lot of updates. We're not sure if we're going to get many updates now. He's not actually in a hospital at this point. He's at a medical center, the Sheba Medical Center, which is a 24-hour medical center. He will be looked at after 24 hours. We know the family is being informed of every little movement that has been discovered.
So at this point, we don't know how much information we will be getting. As I say, this has happened just a couple of weeks ago. I think it was the 23rd of July, if my memory serves me correctly, when we did hear once again that his condition had deteriorated. We didn't hear much that time around, either. We just assumed he had got better because we hadn't heard a definitive press statement. So I think the statements themselves are going to be few and far between.
KAGAN: All right. We will be listening in for any new information out of Jerusalem on the former prime minister. Paula Hancocks, live in Jerusalem, thank you for that.
We're going to get to the story of the alleged terror plot out of Britain. The latest on that, coming up.
Also, Gerri Willis will be along to tell you what you need to know before you travel overseas -- Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, Daryn.
Traveling overseas can be unnerving, to say the least, right now. Up next, what you can do to keep you and your loved ones safe.
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KAGAN: We're watching for the latest information out of Jerusalem. The word on former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that his condition has greatly deteriorated. That's according to the hospital where the ailing former prime minister is being treated. A new brain scan showing a deterioration in his brain function, also a new x-ray showing a new chest infection. Sharon has been unconscious since he suffered a massive stroke back in early January.
Let's go now to the latest on the British terror investigation.
Our John Vause checking in from London -- John.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): With the downgrading of the terror alert level, some of the top security measures which have been in place for the last four days have been eased a little at almost all airports across Britain. From today, most passengers will be allowed one piece of hand luggage, a small bag much smaller than before, no bigger than this bag here. They'll also be allowed laptops and other electronics. But what is not allowed, lotions and creams and liquids and also toiletries and cosmetics.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is going to be a degree of confusion, and I accept that. However, I think it was imperative that we get these new measures in place as quickly as could reasonably done so, given our responsibilities for public safety.
And I would urge passengers who are on the phone leaving for the airport, obviously both to look at the Web sites, their government Web sites or their own airline Web sites, to get the best information as the advice being received and what will be understandable confusion, but over a very short conditional period, as both passengers, airport operators and airlines come to understand and operate the new regime that was announced this morning.
VAUSE: And here at Heathrow Airport, it will be another day of clear plastic bags, flight cancellations and delays. Passengers will be allowed to take hand luggage on to planes tomorrow.
BAA Heathrow recommends that passengers traveling from Heathrow today should still continue to do the following: Check with their airline before leaving for the airports, arrive with no hand luggage, bring only those items into the cabin in a clear plastic bag, and still being prepared for delays.
Airport officials stress this is not a return to the security measures before Wednesday, before the alleged terror plot was uncovered, and warns this could become standard procedure for some time to come.
John Vause, CNN, Heathrow Airport, London.
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KAGAN: And so airlines are on alert, and you should be, too. Today, in Gerri's tips, a few things to consider when planning a trip abroad.
Here is our personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Good morning, Daryn. Good to see you. Tip No. 1 here, you want to note the important dates. If you plan on traveling to a foreign country, you want to find out about national holidays and important anniversaries. Terror groups are heavy into symbolism.
Remember, just last week there were warnings about possible terror attacks in India that would coincide with Indian Independence Day. Go to the State Department's Web site, at travel.state.gov, or CIA's World Fact Book at cia.gov and they'll give you a head's up on holidays, like national day, which is coming up in Spain on October 12th -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, there's a way you can plan the trip so you do avoid some greater risks.
WILLIS: That's right. It's safe tower try to get a direct flight to the country you're traveling to. Less layovers means less time in airports. And if you plan on driving, find out on local driving conditions and dangers at the Association for Safe International Road Travel, at ASIRT.org. Now if you're renting a car, resist the urge to rent an SUV. If you're going to a country where most people are driving small cars, you don't want to stick out any way. Ask the rental company to remove any rental car markings from the vehicle. And don't ride in a vehicle that isn't clearly identified as a taxi. You want to compare the face of the driver with the posted inside the cab.
And of course, when using public transportation, minimize your wait time on subway and bus platforms.
KAGAN: Now if you're traveling overseas with your cell phone you might get a little frustrated if you're trying to say, can you hear me now?
WILLIS: Right, exactly, exactly. When you travel abroad, it's unlikely your cell phone is going to work, because the network in Europe and Asia uses a standard called GSM. However, you can rent a GSM phone short term. Ask your hotel for options. Also remember that your cell phone recharger may not fit the plugs in the country you're traveling to. You'll need to bring adapters. Relying on pay phones, of course, can be risky, because there may not be many of them.
KAGAN: And when do you know it's appropriate to check in with the U.S. embassy.
WILLIS: Well, if you're going to say in a foreign country, make sure you register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, and it's easy. At travelregistration.state.gov. Not only will this let the embassy know where to find you in case of an emergency or an evacuation, they're also contact your friends and family in case you're hurt or sick -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thank you.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: I want to get back to the developing story surrounding the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Our Wolf Blitzer is in Jerusalem and brings us the latest.
Wolf, hello.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're getting a statement, Daryn, from the hospital where Ariel Sharon has been in a coma now since early January when he had that massive stroke, and the medical team treating the former Israeli prime minister now says his condition is as bad as it's been, has deteriorated markedly according to this statement. In addition to the MRI results, there's been a marked decline, according to the statement, in his urinary output.
His chest CT scan results indicate a new finding of pneumonia in both lungs. The medical team had wide-range consultations with all sorts of experts. They've decided on what they call a broad-spectrum antibiotic and anti-inflammatory steroid treatment. So they're clearly trying to keep him alive, as critical his condition has been for these many months, but it's clearly taking a very, very serious turn for the worse, and we'll watch his condition.
It's ironic the timing of this coming on this first day of the ceasefire in Lebanon, given Ariel Sharon's history. He was the defense minister, as you remember, Daryn, in the early '80s, when Israel invaded Lebanon, went all the way up to Beirut. There's a history, a poignant history that Ariel Sharon had in Lebanon. Of course he has not been in office over these 34 days that the current Israeli government of Ehud Olmert has undertaken this war against Hezbollah in the aftermath of that incident on July 12th, when Hezbollah rockets came into northern Israel, killed eight Israeli soldiers, captured two others.
But this country is right now at a very delicate stage, given the recriminations, the blame game debate just started in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. Now comes news that Ariel Sharon's health has clearly deteriorated. It's causing lots and lots of excitement. I'll put it that mildly.
KAGAN: And when you say excitement, you don't mean that -- do this for me, Wolf. Explain to me, give us some perspective about how big of a figure Ariel Sharon is not just currently in Israel, but over the history of this country?
BLITZER: Well, when I use the word "excitement," I mean in the sense that there's a lot of tension already here in Israel. Going into the war against Hezbollah, there was a widespread expectation that the air campaign, with a relatively modest ground campaign, would get the job done. Hezbollah would be crushed. There would be no rocket threats going against Israel in the northern part of the country. Yet on this last day, yesterday, the last day before the ceasefire went into effect, Hezbollah managed to fire off some 250 rockets against Haifa and other towns, cities, villages in the northern part of the country.
So clearly they had a military capability, a robust military capability. When all the dust settled, 4,000 rockets were fired, the Israelis estimate, over the course of these 33, 34 days.
Right now in Israel, the debate is, was it worth it? Was the prime Minister Ehud Olmert really on top of the game, knowing what would happen going into the response to that July 12th incident?
And bringing the health of Ariel Sharon into this whole equation right now, it reminds a lot of Israelis about some of the bitter history in the early '80s when Israel went into Lebanon, wound up staying for a long time, until the year 2000, when they finally pulled out all of its forces from Southern Lebanon, and thought that they had a more stable situation in the offing. That clearly did not happen. Hezbollah used those six years to rearm, build up its capabilities, and we saw what their capabilities were over the course of these past several weeks.
So it's a delicate moment in Israel right now, and it's a moment where there's a lot of second guessing going on. We just heard the opposition leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, start taking off the gloves, if you will, and criticizing the way this government of Ehud Olmert conducted itself over the course of these weeks of the war.
KAGAN: All right, Wolf Blitzer live in Jerusalem. Thank you. We'll be checking back with you on the latest condition on Ariel Sharon. Thank you.
A lot more news ahead. As we go to break., a quick check of the markets.
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KAGAN: We are watching what's happening out of Jerusalem. The latest on the former prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and his condition. The word out of Jerusalem, that Ariel Sharon's condition has deteriorated greatly. A new brain scan has been reported on, that shows a great deterioration in his brain function. A new chest scan showing a new infection, as well. He has been unconscious since 4th, when he suffered a massive stroke.
That leads us into what we know at this hour about the latest on the Middle East crisis. A ceasefire is now in place for about nine and a half hours, but the fighting hasn't completely stopped. Since the truce, two Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the clash with Israeli troops.
In southern Lebanon, confusion and danger. Displaced civilians trying to get home, but Israel warning them it's still not safe to travel in the region.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offering condolences to the families of the 159 Israelis who were killed in the fighting.
And here now a closer look at the U.N. ceasefire resolution. The number of U.N. troops in southern Lebanon will be boosted from 2,000 to 15,000. It calls for the government of Lebanon to put 15,000 additional troops at the border. And the resolution calls for the unconditional release of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah. That kidnapping triggered the conflict. It also calls for what they're calling a full cessation of hostilities.
Protecting the so-called soft targets from attack. A former Israeli soldier is sharing his know-how with U.S. security troops. That's ahead in our special "Target: USA" coverage. You'll see it only here on CNN.
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KAGAN: Talking now about going from code red to code orange. The Department of Homeland Security lowers the threat level for flights to the U.S. from Britain. The risk of attack now considered high rather than severe. Authorities say both domestic and international flights will remain under a heightened level of security. The move comes four days after British police say they busted the plot to bomb U.S.-bound airliners.
Airport security is still tight. In fact, the TSA has added a precaution. All air travelers must now remove their shoes and have them x-rayed. Also, some tweaks to the carry-on restrictions. The general no liquids rule still holds, but travelers with infants can now carry baby food, as well as milk or formula, which were allowed under the old rules.
Diabetics can bring insulin or glucose gel aboard and small amounts of over-the-counter liquid medicine are now permitted, as well as prescription drugs in the passenger's name. And ladies, you can pack the lipstick now. Solid sticks are OK, but the liquid glosses need to stay home. You can find the full list of dos and don'ts at tsa.gov.
With fewer bags carried on, that means more luggage is being checked. Is that enough to keep you safe on a flight?
Our Peter Viles takes a closer look at that.
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PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air travelers adjusted quickly to the new security rules by checking more baggage, avoiding the hassle of new carry-on rules. But what if terrorists think the same way? How safe is all that checked luggage and cargo in the bottom of the plane?
MIKE BOYD, AIRLINE CONSULTANT: We don't know what's underneath the floor in that airplane. In terms of what cargo is there or baggage. Anything can be put in that now and the fact of the matter is that stuff could be set off in flight from the cabin.
VILES: The 9/11 commission voiced and continues to voice similar concerns there is no nationwide system in place to detect all explosives in checked baggage.
THOMAS KEAN, 9/11 COMMISSION VICE CHAIRMAN: There is technology available now that can detect explosives in baggage, it has not yet been deployed at most airports. That has to happen.
VILES (on camera): This challenge is particularly acute here in Los Angeles where the entire airport baggage system is already scheduled to be replaced, and yet the amount of traffic handled by that system spiked by 30 to 50 percent immediately after the terror threat.
(voice-over): It's an open secret that the TSA lacks the technology to screen all cargo for explosives.
NICO MELENDEZ, TSA SPOKESMAN: Right now there's no technology to be able to screen larger pieces on of cargo. So we have been working with industry to develop technology so we can meet that.
VILES: But the immediate focus is on liquid explosives, a challenge because they can be made from common chemicals.
CHERTOFF: The difficulty is what do we do with explosives made out of very common chemicals? Chemicals that most everybody has with them in their dry-cleaning or their cosmetics. Because we don't want a system that has so many false positives that we have hours of waiting in line at the airport because we have to open every bottle and every cosmetics case. VILES: The administration says it's moving quickly to develop new explosive detection systems. The question is -- is it moving quickly enough?
Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.
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KAGAN: As we look towards the next hour, too many cell phones. Now five men are in jail. Their alleged link to terrorism is straight ahead.
Also, are you still confused about what you're allowed to pack and what you aren't allowed to pack? Especially with your carry-on? The TSA has just tweaked those new rules for air travelers. We'll have more on that ahead in our CNN "Security Watch."
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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