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CNN Live Today
Terror Laws; Airport Technology; Carry-On Checklist
Aired August 15, 2006 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Authorities have relaxed some of those carry-on restrictions at British airports, and they've done that today. Passengers can now take one item of hand luggage, but it can't be bigger than a laptop computer. Laptops and mobile phones are permitted now. Cosmetics, gels, toothpaste, liquids and sharp objects are still banned. Britain's threat level remains at severe today.
Britain's handling of the alleged plane plot, now the U.S. is doing a side by side comparison of counter-terror tactics.
Our Jeanne Meserve takes a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the review of British terror tactics, one senior Justice Department official says, "The attorney general is not ruling anything in or ruling anything out." One significant legal weapon available to the British, their ability to detain suspects for up to 28 days without charges.
ALIBERTO GONZALES, ATTY. GEN.: That may be something that we might want to look at, but again, is it consistent with our constitution? we'd have to look at that.
MESERVE: In most cases, U.S. law enforcement must bring charges within 48 hours of detaining a suspect.
PAT D'AUMURO, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: To be able to detain those individual as little bit longer, to conduct some interviews, would be something that could be looked at in this country, something that would be helpful to law enforcement authorities.
MESERVE: But the idea of extending the amount of time suspects can be held without charges makes civil libertarians bristle.
LISA GRAVES, ACLU: Just a blanket authority to hold anyone, to round people up at will without any evidence they have done anything wrong is a step in the wrong direction.
MESERVE: Few people, inside or outside government, believe the U.S. would or could follow the British model.
The Patriot Act, passed in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, expanded U.S. law enforcement's powers making it easier, for instance, to conduct wiretaps. But some say it is essential to adopt some of Britain's other terror tools. DAVID RIVKIN, REAGAN JUSTICE DEPT. LAWYER: More surveillance, particularly in areas that really do not implicate constitutionally expectation of privacy, A. B, more data mining and ability to really combine information from different databases and disciplines. And, C, and I know it's a dirty word in some circles, a more rational attitude toward profiling.
MESERVE (on camera): Though Congress did expand law-enforcement powers after 9/11 it is unclear how they would respond to such a request now. It is after, all an, election year.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Now more than ever you need to know ten my. Join us Wednesday night August 23 for a special "CNN PRESENTS: In The Footsteps Of Bin Laden." It's a "CNN PRESENTS" Special investigation. Our team traveled to four continents and 10 countries to discover the real Osama bin Laden, and his power over legions of drones who do his deadly bidding. Watch Wednesday night August 23rd at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.
A suicide car bomb targets a political party in the Iraqi city of Mosul. A truck blew up outside the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. At least nine people were killed. Dozen of wounded were rushed to the hospital. Iraq's president, a Kurd, is a member of the political party is.
We're following a developing story out of the Mideast today. A Fox News employee and a freelance cameraman kidnapped in Gaza. Fox says negotiations are under way to secure their release. The Committee to Protect Journalists is demanding their immediate and unconditional release.
A plot is off, the race is on -- technology companies rush to make the perfect security-screening machine, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: He is the American soldier who blew the whistle at Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison. Two years after handing over the infamous photographs of abuse, he is finally telling his story. Joe Darby joins Kyra Phillips today at 1:00 Eastern on CNN;s "LIVE FROM." Find out why he slept with a pistol under his pillow and why he says he can't go back to his hometown. You'll see Joe Darby with Kyra Phillips today, 1:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
The challenge to sniff out hidden threats at the airport. Tech firms are lining up to answer it. Experts, though, say technology is one piece of the puzzle.
CNN's Drew Griffin has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Put this bag through a current X-ray screening device at any major U.S. airport and all you will find, says Joe Reiss, is regular stuff.
JOE REISS, MARKETING DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING: But here's an umbrella...
(CROSSTALK)
REISS: ... again, a very normal thing. And there's a travel alarm clock in the bag.
GRIFFIN: But that's not all that is here. And that's why this report is troubling. Inside this typical looking briefcase with typical looking stuff is an easily hidden threat that Reiss says current screening would have missed.
REISS: What you're missing, though, on this image is a bottle with hydrogen peroxide concealed right behind it, which is exactly one of the substances that was of concern from the events of last week, here, again, not displayed by the conventional transmission X-ray.
GRIFFIN (on camera): But shows up right there.
REISS: But, clear as day, it just pops off the screen in the backscatter X-ray image.
GRIFFIN: Reiss is the head of marketing for American Science and Engineering outside of Boston. His company is using something called backscatter technology that he says would find organic material, liquid explosives, any explosives, that, until now, could easily be carried on an airplane.
Take a look at this image, which appears to be just a couple of wireless e-mail devices called BlackBerrys. And that's exactly what it is, until you see the image through new technology. One of the BlackBerrys appears to glow.
REISS: And it doesn't really matter, for this technology, if it's a liquid or a solid. It really makes no difference. Here's a solid explosive simulant that has been concealed on the back of that BlackBerry device. You will never find it with that conventional X- ray image.
GRIFFIN: American Engineering is using the same technology to do full body scans. Its CEO says, secondary screeners would be able to find just about anything concealed on someone's person, without even touching them.
ANTHONY FABIANO, CEO, AMERICAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING: It's the backscatter advantage. We will find explosives. We will find organic material. And we will identify them more clearly.
GRIFFIN: Critics warn, this could violate a person's privacy, but that hasn't stopped Anthony Fabiano and others across the country and across the world in a terror technology race, trying to come up with a foolproof system that will remove the threat.
The Ahura Corporation is marketing a handheld device, which CEO Doug Kahn says can almost instantly determine if this bottle of wine really is a bottle of wine, even without opening the bottle.
DOUGLAS KAHN, CEO, AHURA CORPORATION: The FirstDefender fires its laser.
GRIFFIN: The laser can read the chemical fingerprint of what's inside almost anything. This mouthwash bottle held acetone. So did this water bottle. And the wine, in just a few seconds, turned out to be gasoline.
KAHN: Gasoline, 82 percent.
GRIFFIN: The problem, say security analysts, is, technology is only part of the solution. Relying exclusively on it will have us constantly chasing new inventions, instead of chasing terrorists.
BRIAN RUTTENBUR, SECURITY TECHNOLOGY ANALYST, MORGAN KEEGAN: I actually think the -- the best solution is intelligence, stopping the terrorists before they even get to the airports, what we did this time. And that's with communications intercept. That's human intelligence. That's a variety of things that I think is much better off than trying to catch the terrorists once they're there.
GRIFFIN (on camera): According to analyst Brian Ruttenbur, there are 20 or so companies trying to develop the one machine that will protect us from liquid explosives, but even if the perfect machine emerges, they are expensive, slow to put in place and become outdated the moment terrorists change their tactics.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And you can catch more of Drew's reports on "PAULA ZAHN NOW," weeknights at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
Remember that CNN Security Watch keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
And now to the ever-changing face of America, a more vivid and perhaps surprising picture. A Census report shows minorities made up a greater share of the population in every state last year except West Virginia. Most states are also seeing more immigrants, with the biggest jump coming in South Carolina. Hispanics are increasing their hold as the nation's largest minority group at 14.5 percent. The biggest boom in the Hispanic population comes to Arkansas. Minorities are actually majorities in Hawaii, New Mexico, California, and Texas, and the District of Columbia.
Across the U.S. non-Hispanic whites make up 67 percent of the population. That is down slightly from 2000.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
KAGAN: We're going to talk about those confusing carry-on rules. Navigating them may be the scariest part of your plane ride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mascara, not allowed. Wrench, under seven inches allowed.
Now which one do you think I could do more damage with?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: So you know, you've heard the story, but you haven't heard Jeanne Moos tell you the story, which means you've to stick around to get the unique Jeanne Moos take. You'll get that after this break. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, this is one of those seemingly unbelievables, but apparently true. One of the most indelible recordings of our time is missing. NASA says it can't find the original tape of the first moon landing. The one, you know, where Neil Armstrong says, "one small step for man." Well, you know how the rest of that goes. Hundreds of boxes of Apollo transmissions were apparently misplaced about a year ago. The mission to find them, not accomplished so far.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Well, what gets on the plane, what gets tossed out? Our carry-on quiz is ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Talking about those new carry-on rules. Are you confused? Are you frazzled? Have you been studying the new rules?
Jeanne Moos has, and she puts some folks to the test.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is it OK to bring lipstick? Will gel shoe inserts have security following in your footsteps? Even airport employees have trouble keeping up with the latest rules.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not an expert on that. Place it in the bin when you go through. No, no, no.
MOOS: We invite you to test your knowledge.
(on camera): It's the carry-on quiz.
(voice-over): What's allowed and what's not allowed.
(on camera): Bug spray.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: Gel deodorant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry.
MOOS: Jell-O.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: Lip gloss.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MOOS: No.
Knitting needles.
(voice-over): For those "hmmm" items, you can always check by going to the Transportation Security Administration Web site, where there are lists and lists, but the rationale can be confusing.
(on camera): Gel-cap type pills.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not allowed.
MOOS: All right. How about four ounces of Nyquil?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not allowed.
MOOS: It's allowed now.
(voice-over): That's right, no gel-cap pills, but they just changed the rules to allow up to four ounces of non-prescription medicine.
(on camera): Contact lens solution.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
MOOS: Well, you know, they've changed it.
(voice-over): It's enough to confuse even a New York City policeman.
(on camera): Knitting needles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?
MOOS (voice-over): Knitting needles and nail clippers are now allowed.
(on camera): Mascara.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MOOS: No.
(voice-over): We asked a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration.
(on camera): What's wrong with mascara? Why can't you take mascara? She said, "We want people to look as bad as possible." She was joking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That would work.
MOOS: Lipstick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: You're allowed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not today.
MOOS: Yes, today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, some lipsticks yes and some no.
MOOS: That's correct.
(voice-over): Lipstick is OK. Liquid lip gloss isn't.
(on camera): Mascara, not allowed. Wrench under seven inches, allowed. Now, which one do you think I can do more damage with?
(voice-over): If only it was as easy as this cartoon. Another brave soldier in the war on terror, throwing out Chanel #5.
Forget Chanel. What about shoe gels?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No?
MOOS (on camera): You have to surrender your gel inserts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN...
(on camera): I think those socks should not be allowed on the plane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the SpongeBobs?
MOOS (voice-over): ... New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: Thank you, Jeanne. We love your stories. You can see more of Jeanne's stories on "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer, weekdays at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and again in primetime at 7:00.
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