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CNN Live Today
Thought of Nuclear-Armed Iran Troubling Israeli Leaders; Katrina Recovery; In the Footsteps of bin Laden
Aired August 23, 2006 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have some new information for you on that Northwest Airlines incident that we were telling you about before. A government official now says that federal air marshals were onboard the flight that left Amsterdam yesterday. It was headed for Mumbai, India. We're told that the marshals observed suspicious activity just after takeoff. The pilot then returned to Amsterdam. Dutch authorities detained a dozen passengers after the plane landed. The flight has been rescheduled for tomorrow.
We've been focusing a lot on Iran. And nowhere is the nuclear dispute with Iran being watched more closely than in Israel. Iran has been flexing its military muscle lately, and the thought of a nuclear armed Iran is troubling to Israeli leaders.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rockets fired from Gaza. Katyushas launched from Lebanon. But senior officials say Israel's ultimate enemy is Iran.
RAFI EITAN, ISRAELI SECURITY CABINET: We should be ready for rockets from Iran.
LAWRENCE: Iran has been refusing demands that it stop enriching uranium. Tensions with the United States have been escalating over its nuclear program. And a senior cleric says if the United States attacks Iran, Israel will pay the price.
(on camera): Rhetoric aside, do you really believe that Iran would directly attack Israel?
ERAN LERMAN, FMR. ISRAELI INTEL. OFFICER: I think Israel has to be worried.
LAWRENCE (voice over): Former Israeli intelligence officer Eran Lerman says Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made his intentions clear, the end of Israel. Iran says its uranium enrichment program is not designed to build bombs. But Lerman says Iran's missiles are designed to one day carry a nuclear warhead.
LERMAN: Shahab series was refitted and -- and made to reach Israel quite specifically.
LAWRENCE: Some Israeli officials believe the Shahab missile could reach as far as Tel Aviv.
EITAN: We have enough anti-missile missiles that we are able to attack the center, but not -- not all of Israel.
LAWRENCE: (INAUDIBLE) test--fired another shorter-range missile. Iranian officials say they're designed to defend the country from an Israeli or American attack. But former spy master Rafi Eitan is warning Israelis to prepare for Iran's aggression.
EITAN: They should put the public on alert.
LAWRENCE: Israelis have been climbing out of their bomb shelters after the Katyusha attacks. Eitan is urging them to immediately reinforce those bunkers for what may be the greater war to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And our Chris Lawrence is standing by right now in our Jerusalem bureau.
Chris, good to have you here with us.
What are some precautions that Israelis are taking and the Israeli military is taking in case it comes to the time when there might be a military confrontation with Iran?
LAWRENCE: Well, the Israeli newspapers are reporting that Israel has signed a deal to buy two new submarines, which would vastly increase its second-strike nuclear capability, and although no Israeli officials have made any comment in terms of a preemptive strike, if you use history as a guide, Israel did bomb a nuclear plant that was under construction near Baghdad back in 1981. That plant was a few months away from being operational, and Israel says that plant was going to make bombs that would be used to destroy Israel.
KAGAN: Interesting. Chris Lawrence live from Jerusalem.
Chris, thank you.
Let's get back to a story out of Washington D.C. developing over the last couple of days, kind of came to a crescendo today. A man named Rocky Vaccarrella. He's from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, hitches a FEMA-like trailer to the back of his truck, goes on up to Washington D.C., wanted a meeting with President Bush. A lot of people told me he was nuts. Today he got that meeting with President Bush, and we were able to see the president and talk with Rocky Vaccarrella a little bit earlier. Even before the meeting with the president, Rocky Vaccarrella met with Don Powell, who is the federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, and this is a little bit of video from that meeting.
Don Powell on the phone with me right now, I believe in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Powell?
DONALD POWELL, FED. COORD. FOR GULF COAST REBUILDING: Good morning.
KAGAN: Good morning. Good to have you with us, Mr. Chairman. I want to talk about that meeting and Rocky Vaccarrella. My first question to you, as the coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, does it bug you that here we are a year later and somebody like Rocky has to hitch this FEMA-like trailer and come on up to Washington D.C. to make his point?
POWELL: No, it doesn't. I visit with a lot of people when I'm in the Gulf Coast area, and good people from Texas to Florida, spent a lot of time in Louisiana and Mississippi, and I think Rocky is an example and representative of many of the people in Louisiana. I think that Rocky wanted to say thank you and wanted to do that in person. I enjoyed my visit with him. He's a spirited soul, and by the way, he gave me some great Louisiana food.
KAGAN: I heard he cooked for you. OK, my sources say it was some shrimp and red fish.
POWELL: Your sources are very good.
KAGAN: Yes. Not too spicy for you?
POWELL: I'm sorry?
KAGAN: It wasn't too spicy for you?
POWELL: No, no. The food was wonderful. I told Rocky, I want to come for dinner tonight.
KAGAN: So he whetted your appetite there.
POWELL: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Let's get back to some of the government issues here, sir, and a lot of people are wondering, where's the money? We've heard about the billions of dollars that the federal government and the U.S. taxpayers have so generously sent down to the Gulf Coast. Why is it taking so long for that money to get into the hands of individual homeowners?
POWELL: Well, the money -- the secretary of HUD has approved the money for the Mississippi -- I think the turnaround on that was one day. For Louisiana that turnaround was approximately 18 days. Plans have been approved. And both in Mississippi and both in Louisiana, the -- they have engaged an administrator to disperse those funds, and I would -- I believe in Mississippi some of that money has been dispersed. In Louisiana, I know they have some test applicants, and I believe if the money has not been given to those people by this week, it will be momentarily. I know that the money is going to be in the hands of both Mississippians and Louisianians. Like I said, if not already done, very, very quickly.
KAGAN: What kind of difference are you seeing in recovery when you compare states?
POWELL: Say again.
KAGAN: The difference in recovery when you compare states. Let's say Mississippi to Louisiana.
POWELL: Well, there's different challenges. Each state represents unique challenges. You have a metropolitan city and levees, and in New Orleans you have a city that was underwater for approximately 57 days. In Mississippi you had a complete wipe-out. The storm surges along the three counties of Mississippi were devastating. It's hard to describe how bad that damage was.
But the good news is that the taxpayers under the leadership of President Bush and the Congress have granted the community development block grants, which will speak specifically to the needs of rebuilding homes, and lives, and infrastructure and economic development and some other good things. So that's good news. And progress is being made, and we'll see what progress will come.
KAGAN: The challenge that we are watching in Louisiana, Mississippi, parts of Texas go through, unlike anything this country has seen before. In your role, what would you say, sir, is the biggest lesson learned?
POWELL: Well, we're involved in the long-term rebuilding. But I think, clearly, evacuation plans are critical. Because this part of the world, you know, their subject to hurricanes. I'm from west Texas, and we're subject to tornadoes. There's the planning for evacuation, and safety that is the most important thing when you think about hurricane protection. And I think that's clearly the No. 1 issue.
KAGAN: Thank you. A lot of work still ahead. Donald Powell, the federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, thank you for your time.
POWELL: Thank you.
KAGAN: You are actually in New Orleans today, right?
POWELL: Yes, ma'am.
KAGAN: All right. A lot of work to do. Your time down there is valuable; we'll let you go.
POWELL: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you.
After almost five years after 9/11 and Osama bin Laden is still the most wanted man in the world. Was he ever close to being captured? we take a closer look in this excerpt from our upcoming "CNN PRESENTS" special "In the Footsteps of bin laden."
Here now is our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): December, 2001, a relentless bombing campaign. Airstrikes thundered through the treacherous mountains of Eastern Afghanistan. The battle of Tora Bora had begun.
Osama bin Laden, the jackal of 9/11 and hundreds of al Qaeda fighters had finally been cornered, or so it seemed.
GARY BERNTSEN, FORMER CIA OFFICER: We brought in specter gunships, which can put a bullet on every inch of a football field.
AMANPOUR: Gary Berntsen was the leader of a secret CIA paramilitary unit that had pursued bin Laden since he had fled Kabul. And now the CIA was sure it knew where he was, thanks in large part to a radio taken off a dead al Qaeda fighter.
BERNTSEN: We listened to bin Laden for several days, using that radio, listened to his communications among him and his men. We listened to him apologize to them for having led them into this trap, having led them into a location where they were having airstrikes called on them just relentlessly.
AMANPOUR (on camera): The plan was for Afghan and Pakistani soldiers to block any escape routes, but Osama bin Laden managed to slip away through the mountains and the mission to capture or kill the al Qaeda leader failed.
By most accounts, the main problem was not enough American soldiers on the ground.
BERNTSEN: In the first two or three days of December, I would write a message back to Washington, recommending the insertion of U.S. forces on the ground. I was looking for 600 to 800 Rangers, roughly battalion. They never came.
AMANPOUR: Osama bin Laden, looking frail and much older than his 44 years, after the massive onslaught at Tora Bora, had escaped again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Now more than ever, you need to know your enemy. Join us tonight for a special "CNN PRESENTS." We're calling it "In the Footsteps of bin Laden: A CNN PRESENTS Special Investigation." Our team travelled to four continents and ten countries to learn more about the real Osama bin Laden and his influence on those who do his deadly bidding. You can watch the eye-opening special. It's tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. And, of course, you're only going to see it here on CNN.
On to health news. A little pudge can be a big problem. Coming up, new findings about your weight.
And they're throwing weight around in Hollywood. Paramount fires Tom Cruise. That's their spin. He says he quit. But also fires a warning shot to everyone else in Hollywood. Big stars, are you listening? Coming up, Hollywood insider Tom O'Neill explains what it means. You're going to hear it here on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In our "Daily Dose" of health news, a new warning about your weight. Research shows that even a few extra pounds can be risky. More than half a million people took part in a government study, which found Baby Boomers who are just a little overweight are more likely to die prematurely than those who are a healthier size. That contradicts earlier belief that a few extra pounds is not going to bother you.
Still a mystery here. Bausch & Lomb's recall seems to have stopped the spread of a serious eye infection. It's been three months since the contact lens solution was taken off the market, but researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they still don't know what caused the outbreak. Some people were so severely injured they needed a cornea transplant.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, logon to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
All right, let's get to the news about who has been dumped. It is Splitsville for Tom Cruise and Paramount. Cruise is one of Hollywood's consistent top moneymakers, now reportedly considered a liability by the movie studio. Sumner Redstone, the head of Paramount's parent company Viacom, tells today's "Wall Street Journal" that Cruise's off-screen behavior did him in.
Cruise's production company has its own spin. It says a mutual business decision, the Cruise people say, to end a 14-year relationship. Cruise has generated a lot of negative press over the past year; most infamously, perhaps, jumping up and down on Oprah's couch to declare his love for Katie Holmes. Studio executives apparently concluded that Cruise alienated enough people to hurt the bottom line at the box office.
Well, Hollywood is no stranger to actors acting up, but when a big studio suddenly gives its big star the boot, that gets everyone's attention.
And, you know, there's one guy you want to talk to when this happens, Tom O'Neill, the senior editor of "In Touch Weekly," who understands the gossip, but also understands the business. And that's why I said we got to get Tom on, to talk about Tom.
TOM O'NEILL, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Oh, that's great. Good...
KAGAN: Hey, Tom.
O'NEILL: Daryn, I remember a couple years ago, you and I were doing a live segment like this, and Tom Cruise was such a big star at the time, he burst into our segment to promote "The Last Samurai." You handled it very well. It was kind of...
KAGAN: Oh, that's right. They said in my ear, "Tom Cruise is on the phone." I said Tom O'Neill, hang on, I'm going to talk to him.
O'NEILL: Well, he -- his star has fallen so much that if he dare try that now, we wouldn't let him in...
KAGAN: Yes, I'm not taking his call.
O'NEILL: ... would we? That's right.
KAGAN: I'm not taking his call. OK let me talk -- let's talk weird behavior, OK?
O'NEILL: Um-hum.
KAGAN: Come on. It's been going on in Hollywood as long as they've been making movies. Since when does a star get dropped because of weird behavior?
O'NEILL: I know. I think that it's beyond just the weird behavior. The fact that Sumner Redstone made this so personal the other day, when we know that a deal was on the table two weeks ago for Tom...
KAGAN: What kind of deal?
O'NEILL: Well, drastically reduced. He did get an overhead annual fee of $10 million before to run his production company. They cut that back to $2 million, according to the "L.A. Times." He was no longer going to get 25 percent of the gross, most of that up front, plus 50 percent of the DVD sales, along with Spielberg. They had these unprecedented cuts.
So we knew that was all scaled back financially, but there was a deal on the table. Something happened in the last two weeks that really got Paramount mad, and it had to be -- my guess is that Tom acting up behind the scenes, saying something or doing something personal, that made them respond that way.
KAGAN: That's what you think. OK, but what's the bigger picture of what's going on in Hollywood right now? You real the local paper, the "L.A. Times," who you work with, as well. You hear -- you see a lot of articles about this is an industry in shakedown.
O'NEILL: Major shakedown. Just a few weeks ago, Jim Carrey lost a deal with Paramount because his production for the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" movie ran over $150 million. You have to keep the finances in check. And on the personal side, look how lucky Mel Gibson just was with his really serious bad behavior.
KAGAN: Right.
O'NEILL: Disney ended up saying two weeks ago, we're going to stick by this guy, we're going to release "Apocalypto" on December 8th. Wow, you know. Universal stood by Russell Crowe when he was hurling phones at hotel clerks. I don't think Hollywood is going to put up with this anymore.
KAGAN: And so are other big stars nervous about what the reality is?
O'NEILL: Well, they should be. You know, right now, if Lindsay Lohan stays out every night, holding up the production of "Georgia Rule," risking the wrath of Hanoi Jane Fonda, who's also in that move, she should wonder about, you know, keeping her personal antics in check.
KAGAN: All right. It's a new day in Hollywood.
O'NEILL: Sure is.
KAGAN: Thank you. Tom O'Neill. Great to see you, Tom.
O'NEILL: Same here, Daryn.
KAGAN: Let's talk about the young people of America. They have grown up with the Internet and bar codes and frappucinos. Straight ahead -- all right, I'm going to warn you, it's going to make you feel old, OK? So we're going to put it in perspective of what today's young people, the class of 2010, grew up with. A look at today's college freshmen and their view of history, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
KAGAN: If that's not a disturbing thought, this is probably going to blow your mind, especially if you're a baby boomer. Most of today's entering college freshmen were born in 1988. Where were you in 1988. All right. They grew up without the Soviet Union. Germany has been one nation, not east and west Germany. smoking has always been banned on U.S. airlines flights, those tidbits from Beloit College's annual Mindset List. Also for members of the class of 2010, Google has always been a verb. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America. And bar codes have always been a part of checkout.
You're feeling old, aren't you? Well, with that nice thought, we're going to wrap up our hour. I'm Daryn Kagan, keeping watch on CNN.
"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is up next with news happening from around the globe and here at home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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