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American Morning

North Korean Missile Launches; Columbine Diaries; London Bomber Message Released One Year Later

Aired July 06, 2006 - 09:31   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: This news just in to CNN. We want to get right to the Pentagon for news about North Korea's ability to launch of its Taepodong-2 long-range missiles. All day yesterday, we're hearing some reports that North Korea was getting ready to launch another missile.
Well, CNN's Jamie McIntyre is live at the Pentagon to tell us what?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it all depends what you consider is preparing to launch another missile. Clearly North Korea has a missile program, and at some point may attempt to launch another long-range Taepodong missile like the one that failed on Tuesday.

But U.S. officials with direct access to intelligence reports say there are no indications that any launch of a Taepodong-2 missile is eminent. There's nothing on the launchpad, according to officials, nothing that appears to be headed to the launchpad. A report by NBC last night said that a missile was in the final stages of assembly, a sign that North Korea was preparing to launch a second Taepodong. U.S. officials say they believe that statement is somewhat inaccurate, because they see no signs at this point there's preparations for a second.

That said, North Korea has hundreds of short and medium-range missiles, like the other missiles that were fired on Tuesday, Scuds and Nodongs (ph). Those can be fired at short notice, but they don't pose the threat that the Taepodong-2, did which in theory had a range that could reach the United States.

Again, U.S. officials not discounting the idea that North Korea, which has vowed to continue test firing missiles might eventually prepare a Taepodong for a test again, but they also say that it would make sense for North Korea to try to figure out what went wrong with Tuesday's launch before advancing with preparations for a second test -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jamie McIntyre, live at the Pentagon this morning. Thanks.

President Bush celebrating his 60th birthday today. He'll spend part of the day with Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper at the White House. They expected to talk about, of course, North Korea, Iraq and Iran. And by the way, the president and first lady Laura Bush will then be Larry King's special guest. That show airs tonight, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(NEWSBREAK)

COSTELLO: We may get a little more insight into the massacre at Columbine High School. Hundreds of pages and papers from the two killers being released today. That includes diaries from both Eric Harris Dylan Klebold. But the pair's so-called basement tapes will stay locked away.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Golden, Colorado this morning.

Good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, nearly a thousand pages of diary entries that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had written in the months leading up to the shooting, where 12 students were killed, and of course then those two teenaged gunmen turned the guns on themselves, will be leased here in Golden, Colorado shortly by the sheriff.

We don't know what to expect from these diary entries, so many people anticipating very closely. But the sheriff who is responsible for releasing them says that he hopes that mental health experts, teachers and parents across the country will somehow find them useful in preventing a similar attack in the future.

But one thing we will not be able to see is what is often referred to as "the basement videotapes," audio tapes and videotapes made by Harris and Klebold in the months leading up to the attacks. The sheriff says -- and there have been other video from them that have been released over the years. So what you're seeing there is not exactly what those basement videotapes is. But the sheriff says that the basement videotapes are so disturbing that he worries releasing them would inspire a copycat crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF TED MINK, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: They tell how to make bombs, how to carry out the plans. I mean, they're very, very precise in those videotapes about how to carry out one of these.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So here in about a half hour, the sheriff here in Jefferson County in Golden, Colorado, will release those documents nearly a thousand pages of diary entries, and also personal notes that Harris and Klebold had written in day planners and school papers as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why take a chance and release these diaries? I mean, why now?

LAVANDERA: Well, they have been at the center after lawsuit going on for quite sometime. As the sheriff mentioned, he hopes that this will somehow be beneficial to people across the country, but also the one stumbling block as well, was -- is that they were concerned that the parents of Harris and Klebold would object to their release, but those parents saying that they will not fight to keep these papers from being released, so the sheriff gave it the go-ahead yesterday.

COSTELLO: Ed Lavandera reporting live for us this morning. Thanks.

O'BRIEN: We are going to check the weather now.

But before we do that, a quick shot from space, if you don't mind. Let's punch that shot up, if we can. There we go, inside 2,000 feet. That's the International Space Station. You're looking at it through the dock ring of the space shuttle. Just wanted to keep you posted. We're watching as they begin their docking maneuver with the pirouette in advance.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: The Space Shuttle Discovery has the space station inside its crosshairs, as we say, inside 2,000 feet, and it about 20 minutes, actually less than that, they're going to perform this somersault maneuver which will allow the space station occupants, equipped with two cameras, 400 millimeter, 800 millimeter to do a carefully inspection of the belly of Discovery. Is it safe to come home? We'll find out.

COSTELLO: And later, hip hop and rock, instead of hymns. Just one reason why this church is one of the most influential in America, and changing the way a lot of people feel about religion. That story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Live pictures from space. This camera is attached inside the docking ring of the Space Shuttle Discovery. And there you plainly see in this so-called sequential still video the International Space Station. This is what they use when they don't have a high- bandwidth connection. Allows us to follow along nonetheless.

One of the key things before this docking will be a somersault operation for the space station crew to get some good pictures of the belly of Discovery to see if it's safe. Yesterday they did an inspection, pretty thorough one.

One of the things they found was this. Take a look at this picture, and we'll give you a sense of the detail. As they go along there, it looks fine. This is the leading edge of the wing, leading edge of the wing. And as they go along they found -- oh, what is that? What could that strange thing be there? The best and the brightest in Houston have gotten their slide rules out and determined it is vulture droppings. Vulture droppings. How is it possible they survived the rigors of that ride into space? Well, anyone who's had something like this happen to their car can attest to the fact that it is difficult to remove. Definitely won't be there when they return. The heat of re-entry will take care of that. Of course, there was a vulture that was killed a year ago, a couple of them, during the launch of Discovery. Maybe they're getting even.

Let's talk about the docking, though. Much more important. Bill Readdy, former shuttle commander, former NASA administrator, a man who has flown in space three times on the shuttle and has -- knows how to drive it. Is now an editor-at-large at "Aviation Week." He's got one of the best jobs in the world now. Second best job after astronaut. Joining us from Washington.

Good to see you, Bill. Let's talk about what's going on on the flight deck right now. The aft flight deck is where Commander Steve Lindsey would be. What's he trying to do right now to make sure this goes off without a hitch?

BILL READDY, EDITOR, "AVIATION WEEK": Well, right now, they have gone inside 1,000 feet away from the space station, and they are underneath it, looking up towards space. In the meantime, the space station crew is down, looking towards the orbiter with their cameras at the ready, a 400 millimeter lens and an 800 millimeter lens.

Steve is going to go ahead and pitch the nose of the orbiter up at about a little less than a degree per second. And that's going to allow the shuttle to pitch so that the space station crew can take detailed photographs of the underbelly of the orbiter. That's the objective here.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we're showing an animation off to your side there. And I want to tell folks that that is speeded up. This process takes several minutes for them to do this, so they have plenty of time to take these pictures. And this is important. Last year at this time, when this maneuver occurred, they took the pictures. And that is when we discovered that there was this so-called gap filler, a couple of gap fillers, sticking out between the heat resistant tiles at the belly of Discovery. And an emergency spacewalk was called -- or an add-on spacewalk, whatever you prefer -- to pull it out.

What do you think? Is it likely we're going to see more of that? Because I know they did a lot of work on those gap fillers?

READDY: Well, I think first of all, it says that, you know, that is exactly the kind of thing that you want to do when you have a chance a development flight like this is to take a really, really close look. And it was kind of surprise to see the gap fillers on the last flight. And being conservative, we went ahead and did a spacewalk to remove them prior to re-entry.

They did so much work at the Cape, yanking and tugging on each one of the gap fillers and regluing them, that I'd be really surprised if they saw anything on this one. The pictures will tell the story. O'BRIEN: The pictures will tell the story. We're showing how they do -- kind of do the pictures in a very specific way, each one assigned with certain areas; some of the key areas, of course, the wheel well doors. Yesterday there was -- we saw an image that showed a gap filler that was protruding, but apparently in not a serious mission critical place. It doesn't appear they have to pull that gap filler out, right?

READDY: Well, the places that you're really concerned about are forward on the orbiter and there along the center line, because those get the most heating. And what we're concerned about is what is called the boundary layer or the layer of air or plasma that's near the orbiter itself. And what happens is if that goes turbulent, if there's a disruption in that flow, it impinges or reattaches back aft on the shuttle and concentrates the heat. So we'd like an even distribution of the heat. And that's why you don't want to have protruding gap fillers.

O'BRIEN: Yes, there's actually, like, kind of a cushion of gas that envelops the space shuttle. And if you trip it, it turns that into like a blowtorch, which can really do a number, obviously. It can be very serious. Hey, tell me something -- I've always wanted to know -- how does the shuttle handle? Does it fly like a dream?

READDY: Oh, it really does. I think it's an amazing tribute to guys like John Young (ph) and Bob Crippe (ph) that developed the autopilot system and fly-by-wire flight controls. Because, you know, here you have a 100-ton spacecraft, and you're attempting to bring it within less than a degree and orientation -- and within less than an inch or so, by the time you marry that 100-ton space shuttle up with a 250-ton space station, it's just a marvel. It really is a dream to fly. It flies very, very precisely.

O'BRIEN: And let's not forget, as we look at these pictures -- this is animation here, but as we've been watching the pictures this morning -- they're traveling at 17,500 miles an hour. The relative speed is, of course, the key. And as it gets close, the speed is what -- it's like a foot per second or a fraction -- a tenth of a foot per second? Is that right? Something like that?

READDY: Yes. Right now, they're probably closing about a rate of one foot every second. When they do the pitch maneuver, then they'll actually be somewhere around 600 feet and holding. When they get out to 400 feet out in front of the space station, then they'll start their closure again. The peak would be about one foot per second.

And then they would slow that down to about one inch per second, because, as I said, you've got these huge masses; 100 tons for the shuttle, 250 tons for the space station. You want to make sure the alignment is very,s very precise, and you want to make sure that the closing velocity is just a kiss when they finally touch.

O'BRIEN: A kiss in space. I like that. That's rather poetic. Bill Readdy, former NASA shuttle commander. Stay there. Don't move. Because he's going to stay with us as this docking continues. The actual docking occurring after the 10:00 hour. This pirouette begins any minute now. We'll be watching that, hopefully getting some pictures. Bill Readdy, formerly with NASA, now with "Aviation Week" as an editor-at-large. Thanks for your time.

READDY: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: And Miles Cam day. Miles Cam day and docking day. This is like a big day for me.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: It doesn't get much better than that.

O'BRIEN: It does not get much better than that. Am@CNN.com is the place to send your questions. We'll keep Bill Readdy in the loop. If you have a question for him, we'll pop him in as well. CNN.com/pipeline is the place to see all of that unfold at 10:30 Eastern time. And stay with CNN as we show you the docking in the 10:00 Eastern hour, as well.

COSTELLO: And we've been expecting this to happen at some point in the morning, so this just in to CNN. The Arab network Al Jazeera has just aired a message from one of the suicide bombers in the London terror attacks. He is 22-year-old Shehzad Tanweer. He killed six people and himself at Aldgate station one year ago.

Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is live in London to tell us what he said -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol, very much.

Well, this is video which Scotland Yard says it is aware of. The British police saying it could only have been broadcast at this stage on the Al Jazeera television network. It was released earlier today to cause maximum hurt and distress to the families of the victims of the July the 7th bombings of last year. Of course, the anniversary of that set to be marked tomorrow.

Quite dramatic video, though, of one of these suicide bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, 22 years old, from the north of England. The sir (ph) is seen sitting there with headgear on. A pretty nondescript background. He speaks in English, but on the Al Jazeera network, he was dubbed into Arabic, saying that what you have witnessed now is only the beginning of a string of attacks that will continue and become stronger until you pull your forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq and until you stop your support of the United States and Israel.

So clearly, this the kind of message of the would-be suicide bomber as we've become very accustomed to seeing before the attacks are carried out. British security services believe this, along with an earlier video of a fellow suicide bomber in London, Sidique Khan, may have been filmed when the two traveled to Pakistan in the months before the attacks took place here in London -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Something else included in those videos, Matthew. A message from al Qaeda taking credit for this. What else did al Qaeda say? CHANCE: Well, that's right. Al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had comments after in this video, after we heard Shehzad Tanweer. He spoke in Arabic. He was describing, it seems, in the past tense, the suicide bomber from Britain, saying that he studied physical education. Ayman al-Zawahiri said he had a passion for boxing, even though he came from a well-off family. He didn't show that in his outward appearance.

And so the implication of that, of course, is that this figure, Shehzad Tanweer, was known to the al Qaeda leadership, and certainly some analysts are seeing that as some kind of evidence that this indeed was an attack last year that was inspired, if not ordered, by al Qaeda itself.

I think it's very important to point out that at no point did either this suicide bomber or the video of the other suicide bomber, Sidique Khan, neither of them did they appear to be in any same shots with any known al Qaeda leader. In fact, they were solitary in each of those.

So it could have been it seems that these al Qaeda soundbites and commentaries were added apparently after the events in postproduction -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Just taking advantage of the situation.

Matthew Chance reporting live for us from London, thank you.

O'BRIEN: Andy is up next "Minding Your Business."

Andy, what you got?

SERWER: We are talking about summer rock 'n' roll tours, Aerosmith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Petty, et al. Do prices seem like they're going through the roof for those tickets? Well, a big merger in this business means they may go up even higher. We'll explain, coming ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Live pictures from space. There you see the Space Shuttle Discovery, the belly of the beast, so to speak. And the International Space Station crew, Pavlo Vendergadaf (ph), Jeff Williams, are becoming shutter-happy tourists right now. Make sure you take the lens cap off, guys, 400-millimeter lens, 800-millimeter lens. They're focusing on some key spots on the belly of Discovery to make sure that those heat-resistant tiles are intact so that the crew can come home safely at the end of the mission. And as you can see, the whole thing has gone off without a hitch.

The foreground of your shot there, kind of underneath the banner there shot is an antenna they use to speak to the ground, just so you know what that's all about. But there you have it, the somersault is under way -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, I believe we have to take you to the United Nations now. The Security Council has just wrapped up. Let's listen to what Mr. Bolton has to say.

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: I think of course because overnight more delegations will have had a chance to get specific instructions on the text that Japan put forward, and that we and others are cosponsoring, that we'll have a more specific discussion. But the support remains really overwhelming, to make a very strong statement of condemnation of the North Korean missile launches, and I think to take strong and effective measures in response.

And so obviously there's still a lot of negotiation to go. This is the United Nations. But I'm pleased with our progress to date, and really I want to commend the Japanese mission here in New York for the outstanding work they've done on this, and they will continue to be taking the lead on it. We'll be working with them and see how fast and how far we can go.

COSTELLO: Talks are still ongoing. This is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, saying the Security council talks have wrapped up, and saying they're going swimmingly, even though Russia and China have so far seemingly refused to impose more sanctions on North Korea. We'll keep you updated throughout the day.

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O'BRIEN: Back with more in a moment.

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