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CNN Live Event/Special

America Under Attack: President And Congress Seek Agreement on Spending Bill

Aired September 13, 2001 - 04:48   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, President Bush has met with congressional leaders seeking a quick agreement on an emergency spending bill for recovery and rebuilding efforts. The attacks have galvanized Congress into one cohesive body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The American people need to know this is a long, hard struggle. It wouldn't be over if we got rid of Mr. Bin Laden tomorrow. There are other organizations that are bent on the destruction of the United States of America and in order for us to preserve America and our way of life we're going to have to sacrifice American treasure and unfortunately, in some cases, perhaps some American blood.

REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: I believe this is a time for us to pull together as a Congress and a country. I am moved by the bravery and patriotism of our people in this time of national calamity and I believe that working closely together all of us together will meet this challenge just as we've met every challenge in the history of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been meeting that challenge with a very measured response today. You know, you listen to the talk radio shows and you hear a lot of people expressing their anger and their grief and it's...

CELLINI: Right, that's -- strike quickly and that hasn't been the case.

LIN: But it's shocking what you hear people saying.

CELLINI: It really is.

LIN: I think people are just having a very visceral response, certainly when you see the pictures coming out of Washington and out of New York of the damage there.

CELLINI: Yes.

LIN: Garrick Utley hast that position up top of our New York bureau -- good morning, Garrick.

GARRICK UTLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

LIN: The rescue operations still going on through the night?

UTLEY: They certainly are. As we said a moment ago, this is a 24-7, every day, every morning, noon, afternoon and night operation. The workers, again, fire department people, other volunteers brought in, specialists dealing with situations like this to make sure that not too much of the structure falls on places it shouldn't fall as they go about with their search.

They're obviously exhausted. They're physically whipped. They're emotionally whipped, there's no question about that. You just have to look at these pictures. We've seen them before and we'll see them again, and there's some of the work that's going on. You see the big unit. That one tug of that crane brought down about four stories of rubble right there. Now, obviously that wasn't brought down until they had made every effort with dogs trying to sniff out any signs of human life or, indeed, human death, or motion detectors, which they also have there, had gone through and examined those areas and found no one there.

But again, even under the floodlights powered by very strong generators which are going, allowing this work through the evening, it has to be said that although the dedication is there, no one speaks of optimism simply because of the time factor. As hard as these people are going to be working, they're talking about 30 days to 60 days minimum to get through the rubble and I don't have to spell out what that means in terms of the chances of finding many survivors.

Several thousand body bags have been brought in. I think it's up to 6,000. the mayor and others have said only the total will probably be in the thousands. The triage center is there to separate those who may be found to have survived and there were very few who have, were recovered on Wednesday and into the evening hours.

But again, there can't be that much hope. And we can only think, Carol and Vince, as we look at these pictures, whether you're here in the United States or somewhere around the world right now, that if there are, indeed, thousands there who may, or, indeed, have lost their lives, there are also thousands of families here in New York City, in the greater New York area, waiting, still somehow trying to hold onto hope and knowing that some day or at some point they're going to have to let that hope slip away.

And these are the scenes that have been familiar. This is, of course, right after the terrorist attack when New York was in shock.

CELLINI: Garrick, excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt. We were supposed to have an election there in New York for mayor.

UTLEY: Oh, that's been long...

CELLINI: Are...

UTLEY: That's long forgotten right now.

CELLINI: Right. And I wanted to, my point is that Mayor Giuliani has been very visible through this and he's had kind of a calming effect, or at least trying to keep things as orderly as possible there. I wonder if you could talk about the job he's done in trying to guide some of these citizens in New York City.

UTLEY: Well, certainly there is a mayoral election coming up. Mayor Giuliani cannot run for a third term. He's had his two terms so he's not involved in any of the political equation here. He has been quite visible. He's been a very effective mayor, certainly, like him or not, and the city has been rather evenly divided on that score.

But in exercising the calm and a discipline, and also a certain prudence, Vince -- as we've reported before and as we all know, the city officials or state or even federal officials are not going to give any predictions. They're not going to go out and say this is exactly what we think has happened, but they are giving general guidelines. And, of course, those guidelines, as we said a moment ago, to use the mayor's word, are "horrendous."

And there's really not much more that can be said about this. New York's -- New Yorkers are digesting what has happened here. They know but that doesn't ease the pain.

LIN: No, certainly not. Garrick, people have described the aura in the city as one of an uncomfortable silence. What is that like to be in this city now where people are not going to work, are not going about their daily business? I just can't imagine.

UTLEY: Well, that was certainly true on Tuesday after the initial chaos of the terrorist attacks. Tuesday night was very quiet. Wednesday was quite quiet. You could get on a bus or if you had a car just drive down most of the avenues and only have to stop for the red lights. There were no traffic jams at all because the bridges and the tunnels were closed and people were told not to come to work, schools were closed.

But what's happening right now is the start of return to a more normal life for New York, and, indeed, here in Manhattan, the heart of New York City. Schools will be opening tomorrow, the bridges more than will be opened up. And the quiet that we have enjoyed -- if we can even use the word enjoyed under these circumstances -- will be disappearing as life returns to its normal rhythm.

But you're absolutely right, Carol, in pointing this out. To be in a city of more than seven million people, imagine that, and still have this sense of quiet, this sense of restraint, even, and still plenty of entertainment pouring out.

LIN: Sure.

UTLEY: This was unique in New York City.

LIN: Sure, absolutely. As one reporter described it, it feels like the protected aura of a war zone. Thank you very much, Garrick Utley.

UTLEY: Thank you.

CELLINI: Eerily quiet.

Thank you, Garrick Utley.

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