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The Situation Room
Man Missing from Boat for Seven Weeks; President's Numbers Falling Further; Northwest Airlines Strike; Able Danger Information Denied; Pat Roberts Interview; Football Player's Death
Aired August 22, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place simultaneously.
Behind me, international newscasts coming in right now from ITV in Britain, Channel 2 Israel, Al-Iraqiya, obviously in Iraq, Al- Jazeera coming in from Doha, Qatar.
Also happening now, it's 1:00 a.m., already Tuesday, in Baghdad. Iraqis now have a draft constitution. Will it bring hope for more bloodshed?
It's 3:00 p.m. in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the president defends his Iraq war policy and asks an increasingly skeptical American public for patience.
And it's 2:00 p.m. in L.A., where at this hour the U.S. Coast Guard will have new information, we're told, on its investigation into the disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's boyfriend.
I'm Wolf Blitzer, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Just minutes before a midnight deadline in Iraq, a draft constitution was submitted to the National Assembly, which promptly decided that three more days are needed to try to iron out some remaining sticking points, some of them very, very significant. And so Iraqis now face yet another deadline. At stake, their future.
Let's go live to CNN's Aneesh Raman. He's joining us from Baghdad with details. Aneesh?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this was a political maneuver to rival most. Minutes before the deadline, Iraq's National Assembly receiving a draft constitution, meeting the deadline, but not finding compromise on what is emerging as the issue confronting the new Iraq, federalism -- how powerful will regional governments be?
The Shia and Kurd coalition have given themselves three days now to essentially bridge the divide with a Sunni minority who has said they want no talk of federalism in the draft constitution and they accept no mention of it.
If they are alienated, Wolf, that could have serious ramifications on the ground. The Sunnis, of course, do have the votes to veto this constitution in the public referendum set to take place by mid-October. But wider than that, engaging the Sunnis in the political process is seen as a critical step to curbing an insurgency that the government says is largely fueled by Sunni Arabs.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Aneesh, so if it's not done by Thursday, what do they do?
RAMAN: Well, they haven't given exact details of what will happen. But the rhetoric we've heard does suggest that a vote perhaps of some kind would come on Thursday. The speaker of the National Assembly said at that point all parties will be able to make their views known. So the Kurd and Shia coalition have the votes to pass this draft constitution. They have well over the 50 percent needed. It is the Sunnis and whether they feel alienated that will be the critical question facing this process.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. Aneesh Raman in Baghdad, thanks very much.
As the casualty count rises for U.S. troops and polls show rising skepticism about the war, President Bush today asked the American public to give his Iraq policy some more time, painting that conflict as a vital part, his words, of the war on terror.
The president spoke before the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt Lake City.
Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before an audience of veterans, an unusually blunt call for patience. For the first time, the president confronted critics by using the very number they say proves his Iraq policy is a failure.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have lost 1,864 members of our armed forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 223 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Each of these men and women left grieving families and loved ones back home.
BASH: After eight days out of sight at his Texas ranch, while the antiwar protest Cindy Sheehan sparked there held the spotlight, Mr. Bush appeared to respond to her chief complaint, her son died in vain and the troops should come home.
BUSH: We owe them something. We will finish the task that they gave their lives for.
BASH: His rationale for continuing the Iraq mission vintage Bush, telling Americans they are not yet safe, framing it in the context of the broader war on terror, with words that have angered critics before, evoking the mastermind of the September 11 attacks.
BUSH: Terrorists like bin Laden and his ally, Zarqawi, are trying to turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban.
BASH: This speech and one planned for Idaho Wednesday were scheduled months ago, but aides concede they come at a critical time for the president to once again make his case for staying in Iraq. But Cindy Sheehan followed the president here, too, on TV.
CINDY SHEEHAN, SON DIED IN IRAQ: How many more soldiers have to die before we say, enough?
(APPLAUSE)
BASH: And down the street as the president spoke, hundreds of antiwar protestors.
The president's urgent task to reinvigorate support for his Iraq policy is not just from opponents. GOP veteran of Vietnam, Senator Chuck Hagel, has been drawing similarities between that war, one the U.S. lost, and Iraq. Other red state Republicans home for a summer recess say they are finding doubts about the war and the Bush plan on the rise.
(on-screen): A senior Bush official said the president decided the cite the casualty numbers in part because that is a focus of Bush critics, and a room full of veterans is an appropriate place to say their sacrifice was for a worthy cause.
Dana Bash, CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Last week, a former member of a top-secret Pentagon intelligence unit told us his team tried to share information about a potential al Qaeda sleeper cell a year before the 9/11 attacks. Today, the Defense Department is playing down the information from that unit, code named Able Danger.
Let's go live to our national security correspondent, David Ensor. He's joining us at the Pentagon. David, what are they saying?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN AMERICA BUREAU CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Pentagon officials are pouring some cold water on the assertion of Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer. His claim was, of course, that his unit, this intelligence unit, back in 2000 found evidence that Mohammed Atta and three others of the eventually 9/11 hijackers were in the United States and were potential terrorists, and that they tried to pass this information on to the FBI but weren't allowed to do so.
Now, Pentagon officials are saying today that, since those claims were made, an intensive search has been going on into the files of Able Danger. And as one official put it, it's been broad, deep, and intensive, and we haven't found any evidence to back up Colonel Shaffer's claims.
So here they're saying they'll keep looking, but they haven't got that much further to look, and they're very skeptical of that claim. BLITZER: Have they -- do they say they've actually interviewed Lt. Col. Shaffer and the other members of Able Danger who insist that, yes, they came across this so-called Brooklyn cell of Mohammed Atta and three of his fellow hijackers? Have they actually spoken to these guys who worked in that unit?
ENSOR: I don't believe they have, Wolf. In any case, they aren't saying whether they have or not. Well, actually, come to think of it, Colonel Shaffer I know spoke to the undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. So there was an initial interview with him.
But basically, they're looking for paper, documentation to back up the claims. And they haven't found anything.
BLITZER: All right, David. Thank you very much. We'll continue to watch this story.
Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM, I'll speak live with Senator Pat Roberts. He's the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He's also just back from a visit to Iraq.
Let's go right to CNN's Jack Cafferty in New York with the "Cafferty File," with a new question for this hour. Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a good story, Wolf. An ABC affiliate television station in Salt Lake City, Utah, refusing to air an antiwar ad featuring Cindy Sheehan. In the ad, she asks President Bush for a meeting and accuses him of lying to the American people about Iraq. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEEHAN: Why can't you be honest with us? You were wrong about the weapons of mass destruction. You were wrong about the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. You lied to us.
And because of your lies, my son died. You said he died for a noble cause. What cause?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAFFERTY: Tough stuff. The ads were bought by an outfit called Gold Star Families for Peace. A sales rep for TV station KTBX in Salt Lake said the commercial was -- quote -- "inappropriate commercial advertisement for Salt Lake City" -- unquote.
The station also said the content might have been offensive to those who have lost family members in Iraq. They said the decision was not influenced by the owner of the station, Clear Channel Communications.
You may recall, Wolf, back in 2004, Sinclair Broadcasting not allowing its ABC stations to air an episode of "Nightline," where Ted Koppel read the names of soldiers killed in Iraq.
The question this hour is this. Should local stations run the Cindy Sheehan TV ad? E-mails at CaffertyFile@CNN.com. We'll read some of your letters a bit later.
BLITZER: I think you're going to get a lot of e-mail on this one. But we'll watch, and we'll see. Thanks, Jack, very much.
Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a senator's first-hand account of the situation in Iraq, Republican Pat Roberts. He's the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He's joining us live fresh from his visit to Iraq. Is he concerned about possible civil war? Is he concerned about an Islamic state emerging? We'll ask him.
And a prime suspect arrested in last week's rocket attack on U.S. warships docked off Jordan. We'll have details of what's happening on that front.
And the Olympic Park bombing sentencing and apology. Eric Rudolph in court today with victims of the families.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Iraqi lawmakers will have a little more time -- three days to be exact -- to try to iron out some of the wrinkles in their new draft constitution. One of those sticking points, the role of Islam in Iraq.
Joining us now, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Kansas Republican, Pat Roberts, who's just back from Iraq. Welcome back. I know you have a little cold, but we hope you'll be feeling fine in the next few days.
What's your bottom line assessment, Senator, on what you saw? Are things going in the right direction or the wrong direction?
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), CHAIRMAN OF INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I'm not sure you could say right or wrong. I think we are making progress.
This is no time -- let me put it this way. I think we have to have commitment. I think we have to have resolve. I'll just repeat what some of the soldiers that we visited with, both the officers and the enlisted, one person with a third tour said, tell the Congress not to rush to failure. We are making progress. We think we can get this job done.
Now, that doesn't mean that we don't have a very tough time ahead of us. I fully expect a spike in the insurgency. If we can get the situation solved, finally -- not we, but them -- in terms of the constitution, that will help. If we can stop this business of all these insurgents simply coming across the border, in regards to Syria, that will certainly help. We have good contingency plans on the way on that.
And so I think we're making some progress, but it is slow-going and it is difficult.
BLITZER: There certainly will be a spike the insurgency if the Iraqi Sunnis, who are not yet on board on this draft constitution, stay on the outside.
ROBERTS: Well, basically, about this time yesterday, I was talking with the prime minister...
BLITZER: The Iraqi prime minister.
ROBERTS: Yes. And he indicated that they were concerned about the bill of rights, they were concerned about the oil revenues, they're concerned about a lot of things.
But the big sticking point, as you pointed out, was the federalism. And if you go that direction, then you have the Kurds being semi-independent, and then you have the Shias in the dominating position, in regards to the new assembly, with the Sunnis are sort of scratching their heads.
Now, they submitted that document. We've got another three days. I think that's appropriate, under the circumstances. And I certainly hope that they can really find resolution. It is up to them to stand up and get this done.
BLITZER: I spoke about an hour or so ago with the U.S. ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.
ROBERTS: Yes.
BLITZER: And I want you to listen to this little excerpt from that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: What the text says is that Islam is not the source but a source of laws. And in addition, it states that no law can be against the provisions of Islam. And that's what the constitution of Afghanistan also stated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Are you concerned that almost 1,900 U.S. troops, thousands of others injured, 1,900 dead, $300 billion, approaching that figure, all that was expended for an Islamic state to emerge potentially in Iraq?
ROBERTS: Well, of course, I would be concerned. But as the ambassador said -- and I just talked to him yesterday, as well -- they put that down as a foundation, but they also have a bill of rights.
And then you have to remember that, in the history of Iraq, the tribal family was the basic unit, even in regards to self-reliance or self-protection. So what they've tried to do is say, OK, we believe in Islam, but here is also a guarantee for religious freedom and a bill of rights.
Now, that can be worked out with the assembly with whatever wording they wanted, but they had all three in there. So some of my worries were somewhat allayed. BLITZER: Some of us who have watched Iraq closely over the years were disturbed by this picture -- and I want to put it up on the screen. This is August 5. The prime minister, the man you met yesterday, Ibrahim al-Jaafari meeting with Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the radical Shiite clerics who is responsible for killing his troops, his forces, American troops, including in Sadr City.
In fact, we learned only -- at least I learned yesterday, going back to the "New York Times," that Cindy Sheehan's son, Casey Sheehan, was among those seven U.S. troops killed in Sadr City by that man's forces when there was fighting going on. Ricardo Sanchez, the U.S. military commander at the time, saying he was wanted dead or alive.
Are you concerned that now he is one of most powerful political figurers in Iraq and the prime minister is not only sitting with him, but embracing him, trying to make him part of the process, if you will, given the blood that's on his hands?
ROBERTS: I might quarrel with the embracing part, but what they're trying to do is to get all parties concerned, no matter their background, to sit down and come up with a constitution that makes sense and then have the vote by October 15, have the assembly, and then proceed.
I don't know any other way they're going to do this and achieve any kind of unity of purpose so that we can get this done. If you don't do that, and you miss the October 15 deadline, you're going to have to go in and try to elect a new transitional government, start all over again, you know, with the constitution.
Remember, it took us 15 years to have a constitution, and we still have amendments that are pending in the Congress that would amend the Constitution. A very difficult process, more especially with the Shias and the Sunnis.
I don't like Sadr any more than you do, or any more than anybody else would. But he does represent at least a section of the Shia population. I choose to think not as much of a populace that sometimes is publicized, but he is a figure that certainly has to be reckoned with.
BLITZER: Senator Roberts, thanks very much, as usual. Welcome back. Get over your cold and be strong.
ROBERTS: OK. There's nothing like a cold from Iraq to get rid of in America.
BLITZER: We're happy you're back.
ROBERTS: I'm glad to be back.
BLITZER: We're happy you're back safe. And, Senator, your family and your constituents are, as well. Thanks, as usual.
ROBERTS: You bet. BLITZER: It's Monday, August 22. Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a blast rocks Beirut. It's happened again in a Christian suburb of the Lebanese suburb. We'll go there. We'll have the latest on the number of people injured.
Plus, crime and punishment. Confessed and convicted bomber Eric Rudolph apologizes to his victims, as he learns his fate. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In California, a missing person story with a Hollywood connection. The U.S. Coast Guard is preparing to hold a news conference on its search for the boyfriend of the singer Olivia Newton-John. Let's go now to our entertainment correspondent, Sibila Vargas. She's joining us from L.A.
What is happening? This is a very, very strange story.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. A case that's certainly been shrouded in mystery. The Coast Guard is looking into the disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's longtime boyfriend.
Now, here's what we know. Patrick McDermott has been missing since July 1. The 48-year-old cameraman from Van Nuys told friends that he was going on an overnight fishing trip in San Pedro, California, on June 30, but hasn't been heard from since.
According to a Coast Guard officer, McDermott has been last seen on an 80-foot boat called The Freedom. McDermott's fishing gear was found on the boat, as well as a fanny pack with his identification.
Now, Olivia Newton-John did issue this statement today: "It has truly been a heartbreaking experience, and we have chosen to deal with it privately."
The Coast Guard is treating it as a missing person's case, but they have not completely ruled out foul play. They're holding a press conference in just minutes, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. And, of course, they're asking anyone with information to call the Coast Guard.
Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. We'll be watching that news conference. Sibila, thanks very much. Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles, a very disturbing story, indeed.
CNN's Zain Verjee joining us once again from the CNN Center in Atlanta. She's got a quick look at some other stories making news. Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.
News media outlets say at least five people were injured when an explosion tore through a commercial center in a Christian suburb of Beirut. The blast happened just before 4:00 p.m. Eastern near a hotel and a Starbucks cafe.
Jordanian authorities say they've arrested their prime suspects in last week's rocket attack on two U.S. warships. The ships were attacked while docked at the Red Sea port of Aqaba. The rockets missed the ships, but killed a Jordanian soldier. The suspect is a Syrian, linked to an unnamed Iraqi-based terrorist group.
The leaders of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are sounding conciliatory notes in the wake of today's completed evacuation of settlements from Gaza. Only a handful of distraught Israelis had to be physically carried from the Netzarim settlement. That was the last one to go. Two more settlements in the West Bank are scheduled to be cleared out tomorrow.
Forest-fugitive-turned-confessed-bomber Eric Rudolph will spend the rest of his life in jail. Rudolph today was sentenced to four consecutive life terms, plus 120 years, for bomb attacks in Atlanta and in Alabama which killed two people and injured dozens more. Rudolph apologized to the victims of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing and their families. He didn't express any remorse, though, for the other three attacks.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Zain, you're also working on a follow-up to that mysterious story, the so-called "Piano Man" story. I'm not talking about Billy Joel, about something very different.
VERJEE: Yes, it's a noteworthy story coming out of Britain about, as you say, a piano man. It's been a mytery for a while. Nobody knew who he was, where he was from. He certainly wasn't speaking. Intriguingly, all the labels of his clothes had been cut off. But it seems as though the mystery has been solved somewhat, and I'll tell you about it a little bit later.
BLITZER: All right. We'll look forward to that. Zain, thanks very much.
It's the third day of a mechanic strike at Northwest Airlines. CNN's Ali Velshi following that story, other business news with the "Bottom Line," as we like to call it.
Ali, what's the latest?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as you said, it's the end of the third day of this strike almost. And Northwest, before the strike started, said, we can fly almost unaffected with 4,400 people off the job.
Well, they haven't done too bad a job. Today was the real test, because Saturday and Sunday are typically lighter than the weekdays. They flew 1,473 flights, or at least that was what was on the schedule today.
Now, Northwest did, in fairness, bump its fall schedule up by a week, so it's a lighter schedule than it otherwise would have been. And though we couldn't get an exact number on it, they did say a number of aircraft were out of service due to the strike.
J.P. Morgan was saying that they have 43 percent delays. Those are delays of 15 minutes or more. The union is saying, the mechanics union, is saying that's going to get worse as this drags along.
Why it's going to get worse is that, if the delays couple up with each other, the cabin crew and the pilots, who have set maximum shifts that they can work, well, if the delays cut into their shift enough that they can't complete their shift, they just don't let them fly. The FAA doesn't allow people to fly beyond their shift, and that, of course, will compound the delays.
We spoke to Northwest earlier, and they said they can run without these crews indefinitely.
I just want to show you very quickly what this is all about. It's about the mechanics. Even though this is a mechanics union, there are a lot of people in this union who are not mechanics.
The issue is the day-to-day maintenance that Northwest wants to outsource to other people, to contract workers. That's the issue. There are about 800 people they say they need as mechanics on a daily basis. Right now, they say they've replaced that number with 1,200 to 1,500, and that there are no safety issues, and that they'll be able to run their flights indefinitely.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. We'll watch this story with you, Ali. Thanks very much.
Many questions but few answers. Coming up, after the weekend death of a San Francisco 49er, there are new questions about football players and the potential dangers of their physical conditions. We'll have some details.
And staying the course in Iraq. The president pushes his case, but what do Americans think? We'll discuss that, other matters, with the former Defense secretary, William Cohen.
And the international intrigue over a man of mystery. He's the nameless, speechless piano man, who no one knew in Europe. Now, he's revealed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The president is calling for more patience when it comes to the Iraq War but polls are suggesting Americans may be running out of patience.
Joining us now in THE SITUATION ROOM our world affairs analyst, the former Defense secretary, William Cohen. He's the chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group here in Washington. Let's talk about the president's dilemma right now. He spoke out in Salt Lake City earlier today. Here's a little excerpt of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Each of these Americans has brought the hope of freedom to millions who have not known it. We owe them something. We will finish the task that they gave their lives for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: That's a powerful message from the president.
WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: It is. And I think it's perhaps the most persuasive one -- namely that, whether you agree or disagree for the rationale of going in, we are there. And we have to at least try to put in place the foundations for a democratic system, rather than call it quits at this point. So I think that's --
BLITZER: Because if we the U.S. did call it quits, then all those troops, presumably, will have died in vain.
COHEN: All of those troops will have committed themselves to a cause that we didn't complete. But secondly, a failure to complete it will in fact jeopardize the entire region. So there are very -- there are moral issues involved, there are strategic issues involved.
And I think the president has got to rally the American people. I don't think he can do it alone. I've said this before in this program. He's got to bring into his confidence at least, and try to maintain a coalition of supporters. And he must do that --
BLITZER: A bipartisan coalition.
COHEN: Bipartisan coalition. I'll go back -- they frequently cite that we were in Kosovo much longer that we intended to be -- true. We're not losing any folks in Kosovo of Bosnia-Herzegovina right now. And we didn't at the time. But what happened was, President Clinton would call into the White House -- about every two weeks or so -- a coalition of the supporters, and even critics. Bringing them down to say, here's the leadership of the Congress -- we need your support. Stay with it, because we've got to see this through.
BLITZER: But the president -- that president, Bill Clinton, also put together an international coalition. He got NATO involved. That's much more difficult, as far as Iraq is concerned.
COHEN: That's almost impossible at this point, in terms of trying to bring other countries into a coalition at this point. But it's still open for the president to call upon people in the Congress and say, I need your help. We've got to see this through. And this is how I see us completing the task.
A failure to do that I think leaves him out there trying to persuade the American people that this is a cause that must be pursued at all costs.
And I think he continues to repeat something which many people disagree with, namely that Saddam Hussein was somehow linked to 9/11. That was not the case, according to the 9/11 Commission. The fact is we went in there on the assumption that there were weapons on mass destruction. The intelligence was flawed. It was wrong. But we're there now, and we have to complete the mission as best as we can.
BLITZER: The president not only has problems, though, from the Democrats, he's also got some problems from Republicans, including your friend Chuck Hagel, a Republican senator from Nebraska. Listen to what he said yesterday in making this ominous, ominous comparison to Vietnam. This is actually what he said here in THE SITUATION ROOM last Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL, (R) NEBRASKA: There's no question that there's a parallel emerging here between Iraq and Vietnam. I've said from the beginning and still say there are a lot of mostly dissimilarities. But there are some similarities and the longer we stay in Iraq, the more similarities will start to develop.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
BLITZER: Do you agree with him, that this could be another Vietnam for the U.S.?
COHEN: Well, I like Chuck Hagel a great deal. He's a friend. I also served with Pat Robertson. He's also a friend. So you have two men who have served the military very honorably. Chuck brings a lot of credibility to this issue, in terms of having fought in Vietnam -- and fought bravely, and highly decorated.
There are similarities, it seems to me, coming to the forefront in two cases at least. Number one, the division here at home amongst the American people. That has shades of Vietnam written on it, at least.
Secondly, it seems to me, we're getting into a body count mentality. Each day that goes by we've killed so many insurgents; we've lost so many soldiers. I think it's a very dangerous parallel, and I think Chuck Hagel is correct in saying, if it continues -- the status quo continues -- then the parallels will become much more visible and much more intense.
Right now I think, as he pointed out, the dissimilarities are much more numerous than the similarities. But there is a danger, unless there is a shift and a change in the status quo for the better, then you could have a parallel as far as the loss of the American support -- people's support for this effort.
BLITZER: William Cohen. Thanks very much for joining us.
COHEN: A pleasure to be here, Wolf.
BLITZER: It was a story that captured the attention of many around the world. Coming up, a mysterious piano man who wouldn't talk, but would only play the piano. New keys emerging to this very bizarre story.
And a top model brought up on drug charges. It's a story very similar to another that's been in the news.
We'll tell you what they're saying on the blogs. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Want to go out to California. The Coast Guard holding a news conference right now on the missing boyfriend of Olivia Newton John. He's been missing for some seven weeks. Patrick Kim McDermott, 48 years old. Let's get an update briefly.
QUESTION: Do you have a time frame of what he was last seen?
SCOTT EPPERSON, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE U.S COAST GUARD: I'm sure the investigators have that. They did not pass that on to me. I did not ask to get that from them. When that person -- or, when he was seen on the boat last.
QUESTION: Can you tell us -- (INAUDIBLE).
EPPERSON: All I know was that he was supposedly seen in the galley -- eating, I believe.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
EPPERSON: Yes, something like that.
QUESTION: Was he seen when the fourth (ph) boat had almost returned to port?
EPPERSON: I do not know.
QUESTION: I understand he was only a couple miles -- the boat was only three miles away from returning to shore when he was last seen.
EPPERSON: I know that he was seen in the galley during the cruise. I'm not sure of the last person that saw him on the boat, when that was. The interviews that the investigators are conducting will probably yield that stuff but I'm not privy to that.
QUESTION: Do you know anything -- (INAUDIBLE).
EPPERSON: Do not know any personal information about Patrick McDermott.
QUESTION: How far -- (INAUDIBLE).
EPPERSON: I'm not sure of their fishing area, either.
BLITZER: We'll continue monitor this news conference. Scott Epperson, public information officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, out in California updating reporters out there on 48-year-old Patrick McDermott, the boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John who's been missing for some seven weeks. We'll watch this and see if we get any more information from the Coast Guard. A very mysterious story, a disturbing story. We'll watch it for you.
Lou Dobbs is getting ready for his program right at the top of the hour.
Lou, tell our viewers what you're working on.
LOU DOBBS, CNN HOST, LOU DOBBS REPORTS: Wolf, thank you. Coming up at the top of the hour here on CNN, President Bush is calling on Americans to support his administration's deeply unpopular strategy on Iraq as his approval ratings plummet and as more American soldiers die in Iraq. And there are new fears emerging that a constitutional crisis could in fact ignite and Iraqi civil war. We'll have the special report for you tonight.
Concern, as well, the airline industry's move to outsource critical workers is putting the safety of airline passengers at risk. A special report, tonight, on outsourcing your safety and an in-depth look at one of the most contentious issues of our time -- intelligent design. Should intelligent design be taught along side the theory of evolution? We'll have a special report and a debate.
We hope you'll be joining us right here on CNN at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Now, back to Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf?
BLITZER: A mere 19 minutes away, but who's counting? Lou, we'll be watching. Thanks very much.
Today the sports world is mourning the death of a football player and medical officials are trying to figure out a cause of the death. Meanwhile, this new incident is raising all sorts of old questions about athletes and potential dangers of their physical conditions.
Let's get some more information. CNN's Mary Snow, joining us from New York. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the NFL commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, said today in Massachusetts, that there are no answers about why Thomas Herrion suddenly died. He says it could take several weeks for those answers. But in the meantime, questions are being raised about overall health of players.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Following the sudden death of San Francisco 49er's lineman Thomas Herrion, questions are being raised about the weight of offensive linemen in the National Football League. His officially listed weight of 310 pounds is typical of professional players in his position, but in terms of a player's overall health, does weight need to be looked at?
That was a question posed Monday to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
PAUL TAGLIABUE, NFL COMMISSIONER: We're staying ahead of curve, I think, in understanding what that means in terms of how big they should be, what kinds of characteristics they should be able to display.
SNOW: Offensive linemen weren't always so big, but over the last two decades their size has gone up significantly.
Arthur Roberts, now a retired heart surgeon, played for the Cleveland Browns in the 1960s.
DR. ARTHUR ROBERTS, LIVING HEART FOUNDATION: There's over 300 players that weigh more than 320 pounds. When I played back in the old days, in the '60s, it was rare to have a player that weighed 300 pounds.
SNOW: A former NFL player who now represent players, among them offensive linemen, says that the trend is bulk is better. In the sport of football, that extra weight acts as protection against being beaten down.
RAPLPH CINDRICH, SPORTS AGENT: There's no doubt that there are certain qualifications that they want in advance of a guy. You know, it's a height-weight-speed thing. Nothing's changed there, except on the weight part of it, it's 300 pounds plus.
SNOW: Sports agent Ralph Cindrick points out though, that weight doesn't mean they're not in good shape.
CINDRICH: These guys are still exceptional athletes. A lot of these guys will pick up a lot of weight and improve their speed.
SNOW: But Dr. Roberts said that the weight has caused concern and he's collecting medical data from professional players.
ROBERTS: The cardiovascular system and other systems in the body are under more stress. And we have to realize that the game is changing and we have to adjust the training and the habits to maximize our players' health.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And Wolf, these health questions are nothing new. In 1994, the NFL Players Association commissioned a study which found that linemen had a 50 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease, than the general population.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Mary Snow, thanks very much. What a story, indeed. Thank you.
Here in THE SITUATION ROOM we're plugged into almost everything that is happening on-line. Right now, a lot of buzz about an Australian model arrested on drug charges in Bali in Indonesia.
Our Internet reporters Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton, checking out that story for us on this situation on-line. What is the latest, ladies? JACKI SHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, that and others. We just wanted to show you first what was most popular at CNN.com in this hour. Right now, first has to do with developments in stem cell research. Scientist saying they may have found a way to fuse skin cells with embryonic stem cells, which make take human embryos out of the equation.
Also, developments in the plane crash near Athens early this month. Reports that a steward on board tried to give a "May day" call, and it went unheard because he was transmitting on the wrong frequency.
That's the number one story at CNN.com right now in the international edition. But it is the number two story that we wanted to bring you a little more information on -- that about an Australian model who was arrested in Bali. Indonesian officials saying they found two hits of the drug ecstasy -- two pills of ecstasy in her handbag.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Now, she could fact 15 years in prison if found guilty. At this stage, she's just been arrested on this charge.
This story is getting -- starting to get a lot of attention on- line, perhaps because of the case earlier this year of Schapelle Corby, another young Australian woman who was arrested and found guilty of drug smuggling to Bali. There's a picture of her there at TalkLeft.com, which has been following her story. Schepelle cooking rice in her jail cell there. Again, she's serving a 20-year sentence. TalkLeft, Jeralyn Merritt in Denver has been following her case all along, her appeals case and everything. Other bloggers are making the link already to these two young women.
This is HappyScrappy.com -- obviously wins the blogpost name of the day -- they're talking about coverage that Schapelle Corby got earlier on this year and saying that he was out in Australia where the networks were giving a 24-hour devotion to Schapelle Corby, there on the left, wondering if Michelle, there on the right, will be getting the same kind of attention.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. Abbi and Jacki, thanks very much. We'll follow that for our viewers as well.
We're also following a bizarre story from Britain. Coming up: Was the mystery of the so-called piano man real or was it trumped up? New details. We'll get those.
Plus, should local TV stations air anti-war ads featuring Cindy Sheehan? You're e-mail and Jack Cafferty, that's coming up as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the hot shots coming in from our friends over at the Associated Press -- pictures likely to be in your newspapers tomorrow. In China, paramilitary officers spraying colored smoke during an anti-terrorism demonstration in Nanjing.
Let's go over to Russia where veterinary workers are burning fowl at a farm affected by the bird flu. Officials are calling for international financial help to keep the disease from spreading worldwide.
Over in Switzerland, massive floods, putting part of the country under water. Look at this.
And in Manhattan, much closer to home, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa testifying against John Gotti, Jr. Gotti is charged with racketeering.
The mysterious patient known as the Piano Man has left Britain and is back in his homeland, amid new questions about whether his remarkable story was in fact, a hoax. Let's go back to Zain Verjee at the CNN Center in Atlanta. She has details. Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf, it sounded like a movie script: The tale of a silent piano prodigy, his identity unknown. But the reality appears to be far less intriguing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): His picture was plastered on British newspapers, often with captions asking, "Do you know this man?" He was found on a beach in southern England over four months ago. He didn't speak, but according to reports, he did love to play the piano. He was taken to a psychiatric ward for treatment. There, doctors say he drew a picture of a piano, and then later gave a virtuoso performance, playing Tchaikovsky classics to John Lennon tunes.
MICHAEL CAMP, SOCIAL WORKER: There was no music or anything on the piano. So it was something that he knew. Letter, we obviously seemed to have known he has got a talent there, and we have given him pieces of music, and he certainly can read that music, because he kind of follows it with his fingers as he goes.
VERJEE: The British press called him the Piano Man, and likened him to the talented but troubled pianist played by Geoffrey Rush in the movie "Shine." Hospital staff still stand by their story, but the British tabloid "The Daily Mirror" says it isn't so, that the man was only able to tap repeatedly on the same piano key, and could hardly play a note.
"The Mirror" reports today the man has been released from a British hospital after finally identifying himself as a German who came to Britain after losing his job in Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The German Foreign Ministry confirms the Piano Man was flown back to Germany on Saturday. Now, his name wasn't disclosed, nor any details about his life, so in some respects, he is still a mystery.
Coming up in THE SITUATION ROOM, Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan creating controversy in more ways than one. The flap over her new tough new ad. What do you think of it? That's next in the "Cafferty File."
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heidi, do you think you'll give the names in the black book?
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In the 1990s, Heidi Fleiss was one of Hollywood's most notorious characters. The then 20- something daughter of a wealthy pediatrician used her family's connections to attract and service rich and famous clients as the Hollywood Madam.
Her arrest and trial became headline news. But she never did reveal the contents of her black book, and was sentenced to three years in prison for procuring prostitution and selling cocaine.
When Fleiss was released from prison, she started capitalizing on her notoriety legally. Fleiss has a line of clothing called Heidiwear and owns a West Hollywood boutique called the Little Shop of Sex.
She also invested in her looks, undergoing plastic surgery.
HEIDI FLEISS, FORMER HOLLYWOOD MADAM: I had the party, did the party, threw the party, was the party, I'm partied out. And I live every day to its fullest. And there's lessons that I've learned.
ZAHN: Fleiss wrote a book about her experiences called "Pandering." She's also opening a legal brothel in Nevada.
On the personal side, she recently faced off in court against former boyfriend and actor Tom Sizemore, accusing him of abuse.
The Hollywood Madam turns 40 this year and would like to be remembered for one thing.
FLEISS: That I took the oldest profession on Earth and did it better than anyone on Earth. That's it, and that's all. Alexander the Great conquered the world at 32. I did it at 22.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. We can bring you lots of information simultaneously. Here is what's incoming right now.
Check this out. A freak gust of wind -- look at this -- blaming -- is blamed for flipping a single-engine Cessna plane at a Central Florida airport. Airport officials said the student pilot was training at Sanford International Airport when the plane flipped over. An airport spokesman says the pilot simply walked away without a scratch.
Check this out. Emergency crews on the scene of a deadly small plane crash near the Brandywine Airport in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Officials say the pilot and his wife were returning from vacation when they experienced mechanical problems while attempting to land at the airport.
Jack Cafferty reading your e-mail, he's joining us now live from New York with the "Cafferty File". Jack?
CAFFERTY: How are you doing, Wolf? Television station KTVX, an ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by Clear Channel Communications, is refusing to air an antiwar ad featuring Cindy Sheehan. In the ad, Sheehan asks President Bush for a meeting, accuses him of lying to the American people about Iraq. The station said the content might be offensive to those who have lost family members in Iraq.
The question this hour, should local stations run the Cindy Sheehan ad? The answer is, most people think they should.
Kyle in Carbondale, Illinois, "Conservative Utah simply silencing the opposition to their right-wing agenda. It only fuels the antiwar argument. Cindy Sheehan was right. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Why on Earth would someone be afraid to tell the American people the truth?"
Richard in Reseda, California, "The TV station has the right not to air the -- not to air the commercial. The irony is the ad has gotten more exposure than if they had shown it in the first place."
Claire in Melbourne, Florida, "It's OK to run swift boat ads, but when someone finally tells the truth and asks the hard questions, we can't offend anyone with the truth? Give me a break. Cindy Sheehan is expressing what a lot of us are thinking."
Byron in Hudson, Wisconsin, "How about we just have a state-run TV like they do in China? Those darn war protesters, now they want the right to free speech. What's next?"
And R writes this, "Of course local stations should air the ad. Why not? Liberals deserve just as much exposure as hair care products and male enhancement medications."
Oh, and there is one more here, "Dear Wolf, please try to get off on time, signed Lou Dobbs."
BLITZER: We always get off on time. He gets exactly at the top of the hour. In fact, less than 30 seconds from now, LOU DOBBS TONIGHT will be starting.
Let's eat up those 30 seconds, Jack. Give us your sense of what's happening right now in the country.
CAFFERTY: I didn't hear the question. Somebody was talking in my ear. BLITZER: I guess you could have said that in less than 30 seconds. Jack Cafferty, I'll see you tomorrow.
CAFFERTY: All right.
BLITZER: Thanks very much. We're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Among my guests in THE SITUATION ROOM tomorrow, the former U.S. senator Bob Dole. Until then, thanks very much for joining us.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT starting right now.
DOBBS: Thank you, Wolf, and good work, Jack.
END
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