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The Situation Room
Pat Robertson Changes Gears; Bush Speaks to Military Families; BRAC Accepts Most of Pentagon List; Suicide Bomber Was Previously Prevented from Entering U.S.; More Armstrong Allegations
Aired August 24, 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.
We're watching several feeds come in, satellite feeds. Al-Jazeera from Qatar is coming in. CCTV, that's not closed-circuit television. That's the Communist Television network in China. NTV coming in from Germany. ITV coming in from Britain.
Also happening right now, it's 3:00 p.m. over in Idaho, where the president enlists military families in his battle to win back support for the war in Iraq.
It's 1:00 a.m. already Thursday in Baghdad, where insurgents launched a brazen and bloody attack in broad daylight. Have they found a new tactic?
And it's 5:00 p.m. in New England, where a pair of big Navy facilities will, after all, stay open. But the gates are closing for many other military bases around the country and their workers.
I'm Wolf Blitzer, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
A developing story we're following up first. Pat Robertson formally apologizing for words gone wrong about the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez. Now Robertson is telling those who think they understood him what he really meant.
Let's get the details. Mary Snow standing by in New York. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that statement just coming within the last hour and a half. Pat Robertson saying he wants to clarify his controversial remarks, saying, "Is it right to call for assassination?" He says "No".
And these comments come as he's been getting a lot of publicity and the pressure was being turned up on him to retract his statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW (voice-over): Late Wednesday afternoon, Pat Robertson issued a statement, apologizing for comments calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He said -- quote -- "I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him." Earlier Wednesday, Robertson blamed the media for misconstruing his comments.
PAT ROBERTSON, THE 700 CLUB: I didn't say assassination. I said our Special Forces should -- quote -- "take him out," and take him out can be a number of things, including kidnapping.
SNOW: But on Monday, this was Robertson, in his own words, speaking to his "700 CLUB" viewers about Chavez.
ROBERTSON: But if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.
SNOW: Robertson hadn't found any allies to back him up, even among Christian evangelicals.
REV. TED HAGGARD, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: Pat Robertson was wrong in recommending this. He was wrong in saying it. But he was not wrong in being able to just openly discuss it the way political pundits do all the time.
SNOW: Critics say Robertson is more than a political pundit and the Bush administration should speak up.
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The administration must not be silent, because there's such a strong relationship between the administration and Pat Robertson.
SNOW: Robertson's clout in politics and at the White House has waned over the years. He doesn't hold the kind of influence he had when he ran for president in 1988 and then went on to create the Christian Coalition the following year.
Still, he is a prominent member of the president's core electoral base. His "700 CLUB" program draws an estimated 865,000 viewers a day. Some Christian groups say, given Robertson's influence, that when remarks such as this go unchallenged, it creates an impression for American evangelicals and others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People need to realize that when a major Christian leader like this makes comments like that, then some other people are going to think, "Oh, well, this is what evangelical Christians are like."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, while Robertson sought to squelch the controversy with his written apology this afternoon, part of his statement went on to praise a Protestant theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis for attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
In the statement, Robertson says that Bonhoeffer's example deserves -- quote -- "respect and consideration today".
Wolf?
BLITZER: Mary Snow updating our viewers. Thanks, Mary, very much.
Stay, fight and win. That was the message from President Bush today as he met with military members and their families. It's part of his continuing campaign to try to pump up the public's flagging support for the war in Iraq. The president spoke to National Guard members and families in Idaho.
Let's go to CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash. She's joining us now live from Idaho, traveling with the president. Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, for the third time in three days, the president tried to beat back antiwar protestors who were calling troops in Iraq to come home, by saying it would make America less safe and by evoking the terror attacks of September 11.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): Knowing full well the antiwar movement is gaining attention with the leadership of one military mother, the president introduced the country to another.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And here in Idaho, a mom named Tammy Pruett.
BASH: Tammy's husband and one son are just back from Iraq. Four other sons are still serving. The White House invited the Pruetts and choreographed this moment with a family CNN first profiled more than a year ago. The president's goal, show support among military families, appeal to patriotism.
BUSH: America lives in freedom because of families like the Pruetts.
(APPLAUSE)
BASH: Setting aside past concerns about privacy or looking too political, the White House led reporters to Tammy Pruett. She said this of Cindy Sheehan.
TAMMY PRUETT, MOTHER OF U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ: The way that she's chosen to mourn, it wouldn't be the way that we would do it. But we respect her rights.
BASH: In an arena packed with nearly 10,000 servicemen and families, the president once again took on critics demanding to pull out of Iraq now and said retreat would embolden the terrorists.
BUSH: So long as I'm the president, we will stay, we will fight, and we will win the war on terror.
BASH: The president's challenge goes well beyond the antiwar protestors following him around the country. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows an all-time high, 57 percent of Americans, feel less safe because of the war in Iraq.
BUSH: We could hunker down, retreating behind a false sense of security, or we could bring the war to the terrorists, striking them before they could kill more of our people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, following that speech, Wolf, the president did start a meeting, a series of meetings, with 68 family members of 19 troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's been about three hours now, and we understand that the president is still in those meetings.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Dana Bash reporting for us. Thanks, Dana, very much.
It went like clockwork. A bold, broad daylight strike against Iraqi police checkpoints. When the battle was over, at least 14 people were dead and dozens wounded, hardly a good omen for those hammering out Iraq's constitution.
CNN's Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A brazen attack, highly sophisticated with deadly coordination. Upwards of 40 insurgents engaging Iraqi police and U.S. military in a near-two hour standoff, using an arsenal of weapons, say U.S. military, from car bombs, to rocket-propelled grenades, to machine guns. These the scenes in western Baghdad, where urban warfare in broad daylight once again claimed the lives of police and the innocent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Civilians were hurt. No Americans, no coalition forces. Those were the ones who were hit, the Iraqi people.
RAMAN: Most disturbing in this attack, say Iraqi forces, the unnerving confidence shown by insurgents, underlying a vast security void, showcasing Iraq's continued reality, one the prime minister sees as having global significant.
(on-screen): The insurgency clearly continues. Do you have a sense of when we will see a cut in the violence in Iraq?
IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: The violence in Iraq is a part of (INAUDIBLE) we are facing and fighting against terrorism and the state of all human beings all over the world. So they have to put in their minds, they have to support us, because we are facing instead of them.
RAMAN: The timing is noteworthy, amid a week of politics with enormous stakes. Intense negotiations between the Shia-Kurd coalition and the Sunnis continue, attempting compromise on a draft constitution, hours left to do what could not be done in months.
And such is the bind for Iraqi leaders. Any delay in the political process, which they now seem intent on avoiding, gives, they fear, increased rationale for the insurgency. But alienating Sunni politicians, which is now at risk of taking place, does the same thing. Isolating a community that, by most accounts, makes up a majority of Iraq's domestic insurgents.
(on-screen): Thursday is being described as the final moment for any change to the proposed constitution. At day's end, so ends the drafting process and begins what promises to be a fierce public debate over how the new Iraq should live and how to best bring stability to the country.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And coming up, I'll speak with former U.S. Senator Gary Hart. He has some strong words for fellow Democrats, saying that they shouldn't be cowards at this time in opposing this war.
Let's get to Jack Cafferty. He's in New York. He always has some strong words. Our viewers have a lot of strong words as well, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, I want your child and nothing else. That didn't sound right, did it?
(LAUGHTER)
That's actually the name of a new reality television show that's set to air in the Netherlands. Now, this is what the world needs. We got a TV show where a woman is going to go in search of a sperm donor. She'll visit with potential donors, cameras in tow, and then decide which man is the best one to choose. Then she'll be artificially inseminated. Viewers will decide whether the show will stay on the air.
It's competing with four other reality shows for air time, including one where five former prostitutes start a cafe. Think about that for a minute. Five hookers opening a place to eat.
Here's the question. Is there a limit to reality TV? We're going to take this thing into the ditch, I guess, for the last hour. CaffertyFile@CNN.com. I have to go wash my hands.
BLITZER: I'm curious what networks are going to be airing these reality shows, as well.
CAFFERTY: Well, it's in the Netherlands. I don't know if they have networks over there, how that works. But it's a real show. So is the one about the ladies of the evening with the cafe, so...
BLITZER: If it works well, Jack, over there, you know it's coming over here.
CAFFERTY: It's a matter of time.
BLITZER: You know that. CAFFERTY: And what better place than New York City to have a bunch of hookers open up an eatery? I mean, there'd be competition on every corner, so to speak.
BLITZER: All right, Jack, thanks very much.
(LAUGHTER)
Still ahead, it's about jobs and national security. The base closing commission casting its votes. We'll take a closer look, who won, who lost today.
Plus, are Democrats being critical enough about the war in Iraq? We'll hear from the former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart. He says the answer is no.
And Lance Armstrong facing a new challenge, allegations that the Tour de France champion used a performance-enhancing drug.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Communities across the United States stand to lose tens of thousand of jobs and literally billions of dollars as a federal commission decides which military bases to shut down. Some places are getting lucky, others are not.
Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is standing by at the Pentagon.
Who won and who lost? He's got the details.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN AMERICA BUREAU CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was nail- biting time for the roomful of mayors and senators who were watching the base closings commission as it made its decisions today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice-over): There are winners and losers all over the country. The winners so far include New England.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did it. We did it. We did it. That's all I kept thinking.
ENSOR: Connecticut is celebrating the commission's 7-1 vote to reject a Pentagon proposal to close the submarine base at New London, Connecticut, which employs almost 8,500 people, with another estimated 23,000 jobs dependent on the base. Maine is celebrating a similar vote to keep open the Portsmouth shipyard.
ANTHONY PRINCIPI, BRAC CHAIRMAN: I strongly support maintaining this shipyard. It's a national resource. And it would be a tragedy for this nation to lose it, because once we lose this one, as well, we will not get it back. ENSOR: The decisions came despite Pentagon arguments that, with the U.S. sub fleet down from 90 to about 40, the piers will go unused. One commissioner agreed.
JAMES HANSEN, BRAC COMMISSIONER: When you find yourself in a position, you just got a lot of parking space you're not going to use.
ENSOR: The need to cut excess capacity though, to save nearly $49 billion over 20 years, and to realign the base structure for post-Cold War threats, those arguments did carry the day on most of the Pentagon's base closing proposals.
Fort Monroe, Virginia, will go, says the commission, as will Forts Gillem and McPherson in Georgia, Army Garrison Selfridge in Michigan, and Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where local businessmen, like Sal Mantarana (ph), are in shock.
SAL MANTARANA, NEW JERSEY BUSINESSMAN: It's sad to say it's a bad day. Yes, today is a bad day. No question about it.
ENSOR: Yet to come, decisions on sweeping proposals to strip aircraft from many National Guard facilities and to close Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota with nearly 4,000 personnel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: The commission will get its proposals to the president by September 8. He then has a couple of weeks to consider whether he wants to make any changes. And then Congress has 45 days. If it doesn't make any changes itself by then, the base closings become law.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, David Ensor reporting for us. Thanks, David, very much.
Here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we're plugged into almost everything that's happening online. Bloggers around the country are reacting to the military base closings.
Our Internet reporters, Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton standing by with the situation online. What's going on, guys?
JACKI SCHECHNER, BLOG REPORTER: Wolf, it's a really good opportunity to check in with what people are saying in the communities themselves that are being affected by these closings.
First, to Georgia, where Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson set to be closed. This is a progressive group blog, blogfordemocracy.org, disappointment. "So much for all those red state perks," they say.
It's more than disappointment, outrage, Georgia Politics Unfiltered. "How could they?" Not so much over Fort Gillem, but specifically Fort McPherson, talking about how this is the home to the 3rd Army, one that Patton commanded at one point. It has a very great history, especially during World War II. "How could they? This is just plain wrong."
Over to New Jersey. "Who do our representatives represent?" -- it would be Fort Monmouth that's going to be closed there -- talking about the tax return that Jersey gets from the federal government. This is going to reduce that amount of money, in their eyes, now that that base set to be closed.
And finally wanted to check out Fort Monroe in Virginia. That's the one set to be closed there. This is commonwealthwatch.blogspot.com. They feel very sorry for the people who are going to be affected, but they say the problem is, "Take a look at the big picture, $49 billion in savings over the next 20 years."
ABBI TATTON, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Now, the fate of some other bases still hangs in the balance, won't be decided until later this week. One of them, Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
And Sibby Online, this is Steve Sibson, is awaiting news. You can sense some of the anxiety out there. He's been looking at interviews that some of these commissioners have given, looking for clues as to whether Ellsworth will be saved.
Now, some of these bloggers should keep away from the Connecticut blogs today, where there is massive celebration. Connecticut did very well out of this today, with the submarine base at New London being saved. "Breaking News: Sub Base Saved," over there at Connecticut Blog.
And the Second Congressional District there, where the base is located, they were liveblogging the proceedings, watching as the vote came down. At this one, Connecticut Local Politics, breathing a sigh of relief today. "Today, we can all exhale now that that submarine base has been spared".
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Abbi, Jacki, thanks very much.
A Democrat is taking aim at some of his own. We're going to be speaking with the former U.S. senator and presidential candidate, Gary Hart. He has an earful for his own party about the response to the war in Iraq.
Also ahead, one man's survival story about that plane crash in Peru. He'll tell us about the frightening moments when the plane went down.
And getting ready for Katrina. Will the tropical storm turn into a hurricane any time soon? And when might it actually hit? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're standing by to speak with former U.S. Senator Gary Hart momentarily. He's got some harsh words for his fellow Democrats. First, let's go to CNN's Zain Verjee. She's joining us from the CNN Center with a quick look at other stories making news. Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.
The debate over Appeals Court Judge John Roberts' nomination to the Supreme Court is heating up again. People for the American Way came out against Roberts today, saying his record shows he would undermine Americans' rights and freedoms for generations.
Women for Roberts held a news conference in support of the high- court nominee. And in a speech earlier today, California Senator and Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein came down on neither side, saying there would be many questions asked in confirmation hearing in two weeks.
Across central and southern Europe, the devastation grows from the wild weather that's produced massive flooding and landslides. The storms have killed dozens of people and destroyed countless homes. Worst hit was Romania, with 25 dead, and thousands of homes demolished. Also hard hit, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria.
As Tropical Storm Katrina steams over the Bahamas, the southeastern coast of Florida is getting ready. Tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches are already in place. Forecasters say Katrina's gathering in strength. They say hurricane conditions are possible in the watch areas within 36 hours. Katrina is the eleventh named storm of the season.
Now, an update for you on a story we brought to you first yesterday on THE SITUATION ROOM. Court records released today suggest the man accused of killing two workers in the parking lot of a Phoenix, Arizona, Wal-Mart was mentally unstable. The man was booked last night on two counts of murder. Police say the man drove into the parking lot and shot two cart collectors, but they don't know why.
An Idaho prosecutor's taking steps to seek the death penalty against Joseph Duncan III. He's the long-time sex offender accused of killing three people in an Idaho home in May and kidnapping two young children for sex. One of them, a nine-year-old boy, was later found killed in the Montana woods.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Zain, thanks very much.
Could it have happened here? U.S. officials say a man who allegedly killed scores of people in the Iraqi city of Hillah this past year was stopped from entering this country more than a year-and- a-half before the deadly Iraqi bombings. Let's get some details.
Jeanne Meserve of our CNN American bureau is standing by. Jeanne?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a Jordanian, who U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped from entering the United States in 2003, was later accused of staging the deadly Hillah suicide attack in Iraq. The attack on February 28 of this year killed 125 people.
In a memo to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Customs Commissioner Robert Bonner praised what he called "outstanding work" by CBP officers in denying Raid Mansour al-Banna admission. But in his memo, Bonner writes it was not clear that al-Banna was a suicidal jihadist.
CPB officials declined to elaborate further because of what they characterize as an ongoing investigation into where al-Banna intended to go and with who he intended to meet.
According to Bonner's memo, al-Banna was flagged for a secondary inspection before he arrived at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on June 14 of 2003. Customs officials say that, during questioning, it was determined that al-Banna had overstayed his visa, and officials became suspicious that he intended to work in the U.S. illegally. He was removed from the country the following day.
CPB officials also say al-Banna had come into the U.S. before in 2001 and 2002 on a valid B-1, B-2 nonimmigrant visa. U.S. officials say the Jordanian government believes al-Banna was not responsible for the Hillah suicide bombing, but a different one.
DHS spokesman Russ Knocke says, in either case, he was clearly connected with terrorist bombing efforts and called CPB's exclusion of al-Banna another example of the progress that has been made in screening travelers and preventing potential security threats from entering the country.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Jeanne Meserve reporting for us. Jeanne, thank you very much. And please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
He ran George McGovern's antiwar presidential campaign a generation ago and later ran for president himself. Now, the former U.S. Senator Gary Hart is attacking some of his fellow Democrats for staying silent about Iraq. Gary Hart is joining us now live from Denver.
Senator, thanks very much joining us.
FMR. SEN. GARY HART (D), COLORADO: It's a great pleasure.
BLITZER: I woke up this morning and read your op-ed piece here in the "Washington Post." Among other things, you were pretty harsh on some of your fellow Democrats, although you didn't mention any by name.
You wrote this. You said, "To stay silent during such a crisis, and particularly to harbor the thought that the administration's misfortune is the Democrats' fortune, is cowardly."
What are you saying, in a nutshell? HART: When times require leadership, and particularly moral leadership, for those who aspire to national leadership to remain silent is to, I think, betray the trust of people in the Democratic Party and in the country.
I strongly believe the American people are looking for a way out of the Iraq war, that stay the course doesn't mean anything anymore, because the course has changed so many times. And what they want from the Democratic Party is a plan and a proposal to give the governance of Iraq to the Iraqis.
BLITZER: So before we get to some specifics, are you suggesting this has emerged as another Vietnam?
HART: I think it is quickly emerging as a Vietnam in the desert, in the sense that we have an administration for prosecuting a war with no plan as to how to end it or achieve success, because the goal has changed so often.
And we cannot protect our troops in that region. We're losing more and more Americans. American casualties are close to 25,000. And we have no direction as to where we're going.
BLITZER: When you say American casualties, you mean the nearly 1,900 who have been killed, and you're saying that 23,000 have been injured? Because that's a lot higher than about the 12,000 that I've heard in the past.
HART: Well, that includes -- the total number includes non-combat casualties, including those who have been sent home with psychiatric disorders. I think it's a question that the media might well ask the Pentagon, because unofficial sources and people I've talked to say that the total number of casualties, killed and wounded, both in and out of combat, is close to 25,000.
BLITZER: So are you suggesting that the U.S. immediately pull out of Iraq?
HART: No. I'm suggesting the opposition party put forward a plan to divide the national insurgents from the jihadists, to negotiate with the Sunni Arabs, to give them a role in the governance, and to get them to lay down their arms and help us attack the jihadists and withdraw American forces at the same time.
BLITZER: I want you to listen to what former President Bill Clinton said here in THE SITUATION ROOM only a few days ago. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whether it was a mistake or not, we are where we are, and we got to try to make this strategy succeed. I support the strategy. It's the only option that will get us out in an honorable way, having made these sacrifices mean something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: He, in effect, is saying, stay the course, just as the president says stay the course.
HART: I don't know what strategy President Clinton's talking about. If he would be -- had been more specific about what the strategy is, then I would know whether I agree or disagree. I just -- I, frankly, don't know what our strategy is. And the president simply repeats slogans and phrases about staying the course, which I don't know what it means. We are not supporting the troops. Simply chanting support the troops means nothing when we're not getting armor to protect their lives.
BLITZER: So let me just be clear on what you want. You want the Democratic Party leadership to get together and come up with a specific plan for Iraq? Is that what you're saying?
HART: I think that would be helpful, but I think also individual leaders, those who have run for the presidency or are in line or being mentioned to run for the presidency, have an obligation to put forward at least some ideas. Clearly, if you're in the opposition and you don't have control of the situation, you can't make things happen, but you can suggest ideas a lot more concretely than this administration.
BLITZER: How worried should Democrats be about being perceived as weak when it comes to national security, military matters, defense? Because as you know, the president was reelected at least in part because he was seen as being forceful in taking the war to the terrorists and not letting them take the war here.
HART: It depends on which Democrat you're talking about. Some are more -- are better positioned to discuss defense and national security issues than others. It depends on how they've used their time in office and how much time and energy they've put into focusing on the conflicts of the future. The nature of warfare is changing. We want a traditional war, and now we're fighting the 21st century war and we're not prepared for it.
So I think we need the National Guard and Reserve here in the United States as the backbone of homeland defense. They are not here, so we are weakened because of that. And we are training and encouraging jihadist attacks on the United States by kicking open a hornets' nest in the Middle East. So I think those Democrats that have done their homework and studied the military and know how to prepare for the conflicts of the future will be very well-positioned.
BLITZER: Gary Hart, joining us from Denver. Senator, thanks very much.
HART: Great pleasure. Thank you.
BLITZER: When we come back, the "Bottom Line" on fashion. That's coming up. The minds behind the Gap trying for a different market. Can they succeed?
And is it a bump in the road for Lance Armstrong or much worse? We'll examine the allegations that he used a performance-enhancing drug.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a quick look at some of the hot shots coming in from the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your newspapers tomorrow.
Nampa, Idaho. A crowd of military personnel cheering on President Bush during his speech there today.
In Spain, a forest fire rages in the southwestern part of the country, where it's been a dry, hot summer.
New York, New York. Martha Stewart in a promo shot. She's with her daughter and the board chairman of her company. They'll be on -- they'll be advisers on her new show, "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart."
And then let's head over to France, where they're hanging 10 for the Rip Curl Pro Super Series surfer tournament. That's quite a picture.
One major retailer is trying to close the gap on women who used to wear its clothes but have moved to other brands. Ali Velshi joining us once again with some specifics. Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, good to see you again.
I sort of hinted at this earlier. The Gap coming out with their first major brand since they launched Old Navy in 1996. Now, the Gap has Old Navy, Banana Republic. Coming out with a new brand today called Forth & Towne. Now, this is a brand that's meant to attract a target audience of women aged 40 to 59 -- 41 to 59, the Boomers, who grew up on the Gap's styles, but haven't stuck with the Gap because their needs are different.
Now here's a picture of the kind of stuff that they sell. I got in trouble earlier today because I used a term that I'd been hearing around, that they're targeting an older demographic. And of course, about 16 people looked at me and said, 41 to 59 is older? What I mean is that when you go to the mall, you see a whole lot of stores that are catering to tweens or teens or people in their early 20s. And yet, a third of all women's apparel that was sold last year was this crowd, 41 to 59.
Now, I'm trying to be as delicate about this as possible, but the needs are different at that age. And a lot of stores didn't cater to this group. Chico's, which you probably know -- not because you would know it -- but they have White House, Black Market, they have other similar stores. They've done well catering to this crowd that's not as a trendy. They want different sizes. Maybe they want looser fits. So this Forth & Towne is the first of the Gap's new stores, Wolf, that's aiming to appeal to this group. And if they do well with this, they're growing along with the population that the Gap started with. It should be interesting to see how this pans out and whether other retailers will follow suit, Wolf.
BLITZER: I love all the stuff you're telling us. Wal-Mart, Target, Gap...
VELSHI: I'm all about the fashion today.
BLITZER: ... all this good stuff. Ali, thanks very much.
Lou Dobbs standing by at the top of the hour for his program. Lou, what are you working on?
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you very much. Coming up tonight here on CNN at 6:00 Eastern, an American health emergency. Shocking new details of how the United States government is failing to protect your health in the hospital, and why it is now up to you whether your doctors -- whether they practice even the most basic acts of personal hygiene.
And big business interests have hijacked the American dairy interests, and those people are driving out family dairies and driving up the price of your milk. We'll have a special report on the milk monopoly. Why the price of a gallon of a milk now costs you more than a gallon of gas.
And new evidence of a culture in decline. We'll show the video game that America's teens will soon be playing that allows students to attack their fellow students and even their teachers, and are encouraged to do so.
All of that and a great deal more, coming up at the top of the hour here on CNN. Please join us. Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Lou. We will.
Coming up on this program, what went wrong in Peru? Flight and data recorders recovered from the crash site may tell the story. Meantime, survivors are telling their stories, and they are incredible.
A new claim that may tarnish Lance Armstrong's spectacular record. Did he have an unfair advantage in his first Tour de France victory?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now an update on a story you first heard here on CNN. In yesterday's plane crash in Peru, the state department just confirmed that of the ten American citizens on the plane, three were killed. The other seven suffered a range of injuries in that crash. At least 31 people died.
One person that survived is Gabriel Vivas. He's joining us on the phone, right now. Gabriel, thanks very much. Where are you right now?
GABRIEL VIVAS, PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: Right now I'm still in Peru. (INAUDIBLE) I'm at a marina where I'm with my family. I'm having dinner.
BLITZER: So you made it out, you and your family. Who were you traveling with?
VIVAS: Well I was traveling with my wife, it was the first time for her visiting Peru. And my brother (INAUDIBLE) He brought his three girls, Jocelyn, Jacqueline, and Joleen. We were all coming to Pucullpa to visit our father who lives here.
BLITZER: And all of you managed to escape this crash, is that right?
VIVAS: Yes. I guess we were just lucky that we were in the back rows, the four back rows were the lucky ones. The plane, I guess when it crashed, it kind of cracked in the middle there, and I'm not sure what happened in the front section (ph).
BLITZER: So you managed to run out of the back of the -- find the stairs, and to just run away as quickly as you could, all of you sitting in the back few rows. Was there any warning that the plane was having problems?
VIVAS: No warning from the airline. But, I mean, the turbulence was there. And you could look out the window and see that it was really pouring. It was like, there was a lot of turbulence and then just this bang and then fire.
BLITZER: So briefly tell us what happened. The plane hits the ground and you realize it's a crash, what happens then?
VIVAS: Well after the initial shock, me and my brother, I guess the first thing we said -- well we didn't say anything, we just knew that we had to get the girls out. The flight attendant was in the back. I don't know how she did it, but by the time I got out of my seat and grabbed the girls, the door was open. There was no stairs. We were practically on the ground, we were in a marsh. So you just had to jump. The jump was only about, maybe, two feet but it was into thigh- high of mud. It was just pouring out there. Like I said, just get the girls out. We managed to help a couple other people just unstrap their belts and once we got them out, then we jumped out.
BLITZER: Thank God you and your family made it out. Our condolences to the others who did not. Appreciate it very much. Good luck to all of you.
Moving on, want to check some videotape that we're just getting in from Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. The president of the United States, Air Force One -- just getting off Marine One there -- getting ready to fly back to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. He'll be boarding Air Force One with the first lady to make that flight. Not all that far, over to Waco, Texas and then usually the motorcade or helicopter, usually the motorcade takes him from Waco back to the president's ranch. We'll watch all of these developments for you.
When we come back, his motto is living strong. Up next, can the cyclist Lance Armstrong beat a new rap allegation against him, an allegation of doping. We'll have details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: A world renowned cyclist with his reputation being questioned once again. Zain Verjee joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta to tell us what this is all about. Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf, for beating cancer and beating crowds of competitors to win the Tour de France seven straight times, U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong has been called superhuman. Now there are new claims from a French newspaper. "L'Equipe" alleged in a simple headline "The Armstrong Lie."
Right now Wolf, it appears that we have some difficulties here. The same newspaper claimed -- had been actually very critical of Armstrong in the past, saying really, what they've done is they have questioned his clean drug record and really, after his recent retirement, they've called his departure a relief. Just after last month's win, Armstrong addressed his critics and said, look, I'm really sorry you don't believe in miracles.
BLITZER: Basically, what this newspaper is saying they've got this report, they say, that was done way back, I believe, in 1999, his first Tour de France win. They couldn't examine the urine specimen at that time, but now they have new technology, supposedly, to examine it.
We have your piece, Zain. Let's listen to what you have been reporting on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): The paper claims it has evidence Armstrong took a performance-enhancing drug during his first Tour de France win in 1999. Prior to this win, Armstrong had successfully been treated for testicular cancer.
Today, reacting to the "L'Equipe" report, Tour Director Jean- Marie Leblanc was quoted as saying, "for the first time -- and these are no longer rumors or insinuations, these are proven scientific facts -- someone has shown me in 1999 Armstrong had a banned substance called EPO in his body."
It's an accusation Armstrong flatly denies. In a statement on his Web site, Armstrong calls the newspaper report tabloid journalism, saying, "the paper even admits in its own article that the science in question here is faulty," and adding, "I will simply restate what I have said many times. I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs."
And some of Armstrong's former competitors are also questioning the claims. Four-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain said on a Web site -- quote -- "it seems wrong that they are starting to dig over tests from years ago."
The allegations are surfacing now, because EPO tests on the 1999 samples were only carried out last year when the scientists in a lab in Paris used them for research.
The drug, which builds endurance by boosting the production of red blood cells, was on a list of banned substances at the time, though there was no effective test to detect it.
In 2004, after a book made doping allegations against Armstrong, the cyclist had this to say.
LANCE ARMSTRONG, CYCLIST: I can absolutely confirm that we don't use doping products. I can also remind everybody here, and everybody listening, that this is not the first time it's happened. This is not the first time I've lived through this. I heard it in 1999. I heard it in 2001, again in 2003.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: And Wolf, the president of USA Cycling says these revelations are not going to have any effect on Armstrong's popularity. He said this, "he did the impossible, and I don't think that these revelations will ever change that".
Wolf?
BLITZER: A lot of Americans -- people -- a lot of people around the world are never going to believe what the French say about this. Sour grapes, they're going to say. What is adorable, Zain, is when we hear you speaking French.
VERJEE: Mais pourquoi, monsieur. Je pense en peu -- je parler en peu de Francais, mais mon Francais pas tres bien, je practique (INAUDIBLE).
BLITZER: All right. We'll do that another time.
VERJEE: It's not very good. I just made that one up.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee. I think she's flirting with me, but that's another matter.
Up next, Jack Cafferty, he doesn't flirt with me. He'll share his thoughts on the extremes of reality TV. He's been reading your e-mail. He's raring to go. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: She was the American architect who became queen, and symbol of Arab-Western relations. For Queen Noor of Jordan, the first homecoming in 1980 was also her first state visit to the United States. It would be the first of many, as her husband Kind Hussein, brokered peace in the Middle East.
Their whirlwind courtship and marriage may have raised eyebrows when she gave up her American citizenship and converted to Islam. As queen, she defied convention as an outspoken activist to ban landmines and pioneered programs for women and children that are being modeled throughout the Arab world.
But there was a personal battle that was fought out of the public eye: her husband's declining health. In 1999 at age 63, King Hussein died of lymphatic cancer. Now, at age 54, Queen Noor splits her time between her homes in Jordan and the United States. With her four children in college, she continues her humanitarian work.
In her book "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life" she describes her devotion to the man who named her Noor, meaning light of Hussein, as magic.
QUEEN NOOR, JORDAN: You don't look for that, it finds you. And it found me through him. And I'm very blessed for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go right to New York, Jack Cafferty standing by. Jack?
CAFFERTY: I hate to interrupt. It looked like you and Zain had a little something going on there, Wolf.
There's a new reality show coming to Dutch TV. It's called "I Want Your Child And Nothing Else." Disgusting. Cameras will follow a woman around who is looking for a sperm donor. The question is, is there a limit to reality TV? Robin writes, "reality TV is an oxymoron. It's simply entertainment created by producers who are too cheap to hire writes."
Dave writes, "if you can't beat them, join them. CNN can have its own reality program search your e-mail contributors for some of the consistently better pundits, and then set them in competition for the job of being your vacation substitute."
Dan in Los Angeles, California, "what's the limit? Depends on how cheaply it can be produced. What's the budget for the Ikea-furnished SITUATION ROOM?"
Jeffrey in Toledo, Ohio, similar vein, "too real? You tell me. After all, you're the ones who keep telling me I'm in THE SITUATION ROOM."
And Jeff says, "no, Jack, not as long as you're on the air."
BLITZER: They love this segment, don't they -- our reader and viewers?
CAFFERTY: I think they do. They seem to -- I mean, you know, yeah. I mean, some of the questions are series. And we get serious responses. But, you know, you do a little silly thing like this, and you know, it's late in the afternoon.
BLITZER: You know, this is the ultimate reality show, because that's all we're reporting about what's happening in it is real world.
CAFFERTY: I guess that's true. And there are at times it gets pretty silly too, like the Pat Robertson thing, you know, who'd a thunk it?
BLITZER: Pat -- but he's apologized now. So he deserves a second chance.
CAFFERTY: Well, then -- you know, if you -- I mean, you're in charge of this program, if you think he deserves a second chance, then I think you should give him one.
BLITZER: All right. Jack, thanks very much. We have got a brief tape I want to show our viewers. Cindy Sheehan, she is back in Waco, Texas heading towards back to the president's ranch. Just getting off a commercial airliner. It looks like American Airlines. We'll watch what she does tonight.
We're also watching LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. Lou is standing by in New York. Lou.
END
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