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The Situation Room

Pennsylania High School Girls Organize "Girlcott" of Abermcrombie & Fitch; Interview with Al Sharpton

Aired November 02, 2005 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou.
We're here in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.

Happening now, dinnertime over at the White House. A prince and a duchess are in town, so the White House is rolling out, literally, the red carpet. The couple are mounting a charm offensive, but some royal watchers want to know one thing. Just what will Camilla wear?

And are terror subjects being stashed away in secret prisons by the CIA? New reports on just how the Bush administration is handling terror detainees.

And the life and death of a civil rights icon. There were luminaries, dignitaries, VIP's and ordinary people today in Detroit, all mourning Rosa Parks.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

On the menu right now over at the White House, let's go through it. You're interested, so am I. At least I hope you're interested. Medallions of buffalo tenderloin and mint romaine lettuce with blood orange vinaigrette. Certainly not the Tex-Mex fare favored by the president of the United States, but it's what you cook when royal visitors are in town.

Prince Charles and his bride Camilla are coming for a black-tie affair over at the White House.

Also featuring writers, athletes and some are hoping, not necessarily, John Travola. These are live pictures we're getting. There is the first lady. There is the president. A black-tie event unfolding.

They've come outside, onto the porch there at the White House, on the north side of the White House. They're getting ready to receive Charles and Camilla.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is not far away on the north side of the White House, looking lovely as usual herself. Suzanne, give our viewers a sense, what's happening now behind you.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you're going to see it right behind me. The motorcade pulling up right now. The North Gate just opened. You'll see the motorcade pass right behind me, up to the front entrance of the White House.

This is truly going to be what many see as a glamorous and beautiful dinner, a state dinner -- a very rare occasion for the president and the first lady, of course, to have a black-tie affair.

You may recall, of course, a lot of anticipation around this. It was 20 years ago that Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana made quite a stir and really dazzled Washington when they came to visit. Princess Diana taking quite a bit of a spin, a dance with John Travolta and a waltz, some 20 years ago.

We're told that this evening is expected to be a little bit tamer, but nevertheless, just as glamorous affair. Among some of the guests, very familiar, Nancy Reagan, who hosted along with her late husband, Ronald Reagan. She will be here, along with her guest this year, Merv Griffin.

The president's parents of course, you see, the president and the first lady, as well as the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles gathered there in front of the White House.

But some of the people on the guest list, not only the president's parents, but his daughter Jenna, his siblings. The vice president and his family and a couple of very interesting people. Not some political types, designer Oscar de la Renta will be here, actor Kelsey Grammer, as well as the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Chuck Leavell of the Rolling Stones.

Let's take a minute to watch them enter the White House there.

BLITZER: Suzanne, stand by. I want to bring in J.D. Heyman, senior editor of "People" magazine, who's covered the royal family for a long time. J.D., what do you make of this event? Give us some perspective, why this is so important to the royal family.

J.D. HEYMAN, SENIOR EDITOR, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: Well, you know, it is a special relationship between Britain and the United States. Charles has a lot of charitable interests. There are American and British business interests he's here to promote. It's a wonderful event for him and for the royal family. Of course, it doesn't compare to the event 20 years ago, that was a special moment in time. But, you know, it's a nice thing.

BLITZER: This is really designed to improve their image, not only back home, but here in North America as well. Talk a little bit about the importance for Charles and Camilla of this visit to the United States.

HEYMAN: It's hugely important. This is what royals do. He hasn't been here officially for a very long time. He's here, officially, with his new wife, who obviously has a bit of a reputation. This was a complicated love triangle as far as most Americans were concerned. So, there's a lot riding on it, in terms of their personal image and they're quite conscious of the fact that they want to pull off a nice visit and do a good show. BLITZER: They are going to be having their toasts in the dinner, that's coming up later this hour. We're going to go back there, J.D., live and we'll hear what the president and what Charles have to say.

What should we be listening for in those toasts, which clearly have some significance, given some of the strains that have developed in the royal family over the past several years?

HEYMAN: Well, I would expect a very gracious toast from Charles. I would think that he will say something about his darling wife, as he calls Camilla. I think he'll also talk a little bit about the special relationship between the U.S. and Britain and probably make a reference to 9/11 and the losses that both Britain and America suffered that day.

Sort of the typical gracious, princely speech. He is a toast master. This is what he's been raised to do. He performs these kinds of things on a regular basis. So, I think he'll pull it off quite nicely.

BLITZER: The gentlemen are wearing their black ties, their tuxedos. The women in lovely gowns. You want to talk a little bit about the gowns, since we've heard so much comment about Camilla over the years with her outfits?

HEYMAN: Well, you know, Camilla stands in the shadow of one of the great icons of style of the last many years. So she has a big, you know, role to fill there, if she's going to try and compete with the memory of Princess Diana.

Luckily, she doesn't really try to compete with that. She's a very understated woman. Sometimes she pulls things off in a very nice way. Sometimes they don't quite come off that well. And she always has a sense of humor about it. One of the funniest things that happened last night in New York was the actress Elaine Stritch met Camilla and said, no BS, you look fantastic. And Camille and looked at her and said, you need eyeglasses.

So, she has a sense of humor about how she looks and her style. She's not out there to be a movie star.

BLITZER: J.D. Heyman of "People" magazine. J.D., thanks very much for joining us.

Let's stay over at the White House for another moment. Suzanne Malveaux, our correspondent, is there. Suzanne, you're smiling. This is not the normal kind of story that you and I cover here in Washington. But, go ahead, tell our viewers a little bit more about what we should expect tonight.

MALVEAUX: Well, you're right, I mean, it's such a rare occasion. It really is a treat to do something kind of lighthearted here at the White House.

I'll give you a sense of the menu. Here's what to expect, the beginning, celery broth with crispy rock shrimp. Medallions of buffalo tenderloin. They are going to end the evening, Wolf, with chartreuse ice cream and red and green grape sauce. Sounds good.

BLITZER: Sounds delicious. Thanks very much, Suzanne. We're going to be getting back to you because we're going to be carrying the toast later this tour.

The president and Charles, they'll be delivering their toasts at this dinner. It's not a state dinner, it's a black-tie dinner, it's an official dinner. Whatever it's officially called, it's a lovely dinner.

We'll go back there live once the president and the prince start with their toasts.

Moving on now to some very, very serious news happening elsewhere.

They're arrested and then they vanish. What happens to top al Qaeda suspects seized in the war on terror? There's word today that the CIA is keeping some of them hidden in secret prisons in the former Eastern Bloc in Europe. This shows the Bush administration is wrestling with a policy on how to handle the detainees.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by.

But we begin with our national security correspondent, David Ensor. David?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I can't stress how extraordinarily delicate a story this is, both for U.S. intelligence and for some of its closest allies around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): Ramzi Binalshibh, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other senior al Qaeda leaders are held by the CIA in undisclosed locations around the world. That much is well known.

But the "Washington Post" reports that some are held in a Soviet- era compound in a former East Bloc nation, and in other new European democracies. And that has caused a major stir around the world. An official at Human Rights Watch said he is convinced, some CIA prisoners are there, after tracking the movements of CIA aircraft in recent years.

TOM MALINOWSKI, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: We think we know that because we looked at the flight records of the CIA aircraft that we know are ferrying high-value detainees around the world from Afghanistan to these locations.

ENSOR: CNN has previously reported that Abu Zubaydah and other CIA prisoners were once held in Thailand. That facility has been closed.

CIA al Qaeda prisoners are also still held in Afghanistan, sources have said. And a few remain at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. The CIA and Bush administration officials decline to talk about the prisoners.

ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We don't talk about intelligence activities. What I have said is that the president has directed that we will do everything we can to protect our country against another attack. We have a very patient, diabolical enemy that is intent on harming Americans. So, we need to be doing everything we can do to protect America.

ENSOR: Though Human Rights Watch named former East Bloc countries where it says, the CIA detainees are held, CNN and the "Washington Post" decided not to report the names of those countries, at the request of U.S. officials.

LEONARD DOWNIE, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST: In this case, we agreed to keep the names of those particular countries out because we were told, and it seems reasonable to us, that there could be terrorist retaliation against those countries, or more importantly, disruption of other very important intelligence activities, anti- terrorist activities.

ENSOR: But Human Rights Watch is even putting out aircraft tail numbers and names of towns in Europe. It was a tactic that angers many intelligence professionals.

MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER CIA OFFICER: It's sexy, it's splashy, but it's irrelevant. How else would you get someone from A to B unless you used an airplane? And the exposure of such, either firms or aircraft just undoes years of cover-building and makes America weaker.

MALINOWSKI: I can't believe that three years after their capture, we're still getting enough useful actionable intelligence out of these detainees to justify the enormous damage this kind of secret, incommunicado illegal detention is doing to the United States around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: But U.S. intelligence officials insist the problem is these prisons are still supplying useful intelligence in the war against terrorism. They do not want to give that up despite the pressure from human rights groups to close the CIA prisons and put these top al Qaeda men on some kind of trial.

Wolf.

BLITZER: We're not reporting the names of these countries. The "Washington Post" is not, as you just reported. But apparently there are names circulating on the Internet, on the Web right now. What's going on?

ENSOR: Well, a couple of newspapers -- one, at least, has decided to put the names out, quoting Tom Malinowski, who you just saw in the piece. For the moment at least, CNN is taking the view that we don't have enough sources, we don't have official sources. And frankly, we are concerned about the possibility that as U.S. officials have said to us, lives could be as stake. Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor reporting for us. David, thank you very much.

Their location is one issue. But what about the treatment of detainees?

Let's get some more on this specific subject. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre is standing by. Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, these revelations about secret CIA prisons come as the Pentagon is grappling with a new written policy on the treatment and interrogation of detainees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The Pentagon has always insisted its treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and other undisclosed prisons around the world meets the spirit of the Geneva Conventions, even as the U.S. government argues terrorism suspects are not entitled to POW status under the letter of the law.

And Bush administration officials argue the fact that some detentions may not be made public doesn't change that.

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The fact that they are secret, assuming there are such sites, does not mean that simply because something is, you know, and some people say that the test of your principles are what you do when no one's looking. And the president has insisted that whether it is in the public or is in the private, the same principles will apply.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon insists it does not sanction torture and punishes anyone who violates that standard. But the current internal debate centers on how written guidelines should spell out restrictions on cruel, humiliating or degrading treatment, language straight from the Geneva Conventions.

The concern -- those broad labels could be applied by critics to a wide range of interrogation techniques the Pentagon considers legal and legitimate.

But an attorney who represents several detainees at Guantanamo, says the debate over the legal fine points is sending the wrong message to the rest of the world.

KRISTINE HUSKEY, ATTORNEY: We're shooting ourselves in the foot by not treating people in accordance with the law. We tell other countries it's OK to violate the law, it's OK to derogate from your international obligations. And we push people away -- or countries away that could be our allies in the war on terror.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ENSOR: Meanwhile, the Congress is moving to preempt the Pentagon. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure sponsored by Arizona Senator John McCain that would essentially make the current U.S. Army field manual the standard for interrogating any prisoners held by the U.S. military. And a House-Senate conference committee is expected to take up that measure as early as tomorrow.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some input now from Jack Cafferty. He's standing by in New York with a question for this hour for you. Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf. Those secret CIA prisons that David and Jamie were talking about present a difficult dilemma for this country. If the sites were known, you can bet the terrorists would target them in an effort to get their comrades out, not to mention, perhaps, the host countries, as well. If they remain secret, but if everybody knows they exist, then they damage, possibly, the reputation of the United States, and become the targets of speculation about prisoner abuse, the Geneva Conventions, et cetera.

So, here's the question. Should the CIA be operating secret prisons in other countries? You can email us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com. Or you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile. Either way, we will get the mail and read some of the letters in a half hour or so.

BLITZER: Good question. Thanks very much, Jack. We'll get back to you soon.

Coming up, we're going to take you inside the White House for that dinner for Prince Charles, Camilla. The president of the United States will be delivering a toast. The guests -- the Prince of Wales Prince Charles, also will be delivering a toast at this dinner. We'll bring it to you live as soon as it happens this hour.

And the woman who changed history, Rosa Parks, her legacy and impact on America. Al Sharpton is standing by. He delivered a eulogy today. He'll be joining us live from Detroit.

Also, Saddam Hussein, did he agree to go into exile before the war started? A look at the deal that might have changed the course of history.

Plus, instead of a boycott, it's being called a girlcott. Find out why some high school students are just saying no to Abercombie and Fitch.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. Thousands of people filled a Detroit church today to overflowing capacity for the funeral of Rosa Parks. Politicians, civil rights leaders and everyday people joined together to remember the former seamstress who fueled the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama 50 years ago. Among those speaking, former President Bill Clinton, the Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Reverend Sharpton admonished the crowd that Parks and others made sacrifices to ensure civil rights that some now take for granted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: And here you are 40 years later, in Detroit, Michigan, no dogs biting you, no bombs going off, no bullets -- too lazy and ungrateful. Making mockery of her memory. Making mockery of her memory. Nobody should have to beg you to vote. Nobody should have to beg you to stand up and protect the rights that they died and suffered to give us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And the Reverend Sharpton is joining us now live from Detroit. Powerful words, Reverend Sharpton. Who were you speaking to directly when you made that statement?

SHARPTON: Well, I was speaking to the African-American community specifically, and to poor people and people that are working class in general.

I think as much as we have a responsibility to continue to confront those that are in power that may enforce institutional discrimination, we must also challenge those of us in the generations behind Rosa Parks that we are not fulfilling and using a lot of the things that were made available to us like the right to vote, like the preservation of our community, like fighting those things that are socially ill in our own community.

So, I think it's a two-edged sword. And I thought that her funeral was the appropriate place to raise that challenge.

BLITZER: When some people were listening to what you were saying -- and we carried your remarks live here on CNN earlier in THE SITUATION ROOM -- some of my staff said, you know, he sounds a little bit in that line like Bill Cosby and some of the controversial comments that he had made, what, a year or two so ago. Do you see a comparison?

SHARPTON: Well, I think that I said at the time that Bill Cosby said some important things. I may have said it differently. But, I think his point was right. And I think those of us that struggled -- and I was only a year old when Rosa Parks sat on the bus -- but those that have struggled in the subsequent years have to also challenge people to not sit on their laurels and not take advantage or in many ways, lower the standards that she fought for.

Rosa Parks did not take that seat on that bus for people to have the right to sit around and engage in behavior that would not uphold our community. And in fact, in some cases, it's unsavory and irresponsible behavior.

So, it's one thing for us to challenge, to make sure that our votes counted. It's another one when enough of us are not being counted to vote. And I think we got to challenge both sides. And I will be unequivocal about that.

BLITZER: So, how do you influence younger people, especially in the minority community, among others to go out and exercise their rights and live up to the legacy that Rose Parks left behind?

SHARPTON: I say to young people, the things they are concerned about can only be solved if they can influence those in power.

I spoke here in Michigan at University of Michigan that's fighting affirmative action. Well, political figures, those in power are going to decide that. The courts are going to decide that. So I'm not telling young people to vote because it's just something nice civically. I'm saying, if you are really concerned about higher education, if you're really concerned about your health care, if you are really concerned about jobs when you get out of school, or even your ability to go to school, you have got to vote about it.

If you keep yourself out of the process, then you can't blame anyone in the process for ignoring you, because you put yourself in a marginal situation.

BLITZER: There's been, and I'm sure you agree, tremendous progress over the past 50 years in civil rights in the United States, in part thanks to Rosa Parks. What is left to be done from your perspective?

SHARPTON: I think we have made tremendous progress, but I think that we still have a large gap in the median income level, black to white. There is the economic gap that must be closed. The gap in the criminal justice system, the level of incarceration. The gap in health care.

We still continue to fight for our level of political power, commensurate with our numbers. So, even though we have made a lot of progress, I think Rosa Parks would have been the last to say that we're not there yet.

But we won't get there if we don't continue to be as focused and disciplined as she was, and Dr. King and others in that era. We can't just mourn them. We must, in our way, internalize their strengths, otherwise, we make mockery of their memories.

BLITZER: I'm going to leave this on a light note, a very light note. Right now, Reverend Sharpton, before I let you go.

I'm going to show our viewers an ad that you made for the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, who was running against the Republican, Michael Bloomberg. And I want you to narrate. Tell our viewers what we are seeing.

SHARPTON: Well, we are talking about New York. Fernando Ferrer, who is our Democratic candidate is Latino. And we are getting everybody on one beat in New York.

And they show me and others from different cultural backgrounds doing the Salsa, saying that we all diverse in New York, but we all on the same beat.

And it's a way of getting people's attention on a political race that we are up against $100 million. And if I have got to dance to make people to forget Mr. Bloomberg's dollars, then dance I will.

BLITZER: All right, you have got an uphill struggle next week in New York. But, we'll leave it there.

Reverend Sharpton thanks very much for joining us on this important day.

And still to come, supreme battle over the high court. How far can Democrats go to try and block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito? We'll take a closer look.

Plus, the plan that might have changed history. Saddam Hussein, and an agreement to go into exile before the war. Find out why it all fell apart.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM.

We are standing by to hear toasts over at the White House. The president, the prince, Prince Charles, we'll go there live as soon as they raise their glasses.

In the meantime, other important news we're following here. Conservatives and liberals may be ready for a war over Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination.

But, some centrists, including a key Democrat apparently are not. As the moderate group known as the so-called Gang of 14 prepares to meet tomorrow, the Democrats have a dilemma.

Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is standing by live. Candy?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as any nominee will tell you, the road to confirmation can be full of nasty surprises and every once in a while a pleasant one. Today was that kind of day for Sam Alito.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice over): Meet Jeffrey Wasserstein, former law clerk for Judge Sam Alito.

JEFFREY WASSERSTEIN, FORMER JUDGE ALITO LAW CLERK: I think you look at the totality of his career and what you see is a judge squarely within the mainstream.

CROWLEY: Wasserstein is a liberal Democrat, except when he votes Green Party, and he is not alone.

WASSERSTEIN: He's hired liberals, conservatives, libertarians, independents. And all I know is that we are unanimously supporting the judge for his -- in his nomination.

CROWLEY: The kind of testimony that may make it easier for people like Senator Ben Nelson, the third Democrat to get an up close and personal look at the president's nominee. A Democrat from Nebraska, a state that won Bush in '04, Nelson is one of five red state Democrats up for re-election in '06, who would rather vote than fight.

SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: I just hope that we are able to work our way through and make an up or down decision on this judge.

CROWLEY: He's not even a member of the Judiciary Committee, but Nelson and other Democrats are targets of opportunity for the White House, which hopes to pad Republican support for Alito with enough Democrats to discourage, and if needed defeat, a filibuster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FEMALE: No, no, no. Alito will not save Roe.

CROWLEY: Here's the Democrats' problem. The party's base support, liberal women's groups, civil rights groups, environmental groups, the foot soldiers that raise money, knock on doors and vote come rain or shine want to fight over Alito -- an argument that finds sympathy in blue state Democrats like Illinois' Dick Durbin.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL), SENATE MINORITY WHIP: It could tip the balance for a generation in another direction on critical issues. Women's rights, and workers right, the right of privacy, protecting the environment, human rights, civil rights -- all of these things are at stake in this nomination.

CROWLEY: The filibuster fight to please Democratic activists could alienate the kind of centrists who vote for both George Bush and Ben Nelson in the same state, which is why the word filibuster makes Ben Nelson dance.

NELSON: The word filibuster keeps coming up in the questions rather than in the answers. But, you don't rule it out, but nobody's ruling it in.

CROWLEY: While Democrats still hold out the possibility of a filibuster, the competing need to please the base and reach to the center makes it hard to find consensus -- all of which could bode well for Sam Alito, who may get by with a little help from his friends.

WASSERSTEIN: There was never an ideological or political consideration in how he viewed cases.

CROWLEY: So, a judge's judge?

WASSERSTEIN: A judge's judge, absolutely. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (on camera): Strong words, again, from a former clerk with Judge Alito. We will know more, Wolf, as you mention, after that gang of 14, the group which really holds the filibuster within their power, meets tomorrow. Wolf?

BLITZER: Candy Crowley, thank you very much.

Here with more on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner. Jacki?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, plenty of interest groups waging war online over Judge Sam Alito.

I wanted to show you two of the biggies. First, we go to moveon.org. They sent out an email to three million people asking for signatures on their online petition. Their original goal was 250,000 signatures in 48 hours. They surpassed that. They set a new goal, half a million signatures by tomorrow. They are almost there at 86 percent of that total goal.

On the other side of the aisle is the conservative group, Progress for America. Now, we spoke to them. They bought this domain name, judgealito.com, awhile back, in anticipation of this nominee.

We're actually seeing a lot of that from interest groups. Buying up of domain names just in case. They also have an online petition, but what's interesting about them is they have a $50,000 online budget, buying ads on Web sites, on conservative blogs, news sites, that sort of thing. What they also have is this, video that you can download to your new video iPod. And they're calling it, Wolf, the catchy Alito-to-go.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jacki, for that. We'll get back to you.

Up next, here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the war on terror. What happens to terror suspects after they're arrested? Should the CIA be operating secret prisons in other countries?

We want to hear what you think. Jack Cafferty is going through your e-mail. We'll get to him shortly. And New York's famed dance troop, The Rockettes, may be high-kicking on the picket line. Will a strike shut down the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall?

Much more in THE SITUATION ROOM, right after this.

(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 hometown newspapers tomorrow.

In Iran, hostage anniversary. A woman walks past the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, now painted with a caricature of the Statue of Liberty. It was 26 years ago this week that militant students held 52 Americans hostage there, for 444 days.

In Pakistan, earthquake aftermath. A father carries his 3-year- old son, seeking medical treatment.

In Elkton, Maryland, barnyard fire. Thirty-one thoroughbred horses were killed when this fast-moving blaze sent their barn up in flames.

And in Indonesia, look at this. A two-month-old tiger cub gets shown off to the news media. Three of the endangered tigers were born to parents at the zoo.

That's today's "Hot Shots" -- pictures, very often worth a thousand words.

Time now for the "World in 360," a regular Anderson Cooper feature, we're bringing you all of this week.

Our Zain Verjee is standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta with more. Hi, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. A minivan packed with explosives went off late this afternoon in a suicide attack in Musayyib, Iraq, about 45 minutes south of Baghdad, a Shiite area. At least 20 people were killed and more than 60 injured in the predominantly Shiite town. It happened in a busy shopping area filled with people stocking up for celebrations marking the end of Ramadan.

A senior government official in the United Arab Emirates tells CNN that Saddam Hussein agreed in principle, to accept an offer of exile just days before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But the official says that the plan derailed when Saddam's conditions were not met, including an Arab League resolution approving the deal.

Pakistan's earthquake relief commissioner now says more than 73,000 people were killed by last month's magnitude 7.6 quake. More than 69,000 were injured. The new numbers show that the scope of the disaster, which officials say left more than three million people homeless and more than half of those children.

Rioting has broken out in the Paris suburbs for the seventh night in a row. Police say young people in the mostly poor areas set fire to dozens of cars and buses. Violence was sparked by the deaths of two teenagers last week. They were electrocuted when they tried to hide from police in a power station. They thought the police were chasing them. The police say that they weren't chasing the teens. The situation has become so serious that the French prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, canceled a planned trip to Canada.

Wolf?

BLITZER: Getting back to Pakistan, now Zain. I know you are closely watching this story. Is there a sense now that everyone who needs help is finally, after this earthquake, finally getting the help they need? VERJEE: No, they're not, Wolf. The Pakistani government is saying that there are 41 villages that have still not been accessed. The real concern for aid agencies now is the harsh Himalayan winters. They are going to set in any day.

People high up in the mountains, they have no shelter. They're not receiving aid supplies. There's a looming threat of disease as well. And the United Nations says there's another problem, and that's money. They say they need something like $550 million for the relief effort in its entirety and they've only got about a quarter of that.

Wolf?

BLITZER: Zain, thanks very much. Zain Verjee, joining us as always.

Just ahead, in the past, many complained that clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch used pornography to sell its clothes. Now, there's a new complaint. Are racy phrases printed on their new T- shirts in vogue? Or just in poor taste?

And at New York's famous Radio City Music Hall, could the Rockettes be getting their kicks on the picket line?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM.

It's been almost 45 minutes since Prince Charles, Camilla arrived at the White House for this black-tie dinner that the president and the first lady are hosting. Right now, they've been going through a receiving line. All the guests are there. We're expecting momentarily the president and Charles to be delivering toasts. We will go inside the dining room at the White House for that state -- that official dinner -- it's not a state dinner, because he's not a head of state. But we will go inside live for those toasts once they happen.

In the meantime, another story we are following, a clothing company in particular known for its racy ads stirring up some controversy once again. In the past, Ambercombie & Fitch was accused of using pornography to sell its clothes. Now, there's a new fury over its fashions.

CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff explains.

(ABERCROMBIE & FITCH COMMERCIAL)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is the shirt funny or demeaning?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's repulsive. That's sexist, I think. CHERNOFF: Some Pennsylvania high school students are so offended by the new line of Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts, they are organizing a female boycott of the chain: a girlcott, they are calling it.

EMMA BLACKMAN-MATHIC, "GIRLCOTT" ORGANIZER: These T-shirts are absolutely degrading to ourselves and other women around us.

CHERNOFF: Abercrombie & Fitch said it had no one available for an on-camera interview. Instead, the company gave CNN a statement, "Our clothing appeals to a wide variety of customers. These particular T- shirts have been very popular among adult women to whom they are marketed."

Though some adults we spoke with said they wouldn't wear the shirts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they have a sense of humor. I wouldn't wear them. I wouldn't want my kids wearing them.

CHERNOFF: Abercrombie calls these attitude T-shirts. And attitude does not come cheap. They cost $25 a piece.

(on camera): I had a nightmare I was a brunette.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I mean, I completely don't agree with that at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's perfect. I really want that one. I think that's great.

CHERNOFF: Now, you know, there are a bunch of high school girls who are actually calling for a girlcott of Abercrombie, because of these shirts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crazy. It's crazy. It's just a bit of fun.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): For Abercrombie, which markets clothing by featuring models who barely wear any, it's a perfect mix of profitable fashion and image building. The company's past controversies include catalogs of partially undressed women and bare-bottomed guys, and thong underwear for young girls.

CHERNOFF (on camera): Do I make you look fat?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't buy that.

CHERNOFF: But you are laughing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's funny.

CHERNOFF: It's funny. But would you want your daughter to wear it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No!

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Of course, sex and controversy sell in America. The students behind the protest say they recognize they are helping to draw attention to Abercrombie & Fitch. But say their principles are more important than the company's profits.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: From New York, let's head over to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Once again, Zain Verjee standing by with some other business stories she's following. Zain?

VERJEE: Wolf, Americans age 50 and over may be feeling pain from some popular prescription drugs. According to the AARP, the brand name drugs used most by this segment of the population rose in price at twice the general rate of inflation. Pharmaceutical companies and other critics of the study say the numbers don't reflect true amounts paid by seniors for their medicines, often offset by insurance coverage.

A New Jersey jury deliberated for six-and-a-half hours today without reaching a verdict in the liability suit which charges that Merck's painkiller Vioxx caused a man heart attack. The suit accuses Merck of failing to warn physicians and consumers about risks posed by the drug which Merck stopped selling last year because of links to heart attacks and strokes with long-term use. The jury is going to meet again tomorrow.

It's the picket line instead of the chorus line at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Musicians went on strike today, a day before the famed Christmas Spectacular was to open. The musicians' local says that the Rockettes Dance Troop walked out of rehearsal in solidarity. Radio City says the show will go on with recorded music.

Wolf, that just won't be the same.

BLITZER: No. Never be the same without the Rockettes. Let's hope they resolve that dispute quickly. Zain, thank you, very much.

Up next, holding terror detainees in secret prisons. Should the CIA be doing that? We've been asking you that question. Jack Cafferty is going through your email. He's standing by in New York.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Our Jack Cafferty has been going through your emails on the question of the hour. He's joining us one again from New York. Hi, Jack.

CAFFERTY: How are you doing Wolf?

The "Washington Post" reported today about secret prisons that the CIA set up aboard following the attacks of September 11. According to the "Post" these so-called black sites are used to interrogate al Qaeda captives. The CIA has not acknowledged that these prisons exist, although the "Post" insists that they do.

The question is, should the CIA be operating secret prisons in other countries?

Bernadette in Dublin, Ohio writes: "I recall Hitler, too had secret prisons in other countries. Will it take 60 years to know what has happened?

Tom in Alma, West Virginia: "After the war with Iraq, we will have to rebuild the country's image around the world. The prisons we have established will be a difficult stain to remove."

Paul: "The CIA can and should do whatever is necessary to curb terrorist activities of al Qaeda. They don't play by any rules when they decapitate people on TV, and we don't have the luxury of being the only ones playing by the rules."

Andres in Las Cruces, New Mexico: "Yes, we'll never really know how many times prisons like that have stopped a terrorist attack. Just because they are secret does not mean that those prisons are using an illegal method to get information."

And Maxxi in Tumwater, Washington: "Having secret prisons in other countries is like having a mistress in Vegas. It is presumed that all that goes on there, stays there."

Wolf.

BLITZER: Did you get the sense one way or another -- and I know it's not a scientific poll -- that most of our viewers were lining up on one side as opposed to the other?

CAFFERTY: No, not really. And, you know until you can pin down, you know, speculation about whether or not there's any kind of abuse going on, how many are there, what countries are they in, I'm not sure you'd be able to form a real definitive opinion.

But, no. I didn't get any sense that there was a consensus on this stuff.

BLITZER: Jack, we'll see you tomorrow. Thanks very much. Jack Cafferty reporting for us.

We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll go back to the White House. Prince Charles and Camilla, they're having dinner inside there right now. We have been hoping to get the toasts coming in from the White House. Maybe they will be coming in. We are told they are going to be soon. We will go to the White House and cover this dinner right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's go to the White House. The president delivering his toast in honor of Charles and Camilla.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... once again refused to cower when its people were bombed from underground this summer.

Your courage and fortitude are an inspiration to people throughout the world.

Just as Britain is a leader in the effort to spread freedom and opportunity abroad, your royal highness is a leader in creating greater opportunity at home.

Your compassion and charitable efforts such as the Prince's Trust continue to help more of Britain's young people and entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams in life.

Your royal highness, your generous spirit, your steadfast leadership and your devotion to your people are an inspiration.

Laura and I are honored to have you and her royal highness as guests this evening, and I would now like to offer a toast to the enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

BLITZER: And the president of the United States, delivering his toast in honor of Charles and Camilla. You see Camilla sitting to the president's right at that table there. And the first lady is sitting with Prince Charles.

These are live pictures we are seeing. Here's Prince Charles delivering his toast.

PRINCE CHARLES WINDSOR, PRINCE OF WALES: Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, ladies and gentlemen. Can I just say what a joy it is for both my wife and myself to be with you here in the White House.

It brings back many fond and happy memories of my first visit here with my sister. I think it was in 1970, when we came to stay at the White House for the weekend with the president and Mrs. Nixon, at the time when the media were busy trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon, and it's very interesting to see the same sort of thing happening to my eldest son.

It seems to be an entirely hereditary feature. Mr. President, Winston Churchill, whose mother was, of course, American, and whose bust you have in a place of honor in the Oval Office, once said, after one of his 16 visits to the United States over some 66 years, the friendliness of the Americans to the traveler from Britain, their unfailing kindness, their generous hospitality are something to marvel at.

Well, nothing has changed, Mr. President. We have both most certainly experienced the same generosity and friendliness since our arrival yesterday and this has been the case on every previous visit I have ever made to this remarkable country.

It is an indication, if I may say so, Mr. President, of how very important and special our close, warm and enduring relationship with the United States of America is to all of us in the United Kingdom.

BLITZER: Unfortunately, we have to leave it right there. We are all out of time that's it for us in THE SITUATION ROOM.

A special edition of PAULA ZAHN NOW begins right now.

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