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The Situation Room
Bin Laden Tape Offers Truce; Cities Responding to Terror Threat; Michael Fortier is Being Released from Jail; Bin Laden Recommends Book by American; Wilson Pickett Dies
Aired January 19, 2006 - 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: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now at 7:00 p.m. here in Washington, a new terror tape and new threats against America. The CIA says the chilling message is from Osama bin Laden himself. Should the U.S. now go on higher alert?
In Baghdad, it's 3:00 a.m., a deadline may be looming for an American hostage. The mother of kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll makes an urgent appeal for her release.
And it's 6:00 p.m. in Oklahoma City. He could have stopped the devastating bombing of the federal building, but he failed to act. Now after a decade in prison, he's about to go free.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
He's been lying low for a long time, but now Osama bin Laden is back. The al Qaeda leader had issued a new audiotape warning that attacks are being planned against America right now. Is there cause for alarm or higher alert? Our correspondents are standing by.
Our White House correspondent Dana Bash is with us. Our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena is with us as well. But let's begin with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this latest audiotape broadcast, like so many before, broadcast for the first time by the Arabic language network, Al Jazeera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The latest tape breaks a silence of more than a year. Al Qaeda's leader making it clear he's not only alive but ready to attack inside America.
OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): It's only a matter of time. They are in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete.
ROBERTSON: In the week bin Laden's deputy and other top lieutenants were targeted in U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan, he appears to be striking back. BIN LADEN (through translator): This message to you is about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I shouldn't be discussing this subject because it's a done deal as far as we're concerned. Our situation is getting better while your situation is getting worse.
ROBERTSON: This message to America is bin Laden's most explicit threat of an attack ever. And he claims that if Islamic terrorists can attack in London and Madrid, then they can outsmart American security. But, said, bin Laden, he wanted to offer Americans a truce of sorts, get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and we won't attack. It's the same sort of offer made to and rejected by European countries after the Madrid train bombing in 2004.
BIN LADEN (through translator): We do not mind offering a long- term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to. Both parties of the truce will enjoy security and stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan which were destroyed by war. There is no shame in this solution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: The best indicator is that this tape was recorded sometime after the beginning of December. And interestingly, that's when the debate here was really heating up over what to do about the troops in Iraq, to pull them out or not -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson reporting for us. Nic, thank you very much. So how serious is this threat? Let's turn to our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, FBI officials say the bin Laden tape is important because it comes from bin Laden himself. And that always bears examination. Now it does contain, as Nic said, a general threat to attack on U.S. soil, which is being taken very seriously. But officials say that there is no specific or credible information to suggest that a plan is in any way operational.
Plus, that's a threat that we have heard before. Officials are also say that there hasn't been any increase in intelligence chatter or intercepted messages between suspected terrorists. Still, officials say that every potential lead will be run down. And the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI plan on issuing a joint bulletin for law enforcement urging vigilance.
Now as for the American public, FBI officials say that they're looking for increased vigilance as well, but don't think that there's any reason for major concern. And there are no plans to raise the nation's threat level.
Officials say that they didn't need a tape from bin Laden to make them aware of al Qaeda's continued desire to strike, and say it will basically be business as usual going forward, unless the intelligence picture changes dramatically -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli Arena, reporting for us. Kelli, thanks very much. So is Osama bin Laden getting personal with the president of the United States. Our White House correspondent Dana Bash has been looking at that part of story -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, in the war on terror, there's been an ongoing war of words between the president and his nemesis. And today was just the latest salvo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): President Bush would not respond to questions about Osama bin Laden's re-emergence, leaving that to his spokesman.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: We do not negotiate with terrorists.
BIN LADEN (through translator): The majority of people want him to pull troops out of our land.
BASH: But bin Laden's direct references to Mr. Bush and his political situation is just the latest in a long distance debate running more than four years now.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: They both are very involved in this ongoing discussion with each other. Even where there are six- and 12-month delays in the back and forth.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said "wanted, dead or alive."
BASH: Days after September 11th, cowboy talk to challenge bin Laden, too blunt, Mr. Bush later admitted.
BUSH: The war against terror is bigger than any single individual.
BASH: Then as months went by without capturing enemy number one, the president stopped talking about him and downplayed his importance.
BUSH: Oh, I know the news media likes to say, where is Osama bin Laden? He's not the issue.
BASH: But knowing his symbolic power, bin Laden made sure he was the issue, popping up right before Election Day.
BIN LADEN (through translator): Bush is confusing you.
BUSH: Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. Hear the words of Osama bin Laden: "This Third World War is raging in Iraq."
BASH: Last year the president shifted again, talking unprompted about bin Laden to help justify the Iraq war, even mocking him as a hypocritical son of privilege, duping him to be the less fortunate into becoming suicide bombers.
BUSH: He assures them that this is the road to paradise, though he never offers to go along for the ride.
BASH: But much to Mr. Bush's chagrin, every word from bin Laden sends a message on a raw subject for Americans.
O'HANLON: He's taunting the president and reminding the world that he's gotten away for four-and-a-half years now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now while that taunting may sting a bit here, Wolf, bin Laden's re-emergence could give the administration some new ammunition in the case that they've been making over the past month or two that the terror threat is still very real, therefore, their controversial spying program should continue -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House, thanks very much. Kelli Arena, Nic Robertson, thanks to both of you as well. Let's go up to New York, Jack Cafferty is standing by with "The Cafferty File."
Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. Ever since September 11th, a good deal of the national consciousness, not to mention money, has been devoted to trying to figure out how to prevent another terrorist attack. This latest bin Laden tape offered the United States a truce of sorts, to which you heard part of it in Dana's piece, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said we don't negotiate with terrorists, we put them out of business.
In the meantime, the nation's borders leak like a sieve. Restrictions on commercial aircraft have been relaxed to some degree. The nation's ports, railroads, buses and much of our infrastructure remain vulnerable to attack. And then there's the erosion of civil liberties since 9/11, from the Patriot Act to wiretapping Americans' telephones without a warrant.
Here's the question: Do you feel safer today than you did right after 9/11? E-mail us at caffertyfile@cnn.com, or you can go to cnn.com/caffertyfile -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jack, we'll get back to you later this hour.
Coming up in THE SITUATION ROOM, what are cities across America doing in response to today's terror threat from Osama bin Laden? Is it business as usual, or is there a heightened state of alert? We're going to go across the country.
Plus, John Miller, when he was a TV news reporter, he interviewed Osama bin Laden. Now John Miller is working for the FBI, trying to capture the world's most wanted terrorist. He'll join us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Also, we'll speak with the author of a book Osama bin Laden recommended today, a book he recommended that every American should read. That's a curious note.
And a CNN exclusive, the mother of an American hostage makes a direct appeal to her daughter's kidnappers. Soledad O'Brien is in THE SITUATION ROOM with that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now on our top story, Osama bin Laden and his new audiotape. How are some of the country's largest cities responding to the threat from Osama bin Laden? Our reporters are standing by coast to coast with a closer look at what's happening tonight in their communities. Our Mary Snow is watching the situation in New York. John Zarrella is in Miami. But let's go to CNN's Thelma Gutierrez. She is watching the situation in Los Angeles -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, at this point, the Los Angeles County Department of Homeland Security has not elevated its alert status because of the bin Laden tape. However, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said today that he has been fully briefed on the threat and he released a statement saying as a precautionary measure, the Los Angeles Police Department has deployed additional resources at LAX and has posted signage indicating that bomb-sniffing dogs and searches will occur frequently. A more visible police presence is also posted at LAX.
Now, the Port of the Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power have also been notified and will take additional precautionary measures as well. According to Homeland Security, LAX has been one of the most widely suspected targeted of attack by al Qaeda. Now back in 1999, it was al Qaeda operative Ahmed Ressam who entered the United States through Canada with plans to blow up LAX during the Millennium celebrations.
And at the Port of the Los Angeles in Long Beach, authorities there have also heightened security. It is, after all, the busiest port in the nation where more than a million cruise passengers pass through every year. And $148 billion worth of cargo comes in and out of the country each year. Now Los Angeles officials emphasize there is no specific threat against the city -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Thelma. Thank you very much. Let's go to the city that was attacked on 9/11, that would be New York City. Our Mary Snow standing by. What are they saying there, Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, today's threat was examined earlier this afternoon by the city's police commissioner and counterterrorism officials. A spokesman for the NYPD says that because there was no specific threat and target of New York that the city decided not to ratchet up its already heightened security level.
New York is on the level of orange, which it has been since September 11th. And the police department points out that counterterrorism measures, such as random baggage searches, also heavily armed units are moved on a daily basis in terms of location.
Earlier today also, the mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, asked New York's 8 million people to go about business as usual.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: I think when you see something like this, people's antennas are up, including the people that are responsible for security. But fundamentally, we treat today like any other day. There's always a risk. We live in a dangerous world. We've been attacked four years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And, Wolf, the NYPD says in the past while it has heightened security in response to attacks on cities like London and Madrid, it has not stepped up security in response to tapes from Osama bin Laden -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, in New York, Mary, thanks very much. Let's head down to Miami, CNN's John Zarrella with the latest from there -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as Mary pointed out, here in Miami, a similar situation. Police both in Broward County, the Fort Lauderdale area, and down here in Miami, Miami-Dade County, telling us no plans at this point to elevate the level of security because there is no evidence of a credible threat.
If there is one, then they would up surveillance at places like the airport and at the metro rail stations and the seaport. For instance, at the Port of Miami right now -- you're looking there at a shot of the area of Miami, at the Port of Miami, part of what is routine, you see there divers.
They're searching the halls of the cruise ships in the port. That's standard procedure. They come unannounced to the Port of Miami and do these random checks of the cruise ships in the port for any kind of devices that could be placed on the hulls of those ships.
So right now, Wolf, here in Miami, no plans for stepped up security in the two-county area.
BLITZER: All right, John Zarrella in Miami, Mary Snow in New York, Thelma Gutierrez in Los Angeles, thanks very much for those reports.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a CNN exclusive, the mother of an American hostage in Iraq appealing to her kidnappers. Our Soledad O'Brien is in THE SITUATION ROOM with that story.
Also, Osama bin Laden's threat against America, we'll have more on it. We'll speak with John Miller. He once met with Osama bin Laden when he was a news reporter, now he works for the FBI and he's fighting against him.
Plus, get this, there's an al Qaeda reading list. We'll speak to the author of the book Osama bin Laden wants all of us to read, mentioned it today in his diatribe.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. More now on our top story, a new audiotape from Osama Bin Laden and new threats against the United States. He says plans for attacks against the United States are already under way. Joining us now to talk about it is John Miller. He's the assistant director for public affairs over at the FBI, a good friend.
A lot of our viewers, John, will remember you from your days at ABC News. In 1998, right, you met with Osama bin Laden. You know this story about as well as anyone. What do you make of these threats coming from him today?
JOHN MILLER, FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASST. DIR.: Well, it's nothing we haven't seen before. Bin Laden has issued audiotapes before, videotapes. He's made demands, he's issued threats. The wildcard is, there have been instances before the embassy bombings, before the Cole bombing, before September 11th, where he issued threats and attacks followed, that they seemed to foreshadow them.
But there have been as many if not more instances where he's issued tapes and threats where nothing has followed. So this is part of al Qaeda's overarching propaganda mix, but because of the history, you can't take any one of them lightly.
BLITZER: It sounds though almost like he's saying, you know what, I'm here, and it's almost like an in-your-face kind of declaration he makes.
MILLER: Well, he's talking to a number of diverse audiences here. And that's clear from the text of his message. He's talking to his followers and supporters, whoever they may be out there to say, hey, I'm still alive, you haven't heard from me for a long time. So he wants to reaffirm that.
He mentions some current events that have occurred within the last few months really to show that he can kind timestamp that he's still alive in recent history. So that isn't questioned. He's also talking to the United States. Some of that is to promote fear or attempt to promote fear. But I think we've also gotten accustomed to these messages to some degree.
BLITZER: Is there still this notion -- there used to be, and I wonder if it still something that U.S. analysts look for, sort of hidden messages, coded words he's giving his followers to do certain things that might come across in this kind of audiotape?
MILLER: Well, there's been a lot of analysis. First of all, anytime there's a communication from bin Laden or one of his top deputies, there's analysis on the message at face value, there's analysis in the message between the lines. And, yes, they look for hidden messages, as well as using technical assets that we won't discuss here to examine those tapes and verify them. That is all a process that is just starting with this tape.
BLITZER: I asked Peter Bergen, or terrorist analyst, earlier, if it says anything, that this was just an audiotape as opposed to the videotape which we saw just before the U.S. presidential election?
MILLER: Well, I would suggest that it does probably say something and that is it is harder when you spend 23 of your 24 hours a day trying to remain in hiding, trying to avoid being captured and killed, to bring in camera crews and production facilities. But we have seen videotapes of bin Laden in December of 2004. He has ventured out.
We've seen audiotapes followed by videotapes. So I don't think you can read too much into that.
BLITZER: Remind our viewers, because this is fascinating, you met with this guy, and he's still at large. So he must be very, very savvy and cunning. When you met with him, what was he like?
MILLER: Well, he was certainly a true believer in what he was talking about. He certainly had followers in those camps that I met over those couple of days who were true believers and followers in what he was talking about.
But I think if you look at that interview in the context of the time, he said, referring to Ramzi Yousef, who blew up the first World Trade Center, I predict for your country that there will be many Ramzi Yousefs coming to your shores, that there will be a dark day for America.
If you then played that same tape on September 12th, 2001, it would have had a largely different meaning than it did at the time in 1998.
BLITZER: What is the FBI doing now in the aftermath of this audiotape and the direct threat that he makes that plans are afoot in the United States for another terrorist attack? What are you guys doing?
MILLER: Well, as far as the FBI is concerned, tapes will come and go. And we'll react to this tape. In a moment, I'll tell you how. But this is a posture that has never relaxed since 9/11, 2001, since the FBI went into the full-time intelligence-driven preventive mode, along with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, the rest of the intelligence community, now, the DNI, the director of national intelligence.
Whether or not there's a tape, it doesn't mean that yesterday or the day before at 103 joint terrorist task forces across the country, and 56 field intelligence groups that they weren't running their cases, looking at their subjects, listening to what they were listening to, pouring over the intelligence, connecting the dots.
If anything a tape like this, a message like that will go out to those squads and say, look at this message, use it as an overlay of what you're looking at. What does it tell you? Can you add something to one of your cases or get something from it?
BLITZER: So you're going to start that connecting of the dots kind of situation? MILLER: But it never stops.
BLITZER: It's ongoing. John Miller with the FBI, thanks very much for joining us.
MILLER: Thank for having me, Wolf.
BLITZER: Appreciate it.
And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Just ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a mother's direct plea, her journalist daughter is being held hostage in Iraq. We'll have her message to the kidnappers.
Plus, he's the one man who might have been able to stop the Oklahoma City bombing. Now, he's about to go free after a decade behind bars. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now, a mother's direct appeal for her daughter's safe return. CNN's Soledad O'Brien is joining us now from New York to share what happened today.
Soledad, it's an incredible story, and you found yourself right in the middle of it this morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh absolutely. And what an incredible woman, Jill Carroll, the journalist's mother, Mary Beth Carroll, spoke to us. She understands, Wolf, that the stakes are incredibly high here. And so she wanted to start our interview with a statement, a direct message literally to her daughter's kidnappers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY BETH CARROLL, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE: My daughter, Jill Carroll, was taken hostage on Saturday, January 7th, in Baghdad where he works as a reporter. Jill's fairness in reporting and her genuine concern for the Iraqi people made her the invited and welcomed guest of her many Iraqi friends.
A video just released gives us hope that Jill is alive, but has also shaken us about her fate. So I, her father and her sister are appealing directly to her captors to release this young woman who has worked so hard to show the suffering of Iraqis to the world.
Jill has always shown the highest respect for the Iraqi people and their customs. We hope that her captors will show Jill the same respect in return. Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter who loves Iraq and its people will not create justice.
To her captors, I say that Jill's welfare depends upon you. And so we call upon you to ensure that Jill is returned safely home to her family who needs her and loves her. Jill's father, sister and I ask and encourage the persons holding our daughter to work with Jill to find a way to contact us with the honorable intent of discussing her release."
S. O'BRIEN: That's a statement.
CARROLL: That's a statement.
S. O'BRIEN: The friends that we talked to have said passion over and over again, passion. She's so passionate about her work, and that's reflected in your statement. Tell me what brought Jill into Baghdad.
CARROLL: Well, Jill has always been interested in people of other countries, and she's very interested in the Middle East and the politics of the Middle East. We could see the war was coming in Iraq, and she didn't want to be a parachute journalist, someone who just comes in opportunistically; she wanted to get to the Middle East early, learn about the people of Iraq, learn about the culture, and the customs and the politics so she could report well and accurately with deep background information.
S. O'BRIEN: And she spoke Arabic fluently.
CARROLL: Well, she didn't when she went there. For years she studied very hard and went to school. When she didn't have enough money, she engaged a tutor, an Arab tutor, who wanted to learn English, and she also spent a lot of time in Iraq at friends -- Iraqi friend's homes, where I think she really sharpened her skills speaking Arabic.
S. O'BRIEN: As a parent, on one hand, you want your child to find a passion, which she clearly had as a journalist, and obviously in the Middle East. On the other hand, you must have been absolutely worried all the time about her safety.
CARROLL: Of course. But her passion was so important. She is a young woman of convictions, and a very strong young woman. And if that's where her passion brings her, I can only be supportive of her and be proud of her for what she's doing.
S. O'BRIEN: But when she called you up and said, hey, mom, I'm going to Baghdad, and I'm going to report on the war that's coming. What did you say?
CARROLL: I said, Jill, don't be complacent. You've been there a long time. Don't be complacent, remember how to keep yourself safe. She's the expert. She's been in Baghdad for two years. She knows better than I or anybody else I think in that case what she needs to do to keep herself safe.
S. O'BRIEN: All her friends that we talked to said that she was very careful, that she was passionate, but also very, careful. Did you ever talk about security with her, or do you sort of leave it at, you know, mom says be safe. You did?
CARROLL: Yes, we did, for sure. And we talked about even the eventuality of her being kidnapped, and that gives me some comfort now to know some of the things that she had knew and had talked with other about people vis-a-vis kidnapping, and also I told her frankly how I felt if she was kidnapped, what I would be thinking, and supporting her and knowing that she was doing what she loved and what she thought was very important to do, and that that would give me and her family comfort at this time, and it does.
S. O'BRIEN: So she knows what you're thinking, and you know what she's thinking.
CARROLL: I think. I think. And I feel also after being in Baghdad for two years, that she knew what she was doing, she knew what the dangers were, she knew what the risks were, and she chose to accept those, because what she was doing to communicate to the world the sufferings of the Iraqi people was important.
S. O'BRIEN: What kind of stories were her passion, were her focus?
CARROLL: Well, you know, she did everything from interviewing the Sunnis to Shias. She traveled all over Iraq, doing the political scene, but also some of the stories, I remember, are about the schools that were being rebuilt and how some of them were falling apart and how that affected the education of children; and also was very moved by a family that she kept subsequently in contact with after doing the story who had a child who was injured. So she had a very deep compassion, I think, for Iraqis, definitely for all human beings, but Iraqis in particular, because of course that's where she was.
S. O'BRIEN: Our interview is being simulcast on CNN International, which airs in every single Middle Eastern country.
So, if her captors are listening, what do you want them to know? What do you want to say to them?
CARROLL: Well, that they've picked the wrong person. If they're looking for somebody who is an enemy of Iraq, Jill is just the opposite, and her Iraqi friend can attest to that.
And I think she was a wonderful ambassador, is a wonderful ambassador, to the United States for the Iraqis and Iraqi people.
S. O'BRIEN: And if she can hear you or see you, what do you want her to know?
CARROLL: Well, what she already knows. Those things have been said, and she knows that we love her and we support her. She knows that we can be strong for her, and we know that she's a strong woman, and that her strength of character and her mind will get her through this.
S. O'BRIEN: A number of prominent people have come forward, also joining in the cause for her release, and a number of Iraqis as well. More today actually we've heard about. That must hearten you.
CARROLL: Tremendously. There are so many people on the ground in Iraq, her Iraqi friends, friends in the press corps, Iraqi officials, who have seen the injustice and the horror of this brutal act and have stepped up, at some risk to themselves, to speak out for Jill, and I think to speak out for the Iraqi people, who don't want to be represented to the world as people who are supportive of this kind of horrible brutality.
S. O'BRIEN: How do you as a mother hold up?
CARROLL: Well, shock. I think that I'm in shock right now, and I know that falling apart is not going to help my daughter, and I could say her father and her sister are the same way. And I think when this is resolved, we'll all fall apart. But for now, I think it gives me a lot of comfort to know that if I can stay strong, her father can stay strong, her sister and all her relatives can stay strong, this is good genetic stock, and Jill is strong, too, in captivity.
S. O'BRIEN: We hear that about her. Good luck to you. We're hoping for the very best, along with you and everyone else as well.
CARROLL: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Mary Beth Carroll, thank you for talking to us this morning. We truly appreciate it.
CARROLL: You're welcome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Wolf, I think you can see in that interview, mother and daughter clearly share a lot of the same traits. I think a strong sense of purpose, generally an inner strength, maybe an inner compass as well. But the reality is, of course, as you know and I know, and everybody knows, the clock is ticking. There was a Friday deadline, and so the family is hoping that maybe her captors, Jill's captors, have seen this interview and they will be moved by Mary Beth's message. Wolf?
BLITZER: I certainly hope so, all of our viewers hope so. You know what was really moving to me, Soledad, was how poised and articulate she was. You're a parent, I'm a parent, every parent out there -- what a nightmare. And she was so calm and logical and didn't break down. I don't know about you, but I was pretty impressed by that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think it's a very planned, calculated attempt. I think that as she said, it will not help her daughter, in the situation that she's in, to see her mother go on international television and fall apart. The message that she's telegraphing for Jill is, "I am strong for you. You be strong for you. We're all here, thinking of you, praying for you, and you're going to make it through."
BLITZER: She's quite an amazing person and quite an amazing daughter. And Soledad, thanks very much for bringing that to us, to all of our viewers. Thank you, Soledad O'Brien. S. O'BRIEN: Of course, Wolf.
BLITZER: And this important note to our viewers, we're going to continue to follow this story throughout the night, all day tomorrow of course on "AMERICAN MORNING," as well. Soledad O'Brien, Miles O'Brien, they co-anchor that excellent program. It starts every morning, 6:00 a.m. Eastern, goes on until 10:00 a.m. Eastern. "AMERICAN MORNING," watch it.
Up next, American-born terrorism: a man involved with the Oklahoma City bombing is about to walk free. Families are outraged. We're going to have the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. He's the one man who may have been able to stop the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City, but he didn't. And now after more than a decade behind bars, Michael Fortier is about to go free.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining us now live from Oklahoma City with reaction. Ed, what's going on?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, mixed reaction here in Oklahoma City. Of course, many people here have wanted to see Michael Fortier be in prison for the rest of his life, but also to make matters worse here is that his entire release is shrouded in secrecy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Michael Fortier will forever be remembered as the man who could have stopped the Oklahoma City bombing. So the idea of Fortier walking free angers the grandmother of Aaron and Elijah Coverdale, two of 168 bombing victims.
JANNIE COVERDALE, GRANDMOTHER OF BOMBING VICTIMS: I hope life is going to be very bad for him on the outside. I hope his life is going to be hell like mine. I miss my boys.
LAVANDERA: Fortier was the star witness for the prosecution in the trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. In exchange for his testimony, Fortier pleaded guilty to knowing about the bombing plot and not saying anything about it.
He received a 12-year prison sentence. With credit for good behavior, Fortier is being released a year-and-a-half early to resume his life with his wife and two children. His attorney says Fortier is sorry for his failure to help stop the bombing.
MICHAEL MCGUIRE, FORTIER'S ATTORNEY: He'll never be able to forget that, and that always puts a tremendous burden on him and his conscious every day, the rest of his life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You and your taxes (ph). LAVANDERA: Almost 11 years after the bombing, Brandon and Rebecca Denny have come a long way, recovering from the brutal injuries they suffered that day. Their family isn't bothered by Fortier's release. It's their way of letting go of the past.
JIM DENNY, FATHER OF BOMBING VICTIM: It doesn't come easy for us to say, yes, let him out. That's fine, let him go, you know. He deserves it. He paid his debt to society, and he's no threat to anybody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Unfortunately, we've lost audio, technical problem with Ed Lavandera. Ed, thanks very much. Excellent report from Oklahoma city. Ed Lavandera reporting.
Up next, his book is a hit with Osama bin Laden. I'll ask the author of "Rogue State" how he feels about getting a plug from the world's most wanted terrorist. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There's a curious by-product of Osama bin Laden's message. According to Al-Jazeera, the transcript that was posted today of the bin Laden audiotape, the al Qaeda chief recommends a book by an American anti-war activist which is stridently critical of U.S. policy over the past half century. Just a little while ago, I spoke with the author of "Rogue State," William Blum -- his reaction of getting a plug from the leader of al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: How does it feel to be cited by Osama bin Laden?
WILLIAM BLUM, AUTHOR, "ROGUE STATE": Well, I'm glad to have the publicity for my book, frankly. But the fact that he and I share a certain intense dislike of various aspects of U.S. foreign policy, and the facts that we share a certain liking for a book of mine doesn't mean that I share his views otherwise. I'm glad that he cites the book, because the book's premise is that the U.S. foreign policy is the as you of anti-American terrorism.
BLITZER: So you blame the United States government more than you blame Osama bin Laden, is that what you're saying?
BLUM: Yes.
BLITZER: Because that shocks -- that will shock a lot of Americans.
BLUM: Well, it will -- many Americans who will not be shocked.
BLITZER: I mean, what possibly could have justified the attack on the World Trade Center?
BLUM: Well, you can't just name one specific action. I deal with all -- with a whole bunch of American actions and the actions of various Muslims over the years in retaliation. It's a long history. It's not just one event of one day.
And I show, in very clear terms, that U.S. foreign policy has -- for decades, has been carrying out very harmful attacks on not only Muslim countries, but all over the world. And it's not surprising that some of these countries would want to retaliate. You know, it's very simple, human example of revenge.
BLITZER: But I just want to be clear, you don't condone the attack on the World Trade Center?
BLUM: No, I think it was horrible. I was very upset by that, and I still am.
BLITZER: Because the people -- the 3,000 people who died had no -- had no -- had nothing to do with any foreign policy.
BLUM: Right. And it's the same with the thousands of people that we have killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are not to blame for U.S. foreign policy. You know, those are what we call collateral damage.
But it must be seen in terms of tit for tat. It's retaliation. It's not just a bunch of crazy people doing something for no reason imaginable. They have good reason for being very angry with U.S. foreign policy.
BLITZER: And that's the basis of this book, "Rogue State," and why Osama bin Laden is putting it today on his highly-recommended list.
BLUM: I would assume so, yes.
BLITZER: We're going to leave it right there. Mr. Blum, thanks very much for joining us.
BLUM: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Let's go to Jack Cafferty. Jack, you've heard of Oprah's book list. This is Osama's book list, Osama giving a plug for this book, "Rogue State."
CAFFERTY: Well, a lot of the people who are writing into the program tonight share the views of the author you just interviewed, as you'll see by some of the e-mails.
The question this hour is, do you feel safer today that you know did right after 9/11 in light of this bin Laden tape, threatening another attack on American soils?
Steve in Du Quoin, Illinois: "After 9/11, we had sympathy and compassion from the entire world. Thanks to the flawed policies of the Bush administration, since then, most of the world now hates us. We are much less safe today than we were in the days after 9/11."
Ed in Roanoke, Virginia: "Yes, a resounding yes. The only reason al Qaeda and terrorist gangs haven't mounted another attack on the U.S. homeland is because they can't. We've beaten them into living in holes and caves and remote mountains and shredded most of their former infrastructure. They're still dangerous but they represent only a fraction of the danger in 2001.
Mike, in Larchmont, New York: Jack, following the recent string of F's this administration got from the 9/11 Commission for its failure to implement so many basic critical security measures, not only do I feel less safe than I did immediately after that fateful day, I also now feel less American thanks to Orwellian tactics of our so-called leaders.
Lisa in Bonita Springs, Florida: After the federal government's appalling display of ineptitude following Hurricane Katrina, a disaster whose approach we watched on television for days, how could anyone in this country feel adequately protected.--
Paula in New York City: I don't feel safer in this country. I believe al Qaeda is so evil that only they can imagine what evil attacks and mass murder they'll commit next. It must be difficult for our national security organizations to try to defend us against such previously unknown madness.
And finally, Sean in Pennsylvania: I don't feel any safer since 9/11. This administration has made our country weak, spread our resources thin and created burdens my great-grandchildren's children will have to pay for.
BLITZER: Jack, you're in New York City, the city that was attacked on 9/11. How do you answer your question you posed this hour?
CAFFERTY: I -- I don't know. I think, you know, you assume a certain amount of risk by living in New York City, just like you assume a certain amount of risk living in Omaha, Nebraska. You can step off the curb and get run over by a bus. I tend not to think about it on a personal level a whole lot. I live my life. I'm a bit fatalistic, I suppose.
I hope it doesn't happen. I have a hunch we're not out of the woods and probably will again at some point. I don't know where, I hope it's not here, but if it's not here, you don't want to wish it on some other city.
I go about living my life and hope that somehow we can prevail in this struggle against these people. I'm not sure what the answer to doing that is, but I hope somehow someone can come up with it. I don't think we've figured it out yet.
BLITZER: I think you're right. Thanks very much, Jack. I'll see you tomorrow.
Let's find out what's coming up in the next hour here on CNN, right at the top of the hour. Paula is standing by. Hi, Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. We'll continue to follow the story of Osama bin Laden's latest threats. What they mean, how seriously our government is taking them.
Plus, we move on to a woman's shocking allegations against a popular and powerful church pastor. She says he told people he received messages from God, and that no one could question him, but did he use his power to demand sex from her and from other women in the congregation. We'll have both sides of this eye opening story coming up here in eight minutes or so.
BLITZER: Thanks very much. We'll be watching "PAULA ZAHN NOW," that airs right at the top of the hour.
Still ahead, alumni take on what they call radical professors at major American universities. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is going to show us what this story is all about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a closer look at some of the hot shots coming in from the friends at the Associated Press. Pictures likely to be in your newspapers tomorrow. Baghdad, a frightened child is wounded after flying debris. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a nearby coffee shop. Ecuador, a high school student throws a tear gas canister back at police. Students are protesting a proposed bus fare increase.
York County, Virginia, rough morning, high winds blew a neighbor's tree on this man's Hummer. And this orphaned squirrel monkey lost his mother shortly after his birth eight weeks ago. He'll be raised by zoo staff in Australia until he's old enough to fend for himself. Those are some of today's hot shots, pictures often worth a thousand words. Let's go to Zain Verjee at the CNN Center in Atlanta for a closer look at other stories.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. We've just received world that Gerald Ford will remain in the hospital for at least one more days. Doctors at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage say that the former president's condition continues to improve, but he still needs respiratory treatment that isn't easily available at home. The 92 year old former leader was hospitalized with pneumonia over the weekend.
The twice delayed New Horizon's probe to Pluto has finally begun its three billion mile ten-year journey. The Atlas Five unmanned spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral this afternoon. The probe will study Pluto, as well as its moon, as well as a mysterious region called the Kyper Belt, as a lot of ice planets or smaller planets in that region. Pluto is the last unexplored planet in our solar system.
The NBA has suspended New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis. Davis was benched for five games for going into the stands during a game in Chicago. He confronted a fan, he said, he thought was harassing his wife. The suspension begins tonight with the Knicks game against the Detroit Pistons.
Wilson Pickett's manager says that the veteran soul singer died today of a heart attack in Virginia. He was known for hits like "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour." His manager says Pickett performed regularly until about a year ago when he began suffering from heart problems. Wilson Pickett was 64. Wolf?
BLITZER: He was great. You're too young to remember. I am not. I always loved Wilson Pickett.
VERJEE: I used to play his songs at a radio station I used to work at. I know some of his music.
BLITZER: Thanks very much. Tomorrow, moving on, are college campuses too liberal? A U.C.L.A. graduate thinks he can prove it by paying students to tape record their professor's lectures. Some faculty members are calling the online effort a witch hunt. Let's go to our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, $100, that's what UCLA alum, Andrew Jones is offering students at that university to tape record UCLA professors that he accuses of being too liberal. Jones is the founder of the Bruin Alumni Association, a conservative group, their site here uclaprofs.com profiles professors that Andrew Jones say are too radical.
I spoke to one of those professors who tells us that this amounts to a smear campaign and calls the taping of these lectures unethical. UCLA, in a statement today, made available to us said they have no official relationship with Andrew Jones. Jones says this is not a witch hunt. He's just trying to document these professors.
However, three members of his advisory board have resigned in protest of his methods. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks very much. That's it for me. Paula is in New York. Paula.
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