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The Situation Room
Hearing Open Secrets; Disorder at 9/11 Trial; Thousands of Muslims Protest Mohammed Cartoons
Aired February 06, 2006 - 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 at the same time.
Happening now, hearing open secrets. Intense atmosphere cut with sharp questions and razor-sharp responses as the attorney general faces senators who want answers over the secret domestic spying program.
Fire and rage. Controversial drawings drawing fire from tens of thousands of Muslims around the world. They're burning flags, making threats, pledging those who insult the Prophet Mohammed will pay.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Republican Senator Arlen Specter says President Bush's job is to protect the country but he doesn't have a black check. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy was more blunt, alleging President Bush is flat- out breaking the law.
Today the Senate began an open hearing over the secret spying program.
Our National Security Correspondent David Ensor has got details -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, on the defensive during pointed questioning, the attorney general defended the president's authority to authorize the surveillance program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm not the...
ENSOR (voice over): Alberto Gonzales would not answer questions about who was bugged and when, and expressed dismay at having to discuss it in public at all.
GONZALES: Our enemy is listening. And I cannot help but wonder if they aren't shaking their heads in amazement at the thought that anyone would imperil such a sensitive program by leaking its existence in the first place.
ENSOR: But Democrats told him they doubt the National Security Agency program that monitors conversations to and from this country when one party is suspected of al Qaeda ties is legal. They also wonder what they don't know.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I can only believe -- and this is my honest view -- that this program is much bigger and much broader than you want anyone to know.
ENSOR: Gonzales faced angry questions, too, about his answers at his confirmation hearings last year. When asked whether the president had the authority to authorize warrantless searches or wiretaps in violation of the criminal and foreign surveillance laws, last year he said it was a hypothetical question, though the NSA program had started in late 2001.
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: Which frankly, Mr. Attorney General, anybody that reads it, basically realizes you were misleading this committee. You could have answered the question truthfully.
GONZALES: Senator, I told the truth then. I'm telling the truth now. You asked about a hypothetical situation of the president of the United States authorizing electronic surveillance in violation of our criminal statutes. That has not occurred.
RUSS: Mr. Chairman, I think the witness is taking mincing words...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: Though most Republican senators express support for the president's decision to order the surveillance in different ways, senators Specter, DeWine, Brownback and Graham, Republicans all, expressed their doubts -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor reporting for us.
David, thank you very much.
David Ensor with the latest on this story.
We're going to get much more on this story later this hour. Full details coming up 7:00 p.m. Eastern here in THE SITUATION ROOM as well.
Moving on to other news we're watching right now, today, in the first trial connected to the 9/11 attacks against an admitted al Qaeda terrorist, sharp-tongued outbursts pierce what would have been routine court business. It's the trial against Zacarias Moussaoui.
Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, is joining us now from the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, with details -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, prosecutors say the 9/11 attacks could have been prevented if Zacarias Moussaoui had told investigators everything he knew about al Qaeda's plan to fly planes into airplanes (sic). He has denied involvement in the 9/11 attacks but has pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy.
Now it's up to a jury to decide if he spends the rest of his life in prison or dies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice over): Zacarias Moussaoui disrupted all four jury selection sessions. "I'm al Qaeda," he declared in one as he was escorted out of the courtroom. "This trial is a circus."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he thinks that this is going to further his goal of not getting the death penalty, which is what he stated his goal is, he's probably mistaken about that. This is going to make things very difficult for his counsel and for himself down the road.
MESERVE: Security was exceptionally tight at the federal court in Alexandria for the arrival of Moussaoui and approximately 500 potential jurors. With the Pentagon just a few miles away, prospective jurors are being quizzed about their connection with and reaction to the 9/11 attacks and others.
A 49-page questionnaire asks, for instance, "Do you believe that Islam endorses violence to a greater or lesser extent than other major religions?" And "Does the fact that this case involves a crime of massive violence cause you to question whether you can sit as a fair and impartial juror?"
There are also four and a half pages of questions probing potential jurors' positions on the death penalty which is sought by prosecutors. Debra Burlingame's brother was the pilot of the plane the 9/11 hijackers slammed into the Pentagon. She sees more risk in letting Moussaoui live than in sentencing him to die.
DEBRA BURLINGAME, SISTER OF 9/11 PILOT: I would rather have him a martyr in death than have an untold number of innocent people killed in the future as one of his confederates tries to extort his release.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: When it comes to 9/11, emotions run deep. And so it's expected to take about a month to find 18 jurors and alternates acceptable to both the defense and the prosecution to cull those from the hundreds who came here today -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What spurred his outburst, Jeanne?
MESERVE: His representation. You may recall that for a while, Zacarias Moussaoui represented himself in the courtroom. But the judge put an end to that because he was just too disruptive, put the lawyers back in charge.
He stood up today and said, "They do not represent me. I am al Qaeda. They are American" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jeanne Meserve reporting for us.
And to our viewers, stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Meanwhile, there are fresh rounds of protest and outrage over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed first published in a Danish newspaper, republished elsewhere in Europe. In Afghanistan, demonstrators tried but failed to beat down the doors to the Danish Embassy, so they resorted to beating guards nearby.
Angry protesters chanted -- and let me quote now -- "We don't let anyone insult our prophet." Afghan officials say one person is dead.
In Iran, demonstrators in Tehran gathered outside the Danish Consulate and the Austrian Embassy. Austria says protesters blasted one of its facilities in Tehran with Molotov cocktails.
In New Delhi, India, demonstrators formed lines of protest chanting anti-Danish slogans. And in Amara, in Iraq, about 1,000 supporters of the radical cleric Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burned the Danish flag. They're demanding the expulsion of Danish and Norwegian diplomats.
Lebanon is also being rocked by violent and deadly protests over the cartoons. Our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler, is in the Lebanese (sic) with the latest.
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, another day of Muslim protests aimed at Danish diplomatic interests in the Islamic world. The super-heated demonstrations ignited a major bout of violence in the Lebanese capital Sunday when thousands of demonstrators stormed a building that houses the Danish Consulate here.
Muslim anger in Lebanon and elsewhere is being mixed, say Middle East observers, with violent political extremism, igniting a firestorm that's already turned deadly. A volatile mix, with genuine Muslim outrage apparently fueled by militants trying to incite violence in a wider context of Arab and Muslim fears about what the Western world is trying to do in the Arab world.
While Lebanon has officially apologized to Denmark for the attack here, many suspect the protests in Lebanon may have been hijacked to serve a different agenda set by organized Islamic extremists -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brent Sadler reporting for us.
Brent, thank you very much.
Let's go back to New York, Jack Cafferty. He's got another question for our viewers.
Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf.
Before we get to that, coming up in the 7:00 hour of THE SITUATION ROOM, we will take a look at what has to be done to get some of this rioting under control that's going on particularly in the Middle East in objection to those cartoons that the Muslim world is up in arms about.
Under the cloud of ethics scandals, and with congressional elections looming in the fall, House Republicans have decided it's time to clean up their act. After fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, after former House majority leader Tom DeLay was placed under criminal indictment, after former representative Duke Cunningham admitted to taking bribes, and with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist under investigation for questionable stock transactions, this is what the Republicans have come up with: their new House leader, John Boehner, says he supports tighter rules for lawmakers and lobbyists but he disagrees with banning trips paid for by lobbyists. John Boehner says these trips are necessary to keep lawmakers informed about the issues.
He should know. Boehner has taken trips worth $157,000 since 2000, paid for by lobbyists, according to the Federal Election Commission. The trips were paid for by nonprofit trade groups and think tanks. They included visits to places where there are a lot of issues: Scotland, Belgium, Spain.
Boehner says he had no relationship with the lobbyist Abramoff but he has received about $30,000 from Indian tribes that were represented by Abramoff. And so far, Boehner is refusing to return any of that money.
Here's the question: Is it necessary for members of Congress to accept paid trips from lobbyists? E-mail us at caffertyfile@cnn.com.
It's hard to read that with a straight face -- Wolf.
BLITZER: You know he's an excellent golfer.
CAFFERTY: Yes, they have a few golf courses in Scotland, I think, the last time I heard.
BLITZER: I heard about that. You know, but he's very good.
CAFFERTY: Well, maybe -- never mind. Never mind.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jack.
Up ahead, a one-of-a-kind image. The woman who received the world's first partial face transplant faces cameras and a curious public for the first time. We're going to show you what she looks like and what is going on.
And it's President Bush's $2.8 trillion wish list. High atop the just-released 2007 budget, billion-dollar increases for homeland security and defense. We're going to crunch the numbers.
And clean up or pay up. A city in California tells fast-food restaurants, if you don't help clean up the mess from your burger wrappers and soda cans, it's going to cost you.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
More money for the war on terror, less for many domestic programs. President Bush's proposed budget is now official with a $2.8 trillion price tag. It also projects a record $423 billion budget deficit this year, thanks in part to the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina.
White House budget director Josh Bolton was in THE SITUATION ROOM last hour. I asked him about criticism of the budget by one prominent Democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: John Kerry, the president's opponent in the last election, issued a statement saying this. He said, "The president is cutting money for veterans, child support enforcement, Medicare, student loans, food stamps so he can cling to deficit-exploding wasteful tax policy without giving one dime in tax relief to the 19 million middle class families who will pay higher taxes next year."
Is he right?
JOSH BOLTEN, WHITE HOUSE BUDGET DIRECTOR: Boy, he's wrong on every single one of those counts. I'm not sure where to begin, but the first place to start is that the tax relief that the president and the Congress has enacted is very broad-based. It goes to the entire population and has lowered the tax rate for everybody, including the middle class, and, in fact, especially the middle class, who now pay a lower proportion of our income taxes than do people in the upper income brackets.
Much more important than that is that what the tax cuts have done is that they have set off substantial growth in our economy. That's the most important thing for the country's fiscal health.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The budget is now in the hands of the U.S. Congress, which will debate it for many, many months to come.
So where does all that money in the federal budget go? Ali Velshi is in New York, he's been looking at the budget. He's got "The Bottom Line."
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Josh Bolten is right in that whether or not you agree with the tax reductions, and whether people have been getting them, he's right in that stimulating the economy is the best thing you can do in order to make up for a budget that is -- costs more than we actually take in. That's why there's a budget deficit.
Now, let's get a picture of where America spends its money. If this budgets gets approved as it stands, here's what the president is proposing. Right now under the president's proposal, America would spend more than 50 percent of its budget, the $2.8 trillion budget, on defense. You see that big blue thing on the right-hand side. It then breaks down.
The other categories are not anywhere near as big. The next biggest one is health and human services; health care, 8 percent; education, 6 percent; veterans affairs, 4 percent. That's growing obviously because we have more veterans now. Department of State and international programs and aid, 4 percent; and homeland security, 4 percent.
What you are, however, seeing is big increases to the side of the budget that has to do with war and security. The biggest gainer is in the defense sector, 6.9 percent higher.
Now, Wolf, just to keep this in perspective, the United States spends more money on defense and military than the next 25 countries combined do. Obviously, the U.S. has a very big presence around the world in terms of military expenditure, but it is the biggest part of our budget, and we do spend more on it than anyone in the world.
BLITZER: And the U.S. is right now spending, Ali, about $1 billion a week in Iraq on the war in Iraq. I suspect that's going to be a big issue when a lot of people start focusing in this election year on the money spent in Iraq...
VELSHI: Yes.
BLITZER: ... a billion dollars a week, which potentially could be spent here on education, or health care...
VELSHI: The things that are getting cut on the other side. We're going to talk more about that later, where the cuts are coming.
You talked about guns and butter. A lot of people saying this is way more guns budget than a butter budget.
BLITZER: We'll talk about it at 7:00 p.m. Eastern here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Ali Velshi, thank you very much.
Coming up, a different approach to fighting litter. We're going to show you the unusual move one city is considering to help keep its streets clean.
And in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, another state finds itself with unwanted residents. That would be killer bees. We're going to take you there live and show you what's going on.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Zain Verjee is in New York this week filling in for Soledad O'Brien on "AMERICAN MORNING." Betty Nguyen is joining us now from the CNN Center with a closer look at other stories making news.
Hi, Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Wolf.
International nuclear inspectors say Iran is ordering them to remove surveillance cameras and agency seals from its facilities. Tehran is also said to be sharply reducing the number and type of inspections it allows. The moves come after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
Now to Cuba. A large rally is just getting under way. It has a double purpose.
The stated reason for the gathering is to remember those who have lost their lives in violent acts against Cuba over the past 45 years. But as part of the rally, huge flags are expected to be unfurled. They'll block the view of a large electronic sign on the U.S. interest section building. Now, this sign has upset Cuban President Fidel Castro because of its pro-American statements.
And authorities in southern California are calling for the evacuation of hundreds of homes as a wind-fueled wildfire is tearing across parts of Orange County. Look at these pictures -- 1,200 acres have already been scorched. Firefighters using aircraft to attack the leading edge of the fire with water and fire retardant. They say they haven't determined the cause of the blaze just yet.
And Wolf, if you like fast food, you better listen up, because Americans love fast food. I know I do, and in large part because it saves us time. But now, if you choose to eat on the run in Oakland, California, it could cost you a little extra money.
The city council is considering legislation that would tax restaurants and stores that serve takeout. The author of the proposed law says it would help cover the cost of keeping the streets free of fast food litter.
I didn't know there was so much fast-food litter on the streets. You Wolf?
BLITZER: I like fast food, but you know what? I prefer slow food. A nice dinner at a nice restaurant. I'd prefer that.
NGUYEN: Yes, you can enjoy it that way.
BLITZER: That's right. That's what I like.
NGUYEN: No one wants to eat in the car.
BLITZER: Slow food, that's the way to go.
NGUYEN: Yes.
BLITZER: Will forcing companies to pay up to a penny per e-mail cut down on how much spam all of us receive in our inbox? America Online and Yahoo! are hoping so with a new class of certified e-mail.
Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, is here to explain -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: There's a lot of misinformation swirling around this story. The good news is, you're not going to pay any more for your e-mail. The bad news is it may not cut down on viruses, spam or anything like that.
Now, AOL, Yahoo!, they've agreed to participate in this. What they're doing is working with a company called Goodmail, and they're going to certify some of your e-mail. Think certified priority mail, except online.
This is what it's going to look like. It's a stamp at the top of your e-mail. This is sort of a mock-up design. It will vary depending on e-mail carrier.
Now, the first two clients who signed on to this are New York Times Digital and the American Red Cross. What this does is it guarantees that the e-mail is going to get to you and it guarantees that it's authentic.
Now, is this a good idea? Well, we spoke to Ferris Research today. It's a company that specializes in IT and e-mail, and they say it's more of a missed opportunity, that really Goodmail could take this time to mark e-mails that are phishing, e-mails that are spam. But Goodmail says that marking the good stuff is good enough -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Good enough for us. Thanks very much, Jacki, for that.
Coming up, on the loose in Yemen. An update on the story of a jailbreak there. Dozens of al Qaeda operatives escape, as well as one man behind the bombing of the USS Cole. I'm going to speak with the brothers of one of the sailors killed in that attack.
And her name has been in the news, but she's personally been out of the spotlight since she had the first partial face transplant. Now the French woman is speaking out and showing her face.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
CNN "Security Watch" and more our top story.
A sometimes contentious Senate hearing on the government's eavesdropping program. At one point, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin accused the attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, of misleading the United States Senate during his confirmation hearing last year. At the time, Gonzales testified that President Bush would not authorize illegal action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEINGOLD: Of course, if you had told the truth, maybe that would have jeopardized your nomination. You wanted to be confirmed. And so you let a misleading statement about one of the central issues of your confirmation, your view of executive power, stay on the record until "The New York Times" revealed the program.
GONZALES: Senator, I told the truth then. I'm telling the truth now. You asked about a hypothetical situation of the president of the United States authorizing electronic surveillance in violation of our criminal statutes. That has not occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Our Brian Todd has been looking into exactly how this kind of eavesdropping is done, what might -- and you might be surprised at some of the details it entails.
Let's bring in Brian.
What are you finding out?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're finding out that this is at the very same time a complicated and yet relatively simple process. And as powerful and sophisticated as the NSA is, experts say it does not act alone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice over): Experts say this shouldn't even be called wiretapping because no one climbs a telephone pole and physically taps your phone.
JAMES BAMFORD, AUTHOR, "BODY OF SECRETS": They eavesdrop on entire streams of communications coming into the United States.
TODD: James Bamford has written two extensive books on the National Security Agency but is now suing the NSA, seeking to stop the government's eavesdropping program. Bamford and other experts say a typical eavesdropping operation begins when a phone call from overseas or from the U.S. to an overseas location passes through one of several huge routing centers owned and operated by the major telecommunications companies. By law, Bamford says, the NSA has access to those routing centers. The agency can also access Internet hubs to pick up e-mails.
BAMFORD: And then it sifts it through computers. Those computers are filled with people's names, telephone numbers, and e- mail addresses and other identifying information.
That computer gets all this -- all the signals from the incoming communications that go through it. And it's kicked out. It's just as if you're doing a Google search.
TODD: That NSA computer, says Bamford, matches those calls with names, phrases, keywords that have been previously used in suspicious chatter.
If enough important matches are made, Bamford says, a shift supervisor at NSA makes the key decision of whether to listen to more communications and share with other intelligence agencies. A former NSA director, who is still one of the nation's top intelligence officials, says those people are more than qualified to make that call.
GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN, DEPUTY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: There are only a handful of people at NSA who can make that decision. They are all senior executives. They are all counterterrorism and al Qaeda experts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Contacted by CNN, a current NSA spokesman issued a statement saying, the terrorist surveillance program is highly classified, and discussing it would compromise its effectiveness. He also would not comment on Bamford's litigation.
We also contacted the major telecom companies to ask them about their level of cooperation with the NSA. Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all said they would not comment -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you very much -- Brian Todd reporting.
Also, in our CNN "Security Watch," new details of that jailbreak in Yemen that includes one of the men behind the bombing of the USS Cole and at least a dozen others tied to al Qaeda.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, who was recently in Yemen, is joining us now live from the Pentagon -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Yemen had been trying to convince the world that al Qaeda was done for in its country. But now all of that has changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): This man, Jamal al-Badawi, is one of the prisoners who escaped from a Yemeni jail last week. He helped plan the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors.
Intelligence analysts tell CNN, the prison break is a significant setback in the war against al Qaeda. Many of the escapees now on the loose have major operational experience in planning attacks, the very experience al Qaeda needs.
Yemeni and U.S. officials believe the men had help from somewhere in the capital city of San'a'. They escaped from a highly secure prison through a tunnel more than a football field long. It all happened the day before 15 of the men were scheduled to go on trial for involvement in terrorism.
Just two weeks ago, the Yemeni interior minister, Rashid al- Alimi, told CNN the al Qaeda network in Yemen had been dismantled since the attack on the Cole.
(on camera): Since then, Yemen has established a coast guard. They now have some 50 ships, several hundred personnel. And the Yemen coast guard now regularly patrols these waters, trying to ensure security of the shipping moving in and out of this area.
(voice-over): CNN was taken by the new Yemeni coast guard through the Port of Aden to this spot, where the Cole was hit. It was part of an effort to show, Yemen is secure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: But now, Wolf, as the international manhunt goes on, the U.S. Navy rethinking a plan it had in the works to send the first warship back into Yemen since the attack on the Cole -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara, you were just there. You know, there's a lot of suspicion that perhaps the highest levels of the Yemeni government might be OK, but there's a lot of lesser officials, shall we say, who may be at least sympathetic to al Qaeda, and may actually have been involved in helping these al Qaeda terrorists escape from this prison, sort of along the lines of Pakistan.
President Musharraf is very strongly allied, but there are others in the intelligence service, perhaps, in the military who may be sympathetic to al Qaeda. Give us your firsthand impression.
STARR: Well, what's very interesting, Wolf, is, this prison was not a military prison. It was not a police prison. This was a prison run by something called the PSO, the Political Security Organization.
And there is in fact great concern now that maybe that organization somehow is penetrated, because, consider this. Twenty- three men, a tunnel more than a football field long, it came out in the floor of a nearby mosque. So, they tunneled all the way to a mosque and have basically evaporated into the capital city of San'a' or somewhere in the country.
And now this urgent manhunt is on. This is a major embarrassment for Yemen. The president had been trying to really tell the world community that Yemen had put the al Qaeda network out of business, that they were putting these people on trial, that they were all in jail.
And when we were there, the Yemeni government took great pains to talk to CNN, to give us these interviews, to take us around the country. U.S. officials actually told me, they were very surprised that the Yemeni government was so open to CNN. It was really part of their effort to show that their country was secure.
But, again, as we say now, all of that in question -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr doing some excellent reporting for us, as she always does -- Barbara, thank you very much.
Earlier, I spoke with the brother of one of the sailors killed in the U.S. -- in the attack on the USS Cole. Seventeen American sailors were killed in that attack. Nearly 40 were seriously injured. Cherone Gunn was a signalman, just 22 years old.
His brother, Anton Gunn, joined us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Anton, thanks very much for joining us.
Before we get to the substance of this prison break in -- in Yemen, tell us a little bit about your brother, Cherone.
ANTON GUNN, BROTHER OF USS COLE BOMBING VICTIM: Cherone was an incredible individual. He was my younger brother, five years younger than me.
He was a very, very happy person, I mean, one of the person that you never met him and got away from. He was one of those people that stuck in your spirit. If you -- if you met him, you were going to be his friend for life. And that's the kind of person he was. That's what his shipmates talked about him as, as -- as a great person, someone that worked hard, was always committed to people, and had a lot of love.
I mean, his birthday was on Valentine's Day. So, he would have been 28 this Valentine's Day. And he was just, you know, a fun-loving person that was very committed to people, very caring about people. And that's what he wanted to do with his service in the Navy, is to show how much he cared, not only about his friends, his family, but those that he worked alongside, particularly in the United States Navy.
BLITZER: He had only been a sailor, what, for nine months, and...
GUNN: Yes.
BLITZER: But he was following, to a certain degree, in his father's footsteps.
GUNN: Yes.
My father is -- our father was a 22-year Navy vet who gave his life to the Navy, and -- and enjoyed every minute of it. And Cherone was kind of, you know, trying to mold himself after dad, to some degree, to go and see those bold new things that -- that dad did in the Navy. So, he -- he had only been in there a short time. He had made the decision as an adult. He was, you know, 21 when he made the decision and joined the Navy, and was only in for nine months when he was taken away from us.
BLITZER: All right, now we flash forward to this weekend, and we learn that these al Qaeda operatives, convicted of masterminding, in effect, the bombing of the USS Cole, killing 17 American sailors, including your brother, they escaped somehow.
What has -- what has the U.S. government told you about this?
GUNN: Nothing. And that's not surprising.
I mean, it's been six years. And, you know, the amount of information that we have really heard from the government, we could probably put in the palm of my hand. So, you know, I'm not surprised to -- to hear this from media sources, because we get limited information from the government about what has happened.
And it's -- it's unfortunate that it has happened, Wolf. And I just really believe that what we have (INAUDIBLE) have the fox guarding the henhouse.
I mean, it -- I -- I truly believe, and my family believes, that things like this will continue to happen, until we really try to get some handle on terrorism, not on Iraq, but on terrorism. And I think that's what's being missed, is that many families, such as ours, are still suffering, and are not getting any information or any answers about what's happened to our loved ones.
BLITZER: This is in contrast -- correct me if I'm wrong -- to what you and other family members had been told, that you would be allowed to go over there for these trials and be updated routinely, because you wanted to see these guys punished and either spend the rest of their life in jail or -- or executed.
GUNN: Right.
And, you know, we were -- initially, after it happened, we were told that, as victims of a terrorist attack, we had the opportunity to face those that were accused of the crime and be present at the trial.
But, you know, there's always some red-tape excuse as to why that couldn't happen. So, during the trial, when they were actually convicted of these crimes, we only got about three or four e-mails, saying, you know, this is what happened in court today, and these guys have -- finally had been convicted.
But, again, this is not the first time that they have escaped from that prison. And, back in 2003, 10 gentlemen escaped from prison, and they didn't know how 10 people escaped. And now you're going to tell me, you know, 20 people escape from prison, and -- and there's no rhyme or reason to understand how they were allowed to escape.
So, we -- we -- you have a lot of unfulfilled promises from the FBI, from the United States Navy, from the government in general. And it's just very problematic and very painful for our families.
BLITZER: What -- we don't have a lot of time left, Anton, but what would you like to see your government, the U.S. government, do right now?
GUNN: I would like to see the U.S. government get involved in addressing what's happening in Yemen in an affirmative way, not to allow the Yemen government to take control of the situation, but really get involved and bring a resolution and solution and bring those that are guilty of terrorism to justice, not those of fictitious terrorism, but bring those that have committed al Qaeda terrorist attacks against Americans, bring them to justice.
BLITZER: We have got to leave it right there, Anton.
Our deepest condolences to you and your entire family. Your brother Cherone sounds like he was a great guy. And let's hope for the best.
GUNN: Yes, he will.
Thank you very much, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And, to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, thousands of people are paying respect this afternoon to Coretta Scott King. We're going to take you to Atlanta, where a public viewing is now under way.
Plus, the newest place to put a billboard -- you will need a bird's-eye view for these new messages.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
The French woman who has had the world's first partial face transplant is now facing the world, talking publicly about her surgery in a news conference earlier today.
CNN's Jim Bittermann was there. He's in Paris with the story.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was at this teaching hospital, about an hour-and-a-half north of Paris, that the drama for Isabelle Dinoire began back in May, after she was badly mauled by a family dog.
And, clearly, after today's news conference, she hopes it has now ended here, and she can begin putting her life back together again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BITTERMANN (voice-over): With her doctors looking on, she spoke first, reading from a prepared text, to explain how, for six months after the family dog mauled her, she could barely eat or talk, how ashamed she was to be seen in public, and how much her life has changed since she had her 18-hour operation last November.
ISABELLE DINOIRE, TRANSPLANT PATIENT (through translator): I can open my mouth and I can eat. And I can feel my lips and my nose. And, of course, I have to do a lot more exercises and work every week in order to reactivate all the muscles.
BITTERMANN: At one point, she un-self-consciously sipped a glass of water, giving photographers proof her mouth was functioning again.
Her doctors said that, while she will probably always have to be on medication, to prevent her body from rejecting the transplant, she could eventually gain back much of the feeling and muscle control of her face.
They showed magnetic resonance imaging, which indicates her brain is accepting control of the new tissue. But whether it will psychologically remains an open question. She will continue to visit a psychiatrist twice a week.
And the surgeons emphasize, this is a transplant unlike any other, because, they say, the face is the window to the soul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BITTERMANN: And, Wolf, to the critics, the doctors and their patient say, they hope the success of her operation holds out hope to others who might need similar surgery.
Already, teams in the United States, Great Britain and elsewhere are planning for face transplants. And the doctors here have already asked for permission from the Health Ministry to do five more -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jim Bittermann in Paris, what a story. Thank you very much for that.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we're keeping an eye out on -- on an out-of-control wildfire near Anaheim in California. We are going to update you on what's going on out there.
And, coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, killer bees spreading to a new part of the country -- we are going to show you where and what is being done.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Betty Nguyen is following those wildfires out in California.
Betty, what's going on?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, we're keeping a close eye on these wildfires.
Take a look at the live pictures right now. So, far these fires have burned about 1,200 acres in the Cleveland National Forest. Now, that is near suburbs in Orange County. So, homes could be in the way. You can see lots of smoke coming from the wildfires that are burning. Some 300 firefighters are on the scene. They're trying to protect around 1,500 homes. And voluntary evacuations have begun. You're looking at a plane right now that is dropping water and fire retardant over these wildfires that are burning out of control.
What's not helping the situation is the fact that winds are blowing around 35 miles per hour. So, obviously, that is hampering firefighting efforts. But I do have to tell you that, because of the large amount of area in which this fire is burning and the winds that are blowing the smoke up into the air, you can see the smoke all the way into Los Angeles, which is about 50 miles away from where the fire is currently burning.
So, at issue right now, fires that are burning at least 1,200 acres -- and firefighters are trying to keep that fire away from homes -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Betty, thank you very much.
Amazing pictures out in Anaheim.
I want to bring in Dennis Shell now of the Orange County Fire Authority with some more on what we are seeing.
We see these planes flying over.
Mr. Shell, what can you tell us?
DENNIS SHELL, SPOKESMAN, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: From your footage, what we're seeing is the first part of our attack on this fire.
This is a fixed-wing aircraft from the California Department of Forestry, which is dropping fire retardant on the fire. They're going to hit the head of the fire, which hopefully is going to take a lot of its progression out. We also have water-dropping helicopters that will be making pinpoint drops on the flanks of the fire.
We currently have 1,200 acres that have burned, and we have over 300 firefighters that are on the scene with us. One of the big dividends that helped us today was the wonderful defensive space that these communities have put into their homes, greenbelts with non- combustible fuel, non-combustible roofs. That was a big help.
But the hampering part of our fire are the Santa Ana wind conditions we are having in Southern California. It's just before 3:00 here. It's 82 degrees. Humidity is low. And the winds are gusting between 35 and 40 miles an hour, which makes it very dangerous for our firefighters.
The firefighters are in the residential areas. They're patrolling. And they are stretching hose lines to protect the communities. And we have had approximately 1,500 homes evacuated from the cities of Anaheim Hills and the city of Orange.
BLITZER: Well, we're going to continue to watch this, together with you, Mr. Shell. Thank you very much. Good luck to all the firefighters dealing with this problem in -- in Orange County.
Dennis Shell of the Orange County Fire Authority.
Thousands of people are turning out to pay respect to Coretta Scott King. She's lying in honor at the same Atlanta church where her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., preached.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is joining us now live from there.
Rusty, it looks nasty out there.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been nasty all day long, Wolf, pouring rain, really cold temperatures, and thousands of people still lining up. It's like a sea of umbrellas out there, continuing to file past the casket of Coretta Scott King, who some call the first lady of the civil rights movement.
You were talking about her husband preaching here. Really, this is where he inspired so many people about his message of non-violence and social change. A lot of people see this as a shrine, really, to the civil rights movement, this old Ebenezer Baptist Church.
She's laying here in repose from 10:00 this morning until midnight tonight -- a host of celebrities, of course, and family coming by, one of them, Reverend Jesse Jackson, of course, who was very close to Dr. King in the very early days, in the '60s.
Also, Oprah Winfrey came to say a final goodbye. And she stayed to tell the crowd across the street of what a powerful impact Coretta Scott King had on her life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": Every time I sat with her, whether she spoke or not, I came away wiser, knowing more about how to live and what it means to be a real woman. I felt blessed, always, to be in her presence.
She leaves us all a better America than the America of her childhood.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, Oprah Winfrey was speaking across the street from the church, the old Ebenezer Church, at the new Ebenezer Baptist Church, where there was a rousing celebration, a musical tribute to Coretta Scott King, who was a lifelong fan of music. She had gone to music school.
And one of them was a native Atlantan, Gladys Knight, who sang a song for Coretta King. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLADYS KNIGHT, SINGER (singing): ... that ever happened. Oh, Jesus is the best thing that ever happened.
Sing it with me.
(singing): Oh, Jesus is the best thing...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: There will also be a memorial this evening, where a lot of the civil rights movement heroes are expected to speak, a somber reflection of Coretta Scott King's life -- life.
And, of course, tomorrow will be the funeral. And President Bush is expected to speak -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We will have extensive coverage of that, Rusty.
Thank you very much, Rusty Dornin, on the scene for us.
Up next, lobbyists paying for your congressional representatives' travel -- should they? Jack Cafferty has your e-mail. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Have you ever given any thought to leasing out the real estate on your roof for advertising purposes?
Jacki Schechner is about to explain.
Jacki, what is going on?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, it used to be that your roof would have to be in the flight pattern of an airport and pretty large.
But now, with free software, where you can zoom in from space to about a few hundred feet above the Earth's surface, that's all going to change. Take a look at this.
This is a Target ad you can see from Chicago O'Hare's airport. Another example of this is Safeco Field, where Mariners play in Seattle, or this Bacardi ad on headquarters in Miami.
The idea is that, now with the Internet, you just don't have to advertise to people flying over the space. There's a company called roofads.com. It's a roofing company. Jay Sadler (ph) owns this one. And he's had this idea for a while.
He realizes it's limitless. Here are some examples, some mockups, on his Web site of what these things would look like. But there's a couple of glitches in this. First of all, Google Earth only update every 18 months. So, if you make the investment in the ad, chances are, it is not going to show up for a year-and-a-half -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jacki, very interesting -- thanks very much.
Let's check back with Jack in New York -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The new Republican House leader, John Boehner, Wolf, says he supports tighter rules for lawmakers and lobbyists, but disagrees with banning trips paid for by lobbyists. He took $157,000 worth of them in the last five years.
The question is, is it necessary for members of Congress to accept paid trips from lobbyists?
Scott in Kirkland, Washington: "No. There should be no gifts, no trips, no nothing. They are there to do a job. If it is necessary for the good of the nation, then you and I should pay for it."
Pete in Alabama writes: "Boehner is hardly a fresh face from the lobbyist scandals that have plagued the GOP this last year. In 1995, Boehner distributed checks from a tobacco industry group to congressional allies, just before a vote on a key tobacco measure. Bright light must continue to shine on such disgusting betrayals of the public trust."
Glee in Appleton, Wisconsin: "For every fact-finding trip by a congressman, paid for by a lobbyist, the congressman should be required to submit, within 10 days, a 100-page essay, handwritten, on what the hell good it did for the American people."
Donna in Buffalo: "No, it's not necessary. Is that clear? What will my senator or representative in Congress gain for my area by going to Scotland to play golf? Don't we have enough golf courses in our district?"
Joseph in Oceanside: "Of course it's necessary for these paid trips. How else would they be able to get only one side of the lobbyist issue? This way, they can make up their minds without being confused with the facts. The only reason these puppets are in office is to be pawns of the multibillion-dollar corporations."
And Lois in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma: "No, it is not necessary for Congress to accept paid trips. I read a quote they needed to take these trips in order to know what is going on in the world. They could find out by just watching CNN" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I think Lois may have a point there.
Thanks very much, Jack. See you in one hour back here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We are on weekdays, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, back in an hour.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starting right now -- Kitty Pilgrim filling in for Lou -- Kitty.
KITTY PILGRIM, GUEST HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Thanks, Wolf.
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