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The Situation Room
Searching for a Compromise in the Ports Controversy; Remembering Dana Reeve and Her Fight for Stem Cell Research; Interview with Chairman of D.P. World
Aired March 07, 2006 - 16:00 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 are now in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.
Happening now, the search for a compromise in the Dubai ports deal. It's 1:00 a.m. Wednesday here in Dubai. Is the company at the center of the storm willing to give some ground? This hour, my exclusive interview with the chairman of Dubai Ports World. It's the first time he's talked about this controversy on TV.
Over on Capitol Hill back in Washington, are Republicans in revolt? The port deal and a possible compromise hang in the balance. It's 4:00 p.m. in Washington. We'll tell you who's raising red flags about port security right now.
And the life and death of Dana Reeve, taken all too young by lung cancer. This hour, we'll take a closer look at the medical challenges she and so many other cancer patients have faced. And we'll look at the political battles she fought along with her late husband.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Today we're following two important stories that hit many of us very close to home in very different ways.
We're here live in Dubai, the epicenter, if you will, of the port security controversy raging back in Washington.
And we're also remembering Dana Reeve. Her death at the age of 44 from lung cancer is raising new questions and awareness about that disease. We'll examine the tragedies she endured and her political triumphs on behalf her late husband Christopher Reeve and their campaign for stem cell research.
First, though, some new developments in the port storm. Kathleen Koch is standing by live at the White House, but let's go to our congressional correspondent Ed Henry. He's on Capitol Hill. He's got more.
Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today, we once again saw the makings of a Republican revolt against the White House on this entire port deal. In fact, with new House majority leader John Boehner that this a, quote," political hot potato," a political problem for Republicans here on the Hill. And he'd, quote, "like to see it go away."
Now, Boehner laughed right after he said, so maybe he was just reflecting the political reality, stating the obvious of the situation. But the most important is Boehner then vowed that the House Republican leadership this week on Thursday is going to move ahead with legislation on this port deal, despite the veto threat from President Bush, despite repeated White insistence that Congress wait for the 45-day review to go forward.
Boehner said that legislation would basically come in the form of an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill that's basically funding the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's another finger in the eye of the White House because that's basically a must pass bill that the White House has been insisting has to be clean of all other issues. They do not want to see anything, especially the port controversy, added.
The next question, of course ,is what legislation will it be? There's so many different bills flying around up here, including one introduced officially today by the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter, who would basically prevent any foreign companies from owning critical U.S. infrastructure like these ports.
Another, of course, Republican Peter King's compromised plan by which DP World would have to give up actually operation of these U.S. ports to American companies. King basically told me he's not sure what form this legislation will take. It all depends on the negotiations with the White House over the next 24 to 48 hours. Here's Peter King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING (R), HOMELAND SECURITY CHMN: What I have said is that if a contract could be structured in a way that an American-owned company is solely responsible for the operations at the ports, with Dubai Ports having no access whatsoever to any of the information or any role whatsoever in the enforcement of the contract or the implementation of the contract or the carrying out of the contract, that is something that, to me, could be considered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now the motivation here, clearly from Republicans on the Hill, the fact that they're facing so much political pressure from Democrats to basically try to kill this port deal.
In fact, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid pounced all over John Boehner's remarks by saying there is no way that Democrats will let Republicans run from this issue. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: This is an issue that the American people identify with. Members of Congress identify with it, both Democrats and Republicans. This is an issue where the White House was asleep at the switch. This is an issue that should have been reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security, but in fact was reviewed by the Department of Treasury. That's wrong. And this issue is going to become -- is going to come before the House and it's going to coming before the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: One of the problems for the White House, so many vocal opponents on both sides of the aisle. They have very few allies. One of them, Republican Senator John McCain again today saying, in reaction to Boehner's comments, that his Republican colleague should wait for the 45-day review period to go ahead. But clearly they are not listening to McCain or the White House. And even McCain himself noted that the political momentum is going against the White House -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Extraordinary disloyalty from many Republicans on Capitol Hill to the president and the White House. Thanks very much, Ed Henry. We'll get back to you on Capitol Hill.
Let's go to the White House right now. More on the port security storm, the push for a compromise of sorts. Our Kathleen Koch is covering that part of the story for us. Kathleen, what are they saying at the White House?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they're not saying very much. And frankly the White House has been doing its best to walk quite a tight rope on this one, trying not to alienate a key ally in the Middle East, trying at the same time not to appear soft on security. And in the end, it seems to have accomplished basically alienating many key members of the Republican party.
I tried at the White House briefing this morning to ask spokesman Scott McClellan to react to the specifics of this friendly proposal by Congressman Peter King that would, again, salvage the port deal. But McClellan would not go there, would not respond to any of the specifics of King's proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What we are doing is continuing to work very closely with Congress. There have been ongoing discussions, as you can imagine, between the company and congressional leaders. We've been involved in those discussions, and we will continue to work with members to make sure that they have the information they need and that they have the facts that they need so that they have a greater understanding of this transaction. And we believe that as they come to that greater understanding of the facts that they will be more comfortable with the transaction moving forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: No reaction, either, at this point to Congressman Duncan Hunter's measure that would, among other things, torpedo the port deal. Hunter was part of the bipartisan congressional delegation that met here at the White House with President Bush this afternoon.
Hunter says he described to the president his concerns, laid them out. But still, if the president is true to his word, that particular measure is certainly dead on arrival. Because, Wolf, the president still is vowing to veto any congressional attempts to block the deal with the Dubai company.
Back to you.
BLITZER: Kathleen Koch at the White House, thanks very much.
And coming up, my exclusive interview with the chairman of Dubai Ports World. It's his first TV interview since the port controversy broke. That's coming up live here in Dubai, only moments from now.
Right now, though, let's go to our senior national correspondent John Roberts. He's in Washington with the day's other major story -- John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, Wolf, thanks very much. And we'll get back to you in your exclusive reporting in Dubai very shortly.
Dana Reeve is being remembered today as a source of inspiration. She faced her disease, her husband's paralyzing accident and later his death with courage. Dana Reeve died last night from lung cancer, only about six months after she was diagnosed with the disease. She was just 44 years old and a non-smoker.
Up until her death, she carried on Christopher Reeve's legacy as an advocate of embryonic stem cell research and other medical advancements. Now her friends and political allies already are picking up the torch for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA REEVE, WIDOW OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE: And I am today because John Kerry, like Christopher Reeve, believes in keeping our hope alive.
ROBERTS (voice-over): It may have been Dana Reeve's most powerful and poignant political statement. In October of 2004, just two weeks after Christopher Reeve's death, she came out of mourning to publicly endorse senator John Kerry's presidential campaign.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I will never forget the grace and strength that she showed that day and even a glow that she exuded in her love for Chris and her passion about the issue.
REEVE: It was a culmination of her evolution, from actress and wife of a movie tar to caregiver for her paralyzed husband, to a well- known and respected advocate of stem cell research.
In pursuing her cause, Dana Reeve aligned herself mostly with Democrats and against President Bush's strict limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: She was a great person to just come in and convince people of the necessity for stem cell research. She was so genuine.
ROBERTS: Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean issued a statement saying: "The best way to honor Dana Reeve's life is to realize the full promise of scientific and medical research."
But the stem cell research debate is not a strictly partisan one. Republican Senator Arlen Specter is a supporter of stem cell research and a cancer survivor.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We need to utilize federal funding on stem cell research that could have cured Superman, could have cured Christopher Reeve from his spinal cord injury. We need to take politics out of medical research and do more to save lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Dana Reeve said her husband imagined a world where politics would never get in the way of hope. But she learned to use the political process to try to achieve her goals. But now, though she and her husband are gone, they are likely to continue to be a force in the political debate. Now let's take a closer look at Dana Reeve's battle against lung cancer. We're joined now by CNN senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, good afternoon.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, John. One thing that sort struck me is after the death of Peter Jennings, we saw an uptick in hotline calls to quit smoking hotlines by about 50 percent. It seeped that smokers and former smokers were all worried.
But today everyone seizing on the reality that Dana Reeve never smoked at off. Many are probably going to be going to their doctors anyways for a check-up. Here's what they might find.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Micki McCabe had her own scare 12 years ago. It was a cough that wouldn't go away. So she decided to get it checked out by her doctor.
MICKI MCCABE, LUNG CANCER SURVIVOR: I remember asking him then, did it seem very likely that I had lung cancer? He answered me very forthrightly that more than likely I did have lung cancer.
GUPTA: Micki was lucky. The CT or CAT Scan, did reveal lung cancer, but it was caught early enough that an operation was able to remove all of it. She was cured.
But it was more than just a spiritual force. Micki had demonstrated a basic tenet of medicine. Catch cancer early, and you're more likely to beat it.
Not so fast, says Dr. Sanjay Saini. DR. SANJAY SAINI, EMORY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Whether or not CT -- lung cancer screening with CT does, in fact, save lives, we don't know the answer to that yet.
GUPTA: He buys into the idea that catching cancer is good, but --
SAINI: Unfortunately as you look inside the human body, there are things that we find that can be potentially bad, but we also find things that are of no consequence.
GUPTA: And it's those inconsequential findings that bring into question just how useful CT Scans are. We call them false positive results. And they're estimated to occur somewhere between 25 to 70 percent of the time.
SAINI: The patient ends up having other tests done, potentially even surgery done, to determine what that is. And that's a downside risk to the patient.
GUPTA: Dr. Len Horovitz says that may be true, but it's still worth the risk.
DR. LEN HOROVITZ, LUNG CANCER SPECIALIST: If there's a 25 percent false negative rate, that means that there's a 75 percent positive rate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: So you can see John, CT Scans, in the wake of someone who is not a smoker have their pros and their cons for sure. Micki, for example, is as convinced that she's alive because she had that one scan.
ROBERTS: So Sanjay, where does the medical community in general come down on this idea of CT scans even with false positives? And should people who believe they're at high risk of lung cancer because of the familial association go ahead and get a CAT Scan even if it does result in a false positive?
GUPTA: Let me tell you the party line and then I'll tell what you I think. The party line is there is no consensus from the medical community on whether or not there should be a screening using CAT Scans. Chest X-Rays aren't sensitive enough. So you're talking about a CAT Scan and the medical community hasn't said for sure we need to be screening people like we do with mammograms and colonoscopies, for example.
What I found though is that people who do end up getting the scan, even if there's false positives, which is a downside, sometimes they are literally scared enough just from having gone through the scan to quit smoking or make some behavioral change that could be a benefit. It's a tricky gray area here because of the false positives, but I think stories like this are going to spur on the medical community to reach some sort of consensus.
ROBERTS: It could be said that anything that lowers the risk could be a positive. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks.
Stay with CNN for much more on this story. Coming up, Dana Reeve on her battle against cancer in her own words.
Right now, let's head back to the ports controversy and Wolf Blitzer who is in Dubai.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, John. Let's go up to New York right now. Jack Cafferty is standing by with "The Cafferty File." Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up, in THE SITUATION ROOM in just a few moments, Wolf is going to be interviewing the chairman of Dubai Ports World, Sultan Bin Sulayem. He is one of three key advisers to Dubai's ruler, and this got us thinking here on "The Cafferty File" what we would like to hear from the chairman.
It would be interesting, for example, to know what he has to say about his country's ties to terrorism, especially the two 9/11 hijackers who came from the United Arab Emirates and drew funding from Dubai banks, about why the United Arab Emirates was one of only three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan as a legitimate government? And what about those nuclear materials that were smuggled through his country on the way to Iran and North Korea and what about the United Arab Emirates boycott of Israel and refusal to recognize Israel's existence? And finally, would what would it take for the UAE and Dubai Ports World to simply walk away from this ports deal?
Here's your chance. What question would you ask the chairman of Dubai Ports World? E-mail us at caffertyfile@cnn.com or you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile. Wolf.
BLITZER: Excellent questions, Jack. I'm going to try to ask as many of them as I can during this upcoming interview, my exclusive interview with tithe chairman of Dubai Ports World. His first TV interview since the ports controversy broke. That's coming up next, here from Dubai.
Plus, we'll have much more on the passing of Dana Reeve. Where can women go to better get informed about lung cancer? We're going to get the situation on-line.
Later, Tom DeLay faces the voters for the first time since he stepped down as the House Majority Leader. We're going live to Texas where it's primary day. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We're live in Dubai. Most Americans never heard of Dubai Ports World until the firestorm erupted over the company's plan to take over operations at six major U.S. ports. But now Dubai Ports World is under major scrutiny and under some fire. Joining us now in his first television interview on this controversy is DP World's chairman, Sultan Bin Sulayem. Sultan Bin Sulayem thanks very much for joining us. Welcome to CNN. SULTAN BIN SULAYEM, CHAIRMAN, DUBAI PORTS WORLD: Thank you very much Wolf. Thank you for having me on your show.
BLITZER: Let's talk about this proposal that some congressmen, including Peter King, the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is making, among other things he says, Dubai Ports could still be the contractor of this deal but the actual work and access to everything would be controlled by a totally separate American company.
Is that something acceptable to DP World?
SULAYEM: We appreciate the comments and suggestion of the congressman, among many other congressmen and people from the White House also, as well as the senators. We continue our dialogue. I think this 45 days that we have volunteered for review is a good chance for all of us, I think. And I think by the end of this, they will realize that there is no fear, no worry about security. Security is a very important thing for us.
BLITZER: So are you ruling out this compromised proposal? Are you rejecting it?
SULAYEM: We are appreciating that initiative, we look at it as a positive step. We believe that this 45 days will give all of us a chance to understand this deal clearly.
I think many people in the Congress as well as senators do not understand many of the details. even though the White House does. I think after the 45 days, a lot of people will be very clear about what this deal is about.
BLITZER: I want to move on because there's a lot of questions, but I don't hear you say that it has potential. I don't hear you say that you reject it categorically. You're leaving it open a little bit. Is that deliberate?
SULAYEM: We are continuing our dialogue with our friends in the states and we believe the 45 days is going to be good enough for all of us to understand the deal.
BLITZER: You know that most Americans are very strongly opposed to this deal. A new "Washington Post"/ABC News poll that just came out says 70 percent believe your company, D.P. World, should not be controlling operations at U.S. ports. Do you understand why Americans are so adamantly opposed to this deal?
SULAYEM: I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about port operations. We are an international company. We are operating in 30 countries, 51 terminals. We have not seen any resistance in our operations.
Security is very important for us. We apply it here in Dubai. We apply it in every port. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding. I think after 45 days, people will realize there are so many information that is not available for them. It will be available for them. One thing I can tell you, we do not compromise the security and security is very important for us. In fact, right now, we are circulating many ideas about security in the Congress.
BLITZER: So how do you explain the fact that nuclear material, dangerous nuclear material, went through Dubai Ports World, the port here in Dubai from Pakistan to Iran and to Libya?
SULAYEM: Let me tell you, I think you have interviewed many of our people and you've seen machines and security equipment and scanners. We apply and purchase the best equipment to detect. I think the fact that these materials went unnoticed is a failure of the international intelligence community.
We receive information on our allies. It's not our fault if the allies fail to notify us about this, because as you know, in protecting and in controlling dangerous items, one of the main weapons we have to fight that, is information. And the international intelligence has failed.
BLITZER: The other major concern though is that it wasn't that long ago, just before 9/11, when this country, the United Arab emirates had direct relations with the Taliban and that money that was used by the 9/11 hijackers, including Mohammed Atta, he got about $180,000 that went through the banking system here in the United Arab Emirates and we all know the end result, 3,000 people were killed on 9/11.
SULAYEM: Well I think the cooperation between the United Arab Emirates, our central bank with the United States in the issues of transfer of money is evident. The cooperation is even before September 11. That was an unfortunate situation.
There were two from UAE. But you've got three million people here, you can't really blame three million for the act of two. I think there's a lot of changes in how to control transfers of money, how to declare it. We have signed the anti-money laundering, we apply the rules. I think the cooperation in that field is very strong between our country and the states.
BLITZER: Let me read another quote from Peter King, the chairman of this committee back in Washington. "My concern is people working within the company," your company, "people within the government who just four and a half years ago were allied with our sworn enemy." This burns deeply in the American psyche right now, this history of the UAE, the Taliban and al Qaeda. There was a relationship even some leaders here had with Osama bin Laden.
SULAYEM: Let me tell you. I think we go for -- I am not a politician to basically speak about politics. But one thing is for sure. I think in the four years ago, five years ago, there were, bear in mind, there were not only UAE, but the United States was supporting a campaign to get the Soviets out of Afghanistan, again the Soviets and the Communists was a big danger. We were cooperating with the United States in those times. We weren't the only ones. And so basically you can't blame us for a relation that continued even before.
BLITZER: Because the United Arab Emirates, as you know, is one of only three countries that had diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
SULAYEM: Well, the fact that we have been working with the United States in their campaign against Communism in Afghanistan, I think that is the relation came from that.
BLITZER: Here's a question that one of our viewers e-mailed us, Sam, in Palmyra, Virginia, he said, "How could we be sure that none of the money you make from this deal will find its way into al Qaeda hands? Like the money that went to help them with 9/11?" That's the kind of question that Americans want answered.
SULAYEM: You see, people speculate. People fantasize about many things. One thing I tell you, we are a company running a business. This deal, P&O is a big deal. We have to borrow $7 billion from international banks to finance a deal, that only five percent of it is in the states, 95 percent of it is around the world.
We are a business people who will run this operation so that we can also eventually pay the debts that we have with the banks. There is no way that this will happen. And I think all this is a speculation for people who do not understand the situation.
BLITZER: Do you boycott Israel?
SULAYEM: United Arab Emirates is an international business country. We as a port do business with Zim Shipping, which I think you heard, who call in our ports as well as they call in many ports around the world.
BLITZER: So you're saying that you don't practice -- Dubai Ports World doesn't practice any boycott, any discrimination against Israel.
SULAYEM: Absolutely not. We are international port operations.
BLITZER: But the owner, the United Arab Emirates, which owns the company, does discriminate.
SULAYEM: The United Arab Emirates has a boycott naturally, but the boycott in itself as the FDA argument that we negotiate with the United States, many parts of the boycott is nonexistent today.
Let me tell you, in our operation, there are many priorities. Do I check for security and dangerous items? Or I'm going waste my time checking whether this is made in Israel or not made in Israel. We have priority, we have risks that we have to take. We have to insure that risky materials do not come. The boycott is really very weak.
BLITZER: One final question, I know you're almost out of time, you're very busy. Do you feel confident that when all the dust settles, this deal will go through and D.P. World will operate the six major ports in the United States?
SULAYEM: I have no doubt about that at all.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Sultan Bin Sulayem for joining us.
SULAYEM: Thank you.
BLITZER: And coming up, much more from here in Dubai. Who is winning the political battle over the ports controversy? I'll ask Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett, they're in today's "Strategy Session."
Plus, we'll have much more on our other top story, the passing of Dana Reeve from lung cancer. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Dubai. It's just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday here in Dubai, and we're continuing our live coverage of the ports security controversy.
Coming up, talk of a compromise in our strategy session. We'll get to that. We'll also get more on other stories we're following. But there's a developing story happening on Capitol Hill right now. Our congressional correspondent Ed Henry standing by with that -- Ed?
HENRY: Wolf, that's right. The Senate Intelligence Committee is meeting behind closed doors right next to me right here, and they're trying to decide whether or not to launch an investigation into the president's domestic surveillance program.
We're hearing that the committee is in the process of -- they're about to vote on whether to have an investigation. But basically, they're going to vote on a compromise plan that will block an investigation because they're going to instead move forward on legislation, compromised legislation, that will allow the spying program to move forward, but only in 45 day increments.
So there will be more oversight. But also with new checks on government power. And one of the key pieces of this legislation here that has just been handed out by committee staff is that it would now create new House and Senate intelligence subcommittees devoted solely to overseeing this program.
A lot of lawmakers in both parties up here telling us they want some fresh eyeballs outside of the administration taking a close look at this program, making sure it's not violating civil liberties.
And it also has another key provision, a five-year sunset of the entire domestic surveillance program. So after five years, the program would die. The White House, whichever party was in power, would have to come back to the Hill in five years, sell the Congress on this program once again, Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry watching this story for us, doing double duty up on Capitol Hill. Ed, thank you very much.
John Roberts is in Washington covering the sudden death of Dana Reeve today from lung cancer. John has more -- John?
ROBERTS: Thanks, Wolf. And we'll be right back to you in Dubai in just a few minutes.
Just four months ago, Dana Reeve said her prognosis was looking better all the time. But last night, she died, ending her brief but stunning battle against lung cancer. She leaves behind a 13-year-old son, Will, who has lost his father, Christopher Reeve, only a year and a half ago. Listen to Dana Reeve in a fundraiser back in November talking about all that she had endured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REEVE: Well, it isn't fair, but I think I learned a lot time ago that life just isn't fair, so you better stop expecting it to be. And so that was hard. And then I got this diagnosis.
Just when you think you're coming out and you think, "OK, it's all right. I see the light at the end of the tunnel," then I got this diagnosis in the summer. And it's been -- you start to wonder, it's a rocky road. But I do feel that with the support that I've received and just our family unit is so tight, and that we're going to get through this like we got through everything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Isn't fair. Words to friends of hers on Capitol Hill used in describing her death today. CNN's own Larry King has done numerous interviews with Dana Reeve over the years. He'll join us in the 7:00 a.m. Eastern hour of THE SITUATION ROOM.
But right now, we've been trying to get a better understanding of lung cancer, at least. It's expected to kill 72,000 women in the United States this year alone. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, has more on the startling impact of this disease for us -- Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: John, overall cancer deaths are down in this country, but that's not necessarily the case for lung cancer. Look at these two graphs here comparing the death rates between men and women. Over the last ten years, a decrease in men, the opposite is the case amongst women.
A recent report by the surgeon general just a couple of years ago done into women smoking and lung cancer, showing again lung cancer on the increase there, going past the rate of breast cancer. The conclusion of that report that this was a full-blown epidemic.
Now, that report looks specifically at women and smoking. We know that one in five women who get this disease have never smoked, like Dana Reeve. There have been online campaigns to raise awareness, that it's not breast cancer that's the number one killer, but lung cancer.
This site here, Women Against Lung Cancer, is trying to raise awareness, provide information to women online about this disease and also try and increase funding into research about this disease -- John?
ROBERTS: A very frightening disease it is, too. Abbi Tatton, thanks.
Stay with us for much more on this story. Dana Reeve was a high profile advocate for stem cell research. Coming up, the political fight over that controversial issue.
But right now, let's head back to the ports controversy and Wolf Blitzer, live from Dubai -- Wolf?
BLITZER: John, before I let you go, you covered medicine over at CBS News for a long time. You know a lot about this subject. When you heard that she died earlier today from lung cancer, even though she never smoked cigarettes, give us some perspective.
ROBERTS: It was more shocking, Wolf, that she contracted cancer in the first place. As Abbi said, one in five women who contract lung cancer have never smoked. I mean, there are plenty of other factors, environmental among them, that can lead a person to contract cancer.
But the mortality rate with lung cancer is so high that even though she did seem to be doing fairly well in the last couple of months, the fact that she went downhill so quickly actually isn't that surprising. You know, you can't say, obviously, that this a universal death sentence because it's not.
But the mortality rate is very high. So as shocking as it was to hear that she had contracted cancer, the fact that she actually passed away from the disease wasn't all that shocking.
BLITZER: John Roberts is going to be with us throughout THE SITUATION ROOM, this hour, next hour, 7 p.m. Eastern as well. Much more coming up on the tragic loss of Dana Reeve. John, thanks very much.
Here in Dubai, we're watching this port deal. Coming up, the fight in congress. Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett, they're standing by in today's strategy session.
And next, are the U.S. and Russian on the same page when it come to keeping Iran's nuclear weapons program in check? Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Our Zain Verjee is joining us now from the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta with a closer look at other stories making news. Zain, there's a developing story you're watching?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's in the L.A. area, Wolf, in Compton, in California. I want to you take a look at these live pictures. A small plane has crashed on this area. There are no words of any injuries. These are live aerial pictures coming to you from our affiliate KABC. And, well the picture is pulling out right now, but what you see when the camera pushes much closer into the plane, is the plane itself is actually upside-down on a street. And there you see it, the nose has completely been shattered.
It's unclear, as I mentioned, the extent of any injuries here. The affiliate, KABC though, is reporting two survivors. We don't have any independent confirmation of that. Emergency crews are on the scene. It appears the situation has been handled. If there was a fire, it has been put out. You see the firemen there on the side of the road. We'll bring you more details, Wolf, as soon as we get them. Back to you in Dubai.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Zain.
And coming up, we're going to have much more on our top story, the Republican revolt over the ports deal. What should the White House do now to try to save face or go forward?
Plus, the passing of Dana Reeve and the political fight over stem cell research. Donna Brazile, Bill Bennett, they're standing by to join us in today's strategy session. That's coming up next.
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BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today from Dubai.
In our strategy session today, we're following the Dubai port deal, the political uproar. Will the Bush administration suffer any lasting political damage? The Democrats will try to use this as a chance to try to bolster their national security credentials? Joining us back in Washington, our CNN analyst, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, and Bill Bennett. He's the host of the radio show "Morning in America."
Guys, thanks very much for joining us. Bill, let me go to you first. You heard the chairman of Dubai Ports World just moments ago here tell me and tell our viewers he's confident that when all is said and done after this 45-day review, the deal will go forward. What did you think when you heard him say that?
BILL BENNETT, HOST, "MORNING IN AMERICA": I don't think he's a good student of American politics. He shouldn't be faulted for that. And I don't think it will unless there aren't enough votes to override a veto. But I think there well could be.
I'm hurting on this. I'm very loyal to this president. I admire this president. He's losing his advantage in this, politically. But more important, he's confusing the American people. What George W. Bush had before, Wolf, was moral clarity on this issue.
And what's happened because of this issue, because of this controversy, is that clarity has been lost. A number of the elites, Republicans as well as others, have said the American people are being xenophobic, nativist and so on. I think that's wrong. I think that's absolutely wrong. The American people are applying rules of common sense, and the president just seems hell bent to defy them.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, let me also say...
BENNETT: Some of the supporters, Donna -- Donna, let me just point out that some of his supporters insist that he's showing a real what one of them called a profile in courage. He knows how unpopular this deal is, but he totally believes in it given this new relationship that has developed in recent years between the United Arab Emirates and the United States in the war on terrorism. What do you think?
BENNETT: I'm sorry, Donna.
BRAZILE: Look, you no longer have the standard and the credibility with the American people to stop the amount of criticism that's mounting on Capitol Hill. Look, John Boehner, the newly elected majority leader, today said that this issue should go away.
The Republicans are looking for some bill, some supplemental, to attach the amendment to let it go away. They're hemorrhaging political support. Once upon a time, this was their strong suit. This was their issue that they ran on in the previous two electoral cycles. This is no longer an issue that the Democrats will allow the Republicans a control the dialogue on.
BENNETT: Look, it's...
BLITZER: Go ahead, Bill.
BENNETT: It's a profile in something. I admire the president and his sense of conviction. He's a stick-to-it, stand up kind of guy. But I think this is a profile in stubbornness. The American people are confused by this deal.
The president said four years ago that any nation who harbors or supports terrorism is an enemy of the United States. Four and half years later, this nation, which harbored and supported, nurtured, grew, exported terrorists to this country, is now going to have the management of our ports.
To this, the American people say it doesn't make sense. I do not know why people in the White House do not understand or comprehend this. Maybe they've had too much education. Maybe they've been to too many public diplomacy seminars. But they don't understand that this is confusing. It's blurring the picture. And the moral clarity that the president had before has been lost.
BLITZER: Peter King, one of the strong opponents of the deal in the Congress, Donna, says, "We're not going to let the Democrats get to the right of us on national security." Is this all about politics though?
BRAZILE: Well, look, the Democrats clearly have a record on this issue. For the past three years, the Democrats have offered amendments to not only strengthen port security, but Democrats have offered amendments to improve port cargo screening, and Republicans have rejected that. So Democrats have a right to not only oppose this deal but to point out the fact that they have tried to amend legislation to improve our national security.
BLITZER: We only have a minute or so left. I want both of you to quickly react, switching gears, on the tragic sudden death of Dana Reeve from lung cancer earlier. Some supporters of stem cell research, Bill, are already saying this going to propel them further. What do you say?
BENNETT: Well, first they should wait a day. Some of the things that have been said today are untoward (ph), inappropriate, exploiting this human tragedy for political purposes. Let the debate commence tomorrow or the day after.
They're also a little behind the times. There's some very interesting new research Professor George (ph) from Princeton was talking about it the other day. We may be able to avoid the whole difficult moral question of the embryonic stem cell and find another source which is much more promising. I'm not an expert on this, but several people have told me it looks promise.
BRAZILE: Well, Dana and Christopher Reeve...
BLITZER: Donna?
BRAZILE: ... as you well know -- Dana and Christopher Reeve were inspirations to many of the sick and disabled in our country. And I think after a respectful period of mourning, many of those activists and others will continue her fine work and trying to bring hope and miracles to people who are impacted.
BLITZER: Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett, thanks very much for joining us in our strategy session.
Still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, we're following several important stories. A powerful Republican voice in the port security controversy. The House Armed Services Committee chairman, Duncan Hunter, he's going to join us and give us his sense of what's going on right now. He's got legislation that he's proposing. That's coming up in our next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM.
And also, Congressman Tom DeLay under indictment and up for re- election. We'll tell you about a primary battle he's facing today. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: On our political radar this Tuesday, in Texas today, Congressman Tom DeLay is being judged by voters for the first time since he was indicted and forced from his job as the House majority leader. He faces three challengers in today's Republican primary.
He's widely expected to win, but a close vote could mean DeLay is in for a tough contest against Democrat Nick Lampson in the fall. DeLay says he's confident voters in his district will see the campaign finance case against him as, I'm quoting now, "leftist abuse of power."
There's a story developing at the major airports in the New York metropolitan area. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is watching this developing story. What's going on, Abbi?
TATTON: Wolf, this from the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control site. They're looking at the airports around the country and what's happening in these New York area airports right now. A software glitch and equipment failure cause something delays.
First of all, at Newark, we're looking at delays of about an hour and a half there. On to LaGuardia there. This is delays in arrivals, between 60 and 30 minutes there. Not so bad. A spokesman from the FAA told us that JFK is not affected at this time -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Abbi, we'll watch that story together with you. Thanks for very much.
Still to come in THE SITUATION ROOM, you heard my interview -- an exclusive interview -- with the chairman of Dubai Ports World. Is there anything you think I left out? Jack Cafferty will be back with you're e-mails.
And Dana Reeve as her friends and neighbors knew her. Our Mary Snow will have a live report from Pound Ridge (ph), New York. That's coming up in our next hour. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: Let's go right back to Jack Cafferty in New York. He's standing by with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack?
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf. Earlier this hour, Wolf interviewed the chairman of the Dubai Ports World, Sultan bin Sulayem. And we asked you, what questions would you ask the chairman of Dubai Ports World about this proposed takeover of six ports in the United States?
Neil writes in New Providence, New Jersey: "I'd ask what secret deal was made with my government and why they seem so determined to ram it down the throats of the American people, 70 percent of whom don't want this deal to go forward."
Jay in Albuquerque, New Mexico: "I would like to ask for a list of Americans and American corporations that will profit from this deal."
Peter writes from Boston, "I would ask in the emir of the United Arab Emirates will allow the United States to control Dubai's ports and have access to all of the UAE security measures. That seems to be what they think is OK for them here."
Claude in Pennington, New Jersey: "How would the four people who run Dubai behave if their children or wives were kidnapped by terrorists in order to get cooperation against U.S. assets?"
Curtis in Portland, Maine, would ask this: "Jack, the question I would ask is, which do you prefer? Crawford, Texas, or Kennebunkport, Maine?"
And Ray in Coco Beach, Florida: "Can we throw the White House in on the deal? Can we fit all of Congress into a single container? Would you like fries with that?" That's all, Wolf.
BLITZER: Tough questions for the chairman of D.P. World. Thanks very much, Jack. We'll get back to you soon.
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