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The Situation Room

Wildfire Forces Closure Of Florida Turnpike Extension; U.N. To Iran: Act Fast; Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Strikes Capitol Police Officer; Apple Corps Suing Apple Computer; Duke Lacrosse Team Suspended Amidst Rape Allegations; Religious Intolerance In Afghanistan?; New Governments In Palestine And Israel

Aired March 29, 2006 - 17:01   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 from around the world are arriving all the time.
Happening now, discussing the problem of illegal immigration from inside the country where many illegal immigrants emerge. Right now, President Bush on his way to Mexico. He's about to attend a summit on immigration reform, other issues.

Will the trip cool the red-hot rhetoric or make it worse?

And disturbing questions after an Afghan man who converted from Islam to Christianity was set free. After American troops shed their blood to free Afghanistan, how free is that country right now?

And there's explosive drama unfolding at Duke University in North Carolina. Did one of Duke's highly-ranked sports team attack an exotic dancer?

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

But up first, a developing story we're following in Florida right now. A wildfire burning out of control, shutting down a major highway at the height of rush hour.

CNN's Mary Snow is monitoring developments from the newsroom.

What is the latest, Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, the latest is we are getting word from rescue officials that about 200 acres so far have burned. This is in northwest Miami-Dade County. Florida's turnpike extension has been shut down, and this fire has been burning for about six hours now.

These are shots, live shots from our affiliate WPLG. Rescue officials are saying at this time that these flames still do not present danger to homes in the area, but as you mentioned, Wolf, traffic been at a standstill for several hours now. The Associated Press quoting officials saying the cause of this fire is not yet known.

Again, some 200 acres burning out of control in northwest Miami- Dade County in Florida -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And we can see those fires very, very close to that interstate right there.

Tom Foreman is here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

You're watching what's going on. Share with our viewers where this is taking place.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The only reason this isn't a threat to homes right now is because of where it's taking place and the wind direction.

We fly into Miami right down here, and look. This is that intersection. We're talking about rush hour right now, and this is roughly where the fire is.

The burn area, however, is about this big right now. Slammed right up against 95 and right up against the Florida turnpike.

What's helping them at the moment, when you look at the turnpike over here, and this area and this -- where the fire is headed toward, is the wind. You move around this way, and you see that the wind is pushing in that direction, so it's not going toward the homes out here but out that way.

Nonetheless, it's shutting down those highways. And if it keeps going that way, you can see where it's headed toward. It moves out here toward the Everglades and out eventually to more homes and businesses. But hopefully they can get it somewhat contained by then.

A lot of dry brush down there right now. They're worried about that some. And mainly, they're watching, since it started at 11:00 this morning, if they can get these flames to die down and not keep jumping through that dry grass out this direction.

BLITZER: Tom, stand by for a moment.

I want to bring in our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider, to give us a little sense of the weather forecast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BLITZER: And these are areas -- Bonnie, thank you very much -- Tom. These are very, very populated areas, very popular areas.

FOREMAN: Oh, sure.

BLITZER: We're talking Miami-Dade, which is not only Miami, but Hollywood and Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale. These are areas most of our viewers are very familiar with.

FOREMAN: Sure. Hugely populated areas. You can imagine what rush hour is like in an area like this.

The other thing I want to point out is, when they try to bring in water to control this -- you don't really put out a fire like this, you just try to control it. You take natural breaks, like the highways here, which is all the cars are stopped there, and you try to make a stand there.

But a lot of the water here is not that close. You've got to go a distance to get it if you're going to dump water on this.

BLITZER: Because that's pretty far west from the ocean.

FOREMAN: Absolutely. Western Miami, away from the ocean.

BLITZER: Right. All right, Tom. We are going to get back to this story. Thank you very much.

Thanks to Tom and Bonnie.

There's another developing story we're following in THE SITUATION ROOM as well. Today, the United Nations ratcheted up the already tense nuclear standoff with Iran. The key U.N. council dealing with the issue has just arrived at a key consensus.

Let's bring in our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth.

What has happened, Richard?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it took a little longer than Washington would have liked, but the full Security Council has now unanimously agreed to a statement.

First council, U.N. action on the Iraq nuclear situation. And the council, which decided in a formal statement today, has now told Iran the following: "The Security Council calls upon Iran to take the steps to resolve outstanding questions and underlines in this regard the particular importance of re-establishing full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development to be verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency."

The Security Council giving Iran 30 days to respond.

Wolf, the Iranian ambassador tried to speak to the full Security Council at its meeting. The permission was denied. He will hold a press conference with the next -- within the next half hour --Wolf.

BLITZER: So, basically, after these 30 days they go to the next step, which would be a formal resolution. Is that right?

ROTH: Well, and it won't take -- it won't be immediately, and it will all be based on where the things stand with negotiations and what Iran is saying or doing. The test, as John Bolton said today forcefully, the ball is in their court.

BLITZER: Richard Roth will be watching this for us every step of the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: An unmistakable message to Iran that it's efforts to deny the obvious fact of what it's doing are not going to be sufficient. And while it may not win any awards in tennis heaven, the ball is back in Iran's court, and we'll be here in 30 days to see what they do.

And on that point, the five permanent members are clear and United. This is an unambiguous signal to Tehran that the Security Council of the United Nations, charged with the maintenance of international peace and security under the charter, is now dealing with this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: U.S. Ambassador Bolton had to convince China and Russia to go along, and so far, they are, indeed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. Going along for the time being. We'll see how long all that lasts.

Richard, thank you very much.

There's also a developing story we are following on Capitol Hill right now. Let's bring in our Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.

What is going on, Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we have learned is that Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney apparently earlier today struck a Capitol Police officer and that police officer might file charges against the congresswoman. This information confirmed by our congressional producer, Ted Barrett.

Here's what we know in terms of what went down, Wolf. That Congresswoman McKinney was walking into her office building, the Cannon building, and it was a very crowded entrance. She walked around the metal detector, which she is allowed to do as a member of Congress, but she apparently was not wearing her congressional ID which would indicate that she's a member of Congress, and the police officer didn't recognize her, followed after her, called after her asking her for her ID, asking her exactly what was -- what was happening. And she apparently didn't stop.

He went up to her and tapped her, according to Lou Cannon, the head of the Capitol Police union. He tapped her, and then she turned around and took her cell phone out and struck her -- struck the officer in the chest.

Now, this is -- that information coming from a police official, but we are getting different versions, as you can imagine, from different sources. One Democratic official suggesting that it was perhaps just an incident. Cynthia McKinney is a Democrat.

A Republican official describing it as perhaps a little bit more -- a bigger incident, I should say. But the bottom line here is that we do understand that perhaps Cynthia McKinney will be held, or at least this officer will file charges against -- against her for this incident.

As far as her office goes, they are not making any comment at all except to say that this was a recognition issue. Now, we're obviously trying to get more details on this, and we will do that as soon as -- and we'll get back to you as soon as we get those details -- Wolf.

BLITZER: So we're just waiting for the congresswoman or at least a member of her staff to give her side of the story. And we'll -- we'll get that as soon as you get that, Dana. Let us know and we'll put you back on the air.

BASH: Thank you.

BLITZER: Dana Bash, our congressional correspondent.

Right now, the president is heading to Cancun, Mexico. Not for spring break. There will be no time off from the issue, though, that has been dogging his administration, dividing his party; namely, the issue of immigration reform. President Bush will discuss that at a summit with the Mexican president, Vicente Fox, and the new Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper.

Just before his trip the president restated his support for a guest worker program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe I'm the first president to have articulated the -- my desires for there to be a Palestinian state living at peace with Israel, and I still think it's a real possibility for that to happen. I believe democracies don't war with each other, and I believe a Palestinian democracy is in the interests of the Palestinian people, the Israelis, and the rest of the world.

Secondly, I think that aid should go to suffering Palestinians, but nor should it go to a government, however, which has expressed its desire to destroy its neighbor. If the goal of the United States is two states living side by side at peace, and one government elected says we want to destroy one of the parties, it makes no sense for us to support that government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Clearly, we played the wrong clip. That was the president defending his administration's stance as far as providing assistance to the new Palestinian government led by Hamas. The president explaining to one questioner at his event earlier that the United States would not provide this kind of assistance to the Palestinians so long as the new -- the new government, the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, does not accept Israel's right to exist and renounce terrorism.

The president was very forceful, though, on the issue of guest workers, defending his strong support for immigration reform and for finding a way to dealing with the problem of 10 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. This is going to be a high priority issue at a summit in Cancun, Mexico.

Our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, is already there. She's joining us now live with more -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Wolf.

And what President Bush did say before he left Washington on this issue of this controversial proposed temporary guest worker program, is that in his judgment, border security and this temporary guest worker program go hand in hand. Of course this is an issue that has infuriated many of his fellow conservatives.

Now, as for President Bush's stay here in Cancun, he'll be here for about two days or so, and those meetings with Vicente Fox and Stephen Harper, the new Canadian prime minister, will start taking place tomorrow afternoon.

Now, of course on the agenda, trade and security and border security, and immigration. His visit coming, of course, at a time when the debate over immigration is boiling over in Washington.

Now, even here in Mexico, Mexican President Vicente Fox is facing some pressure to urge President Bush to do more to secure an immigration deal. However, with President Bush's approval ratings in the 30s now, according to some polls, it is clear that some Republicans, Wolf, have no problem moving away from the president on this issue -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elaine, we will be checking back with you obviously throughout this summit.

Elaine Quijano, already on the scene in Cancun, Mexico.

There are pleas of forgiveness and mercy from a very religious man. Another chapter in there fall from grace of disgraced former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Before hearing his prison sentence earlier today, Abramoff asked the court, and I'm quoting now, to forgive his trespass.

Our Brian Todd is joining us now live with more -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the judge couldn't completely forgive Jack Abramoff for those trespasses, but he was lenient and left open the possibility of cutting Abramoff more slack down the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): The man who charmed the powerful in Washington is tight-lipped in Miami. Fallen super lobbyist Jack Abramoff leaves U.S. district court, where he got a five year, 10 month prison sentence, was ordered to pay more than $21 million in restitution. Lenient under federal guidelines perhaps because of his cooperation with prosecutors. Abramoff had just told U.S. district judge Paul Huck, his ordeal was "incredibly painful for my family and friends, and especially me." Abramoff pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud for faking a $23 million transfer in purchasing floating casinos. Despite his crimes, Abramoff enjoyed the support of hundreds who sent letters on his behalf to the judge.

Former colleague Laurence Latourette was one of them.

LAURENCE LATOURETTE, FMR. ABRAMOFF COLLEAGUE: He's just another poor sinner like the rest of us, although his sins are probably a little more egregious.

TODD: Rabbis wrote of his charity work. And while others on Capitol Hill are running from Abramoff, Republican Congressman Dana Rohrbacher sent this note. "Jack was a selfless patriot for most of the time I knew him."

The judge ruled Abramoff does not have to report to prison for another six months because of his ongoing cooperation in a separate federal corruption case which could touch several members of Congress. That investigation and a Senate probe show a different side of Abramoff, calling his Indian clients "monkeys" and "morons" in e- mails, telling an associate, "Can you smell the money?"

LATOURETTE: He wasn't that good, you know, when he was on top, and he's not that bad now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: So, where will Abramoff serve his time? The Florida judge left that open, saying he will work with defense attorneys and try to place Abramoff somewhere near his Washington-area home and at a facility where he can practice his Orthodox Jewish faith. The judge also said he could reduce Abramoff's sentence pending the outcome of those other investigations -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thank you very much.

Brian Todd reporting.

Let's go back to New York. Jack's standing by with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Some things, Wolf, never meant to happen. Ethics reform, serious reform by Congress might be among those. In fact, that phrase, "ethics reform Congress" is probably an oxymoron.

The Senate, however, did pass some toothless, watered-down piece of legislation that pretends to police itself by a count of 90-8. It is way short. Way short of all the tough talk that came out of Washington when the Abramoff scandal broke.

Remember how they were all talking tough about they were going to clean up that town? Fat chance. Under this thing that they just voted on, senators will no longer be able to accept gifts or meals from lobbyists, and lobbyists will have to reveal more information about their contacts with lawmakers.

It does not ban privately-funded travel. So they can all still, I guess, fly off to Scotland and play golf. It does not establish an independent ethics office, which is what's needed if they're ever going to get serious about reform. Critics say the legislation comes up way short.

Senate Ethics Committee members say their panel is doing its job. And they say that an independent outside ethics office would only create more bureaucracy. And probably a much cleaner Congress, too, but they don't want to discuss that.

The House hasn't gotten into this whole thing yet. They'll pass some similar version of some, you know, watered-down, toothless piece of drivel, I'm sure, in the weeks ahead.

The question is this: Will Congress succeed in policing itself? Try to keep your profanities out of the e-mail and send them to caffertyfile@CNN.com, or go to CNN.com/caffertyfile.

The Senate Ethics Committee, Wolf, said publicly, "We're doing our job."

Go figure.

BLITZER: Jack Cafferty, thank you very much.

Up ahead, an Afghan man threatened for death for converting from Islam to Christianity. Now this case raising all sorts of serious new questions about the U.S. effort to liberate Afghanistan.

Also, a top U.S. university rocked by allegations of rape. We're going to have details of the scandal that has left an entire team sidelined.

Plus, it's Apple versus Apple in a contentious lawsuit. Our Ali Velshi has "The Bottom Line."

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We're in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Let's talk a little bit about the dangers that journalists are facing right now in Iraq. And Melanie Bloom is here to help us better understand some of these problems. Her husband, my good friend David Bloom of NBC News, was killed in Iraq almost exactly three years ago.

Mel, you're here to talk a little bit about that, but you're also here to talk about the condition that contributed to David's death. I want to get to all of that in just a moment. But first, before we get into that, talk a little bit about Bob Woodruff. What a tragedy that ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff was badly injured in Iraq and that these two families, the Bloom family, the Woodruff family, such good friends.

MELANIE BLOOM, WIDOW OF DAVID BLOOM: Right. Right, the irony.

Three years ago, when David passed away, Bob's wife Lee got the call to come to me. And this time, when Bob was injured, I got the call to find Lee -- she was traveling -- and put her in touch with ABC to share the news about her husband. And then we flew together to Landstuhl, Germany, to be -- you know, I wanted to be by her side and be her support system like she was for me -- and see Bob.

BLITZER: And you were there holding Lee's hand throughout this ordeal, just as she was with you when you got that horrible word that David had died in Iraq.

Could anyone have imagined two families, wives of two prominent journalists, television journalist, going through this kind of ordeal? You must have spent a lot of time thinking about the chances that this could happen.

BLOOM: Right. Right. I mean, it is -- it's incredible, the coincidences and the parallel lives that we've led and the friendship that has formed and really drawn us closer to share these experiences with each other.

BLITZER: I saw Lee when she was here in Washington when Bob was recuperating at Bethesda Naval Hospital. How is -- I know you are much closer to that family, and you speak to Lee all the time. How is he doing?

BLOOM: Bob's doing great. He's really doing well.

He's in New York now in a facility there, continuing with his recovery. And he's incredible. He has surpassed all hopes that the doctors had as he moves forward, and really doing miraculously well.

BLITZER: He's communicating. He's talking to people.

BLOOM: Oh, he's talking. He's communicating. He's walking. He's -- he's great. He's Bob. And, you know, with time, we'll have a full recovery.

BLITZER: Talk a little bit, if you don't mind, about the relationship that your late husband David had with Bob, because they were good friends. They played tennis together. They had a unique relationship.

BLOOM: They had a very, very close friendship, as did Lee and I and as did our families. They have twins, we have twins.

BLITZER: And you live in the same neighborhood, in fact. BLOOM: Yes. We met here in D.C. when Dave was at the White House and we became friends and ended up in New York together. And David and Bob had a great friendship and a professional relationship and rivalry, even. But a good-spirited one.

You know, they were both -- they're both very passionate, very driven, very intelligent, great at what they do, and would find themselves usually covering the same story. When David was embedded with the 3rd ID, Bob was with the Marines not so far away. And, in fact, Friday night, before David passed away, he reached out and tried to call Bob by satellite phone and wasn't able to get the connection and left him a message saying, "Keep your head down, buddy. And talk to you soon."

And then David passed away the next day.

BLITZER: Let's talk -- remind our viewers what led to David Bloom's dying on the battlefield in Iraq.

BLOOM: Exactly, right. Well, we had braced ourselves for something like an IED explosion that Bob had -- had to suffer, but the irony is that there was something inside David's body that took his life. And that is, in simple language, a blood clot. So, that's...

BLITZER: In his leg, in his calf.

BLOOM: Formed in his leg. It's called a deep vein thrombosis.

And, since he passed away, I have -- I have been trying to raise awareness and work as the national spokesman for deep vein thrombosis, because what I learned after David passed away -- I had never heard of DVT, when I got the call that he died. And he was only 39 years old.

And I thought, what is this? And what I learned is that two million Americans each year will develop a blood clot, or a DVT. And, out of that, 200,000 people will die when the blood clot breaks free, travels to the lungs, and becomes fatal.

BLITZER: Two hundred thousand a year?

BLOOM: A year, which is more than AIDS and breast cancer combined.

And those numbers are staggering. And, yet, there's a real awareness piece that is missing. Had we known about the risk factors that David would endure, which included being -- sleeping in a restricted position. It doesn't have to be a tank, like in David's case.

But it can a long car ride, a long airplane ride, a hospital stay. That puts you at risk. Women are at greater risk on the birth- control pill, or hormone-replacement therapy, or pregnancy, dehydration, weight. There are so many risk factors. And they say, if you have three or four risk factors combined, you could be at risk for developing a DVT and/or fatal pulmonary embolism.

BLITZER: Where can people go to get information that might save their life or the lives of their loved ones?

BLOOM: Right.

The Coalition to Prevent DVT has a Web site. And it's called PreventDVT.org. And, on there, there is even a place for patients to write in their own personal story.

And, since I have been working with the Coalition this past year, we have received over 10,000 personal letters, saying: We heard about this condition. We saw you in -- you know, read an article. And it turns out, I had a blood clot and lived.

And people have actually said: David saved my life.

So, it's very gratifying to know that, if I can reach one person, and they live, and another family doesn't have to go through this tragedy, then David's life and death was not in vain.

BLITZER: Because there are steps that you can take to save...

BLOOM: It can...

BLITZER: ... your life.

BLOOM: It can be prevented. That's the key.

BLITZER: You are here also, tonight, for the Radio-TV Correspondents Dinner, the -- which is a big event for the journalistic community. The president usually comes. He's not going to be there tonight. He's in Cancun.

But you give an award. Briefly, because we only have a few seconds left, tell us about it.

BLOOM: An award was established in David's name for enterprise in journalism. And, tonight, our daughters, Christine and Nicole, who just turned 12, will go up and give a little speech they wrote and present the award to tonight's winner.

BLITZER: The twins.

BLOOM: Yes.

BLITZER: Well, we loved David. I worked closely with him when he was the White House correspondent for NBC News. I was CNN's White House correspondent. And he was a great guy. We miss him. And we are thankful for the work that you are doing.

BLOOM: Thanks very much, Wolf.

BLITZER: Melanie Bloom joining us with an important, important message -- thank you, Melanie.

BLOOM: Thank you.

BLITZER: And, coming up, Apple vs. Apple -- the record company taking on the computer company in court. We are going to show you what is going on.

And many attending and living near Duke University right now are outraged. Did one of Duke's sports teams attack an exotic dancer? We are going to have details. We are going to go there live.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Time now for our "Bottom Line."

That means Ali Velshi is joining us. Today, he is Washington.

Hi, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, good to see you.

Apple vs. Apple in court today. Now, this is Apple Corps. This is the record label that owns most of the Beatles' song -- Beatles' songs. It's actually controlled by the ex-Beatles.

It is suing iPod maker Apple Computer. Now, they both use an apple as a logo. I'm not many people would mix the two companies up, but this has been an ongoing battle. More than 10 years ago, Apple Computer, which had nothing to do with the music business, agreed not to distribute music, because Apple Corps is in the music business.

Now, with iTunes being one of the biggest music retailers in the world, Apple Corps -- this is the Beatles' Apple -- wants Apple Computer to drop the Apple logo from iTunes and to pay them great gobs of money. We will follow this court case. It started in Britain today. And the judge, I understand, uses an iPod.

Strong day for markets, Wolf -- the NASDAQ hit a five-year high, getting to 2337. The Dow jumped 61 points, to close at 11215.

BLITZER: Ali, thank you very much for all of that.

We want to update you now on another Apple story we have been following. That company has just announced it will offer some of its iPod owners an easy way to adjust how loud they go.

Let's bring in our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton -- Abbi.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, if you have got one of the newer iPods -- that's the Nano or one of these video iPods -- you can, from today, now set a maximum volume to the music that you are listening to.

Apple has announced this upgrade in its software, acknowledging increased attention in this area. Now, this attention has come from a variety of places. The American-Speech-Language Hearing Association has been warning for a few months now about the risk of hearing loss, if you are playing an iPod or a similar portable music device for too long or too loud. Congressman Ed Markey has urged further research to be done in this area. This is even a lawsuit been filed against Apple. So, from today, you can set this maximum level. Parents can even go into their child's iPod and set that maximum level. Congressman Markey is calling this an important first step -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Abbi.

Still to come, scandal at Duke University -- the lacrosse team sidelined, after allegations of rape. It's a case that is prompting protests both on and off campus. We're going to go there.

And, coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, I will ask him about the immigration debate that is raging here in Washington, and how he wound up, essential, on the same side as the president.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Let's get back to or stop story. The president, right now, in the air on his way to Mexico for a summit with the Canadian and Mexican leaders.

Lou Dobbs already there -- he's getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour.

Lou, you look great there in Cancun. Tell our viewers what is going on.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you very much.

Coming up here at 6:00, we are a little bit ahead of the president today. As you said, we are here in Cancun, where President Bush, Mexican President Vicente fox, Canada's prime minister, Stephen Harper, all set to meet on a host of issues: illegal immigration, border security, so-called free trade, among other issues.

Tonight, we will have special reports for you from Mexico, the United States and Canada. We will also be reporting on how the Mexican government has broken promises and refused to cooperate with U.S. authorities on the issue of border security. And illegal aliens have powerful allies, as you know, in the United States, corporate America, members of both political parties. We will have a special report on the amnesty agenda.

And I will be talking with two of the most powerful representatives of activists, Hispanic activists, and open-borders groups here tonight. We hope you will be with us, as we report live from Cancun, Mexico -- back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: We are going to be watching, Lou.

Before I let you go -- and I want to alert our viewers...

DOBBS: Sure.

BLITZER: ... that you are going to be with us during THE SITUATION ROOM 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour as well.

Tell our viewers how you have been received in Mexico, given your outspoken views on some of these issues involving immigration and trade.

DOBBS: I will tell you that, from the time we set down here in Cancun, every person in this city with whom -- with whom we have come into contact, every one at the hotel, all of the tourists from the United States, of course, as well as all over the hemisphere, they have been absolutely generous and cordial and welcoming. And, frankly, we didn't expect anything less. The Mexican people are a terrific, terrific people. This is a wonderful country. And we're delighted to be here.

BLITZER: Lou Dobbs will be reporting live from Cancun tonight, tomorrow and Friday. That's coming up right at the top of the hour. He will be back in THE SITUATION ROOM 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Lou, thank you very much.

A drama unfolding at North Carolina's Duke University, where the nationally ranked lacrosse team has been suspended, amid allegations of rape.

CNN's Jason Carroll is there. And he's joining us with the story -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a story that has really torn apart Duke University, as well as the surrounding community.

The Durham district attorney says that members of Duke's lacrosse team are stonewalling, basically putting loyalty to the team above everything else.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are questions so grave that are in the air that for us to continue to play would be inappropriate.

CARROLL (voice-over): Duke University President Richard Brodhead announcing the suspension of the school's highly ranked lacrosse today, amid allegations of rape.

An exotic dancer tells police, she and another woman were hired to perform at a team party at this house March 13. The alleged victim is a 27-year-old mother of two and a student at a nearby university. The African-American woman says she was forced into a bathroom, where she was beaten, choked, and raped by three white men.

Police have taken DNA samples from 46 of the team's 47 members. The remaining player is black. Test results are pending. The players have remained silent so far, although the team captains did meet with university officials and issued a statement expressing remorse for throwing the party, but saying -- quote -- "Any allegation that a sexual assault or rape occurred is totally and transparently false."

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: You can't run! You can't hide!

CARROLL: The case has prompted protests, including this one outside the house where the alleged attack happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want the members of the Duke lacrosse team to come clean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They haven't been convicted, but 30-something kids are remaining silence.

CARROLL: Prosecutors are threatening charges of aiding and abetting, hoping that will prompt players to talk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of this stonewall of silence that we have seen may tend to crumble once charges begin to come out.

CARROLL: The allegations have shaken the Duke campus. Students were invited to share their concerns today at a closed-door meeting with school officials, who say they are in a painful period of uncertainty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This university takes this situation very seriously, and we will give it appropriate responses. But we don't know what response is appropriate, until the facts are determined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Preliminary DNA test results should be available by some time early next week. Even if those test results come back inconclusive, the Durham district attorney says that his case is strong enough to pursue anyway -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jason Carroll, thanks very much.

And there's a new development that's unfolding right now.

Let's check in with our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, The Smoking Gun Web site, SmokingGun.com, has search warrant details from this rape probe in Durham, North Carolina.

You can see here the following items that were seized from the residence, a makeup bag, plenty of electronics, a laptop, digital camera and case, all sorts of information there. As for Duke, if you go to the Web site, their roster has been pulled. Their statement is online. And, as Jason said, Wolf, they say that it is "totally and transparently false" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jacki, thank you very much. Up ahead, the U.S. sacrificed hundreds of lives, billions of dollars to free Afghanistan. So, why are Afghans not necessarily so free right now? And why is it against the law, apparently, to convert to Christianity? Mary Snow is investigating.

And, in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, my interview with Senator Ted Kennedy. I will ask him about his unlikely alliance right now with President Bush when it comes to the issue of illegal immigration. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: (AUDIO GAP) sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity. But, today, Abdul Rahman found safety in Italy, after being let out of prison.

Now this closely watched case has many Americans asking this question: After U.S. troops sacrificed so much to ensure basic freedoms in Afghanistan, is religious intolerance the result?

Let's bring in our Mary Snow. She's following this story -- Mary.

SNOW: Well, Wolf, to that question, some say, yes, it is possible that religious freedom isn't guaranteed in Afghanistan.

And that's because of gray areas in the emerging democracy's legal system now being put to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Abdul Rahman's release from Afghanistan should have given leaders in the West a sigh of relief. Instead, there's growing alarm that more Christian converts could be persecuted in Afghanistan's emerging democracy.

ALEXANDER THIER, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: The constitution is not a secular document. It is an Islamic constitution. And there are things within that constitution which indicate that judges have the ability to interpret Islamic law.

SNOW: Interpreting the law, in Rahman's case, meant a death sentence. Now, in an ironic twist, the U.S. Congress is considering a resolution condemning the new Afghanistan, not the old one led by the Taliban.

REP. TOM LANTOS (D), CALIFORNIA: Christian soldiers, Americans, and other members of NATO are dying to create in Afghanistan a civilized and open and democratic society.

SNOW: Congressman Tom Lantos wants Afghanistan to ensure religious rights. And, with an estimated 22,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan four-and-a-half-years after September 11, the White House is reminding Afghanistan of its investment.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has made it clear that we expect people's religious freedoms to be protected. And, so, we will continue to make that clear to the government of Afghanistan as they move forward.

SNOW: But legal experts say, as the government of Afghanistan has moved forward, tensions over Western influence have grown, as made dramatically clear in the Rahman case.

THIER: In some ways, ironically, it is really only under the new government, the post-Taliban government, that we have actually seen these sorts of cases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And a legal expert we spoke with who served as a legal adviser to constitutional reforms in Afghanistan said that he expects other religious-freedom cases like this to emerge, as more conservative Islamic clerics become judges - Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow, thank you very much.

In the Middle East, they are standing at a crossroads, potentially, facing an uncertain future. A day after Israelis voted to let an untested new party take their country in, potentially, a new direction, the hard-line Hamas group took office in the Palestinian areas.

Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, is in Jerusalem. He's joining us now with more -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, we have two brand-new governments here in the Middle East, one elected yesterday in Israel, the other sworn in today by the Palestinian Authority -- a new beginning or another dead end?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): A new Palestinian government is sworn in, led by Hamas, a party that has never held power before. A new Israeli government is elected, led by Kadima, a party that didn't exist six months ago. Hamas leaders say they want a period of peace.

AZIZ AL-DUAIK, PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER: I think this government is meaning, really, to put an end to any kind of bloodshed.

SCHNEIDER: Israel's new leader also talks of peace.

EHUD OLMERT, ACTING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): To live in a state in peace and quiet.

SCHNEIDER: The vote in Israel showed that confidence in the old alternatives has collapsed. The status quo, continuing occupation, doesn't work, in the view of most Israelis.

That message was conveyed by the crushing defeat of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party. Peace negotiations? Israel says it can't talk peace with Hamas. The Israeli Labor Party still holds out hope for negotiations. But Labor, which came in second, did not run on that issue.

Israelis believe the security fence is working. So, Ehud Olmert said he would turn the fence into a border, unilaterally. The voters' response: OK. We will try it.

OLMERT (through translator): We are prepared to compromise, give up parts of our beloved land of Israel, painfully remove Jews who live there.

SCHNEIDER: The Palestinians insist that Israel renounce unilateralism before peace negotiations can take place.

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT: We hope that he will change this policy from the unilateral stage to negotiating stage.

SCHNEIDER: The Israelis insist that the Palestinians renounce violence before negotiations can take place -- two new governments, each insisting that the other must change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: The United States favors negotiations, not unilateral actions. But, with a fresh new mandate for its policy, the Israeli government hopes the U.S., too, will change -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bill Schneider, in Jerusalem, thanks very much.

And a spokesman for the new Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, says President Bush called him earlier today to congratulate him and invite him to the White House shortly.

Up next: Will Congress succeed in policing itself? Jack Cafferty standing by with "The Cafferty File."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check in with Jack in New York -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: We can all rest easy. The Senate has passed a lobbying reform bill 90-8. Under the bill, senators are no longer allowed to accept gifts or meals from lobbyists. And lobbyists have to reveal more information about their contacts with lawmakers.

But it does not ban privately funded travel, which means you can still go with the lobbyists to Scotland to play golf. You just have to bring your own food. It does not establish an independent ethics office either, which means, it ain't going to work.

The question is: Will Congress succeed in policing itself?

Jeff writes: "As long as you have agencies that make their own laws, then enforce and police their own laws, you will always have agencies that are above the law."

Nick in Ohio: "Not a chance in hell, Jack. I noticed, the Democrats were in on that vote as well. It's time for some real housecleaning. This is just their way of showing us they are pretty sure that we have lost the power of oversight."

Rick in Denver: "Are you kidding, Jack? Congress has as much of a chance at policing itself as Iraq does."

Stephen in North Adams, Massachusetts: "Congress police themselves? That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Do we ask toddlers to baby-sit themselves, thieves and murderers to police themselves? No. We are the police of Congress. And until we wake up, and all of us take a serious interest in getting off our behinds and voting these idiots out, they will police themselves about as well as that crook or child would."

Steve in Somerville, Massachusetts: "What have you been smoking? Congress succeeds in giving us more window dressing, yet again."

And Bill in Colorado Springs writes: "Jack, I had a seven-page e- mail ready to send you, Congress being able to police itself. Then, you asked us to refrain from the profanities. That just left only one word: no" Wolf,

BLITZER: Very concise e-mail.

Jack, thank you very much. See you back here in an hour in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT," live from Mexico, starts right now.

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