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Some Say President Knowingly Cited Bad Intelligence On Iraq's Weapons Of Mass Destruction To justify War; Jurors In Moussaoui Trial Hear Gripping Cockpit Voice Recording; Military General Calls For Rumsfeld Resignation; New Orleans Levees In Worse Shape Than Previously Thought; Michael Brown Interview; Walter Boasso Interview; Officer's Death Related To 9/11
Aired April 12, 2006 - 16:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you are in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. at the White House, besieged with questions about a controversial report. Did the president knowingly cite bad intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to justify the war?
It's 5:00 p.m. in Alexandria, Virginia, as well, where the gripping cockpit voice recording from United Flight 93 was played publicly for the first time ever as part of the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui.
And it is 4:00 p.m. in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, where the man blamed for the Katrina response may soon have a new job. Former FEMA director Michael Brown joins us live in THE SITUATION ROOM this hour.
I'm Heidi Collins, standing in for Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Did President Bush deliberately cite bad intelligence to help justify the war in Iraq? In May of 2003, Mr. Bush touted the capture of two trailers in Iraq which he said were biological laboratories, proof of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. But "The Washington Post" reports the Pentagon already concluded and reported that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons.
CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us live with reaction from there -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, really, it's a debate that the White House is sick and tired of being engaged in here. Scott McClellan earlier today calling it irresponsible and reckless reporting on the part of "The Washington Post" and ABC News, any suggestion that the president deliberately used inaccurate information to mislead this country and Americans into going into the Iraq war. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): On May 29, 2003, several months after the U.S. invaded Iraq, President Bush declared the U.S. was justified in going to war.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We found the weapons of mass destruction.
MALVEAUX: The evidence, two trailers seized in northern Iraq that U.S. intelligence claimed were mobile weapons factories previously cited by top officials in making the case for war. At it turns out, the trailers were not being used to make biological weapons, but rather, to fill weather balloons, a conclusion reached by the U.S. government's Iraq Survey Group 15 months later.
But today, "The Washington Post" reported that experts on a Pentagon-sponsored mission concluded the trailers were not biological weapons labs two days before President Bush made his declaration and that they sent their findings to Washington in a classified report. But the White House says the president did not get that assessment until much later, and took strong exception to any suggestion that Mr. Bush knowingly was giving out inaccurate information.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That is absolutely false and it is irresponsible. The president was saying what the intelligence community assessed to be right, that they had discovered a "mobile biological production plant."
MALVEAUX: The debate comes at a time when polls show Mr. Bush has lost ground in one of his strongest areas, trustworthiness. More than half of Americans say they believe the president is not honest. Since the beginning of Mr. Bush's second term, the administration has been faced with a series of setbacks, from the failed Dubai port deal to the CIA leak investigation.
DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: There's a drip, drip, drip that's occurred, that's worn away his credibility for much of the public. And that's -- I think it's terribly unfortunate from his standpoint, because it's very hard to govern.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, three years after the U.S. invasion and the Iraq war, of course, the president continues to go out and make the case, Heidi, that the rationale for war was, in fact, justified. And Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, saying that he does not believe it is the president that has a credibility problem here, but rather, those who insist that he deliberately misled this country and Americans to going to war -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Suzanne, it seems like it's just the latest flap at the White House, but what kind of political impasse could it actually have in the long term for the White House?
MALVEAUX: Well, you know, that's a very good question, because certainly the White House is looking for members of Congress who are on recess to come back and tell them essentially, what are people talking about? What is actually sticking here?
Is it the immigration reform debate? Is it the failed Dubai port deal? Is it the CIA leak investigation? There is certainly a concern among Republicans, those in the party, that all of this could hurt those Republicans who are up for congressional midterm elections in November.
COLLINS: Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House.
Thank you, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
COLLINS: And for more now, we want to go ahead and bring in CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor.
David, I think people might not have a really clear understanding of how long it takes for information like this to actually reach the highest rank of the president. Can you explain it a little bit for us?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, something like this is a field report, Heidi, done by a group of people, they were actually not government employees, but they had been asked by CIA and others to -- in the Pentagon -- to go look at these labs. So, this kind of a report is a raw field report.
It would not have gone to the president's desk. He's not an intelligence officer. He's a consumer of intelligence. It would go to the CIA, or to the appropriate place in the government, where they would analyze it, compare it with other intelligence they had, and only when they were satisfied that they could draw some kind of meaningful conclusion, they would then pass that on to policymakers, possibly including the president.
So, it's really not fair in a way to accuse him of saying the wrong thing in this particular case. I mean, after all, in October of that year, many months later, David Kay, who was assigned by the CIA to look into these weapons, was still saying they could be bio weapons labs. February, the following year, George Tenet, the then still director of Central Intelligence, was saying in a speech that he wasn't sure. So to blame the president for saying it back in May, may not be fair.
COLLINS: But the fact that you said, you know, they take all the information and, of course, analyze it, and if it's deemed necessary, it then gets to the president, because it did not get to the president, does that say anything conclusive?
ENSOR: Not really. And, in fact, there was another report that came the day before -- the day after this one did that was from Pentagon and Central Intelligence people, and, in fact, I was briefed on it. This was May 28th, I believe, 2003, which said that they believed these probably were biological weapons labs. So, there was a lot of disagreement and ferment within the government over this.
The predominant view at the time, and the president correctly stated it, was that they probably were labs. That view was overcome, eventually.
So, all you have here is a story where, well, the first word that some people thought it wasn't, that they weren't labs, did come earlier. But it didn't come to the White House. So, you know...
COLLINS: Understood.
ENSOR: ... it's a murky story.
COLLINS: It is a murky story at this point. All right. Thank you so much, National Security Correspondent David Ensor.
Nice to see you again.
Meanwhile, jurors in the trial of al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui heard the gripping cockpit voice recording today from United Flight 93. It crashed into a Pennsylvania field on 9/11.
CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena is live for us in Alexandria, Virginia, with the details of the tape's first public playing -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the prosecutors started with the attacks on the World Trade Center, then they moved on to the Pentagon attack. And today, as you said, the focus of all testimony was on United Flight 93. The horror of that flight was preserved forever on the cockpit voice recorder.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): The courtroom was riveted as the recording was played. The turmoil, suffering, and heroism of Flight 93 brought to life.
After hearing the hijackers yell at passengers to sit down, shut up and not move, you can hear a man pleading, "Please, please, don't hurt me... Oh, God."
This is followed by more yelling, hijackers telling passengers to "Get down!" Then more agonizing pleading from another person, this time a woman who prosecutors identified as a flight attendant.
"I don't want to die," she said. Another voice answers, "No! No! Down! Down!"
Again, she pleads, "I don't want to die. I don't want to die." Then all you hear are cries.
A hijacker icily reports back, "Everything is fine. I finished." As passengers approach the cockpit, you hear a hijacker saying, "Is there something? A fight? Yes?" The plane at this time is rocking wildly.
"They want to get in there. Hold, hold from the inside!"
You hear screaming. It sounds like one of the hijackers has been injured or killed. This is followed by an American voice saying, "In the cockpit! If we don't, we'll die!" Then, Roll it!"
You hear the crashing of what sounds like the drink cart. Unbelievable chaos followed by a struggle.
"Give it to me! Give it to me! Give it to me!"
Then, "Allah is the greatest!" And silence.
Hamilton Peterson lost his father and stepmother aboard that flight.
HAMILTON PETERSON, RELATIVE OF FLIGHT 93 PASSENGERS: I think it captures the American spirit. It is truly remarkable that when one appreciates the brutality and the complexity of the conspiracy, that in a matter of moments, these brave Americans overcame a horrific challenge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: The jury had to relive the horror of 9/11 each day as prosecutors tried to convince them to sentence Moussaoui to death. The prosecution rested its case today. The defense will start its case tomorrow -- Heidi.
COLLINS: And Kelli, let me ask you, what was the reaction from Zacarias Moussaoui in the courtroom today as he listened to this new cockpit voice recording?
ARENA: You know, he started off by looking like he was sleeping. Then he started smirking. And then, he just sat there sort of dazed, you know, looking around the courtroom, taking a few notes, checking the clock behind him.
You know, he hasn't -- he hasn't had any outbursts in court, but overall, he seems very unaffected by what he's hearing.
COLLINS: Kelli Arena, excellent job covering this story for us.
Thanks, Kelli.
And time now for what we call "The Cafferty File." Our Jack Cafferty in New York once again.
Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Heidi. Tensions continue to run high over Iran. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that it's time for action on the part of the U.N. Security Council.
This comes one day after Iran announced it successfully has enriched uranium for the first time. This is seen as an important first step on the way to eventually being able to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Last month, the United Nations Security Council called for an end to Iran's nuclear program, but to no avail. On the contrary, Iran remains defiant in the face of calls to cease and desist.
So, here's the question: Should the U.N. take the lead on Iran or should the United States? E-mail your answers to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jack. Thank you. We will check back with you a little bit later on.
Meanwhile, up ahead, he was the face of the failed government response to Hurricane Katrina. Now, he's offering his services to one Louisiana parish to help them rebuild. Michael Brown joining us live in THE SITUATION ROOM this hour.
Also, another general gets specific, calling on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. But this one has some extra credibility. We'll show you why.
Plus, the warrior prince. He's just become an officer in the British army. Could Prince Harry wind up fighting in Iraq?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Another military general is out calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. And he says the Pentagon needs a new leader who understands the principles of war and leads without intimidation.
More now from CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi.
Well, you know, the way it works in the U.S. military is, if you're on active duty as a general, and you disagree with something in security policy or planning, you're job, your obligation is to voice your objections privately behind closed doors. A lot of questions now about whether the generals had really done that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): For the first time, a general who commanded thousands of combat troops in Iraq has called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. Major General John Batiste commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq before he retired five and a half months ago. In an interview with "AMERICAN MORNING," he was utterly blunt.
MAJ. GEN. JOHN BATISTE (RET.), U.S. ARMY: When decisions are made without taking into account sound military recommendations, sound military decision-making, sound planning, then we're bound to make mistakes. When we violate the principles of with mass and unity of command and unity of effort, we do that at our own peril.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: So, the secretary should step down?
BATISTE: In my opinion, yes.
STARR: Three other retired generals in the last month have called for Rumsfeld's resignation as well. They all say military advice was ignored.
One of the critics, retired Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, a top operations officer, wrote, "The commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions or bury the result."
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff is dismayed.
GEN. PETER PACE, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We had then and have now every opportunity to speak our minds. And if we do not, shame on us, because the opportunity is there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So, Heidi, the question is, are there more generals still on active duty, still in command who feel this way, who may not be expressing their views, or are they expressing their views about the war behind closed doors -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Barbara, there are certainly a lot of generals out there, though, who do support Secretary Rumsfeld.
STARR: Yes. We should be very clear about that.
There are hundreds of generals, admirals on active duty in the U.S. military who do command forces in the combat theater, who do support, as far as we know, certainly, the war and support national policy, President Bush, and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. But it's a cold, hard fact that if you are on active duty, you may not speak publicly against the president of the United States. You have an obligation to support him.
And if you cannot support the president and U.S. policy, your obligation then is to retire from active duty. So, this has all caught a lot of attention here in the Pentagon hallways, and a lot of people still wondering who's next to come out and voice their concerns -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Excellent point. And Barbara, I'm going to ask you to stick around a little bit, because we want to talk now more about these calls for Rumsfeld's resignation, as well as the nuclear crisis with Iran. And we have invited former defense secretary Williams Cohen to join us today to talk more about this. He is currently chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group, and a former defense secretary, as I mentioned.
Secretary Cohen, you are an excellent guest to have on this, because you have been in that position, obviously. For a moment, put yourself in Secretary Rumsfeld's shoes. How hard it is to get your job done and be out in front of the public, the press, in particular, when there are retired generals calling for your resignation?
WILLIAM COHEN, FMR. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, first of all, Secretary Rumsfeld is a very strong individual. He is a man of very strong convictions and a sense of self-awareness that I think is quite powerful.
He has to persuade only two people about his job. Number one, he has to satisfy himself that he can continue to carry out his responsibilities effectively. If he comes to doubt that, that he can do that, then he will have to give some consideration as to whether he should continue.
I don't think that's the case. But it's possible.
Secondly, and most importantly, he only has to satisfy the president of the United States. He serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States. If President Bush is unhappy with him, if he's at all dissatisfied with either the planning or the mannerisms or anything else on the part of Secretary Rumsfeld, all he has to do is say is, "I don't want you to serve anymore."
So, it's really not a question of how many generals come out and express dissatisfaction, it's a question of whether Secretary Rumsfeld himself feels he can be effective, and whether President Bush feels he can be effective. Those are the only two.
COLLINS: But again, as you have been in these shoes, how does it really feel, though, as a man, as a person who is in charge of the defense of this country to go to bed at night and know there are these men, especially today, a general who was a combat general, a combat commander, telling you to get out of office?
COHEN: Well, I'm sure it's very difficult for Secretary Rumsfeld to see a series of generals, very respected, high-level generals come out and call for his resignation. Nonetheless, I think that he is of such a strong personality, that he feels if he's doing the right thing, if he's satisfying his boss, the commander in chief, that's all that really counts.
So, I would say it's really up to him, and most importantly, it's up to the president of the United States. Not those generals, whom I have high respect for and have served with several of them. But nonetheless, the president calls the shots.
And again, only the president's got to be accountable for the people that he appoints to these high positions. He's the one that has to make a call. COLLINS: I want to give our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr a chance to ask you a question now -- Barbara.
STARR: Secretary Cohen, one of the things that strikes me is what you just said, these four men who have expressed their concerns in recent weeks, they are not household names across the United States. But they are generals who are very well known and very respected by those who follow all of this.
From your point of view, when you look at these men and what they have said, how worried should President Bush be that he may have a generation of generals on active duty that are not willing to step up, not willing to voice their concerns while they're on active duty and engage in this, waiting until they retire to say what they really think? How much of a worry should that be?
COHEN: Barbara, we have discussed this before, but you may recall that a book was written called "Dereliction of Duty." And that book was shared with me and others in the administration during the term that I served at the Pentagon, and it was by Mr. McMasters. And it called upon the experience back during the Vietnam War, when generals and high-ranking officers did not come to the -- to their commanders and give them what they felt was their best military advice.
In this particular case, I think that we have to be concerned, if there is such strong feeling, that those officers must be willing to put their career on the line by saying, I feel so strongly on this issue, I've raised it, Secretary Rumsfeld, the president have disregarded it. But I feel so strongly, that I can't continue to stay in office. That really is the hallmark of an officer who has his best interest of his country at stake.
Anyone who subordinates that, if they really feel the country is making a catastrophic mistake, and they can't fulfill their command from the commanding officer or general, then they should step away.
STARR: Secretary Cohen, do you feel that we are headed towards a Vietnam generation of generals who do not speak up?
COHEN: I don't know. I hope that's not the case.
I would hope that the young officers coming up will have learned from past experience that they make their case to their commanding officer, they make their case to the secretary of defense. If they feel so strongly they can't follow those orders, they ought to step away.
It's a very tough choice, because they work hard and long, they sacrifice, they give up many, many things that all of us take for granted in order to move up that chain of command. So, for them to take that step is really a very courageous act on their part. But that's what their duty, honor, country also calls for if they feel that strongly.
COLLINS: And they know that going in, as well. This is very well understood of that commitment.
COHEN: Their commitment is to follow the orders that are given to them...
COLLINS: Of course.
COHEN: ... unless they're so offended by it or feel that they cannot carry it out faithfully. They must step away.
COLLINS: All right. Secretary Cohen, we appreciate your time here today in THE SITUATION ROOM.
COHEN: A pleasure. Thank you.
COLLINS: And Barbara Starr, as well, at the Pentagon.
Thank you, Barbara.
Coming up, Michael Brown, the former FEMA director, standing by to join us in THE SITUATION ROOM. I will ask him about his replacement, the coming hurricane season and his offer to help in the Katrina zone.
And coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, Tom Cruise claiming a victory of sorts. We'll show you what impact his crusade against drugs and psychiatry has really had.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Atlantic hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1st, but the Department is Homeland Security is getting ready for it now. It has tapped federal first responders for 13 states, in fact.
The disaster coordinators will be placed along the Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic, ready and waiting to see to fast delivery of aid and supplies to potential storm victims. The assignments are part of an organizational overhaul at Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both agencies were blamed for the sluggish response to last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Today, though, in New Orleans, the head of the Army Corp of Engineers announced that the levees in and around the city are in worse shape than the corps first thought.
CNN Gulf Correspondent Susan Roesgen is live in St. Bernard Parish with more now.
Susan, hello.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi.
The Army Corps of Engineers is still racing to repair the levees like this one in the New Orleans area by June 1st, as you said, the start of hurricane season. But the Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it's going to take much longer to do more than repair the levees, to repair the damage from Hurricane Katrina. The corps now says that it is going to take years to improve the levees so that they'll be able to withstand the next Hurricane Katrina. The year they are talking about, Heidi, is the year 2010, before all the levees in the New Orleans area and in the lower coastal parishes of Louisiana are strong enough to withstand the next really big hurricane.
Now, here in St. Bernard Parish tomorrow, parish officials were expecting to talk to the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, to get his advice on hurricane recovery. But the reaction to that has fueled a storm of its own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK WISCHER, HOMEOWNER: He can't tell nobody right. He couldn't even do the FEMA right when Katrina hit.
ROESGEN (voice-over): Standing in front of his flooded home, Patrick Wischer says bringing Michael Brown to St. Bernard Parish is a bad idea. The former FEMA director who resigned under pressure for FEMA's bungling of the federal response to the hurricane is going to ask St. Bernard Parish officials to hire him as a hurricane recovery consultant.
Parish Councilwoman Judy Hoffmeister says, stranger still, this is the parish that has complained about FEMA louder than anyone else.
JUDY HOFFMEISTER, PARISH COUNCILWOMAN: I think it's ironic that Mr. Brown could not come to the parish during the disaster, the first 10 days we were SOS, saving ourselves. But he can find the time to come down and try to be an employee of St. Bernard Parish. I think that would just complete the insanity that has taken over this community since Hurricane Katrina hit.
ROESGEN: While some council members say they are willing to at least listen to Brown, Patrick Wischer says don't even ask what Brown can do for him.
WISCHER : Personally, I don't like the man.
ROESGEN (on camera): You don't know the man.
WISCHER: It don't matter. It's just his ideas that I don't like.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Now, the parish president here in St. Bernard Parish who invited Michael Brown to come speak to the council is out of town. He is in Orlando, Heidi, at that hurricane conference. And we've been told that Michael Brown himself has said, you know what? I know there's a lot of controversy, I know I'm getting negative reaction, I don't plan to come.
We haven't been able to confirm that yet with parish officials. But that's what we're hearing now, Heidi, is that Michael Brown won't be coming tomorrow to speak to parish officials about hurricane recovery.
COLLINS: Well, Susan, I have great news. We are going to be able to talk with him ourselves and verify that right now. We are going to be asking Michael Brown about his job prospects in Louisiana. The former FEMA director joining us from Orlando, Florida, where he is attending the National Hurricane Conference.
Thank you for being here.
And I of course want to ask you right off the bat, was canceling this meeting bowing to the pressure of those people that really didn't want you to take that job?
MICHAEL BROWN, FMR. FEMA DIRECTOR: Well, actually, Heidi, I find it kind of ironic that I never sought the job. I never sought a job with St. Bernard Parish.
Junior Rodriguez, the president of the parish and the first person that I saw when I was able to get in to St. Bernard on a Black Hawk helicopter landing in the refinery and finally making my way over to their storm-ravaged shelter, approached me in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago. And here's what I told Junior Rodriguez, and it still stands true today.
I will provide whatever advice, whatever direction and guidance he needs free of charge -- that's always been my position all along -- and he is free to call me any time and get that advice, get that recommendation -- get those recommendations, what he should or should not be doing to speed the recovery to those people. It's not a job I sought. They came after me and I'm willing to provide them whatever advice they want.
COLLINS: What did you think when he first came to you with this proposal?
BROWN: It didn't surprise me in the least. Look, while some - and I heard the previous story, some people don't like me, and they are mad at me, and that sort of thing, I understand that completely. But I know in my heart what I was doing. I think the videotape showed, that came out a few weeks ago, what I was doing to try to help people in New Orleans, and I'm still trying to help people in Louisiana and Mississippi, I'm still trying to help emergency management in this country.
I think those videotapes show that I knew what I was talking about, that I know how this system works and what has to be done to fix it. So I'm willing still to be out there in front and still willing to help people in any way that I can.
COLLINS: All right, listen if would, for just a moment, Mr. Brown to the New Orleans city council president. This is Oliver Thomas. I want you to listen to this and I will come back and get your reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OLIVER THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: I would rather go out there and hire somebody who's proven that they can cut through the red tape, you know, don't give me the guy who added tape to the tape, you know, give me someone who can cut through the tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Can you be effective in this role, Mr. Brown?
BROWN: Absolutely. In fact, what that comment points out is that the red tape that exists within the Department of Homeland Security is exactly what created the problems for me and FEMA in Hurricane Katrina. The problems that we experienced at the state level, at the local level, even in St. Bernard Parish, the people I'm trying to help, we all recognized that it was the red tape causing the problems. And that's what I can cut through. I know where that blasted red tape is that created problems for me down in New Orleans and Mississippi and in Alabama.
COLLINS: Specifically, though, what is it that you think you can help with the most in St. Bernard Parish?
BROWN: I can help them understand what exactly it is that FEMA is looking for when it comes to documentation. I can explain to them what they are doing in terms of their procurement process. What they are trying to do to get the debris removed. The ways that they might be able to do that, within the confines of the law, what meets the law, that yet expedites it and makes it occur quicker.
There's so many things that go on between FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers, at the end of the day, that is the basic contractor for that, working with James Lee Witt, working with Joe Walbaugh (ph) and the others, we can make certain they are doing things just right to speed up that process.
COLLINS: You know, Mr. Brown, I have to say it sounds like you want the job.
BROWN: I want to help in any way I can. Look, I have got a great group of clients, all over the country. You see one of the products behind me right now, Redialert Onscreen. I'm working to do housing projects down in Mississippi. We have a lot of things going that are helping people. That's why I took the FEMA job, was to help people. They can criticize all they want to about how things fell apart in Katrina, and I'm the first to admit they did and I'm the first to ...
COLLINS: Is that why you want to help so much now? I'm sorry, is that why you want to help so much now, Mr. Brown, you are taking responsibility for the mistakes that are made. Do you feel that's a way you can feel better about that?
BROWN: Heidi, I did that in both -- I took responsibility in both congressional hearings. I have taken responsibility in speeches I have given around the country about things that went wrong. I'm willing to shoulder and admit those mistakes. I want the administration and Congress to do the same thing, and then fix the stuff that needs to be fixed so this doesn't happen again.
COLLINS: All right, Mr. Brown, I know you are at the hurricane conference in Orlando right now as we are talking to you. How do you feel after everything you have learned while you were there about, if the state is ready, or the area is ready for a hurricane season, it begins June 1st.
BROWN: Well, can I tell you one thing. The state and locals are ready. They are doing everything they can. State and local emergency management understands that they are going to have to be the first line of defense when it comes to these kinds of events.
What worries me is the administration and DHS. I heard today two speeches in which people gave the same kind of platitudes, the same kinds of talking points that I had been given about, how things worked better within DHS, and I'm telling you that's simply not true. We need to have more accountability. Just like I've stepped up and made myself accountable, the department needs to do the same.
COLLINS: And time is running out. As we said. June 1st, the hurricane season will not wait for anyone.
BROWN: That's right.
COLLINS: That's for sure. Former FEMA director Michael Brown, thank you for your time here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
BROWN: Thank you, Heidi.
COLLINS: And coming up next, the other side of this development concerning Michael Brown. I will speak with a lifelong resident of St. Bernard Parish to see what he thinks about it.
And the secretary of state says it's time to act on Iran. But what should be done and who should do it? The United States or the United Nations.
Our Jack Cafferty has your email.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Our next guest is against this talk of Michael Brown possibly consulting St. Bernard Parish. Louisiana State Senator Walter Boasso is a lifelong resident of St. Bernard and he's joining me now with more. Senator Boasso, I know you listened in, as I spoke with former FEMA director Michael Brown, did he change your mind about anything?
WALTER BOASSO, LOUISIANA STATE SENATOR: Well -- no, ma'am. I'm sure Michael's a wonderful person and a great father, but I can't change the perception, and unfortunately, down here, perception is reality, is that Michael's in charge of an organization for over two years that was supposed to take care of and make sure things like this didn't happen after a disaster, and we don't need -- we don't need the problems that are associated with that. COLLINS: But shouldn't your priority be to do whatever it takes to help the people of St. Bernard's Parish get back up on their feet, get their jobs back, go to school, clothes, food, all of those things. Does it really matter who it is if the person can be effective?
BOASSO: I understand what you are totally saying there, and to be quite honest with you, we are doing everything ourselves. We need FEMA's help more now than ever before. We are struggling to come back. It's eight months after the storm. And if you rode around our parish, you wouldn't see that much has changed except the water's gone away.
You know, can I appreciate the predicament that Mr. Brown was put in. And I think if he really wants to help, if there is a way, I can't understand, because he's not allowed to lobby for the next five months, is that maybe he should donate his time to our parish just like so many volunteers we have from around the country.
COLLINS: Well, then who do you think the person should be? Do you have another person in mind who can help out break through the red tape that everyone in St. Bernard Parish talks about?
BOASSO: No, ma'am, to be quite honest with you, the way I can appreciate the process is that you have all the different steps it goes through. We have a congressional delegation involved, of course we have to deal with the state, as they audit the process, and it feeds itself back to the parish. But no, I don't have anybody this time, but basically, it seems like the way the framework is set up, is that we have to live within the confines of the system.
COLLINS: All right. Well, State Senator Walter Boasso, we certainly appreciate your time. Thank you.
BOASSO: Thank you.
COLLINS: And now to California, where continued heavy rain is placing new stress on the state's already strained levee system there. In response, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency. And for a closer look online, let's get the latest from Internet reporter Jacki Schechner -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Heidi, concern right now is for the levees along the San Joaquin River. This morning water levels registered close to 30 feet. Governor Schwarzenegger has in fact declared a state of emergency for seven counties between Fresno and Sacramento.
They also sent out emergency workers over the weekend. Can you go to the Department of Water Web site and look at some of the video that they recorded. Now the current storm is drawing attention once again to California's levee system.
Earlier this year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about 24 critical points along the Sacramento River. He wants those fixed up this summer by the Army Corps of Engineers. Sacramento's flooding problem has been one of the worst in the country. They have 100 year protection level. That is in Sacramento. Compare that to New Orleans that had a 200 year level before Hurricane Katrina. Heidi?
COLLINS: Jacki, thank you for that. And Lou Dobbs is getting ready for his show at the top of the hour. Lou? What are you ...
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Heidi. Coming up here at 6:00 tonight, we will be reporting on the rising criticism of the Bush administration's conduct on the war in Iraq. Criticism from retired generals. Among my guests tonight, one of those critics - and most severe critics, General Anthony Zinni a former commander of Central Command.
Also tonight, the illegal alien lobby is planning protests around the country, and some want to cripple the U.S. economy for a day. I will be talking with a leading congressional supporter of amnesty for illegal aliens. He is Congressman Luis Gutierrez.
We will have also, a special report on what is being called a do nothing Congress. A Congress that is simply ignoring what has become an outright war on this country's middle class. We hope you join us for all of that and a great deal more at the top of the hour here on CNN. Back tow, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, we'll be watching. Lou Dobbs in about 20 minute at the top of the hour.
Still to come here, did a New Jersey man die because he worked at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks? We'll have details to an astounding new finding.
And he'll soon be the warrior prince. Britain's Prince Harry graduates from his elite military academy. His next possible military assignment may surprise you.
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COLLINS: Another 9/11 death, almost five years after that terrible, dark day. An autopsy says the death this past January of a 34-year-old New York City police officer is, quote, "directly related to the terror attacks." CNN's Mary Snow is live for us in New York now with the story. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's the first known case of an autopsy officially linking a death to the cleanup work at Ground Zero. And the officer's family says it's proof of what they expected all along. A New Jersey coroner concluded that Officer James Zadroga died of respiratory failure due to a history of exposure to toxic fumes and dust.
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SNOW (voice-over): Is the toxic cloud that engulfed Ground Zero following the September 11th attacks now claiming victims? A coroner confirms police officer James Zadroga's lung failure and subsequent death in January was linked to the officer's 400-plus hours of work at Ground Zero. Quote, "It is felt with a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the cause of death in this case was directly related to the 9/11 incident."
Dr. Jacqueline Moline was not involved with the autopsy but is tracking 9/11 related health problems.
DR. JACQUELINE MOLINE, WTC MEDICAL MONITORING PROGRAM: In some very susceptible individuals, they may develop this profound scarring of the lungs that can actually lead to respiratory failure.
SNOW: Zadroga's family is going public because they want Zadroga's death to be classified as dying in the line of duty. So four-year-old daughter Tyler Ann can get his full pension benefits. Tyler's mother died two years ago. The NYPD tells CNN it is evaluating the proposal. Zadroga's family acknowledges officers were aware of the risks of working at Ground Zero.
JOSEPH ZADROGA, FATHER OF DECEASED OFFICER: They all knew that it was detrimental to their health. You had to be a fool not to realize that. They knew that, yet they still stayed there and worked.
SNOW: Officers who worked alongside Zadroga at Ground Zero joined his family at a press conference. They said this official cause of death raises questions about their own illnesses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Detective Ernest Vilavona (ph). I have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Detective Al Shuey (ph), I have multiple myeloma.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have lung disease.
SNOW: Doctors say the mystery remains why some are reporting problems and others are not.
MOLINE: It's individual susceptibilities. In the same way that we know that smoking causes lung damage and cancer, but not all smokers get lung damage or cancer.
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SNOW (on camera): Now, just a short time ago, we received a statement from the city in response to the concerns raised about health problems, saying it should be noted that "there is no scientific evidence showing an increase in cancer rates among uniformed services personnel or other persons who worked at the World Trade Center or that links cancer to work done at the site."
The city also saying it did everything reasonably possible to protect the health and safety of first responders who took part in recovery and rescue efforts. Heidi?
COLLINS: But Mary, what are the health problems that are being reported?
SNOW: I talked to the doctor who has been monitoring them. She says she's seen about 12,000 people that are reporting things like asthma, sinus problems, also acid reflux, also a growing number of psychological problems being reported.
COLLINS: All right, Mary, thank you for that.
And we want to let you know, there's a new development in the Moussaoui case. We want to get the latest from our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton. Abbi, what do you have?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Heidi, we've been looking at the U.S. District Court site all day for new postings there. This has just been posted up there. Now that the prosecution has rested, the defense is next. This is the special verdict form the jurors are going to be considering.
Looking through 37 pages, containing the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case. Jurors are going to be answering questions of whether the actions of Moussaoui intended to cause, for example, the deaths of 343 members of the New York City Fire Department. This just posted on the U.S. District Court Web site. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, so people can check it out for themselves. Abbi Tatton, thank you. And we are following two other developing stories. Fredricka Whitfield is joining us with details on that and other stories. Hi, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, Heidi. In Ohio, who shot Michael Bailey. A manhunt is under way for the person who shot an African American activist outside Cincinnati city hall. Bailey had just finished speaking before the Cincinnati city council when he was shot.
Cameras were rolling at the council meeting during the shooting, and it caught many people's reactions on tape. Officials say Michael Bailey, who goes by the name Kabaka Oba, is hospitalized for multiple gunshot wounds. Police say the shooting does not appear to be a random incident.
The Pakistani military says it killed a number of suspected militants in a raid today near the Afghan border. The statement says the raid, using helicopter gun ships targeted what is believed to be a terrorist compound that was attacked. U.S. intelligence sources in Washington say it's too early to know if any so called big fish are involved.
In Britain, Prince Harry officially is in the army right now. He graduated today from the elite Sandhurst Military Academy marching proudly in front of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. After 40 weeks of training, the 21-year-old Harry may soon wind up in a less than royal setting. He is eligible for service in Iraq or Afghanistan. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, Fredricka Whitfield, thank you.
Up ahead, we're closing in on the tax filing deadline, and then tax freedom day, depending on what state you're in. It could come a little earlier or a little later. And, you, in a fax friendlier state. We'll tell you about that.
And, later, actor Tom Cruise. He's been waging a war against psychiatric medication. Now, he's declaring victory. Stick around. That's in our last hour at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
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COLLINS: And time now for our Ali Velshi with the "Bottom Line." Hi, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: The "Bottom Line," Heidi is you're no better off than I am. Because you spend about a third of the year working for the man to pay the taxes. April 26th is Tax Freedom Day on average, but for you and me because you live here in New York like I do, it actually comes a little later.
New York is the second highest tax payable state. When you take into account federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, property taxes, all those kinds of things, Maine, New York, in fact a bunch of northeastern states are higher than most places in the country.
Also, taxes are due on Monday, not Saturday, obviously, because it's a weekend. Oil was a little lower today. Closing the day at $68.62 a barrel. The markets had a nice day the Dow, Heidi, gained 40 points to close at about 11,129. And over on the NASDAQ, a four-point gain to 2314. Do your taxes, and keep working.
COLLINS: Yes, and I have to point out, I just work in New York. I'm actually a Jersey girl now.
VELSHI: Well then you are better off. You are better off. Can I use your address?
COLLINS: Sure that would be legal. Thanks, Ali. Up next a call for action to take on Iran's growing nuclear capability. Our Jack Cafferty is back, and he wants to know what you think. Should the UN take the lead on Iran or should the U.S. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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COLLINS: One last chance to check in with Jack Cafferty and all those emails. Hey, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Heidi. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says it's time for the United Nations to take action against Iran and its nuclear program. The question, we asked, is, "Should the UN take the lead on this Iran thing or should the United States?"
Nick in New York writes, "The United Nations should definitely take the lead on Iran. After all, they were doing a pretty good job with their weapons inspectors of containing Saddam Hussein. Until the Bush gang took charge. Look where we are today."
Jeremiah in California, "The U.S. should take action first. We've already proven we can spread liberty and have success in Iraq. Besides, if we strike preemptively without going through the United Nations, we can avoid any mix ups about intelligence failures like we're seeing today. The idea to use nuclear weapons is cost effective and then we can keep all our troops policing the sectarian violence in Iraq. Let's go for it."
B. in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. "Come on, Cafferty, we control the world, not the UN. Is that not what Bush claims over and over again? I say let the UN handle it. If Iran attacks or harms anyone in a militaristic sense then we level them and the rest of the Arab world once and for all. Let's thrown down and finish this thing. Winner takes all."
Gail writes in Brea, California. "We've already made enough mess in the world. Give someone else a chance."
And Mike in Oregon may have something here. "This problem won't be solved by the UN or the U.S. until the people of all the countries, ours more than most, realize that religion is the problem. It will continue until the Big Bang. We were all born agnostic and we should abolish the violence of religion" -- Heidi.
CAFFERTY: All right. Jack Cafferty. Thank you very much and we will see you back here at 7:00 p.m..
Meanwhile, we are here every weekday afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern and we're back, as I said, on the air at 7:00 p.m. Eastern just an hour from now.
Until then, I'm Heidi Collins, everybody, in THE SITUATION ROOM and "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now -- Lou.
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