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The Situation Room
Outspoken Cleric Speaks Out on Hatred for United States; Lebanon Hands out Cash to Help Lebanese Civilians Rebuild; Did John Mark Karr Kill JonBenet Ramsey?
Aired August 18, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you tonight's top stories.
Happening now, it's 2:00 a.m. in Lebanon as Hezbollah hands out cash to help Lebanese civilians rebuild, President Bush is on the defensive over the outcome of the war and prospects for keeping the peace.
And as truck bombs take a toll in Iraq the FBI tries to help troops prepare by making vehicle bombs of its own. Our Kelli Arena sets one off.
Also secret writings and gruesome details that police say only a killer should know. It's 5:00 p.m. in Boulder, Colorado. Do investigators have enough clues though to close the JonBenet Ramsey case?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
President Bush today dug in his heels over his Domestic Surveillance Program taking sharp exception to a federal judge's ruling that it's illegal and unconstitutional. He was also on the defensive over Lebanon where Lebanese troops are trying to keep the lid on violence while waiting for help from other countries as Hezbollah rebuilds its image by helping Lebanese rebuild.
Let's go live to our White House correspondent Ed Henry -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the president wanted to focus on domestic politics today, but instead he faced a flurry of questions about some global hot spots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): President Bush huddled at Camp David with his top economic advisors to tout one of the few bright spots in his agenda.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The foundation of our economy is solid and strong.
HENRY: But the president was quickly defending himself on a host of foreign policy fronts including his earlier pronouncement that Hezbollah had suffered a major defeat with the terror group now still intact and helping to rebuild southern Lebanon.
BUSH: First reaction, of course, of Hezbollah and its supporters is to declare victory. I guess I would have done the same thing if I were them. Hezbollah is a force of instability.
HENRY: The president is also facing heat about whether he has solutions for the escalating violence in Iraq.
(SOUNDS)
HENRY: And new concerns North Korea is planning an underground test of a nuclear weapon.
BUSH: If North Korea were to conduct a test, it's just a constant reminder for people in the neighborhood in particular that North Korea poses a threat, and we expect there to be -- we expect our friends and those sitting around the table with us to act in such a manner as to help rid the world of the threat.
HENRY: Asked about a federal judge's ruling that his warrantless Domestic Surveillance Program is unconstitutional, the president said he's confident the decision will be overturned on appeal.
BUSH: You might remember last week working with the great -- with the people in Great Britain we disrupted a plot. This country of ours is at war. And we must give those who are -- whose responsibility it is to protect the United States the tools necessary to protect this country in a time of war.
HENRY: Democrats pounced on the court ruling as a sign the president is suddenly vulnerable on what has been his strength, execution of the war on terror. While the ruling is a slap at the president in the short term, Republicans are confident that in November it will show voters they're the party that's tough on terror.
BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Do we want to give the government the opportunity to listen to calls, to intercept calls between Americans and people overseas who are suspected of terrorism? I mean I just think this is -- whatever the polls say and the polls I think when people understand will be slam-dunk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: That's why Republicans believe this plays right into Karl Rove's play book, focus on the war on terror, that won the 2002 and 2004 elections -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry, thank you. The fighting may have stopped but they're not finished burying the dead in Lebanon. And as the Lebanese army looks for international help in keeping the peace, Hezbollah is giving help to Lebanese civilians. Let's turn to our Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, day five of the cease-fire and southern Lebanon remains quiet, but there are reports from security forces here in Lebanon that at least one Israeli helicopter drew antiaircraft artillery and rocket fire from Hezbollah fighters in the Bekaa Valley. In the south of the country Lebanese troops are now gearing up for a new phase of duty in the formal war zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (INAUDIBLE)
SADLER (voice-over): Finally Lebanese army troops reach the country's southern border with Israel, soldiers are showered with rice, and it seems of joy. But the force rising to 15,000 at full strength would not be here at all without Hezbollah's approval. The army should have deployed here six years ago when Israeli occupation troops withdrew from the zone. But Hezbollah filled the void then amassing men and munitions that fought Israel to a debatable draw.
Now, the army gets a second chance to secure the border under the shadow of a still armed Hezbollah that's melted away. An equal number of United Nations troops are supposed to deploy, but that's taking longer than is expected because of Hezbollah's invisible but still armed presence in the south. Lead nations like France want clearer rules of engagement to protect peacekeepers and Israel seems likely to reject troops offered from Islamic countries that don't recognize the Jewish state.
As questions linger over delays at the U.N., Lebanese continue to bury their dead from 34 days of war. This is a mass funeral for victims of an Israeli attack on the village of Qana in south Lebanon. At least a dozen of the victims were children taking shelter in a building that collapsed under Israeli fire, an assault that sparked outrage and world condemnation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER: The Security Council cease-fire resolution expects the joint Lebanese U.N. force to keep the piece and disarm Hezbollah in the crucial border zone where recent history shows that uneasy peace can suddenly turn to war -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brent Sadler in Beirut, thank you. Now to a story on the war on terror, a story that may shock you, it comes to us from London and it's about a convert to Islam who doesn't hide his adoration for Osama bin Laden and his hatred of the United States. CNN's Dan Rivers sat down for this eye-opening interview with Abu Abdullah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was your reaction, for example, on September the 11th?
ABU ABDULLAH, BRITISH RESIDENT: (INAUDIBLE) because America deserved a punch in the nose. You know, as...
RIVERS: Three thousand people died that day. ABDULLAH: Three thousand people was like a drop in the ocean compared to the millions of Muslims that have been killed.
RIVERS (voice-over): Abu Abdullah calls himself a cleric, but his extremist views may be repugnant to the vast majority of Muslims, in fact anyone who believes in God. One of the most outspoken Muslims in Britain, he's an associate of convicted terrorist Abu (INAUDIBLE). He's serving seven years in prison for inciting racial hatred and soliciting murder and he's wanted in the United States for trying to establish terror camps in Oregon. But (INAUDIBLE) friend Abu Abdullah is still free despite expressing views that comes very close to inciting and glorifying terrorism, but he hasn't been charged with any crimes.
ABDULLAH: (INAUDIBLE) Osama bin Laden and (INAUDIBLE) I love these people dearly for the sake of Allah. I couldn't express how much I love these people.
RIVERS (on camera): You love Osama bin Laden.
ABDULLAH: I love him more than myself.
RIVERS (voice-over): Abdullah tries to use the Koran to justify terror.
ABDULLAH: The Muslims have the -- obviously want to take up arms against the West. It's their Islamic right to do so. Islam is a peaceful religion, but at the same time Islam is allowed to defend itself.
RIVERS (on camera): It's allowed to defend itself you say. Is it allowed to attack the West?
ABDULLAH: Absolutely. If this person is killed by the West, then we have our rights to take it out on the West, those -- mainly the army, the British or the American army, government buildings, where they legislate from.
RIVERS: So it's fair game.
ABDULLAH: Well absolutely, of course it's fair game for the Muslim.
RIVERS: So Tony Blair is a legitimate target? George Bush...
ABDULLAH: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes.
RIVERS: Do you that America and Britain will be subjected to further attacks?
ABDULLAH: It should be.
RIVERS: A lot of people will be horrified by what you're saying, that they think that you are bringing nothing but chaos and death and destruction and misery.
ABDULLAH: Well I'm not here to please the West or to please people's understandings. My people are being killed. (INAUDIBLE) the world in many, many countries...
RIVERS: That doesn't justify killing other people.
ABDULLAH: It does justify -- of course it justifies it. When's it going to stop? You people need to know we're not going to take it anymore. You want to know why Muslims in this country are understanding what they understand. They're sick of the West. They're sick of the (INAUDIBLE). I owe this country nothing.
RIVERS (voice-over): And this from a man born and brought up in the United Kingdom who only converted to Islam later in life.
(on camera): But do you think God really wants Muslims to go out and kill innocent people...
ABDULLAH: God doesn't instruct Muslims to go out and kill innocent people.
RIVERS: Well that's what you're advocating.
ABDULLAH: God -- no, no, that's what you're saying. That's the terminology you're using and the words...
RIVERS: Well let's clarify it...
ABDULLAH: We call it self-defense. The difference between me and you is faith. The difference between me and you (INAUDIBLE) evil. The difference between me and you I live for the sake of God and you live for the sake of the devil.
RIVERS (voice-over): Dan Rivers, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: This requires Jack Cafferty to weigh in. I hope you watched Abu Abdullah a little bit, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. No, I did. I -- you know, if he hates the West so much how come he lives in Britain? Why doesn't he go live in one of those other places where they have all that sand?
The midterm elections only about two and a half months away now -- pardon me -- and it's not too soon to start thinking about an October surprise. This is a term that dates back to the 1980 presidential race when Democrats allege that Ronald Reagan and the Republicans were sabotaging efforts by President Carter to win release of the U.S. hostages in Iran. Of course, he'd been trying to get them out for 444 days, and had had absolutely no success.
Since then it's come to mean any significant news event close enough to the elections that it could influence the results. So what could surprise us this time around? How about the capture and or death of Osama bin Laden or a significant drop in gasoline prices? How about the troops coming home from Iraq or another foiled terrorist plot? Here's the question then. If there's an October surprise, what do you think it will be? E-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you. Jack Cafferty in New York. And if you want a sneak preview, by the way, of Jack's questions plus an early read on the day's political news and what's ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, sign up for our daily e-mail alert. Just go to CNN.com/SituationRoom.
Coming up, he claims to have killed JonBenet Ramsey, but there are holes in the story. We're taking a hard look at the confession and the case. That's coming up next.
Plus, our Kelli Arena has her finger on the button. She'll literally blow up a truck to show you the explosive situations U.S. troops often find themselves in, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And Wal-Mart's lobbyist Andrew Young has a few choice words about Jews, Arabs, and Koreans. Find out what happened next.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: One man is serving time for killing a 12-year-old girl; the other confesses he's involved in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey. Do they have any ties though to each other? In the Ramsey case police hope a rash of new twists will finally help solve the mystery of who murdered the 6-year-old beauty contestant.
Brian Todd is standing by. He'll have a report in a moment. Let's go to Boulder, Colorado first. CNN's Tom Foreman with the latest from there -- Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the latest here is they're still waiting on when this man is going to be brought in from Thailand. They don't really know yet, and they're looking at all the twists and turns here. Some of the former people who are involved in investigating this case say they're really concerned now that something that seemed so promising 48 hours ago may now be a dead-end and in fact may ultimately hurt the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice over): His words alarming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an innocent man? Are you an innocent man?
JOHN MARK KARR, SUSPECT: No.
FOREMAN: But John Mark Karr isn't the first to link himself to JonBenet Ramsey's murder. Ramsey attorney Lin Wood tells CNN JonBenet Ramsey's father John has received e- mail confessions in the past. So what makes authorities so keen on John Mark Karr? A U.S. law enforcement source tells CNN Karr offered graphic and gruesome physical details about the condition of JonBenet's body, details, this source says, would be known only to the medical examiner and investigators. Still, there are loose ends.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?
KARR: Her death was -- was an accident.
FOREMAN: Take that statement you just heard. All along, law enforcement sources say evidence from the crime scene shows the death was not accidental. And in Thailand, authorities are now backing away from what they said were Karr's claims that he drugged JonBenet before the murder.
CNN reported yesterday that JonBenet's autopsy concluded JonBenet was not drugged. This is what the Thai authorities are saying about the matter now, something that U.S. law enforcement authorities have yet to confirm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard from my people that he said that he had sex with her, the girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about drugging her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About drugging her and my officer asked how come you had sex with the girl 6 years old? He said at that time it was just a blur.
FOREMAN: As for the one piece of evidence that may prove conclusive, The Associated Press reports Karr was given a DNA mouth swab in Bangkok and will receive another test when Karr arrives in the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: And again it's not clear when that will be. Another interesting note, authorities were looking into the possibility that Karr communicated with the man who killed Polly Klaas out in California. They searched this man's cell today. Found no evidence connecting him to JonBenet, but nonetheless Karr's interest in these other crimes remains an interest here because people are saying that may establish whether or not he was actually involved or if he's simply a man who obsesses about these types of crimes and has let himself to say things that perhaps are not true. No proof either way right now, but that's what people are looking into -- Wolf.
BLITZER: But what do authorities there -- investigators there say in Boulder where you are, Tom, about the fact that his ex-wife insists that he was in Alabama, not in Colorado on the day of the murder?
FOREMAN: Well, some of the people who know this case best, the investigators who are right up on the case are not talking. They've said all along they don't want to talk about this. But the people who know this case best say look, this is very troubling because when something gets this much publicity and you raise the possibility that he could be the guy and then you have a woman like this who has reason to dislike him, as her attorney says, she does, has no reason to protect him, when she's saying he was with me on Christmas Day, they're saying that's a very damning thing to the idea that he could have been involved because people don't generally forget if somebody's gone on Christmas Day -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Tom Foreman, thanks very much. Tom is in Boulder.
And in another development in the case today, police are studying what they call a critical clue left by the suspect when he was a teenager. Let's bring in Brian Todd. He's watching this part of the story -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it could hardly have seemed more obscure and harmless at the time, a yearbook entry written nearly a quarter century ago by John Mark Karr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice over): Twenty-four years later, four words that seem innocuous in a high school yearbook now seem eerie. 1982, John Mark Karr is in 11th grade. At the end of an entry in a classmate's yearbook obtained by CNN, he writes the phrase, "Maybe I shall be the conqueror."
The first letters of those last four words, S-B-T-C, the same as the sign-off on the ransom note found in JonBenet Ramsey's home at the time of her death in 1996, 14 years after the yearbook entry. We looked at that with John Hargett, who once ran the document section of the U.S. Secret Service.
JOHN HARGETT, FMR. SECRET SERVICE AGENT: I find it to be an interesting coincidence, that that notation appears on a document from the 1980's. And there is an S-B-T-C appearing on the letters that were involved in this matter addressed to Mr. Ramsey.
TODD: But on pure handwriting comparison and analysis Hargett says, don't jump to any conclusions.
HARGETT: Quite frankly, based upon this I see no similarity really between the S-B-T-C appearing on the document from the 1980's and the one appearing on the letter.
TODD: Next, we asked Hargett to compare the ransom letter with Karr's recent application for employment at a school in Thailand, also obtained by CNN. When placing the application, written in all capital letters, next to the Ramsey ransom note, Hargett and other experts agree.
HARGETT: Quite frankly, you just can't really compare, can't really make a meaningful comparison between capital letters and lower case letters.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TODD: The ransom note shows another inconsistency with Karr's admission. On it, the demand "you will withdraw $118,000 from your account". That's the exact amount of money John Ramsey received in a company bonus before his daughter was killed. Experts have longed believed the only people who could have known that were those close, very close to the Ramsey family. John Ramsey says he does not know John Mark Karr -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, lots of holes to this story. We'll continue to watch it. Thanks very much Brian Todd.
And still to come tonight here in THE SITUATION ROOM, confession versus science. Police turn to DNA to try to get to the bottom line in this Ramsey case. And we're going to take you inside a lab, a demolition demonstration, our Kelli Arena blows up a truck to show us what U.S. troops often have to face in war.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Check in with Zain Verjee for a quick look at some other important stories making news. Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. Searchers are looking for dozens of people missing after yesterday's deadly eruption of a volcano in Ecuador. It killed at one person. Experts expect the mountain to blow again. Thrill seekers and sightseers have been warned to stay away from this. At least a dozen villages on its Western slopes were destroyed or seriously damaged. The volcano is about 80 miles from Peto (ph), the capital city.
In his first interview since taking the reigns of power in Cuba, Raul Castro says his older brother is recovering slowly. Castro told Cuba state-run newspaper that when his brother Fidel turned control over to him, he, Raul, mobilized tens of thousands of troops to prepare for U.S. aggression. Cuba's acting president says his country is open to normalized relations with the U.S., but warns against threats or any pressure.
A National Guard spokesman says that two Louisiana guardsmen deployed to keep order in New Orleans have been charged with armed robbery. The two men confessed to removing money from the wallets of two motorists during a traffic stop last week. Sergeant Caleb Wells (ph) and Specialist Juneus Buchanan (ph) were part of a force sent to New Orleans in June to help local police with crime -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain thanks very much. An important programming note for our viewers, Zain, by the way, is going to be filling in for John Roberts this weekend "THIS WEEK AT WAR" hosted by Zain Verjee. She'll take a closer look at the Middle East conflict, the war on terror, what's happening in Iraq, Saturday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, replayed Sunday afternoon, 1:00 p.m. Eastern right after "LATE EDITION".
And just ahead, a DNA sample from a decade ago. Can it help investigators close the JonBenet Ramsey case? And blowing up truck bombs, as a learning experience, can the FBI help troops stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening now, he says he was involved, but it will likely take science to prove or disprove it, John Mark Karr, the man who's confessed to being there when JonBenet Ramsey was killed. We'll take a closer look at how DNA analysis may prove his guilt or innocence.
Also, a demolition demonstration, our Kelli Arena has her finger on the button. She'll show us how she blows up a truck in order to show U.S. troops how to save themselves during a time of war.
And from Camp David, Maryland, President Bush responds to reports that North Korea may test a nuclear bomb.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Tonight we're getting closer to learning if the DNA sample found in JonBenet Ramsey's murder scene matches the sample taken from suspect John Mark Karr. We want to take a closer look at how the match would be determined. CNN's Randi Kaye is joining us from New York with more on this important part of the story. Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, DNA matching is considered the gold standard of forensic science. The whole process actually only takes about two to four days. It begins with a sample from a crime scene, in this case blood from JonBenet Ramsey's underwear and a sample from the suspect, which is reportedly a cheek swab, taken from John Karr. We went to the lab at John Jay College in New York City today where Dr. Lawrence Koblinsky took us through the steps of how a match is determined.
First a sample is identified, using an ultraviolet light. A glow under the light indicates some type of bodily fluid. That sample is then cut and put into a tube with a special fluid which is then heated up to 94 degrees. The heat isolates the DNA and separates it out. Then another machine is used to determine how big the DNA sample is. And then that sample is multiplied. It's amazing to see one DNA sample turned into billions of samples.
Once that's done the final profile is loaded into what's called a genetic analyzer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: How does it work?
DR. LAWRENCE KOBLINSKY, JOHN JAY COLLEGE: There's a very thin capillary here and the samples are obtained from vials in this box. They're sucked into this needle, travel through the capillary, are detected with a special camera, a laser beam hits the specimens and the software does the rest.
KAYE: And then you get a snapshot, basically, of the profile.
KOBLINSKY: Precisely.
KAYE: Sends it to the computer.
KOBLINSKY: Correct.
KAYE: And then you can see what the profile actually looks like and if they match the case is over.
KOBLINSKY: Then case is closed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: The snapshot that's sent to the computer shows peeks and valleys from both the evidence and the suspect, and if they match, the peeks and valleys on both suspects profile and the profile of DNA found at the scene would look identical. If they don't the suspect in the case is clear. Now each person has a DNA profile unique to him or her, so it has to be an exact match. Doctor Koblinsky told me today if John Karr's DNA matches that from the murder scene, there is a 1 in more than 3 trillion chance that someone other than Karr committed the crime.
Wolf, that's how reliable this DNA matching is.
BLITZER: Did he say how long it takes to make the match once they have both samples?
KAYE: It's actually pretty quick. Once it spits it out to that computer screen you can see the peeks and valleys. Then you do the print out. I mean, you know right away from the sample whether or not. The whole process could take up to two to four days, but you know right away if the match is there.
BLITZER: All right Randi, thanks very much.
And joining us now on the phone to talk a little bit more about this case is Norm Early. He's a former district attorney in Denver. Thanks very much Norm for doing this. I know you've studied this case for ten years like a lot of other experts out in Colorado. What's your take on this so called confession by this guy?
NORM EARLY, FORMER DENVER DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Wolf, I think it's really hard to say that this confession is something that's going to incriminate him to the extent that it alone would allow him to be either charged or convicted in this case.
First of all, one of the Thai officials who took a lot of the comments from him really is backing up from a lot of things that he said earlier.
Secondly, those things that he did say, that we know he said, that he loved JonBenet and that it was an accident, we know those to be untrue. I don't even think he ever met JonBenet, certainly didn't know JonBenet, and this was no accident by any means. We have a situation where the young lady had her head bashed in and then a garrote (ph) was fashioned to choke her out. This is by no means an accident.
I think what happened here is that there was a leak to the media that this guy was a suspect and may well be arrested in the case and as a result of that the district attorney's office felt that they had to do something, they could have issued a news release, but what they did in a sense was call a press conference and the press conference didn't issue a lot of information because there wasn't a lot of information they could give. It was premature. But I think it was a good idea that the arrest was made because you don't want a guy of this nature dealing with second graders on a regular basis as their teacher, and that's the situation that was occurring in Thailand.
Plus there was a chance that he could flee. So now they will have a chance with him in custody to get all their eggs in a row, to get all their ducks in a row, excuse me, all the i's dotted, all the t's crossed, and hopefully, for those who believe that he's the perpetrator, come up with either DNA or handwriting exemplars. Without either DNA or handwriting, in this case, there will be no conviction. There cannot possibly be a conviction in this case just based upon these statements alone.
BLITZER: And his ex-wife, Norm, insists that she remembers vividly he was with her on Christmas day in Alabama. Clearly if he was in Alabama, he was nowhere near Boulder, Colorado. What do you make of that?
EARLY: Well, I think it's important for any prosecutor who gets that kind of an alibi from a loved one or friend to check it out. Just because she said that was the case doesn't make it the case. I think you call her, she could confirm it, she could, you know, swear on a stack of bibles, and I have no reason to refute it, I have no reason to disbelieve it, but as a prosecutor, if this person is indeed my chief suspect, I'm going to look into that story very, very carefully before I accede to the fact that he was in fact in Alabama on that day.
BLITZER: How unusual is it in your experience, Norm, for someone to confess to a crime, a crime that he or she had absolutely nothing to do with? Just goes ahead and confesses to a crime? How extraordinary is that?
EARLY: That is not extraordinary at all, Wolf. There are many people who confess to crimes for attention. There are people who confess to crimes because they're in some way mentally impaired. They do it on a fairly consistent basis. And when you have one of these big cases, one of the things that the police are always on the lookout for are people who are copy cats, individuals who will adopt the pattern of the crime for themselves and say that they were involved in it. This guy studied this case intricately. He knew it inside and out. He was obsessed with this case. And it's that same kind of situation that could create a circumstance where a person is confessing to something that they in fact did not do. BLITZER: The "Rocky Mountain News," Norm, today, published what it said was one of the e-mails that he sent this professor from the University of Colorado, Michael Tracy, who was here in THE SITUATION ROOM with us yesterday at this time. In this e-mail Karr allegedly writes this, he says "sometimes little girls are closer to me than with their parents or any other person in their lives. When I refer to myself as JenBenet's closest, maybe now you understand." Just wrap it up for us, coming out of that e-mail.
EARLY: This man clearly has some illusions, maybe delusions, about young ladies, and this one in particular. He may well be a pervert. That does not mean that he committed this particular crime. And it's awfully strange that Michael Tracy, who is an apologist, as well as an advocate for the Ramsey family, to be the one who was so deeply involved in this and who's pointing the finger at this man. Many people back here, because they know that Michael Tracy has been trying to shop a book, another movie, are very suspicious of how he is the person who is pointing the finger at this man after four years of communicating with him via e-mail, finally saying this is the suspect and then all of the sudden here you have the leak that caused the situation that we saw in Bangkok, Thailand the last couple of days.
BLITZER: Norm Early is a former DA in Denver. Norm, thanks very much for coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.
And up ahead tonight when an insurgent's bomb blows up in place like Baghdad, what's it like for the U.S. troops who have to investigate what happened? Kelli Arena is going to show us.
And former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young makes some undiplomatic and down right inflammatory comments about Jews, Koreans and Arabs. The fallout ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In our CNN "Security Watch," a story you're going to see only here on CNN. A demonstration meant to simulate the dangerous situations U.S. troops regularly encounter in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena has more -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan improve their bomb making capabilities, members of the U.S. military and law enforcement are trying to keep up.
Now, one of the ways that they're doing that is to train in as real a setting as possible, that's before they head to the battlefield.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ARENA: In Iraq and Afghanistan, lethal truck bombs are a constant threat. When they explode, U.S. troops are forced to become crime scene investigators, a role few are prepared for. The FBI is trying to change that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a record breaker, guys. This maybe the biggest crime scene we've ever had.
ARENA: At the FBI's large vehicle bomb school, bomb technician Kevin Miles oversees the construction of a 4,000 pound truck bomb.
Another 400 pounds is loaded into this smaller vehicle to recreate a real life scenario experienced by U.S. troops in Baghdad in which a suicide bomber attacks those who have responded to the first blast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, four, we're going fire in the hole. Shot one. Fire in the hole shot one!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Push it!
ARENA: The second explosion also goes off without a hitch.
The next day, students are brought in to try to figure out what happened.
(on camera): Debris from these explosions scattered almost 4,000 feet, creating a 374-acre crime scene. With only 45 students investigating the bombings, instructors here think that maybe they gave them a little more than they could handle.
(voice-over): An advanced team does a preliminary search of evidence. And all are keenly aware of the clock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Afghanistan and Iraq, if you get an hour you're lucky. I've seen it where you only had it 15, maybe 20 minutes on the ground due to the area may not be secure.
ARENA: This Navy lieutenant commander expects to be redeployed soon, and for security reasons, doesn't want his name used.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I've got a (INAUDIBLE) number.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An engine number?
ARENA: Team photographs and flag pieces of potential evidence and swab a vehicle caught in the crossfire for explosive residue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any indicator of any type of initiation device, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. They might have it up over on that end, then, hopefully.
ARENA: They eventually find most of what they're looking for, including batteries and a telephone key pad they determine was used to trigger the second bomb.
Robert Pursley, a 27-year law enforcement veteran, says the training is invaluable, in part because he expects terrorism to make its way back to U.S. soil.
ROBERT PURSLEY, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We've had our incidents here already, that's an indicator. And that's why we're doing this training.
ARENA: Kevin Miles said more than 400 people signed up to take the course. To keep up with the enemy, he's constantly modifying his classes but not his message.
KEVIN MILES, FBI BOMB TECHNICIAN: The evidence is out there. And if they know where to look for it, they'll find it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Wolf, by the end of this mock investigation, the students recovered less than half of the evidence from the largest, most damaging blast. But they were still able to piece together the main details of how it was done.
BLITZER: Kelli Arena, thank you very much. Kelli reporting for us. And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Up ahead, the former mayor of Atlanta, Andrew Young, makes a public apology for comments about Jews, Arabs and Koreans. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Why would a man who has dedicated most of his life to civil rights make some very insensitive remarks about others? The man is the former Atlanta mayor, Andrew Young. Our Mary Snow is in New York with an explanation of what's going on -- Mary.
MARY SNOW: Well Wolf, Andrew Young says he's sorry, he calls his comments about immigrant store owners completely and utterly inappropriate. He's resigned from his job as a lobbyist for Wal-Mart, but it hasn't stopped the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): On the Reverend Al Sharpton's call-in radio show.
REV. AL SHARPTON, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You, me, and this new controversy in Andrew Young.
SNOW: The hot topic among callers, comments by Andrew Young.
One-time aid to the Reverend Martin Luther King, former U.N. Ambassador, former Atlanta Mayor. In a "Los Angeles Sentinel" interview Young defended Wal-Mart's practice of driving mom and pop stores out of business saying, quote, "you see those are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and retired to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communicates enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans, and now it's Arabs. Very few black folks own these stores."
NIDAL IBRAHIM, EXEC. DIR. ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: Having some knowledge of his relationship to Dr. Martin Luther King and his efforts in fighting bigotry, it was surprising and disappointing that he would make those comments.
SNOW: Groups representing Jewish and Asian-American communities condemned the remarks, but commended Young for apologizing. In a statement, Young said, quote, "those comments run contrary to everything I have dedicated my life to. I apologize for those comments. I retract those comments." Repeated attempts by CNN to contact Young were unsuccessful. Wal-Mart also declined an interview, but quickly distanced itself from the man it hired in February to boost its image.
In a statement it said, quote, "we were outraged when the comments came to our attention."
Not everyone was outraged. Among the predominantly black listeners to Reverend Sharpton's radio show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a problem with what he said. I have a problem with his apology.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Andrew Young spoke the clear truth.
SNOW: Sharpton called Young's statements unfortunate and said he was trying to reach him for explanations.
SHARPTON: I was surprised, as he used to warn us about how things can be taken, and can feed the very fires that you're trying not to inflame.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now Sharpton said there are problems among small businesses in black communities but it shouldn't be broken down by ethnicity -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary, thank you very much. Mary Snow in New York.
It's been a tough week for politicians in hot water for making controversial racial comments. And the Internet is adding fuel to the fire. Tramm Hudson, the Republican frontrunner, hoping to succeed Katherine Harris in Florida's 13th congressional district, is facing some criticism. Abbi Tatton with details -- Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the video of a speech that Hudson made was from February. But yesterday, that's less than three weeks before the Republican primary, a portion of it showed up online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRAMM HUDSON (R), FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I grew up in Alabama, I understand -- I know this from my own experience that blacks are not the greatest swimmers or may not even know how to swim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TATTON: If you missed that, Hudson said blacks are not the greatest swimmers. He made these comments when recounting a story about rescuing a black soldier. This video was posted to the conservative Web site Red State. Hudson quickly offered his deepest apologies saying quote, "I said something stupid." Now, the video is circulating online along with some questions about the timing of its release. A spokesman for Hudson suggested that their primary opponent's campaign was behind the release. A spokesman for that opponent by the name -- the opponent being Vern Buchanan, a spokesman for Buchanan saying that their campaign did record that speech when it was made back in February, but they deny putting it online -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Abbi, for that. Jack Cafferty is in New York watching all of this unfold -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: I hope they'd all lose. I just hope they all lose.
The question is if there's an October surprise, what do you think it might be?
Mark in New Jersey: "There can only be one surprise for October. We've probably had troops guarding the entrance to bin Laden's cave, so he can be yanked out at the most opportune moment. I don't believe for a minute we can't find him. If I didn't pay $10 in taxes, they'd find me in a heartbeat."
Ed in Chicago: "Without any doubt, we'll have another major foiled terrorist plot, probably similar to the one we just had in the U.K. Have you noticed that after all the hoopla about that one, nobody has been charged with a crime?"
Sharon writes from Idaho: "If there's any way possible, these lunatics will bomb Iran."
Jay in Oregon: "Terror, terror and more terror. The other guys are weak on terror. We are stopping terrorist plots. If you don't vote the right way, terrorists will strike. Maybe, just maybe, there will be some domestic issues, like gay terrorists who want to get married in order to destroy democracy and freedom."
You can tell it's Friday.
Mohammed in Oregon: "October surprise? Jack Cafferty will say something positive about the current administration."
Francene in San Diego: "You're getting your own daily program."
And Craig in Tampa, Florida: "Hell will freeze over, all third party candidates win by a landslide, my dog will go outside to do her business, gas prices will drop to $0.29 a gallon, millions of illegals will go back to Mexico and build a wall to keep us out of their country, since all the jobs are down there now. And my wife will have sex with me. Gee, I can't wait for October." If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile and read more of them online. And I thank you for making my Friday night.
BLITZER: Thank you, Jack. And to our viewers, don't forget Jack has a weekend show, "IN THE MONEY." It airs Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, replayed Sunday 3:00 p.m. Eastern, Jack Cafferty's program, "IN THE MONEY."
Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Carol Costello filling in for Paula. Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm still recovering from that last e-mail. That was crazy. Thank you, Wolf. At the top of the hour, we'll go in depth in all of the bizarre twists of our top story, the JonBenet Ramsey killing. Even though John Mark Karr has confessed to being involved in her killing, there are plenty of other famous cases where confessions turned out to be false. A top story panel weighs in on how you can tell if someone's telling the truth. All of that at the top of the hour, Wolf.
BLITZER: We'll be watching. Thanks, Carol -- Carol Costello filling in for Paula. When we come back, Jeanne Moos on thin-lipped politics, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: As we just saw, no politician wants to be loose lipped, but when it comes to thin lips, CNN's Jeanne Moos finds that's something to talk about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lend me your lips, this is the story of a makeup company worried about Republicans being thin-skinned about thin lips.
SANDRA BERNHARD, COMEDIAN: Can you really handle it? I mean, when you think about it, can you handle these lips?
MOOS: Comedian Sandra Bernhard is always giving lip. Who better to perform a seemingly ad-libbed rant on an Internet commercial for MAC's Plush Glass lip gloss?
BERNHARD: Sexy, power pout, loud mouth.
MOOS: But apparently this was too loud mouthed.
BERNHARD: If you're some little freaked out, intimidated, frightened right wing Republican, thin lipped (BLEEP).
MOOS: Right wing Republican thin-libbed "B" word? Never mind that Republican Abe Lincoln had a nice full lower lip. Not to mention Condi. Never mind that when we asked this question...
(on camera): Who do you think has skinnier lips, Republicans or Democrats?
(voice-over): ... We kept getting this answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Republicans, by a long shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Republicans, more uptight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their lips are probably always persed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have to bite them all the time.
MOOS: On the other hand, it's not easy naming full-lipped Democrats. Let's see there's Barack Obama, there's Jimmy Carter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if Monica Lewinsky was a politician. But I've heard she's got some fat lips.
MOOS: But thin=lipped conservatives...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sean Hannity.
MOOS: ... Rolled off the lips of passers by.
(on camera): Giuliani?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has no lips.
MOOS: From Rudy to Ann Coulter to the vice president to the newly Independent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lieberman, now that's a thin-lipped guy.
MOOS: There is one plump lipped Republican who came up, Florida Senate candidate Katherine Harris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been a lot of surgical procedure there so you don't know how they started out.
MOOS: As for the Sandra Bernhard video, a spokesperson from MAC Cosmetics said "there is one sentence in the video that offended some people and that was not the intent. We immediately edited the sentence out of respect to those customers and then took the video down."
(on camera): Who do you think has thinner lips, Republicans or Democrats?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It all depends honey, on which one is the biggest liar. The biggest liar always has the thinnest lips.
BERNHARD: It's about so much, full and slushy.
MOOS: But you've still got a thin upper lip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't help it honey, it runs in the family.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Leave it to Jeanne Moos. Thanks very much. I'll be back Sunday for "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests, Senators Arlen Specter and Dianne Feinstein. "LATE EDITION" airs 11 a.m. Eastern, Sunday. Up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Carol Costello filling in for Paula -- Carol?
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