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CNN Saturday Morning News

Search for Terror Masterminds; White House Response; "Moment of Zen" on the Mall; Interview with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano

Aired October 30, 2010 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour here now. Good morning to you all.

The search is still on this morning for suspicious packages in synagogues in Chicago and around the country are on alert after two packages bound for Chicago from Yemen were found to contain explosive materials. We're going to get the very latest as I talk here live with the Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano coming up in just minutes.

Also, they are taking their shows on the road. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, they are on the National Mall today and so are we.

It's 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, as well as in Washington, D.C. Also, 6:00 in the morning -- I won't say where the time is anywhere else because that's just a beautiful shot of D.C. this morning, expected to have some pretty weather for those rallies that rare taking place today. And a lot of people are expected to turn out.

But wherever you maybe this morning -- good morning to you all. October 30th. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be right here with me.

Now, we're going to get you updated on this breaking news story you saw so much of yesterday.

All right. Here we are now, the day after. What do you need to know?

You need to know that this thing has now spanned three continents over two suspicious packages and it's all has to do with one, that's being called one credible terror threat. This all came about, of course, after these two suspicious packages were found. And now, explosives were believed or now we're being told are a part of these packages.

They came from Yemen and were headed to Chicago. But they were stopped in London and Dubai. Again, both were found to have explosives on them. Now, these were discovered on two suspicious packages, along with wire, some white powder, also, a circuit board from a disassembled cell phone.

A source is telling us that now that they believe these explosives, the explosive compound found was very likely PETN. That may not mean much to you to hear PETN. But this will sound familiar -- that is the same explosive compound that was found on the Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to detonate his underwear when he was flying into Detroit that last Christmas. So, the same compound was found.

Now, the packages were allegedly postmarked at two Chicago area synagogues. Security scare isn't over yet because many more packages, as many as a dozen or more could still be out there. U.S. officials believe al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen, is behind this terror plot.

We turn to our Ed Henry with the breakdown of how the White House responded to this threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a swift response, starting at 10:35 p.m. Thursday night when the president's homeland security adviser, John Brennan, started briefing him about two suspicious packages bound for synagogues in Chicago. At the president's direction, Brennan worked straight through the night, holding at least seven conference calls and meetings with no less than a dozen federal agencies from 11:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Brennan also dialed up officials from Britain where one of the packages was found. And Yemen, where the packages originated, and it's the home base of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the afternoon, the White House released an official photo of the president being briefed by Brennan and others, and then sent Mr. Obama out to the cameras, to reveal the most important detail of all.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Initial examination of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material.

HENRY: The flurry of activity, a sharp contrast to last December, during the president's vacation in Hawaii. On Christmas Day, underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet bound for Detroit. Mr. Obama waited three days before publicly commenting on Abdulmutallab, who also had ties to al Qaeda from the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen.

White House aides denied the swift response this time had anything to do with politics and trying to project strength just days before that big midterm election.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think it's largely put to rest, any speculation that may be out there after the testing the president talked about that showed apparent explosives in the devices. As John said, counterterrorism officials at all levels of our government quickly went into action in order to take the steps necessary to protect the American people.

HENRY: Instead, the motivating factor for all of the action, senior officials say, is the fact there may be up to 13 more suspicious packages still in the system -- packages they are desperately trying to run down.

(on camera): In an interesting twist, the president has an aggressive weekend campaign schedule to try and get out the vote for Tuesday's critical midterm election. And two of the cities he's visiting on Saturday, Chicago and Philadelphia, were under a high state of alert on Friday. But White House officials say he has no plans to change that travel schedule and he doesn't want the American people to change their plans either.

Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And again, coming up in just minutes, we are going to get the very latest on this security scare from the Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She will join us here live and take our questions about what we saw yesterday and what this means for the investigation going forward.

I want to turn back to politics now, the politics of a couple comedians. Huge rally is taking place in Washington, D.C. today, but we're not talking political parties or politicians. We bring in our Kate Bolduan who got this assignment this morning.

I know they're starting to -- Kate, we are trying to figure this out. Are we supposed to take these things seriously? Is there a serious message? Or is it just entertainment? What is this?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I promise you it's not because I haven't done my job and actually done some journalistic reporting and trying to figure this out. No one really knows what to expect. And to be honest, I have a guess that that's what Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert kind of want. It's a little bit of the draw.

But as you mentioned there, I should say that these were two rallies and then they merged. The name is kind of a moving target as well. They call it, generally, the Rally to Restore Sanity. They added that it could be called the rally to restore sanity and/or fear.

Either way, what the rally is calling for, we know from its Web site, it's calling on people who, quote, "think shouting is annoying, counterproductive and terrible for your throat." That's according to the rally's Web site. But it's obviously getting lot of attention not just from the media, but from the very politically minded fans of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert shows that the restoring sanity part is certainly a lofty goal this election season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEIDI THOMAS, SOCCER MOM AND STEWART FAN: We have real patriots can handle a difference in opinion. We have Obama, probably not trying to destroy America.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Heidi Thomas is frustrated. She's watched the anger that seems to dominate this year's heated political races and tunes into "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" to cool down.

THOMAS: I watch it every night and I go to bed in a better mood because I felt like I wasn't going insane.

JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: A real gathering!

BOLDUAN: When Stewart announced the Rally to Restore Sanity on the Washington Mall, this self-proclaimed soccer mom from Virginia gathered a van full of friends and made plans to attend.

THOMAS: It would be a fun day and light-thinking people are going down there and rallying for some sanity.

BOLDUAN: Stewart's rally has certainly grabbed headlines. Many asking: could the man making a living off mocking politicians actually be stepping into political activism? No one is quite sure what to expect.

STEWART: We're only here, though, until 6:00 because we have a sitter.

BOLDUAN: And the comedian/media critic/pop culture icon isn't offering many specifics.

STEWART: This is for the people that are too busy, who have jobs and lives and are tired of their reflection in the media as being a divided country and a country that's ideological and conflicted and fighting.

BOLDUAN: Stewart t says the rally is not political, though it lands on the weekend before the midterm elections and seems designed as the reply to FOX News host Glenn Beck's Rally to Restore Honor.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCE: Is this going to be a fun Saturday event with a lot of laughs that we get to replay the clips on television, or is it going to be something that, while wrapped in humor, is going to make a serious political point about folks in the middle, moderates who are alienated by the extremists on both sides or by the partisan shouting on both sides?

BOLDUAN: "RELIABLE SOURCES" host Howard Kurtz says if Stewart did decide to use the bully pulpit for a cause, he risks becoming like the very figures he so cleverly pokes fun at on his show.

STEWART: But I am kind of scared of spiders.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: And talk about a warm-up act -- I don't probably have to remind you, President Obama appeared on Jon Stewart's show just this week. We will have to get out there, me included, to really find out what this whole thing is all about. Is it satire? Is it politically motivated? We'll see.

HOLMES: All right. And you are out there what, starting what time this morning? I know you're heading out.

BOLDUAN: Yes, 9:00, we're going to be heading out there. The rally starts about noon and runs until mid-afternoon. So, we'll be out there.

HOLMES: Kate, we will see you shortly and try to figure this thing out for us. Kate Bolduan for us -- always a pleasure, dear lady. Thanks so much.

We are going to turn to Bonnie Schneider here.

We have, what, another storm to worry about?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. T.J., two tropical storms in the Atlantic and it's almost the end of October, we're almost Halloween.

But look at Tropical Storm Tomas. This storm is almost a hurricane. Maximum winds have gone to 70 miles per hour. Gusts are past hurricane strength at 85.

So, this is one storm we're tracking. There's another one out there. Plus, we have your trick or treat Halloween forecast -- that's all straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING at 12 minutes past the hour.

An al Qaeda suspected bombing plot and the swift action from officials across the globe. Security experts are busy now looking for more suspicious packages from Yemen. Officials in Dubai and U.K. prevented two packages from making their way to the U.S. They were reported filled with a powerful explosive PETN and addressed to two synagogues in Chicago.

We want to get the very latest now from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who joins me live this morning.

Ma'am, thank you so much for being with us. Is it fair to say this is still an ongoing plot and do you believe there are still suspicious packages out there that we need to find?

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, it's certainly an ongoing investigation. And in addition to the two packages that we had specific information about, we have put in place enhanced protections for cargo and passengers emanating from Yemen and making sure that we identify particularly all packages that are coming from there.

HOLMES: You said you're keeping -- you stepped up some security. But, at this point, are you -- this is just an abundance of caution, or do you have information that lets you know there are some other packages out there, suspicious packages, you need to find?

NAPOLITANO: No. I think we are acting out of abundance of caution. But we know that, you know, the perpetrators of this and it has the hallmarks of al Qaeda or AQAP. You know, they constantly are trying things to test our system.

And here, what happened is you have great information sharing from the Saudis. We were immediately able to work across the globe, as you said, to get these packages segregated, being analyzed and continued to be analyzed for what was actually in them and what it -- what it could do. And meanwhile, investigative work going on for the perpetrators and at the same time, we're able, in abundance of caution, to enhance protections across the globe for cargo and passengers, particularly anything that has passed through Yemen.

HOLMES: And you are still looking at these packages now. But what can you tell us? Reportedly, this PETN, this powerful explosive, was part of these two suspicious packages. Is that the case?

NAPOLITANO: Well, it appears to be the case. How it was designed, what the detonation mechanism was intended to be -- all of those are sorts of the things that the investigators are going to have to tell us.

HOLMES: And about these devices -- and again, I know this is still early in the investigation -- but what have you been able to understand us how were they supposed to be used? They were directed or supposed to be heading to synagogues allegedly in Chicago. So, how were they supposed to work once they arrived at their destination?

NAPOLITANO: That is an unanswered question. But one of the things that happened very quickly after this plot was uncovered or thwarted, the FBI was that we were in touch -- the FBI was in touch with the intended recipients and we were able to provide information to law enforcement across the United States because we wanted to make sure in an abundance of caution that they were aware of what was going on. They were in touch with their own communities.

And this goes to the whole architecture of homeland security we're creating. It's international. It's national. It's state and local as well, and intersection with the private sector. Everybody has a role.

HOLMES: And, Ma'am, you talked about -- I heard people talk yesterday about this being a success story and the cooperation between agencies and countries. But before we got the tip from the Saudis about this, was the U.S. -- did the U.S. have this type of plot or this plot in particular on its radar, or did we just get the heads up from the Saudis?

NAPOLITANO: Well, certainly, al Qaeda, AQAP, is something that we have been looking at, investigating in a number of ways for a number of months if not years, obviously.

But, again, I think this illustrates why it's so important to be able to share information, real-time, quickly, with our friends across the globe, Saudis here, that we need to be able to act real- time quickly with other nations, that's the UAE and the U.K. who have landed the planes. We need to be able to share information quickly, not just internationally but across our country. And we need to be able quickly to put in place different roles and past roles designed to deal with a particular threat when it comes to light. And that's what we've been able to do as well.

HOLMES: But, again there, Ma'am, it sounds like the U.S. was only made aware of this when the Saudis told us about it. So, was this not really a plot that the U.S., necessarily, through our own intelligence, was actually starting to piece together on our own? And thank goodness for the Saudis, but it sounds like they were the reason that we got this heads up, and not our own intelligence.

NAPOLITANO: Well, we certainly got the heads up from the Saudis. I don't want to go into other intelligence. That would be inappropriate.

But, you know, I don't play the "what if" game, or what if the Saudis hadn't told us. The plain fact to the matter is, is that we share information. We share information like this across the globe.

The ability to ship cargo, the ability for passengers to travel safely is a global issue and all countries of the world need to be involved here. That's why, for example, the United Nations, just a few weeks ago, issued a very strong declaration on increasing aviation security. That was part of what happens in the wake of what almost occurred on Christmas.

So, we know aviation continues to be a target. We know the system continues to be looked at by our adversaries. That's why we put in place protections for passengers, for cargo, and we put in place additional protections for cargo emanating from Yemen now.

HOLMES: Well, last couple of things here, Ma'am, and probably one of the most important questions for our viewers and Americans and passengers -- we have been talking about this plot having to do with cargo and these were cargo planes.

But what should passengers who are in the airports right now watching, who are heading to the airport as well, what do they need to know? Do they need to be concerned? And do they need to be aware that things might look a little different for them at the airport this weekend and going forward?

NAPOLITANO: Well, first of all, passengers themselves are part of our security system. And it is people who are alert and watching for suspicious packages, things left alone, suspicious behavior, indicators that seem awry, and let authorities know so that that can be looked at and investigated. We call it "see something, say something."

HOLMES: Yes.

NAPOLITANO: And every passenger in every airport can play a role here.

HOLMES: But do they need to be aware of anything stepped up, longer lines, longer security checks, having to do with their own bags and cargo that goes aboard some of those passenger planes?

NAPOLITANO: Well, we certainly have put in place enhanced security for passengers as well as cargo. It will vary airport to airport. Again, we don't want to give our adversaries predictability. It's one of their tools.

And so, you'll see different things in different places. And sometimes you won't see anything at all because what we're doing is -- won't be visible to a passenger. But that's why we have installed and/or installing enhanced technology in our reports to make sure that we get explosives that don't contain metallic materials in them. That's why you may see more use of canine teams, explosives trace detection equipment at the gate. You know, those sorts of things are designed to make sure our passengers remain safe.

HOLMES: And last question here, Ma'am, I know it's almost -- it's just a Herculean task and almost impossible to try to check every bit of cargo that's coming from outside the country into the country, try to put as many protections in place as possible, I know the government is not going to be too specific about just how much cargo is scanned, but will this start now another debate and do you think it's necessary to make sure that every single bit of cargo coming into this country gets a thorough screening?

NAPOLITANO: Well, I think where screening is concerned, there really is no silver bullet. And so, you have to really look at -- do you get the value-added on security when you do something like that. We believe that risk-based screening makes sense. That's what we've been doing and we'll continue to do. We'll continue to look at ways to enhance that on the cargo side.

But it's these partnerships around the globe and around our country that really make a difference and really help create a system, a security -- a homeland security system that maximizes our ability to detect and thwart plots.

HOLMES: All right. Secretary Napolitano, I know you, guys, are working some long hours, working on stuff literally. But we appreciate you taking time out with us here this morning. Thank you so much for your time. You enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

NAPOLITANO: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right. Twenty-two minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Quick break, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHNEIDER: Well, you are looking at a beautiful New York City morning out there, the Statue of Liberty. I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

Some great weather out there on the Hudson River. But what's watch out, we are watching some not so great weather, hitting the Leeward and Windward islands. I'm talking about Tropical Storm Tomas.

Now, I know it's late in the tropical season, but we have a very active storm system that's bearing down on these islands. And the problem is, as we look at the track, we've got new information for you. The track will take the storm very close to Haiti and develop it into a major hurricane. This is going to be well into November that we are monitoring this storm.

So, right now, Tomas is still a tropical storm but it is expected to intensify to hurricane-strength within the next day and then grow as it goes over to warmer waters of the Caribbean. Beyond that, it's still too far to say. Notice the wide cone of uncertainty. We are monitoring it here in the CNN weather center.

We'll have more on Tomas, plus your trick-or-treat forecast coming up in just a little bit on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HOLMES: All right, Bonnie. We appreciate.

And we'll be back with more of your top stories and more live news on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

But right now, after a break, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins.