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CNN Live Sunday

Haitian Rebel Leaders Welcome U.S. Peacekeepers; Search Continues For Survivors In Oil Tanker Explosion; Terrorism Still No. 1 Threat To U.S. National Security

Aired February 29, 2004 - 16:00   ET

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

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


KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Out with the old, in with the new, Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns amid intense pressure. Now Haiti's new leader pleads for calm. We go live to Haiti as U.S. Marines prepare to land on the ground.
And they've had their final debate, now the countdown is on. Ten states, four candidates. Who will come out on top on super Tuesday?

Hello and welcome to CNN Sunday. I'm Kelli Arena. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

The U.S. has reportedly struck a deal with Pakistan to let American troops hunt for Osama bin Laden there this spring. The "New Yorker" says it's payback to Washington for tolerating Pakistan's pardon of a scientist who leaked nuclear arms secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Washington today is honoring more than 400 Americans who died fighting the first Gulf War. The White House Commission on Remembrance, the government of Kuwait, and the group No Greater Love held a 13th annual air mown at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Coast Guard is searching desperately for 18 crew members missing in frigid waters since yesterday's tanker explosion off the coast of Virginia. The vessel was carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol when it blew up and sank. Three crew members are confirmed dead, and there are six known survivors.

Gay and lesbian activists are pressuring New York City to follow San Francisco's lead in licensing same-sex marriage. Marriage Equality New York held a news conference on the steps of city hall today 37. The group wants Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city council to allow the licenses.

Stunning developments in Haiti. President Bush has ordered U.S. marines there. The chief justice at Haiti's Supreme Court is now in charge of the country. Embattled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has stepped down and fled. And the U.N. Security Council meets in a couple hours to talk about it all.

Our Lucia Newman joins us by videophone from Port-au-Prince with the latest on the crisis.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via videophone): Kelli, right now the calm, there's slightly more calm in this capital, but this morning when the news of the president's departure hits the streets, there was chaos. Armed supporters of the president took to the streets killing people, setting barricades on fire. There was so much pandemonium that the new president, the interim president called on his citizens to respect the laws of civilization. The laws that allow people to live, he said.

He had calm, but so far, as you have mentioned, United States peacekeepers are coming in to help restore that. And in fact, I can tell you that a short while ago the rebel insurgents who dominate, or control more than half of the country came out of their sleeper cells here -- CNN saw about 30 of them, very, very heavily armed. The were pelting the police they say were in troubled areas. They burst into some homes, they apparently are looking for armed Aristide supporters, Kelli.

In the meantime, at least a dozen former members of the government here, Aristide's cabinet ministers have taken up political asylum in the neighboring Dominican Republic we are told -- Kelli.

ARENA: Lucia, we heard earlier from rebel leader, Guy Phillippe, who told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the rebel forces welcome the international forces, as you just said as well. Do you have any indication that those rebel forces can pose any problem whatsoever to those marines once they hit the ground?

NEWMAN: Well, there are two sorts of armed groups in this country at this moment, we have the rebel insurgents, members of the former military and paramilitary, former members of Haiti's dismembered army, and they are here and they are saying that they are welcoming the marines to help restore order. That they want to work with the international community, that they want to work with Democracy. Remember, these are the same people, however, or some of them, at least, that the United States sent in 20,000 troops a decade ago to try to get rid of them so President Aristide could return from exile.

So it's still to be seen just how they will be able to work hand in hand with the international, with the multi-national, rather, peacekeeping force, but so far they're sounding very cooperative. What we don't know is what Aristide supporters, who are also armed, how they'll react to the what they may see as foreign intervention, Kelli.

ARENA: Lucia Newman, live from Haiti thanks very much.

U.S. Marines are on the way. They should arrive in Port-au- Prince tonight to help lie the groundwork for a multi-national force. President Bush ordered the deployment today, but some critics say it is too little, too late. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is here with the details -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORREPSONDENT: Well Kelli, senior administration officials are telling us that these U.S. troops will arrive in Haiti sometime later today, really, within hours. Really a stunning development over the last 24 hour or so. The administration saying that it could be as many as 600 marines who were sent there.

Essentially what they are going to be charged to do is to secure key facilities to make way for an international peacekeeping force, and the administration is very sensitive to the perception that it may be invading that country. Officials saying they have been invited, that they are welcomed here, and that this is something that is inevitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Aristide resigned. He has left his country. The constitution of Haiti is working. There is an intertrim president, as per the constitution, in place. I have ordered the deployment of marines as the leading element of an interim international force to help bring order and stability to Haiti. I have done so in working with the international community. This government believes it is essential that Haiti have a hopeful future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, U.S. official says, here's thousand happened. It was a deal brokered overnight. Secretary of State Colin Powell literally spending all night on the telephone with cabinet members as well as his counterparts in Canada, France and various Caribbean nations to bring this together. We are told that Aristide essentially capitulated and agreed that he wanted U.S. help to get out of the country. We're also told that President Bush signed the executive order to send those troops in late last night.

Now, what we have heard so far, Guy Phillippe, one of the rebels, told CNN that, yes, he welcomes U.S. forces, that he is putting down his arms and will cooperate. But, of course, Kelli, as you know, all eyes really on the Bush administration already forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and, of course, now Haiti is the latest hot political button.

ARENA: Suzanne, is there any indication at all -- obviously -- the U.S. forces are the first contingent in this international force. Any word on when we might see some other troops coming in from other countries?

MALVEAUX: We've already heard reports about Canadians who are at the airport in Port-au-Princes to try to secure that and open up the waves, the airwaves, rather, for flights to come in. Also we've heard about the French, that they're involved as well.

No surprise, the administration has been involved with talks with both of those nation. And we also understand that the Caribbean countries as well will contribute in some way.

ARENA: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House. Thank you.

Well, more on Haiti later this hour. I'll be talking about the situation with Representative Maxine Waters, who just got back from Haiti. And we'll be joined by Representative Mark Foley of Florida, home of the nation's largest Haitian communities.

Super Tuesday is less than 40 hours away, a day that could make or break senator John Edwards campaign. Ten states have primaries or caucuses Tuesday. More than 1,100 delegates are at stake.

Edwards is in second place. And Senator John Kerry has three times more delegates, but with Howard Dean out of the race, Edwards hopes to boost his chances by tapping into Dean's outside the Beltway populism.

With so much at stake, Senator Edwards known for southern charm, was a little less than gentile during a debate in New York today. He was critical of front-runner John Kerry on issues including trade and deficit spending. Kelly Wallace reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was not pretty. The Democratic presidential candidates tangling more with the questioners than with each other. With the Reverend Al Sharpton charging the New York City debate was turning into a Kerry/Edwards forum.

REV. AL SHARPTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've only had -- he's won one primary. He's come in fourth seven times. What you're trying to do is try to decide for the voters how we going forward. The voters need to hear this morning from four candidates or...

WALLACE: And that was just the beginning. It was a more forceful John Edwards than we saw in Thursday's debate on CNN. This time, he quickly pounced on John Kerry, and his proposal for a 120-day review of all trade agreements.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you're going to say to a family that's lost their job, because of bad trade agreements, is don't worry, we got a Washington committee studying this for you.

WALLACE: The Democratic front-runner who overalled seemed more subdued than the last face-off took this opportunity to fire back.

JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John Edwards has been in the Senate for five years. He's talked more in the last five weeks about trade than he has in the entire five years.

WALLACE: This was, perhaps the Senator from North Carolina's last chance to change the dynamics before Tuesday's ten presidential contests. So he kept after his rival and Kerry kept responding.

EDWARDS: My question is, do you believe we're going to change this country out of Washington, D.C.?

KERRY: Yes. Because that's where the Congress of the United States is and that's where 1600 Pennsylvania avenue is.

WALLACE: The Massachusetts Senator touted his experience, but questioners asked, is he likable enough to beat President Bush?

KERRY: Give me a living room, give me a barn, give me a VFW Hall, give me a one on one and I think I can talk to anybody in this country.

EDWARDS: I don't think this is a personality contest. I think what people are looking for in a president is somebody who when they hear them speak, speaks their language.

WALLACE (on camera): The question now is, did this debate change any minds? John Edwards, trailing in the polls in the super Tuesday states, had the most to the gain. John Kerry, so far out in front, had the most to lose. Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Well CNN is the place to be this super Tuesday. Our special coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Count on us to bring you the winners and live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in.

As the Democrats head into a climactic week, their Republican rival schedule is shifting into high gear. President Bush will crisscross the country over the next week. He'll head to the west coast and Texas for fundraising events. And on Thursday, look for the president's re-election television ads to start hitting the airwaves.

So, which state will be the next big battleground? And does President Bush have a political achilles heel? Coming up at the half hour, Mark Barabak of "The Los Angeles Times" and Joe Hallett of "The Columbus Dispatch" will share their insights about super Tuesday and all of the candidates.

Still to come on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, a relative of the Mississippi family that vanished without a trace is facing charges. We'll have a live report from Taylorsville.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano at the U.S. Coast Guard Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, where officials are coordinating search efforts for 18 missing men after a deadly tanker explosion off the coast of Virginia. I'll have the latest coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: Authorities in Mississippi say they filed drug and firearms charges against the cousin of a family of three missing for more than two weeks. And they expect to bring more charges against Earnest Hargon. Let's turn to CNN's Mike Brooks in Taylorsville, Mississippi. Mike, what you got? MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kelli. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced charges had been filed against Earnest Lee Hargon. As you said, he is the cousin of Michael Hargon, who along with his wife Rebecca and their 4-year-old son James Patrick have been missing since February 14.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN STRAIN, MS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFTEY SPOKESMAN: This point, Earnest Lee Hargon harks been charged with possession of methamphetamine, while also in possession of a firearm. This is what in Mississippi is known as an enhanced charge with holds on him by Yazoo County.

At this point, the whereabouts of the Hargon family are still unknown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKS: Now, Kelli, these are holding charges. Law enforcement has had him detained for 48 hours and they have now charged him with these, but they say right now they are holding charges. They are expecting to charge him with additional felonies tomorrow and he's expected to make an appearance in Yazoo County, Mississippi, the home -- the same county from where the Hargons disappeared.

But as we speak, the search continues on a 160 acres that are owned by Earnest Lee and his wife Lisa in hopes in finding additional clues that could lead them to find out exactly where the Hargon family is -- Kelli.

ARENA: Mike, have they come up with any evidence as all to suggest that the Hargon family is there? That their bodies may be there? Anything?

OK, obviously we're having some audio...

BROOKS: Kelli, I believe we've having some kind of -- probably with my IFB.

ARENA: All right. Let's move on.

The Coast Guard plans to search through tomorrow for 18 missing people after their tanker exploded off of Chincoteague, Virginia. A spokeswoman says the longer the search goes on the less likely they'll find anyone else alive. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports from Portsmouth.

QUIJANO: You couldn't see the whites of their eyes, that is how Coast Guard workers described, not only the blackness, but also the survivors bodies which were covered in oil. That was the scene about 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia, where a tanker carrying 3 million gallons of highly flammable ethanol, 200,000 gallons of fuel oil and 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel exploded Saturday night.

Now, officials confirm three crew members were killed, 18 others are missing. There were six survivors. Rescuers spotted them after one of the six poked his head out of a life raft. At that point, the helicopter pilot says he felt compelled to take action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. ERIC BADER, U.S. COAST GUARD: We couldn't sit there and watch six people die. So we did what we did. And we were fortunate that it turned out as well as it did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: All six survivors were Filipino crewmen. The rescue swimmer who pulled the men to safety says they wouldn't move, and he had to grab them out of the life raft.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE FOREMAN, RESCUE SWIMMER, U.S. COAST GUARD: This is by far my hardest case.

QUESTION: Why?

FOREMAN: I haven't dealt with anything of this magnitude before. I've done a lot of little stuff, medevacs, but this took all the cases I've had before and combined them into one big case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Coast Guard officials don't know qlaet caused the Singapore flag ship to explode. It was headed from New York to Houston. At this point, that don't have anything to suggest that terrorism was involved. Now as for the environment, officials are still trying to assess what long-term impact there may be, but right now they believe that none of the chemicals will make it to the Virginia shore.

Elaine Quijano, CNN Portsmouth, Virginia.

ARENA: Elsewhere across America, authorities investigating the killings of seven women are looking for clues in ominous notes left at an Oklahoma City truck stop ministry. The notes rail against prostitution. And at least six of the victims were prostitutes. One last seen at the truck stop where the notes turned up.

In New York, prosecutors in the Martha Stewart trial will begin closing arguments tomorrow. They'll focus on the charge that the home decor expert and her stockbroker gave investigator as cover story for a 2001 stock sale.

"The Boston Globe" says Harvard is planning a privately funded multimillion dollar center to grow and study human embryonic stem cells. The White House has limited federal funding for such research. The Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups oppose it.

A new tape reportedly from Osama bin Laden's top deputy is once again threatening more attacks on the U.S.

After the break, an analyst from Harvard explains why al Qaeda is not America's only terrorist concern.

And super Tuesday: find out why Senator Edwards can't seem to chip away at Senator Kerry's lead. We'll talk with political writers from California and Ohio for some perspective.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: The war on terrorism moves back to center stage this week. The directors of the CIA and FBI testified before Congress on Tuesday and gave a frightening assessment of the possibility of new attacks against the United States.

Well new audiotape is attributed to Osama bin Laden's, Aimen al- Zawahiri, appeared again. On the tapes, more warnings are more attacks on the way with special criticism directed towards France and its controversial ban of Muslim head scarves in schools.

Joining me now to evaluate these threats is terrorism analyst Jim Walsh of Harvard university. Thanks for joining us.

JIM WALSH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Happy to be with you, Kelli.

ARENA: Jim, let's start with that tape from al-Zawahiri. We have heard tapes like this before, threats before. Is there anything about this latest audiotape that struck you?

WALSH: We just had a tape about two months ago, the end of January we had a tape -- well, I should say one month ago. And when we'd get a tape we wonder, is this going to be followed by an attack? Because in the early days, soon after 9/11, it seemed there was a relationship, a videotape was followed by an attack. But over time, that relationship has gotten weaker and weaker.

What it does tell us is al-Zawahiri is still alive. There are references in these tapes to recent events, but it's hard to know what to make of it beyond that.

ARENA: All right. Getting over to the testimony that we heard today on Capitol Hill, we all heard al Qaeda remains strong, could pull off an attack similar to the September 11 attacks, that targets could include the Capitol, the White House. Still, a very formidable foe?

WALSH: Absolutely. Bot -- all of the intelligence officials testified that terrorism is the No. 1 threat to the U.S. national security. Coming in number third was proliferation. Coming in sort of a weak third. Then in between terrorism and the issue of proliferation was Iraq. National security threats faced by U.S. men and women in Iraq.

But terrorism continues to be No. 1. And the big news here is, al Qaeda is transforming. It's morphing into a different kind of threat. It's no longer centraly organized, it's locally organized and it seems to be spreading.

ARENA: All right. Also, obviously, whenever we hear the officials talk about the threat, they say, al Qaeda and affiliated groups. And we heard a little from a group Ansar al Suna possibly being active in Iraq. We also know Ansar al Islan is active in that region. Give me a sense of the other satellite groups that are starting to emerge?

WALSH: Well Kelli, you've put your finger right on it. This has to do with this change, this morphing of al Qaeda. In the good old days, you had terrorism and most of it was local. Local folks attacking other local targets over local causes. And then you had this thing al Qaeda, which was its own special category.

Now al Qaeda has suffered and its central leadership has suffered . Now we have little al Qaeda in Libya, in northern Iraq in Indonesia and in elsewhere. So they're smaller, which is good for us, but it also means that that ideologist is spreading, and that's bad for us.

ARENA: Jim, some news today, published in the "New Yorker" magazine that Pakistan will allow U.S. forces into that country to hunt for Osama bin Laden. How significant is that?

WALSH: Well, we certainly see a steady stream of reports that suggests there are more aggressive actions going to be taken in Afghanistan. Why? One of the reasons is the weather will get better. and if you're going to get bin Laden you get him when it's springtime, early summer, not winter.

There also seems to be about renewed commitment on the part of President Musharraf in Pakistan. Some argued because he finally sees al Qaeda as a threat. He has suffered at least two assassinations attempts and worries he may be not as lucky the third time. So, some people are suggesting he's decided okay, I'm going to burn the bridge, pay the cost that has to be paid and I'm going in and attack al Qaeda and these frontier areas.

Even with renewed commitment, it's going to be difficult, though. There's a reason why they're called frontier areas. There is very little rule of law. So, it will be a tough job, I think.

ARENA: All right. Jim Walsh, Harvard university, thanks very much for joining us.

WALSH: Thank you, Kelli.

ARENA: Haitian rebels celebrate as U.S. Marines are deployed to the Caribbean nation, but could the resignation of a Democratically elected president spell trouble for haiti's future? We'll speak with two U.S. present representatives.

Plus, construction of Israel's west bank security wall hits a hurdle in the Israeli Supreme Court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Continues For Survivors In Oil Tanker Explosion; Terrorism Still No. 1 Threat To U.S. National Security>


Aired February 29, 2004 - 16:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Out with the old, in with the new, Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns amid intense pressure. Now Haiti's new leader pleads for calm. We go live to Haiti as U.S. Marines prepare to land on the ground.
And they've had their final debate, now the countdown is on. Ten states, four candidates. Who will come out on top on super Tuesday?

Hello and welcome to CNN Sunday. I'm Kelli Arena. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

The U.S. has reportedly struck a deal with Pakistan to let American troops hunt for Osama bin Laden there this spring. The "New Yorker" says it's payback to Washington for tolerating Pakistan's pardon of a scientist who leaked nuclear arms secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Washington today is honoring more than 400 Americans who died fighting the first Gulf War. The White House Commission on Remembrance, the government of Kuwait, and the group No Greater Love held a 13th annual air mown at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Coast Guard is searching desperately for 18 crew members missing in frigid waters since yesterday's tanker explosion off the coast of Virginia. The vessel was carrying 3.5 million gallons of ethanol when it blew up and sank. Three crew members are confirmed dead, and there are six known survivors.

Gay and lesbian activists are pressuring New York City to follow San Francisco's lead in licensing same-sex marriage. Marriage Equality New York held a news conference on the steps of city hall today 37. The group wants Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city council to allow the licenses.

Stunning developments in Haiti. President Bush has ordered U.S. marines there. The chief justice at Haiti's Supreme Court is now in charge of the country. Embattled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has stepped down and fled. And the U.N. Security Council meets in a couple hours to talk about it all.

Our Lucia Newman joins us by videophone from Port-au-Prince with the latest on the crisis.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via videophone): Kelli, right now the calm, there's slightly more calm in this capital, but this morning when the news of the president's departure hits the streets, there was chaos. Armed supporters of the president took to the streets killing people, setting barricades on fire. There was so much pandemonium that the new president, the interim president called on his citizens to respect the laws of civilization. The laws that allow people to live, he said.

He had calm, but so far, as you have mentioned, United States peacekeepers are coming in to help restore that. And in fact, I can tell you that a short while ago the rebel insurgents who dominate, or control more than half of the country came out of their sleeper cells here -- CNN saw about 30 of them, very, very heavily armed. The were pelting the police they say were in troubled areas. They burst into some homes, they apparently are looking for armed Aristide supporters, Kelli.

In the meantime, at least a dozen former members of the government here, Aristide's cabinet ministers have taken up political asylum in the neighboring Dominican Republic we are told -- Kelli.

ARENA: Lucia, we heard earlier from rebel leader, Guy Phillippe, who told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the rebel forces welcome the international forces, as you just said as well. Do you have any indication that those rebel forces can pose any problem whatsoever to those marines once they hit the ground?

NEWMAN: Well, there are two sorts of armed groups in this country at this moment, we have the rebel insurgents, members of the former military and paramilitary, former members of Haiti's dismembered army, and they are here and they are saying that they are welcoming the marines to help restore order. That they want to work with the international community, that they want to work with Democracy. Remember, these are the same people, however, or some of them, at least, that the United States sent in 20,000 troops a decade ago to try to get rid of them so President Aristide could return from exile.

So it's still to be seen just how they will be able to work hand in hand with the international, with the multi-national, rather, peacekeeping force, but so far they're sounding very cooperative. What we don't know is what Aristide supporters, who are also armed, how they'll react to the what they may see as foreign intervention, Kelli.

ARENA: Lucia Newman, live from Haiti thanks very much.

U.S. Marines are on the way. They should arrive in Port-au- Prince tonight to help lie the groundwork for a multi-national force. President Bush ordered the deployment today, but some critics say it is too little, too late. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is here with the details -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORREPSONDENT: Well Kelli, senior administration officials are telling us that these U.S. troops will arrive in Haiti sometime later today, really, within hours. Really a stunning development over the last 24 hour or so. The administration saying that it could be as many as 600 marines who were sent there.

Essentially what they are going to be charged to do is to secure key facilities to make way for an international peacekeeping force, and the administration is very sensitive to the perception that it may be invading that country. Officials saying they have been invited, that they are welcomed here, and that this is something that is inevitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Aristide resigned. He has left his country. The constitution of Haiti is working. There is an intertrim president, as per the constitution, in place. I have ordered the deployment of marines as the leading element of an interim international force to help bring order and stability to Haiti. I have done so in working with the international community. This government believes it is essential that Haiti have a hopeful future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, U.S. official says, here's thousand happened. It was a deal brokered overnight. Secretary of State Colin Powell literally spending all night on the telephone with cabinet members as well as his counterparts in Canada, France and various Caribbean nations to bring this together. We are told that Aristide essentially capitulated and agreed that he wanted U.S. help to get out of the country. We're also told that President Bush signed the executive order to send those troops in late last night.

Now, what we have heard so far, Guy Phillippe, one of the rebels, told CNN that, yes, he welcomes U.S. forces, that he is putting down his arms and will cooperate. But, of course, Kelli, as you know, all eyes really on the Bush administration already forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and, of course, now Haiti is the latest hot political button.

ARENA: Suzanne, is there any indication at all -- obviously -- the U.S. forces are the first contingent in this international force. Any word on when we might see some other troops coming in from other countries?

MALVEAUX: We've already heard reports about Canadians who are at the airport in Port-au-Princes to try to secure that and open up the waves, the airwaves, rather, for flights to come in. Also we've heard about the French, that they're involved as well.

No surprise, the administration has been involved with talks with both of those nation. And we also understand that the Caribbean countries as well will contribute in some way.

ARENA: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House. Thank you.

Well, more on Haiti later this hour. I'll be talking about the situation with Representative Maxine Waters, who just got back from Haiti. And we'll be joined by Representative Mark Foley of Florida, home of the nation's largest Haitian communities.

Super Tuesday is less than 40 hours away, a day that could make or break senator John Edwards campaign. Ten states have primaries or caucuses Tuesday. More than 1,100 delegates are at stake.

Edwards is in second place. And Senator John Kerry has three times more delegates, but with Howard Dean out of the race, Edwards hopes to boost his chances by tapping into Dean's outside the Beltway populism.

With so much at stake, Senator Edwards known for southern charm, was a little less than gentile during a debate in New York today. He was critical of front-runner John Kerry on issues including trade and deficit spending. Kelly Wallace reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was not pretty. The Democratic presidential candidates tangling more with the questioners than with each other. With the Reverend Al Sharpton charging the New York City debate was turning into a Kerry/Edwards forum.

REV. AL SHARPTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've only had -- he's won one primary. He's come in fourth seven times. What you're trying to do is try to decide for the voters how we going forward. The voters need to hear this morning from four candidates or...

WALLACE: And that was just the beginning. It was a more forceful John Edwards than we saw in Thursday's debate on CNN. This time, he quickly pounced on John Kerry, and his proposal for a 120-day review of all trade agreements.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What you're going to say to a family that's lost their job, because of bad trade agreements, is don't worry, we got a Washington committee studying this for you.

WALLACE: The Democratic front-runner who overalled seemed more subdued than the last face-off took this opportunity to fire back.

JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John Edwards has been in the Senate for five years. He's talked more in the last five weeks about trade than he has in the entire five years.

WALLACE: This was, perhaps the Senator from North Carolina's last chance to change the dynamics before Tuesday's ten presidential contests. So he kept after his rival and Kerry kept responding.

EDWARDS: My question is, do you believe we're going to change this country out of Washington, D.C.?

KERRY: Yes. Because that's where the Congress of the United States is and that's where 1600 Pennsylvania avenue is.

WALLACE: The Massachusetts Senator touted his experience, but questioners asked, is he likable enough to beat President Bush?

KERRY: Give me a living room, give me a barn, give me a VFW Hall, give me a one on one and I think I can talk to anybody in this country.

EDWARDS: I don't think this is a personality contest. I think what people are looking for in a president is somebody who when they hear them speak, speaks their language.

WALLACE (on camera): The question now is, did this debate change any minds? John Edwards, trailing in the polls in the super Tuesday states, had the most to the gain. John Kerry, so far out in front, had the most to lose. Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Well CNN is the place to be this super Tuesday. Our special coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Count on us to bring you the winners and live campaign updates as the results begin to roll in.

As the Democrats head into a climactic week, their Republican rival schedule is shifting into high gear. President Bush will crisscross the country over the next week. He'll head to the west coast and Texas for fundraising events. And on Thursday, look for the president's re-election television ads to start hitting the airwaves.

So, which state will be the next big battleground? And does President Bush have a political achilles heel? Coming up at the half hour, Mark Barabak of "The Los Angeles Times" and Joe Hallett of "The Columbus Dispatch" will share their insights about super Tuesday and all of the candidates.

Still to come on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, a relative of the Mississippi family that vanished without a trace is facing charges. We'll have a live report from Taylorsville.

Plus...

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ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano at the U.S. Coast Guard Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, where officials are coordinating search efforts for 18 missing men after a deadly tanker explosion off the coast of Virginia. I'll have the latest coming up.

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ARENA: Authorities in Mississippi say they filed drug and firearms charges against the cousin of a family of three missing for more than two weeks. And they expect to bring more charges against Earnest Hargon. Let's turn to CNN's Mike Brooks in Taylorsville, Mississippi. Mike, what you got? MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kelli. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced charges had been filed against Earnest Lee Hargon. As you said, he is the cousin of Michael Hargon, who along with his wife Rebecca and their 4-year-old son James Patrick have been missing since February 14.

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WARREN STRAIN, MS DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFTEY SPOKESMAN: This point, Earnest Lee Hargon harks been charged with possession of methamphetamine, while also in possession of a firearm. This is what in Mississippi is known as an enhanced charge with holds on him by Yazoo County.

At this point, the whereabouts of the Hargon family are still unknown.

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BROOKS: Now, Kelli, these are holding charges. Law enforcement has had him detained for 48 hours and they have now charged him with these, but they say right now they are holding charges. They are expecting to charge him with additional felonies tomorrow and he's expected to make an appearance in Yazoo County, Mississippi, the home -- the same county from where the Hargons disappeared.

But as we speak, the search continues on a 160 acres that are owned by Earnest Lee and his wife Lisa in hopes in finding additional clues that could lead them to find out exactly where the Hargon family is -- Kelli.

ARENA: Mike, have they come up with any evidence as all to suggest that the Hargon family is there? That their bodies may be there? Anything?

OK, obviously we're having some audio...

BROOKS: Kelli, I believe we've having some kind of -- probably with my IFB.

ARENA: All right. Let's move on.

The Coast Guard plans to search through tomorrow for 18 missing people after their tanker exploded off of Chincoteague, Virginia. A spokeswoman says the longer the search goes on the less likely they'll find anyone else alive. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports from Portsmouth.

QUIJANO: You couldn't see the whites of their eyes, that is how Coast Guard workers described, not only the blackness, but also the survivors bodies which were covered in oil. That was the scene about 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia, where a tanker carrying 3 million gallons of highly flammable ethanol, 200,000 gallons of fuel oil and 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel exploded Saturday night.

Now, officials confirm three crew members were killed, 18 others are missing. There were six survivors. Rescuers spotted them after one of the six poked his head out of a life raft. At that point, the helicopter pilot says he felt compelled to take action.

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LT. ERIC BADER, U.S. COAST GUARD: We couldn't sit there and watch six people die. So we did what we did. And we were fortunate that it turned out as well as it did.

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QUIJANO: All six survivors were Filipino crewmen. The rescue swimmer who pulled the men to safety says they wouldn't move, and he had to grab them out of the life raft.

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DAVE FOREMAN, RESCUE SWIMMER, U.S. COAST GUARD: This is by far my hardest case.

QUESTION: Why?

FOREMAN: I haven't dealt with anything of this magnitude before. I've done a lot of little stuff, medevacs, but this took all the cases I've had before and combined them into one big case.

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QUIJANO: Coast Guard officials don't know qlaet caused the Singapore flag ship to explode. It was headed from New York to Houston. At this point, that don't have anything to suggest that terrorism was involved. Now as for the environment, officials are still trying to assess what long-term impact there may be, but right now they believe that none of the chemicals will make it to the Virginia shore.

Elaine Quijano, CNN Portsmouth, Virginia.

ARENA: Elsewhere across America, authorities investigating the killings of seven women are looking for clues in ominous notes left at an Oklahoma City truck stop ministry. The notes rail against prostitution. And at least six of the victims were prostitutes. One last seen at the truck stop where the notes turned up.

In New York, prosecutors in the Martha Stewart trial will begin closing arguments tomorrow. They'll focus on the charge that the home decor expert and her stockbroker gave investigator as cover story for a 2001 stock sale.

"The Boston Globe" says Harvard is planning a privately funded multimillion dollar center to grow and study human embryonic stem cells. The White House has limited federal funding for such research. The Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups oppose it.

A new tape reportedly from Osama bin Laden's top deputy is once again threatening more attacks on the U.S.

After the break, an analyst from Harvard explains why al Qaeda is not America's only terrorist concern.

And super Tuesday: find out why Senator Edwards can't seem to chip away at Senator Kerry's lead. We'll talk with political writers from California and Ohio for some perspective.

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ARENA: The war on terrorism moves back to center stage this week. The directors of the CIA and FBI testified before Congress on Tuesday and gave a frightening assessment of the possibility of new attacks against the United States.

Well new audiotape is attributed to Osama bin Laden's, Aimen al- Zawahiri, appeared again. On the tapes, more warnings are more attacks on the way with special criticism directed towards France and its controversial ban of Muslim head scarves in schools.

Joining me now to evaluate these threats is terrorism analyst Jim Walsh of Harvard university. Thanks for joining us.

JIM WALSH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Happy to be with you, Kelli.

ARENA: Jim, let's start with that tape from al-Zawahiri. We have heard tapes like this before, threats before. Is there anything about this latest audiotape that struck you?

WALSH: We just had a tape about two months ago, the end of January we had a tape -- well, I should say one month ago. And when we'd get a tape we wonder, is this going to be followed by an attack? Because in the early days, soon after 9/11, it seemed there was a relationship, a videotape was followed by an attack. But over time, that relationship has gotten weaker and weaker.

What it does tell us is al-Zawahiri is still alive. There are references in these tapes to recent events, but it's hard to know what to make of it beyond that.

ARENA: All right. Getting over to the testimony that we heard today on Capitol Hill, we all heard al Qaeda remains strong, could pull off an attack similar to the September 11 attacks, that targets could include the Capitol, the White House. Still, a very formidable foe?

WALSH: Absolutely. Bot -- all of the intelligence officials testified that terrorism is the No. 1 threat to the U.S. national security. Coming in number third was proliferation. Coming in sort of a weak third. Then in between terrorism and the issue of proliferation was Iraq. National security threats faced by U.S. men and women in Iraq.

But terrorism continues to be No. 1. And the big news here is, al Qaeda is transforming. It's morphing into a different kind of threat. It's no longer centraly organized, it's locally organized and it seems to be spreading.

ARENA: All right. Also, obviously, whenever we hear the officials talk about the threat, they say, al Qaeda and affiliated groups. And we heard a little from a group Ansar al Suna possibly being active in Iraq. We also know Ansar al Islan is active in that region. Give me a sense of the other satellite groups that are starting to emerge?

WALSH: Well Kelli, you've put your finger right on it. This has to do with this change, this morphing of al Qaeda. In the good old days, you had terrorism and most of it was local. Local folks attacking other local targets over local causes. And then you had this thing al Qaeda, which was its own special category.

Now al Qaeda has suffered and its central leadership has suffered . Now we have little al Qaeda in Libya, in northern Iraq in Indonesia and in elsewhere. So they're smaller, which is good for us, but it also means that that ideologist is spreading, and that's bad for us.

ARENA: Jim, some news today, published in the "New Yorker" magazine that Pakistan will allow U.S. forces into that country to hunt for Osama bin Laden. How significant is that?

WALSH: Well, we certainly see a steady stream of reports that suggests there are more aggressive actions going to be taken in Afghanistan. Why? One of the reasons is the weather will get better. and if you're going to get bin Laden you get him when it's springtime, early summer, not winter.

There also seems to be about renewed commitment on the part of President Musharraf in Pakistan. Some argued because he finally sees al Qaeda as a threat. He has suffered at least two assassinations attempts and worries he may be not as lucky the third time. So, some people are suggesting he's decided okay, I'm going to burn the bridge, pay the cost that has to be paid and I'm going in and attack al Qaeda and these frontier areas.

Even with renewed commitment, it's going to be difficult, though. There's a reason why they're called frontier areas. There is very little rule of law. So, it will be a tough job, I think.

ARENA: All right. Jim Walsh, Harvard university, thanks very much for joining us.

WALSH: Thank you, Kelli.

ARENA: Haitian rebels celebrate as U.S. Marines are deployed to the Caribbean nation, but could the resignation of a Democratically elected president spell trouble for haiti's future? We'll speak with two U.S. present representatives.

Plus, construction of Israel's west bank security wall hits a hurdle in the Israeli Supreme Court.

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Continues For Survivors In Oil Tanker Explosion; Terrorism Still No. 1 Threat To U.S. National Security>