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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
No Survivors Expected in Marines Crash in Pakistan
Aired January 09, 2002 - 17:00 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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The aircraft was making its landing approach at the time of the crash.
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BLITZER: A U.S. military refueling plane goes down in Pakistan. His very identity is shrouded in mystery.
The U.S. Authorities want a certain al Qaeda leader as badly as they want Osama bin Laden himself. I'll ask former national security adviser, Samuel Berger.
Dangerous cargo, unusual destination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHMN.: Any time you have detainees who will sacrifice their life to kill you or what you stand for, I mean, that's the most dangerous type of individual you can have in your control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A new home for al Qaeda detainees.
And in California, a nuclear plant gets a terrorist scare. Law officers find hundreds of weapons and a cloud of toxic vapor.
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. I want to get right to a developing story we're following right now in Pakistan. A Marine Corps refueling plane with seven Marines on board crashed in the western part of the country. Officials say there are no initial signs of survivors. The KC-130 hit a mountain while attempting to land at Shamsi, in Pakistan.
We're following this story obviously very closely. We'll have much more on it in just a moment, but first let's get a quick check on the other latest developments in the U.S. war against terrorism.
The transfer of al Qaeda and Taliban detainees to a U.S. base in Cuba is expected to begin any day now. Pentagon officials say the prisoners may be given Valium to keep them sedated during the flight from Afghanistan. The detainees will be housed at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We'll go there shortly.
Afghanistan's interim government says the former Taliban justice minister and six other Taliban officials may have left Afghanistan. The men surrendered in Kandahar, but were released by local authorities and told to go home. U.S. military officials say they would have liked to have talked to the men first.
And the lull in violence in the Middle East was shattered today by a Palestinian attack on an Israeli army post near Gaza. Two gunmen cut through a security fence and killed four Israeli soldiers before being killed themselves. Hamas claims responsibility. Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority is condemning the attack.
More now on the crash of that U.S. Marine Corps refueling plane in western Pakistan earlier today. Seven people on board. Again, there are no initial signs of survivors. CNN military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre is covering the story. He is at the Pentagon and joins us now live -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Pentagon officials still have no explanation at this point for what might have happened, as this Marine Corps KC-130 was taking off from Jacobabad, which is in the southern part of Pakistan, heading north toward Shamsi, a small forward-operating base there.
Apparently it had some problem upon its final landing approach, and slammed into the side of a mountain. Again, no indication of any survivors. But until they get an absolute reports back from the scene, the Pentagon is not going to rule that out.
The announcement of the crash was made in Kandahar by Marine spokesman, Chris Hughes.
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MAJ. CHRIS HUGHES, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Seven U.S. Marines were aboard the aircraft. The flight originated from Jacobabad, Afghanistan, and was on a multi mission stop. The aircraft was making its landing approach at the time of the crash. Its final destination was the forward operating base at Shamsi.
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MCINTYRE: Now, the KC-130 is a modified C-130 cargo plane, that is used for in-flight refueling, for both airplanes and helicopters. It typically has a crew of six. We're told that of the seven Marines on board, six were crew members. One was considered to be a passenger. And again, there are no indications that this was a result of enemy or hostile fire. Although, until there is a complete investigation, the Pentagon is not ruling anything out -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much. And joining us now with his expertise, the CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. HE's a former fighter pilot who flew almost 250 combat missions during the Vietnam War. General, thanks for joining us. Talk to me about this KC-130.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET), U.S. AIR FORCE: Yes, way too early to figure out what took place. But the KC-130 airplane itself is a modified version of the C-130. About 2,000 of them have been deployed all over the world. Made in Marietta, by Lockheed. It's a venerable old warrior, very reliable. Very, very good safety record. If you put skis on it, you call it an LC-130. I've actually taken it to the South Pole and landed it there. If you put guns on it, you call it an AC-130. In this case, you call it a KC-130. And just the plane, C- 130, is a transport. So it's very flexible.
And any time you have military operations, anywhere in the world, and you want to establish your initial bases, this is the airplane you take in for rough fields in a hard mission.
BLITZER: And I know we got you a model. I want to show our viewers, give us some of the details, specific details, why this plane is as useful in refueling other planes and helicopters, even? A lot of people don't even know you can refuel helicopters in midair.
SHEPPERD: Indeed. Basically, what happens, in this airplane -- this is the C-130J, the latest version of the C-130. And you have pods on either wing tip. Out of these pods comes hoses with baskets on the end of the hose. And then, on the fighter aircraft or on the helicopters, they have a probe that sticks into the basket, and it sticks there and they guzzle fuel. You have 3,600 gallons in here. It pumps at about 300 gallons a minute. You can refuel four fighters in about 30 minutes on this airplane, and take them anywhere they want to go.
BLITZER: And just turn the plane to our viewers, and get a better look at it. Four engines. And this plane can land in relatively short runways.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, a 3,000-foot strip is no horse for this airplane. Again, very flexible in rough fields. This is the new six- bladed prop, higher, further, faster. They put a plug in it, and you call it the J-Dash 30. And again, it's an extremely good airplane. IT's in militaries all over the world. And the Marines are proud of it and they're buying new ones.
BLITZER: The KC-130 is basically a C-130. And during the war in the Balkans, it was those C-130s that were able to land in Sarajevo, for example, and dodge a lot of hostile fire.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, indeed. We took them in early on. Again, any time you have early combat operations, this is the transport airplane that will go in. And then once you lengthen the runway, make it better, the bigger airplanes will come in. So, basically in Sarajevo, we landed and they would get mortars thrown in the from the hills around there. You'd have to shut down and run into the bunkers, while they were mortaring it. BLITZER: What are the prospects for survivors right now?
SHEPPERD: I tell you, we always hope for the best and we fear for the worst. Any time you hear an airplane of this type crash into a mountain, it is highly unlikely that you would expect survivors. But you never know. I've seen some of the darnedest things happen in these crashes. So we're crossing our fingers.
BLITZER: They have parachutes ejection seats?
SHEPPERD: No, no ejection seats, but they do have parachutes on board. But likely when they would be used, if the airplane was at high altitude and the pilot had an emergency and he could not get it to a nearby airfield to land, he would order the crew to bail out. On the other hand, if, as reported, that it was on an approach for landing, it's very unlikely to have either parachutes on, or the altitude to use them.
BLITZER: OK, General Shepperd, thanks for joining us.
SHEPPERD: Pleasure.
BLITZER: Let's hope for the best. And for an overview of the KC-130 refueling plane, go to cnn.com's main page. You can link up to this pop-up feature. The AOL keyword of course, is CNN.
U.S. military personnel in Cuba are preparing for the arrival of al Qaeda and Taliban detainees from Afghanistan. The prisoners will be housed at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay. Our national correspondent, Bob Franken, is there. He joins us now live on the phone. Bob, give us the scene center. What's going on at Guantanamo Bay?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the military took a group of reporters on a tour of what they're setting up. They are starting with what is going to be a temporary facility, to receive the "detainees," as they prefer to call them. That will be later replaced by a total structure, a new building that's being constructed.
But the area -- the corner of Guantanamo Bay is known as Camp X- ray. People might remember that was a refugee detention center for thousands of Haitians and Cubans in the mid '90s. Now, suddenly -- and I mean suddenly, over the last two weeks -- it has been converted in a huge hurry into a massively maximum -- this is going to be a redundancy, but a most maximum security facility. They are ready to accept about 100 of the detainees. Ultimately, they will be able to receive 2,000. That will be the capacity, according to the plant.
It is an interesting set-up. We were able to see today, for instance, that the different detainees will be held in what they don't like to be called cages, they prefer to call them outdoor cells. What they are, are cages, that are surrounded by chain-link fence. As one of these top security people here said, when it rains, they will be getting wet.
There is a variety of security protection, massive security, machine guns, dogs patrolling the area, et cetera. The head of the whole operation is Marine Brigadier General Mike Leonard, who said our job is to take these guys out of the fight by locking them up. Among those who will be guarding the Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners will be some female guards, which of course will be quite jarring to some of them.
But preparations are being made and there is an expectation that soon they will be doing not drills, but the real thing -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Do you have any word on the procedures we reported earlier, Bob, that these prisoners, or detainees, when they're being flown to Guantanamo Bay, some will receive Valium to keep them in their place. Obviously, this is a very dangerous operation, just getting them from Afghanistan over to Guantanamo Bay.
FRANKEN: Well, they did not get that specific. But it would be the kind of thing that has been described to us, for example, these will be facilities that will never be dark. They will be constantly lit by very bright lights at night. And of course, by sunlight during the day. There are going to be a variety of other protections. And by the way, the reason Guantanamo was chosen, in the words of the base commander here, let us not still forget that even though the tensions have subsided, there are still two fences between the base in Cuba and a mine field.
BLITZER: Bob Franken, at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. Navy base in Cuba. Thank you so much for joining us. And that U.S. Navy base does indeed have a storied history. Among other things, it was a hot spot during the Cold War.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): It's the only U.S. base on communist soil, a perennial thorn in Fidel Castro's side, and soon, home to some of the world's most dangerous men.
Guantanamo Bay played a crucial role in some of America's most important conflicts, most notably the Cuban missile crisis. With the Cold War over and the war on terror just begun, Guantanamo is once again in the spotlight. Gitmo, as it's informally known, is no stranger to media attention.
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(on camera): These Haitians have been given the bad news.
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(voice-over): In early 1990s, I was there covering the Haitian refugee crises, when thousands were held there before ultimately sent to Haiti. That was an enormous challenge for the U.S. Navy. These people were desperate. Many had AIDS.
Guantanamo Bay is a place of dramatic contrast. A spectacular Caribbean setting, and a vast military base surrounded by miles of razor wire and land mines. The military facilities were clean and efficient, the refugee center, chaotic.
And how does Cuba feel about what amounts to a maximum security prison in its own backyard? Guantanamo Bay has long rankled Fidel Castro. He sees it as an affront to Cuban dignity. But with last month's shipment of U.S. food to Cuba, the first in 40 years, relations appear a bit less chilling. The Cuban government's official line on the new detention camp: "no comment."
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And there are growing signs today that U.S. forces are going to be in the Afghan region for a very long time. The United States is now building an air base in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic near Afghanistan. The base is described as a hub for the war against terrorism. It will house up to 3,000 U.S. troops, as well as handle warplanes and support aircraft.
Joining us now with his assessment on the long-term U.S. military commitment in central and south Asia is the former Clinton national security adviser, Samuel Berger. Mr. Berger, thanks for joining us. This is a remarkable turn of developments in south and central Asia, from the time you were there a year ago.
This is, of course, the first time that American soldiers have been stationed on the soil of the former Soviet Union, that shows how much has changed in the world since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and certainly since September 11th.
BLITZER: You know that would not happen unless the government in Moscow, the Russian government of President Putin, allowed it to happen. Obviously, they have given the green light for the U.S. to establish bases in the former Soviet republics.
SAMUEL BERGER, FRMR. NATONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think there are some mixed feelings on the part of the Russian government, about American presence in the region. But on balance, I think they recognize that until the situation in Afghanistan is concluded, stabilized, that we need to have presence in the region.
BLITZER: Give us a historic sense of how big of a change, what we're seeing right now in terms of U.S. troop deployment in central or south Asia, really is.
BERGER: Well, for 50 years, those troops would have been deployed on the other side of the Iron Curtain, against a Warsaw Pact, to defend against an invasion by -- from that same region. So the world has really changed fundamentally. We're now in alliance with Russia, and with these former republics in this battle against terrorism in Afghanistan.
BLITZER: I want to switch gears and talk about the search for the al Qaeda leadership, including Osama bin Laden. A lot of focus on that. But the "LA Times" had an interesting article today, saying that U.S. officials are now looking almost as much, maybe even more, for what they would regard as the No. 2 most-wanted individual, a man by the name of Abu Zabida, given his involvement over the years in organizing and potentially taking over the al Qaeda network.
BERGER: Well, Abu Zabida is an important figure in the al Qaeda network. It comes to my attention first, when we broke up the millennium plot in 2000...
BLITZER: The potential attack of the LA airport.
BERGER: That's right. And he was the figure that linked the operation that ultimately was directed towards the Los Angeles airport, and the operation in Jordan. He's been an important operational figure in al Qaeda, carrying out operations for the organization. But I also think, Wolf, that I think it's important that we get him -- I think it's extremely important that we stay at this until we get bin Laden.
BLITZER: And on this Abu Zabida -- I'm going to put up on the screen some quotes from the testimony of Ahmed Ressami, who was the Algerian arrested in connection with that LA plot. He said in his testimony of July of 2001 last year, referring to Abu Zabida: "He is the person in charge of the camps. He receives young men from all countries. He accepts you or rejects you. He takes care of the expenses of the camps. He makes the arrangements for you when you travel, coming in or leaving." U.S. officials believe he's really a Palestinian.
BERGER: Palestinian by birth, but critical in the al Qaeda organization, very elusive character. Perhaps, we know of 35 or more aliases that he's operated under. A difficult target, but an important cog in this machine.
BLITZER: So, just because al Qaeda is on the run, Osama bin Laden is on the run, the Taliban has been disbursed, it's much too premature to say that the war against terrorism has been won.
BERGER: I think we've done a lot of -- we made a lot of progress. I think we have disrupted and essentially crushed the al Qaeda's capacity to operate as an entity, for now. But I think we have to get these key operatives, because -- particularly bin Laden. We do not want -- I'd rather have a dead and defeated martyr than an alive and potentially resilient martyr on the loose.
And this is like a chronic illness, Wolf. This is not going to have a cure. This is going to be a constant process, over a long period of time, of deconstructing these entities as they regroup.
BLITZER: Samuel Berger, thank you very much.
And the U.S. Justice Department is defending its plan to hunt down 6,000 Arabs and others of Middle Eastern origin. The government calls them "deportable aliens," people they say may pose a terrorist threat to Americans. Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, reports.
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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Critics call it "ethnic profiling," targeting aliens from countries with active al Qaeda cells. But the government is unapologetic. The Justice Department is aggressively trying to track down 6,000 of 314,000 aliens under deportation orders, for violating U.S. laws. The 6,000 are from Arab and Middle Eastern countries.
But if the government wants to get rid of potential terrorists, civil rights groups charge authorities are casting too narrow a net.
WADE HENDERSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Focusing only on a slice of those individuals, 6,000 of them, who happen to have Arab surnames, and suggesting that that is the answer to the problem of terrorism in this country, is far too narrow and far too restrictive.
CANDIOTTI: The Justice Department says its first priority is to protect Americans, and adds: "We will continue to focus investigative, intelligence gathering, and enforcement operations on individuals in the U.S. from countries with highly active al Qaeda networks, to protect Americans."
Since September 11th, the attorney general has battled accusations of ethnic profiling, after detaining hundreds of Middle Eastern and Arab men for questioning.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We remain a nation committed to welcoming America's friends from abroad. But we have a new determination, not to see our welcome abused by America's enemies.
CANDIOTTI: Target certain ethnic groups is only logical, according to some former Justice Department officials.
GEORGE TERWILLIGER, FMR. DEPUTY ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I really think that anybody that looks at this objectively will understand that there is a terrorism profile, of which race is a part. There is not a racial profile to look for terrorists.
CANDIOTTI: In Arab-American communities, there is anger.
ZIAD ASALI, AM.-ARAB ANTI DISCRIMINATION CMTE.: The fact that they were singled out because they were Arabs and Muslims is a particular concern to us. And it is, in our view -- has much more negative baggage with it than the potential contribution to the security problem.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Would this new approach had prevented the attacks of September 11th? All 19 hijackers entered the country legally. Only three overstayed their visas, and none of them had been ordered to leave the country.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The former United States ambassador at large for counterterrorism, Paul Bremmer, will be among my guests here in the CNN "WAR ROOM," at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific. And this important note, Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, is among the guests tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
Blood on the knuckle, from a deadly blow in the rink rage trial. The defendant describes throwing three quick punches, but says he did it in self-defense.
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THOMAS JUNTA, DEFENDANT: I didn't know what that guy was doing. He was like -- I mean, why is he even jumping at me so fast? Like crazy. I couldn't understand it.
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BLITZER: And, fear of an attack of a California nuclear attack. We'll talk to California Congressman Darrell Issa, about a scare in his home district. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. The man accused of killing a fellow hockey dad took the witness stand today to defend himself. Thomas Junta's testimony was emotional at times. Our Bill Delaney is joining us live from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has a lot more -- Bill.
BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thank you, Wolf. You know, Thomas Junta's bulky frame lumbered to the witness stand today, in his own defense against the manslaughter charges he faces. His gentle demeanor and soft speech on the witness stand, belying the charges against him -- charges he beat to death Michael Costin, in a dispute over roughness, at a children's pickup hockey game that Costin was supervising back in July of 2000.
The defense portraying Junta as a hard-working truck driver, a family man who had up since 3:00 in the morning the day of the killing, and then went to the hockey rink in Reading, Massachusetts, to watch his son play. The critical defense assertion, that Michael Costin, the deceased man, started the deadly brawl that led to his demise. That Thomas Junta was only defending himself, and that he didn't use excessive force, and that he didn't intend to kill or even cause serious bodily harm to Michael Costin.
Now, Junta described what happened after he said Michael Costin jumped on him and they both fell to the ground.
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JUNTA: I didn't know what that guy was doing. It was like, I mean, why is he even jumping at me so fast? Like, crazy. I couldn't understand it.
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DELANEY: The prosecution wanted to know, though, why Thomas Junta just didn't walk away from a fight in which he outweighed the man he was now on top of, by a hundred pounds.
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SHEILA CALKINS, PROSECUTOR: Did you try to stand up with your bad knees, Mr. Junta, and get away?
JUNTA: He had my left wrist, ma'am. He wouldn't let go.
CALKINS: This is a 156-pound man flat on his back holding on to your wrist, and you want this jury to believe that you couldn't get away from him?
JUNTA: Yes, I do, because that's the truth. That's what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DELANEY: Earlier in the day, a forensic pathologist called by the defense said that Thomas Junta could have killed Michael Costin with just one blow, given the fact that Michael Costin, everyone agrees, died of a torn artery. That, again, argues against excessive use of force, but other witnesses have said there was tremendous force in this killing here, a year and a half ago. Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Bill Delaney, our Boston bureau chief, thank you very much for that update.
Let's check some other stories on today's news wire. A Georgia man could face a fine for causing a major scare in Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. The FAA is recommending the maximum $3,300 penalty for Michael Lasseter. Last November, he ran past security guards trying to catch his fight. That prompted officials to evacuate thousands of people from the airport.
A man fired from a California nuclear power plant is charged with making terrorist threats against his former coworkers. The man worked at the San Onofre plant, north of San Diego. Police say a search of his home and a storage facility turned up hundreds of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The San Onofre plant is in Congressman Darrell Issa's district. Earlier, I asked him about the threats at the plant, and about nuclear terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Congressman Issa, thanks for joining us. What happened today in your district at this nuclear facility?
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, nothing at the nuclear facility. However, a former employee made verbal threats, and we have now discovered that he had weapons that would have allowed him to at least try to carry out those threats.
BLITZER: This facility is right on the base Camp Pendleton. You toured it. How secure is it? ISSA: Extremely secure. One of the good things about our nuclear power program is that from the ground up, it was built, anticipating the potential of terrorist attacks, either foreign or domestic. And as a result, there are at least three distinct levels of security. This individual would not have been able to get through, simply with small arms and determination.
BLITZER: But how much damage could a disgruntled employee with access to sensitive areas really do?
ISSA: Well, because of the fact that no one is trusted in a nuclear power plant, this individual, at any security level, would have had go to go through a magnetometer detection. And additionally, they have a random, in-depth check that they have to do. So, his ability to get either guns or explosives would have been zero.
That's really one of the principles they work at at the nuclear power plants, is no one individual is trusted. This particular individual was never actually authorized for the most sensitive areas. But even if he had been, he still would have gone through multiple levels of security, guarded by people who were both armed and behind bulletproof glass.
BLITZER: Since September 11th, as you know, there has been heightened concern about the vulnerability of nuclear power plants around the United States. Are there additional steps that should be taken, no only in your district, but elsewhere?
ISSA: Absolutely. The biggest and most important thing that has to be done is we have stockpiles of depleted rods, which are piling up outside many nuclear power plants. And they are the only element that probably poses a threat in the case of, let's say, a 747 strike. We need to get those evacuated to a permanent storage area, like Yuka Mountain, which has been designated, so that they are in a secured area. That is the Achilles heel of these nuclear power plants -- not the nuclear reactor itself, but the spent rods that are piling up in wet and dry storage.
BLITZER: Is there any need for additional legislation? I know some of your colleagues are proposing additional legislation to beef up security at nuclear power plants. Where do you stand on that?
ISSA: In the case of this particular nuclear power plant, where it already has a relationship with a large Marine division, and is located on a base, we've gone through a much higher level of availability of additional security, even beyond what they have. But there's no question that what was acceptable in the past has to be rechecked. And where we used to do three to five years for a full- scale mock terrorist attack to check these facilities, these now have to be checked on a yearly basis.
And this is something that Secretary Abraham has been moving internally to do, is to increase the level of scrutiny of these plants and the level of inspections.
BLITZER: Congressman Issa, it was kind of you to join us today. Thank you very much.
ISSA: Thank you, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And police are not releasing the name of the man arrested in the San Onofre case.
The Florida teen who crashed a small plane in a Tampa office building has been prescribed Accutane. At least he had been prescribed Accutane. That is an acne drug with a possible link to suicidal tendencies. While police found a prescription for it in Charles Bishop's home, they say they don't know if the boy was taking the drug.
Our medical correspondent Rhonda Rowland joins us now live with more details about Accutane and the questions surrounding it.
And I guess the first question, Rhonda, is this: Is there any hard evidence that Accutane causes depression or suicide?
RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there is no hard evidence, no scientific evidence proving that there is a link between taking Accutane and depression or suicidal thoughts.
However, since 1982, there have been 140 reports worldwide of people who have been taking Accutane who committed suicide. Now, this is out of 12 million users. So this suggests a possible link, but definitely not a cause-and-effect relationship.
Given that information, the drugmaker, which is Hoffman-LaRoche, said that they cannot ignore this information. And, Wolf, it is also important to know that a lot of people who take Accutane are adolescents. And this group is already at high risk for suicide.
BLITZER: Having said that, Rhonda, are patients told that depression or suicidal thoughts may at least be a side effect?
ROWLAND: Accutane is one of the few drugs where patients are required to read and sign an informed-consent document. And when they sign this, they have to agree to stop taking the drug if they have feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt or they start having thoughts about hurting themselves or taking their own life, that is, suicidal thoughts.
And, in addition to that, Wolf, on the warning label, it does list that psychological effects could be a possible side-effect.
BLITZER: All right, Rhonda Rowland, our medical correspondent, thank you very much for all the information.
And this important footnote: Within the past couple of hours, federal authorities have taken steps to avoid another such incident.
Our aviation correspondent, Kathleen Koch, joins me now with details. Give us the latest, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what the Federal Aviation Administration did is, they came out and issued some suggestions to flight schools around the country.
And this is very quick action and in light of what happened on Saturday with young Charles Bishop, flying his small plane into this office building in Tampa. And what the FAA is giving flight schools are measures to follow, such as, make sure that the instructor keeps control of the keys at all times, that they are never solely in the control of the young student, and that that student is supervised, the student, no matter what their age, is supervised by the instructor when they are in that aircraft -- also that, instead of getting a medical certificate, proof that they are healthy and able to fly a plane, at the end, when they finish their flight training, when they are about to solo, that this young pilot -- or potential pilot -- would have to get it before they ever began their lessons.
Some other measures that they are encouraging are that the flight schools establish positive identification of a student every time that they show up, lots of measures, Wolf, that they believe will really help keep the student pilots safer, the flight schools safer, and anyone on the ground.
BLITZER: And these are just guidelines, though. This is not the law.
KOCH: These are guidelines. But I just got off the phone with a flight instructor in Maryland. And he said, in these days, when the FAA makes suggestions like this -- and he says they are very common sense -- some flight schools are following them already, that those that aren't will definitely fall in line.
BLITZER: Kathleen Koch, thank you very much.
KOCH: You're welcome.
BLITZER: And you are about to hear a story that shows just how tight security is. Coming up, strip-searched at the airport: Would you believe it happened to a United States Congressman? Later: what President Bush is about to do that he hasn't done since September 11.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Let's get you updated right now on the hour's latest developments: A U.S. military refueling plane went down in Pakistan today with seven Marines on board. So far, there is no word of any survivors. The aircraft was a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130. It crashed into a mountainside as it prepared to land at a Marine base just west of Quetta. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Two more groups join the U.S. government's so-called terror- freeze list. The Treasury Department says they are supposedly charity groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And they are both suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network. The government's action would freeze any assets the two organizations might have in the United States.
The Pentagon is getting ready to start moving captured al Qaeda and Taliban fighters from Afghanistan to the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. They will be flown out in groups of 15 to 20, possibly sedated and, of course, under very heavy guard.
A judge in Virginia is weighing television coverage for the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. The suspected terrorist attended today's hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. Moussaoui is the first man charged in the September 11 attacks. He is accused of conspiracy. The judge is expected to issue a ruling early next week.
The war on terrorism has, for the most part, steered clear of partisan politics. But can that last in a year when the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs?
Our senior White House correspondent, John King, joins us now.
John, will this war become politicized, any indications of that?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There are some indications, Wolf.
At the White House, they are saying the president wants no part in that and that he has instructed aides not to mix the war in with partisan politics. We will see the president himself for the first time since September 11 out raising money for Republicans tonight -- the beneficiary: his brother Jeb, the Florida governor.
Jeb Bush was here at the White House today. He said he is proud to be the first one that the president goes out to raise money for in the wake of the attacks -- White House officials saying that is proof, in some ways, that things are back to normal, that the strength of democracy is that you can have a country at war, the president with bipartisan support for his efforts overseas, but mix it up a little bit politically over -- here at home, I mean, and certainly help raise money for those in his party.
The president, White House aides say, will strike the right tone as he does this. The question is: Will others follow suit?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that one of the changes that President Bush has brought to Washington, regardless of whether we are a nation at war or not at war, is a more toned-down approach to politics. I don't think politics is practiced with the same acidity that it had been over the last many years in Washington.
KING (voice-over): But not all of the president's allies are following his advice to leave the war effort out of the partisan political debate. Readers of the influential "Conservative Human Events" newspaper this week received a toughly worded fund-raising appeal. This National Conservative Campaign Fund letter begins with a question: "Who is to blame for the failure that allowed Islamic terrorists into the United States to murder almost 4,000 innocent Americans?"
The letter blames Bill Clinton and the liberals in Congress and goes on to say: "They made deadly deals with our enemies. The tragic consequences are the deaths of almost 4,000 innocent Americans, the loss of more one than one million jobs, and a war that may last for years."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not unreasonable, nor do we think it's unfair for Americans to ask: Why? How did we get to this point? What happened? And what are we going do about it?
KING: The Democratic National Committee chairman was quick to object.
TERRY MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN: There is no room for this in American politics today. It is a disgrace. The president needs to called upon immediately to come out and condemn these types of activities.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: White House aides say privately that the message in that conservative fund-raising letter runs counter to what the president wants discussed in the political arena. But they are reluctant to say anything about it publicly. They say they don't want to be put in the position of having to comment on every direct-mail fund-raising letter by organizations that have no direct links to the president nor any direct links to the Republican National Committee -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And switching gears, John, I take it there is some new thinking in the Bush administration on what is called fuel-cell technology in U.S. automobiles.
KING: Well, certainly new budget priorities in this regard -- the energy secretary, Spencer Abraham, saying in the president's budget there will be a dramatic new commitment to research to produce a so-called hydrogen-powered vehicle, replacing gasoline-powered vehicles.
He made this announcement today in conjunction with the big annual auto show. Everyone says this research is progressing quite well, but that widespread use of this technology is years down the road. So the president on the one hand will, in his budget, include a great deal of money, we are told -- they won't tell us the exact number -- for this research on hydrogen-powered vehicles, ultimately to replace the gasoline cars we have today.
But the administration will still have to deal with other issues like fuel-efficiency standards down the road, because everyone acknowledges it will take years to get this technology into the mainstream.
BLITZER: Correct me if I'm wrong, John, but that doesn't sound necessarily as standard, I guess, traditional Republican thinking, especially as we recall all the controversy regarding Al Gore's position on this issue.
KING: Well, certainly the Republicans were critical of Al Gore. The Bush campaign was critical of Al Gore, saying that he was wildly optimistic about the potential of such technology. And this administration has a different approach.
This administration says it handles things on a case-by-case basis and that the president, on the one hand, will says, yes, we still need to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and face criticism from environmentalists, and, on the other hand says he will invest billions of dollars in this hydrogen-powered car research and perhaps get some praise from environmentalists.
BLITZER: All right, let's see if that happens. John King over at the White House, thank you very much.
And the United States economy is expected to be on a number of agendas in the coming days, as both Republicans and Democrats continue to feud over the best way to jump-start the economy. Are more tax cuts the answer, or a repeal of last year's tax cuts?
Joining me now to debate this issue: Alan Auerbach. He is chairman of the Economics Department at the University of California in Berkeley -- and Grover Norquist. He is with Americans For Tax Reform.
Gentlemen, thanks for joining us.
And, Professor, tell us, first of all, why you think this is a bad idea at a time when the economy is struggling to go ahead and implement all of these tax cuts.
PROF. ALAN AUERBACH, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY: Well, I think there are three reasons.
First of all, I don't think the timing is particularly good. We are always pretty myopic in recessions. And we forget that they last typically for about 11 months. We are well into this recession. There are good indications that we will be coming out it relatively soon, so that the timing is not good. By the time the tax cut that would be enacted in the coming session of Congress took effect, we would probably already be well out of recession.
BLITZER: Let me stop you for a second. Let Grover Norquist pick up that specific point and then we will move on.
Go ahead, Grover.
GROVER NORQUIST, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: Well, the president's economic security package, getting rid of the alternative minimum tax, moving towards expensing for businesses, reducing marginal tax rates, those are all good ideas for the economy whether we were growing at minus-one point, plus-one point, plus-three points. They would create job and opportunities and strengthen the economy at any time. So the timing isn't the question. We should have done this a year ago.
BLITZER: What about that, Professor?
AUERBACH: Well, having low taxes is certainly a good thing. And I agree that some of the provisions in the president's proposed legislation might make sense in the longer run. The point is that we don't have the money for it right now. The surplus has disappeared. We are heading into deficit. We had long-run problems to begin with. We haven't dealt with them.
We've got increasing expenditures associated with defense and other things coming from the September 11 attacks. And we haven't really come up with a way of dealing with the new problems, let alone the old ones.
BLITZER: All right, Grover, that specific point the professor makes is a valid point. If that tax cut had not been implemented, the chances of the U.S. having to go into budget deficits in the near term would have been reduced.
NORQUIST: No. What happened was, the slowing of the economy, which some people didn't see, but which started early in the year, is responsible for 70 percent of -- according to the Joint Tax Committee -- 70 percent of the reduction in the deficit. Congress has gone on a spending spree since September 11, which is 18 percent of it. The tax cut is only 12 percent. So the tax cut is a small part of reducing that budget surplus.
We do have a spending problem. The government is spending too much.
BLITZER: I want to ask the professor to pick up that point that Grover makes, which also is a pretty good point: the whole notion that this first year of the 10-year tax cut was only a modest tax cut and really couldn't have had much of an impact on the current budget problems.
AUERBACH: It's true that the deficit, or the reduction in the surplus in the current year is due to the tax cut as well as to other factors. I think it's a little bit strange to characterize the increase in spending we've had in the last several months as a spending spree. A lot of it had -- most of it had to do with the September 11 attacks and was undertaken in a very bipartisan manner.
NORQUIST: You can have a bipartisan spending spree. They did.
AUERBACH: Well, I don't think the coming increase in the defense budget that we're going to have is a spending spree. There seems to be general agreement that we need more defense expenditures. I find myself in the strange position to be arguing in favor of the president's proposal against someone who supposedly supports him.
But we certainly need more spending for certain things. I don't think that necessarily that every increase in spending was warranted. But even at existing spending levels, we don't have the money to pay for a tax cut right now.
BLITZER: Grover -- let me just bring Grover in and ask him.
Is this the time, at this current economic moment in U.S. history, to accelerate the tax cut implementation that the president got through Congress last year?
NORQUIST: Yes. I think particularly the rate reductions we need to accelerate, have them kick in sooner for all Americans so that we can get the economy stronger and growing. But we also have to keep an eye on overall spending. I mean, Bobby Byrd has been busy sticking pork-barrel spending inside some necessary spending. But there has been some unnecessary pork-barrel spending. There is no time for that. And we can't afford that at a time when we are at war.
BLITZER: If there is more money out there, Professor, in the hands of the American people and in the hands of U.S. corporations, won't that stimulate the economy, get people back to work?
AUERBACH: To a certain extent, although some of the provisions, such as a reduction -- speed up of the marginal rate reductions that are already in law to occur in later years, is not particularly well aimed at the groups in the population that are most likely to spend.
Temporary incentives for business investment, temporary rebates for low-income individuals might be a better design for that. But, again, I will go back to the point I made first, which is that, No. 1, the economy is not -- there's no evidence that this is going to be a deeper, prolonged recession. And we haven't -- nobody has said how this is going to be paid for.
We learned in the 1980s that we couldn't afford the luxury of having tax cuts without talking about how we were going to pay for it. It's a lesson that was very hard to learn . We have learned it. And I don't think we should forget.
BLITZER: All right, Alan Auerbach out in Berkeley, Grover Norquist here in Washington, this debate will continue. Thanks to both of you for joining us.
NORQUIST: Thank you.
AUERBACH: Thank you.
BLITZER: Up next: India's home minister visits the United States, looking for help in defusing tensions, including nuclear tensions along one of the world's most troubled borders. Plus, from The Hague, former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic points his finger at NATO.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: International stories making news this hour: During a pretrial hearing in The Hague, former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic said NATO forces were the real war criminals in his country. Milosevic goes on trial next month for the crackdown on Kosovo's Albanians.
Tensions remains high between India and Pakistan. A standoff at a mosque in the disputed Kashmir region ended with Indian security killing a suspected Islamic militant and capturing another, this as a high-ranking official comes to Washington.
Our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, details all the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Making the rounds in Washington: India's second most powerful official, a well-known tough campaigner against terrorism.
L.K. ADVANI, INDIAN HOME MINISTER: I regard cooperation between our two countries to stamp out international terrorism as very important.
KOPPEL: Minister Advani's agenda: Pakistan's alleged support for terrorist acts against India, a dispute which many fear could escalate into a nuclear war. Frequent saber-rattling over the disputed province of Kashmir has reached an even higher pitch. Thousands of soldiers from the world's two newest nuclear powers now face off along their border, the biggest military buildup in 30 years. The Bush administration is now warning both sides to step back from the brink.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Both sides understand the seriousness of this confrontation. And they are working with us to try to find a peaceful solution through political and diplomatic channels and to avoid war.
KOPPEL: But India wants U.S. help in pressuring Pakistan to end all support for terrorist groups fighting for Kashmir's independence. In fact, India claims last month's deadly terrorist attack against its parliament in Kashmir was carried out by two Pakistani-based groups. Pakistan says it is cracking down on terrorism.
MALEEHA LODHI, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: So the important thing is that we have apprehended scores of people, members of militant parties, as well as those who have been using violence within Pakistan and outside Pakistan.
KOPPEL: A message Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is expected to reiterate later this week in a much-anticipated speech.
(on camera): The balancing act for the Bush administration: to address India's concerns without pushing Musharraf too hard, jeopardizing the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. And so next week Secretary Powell heads to South Asia to try to persuade India to withdraw its troops, while at the same time pressuring Pakistan's president to do even more.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And let's go to New York right now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.
Coming up: a Marine refueling aircraft, seven Marines aboard, crashing in Pakistan. We will be going to Islamabad for the latest. I will be talking with General David Grange as well. And the Justice Department defending its plan to hunt down and to deport 6,000 aliens -- we will have the latest on that story from Washington. And we'll have a special report on how the government is protecting this country's food supply against terrorism -- all of that, a lot more, coming up at the top of the hour.
Please join us -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: It sounds good, Lou. We certainly will.
And has airport security gone too far? Coming up: how screeners made one United States congressman -- get this -- drop his pants to catch a flight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Finally, Congressman John Dingell Of Michigan likened himself to beef on the hook after his experience at Washington's Reagan National Airport this weekend. Screeners made the 75-year-old lawmaker drop his pants in a back room. Dingell has a steel hip joint, knee brace and surgically-implanted ankle pins, which set off the metal detectors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN DINGELL (D), MICHIGAN: They patted me down like a prize steer at a county fair. They were thorough. And I think the ordinary citizen should feel that, if a member of Congress gets his pants taken off, that there is some effort to see to the safety of the traveling public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I guess he's a sport about it.
I'll be back in one hour with the "War Room." The former United States ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Oakley, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss join me, 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. CNN's coverage of America's new war continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." And that, of course, begins right now. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
