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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Will There be Another Terror Attack on the U.S.?; Will the networks cast off their aging heavyweights?; Bush Demands Sweeping Reforms in Cuba

Aired May 20, 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: Safer, but not safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R), ALABAMA: We don't know the specifics, the time and the place, but we have great reason to believe that we could be hit anytime in the next few years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Will it be the water supply, booby-trapped apartment buildings, or suicide bombers? New warnings from the FBI director.

Is Osama bin Laden back? Fighting back: A U.S. soldier falls in the war against terrorism.

No concessions for Fidel Castro:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well-intentioned ideas about trade will merely prop up this dictator, enrich his cronies and enhance the totalitarian regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And anchors away: Will the networks cast off their aging heavyweights? I will ask Frank Rich, of "The New York Times."

It's Monday, May 20, 2002. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

We begin with an unsettling admission from a man whose job it is to keep America safe: FBI director Robert Mueller says flatly, "there will be another terrorist attack. We will not be able to stop it. It's something we all have to live with." But, he doesn't stop there. In this hour, we will brief you on the series of threats to people in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (voice-over): The latest are warming came from FBI director Robert Mueller who in answer said that so-called walk in suicide bombers like those who have terrorized Israel, will eventually hit the United States. From Mueller quote, "I think we will see that in the future. I think it is inevitable. I wish I could be more optimistic."

Earlier these ominous words from two leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D-FL), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: There's a likelihood almost to the point of certainty that over the next say 3-5 years that there will be another terrorist attack inside the United States.

SHELBY: We have to be ready for it. We are doing everything to prepare the Americans for it. We are trying to eliminate it before it ever really crystallizes.

BLITZER: These warnings coming a day after vice president Dick Cheney said a future tack against the United States is, in his words, almost certain. Cheney, Graham, and Shelby insist they have received no specific information, but U.S. intelligence agencies are reporting increased activity and communication by suspected terrorist groups including al Qaeda. That has led to a series of recent warnings.

The FBI has alerted real estate industry leaders that terrorists might try to rent apartment units and rig them with explosives.

BEN VENZKE, INTEL CENTER: There was information that was obtained that al Qaeda was discussing the possibility of this and there are connections between the Chechen rebels that were responsible for those apartment bombings and al Qaeda. So I can surmise there's a connection there.

BLITZER: In Orlando, Florida security around water purification and distribution centers has been stepped up after the FBI reported what it calls a vague, unsubstantiated threat to the area's water supply. There has been no evidence that the Orlando water supply has actually been compromised, but coupled with the ongoing controversy over what the White House knew about possible attacks before September 11, many are asking, are Americans now safer?

J. KELLY MCCANN, SECURITY ANALYST: This is a very determined adversary and we are safer, we are definitely safer than we were 9/11, however as their determination and their ingenuity increases, so must ours.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we are learning more about earlier threats. The Federal Aviation Administration was notified about the arrest of a student pilot, Zacarias Moussaoui in the days leading up to the September 11 attacks but an official says the FAA decided not warn the airlines about the possible threat. Joining us now for more in our Washington bureau, CNN's justice correspondent Kelli Arena -- Kelli. KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, The FAA says the information it received from the FBI was not specific enough to warrant any action and the FBI says that it passed on all it could at the time. Now, Moussaoui of course is the man that investigators believe was supposed to be the 20th hijacker. He had been detained on August 16 after flight school officials in Minnesota called authorities.

Now, Moussaoui aroused suspicion at Pan Am Flight Academy when he wanted to learn how to take off and land a commercial jet with little flying experience under his belt. Investigators did not have specifics regarding Moussaoui at the time but sources say that the FBI was concerned that he may have been involved in a hijacking plot and so passed general information on to FAA.

The FAA says that it did not warn airlines or take any action at the time due to the lack of specifics. What's more, an FAA official says the FBI never suggested that Moussaoui was working with others. Why is all this important? Because it's one more example of information that was gathered before September 11 which further is igniting the argument about the handling of intelligence before those attacks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena, our justice correspondent, thank you very much.

Let's get more insight now into the new terror warnings and whether the United States is prepared for more attacks. Joining us now from Capitol Hill, Congressman Porter Goss, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks for joining us.

This suggestion from the FBI director Robert Mueller today that the suicide bombings that have become so frequent in Israel could come here to the United States. How credible is that possibility?

REP. PORTER GOSS (R), FLORIDA: Well of course it's realistic possibility. We know that these people have an agenda and it's to hurt Americans, particularly innocent Americans wherever they can, where Americans are most vulnerable, and that certainly would fit into that scenario.

That is one of the reasons why we are working so hard to make sure that our intelligence and our law enforcement and regulatory agencies are all working to the maximum efficient capacity to get the right information to the decision makers at the right time.

This is a war, and there are many manifestations of it, and we just simply all have to do our jobs as individual Americans and be alert and be sensible, go about our business, but if way see something odd call the law enforcement people right away and then we have to have our national and local authorities doing their job to the greatest and most sensible way possible.

BLITZER: Congressman, it was director Mueller as far as you know speaking on the basis of his gut instinct, a hunch, or is there if specific credible information that these kinds of suicide bombings that have plagued Israel will spill into the United States?

GOSS: One of the things that distinguishes this terrorist activity and made it so hard to believe and conceive that something like what happened on September 11 happened is that the suicide element, I mean that's not really new in warfare, we had kamikazes in the second world war, people remember that, but that's military to military.

Here we have actually people who will go out and do these fanatical things in a suicidal way and they can go to just about any target they pick. So obviously, you can walk into a mall without causing a lot of suspicion and if you have the explosives taped on as they've shown they can do in Israel, where they have some of the best intelligence services in the world and are really tuned in and have a very small target space to work on and they can still make those bombs go off and kill innocent people, obviously it can happen here and the director is right.

BLITZER: Your counterpart in the Senate, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Bob Graham, says al Qaeda may not necessarily be the biggest threat to the United States right now. It could be hezbollah or one of other terrorist groups. Is he right?

GOSS: He is absolutely right. There is no way for certain to know which of the terrorist groups might set off that bomb or do that dastardly thing. But the fact is, it doesn't matter which of the terrorist groups, it matters that we know ahead of time so we can stop them and whether it's one of the many groups that make up the international terrorist network is the business we are in now.

We are trying to basically conscribe that network and put them out of business. That's the second mission the president has given us after making sure nothing else goes wrong.

BLITZER: We heard a very ominous warning from the vice president yesterday from the FBI director today, why is the country still on this yellow threat condition, this mid-level threat condition? Why haven't they gone on a higher threat alert?

GOSS: I'm not sure that most Americans relate to this yet and I think that what is happening frankly is that the talk that is going on about an increased alertness and an increased noise going on that something may happen again is being spoken of in a number of ways. The word is getting out but it don't think our warning system has yet come into the kind of precision or acceptance across the country that we are going to need some day if we are going to continue to have this kind of an enemy.

My hope frankly is that we will be able to put the terrorist network out of business so we have to worry less about warnings systems because the threat will be less, somewhat as we've done with piracy.

BLITZER: Congressman, you've heard the criticism of the Bush Administration and the president and some of his advisers going to into September 11, but some of those critics today are saying that these latest warnings from the vice president and FBI director are very political trying to change the subject from the questions that were raised especially last week. Is there any validity to that kind of criticism?

GOSS: No, I frankly don't think that there is any validity at all. i think it is sort of a despicable comment to even think that way or say those kinds of things. If anybody things the vice president or the president of the United States is playing fast and loose for political reasons with the national security of this country and the American citizens, I suggest that they have got a serious disorientation problem with what's going on in America.

BLITZER: Have you been briefed, Congressman, on this latest Osama bin Laden videotape that supposedly surfaced? The "London Sunday Times" made it available yesterday. Does this suggest he is in fact alive and still capable of orchestrating these kinds of terrorist strikes?

GOSS: I think it's part of the propaganda. I have no idea whether it gives any indication yet of his being alive or being dead. I think that is an open question. I don't think anybody knows and I think the analysts are working on this at this point. I have no great wisdom to impart to you, Wolf, I'm sorry.

BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, the house Democratic leader Dick Gephardt today endorsed legislation that would create and independent commission to investigate what might have gone wrong as opposed to letting your committee, the intelligence committee, the Senate committee take the main thrust of this investigation. Do you think that's a good idea?

GOSS: Well, I don't know whether the legislation is meant to replace our committees or to let our committees do their work and create yet another committee on top of it to follow some of the leads of our committee so I'd want to look at the language, but I think it's very important that the oversight of the intelligence committee's continue on in this joint bi-cameral, bi-partisan investigation is allowed to do its work.

We are doing good work. We have already turned up some good stuff. Unfortunately, some of it has been leaked prematurely and in a way that was not understandable so it has caused a political firestorm. I believe that we will be able to do a very good job and that we will be helpful to the American people and very helpful to our national security in the future by having a better and improved system by following remedies that we, I think, have got a pretty good grasp on already for some of the diagnosis of the problems we have seen in the systems that clearly were there.

But I think that to try and suggest that somehow the White House should have divined all this, I don't think that is fair at all. I think that the president and the vice president have been doing the best they can with the information they've been able to get out of our system. I think the systems need to be improved.

BLITZER: Congressman Porter Goss, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, himself a former CIA case officer. As usual, thanks so much for your insight.

GOSS: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Our Web question of the day is this: Do you expect to see another terrorist attack from al Qaeda? Go to my Web page: CNN.com/wolf. Let me know what you think. While you are there let me also suggest you send your comments to me. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of the program. Also that is where you can read my daily on-line column, cnn.com/wolf.

We are switching gears now. We have a development in Los Angeles in the case involving Robert Blake, the murder case he's accused of. Our Frank Buckley is standing by outside the courtroom -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf it a appears as though an independent counsel may be appointed in the Robert Blake case because prosecutors today had hoped to remove the attorney for Earl Caldwell, the bodyguard of Robert Blake, saying that there was a potential conflict of interest, that she's going to be a prosecution witness to speak to inconsistencies in the case and also because she is being paid by Robert Blake.

The judge in this case, Lloyd Nash has said that he intends to appoint an independent counsel to come in and speak to Caldwell. The person that he specifically plans to appoint is Steve Sitcoff (ph) , a defense attorney here in town who has represented Aaron Sorkin (ph) in the past, in drug-related charges. Earl Caldwell objected to that, so the exact person who will be chosen remains to be seen.

The prosecution had also hoped in a separate motion to remove William Jordan, a private investigator who is assisting the defense team. He had helped Mr. Blake there the past on the custody issue involving Bonny Lee Bakley. The judge has denied that motion of the prosecution, so Jordan will stay on with the team.

Joining me how is Harland Braun, the defense attorney for Robert Blake during the hearing today we heard the judge chastised you for the language you used in your moving papers, among the things you did is you called Steve Coolly, the district attorney, a semi-competent district attorney and things like that. He said he wasn't going to tolerate mud slinging in his courtroom. You didn't really get a chance to speak to that.

HARLAND BRAUN, ATTORNEY FOR ROBERT BLAKE: That was the important thing. You notice the judge didn't want to let me speak to it. What we were speaking to was the horrific arrest of Robert Blake on camera, this news conference by Chief Parks and all of this being supervised by Steve Coolly. So I think it's important that someone in the public stand up and say that's not the way we arrest people in America. This is not the way we have news conferences. We want a fair trial and if the judges don't like then that is their problem.

BUCKLEY: We've got about 10 seconds, but quickly, can you tell us your reaction to the rulings on the prosecution's motions?

BRAUN: We were happy that he allowed us to continue with our investigator, an experienced L.A.P.D. veteran and we think it's a waste of time to go going through trying to remove Earl Caldwell's attorney and what else would Robert Blake do? He has an obligation to his friend to assist him. If he didn't assist him, I think he would be not a good friend.

BUCKLEY: OK, Harland Braun, thanks so much for taking time for taking time with us. The court hearing just ended. Wolf, that is it. We will throw it back to you.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley in Los Angeles on top of the Robert Blake case. Thanks so much for that update.

Hezbollah on trial in North Carolina, of all places. Did money from a cigarette stand fund terrorists in the Middle East? Plus assessing the threat to water supplies: is a popular tourist town at risk?

And are Dan, Peter, and Tom becoming obsolete? I'll talk about the fate of the big three news anchors with the "New York Times" columnist Frank Rich. But first; our news quiz.

Which network was first to air a daily 30 minute newscast? ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Israel has been rocked by two suicide bombings in two days. Now the government is being rocked by a political crisis. For this breaking news let's go to our correspondent in Jerusalem, Jerrold Kessel. He joins us live.

A little fireworks going on in the political scene, Jerrold?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll say, Wolf. An hour ago we had a major economic blow for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as an attempt to pass a searing budget cut in the Israeli parliament failed to get through, failing to muster the required number of votes and the prime minister Ariel Sharon wresting the initiative, firing a number of his ministers from the parties which voted against that budget cut has now created a major political crisis.

That's what we have on our hands here. Mr. Sharon again wresting the initiative from those who would challenge the economic policy which he and his finance minister tried to push through. Israel -- the background to this, Israel's economy has been going further into the doldrums to further into the doldrums over the 20 months of the Palestinian Intifada, the accumulated economic situation coming to the head with the latest two months of the major military confrontation with the Palestinians, leaving their economy in a parlor situation.

An attempt to get a budget cut of almost $3 billion through, which mounted to mainly tax increases or cuts in welfare spending have been defeated, but Mr. Sharon not taking this lying down, he's fired the ministers from the orthodox parties and that has created a major political crisis. Even the prospect of the national unity government may come down and there could be early elections. That may be farsighted now but it is a crisis atmosphere in the Israeli political spectrum right now -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's the big question that U.S. officials will be asking, will this lead to a collapse of the Sharon national unity government that includes the Labour Party of Shimon Peres and the defense minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer. Why would the government collapse if this relatively small party were to leave? They would still have enough of a majority in the Knesset.

KESSEL: Indeed, you are right. This is a really big national unity government. It could command 82 seats, more than two thirds of the 120 seats in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and yet Mr. Sharon couldn't get this bill of the budget cut through. Now, that being said, even if the Shasan (ph) , the Agudat (ph) the two orthodox parties are out of the coalition, he would on paper still have enough votes to keep a government in power.

That is true on paper, but having said that, there is a crisis atmosphere and in a political crisis atmosphere it can go any way. Mr. Sharon may even force it to go to a political election, an early election which could be to his advantage in these circumstances. By no means certain, but in a political crisis as I say, nothing is really certain.

BLITZER: Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem. Thanks for that update. Appreciate it very much. And in the Middle East the conflict may have reached Charlotte, North Carolina. Two brothers, Mohamad Youssef Hammoud went on trial today for allegedly funneling cigarette smuggling profits to the terrorist group Hezbollah. While the two are not charged with committing of planning acts of violence, the trial is being held under tight security with the courthouse ringed by concrete barriers.

The smuggling and immigration investigation began nearly two years ago. A number of people, most from Lebanon, were accused of involvement in the Hezbollah cell. Seven have since pleaded guilty.

In Lebanon a scene which was once very common, a car bomb killed a senior leader of the popular (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for the liberation of Palestine general command. Jihad Jabril (ph) was the son of Ahmed Jabril (ph) , the founder of the radical group. The group says Jihad Jabril led its military operations in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The PFLGC, which has opposed the Palestinian peace process, blamed Israel for the attack. An allegation Israel's defense minister is vehemently denying.

President Bush addressed the Cuban controversy head-on today. During a visit to Miami, the president took aim at President Fidel Castro and the Cuban government. CNN senior White House correspondent, John King, is traveling with the president. He joins us now live from Miami -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as the president took a very hard line, and as you noted, took aim at President Fidel Castro of Cuba, Mr. Bush also taking issue with former President Jimmy Carter who just returned from a landmark visit to Cuba, says it's time for the United States to ease the economic embargo. Mr. Bush also taking issue with a growing number of critics in Congress who say it's time to put the 4 decade old embargo behind us. Mr. Bush made clear today he vehemently disagrees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know what trade means with a tyrant. It means that we will underwrite tyranny and we cannot let that happen and I also want you to know I will not allow our taxpayer's money to go to enrich the Castro regime and I'm willing to use my veto.

KING (voice-over): Mr. Bush demanded sweeping reforms in Cuba before he would be willing to lift the four decade old U.S. embargo. He placed these demands on Mr. Castro.

Free political prisoners. Allow opposition parties to organize and speak freely. Hold competitive national assemble elections next year with international monitors and allow an national referendum to gauge Cuban support for free speech and other civil liberties.

Mr. Bush did make overtures aimed at easing poverty and increasing contacts between Cuban-Americans and families, reducing barriers to U.S. aid groups looking to work in Cuba, allowing government money to some of those humanitarian efforts and offering to resume direct mail service between United States and Cuba.

BUSH: Viva Cuba Libre!

KING: Mr. Bush says it's the right policy, but critics say the hard line has much more to do with Florida politics.

During the last presidential election polling here found that only 26 percent of Cuban-Americans in South Florida believed the embargo was working well. But 64 percent wanted it kept in place nonetheless, and 78 percent said a candidate's position on Cuba was important in determining their vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very powerful group, and many people do feel that they have a lot more influence than they deserve but in a sense that's what the American politics is all about. If you work hard and you know how to play the game you get what you want.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Now Mr. Bush's critics to who say this is all about politics point to what he's doing right now here in South Florida. After that event today, outlining his new Cuba policy, Mr. Bush attending an evening dinner here raising $2 million for his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida, both Bush brothers counting very much in their political campaigns on the support of Cuban Americans -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John King in Miami, travelling with the president. Thank you very much. And the president's comments on Cuba are drawing fire from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Three U.S. senators lined up and called for a change in U.S.-Cuban relations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: We have only given Castro an excuse for Cuba's poor economy. What a foolish policy that is. In other words, instead of loosening the grip of a dictator, we've tightened his grip. This is not a formula that works and it ought to change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We will have a special in-depth wrap of the day's developments when Kate Snow hosts LIVE FROM MIAMI: The Cuba controversy. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, here on CNN.

New terror threats against apartment buildings and the water supply. Can America really protect itself?

Also, mystery deaths at a Pennsylvania high school. What is killing the students there? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Topping our news alert: Tens of thousands of people from other countries are using fake documents to acquire Social Security numbers illegally. The inspector general of the Social Security Administration says a check of the I.D. numbers assigned recently to noncitizens found that one in 12 people from abroad used invalid immigration documents. Some of the September 11 hijackers illegally acquired social security numbers and used them to get credit cards and open bank accounts.

A final journey home for a U.S. special forces soldier: Sergeant Gene Arden Vance, Jr. was killed in an ambush yesterday in eastern Afghanistan while taking part in operation Mountain Lion, designed to find and destroy al Qaeda and Taliban forces. His body has been flown to Germany, en route to the United States.

A Justice Department report says widespread failure within the INS caused the embarrassing episode in which documents were sent to a Florida flight school approving student visas for two terrorists months after they had died in the attack on the World Trade Center. The immigration and naturalization service says it has started to address many of the concerns raised in the report.

More now on the new terror threats, some of which are hitting a little too close to home. First, a look at how apartment communities are reacting to the new concerns. CNN's Michael Okwu has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrorists living in apartment next door scheming to set off rounds of explosives in your building. The FBI says it could happen. The agency called the threat general and non-specific, telling real estate leaders: There are indications that discussions were held about the possibility of renting apartment units in various areas of the United States and rigging them with explosives.

The FBI has no information indicating that this subject advanced beyond the discussion stage.

(on camera): New York, the most densely populated in the country would be a rich target, with more than 26,400 people here per square mile, it's three times more crowded than Los Angeles.

(voice-over): New Yorkers reacted with a mix of fear...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scary thing, scary thought.

OKWU: ... apprehension...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They could be blond and blue-eyed. They could be disguised, it is just impossible.

OKWU: And battle-ready unease.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be aware. You have to be basically on your toes.

OKWU (on camera): Does it concern you? Does it scare you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't scare me. It concerns me.

KEVIN SINGLETON, ROCKROSE DEVELOPMENT CORP.: It is more than water cooler conversation.

OKWU: Kevin Singleton, a New York real estate developer received the government warning in an email.

SINGLETON: We are preparing written guidelines to our people on the front lines in our various properties including leasing agents, apartment showers, building managers, and concierges. And we are asking them to be on a heightened alert.

OKWU (voice-over): Landlords are prohibited by law to conduct criminal checks on perspective tenants. Off camera, several developers told us they are now more likely to refuse leases individuals based on gut suspicions.

Authorities believe this terrorist tactic isn't so far fetched. Russian officials say groups associated with Chechen rebels did that when they damaged a Moscow apartment block in 1999. Tenants groups here are calling for vigilance.

JOE HEAPHY, N.Y. STATE TENANTS AND NEIGHBORS COALITION: A building like a neighborhood can have a watch that can keep abreast of tenants in the building and tenants should speak to each other.

OKWU: Although the advisory didn't ask apartment owners across the country to post warnings, some did. In the San Francisco Bay area, some tenants were glad they did. BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: I'm very pleased that they did provide me the information. One, I can be vigilant, I can be aware of my neighbors and surroundings. And if I do see something suspicious I can report it.

OKWU: Experts say this threat may resonate for a simple reason.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It creates a sense of insecurity in the one last place can you feel comfortable.

OKWU: That's why landlords are beginning to say more than ever, know thy neighbor.

Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And now to Orlando, Florida, and the threat to that city's water supply. The FBI is not releasing much information, but Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary says local officials are taking care of business. Sheriff Beary joins us now with the latest from Orlando.

Sheriff, what's the latest? What's going on in Orlando as far as the water supply is concerned?

SHERIFF KEVIN BEARY, ORANGE CO. FLORIDA: Well, the water supply is very safe, Mr. Blitzer, for not only our citizens but our tourists. Increased security around the public facilities, total cooperation with partners all the way from University of West Virginia, University of Central Florida, we've talked to all of them and everything is in good shape.

BLITZER: Well, what's the nature of the specific threat that caused a little heightened concern down there?

BEARY: Well, we got some real-time information from the FBI yesterday early, early yesterday morning and we just made the decision that it was the right thing do to let the public know, and the public reacted without panic, and I think that's the way it's supposed to work.

BLITZER: What specifically did the FBI say if you can share that information us, that got you concerned?

BEARY: Well, specifically the FBI have received some information that targeted the water supply in the Orlando area, and we met as a domestic security task force. We are part of the state of Florida task force and the leadership made a decision to -- that even though it was a vague threat that we needed to let the public know and everybody cooperated, all the police chiefs all the other cities in the central Florida area came together in good unison, and informed the public and we've had no real bad reaction to it.

BOETTCHER: Was the threat, Sheriff, from a terrorist group, a foreign terrorist group a Middle Eastern terrorist group as far as you know? BEARY: We really don't know and we know the FBI is still investigating it, but we are on top of it and we are part of the joint terrorist task force with the FBI.

BLITZER: So the system at least worked so far. Would you say that's correct, Sheriff?

BEARY: Yes, sir, it really has worked very well for us and the information flow has been excellent.

BLITZER: Sheriff Kevin Beary thanks for joining us.

Let's take a closer look at some other homeland security threats. Just how secure are you? The former FBI agent, Gregg McCrary joins me here in our Washington studio. Greg, thanks for joining us.

Let's talk about this water threat. Very briefly, what do you make of the FBI giving a threat warning like this to people down in Orlando?

GREGG MCCRARY, FORMER FBI AGENT: Certainly they felt it was the appropriate thing to do and apparently the sheriff and the people in Orlando feel as well. It is a matter of disseminating the information they feel is appropriate to disseminate to law enforcement, or to that community and let them make the decision whether to notify the public or not.

BLITZER: There's a series of these threats. We heard Michael Okwu's report of apartment building owners getting a warning saying be on the look out for terrorists who might want to plant bombs in an apartment and blow up the whole building.

MCCRARY: Sure. It's a problem. If you think right after 9/11 there was criticism of the bureau and the attorney general about all the threats and warnings that were coming out, and it is sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. If you are warned and nothing happens then you can be accused of engendering a lot of unnecessary fear and concern and certainly we can see what happens if you had some scrap of intelligence and then didn't disseminate it and something happens. Then you would be accused of malfeasance or negligence.

BLITZER: So many erring on the side of caution and be very, very conservative and give out as much as you can so there's no question whatsoever what information the FBI has?

MCCRARY: That's correct. I think to give it out, and again, to be vigilant, not to create panic or play chicken little and the sky is falling, but to be reasonable and prudent and give it out and keep in mind these stark warnings that have come out from the vice president and the director and so forth are indications not of a lack of confidence in the intelligence committee, but the reality that we are in a long haul and a tough situation here and the reasonable approach is to try and reduce the frequency and reduce the severity and reduce the impact of these events and prevent all we can, and this is the proper approach. BLITZER: If you read my e-mail, and I get a ton of e-mail -- I think the biggest concern, at least one of the biggest concerns of the American public is these kinds of suicide bombings that have become so familiar in Israel malls, restaurants, market places, coffee shops, pizzerias, soft targets, as the intelligence community calls them, that could spread here. How concerned should the American public be about that?

MCCRARY: No need to panic, but we certainly need to be aware. Keep in mind that the 9/11 attack was a suicide attack of a larger proportion, but that's the sort of thing that we are talking about, that if we can reduce the frequency and severity of these things and keep it in a containment.

It's sort of like crime. We can't eliminate all crime but we approach it with a containment theory and work to eradicate and prevent as much as we can and solve the rest, but again reducing the frequency and severity of these things and just to be vigilant.

BLITZER: The FBI is being hammered right now, your former agency, you spent a few decades there. That Phoenix memo, that FBI agent who sent the memo to Washington saying be on the look out for Middle Eastern student pilots at these various training academies throughout the United States. That disappeared. That memo wasn't shared with anybody at the CIA, White House, any place else. Is the criticism that the FBI is getting, with hindsight, justified?

MCCRARY: I think it's part of the problem. It will come out in the long run but we have to be careful not to confuse hindsight with insight. Hindsight is not insight. And I think say had for example had the Golden Gate Bridge been bombed, I think you could probably rummage around and find some memo someplace about the vulnerabilities of the Golden Gate Bridge. And again, that sort of hindsight isn't necessarily insight, so I think in the long run that will all have to be straightened out.

But I don't know that scapegoating the FBI or any intelligence agency is necessarily going to be helpful. Keep in mind that not only the FBI, the CIA, but none of our other free-world intelligence agencies, British French or any if our allies had any information about 9/11 either, so it was just one of those unfortunate issues.

BLITZER: We are always a lot smarter with hindsight.

MCCRARY: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us Gregg McCrary, as usual.

MCCRARY: Your welcome.

BLITZER: And still ahead: Are network news anchors going the way of the dinosaur? Plus, six students have died in one school district since December. The mystery in Pennsylvania when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back. A school district in central Pennsylvania has seen a string of mysterious deaths this school year. The East Pennsboro School District in Enola, Pennsylvania, has 2,800 students. Since December, six of them have died from a series of what school officials say are unrelated causes. CNN's Jeanne Meserve has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a time of sorrow and of worry at the East Pennsborough school district. At the high school, a memorial has been set up to the six students who have died, three of them in the past month. Of those, one died of a heart condition, one of a brain aneurysm and one of unknown causes.

At the high school last night, a local Baptist church had a meeting to help students and teachers cope. We asked the students if they were nervous about going to school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because they're not related. The school test have shown, the coroners have told us, everything else -- nothing points to it being related to one cause. So I'm not that nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The day that the kids died, it felt like a library in here. Nobody was talking the halls, but it's getting back to normal, but it's still on our minds, and it's still hard to cope.

MESERVE: Now that is not the universal opinion. I spoke to a father last night, whose daughter, a high school student, has had an array of symptoms from chest pains to headaches. He is keeping her out of school on doctor's orders. There were renovations at the high school this year. They turned up problems with asbestos and with mold. Those problems were cleaned up, and school officials say recent testing have shown no contaminant. More testing is planned, as is a study of the medical records to find out if there is some common thread here, or whether this is pure coincidence.

In the meantime, a sign has gone up in front of the high school. It read "God bless our kids," as people here try to find some reassurance at this very bewildering time.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Enola, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Charles Darwin created the theory of evolution and Stephen Jay Gould spent the better part of his career advancing those ideas. The Harvard professor died today after a long battle with cancer. Professor Gould's best known books are: "Ever Since Darwin" and "The Panda's Thumb." Stephen Jay Gould was 60.

When we come back we will speak with Frank Rich of "The New York Times" on the future of the network news anchors and those programs. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Earlier we asked which network was first to air a daily 30 minute evening news cast? The CBS Evening News made its debut as a daily half hour program on September 2, 1963.

Brokaw, Jennings, Rather -- three of the most recognized names in television news. Three of the best as well. In "The New York Times Magazine" yesterday our next guest reviewed the state of affairs in network news and asked whether these may be the final days of the big- name, high-priced network anchormen.

With us now is columnist Frank Rich of "The New York Times." Frank, thanks for joining us. Your conclusion is a little contrary to what so many others had to say. Tell our viewers what you concluded.

FRANK RICH, "NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE": I concluded indeed contrary to what many people in our business feel, that this institution isn't going anywhere too fast. First of all, the three existing anchors, I show no signs of leaving anytime too soon no matter what one reads to the contrary.

Also the institution, while not as big as it once was in the days before cable existed, is still thriving. There is still 30 million people watching the evening news each night.

BLITZER: Dan Rather is 70 years old, but Mike Wallace is well in his 80s. So Dan Rather, presumably, assuming he is healthy, God willing, he could stick around for a long time, right?

RICH: Absolutely. These guys, as I know you do too, have real enthusiasm for their work. They're not jaded and I think they have also been charged up, as everyone in our business has by September 11 and the incredible story we have had to cover then and since then.

BLITZER: How much pressure is there on the top network executives to bring in younger faces presumably to appeal to younger audiences?

RICH: You know, that pressure may not be as great as everyone seems to think it is. I know after the whole Koppel ABC flap, that became the idea, that you had to reach younger audiences.

The fact is that the evening news audience has been old by TV standards, in other words, in their 50s and older for 25 years now. What's the change? It isn't that big a change, and that is a pretty stable audience. Yes some of it dies away, but then there are the formally young who come and replace those who die. So it seems that is the niche, and by the way, the median age in the 50s for the evening news is basically the same as it is for CNN and Fox and cable news.

BLITZER: The percentage though of the viewers out there who get their news from the three evening network newscasts has gone down dramatically over the years. How much of a dent has the various cable news network and I of course work for one, how much have they made on the three evening newscast in the broadcast networks? RICH: Well, it's hard to say how much went to cable news particularly cable in general. But yes, the size of the evening news audience has fallen by I guess around 50 percent over the period that cable began since the late 1970s. However, it's still 30 million a night. By contrast, all three cable news networks put together in prime time have 3 million viewers.

By contrast, "Friends" has 24 million viewers. That that's not chop liver. That is far and away the biggest mass audience for news in the country, much bigger obviously than the audience for the "New York Times," "TIME Magazine" or any other television news.

BLITZER: Yet, but you pointed out, the advertisers who advertise on those three evening newscasts, a lot of prescription drugs that are attractive obviously to older people. Younger people don't watch the newscasts?

RICH: Younger people don't. But then again, they don't watch that much cable news either. Even in prime-time since the advent of cable and things like MTV and VH-1 and Comedy Central pulling the young away, even in prime-time the median age is 45 for entertainment programming. So that's the way it is. And it's still a profitable and large audience.

BLITZER: I was struck by one quote that you had from Walter Kronkite who's an idol of mine, he says. He says to you, he says, "the evening news should be news. Those feature stories, eye on America, your kitchen and mine, your back porch and mine, your garbage pail and mime, it's not bad stuff, but not, for God's sake, in the national news." But if you watch those three evening newscast, the back half of the shows, sometimes the last 15 minutes are what we would call softer news.

RICH: Right. They would argue it's the stuff you see below the fold say in "The New York Times" front page, but it is soft. It's definitely softer news. It's very service oriented. You health, your checkbook, just as Walter Kronkite said, but the fact is that the audience seems to like getting really about 15 minutes of a headline service from these telecasts and the rest is probably the audience falls away a little bit and you kind of trance out and get ready for dinner or a nap or take one of the prescription drugs that are advertised on the show.

BLITZER: I can identify with that, Frank Rich. I think our interview would be described as softer news?

RICH: Eye on America.

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us, Frank Rich, of the "New York Times."

Coming up next, we will sort through our e-mail box and hear your thoughts on the new terror threats. Is it proper preparation or politics as usual?

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's go to New York now and get a preview of LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE which begins at the top of the hour -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you very much. Our nation's security at risk. The head of the FBI says another terrorist attack is inevitable. We will have a report for you tonight, live from Washington.

Fears of another attack taking their toll on Wall Street today. Stock prices suffer a major setback. We will have complete coverage from Wall Street. And President Bush dismisses talk of lifting the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. We will report on the importance of the Cuban-American vote in this country. All of that and a lot more coming up on MONEYLINE. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. We'll be watching. Good to be back in the same time zone as you are.

Now for the results to our Web question of the day. Earlier we asked: Do you expect to see another terrorist attack from al Qaeda? The majority of you, 88 percent so far say yes, while only 12 percent are saying now. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

Time now to hear directly from you. Ronnie writes: "Ms. Rice, Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush need to wake up and smell the coffee. It is our right as Americans to demand answers from our government, whether they want to answer or not."

But, Roberta says: "I can't believe all this criticism against Bush. I am a Democrat and I blame Clinton and his administration for the September 11 attack. Clinton only took a few shots at Afghanistan and then gave up.

And Linda writes: "It is good that we are having this conversation on how to improve our intelligence agencies. The Bush Administration has already made many improvements since 9/11. Let's give credit where credit is due and encourage our lawmakers to support efforts to continue this important work."

Gail finally adds: "This is not a political problem, it is an American problem. If we are attacked again, all Americans will be targets, not Democrats or Republicans. Forget the politics. They are trying to destroy our nation."

That's all the time we have. I will see you tomorrow, when I speak with Representative Nancy Pelosi, of the House Intelligence Committee. Until then thanks very much for watching. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington. LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE begins right now.

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