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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

9-Year-Old Kidnapped From California Home; Ricci Undergoes Surgery After Suffering an Aneurysm; Is Iran Sheltering al Qaeda Leaders?

Aired August 28, 2002 - 17:00   ET

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: Child abduction. Two men invade a California home, rough up the father and snatch a 9-year-old boy. We'll have the latest.
A surprise twist in the Utah missing girl investigation. Former Smart family handyman Richard Ricci collapses in jail and goes into surgery. How will this affect the probe?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly, if he does not survive, that would be a big impact on this case and, I think, a great impact on our ability to potentially locate Elizabeth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Al Qaeda may be down, but it's trying to regroup. Is Osama bin Laden still alive? And is Iran giving shelter to top al Qaeda leaders?

Worried about germ warfare? You may be protected from smallpox already. We'll tell you why.

It's Wednesday, August 28, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Hours after his abduction, there's still no trace of a 9-year-old California boy. Nicholas Farber was kidnapped from his home this morning after his father was attacked by two men.

CNN's John Vause is keeping track of the latest developments in Palm Desert, California. He joins us now live -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, no good news to report, at least nothing yet. There has been no sign of the little boy who was taken about 12 hours ago now from his home as he slept in Palm Desert, California. That's about 120 miles east of Los Angeles.

Nicholas, he's about 4-and-a-half feet tall, 9 years old. He was taken while wearing his underwear.

Now, we're told by police that two armed men broke into the boy's home. There was a scuffle between the two men and the boy's father. The men then grabbed the boy, they made off with him in a white SUV. The father apparently running out of the house, seeing this SUV leave. He could see that there were, in fact, more than two men inside that car, as many as four men in that SUV.

Now, the police, the authorities here, are not giving a motive for this kidnapping, but they say this may not be a random act. But they are treating it as a stranger abduction.

But they do want to speak to the boy's mother, Debra Rose. We understand that there is, in fact, a custody battle underway between the boy's father and his mother. And we're being told that there is, in fact, a bad relationship between those two.

FBI agents have been around to the boy's mother's house in Colorado Springs, but there's been no sign of her (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this stage. And she is one of the focuses of this investigation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John Vause with the latest from the scene, thank you very much.

And John just reported the kidnapped boy's mother does live in Colorado and authorities are hoping very much to talk to her. Authorities say she and the boy's father have been fighting a custody battle over the child.

CNN's Charles Feldman is with us from Los Angeles now. He's been doing some digging on the mother, Debra Rose.

Charles, tell us what you've found.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, I want to emphasize first of all that, of course, this could, at the end of the day, end up being a case of a stranger abduction. But there is a lot of attention being given to this custody issue, and a lot of attention being focused on the boy's mother, Debra Rose.

And let me tell you some of the things that we've found out today, in our own digging. She apparently been married at least three times, we're told possibly as many as five. I spoke with one of her earlier husbands, a man by the name of Stan Rose, who says he had two children with her, ages 5 and 6. He says that he's in the middle of a custody battle with her over those two children and, in fact, he told us that he is taking measures, precautions, for their safety, clearly out of concern that perhaps she may do something.

In fact, Stan Rose told me that he has gone to court. And we have the court documents here that talk about that on several occasions to get a restraining order against his ex-wife. And, in fact, oddly enough, Wolf, there is supposed to be a restraining order hearing in the state of Colorado involving Debra Rose and one of her former husbands tomorrow morning at 8:30 Colorado time. Whether she shows up for that, if it's still scheduled, will be of great interest, I am sure.

Additionally, I had a chance to speak to her current mother-in- law. This would be the mother of the man she is currently married to, who is in the process of divorcing her. She spoke with her son about an hour-and-a-half ago. He expressed concern to his mother, she said, that somehow his current wife Debra may have played some role in this abduction of the child. But the mother-in-law says that she does love her children, all of her children very much, and was hoping in a perverse sort of way that maybe she did have some role to play in this because she felt that, therefore, the child would be safe.

But, of course, it's still a very dangerous and volatile situation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And on this whole issue of the so-called Amber Alert statewide in California, Charles, I'm sort of confused. I take it there has not been a statewide Amber Alert that's been formally released in this particular kidnapping, has there?

FELDMAN: No, you're absolutely right about that. And part of the reason is that there are a lot of criteria that need to be met in order to issue it, and one of them is they want to have, or they'd like to have a license plate number, for example because just to issue an alert for a specific vehicle is somewhat useless because, as you can imagine, they'd be pulling over cars or SUVs left and right. And in the absence of some more specific information, they are reluctant to do that.

But again, they're also focusing to a large degree on whether this may be somehow a custody issue which doesn't mean that the child isn't in danger, but it does change the focus of the investigation somewhat.

BLITZER: And it would still be a kidnapping, obviously, as well.

FELDMAN: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Charles Feldman doing what he does best, digging for us and for our viewers. Thanks very much for that good reporting.

And with all the child kidnappings we've been talking about and you've been hearing about this year, you may be wondering if it's becoming an epidemic. We've done some checking, and here is what we found: There have been 62 child abductions by strangers through June of this year. There were 93 such incidents in all of last year, 106 in the year 2000, and 134 in 1999, just to give those numbers some perspective.

Now a developing story we're following right now. A federal grand jury today indicted a Muslim-American activist on charges he provided material support and resources to al Qaeda.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena standing by. She has details -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Chiefs (ph) at the Justice Department today announced charges against a U.S. citizen. His name is James Ujaama, and he allegedly provided materials, support and resources for al Qaeda. Now, Ujaama has been held as a material witness since July 22 as part of a grand jury investigation into possible terrorist-related activity in Seattle. As a material witness, he did not face any charges, and his family continually denied any terrorist involvement.

Well, today Ujaama faces a variety of charges, including providing training, facilities, computer services, safehouses and personnel for al Qaeda purposes.

Now, Ujaama is a well-known Muslim activist in Seattle who lived for a time in London and traveled back and forth frequently. He attended a now-defunct mosque in Seattle called Dar es Salaam (ph) which, according to investigators, has ties to a radical mosque in London where both Zacarias Moussaoui, a very familiar name, and alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid both attended.

Now that mosque is led by Sheikh Abu Hamza, who investigators believe and have alleged for some time may be connected to al Qaeda. He has not been charged.

The bottom line here, James Ujaama, a U.S. citizen facing charges directly related to providing material support for the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Back to you Wolf.

BLITZER: Very briefly, Kelli, there was John Walker Lindh who's pleaded guilty to working with al Qaeda. There's Jose Padilla, he's in a military brig as an enemy combatant. And now this would be the third American citizen formally or informally being accused of al Qaeda connections, is that right?

ARENA: That's right Wolf.

BLITZER: OK, Kelli Arena, thank you very much. We'll continue to monitor that story as well.

A Kennedy cousin faces final justice. How long will Michael Skakel spend behind bars? We'll go live outside the courthouse in just a moment.

Plus, very important medical news being released this hour. Those smallpox vaccines you and I had as a child may, after all, have some lasting effects. We'll tell you all about it.

Also, target Saddam: The United States is prepared to do something its allies are not, but is everyone in the president's Cabinet on the same page? That story, much more, coming up.

But first, a quick look at news around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Heavy rains and flash floods have driven thousands from their homes in Chile. Hundreds of houses are under five feet of water, and two men drowned after being swept away in a raging river. Almost two decades after a gas leak at a Union Carbide plant killed thousands in India, a court battle continues. An Indian judge today refused to reduce homicide charges against Warren Anderson, the chairman of Union Carbide at the time of the disaster. The judge called on Indian government officials to step up efforts to extradite Anderson from the United States.

Three men went on trial in Germany in connection with the worst train wreck in that country's history. One-hundred-one people were killed when the high speed inner-city express derailed in 1998. The defendants were involved in the manufacture and licensing of a wheel blamed for the wreck.

You remember rock icon Jimi Hendrix setting a guitar on fire in 1968. Dweezil Zappa plans to sell the Fender Stratocaster at an auction in England next month. The guitar has been in the Zappa family since Hendrix gave it to Dweezil's father, the late Frank Zappa.

Two tiny panda cubs are saying hello to the world. They were born at a breeding center in Southern China.

It's billed as the world's biggest food fight: 35,000 people threw 120 tons of tomatoes at each other at an annual festival in Spain. The result was a lot of ketchup.

And that's today's look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The jury that convicted David Westerfield of murdering Danielle van Dam returned to court today and began hearing evidence on whether Westerfield should die for his crime.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in San Diego, she's joining us now live.

Thelma, a very emotional day in court?

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it sure was. And just a few minutes ago a relative of David Westerfield, a 19-year-old girl testified for the prosecution that when she was 7 years old during a family gathering she says that David Westerfield went up to the room where all the children were sleeping. She says he put his fingers in her mouth. She says she was very bothered by that. She reported that to her parents.

Now, this information was never part of the guilt phase of the trial, but the prosecution says that it is pertinent because it shows that, while Westerfield had no prior convictions, it shows that he had an inclination towards children.

But the emotional testimony today, Wolf, came from Danielle's teachers and, of course, her father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): She was learning to play the piano. She loved to dance and to be on stage.

JEFF DUSEK, PROSECUTOR: And even at the age of 7 she was already thinking about what she wanted to do with her life.

GUTIERREZ: The prosecution told jurors today Danielle van Dam was more than a murder victim, she was a loving daughter and a caring sister.

DAMON VAN DAM, DANIELLE'S FATHER: She wanted to be a mommy.

GUTIERREZ: Danielle's teachers also took the stand. They testified she was a good student with a lot of promise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was really a child who wanted to do her work and please people around her. She was a very likable child.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Show was just a very caring little girl. She liked to make sure that nobody else had their feelings hurt. She wanted to make sure that everyone was included. She got along with everyone.

GUTIERREZ: Damon van Dam broke down and began to sob in the courtroom. David Westerfield, his one-time neighbor, now a convicted child killer stared straight ahead as Danielle's father talked about the impact her death has had on the family, especially Danielle's 6- year-old brother Dillon (ph).

VAN DAM: Her and Dillon were best buddies. He reverted back to the form of baby-like, stopped reading, started wetting the bed again, needed to sleep with us for quite a while.

GUTIERREZ: The prosecution is trying to convince jurors the van Dam's loss is so great and the crime so heinous David Westerfield deserves the death penalty.

BOB GRIMES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What we're hearing now in the penalty phase is new. In the guilt phase we're simply not allowed to get into this type of evidence, the emotional evidence of the loss of somebody.

They're treated more, almost as an object than a person. But now the jury is entitled to hear everything about Danielle and what her loss means to her family.

GUTIERREZ: The defense will have its turn as well to try to portray David Westerfield as human, and as a family man who deserves to live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ: Now, the defense will begin to call witnesses tomorrow. They are expected to call a dozen friends and family members, including Westerfield's own two grown children who are expected to plead for his life -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thelma Gutierrez, thank you very much for that report.

Meanwhile, across the country, the Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel will likely learn tomorrow the price he'll pay for a 27-year-old murder. Skakel was convicted in June for the 1975 beating death of neighbor Martha Moxley, when both were only 15 years old.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick is in Norwalk, Connecticut. She's joining us now. She's been following this hearing -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, Michael Skakel headed back to his high-security prison still not knowing just how much time overall he will end up serving.

He had changed out of the dark suit that he wore while he was at court. Instead, he was wearing the khaki prison uniform; the same uniform that he arrived in early this morning.

It was a very emotional day in court. The judge denied all four defense motions, refusing to toss out the guilty verdict, and refusing to order a new trial, saying, effectively, that all laws had been abided by, and also that the defense had simply not persuaded him that any sort of guilty verdict should be overturned.

Now after the judge ruled on the motions, it was time to hear from both family and friends from both the Moxley side and the Skakel side.

Michael Skakel paid very close attention. He seemed to be listening very, very intently. When Mrs. Moxley spoke, he was focused on her. When her son -- her only remaining child spoke, he also -- Michael Skakel -- looked very attentive, his eyes seemed to be filling with tears.

But it wasn't until members of his own family and his own friends got up to speak that the tears really began to flow as one by one his friends told the judge the impact that Skakel had had on their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BANGSBERG, SKAKEL FRIEND: Well, the main thought I wanted to convey to the judge was that we're dealing with a very worthy person here with a profound sense of humanity and compassion. And the Michael Skakel that I know is incapable of doing what allegedly he's being charged with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: But the Moxleys were just as poignant and just as forceful as they told the judge what they had lost with Martha's death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DORTHY MOXLEY, MARTHA'S MOTHER: I just wanted him to know that it was very hard. You know, I've always thought that to think, you know, what she could have done or what she could have been or, you know, her children. I mean, that's just punishing myself. It's destructive, I think.

So I just have tried very hard not to think about things like that. And then just to think about the positive things, you know, the things I know about those first 15 years.

So I didn't want to dwell on, you know, on what could have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MOXLEY, MARTHA'S BROTHER: It's real sad that, you know, I'm sure there are people who Michael has touched their life in a very positive way. But that doesn't, for a minute, outweigh what he's done to our family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now, the judge knew that he would not be able to hand down his sentence today. At one point he held up a very thick binder and he said, these are the sentencing guidelines from 1975, these are guidelines that I have to look through, and so the court adjourned a little early with Michael Skakel's team deciding to wait and put on three more people to speak to the judge tomorrow morning.

Just as Michael Skakel was being let out of the courtroom, just as he reached the door, Wolf, he turned back and he looked at his family who was on the other side of the courtroom, almost on a diagonal. He smiled at them, all of them on tiptoes, waving as he said good-bye -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick, she's on the scene. She'll continue to be on the scene until the end of this hearing.

Thank you very much Deborah, we'll continue to follow this tomorrow and see how many years he'll have to serve in prison.

Meanwhile, the man at the center of the investigation into the June abduction of a 14-year-old Utah girl is now hospitalized. Richard Ricci is in critical condition. He collapsed in the prison cell he's occupied since his arrest on charges unrelated to Elizabeth Smart's disappearance.

Joining us from Salt Lake City is Jesse Gallegos; he's deputy director for the Utah Department of Corrections.

Mr. Gallegos, thanks so much for joining us.

Walk us through precisely what happened in this particular case.

JESSE GALLEGOS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: Last night about 7:25, Wolf, Mr. Ricci pressed one of the intercom buttons informing one of our correctional officers that he was not feeling well.

Immediately a correctional officer was dispatched to his cell. They engaged in conversation. Mr. Ricci indicated that he was not feeling well, he was suffering from headaches. As a result of that conversation, our correctional officer called upon our A-team, which is our first responders to a situation like that.

During that interim time, and there was only a few minutes that passed, Mr. Ricci laid down on his bunk and became unconscious. The A-team responded. They immediately called our medical unit which, in turn, responded in approximately five minutes from that point, and together they began resuscitating Mr. Ricci.

They transferred him back to the infirmary at the state prison, which is like an emergency room setting, called 911 and local medical personnel also responded, as well as the University of Utah.

They dispatched a helicopter and flew Mr. Ricci from the Draper Prison site to the University of Utah Hospital.

BLITZER: And what exactly was the cause? Was this an aneurysm? What happened -- a stroke?

GALLEGOS: It is believed at this point that it is an aneurysm. Hopefully by later this evening we'll be receiving more detailed information directly from the University of Utah.

But it is believed at this time that Mr. Ricci suffered an aneurysm. Last night his prognosis was not very good, but due to the entire medical treatment that he received from the time at the prison up through and at the University of Utah, he is doing better.

He's undergone surgery, and they have released the pressure on the brain. And these next 48 hours will be critical, at which time we should have a better prognosis as to Mr. Ricci's long-term situation.

BLITZER: And very briefly, Mr. Gallegos, any sign whatsoever of foul play?

GALLEGOS: No sir. In addition to the medical procedure, at the same time, as procedure indicates, our correctional staff also called the local sheriff in Salt Lake County. They responded. While we have not received back the full detailed report, the initial reports this morning is that there appear to be no foul play.

BLITZER: Mr. Gallegos, thanks so much for updating us. Appreciate it very much.

GALLEGOS: My pleasure, Wolf. Thank you for having us.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And are you protected against the smallpox attack? Potentially good news for those who were vaccinated as children. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a medical debrief.

Also, a sick joke on Al Gore: Who's behind the phony anthrax attack? We'll go live to Nashville for the latest on that investigation.

And an executive in handcuffs: A former WorldCom CFO, chief financial officer, off to meet his fellow inmates.

But first, today's "News Quiz."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Which TV series will be offered as a college course starting this fall in Canada: "The Sopranos," "The West Wing," "Law and Order," "Sex and the City?"

The answer coming up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Authorities have completed initial tests on the suspicious powder mailed to the former Vice President Al Gore's Tennessee office.

Our national correspondent Gary Tuchman is standing by in Nashville with the latest -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, here in Nashville, Tennessee where the office of former Vice President of the United States Al Gore is located, Tuesday was a frightening day, but Wednesday has been more reassuring.

Yesterday an aide to Al Gore received a letter in the office addressed to the former vice president. She opened it up and white powder fell out of it. They evacuated the office, tests were done, a short time ago the preliminary test results were presented to us, and it said that it is not anthrax. Final results are due tomorrow, but they are almost virtually certain this is not a dangerous substance. They don't know what it is, but it certainly is not anthrax. And that means it is a very good day for the two people who were in the office.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Have you informed the two people who were in the office about the preliminary results?

PAMELA TROTTER, NASHVILLE HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Yes, we have.

TUCHMAN: And what was their reaction to this?

TROTTER: They were very happy. They were quite calm, I have to admit. Apparently Mr. Gore had prepped them in advance. They had had exercises just in case this would happened, so they were actually very, very easy to work with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: The FBI is investigating the case. Their belief: that the letter came from a prison and was sent by a prisoner.

What's amazing: Since September 11 there have now been about 15,000 anthrax hoaxes throughout the United States, and here in Nashville alone there have been over 400 hoaxes.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right, that's good news. Gary Tuchman in Nashville, thank you very much.

And this is just being released right now: New research that could ease the urgency to vaccinate all Americans against smallpox for fear of a possible bioterror attack.

Scientists in North Carolina say they have evidence that people vaccinated decades ago may actually still be protected.

I talked about that with CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Sanjay, all right, I receive the smallpox vaccine when I was a little boy in school, like millions of others. Does this mean I'm now safe?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you Wolf, I think you're probably a lot safer than we knew even just before the study came out.

Basically this was a study looking at people that were vaccinated over 35 years ago, people that were vaccinated between six and 35 years ago and people who were recently vaccinated. They took all those people and they compared them to people who had never received a vaccination.

Now, what we've been hearing so much is that if you haven't received a vaccination within the last seven to 10 years, you're not protected. That's not what this study says.

In fact, let's take a look at this graphic here. You'll see the people who are best protected, not surprisingly, are the people who were just vaccinated, between one and five years ago. They have about a 6.5 percent protection. The number is not that important, Wolf. The only reason I'm telling you the number is because I want you to compare it now to people who haven't been vaccinated for 35 years, and you'll see their number is about 4.5 percent protection.

So a lot higher. They thought that number was going to be zero, or just very, very low. And here it is sitting at 4.5 percent even if you haven't received a shot in over 35 years. BLITZER: You know with polio, for example, you get a shot, but then you get booster shots to make sure you're protected.

Is that what's going to happen with smallpox, presumably?

GUPTA: Let me tell you, I talked to the doctor who wrote this particular letter, and that's the exact question I asked him. That may be an option. You know, we've been hearing so much about the fact, do we have enough vaccinations for the entire country? It may be exactly what you say, Wolf.

In fact, we may need some booster shots for a large percentage of people instead. And that is an option -- and it's a good option, it's a much safer option, I might add, as well, compared to doing a brand new vaccination. The booster shots typically are designed to just designed to sort of bring up your level of protection, assuming that you already have some.

BLITZER: All right. So this is one study. Presumably, there'll be a lot more. We'll know a lot more about this in the weeks and months ahead. Sanjay Gupta, as usual, thanks for explaining it to us.

GUPTA: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Another corporate executive busted by the feds: find out why this WorldCom financial officer is doing the perp walk. Also, the price of war at the pump: how would an Iraqi attack impact the U.S. economy, and is it worth the price tag? A closer look when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN, I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, the potentially high price of war with Iraq. Are Americans really willing to make the economic sacrifice? More on that in just a moment, but first, a look at some other stories making news right now.

The former chief financial officer of WorldCom and another executive were indicted today on charges of fraud. Officials say the actions by former CFO, Scott Sullivan, and current director of general accounting, Buford Yates, helped the bankrupt company hide more than $5 billion in expenses. A court date has not been set.

Unless a deal is reached before Friday, Major League Baseball players will go on strike. Commissioner Bud Selig is joining the talks today in the latest bid to head off baseball's ninth work stoppage since 1972. The sides met three times yesterday. Players say one sticking point was removed -- drug testing, but owners' lawyers refused to confirm that.

Strong words today from Iran's moderate president on the possibility of the United States going to war against Iraq. Mohammad Khatami said that, while he does not back Saddam Hussein, the policies of the United States are a worse threat than terrorism itself. Khatami considered a relative moderate compared to other -- some other clerical leaders there.

As President Khatami's remarks indicate though, the almost daily talk of war between the United States and Iraq is one of the major topics of discussion in capitals around the world. Now there's a crucial, new question being raised in the debate -- is the Bush administration on the verge of deciding to attack Baghdad regardless of having the support of its allies?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): In recent days, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has made what she called a "moral case" for the ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Then, Vice President Dick Cheney defended a preemptive strike strategy, warning that the United States may not have the luxury of waiting for the Iraqi leader to throw the first punch. Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the United States may have to go it alone.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It's less important to have unanimity than it is to be making the right decisions and doing the right thing, even though, at the outset, it may seem lonesome.

BLITZER: President Bush insists he's made no final decisions about going to war, though he repeats on a nearly daily basis that Saddam Hussein must go. In contrast, Secretary of State Colin Powell's public voice has been considerably more muted in recent weeks.

Here is CNN's State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Privately, Secretary Powell does not believe the U.S. should invade, but remember that's his track record, whether it was in Bosnia or even in the Gulf War, Secretary Powell didn't support an invasion. But he is a retired four-star general and he is the type of person who follows his orders. And aides say if President Bush were to make the decision to invade, Secretary Powell would do everything in his power to support it.

BLITZER: There is some confusion on Capitol Hill about where the administration stands. Republican Senator John Warner, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, wants Rumsfeld to testify before his panel. In a letter to Committee chairman, Carl Levin, Warner writes -- "There appears to be a 'gap' in the facts possessed by the executive branch and the facts possessed by the legislative branch."

Most of America's allies say they, too, will need much more explaining from the Bush administration.

GERHARD SCHROEDER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We believe the switching of goals away from applying pressure with the aim of allowing the inspectors to return, to the goal which seems to be dominating discussions right now, is wrong. And I think that's why Germany will not take part in a military intervention, not as long as I am in charge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there's another issue in this war debate, the economic impact. If the United States does go to war against Iraq, what will be the impact on your daily life? Joining us now to talk about these and other related questions, Diane Swonk. She's the chief economist for Bank One Corporation in Chicago.

Diane, thanks for joining us. So I assume -- I guess the conventional wisdom is that if the United States launches a preemptive strike against Iraq, we're going to be paying a lot more for a gallon of gasoline at the pump, is that true?

DIANE SWONK, CHIEF ECONOMIST, BANK ONE: Well, that's certainly the conventional wisdom, but the reality is that since it's been literally daily talk, as you've already noted, the markets have already priced in a $6 premium for oil. And we're already paying some of the price of actually going to war with Iraq whether we're in war with Iraq or not. And in fact, OPEC is sort of doing a two face here.

They're saying we don't -- OPEC nations say, "We don't support an invasion of Iraq, any kind of attack on Iraq, but if you were to have an invasion of Iraq we would make up the difference." Saudi Arabia in particular would be able to make up the difference in terms of production, so we actually could actually see oil prices fall after an invasion of Iraq, which would be very unusual. But it's because this has been probably the most anticipated war that we've ever seen.

BLITZER: So in other words, the public is already assuming that what? How many millions of barrels of oil from Iraq -- that goes away, but others -- Saudi Arabia maybe even Russia -- other countries will fill the gap?

SWONK: Exactly. We've got not only Saudi Arabia, which -- that desperately and financially needs to regain some of its market share. It's been taking a lot of the shocks over the years and it's lost tremendous market share over the years. So on its face, it says, "No, we can't support this." But frankly, internally, they need that oil market share back, so they are willing to pump the oil. And we've got Russia on our side with their oil, very inexpensive oil at this point in time.

So on that covet is a very different economic situation, particularly from the Gulf War, where we actually saw -- not only did oil prices go up, but the war itself because we didn't spend money; we just liquidated inventories that we built in the '80s to fight the war. It didn't even stimulate the economy with a fiscal stimulus and additional spending, which this war definitely would have that effect although emotionally, we've seen -- everyone is very torn about the idea at the moment.

BLITZER: So basically what you're saying is that American consumers are already paying for this war even though there's no war?

SWONK: Exactly. We're already paying for it even though there is no war. And the good news is, you know, at least we've got a better cushion than we did back in 1990, '91 when we were having a similar situation with Iraq. We've got, you know, fiscal stimulus already out there, tax cuts already out there, interest rates are already low and consumers point out money on their mortgages helping to cushion the blow in their own pocketbooks by higher prices at the pump.

BLITZER: All right, Diane Swonk, very fascinating stuff. Thanks for joining us.

SWONK: My pleasure.

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of The Day" is this -- Would you support a strike against Iraq if it meant the U.S. economy suffered? We'll have the results later in this program. You can vote. Go to my Web page, CNN.com/Wolf.

President Bush wants to smoke them out, but he might have some trouble with members of al Qaeda in one particular country. We'll tell you where, and the problem it poses to the United States when we come back. Plus, how many people really died in the World Trade Center attacks? A closer look at some missing people whose final fate remains a mystery and no comic relief for Jackie Mason. Why critics have a beef with him -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Now to Iran and its possible role in hiding al Qaeda terrorists. For months, the Pentagon has accused Iran of sheltering al Qaeda fugitives. Now, intelligence sources are providing new information on just who might be in that country. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The successful smashing of the Taliban in Afghanistan by the U.S. military drove most senior al Qaeda and Taliban across the porous borders into Pakistan and Iran. Iran denies it is knowingly harboring al Qaeda operatives, but intelligence sources tell CNN that credible reports lead the U.S. to believe that two top al Qaeda leaders are among dozens of terrorist fighters who have been given refuge in two Iranian cities along the Afghan border. For months now, the Pentagon has fingered Iran as safe haven for al Qaeda fugitives.

RUMSFELD: There is no question but that they have permitted al Qaeda to enter their country. They are permitting al Qaeda to be present in their country today.

MCINTYRE: Back in January, Pentagon officials thought U.S. bombing in Afghanistan had killed a top aide to Osama bin Laden named Mahfouz Ould Walid, also known as Abu Hafs the Mauritanian. Now, with Osama bin Laden either dead or forced to lie low, Walid is thought to be directly involved in running al Qaeda operations from a safe house in Eastern Iran.

This man, Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list is thought to share authority with Walid. And U.S. officials believe the pair are planning new terrorist attacks. Iranian officials deny the two al Qaeda leaders are in Iran and Iran's president insists his country supports the war on terrorism even while opposing any attack on its neighbor, Iraq.

PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI, IRAN (through translator): We thought we could combat terrorism through the U.N., but unfortunately, the policies adopted by the United States ruined everything. Now, the U.S. policies are a worse threat than terrorism itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Despite the threat factor, Iran turned over 16 suspected al Qaeda operatives to Saudi Arabia in June. The Pentagon says it is getting no cooperation from Iran in going after al Qaeda suspects within its borders -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thanks very much. And joining us now to talk a little bit more about Iran and the threat -- the bigger threat it may pose to the United States, perhaps even bigger threat than Iraq is, Rob Sobhani. He's the adjunct professor at Georgetown University, here in Washington, an expert on U.S./Middle East policy -- knows a lot about Iran as well.

So where exactly does the Iranian regime stand as far as al Qaeda is concerned?

ROB SOBHANI, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Wolf, they say al Qaeda as two points, one, as a card to play. If the United States wants to get tough on Iran, they'll dangle this card and now, say, "OK, we'll give you these al Qaeda people if you don't touch us." That's one element of Iranian foreign policy. The other element is Iran is in the business of terror. The government is in the business of terror and al Qaeda provides yet another element, arsenal, in Iran's vast arsenal of providing terror against Israel and the Middle East peace process.

BLITZER: Now, let's go the map. But I want to show our viewers...

SOBHANI: Sure.

BLITZER: ... precisely some of the geography because it's very relevant. If we take a look -- Iran, of course, right here next to Afghanistan on the border with Afghanistan. Iraq, a neighbor, of course, to the west of Iran. If you take a look at this geography, if there are al Qaeda operatives here along the border between Iran and Afghanistan would the Iranian government presumably know about that?

SOBHANI: Absolutely, Wolf. The -- not only would the president of Iran, the quote-unquote "moderate" president of Iran, Nobly Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khatami -- he would know. And the reason they're stationed along that map that you just showed to your viewers is Afghanistan. Iran also has an interest possibly in destabilizing a pro-American Afghanistan and that's why those operatives are close to the border there as well. BLITZER: I've been told by people here in Washington, who know a lot about this subject, that the Iranians actually have a much closer relationship with al Qaeda -- have had a much closer relationship -- still do than the Iraqis.

SOBHANI: Absolutely, because Mugania (ph), Imod Mugania (ph), who runs Hezbollah, is the link between the Iranian government and al Qaeda. After all, Iran has been in the business of terrorism from the day they held our hostages back in 1979. It's a government policy of Iran to sponsor terrorism.

BLITZER: So if the United States is going to war, maybe, against Iraq, why not go to war against Iran?

SOBHANI: This is the difference between Iraq and Iran, Wolf. We do not need to have a military strike against Iran. Why? Because the people in Iran have already expressed their support for democracy, for freedom. President Bush has spoken to that and that's why our policy should be -- continue the message of hope. And it'll happen.

BLITZER: And there is a strong reform movement in Iran that potentially could bear some dramatic results. We'll talk about that on another occasion. Rob Sobhani...

SOBHANI: Sure.

BLITZER: ... as usual, thanks for joining us.

SOBHANI: Thanks.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. And returning to last year's terror attacks and one mystery that remains unsolved -- are any of these people still considered missing actually alive? CNN's Hillary Lane has been searching for some answers. Here's what she found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. RON LIEBERMAN, HUSBAND OF MISSING WOMAN: Do you also deal with handling of -- with the death certificates, like who would -- who is -- without finding evidence of a body?

HILLARY LANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 11 months after his wife disappeared, Dr. Ron Lieberman has come to a heartbreaking conclusion.

LIEBERMAN: I believe my wife is dead. I don't know how she died, but I believe she's dead. It's been almost a year.

LANE: Dr. Shehn Ann Phillips, 31 years old, was last seen shopping at a department store across the street from the World Trade Center, just a couple blocks from their home, but that was September 10. She never came home that night and by morning, the world around their home had crumbled to pieces. Dr. Philips is still considered missing, yet counted among the victims.

The disappearance of Juan Lafuente is similarly mysterious. The husband of the mayor of Poughkeepsie, New York, Lafuente took his usual train to Manhattan on September 11 -- 8:06 a.m., his fare card shows he went into the subway at Grand Central Station, but the trail ends there. He worked two blocks from the Trade Center. Detectives believe he may have gone to breakfast meeting on top of the north tower. Lafuente's family requested a death certificate late last year and just received one last week. Investigators finally concluding he died in the attacks.

Dr. Philip's family is waiting. Her case among the 40 or so that still puzzle detectives and attorneys.

FLORENCE HUTNER, NYC LAW DEPT ATTORNEY: If they haven't been resolved by now, it means that there are really tough investigative problems.

LANE (on-camera): Problems in trying to determine whether some of those still considered missing would have been at the Trade Center complex that morning and trying to rule out fraud.

(voice-over): Still, 11 months later, there has been progress and the list of missing continues to shrink. Take off Albert Vaughan. He was tracked down to a psychiatric hospital 25 miles from New York City, and George Sims, a sidewalk vendor who never returned to his New Jersey home, but turned up last week in a Manhattan hospital with amnesia.

ANNA SIMS, FOUND MISSING SON: We didn't get a death certificate. I never received any form. I said, no, I don't for sure that he was down there. I just thank God that he's alive.

LANE: The city medical examiner tells CNN there may be more cases resolved soon, meaning more names off the victim's list. And while some believe in miracles, others are just depending on good police work.

Hillary Lane for CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good report. When we come back, a life lesson from pop culture. A hit TV show goes academic. Plus, why is there some new controversy surrounding this comedian? Did Jackie Mason make a mistake? We'll set the record straight right ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, which TV series is being offered as a college course starting this fall in Canada? The answer, "The Sopranos." The class will be taught at the University of Calgary.

And the Canadian college professor who is teaching that course on the hit series, "The Sopranos," says it is a worthy subject. And that tops today's "Newswire." The professor says, after all, nobody took the classic Hitchcock films seriously when they first came out, but now, they're being treated as complex works of art. And they're the subjects of graduate courses at universities. "The Sopranos" airs on HBO, which is owned by this network's parent company.

Members of the Arab-American community in Chicago are outraged that a comedian of Palestinian decent has been dropped as the opening act for Jackie Mason. Ray Hanania is a Vietnam veteran and a former journalist who was told hours before last night's show that he couldn't perform. Mason is Jewish, a strong supporter of Israel. A short while ago, this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE MASON, COMEDIAN: There's probably more Palestinians who want me to drop dead than there are Palestinians who love me. And if it's an innocent Palestinian who is not involved in killing Jews and he has no sympathy for the idea of killings Jews. I have nothing against the Palestinian because I judge him as an individual because the opposite is prejudice -- and blind prejudice and it's insanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You can hear more on what Jackie Mason has to say tonight on CNN. He'll be a guest on "CROSSFIRE." That airs 7:00 Eastern.

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

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you very much. Coming up, new information tonight on the whereabouts of the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden. We'll have the very latest for you on what the Pentagon and the White House are saying now.

Also tonight, the stakes are high for this November's mid-term elections. We'll tell you what it could mean for the party in the White House and for policy.

WorldCom's former chief financial officer, Scott Sullivan, today was indicted. He refused to cut a deal with prosecutors instead and he will take his chances before a jury.

We'll also have the very latest for you on the 9-year-old boy kidnapped from home this morning and a great deal more. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. Time is running out to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." Should you -- let me rephrase it -- would you support a strike against Iraq if it meant the U.S. economy suffered? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. The results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- would you support a strike against Iraq if it meant the U.S. economy suffered? Look at the results, 41 percent of you say, "yes." Fifty-nine percent of you say, "no." Remember, this is not a scientific poll. Time to hear directly from you. Among our e-mailers, Jerry writes this -- "I strongly oppose Bush's idea that he can declare war without having to consult Congress or anyone else. We cannot allow our young people to be sent into battle or spend taxpayer's dollars just because one person thinks it should be done." Donald adds this though -- "Those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it. The president and Dick Cheney are correct, a preemptive strike on Iraq is needed."

That's all the time we have today. I'll be back tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern as usual. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.

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