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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Will U.S. Accept Iraq's Inspections Offer?; Lynne Cheney Discusses Her Husband; Investigators Put Together More Pieces of 9/11 Puzzle
Aired September 17, 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS showdown Iraq; Baghdad opens the door to weapons inspectors but will the U.S. slam it shut?
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have seen this game before.
BLITZER: Her husband has led the charge against Iraq, but with the U.S. on a terror alert, he's keeping a lower profile. How's he holding up? I'll ask Lynne Cheney live.
Investigators turn up many more pieces of the 9/11 puzzle. Should the government have been able to put them together? And, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Federal regulators say weight loss ads are weighed down by false and misleading claims.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): It's Tuesday, September 17. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq in 1998 and have since been barred from returning. Iraq has now opened the door for renewed inspections but the Bush administration is holding out for a better invitation.
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BLITZER (voice-over): Saddam Hussein may be ready to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq but President Bush and his top advisers are by no means ready to say bon voyage. They say they don't want to be fooled again by the Iraqi leader.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act.
BLITZER: In the face of repeated U.S. threats of war, the Iraqi government Monday abruptly delivered a letter to the U.N. saying the inspectors could come back, no conditions attached. But, the Bush administration says the U.N. Security Council must still pass another resolution with tough language warning of serious consequences if those inspectors don't get complete access to all sites in Iraq.
POWELL: We can not just take a one and a quarter page letter signed by the foreign minister as the end of this matter. We have seen this game before.
BLITZER: President Bush even making an uncomplimentary comparison to the international body that was unable to prevent World War II.
BUSH: The United Nations must act. It's a time for them to determine whether or not they'll be the United Nations or the League of Nations.
BLITZER: But other key U.N. members, including Russia, say no additional U.N. resolution is necessary. U.S. officials say intent of diplomacy to win over the Russians and others has only just begun. The Iraqis, even in backing down on the issue of inspectors, continue to rail against the Bush administration.
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: But the Americans were using this matter as a pretext. They might use other pretexts in order to commit their aggression against Iraq.
BLITZER: For their part, U.N. weapons inspectors say they're ready.
MELISSA FLEMING, NATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (via telephone): Our inspectors are practically packed and ready to go. We have planning in place. We are all awaiting a green light.
BLITZER: The process of getting that green light has now formally begun with Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix opening talks with Iraqi officials at the U.N.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: If the United States is skeptical about the value of renewed U.N. weapons inspections, so is Iraq. Let's go live to Baghdad. That's where we find CNN's Rula Amin. Rula, tell us how the Iraqis are dealing with this issue right now.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the skepticism in Washington is generating more doubts here in Baghdad. We heard this morning from Iraq's deputy prime minister who was talking to delegates, international delegates, who were here to support Iraq, and he basically said that Iraq assumes and accuses the United States of using the weapons inspections as a pretext, that the U.S. is after Iraq's oil, and Iraq's wealth, and that's why the Iraqis have a lot of doubt that this is the end of the crisis.
There are no illusions here that this is the end of it but there is relief that this is a break, that there is a chance now to resolve this problem with some kind of peaceful talks. However, the delegates who were hear talking to the Iraqis and encouraging them to allow the inspectors back had also strong words to the United States, like British MP George Galloway.
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GEORGE GALLOWAY, BRITISH MP: Iraq, to use an English phrase, has now bitten the bullet and I don't think it's going to spit the bullet out and spoil the effect by behaving in any untoward way. So yes, I do think that war is about to happen.
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AMIN: Now, the Iraqis say despite their doubts, despite their skepticism, they are committed to deliver on their promise and that they will give the inspectors unfettered access. Wolf.
BLITZER: Rula Amin in Baghdad thank you very much. And across Europe, Saddam Hussein's offer to allow weapons inspectors back into Iraq is being hailed as a step in the right direction but there's also skepticism from some U.S. allies on the continent; more now from our Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers in London.
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WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Hello, Wolf. As you would expect among Washington's friends and allies, the British were, like the White House, the most skeptical about the Iraqi offer.
Analysts on this side of the pond say that what changed, however, is that Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz went to Saddam Hussein over the past weekend and told him he had no choice left but to readmit the weapons inspectors.
Political survival is Saddam's end game, and while readmitting the weapons inspectors does not guarantee Saddam's survival, it appears to have bought him time, time perhaps to take some of the momentum out of the Bush administration's military drive to unseat him.
(on camera): The Europeans are not naive. They recognize the offer from Saddam may be phony and he may let the inspectors in, then stall at each presidential palace and site they may wish to inspect. Still, Saddam does not have many options left. Europeans believe it was an astute short-term move on his part. The French were surprised. They didn't think he could move so quickly. Germany's Chancellor Schroeder called it an important step in the right direction.
No one over here is overly optimistic, realizing the process of weapons inspection in Iraq could break down again once those inspectors start poking around.
Walter Rodger CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: So could fresh U.N. inspections determine once and for all whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Could inspections head off a war? Joining me now is a leading expert on the subject, Gary Milhollin. He's the director of the Wisconsin project on nuclear arms control. Gary thanks for joining us. First question, will this work if the Iraqis let a new team of inspectors back in? GARY MILHOLLIN, DIR., WISCONSIN PROJECT: I can't see how the inspectors could certify in a reasonable period of time that Saddam is clean; that is, I think it would take them at least a year and even by then with the present mandate that they have, I think it would be hard to give concrete assurance that the problem is solved.
BLITZER: What's wrong, if it takes a year, it takes a year. Isn't that better than a war?
MILHOLLIN: Well, it's not better than a war if during that year Saddam builds something that we don't want him to build, or it could take two years, or it could wind up in a process which we saw before of a simple standoff in which everybody would be arguing who's the reasonable person, the inspectors or the Iraqis? I think that's the most likely thing.
BLITZER: U.S. satellite reconnaissance photography, satellite imagery, they've taken enormous numbers of pictures of Iraq over all of these years since the Gulf War. They presumably watch everything that's being moved, but now they'll be able to go in, presumably into those presidential palaces and some other places. We're showing our viewers some pictures of recent satellite imagery where the U.N. inspectors presumably would want to get access.
MILHOLLIN: Yes. One of the problems is that the presidential sites are in a special inspection category. In order to go into a presidential site, the inspectors have to first notify the Iraqis they're coming. They have to tell them who's on the team; that is, whether they're nuclear inspectors or biological inspectors, and they have to take a special group of diplomats with them from the U.N. These conditions make it very hard to do a practical inspection of these sites.
BLITZER: So, in other words, it would give the Iraqis notification and there would be no surprise. They could move whatever they wanted, is that what you're saying?
MILHOLLIN: Yes. You know the inspectors ran an experiment some years ago in which they started photographing from a U-2 spy plane a site that they were planning to inspect. What the photograph showed was that first there was no activity, then a bunch of Iraqi trucks left, then there was no activity, and then the inspectors showed up. The problem is that the Iraqis have been moving things and they've got most of their programs ready to hit the road.
BLITZER: So is it your sense he's just, Saddam Hussein, playing for time and sort of sucking the world into this game so that in the meantime he can develop weapons of mass destruction?
MILHOLLIN: My sense is that Saddam thinks, and this is not just my opinion but the opinion of many people who have studied this, that weapons of mass destruction are critical to his survival and his status, and that he will never give them up, and one of the proofs of that is that he could have ended this crisis any time in the last 11 years and produced billions of dollars of additional oil income just by giving up the programs which he hasn't done. BLITZER: So, your advice to President Bush would be don't even bother with these inspections?
MILHOLLIN: No, my advice to President Bush is to go the direction the administration seems to be going, which is to get a strong resolution out of the United Nations, and that's what Secretary Powell is trying to do and I think that's the proper step to take.
BLITZER: With a threat in there obviously of an ultimatum, you don't comply, you don't disarm there will be a war.
MILHOLLIN: That's right because I think paradoxically enough that could actually work because the only time Saddam has ever been serious about inspections is when he's been threatened with imminent war. Then he gets serious; otherwise, no interest.
BLITZER: All right, Gary Milhollin thanks for joining us as usual.
MILHOLLIN: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: Thank you. Here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? We'll have the results later this hour. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
And we're just getting this information in on a story that's filtering in to us. Two small planes have collided near Carlsbad, California this afternoon. It's not known how many people were aboard. Emergency crews are on the scene. Carlsbad is located near San Diego. You're looking at pictures of this crash. We don't know the extent of injuries but we will get more information on this developing story and have those details for you when they become available.
When we come back, secret intelligence reports made public for the first time ever. When we return, a new look at what the government knew about al Qaeda before September 11. Also, she's the woman behind the man behind the scenes at the White House, Lynne Cheney will join us live.
Plus, don't get fooled, those lose weight fast ads just may be misleading. Our Elizabeth Cohen joins us with the skinny, but first today's news quiz. In the 1960s, doctors began prescribing what for weight loss, grapefruit, methamphetamines, sweat lodges, Valium? The answer coming up.
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DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): ...intelligence reports that may offer some answers. A special staff has been sifting through over 400,000 documents looking for clues the CIA and other intelligence agencies might have missed, including specifics on what the terrorists said to each other.
Until now, the only direct clues publicly known are two electronic intercepts by the National Security Agency recorded but not translated the day before the attacks and first reported on CNN. "The match begins tomorrow" said one person in Afghanistan to another in Saudi Arabia. "Tomorrow is zero hour" said another.
A congressional source close to the investigation says reading the classified data collected by U.S. intelligence using surveillance satellites, eavesdropping equipment and spies prior to 9/11 is sobering because so much of it indicates the depth of the hatred of this country on the part of many extremists overseas.
There is no smoking gun thus far, the congressional source says, no evidence anyone in U.S. intelligence had specific information about the 9/11 attacks, but the evidence does suggest the government knew a lot more about the seriousness of the threat from Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda than it told the American people.
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ENSOR: There has been a behind-the-scenes battle between committee members and some senior Bush administration officials who are balking at testifying in public before a joint committee, but the congressional source says cooperation on declassifying secrets has been good over all. So stay tuned, Wolf, for intelligence revelations and they'll come tomorrow morning.
BLITZER: David, this might not be the final chapter though in this continuing question. There could still be a blue ribbon outside presidential commission if you will that will take yet another look at what the government knew when and what they did with that information.
ENSOR: Well, that's right. There's increasing support for such an idea. The time is running out for the Congress. They hope to recess in mid October and there are more and more members of the intelligence committees even that believe another probe is called for. There were nine, of course, of the Pearl Harbor matter.
BLITZER: These probes may just be beginning. David Ensor tomorrow will be a huge day. We'll be covering it, watching it with you as you get us all those details. Thank you very much.
And the investigation continues today into an alleged al Qaeda cell near Buffalo, New York. Even though six arrests have already been made, sources say two suspects remain at large including one man described as the cell's recruiter. Our National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Buffalo and she has the late-breaking developments. Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. Yes, the U.S. government would very much like to get its hands on both of these men and one, in particular. Government officials are saying that he played a more central role than the others because they say that he was used to recruit people working for al Qaeda both here and overseas.
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CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Plans for his parents to attend their son's marriage was what led authorities to locate suspect Mukhtar al- Bakri, arrested on his wedding day in Bahrain. The 22-year-old al- Bakri was put on a plane to the U.S. and arrested when he entered U.S. airspace.
FRANK AHEARN, FBI BUFFALO: These were upstanding members of the community. They went to school. They did things. Well, that's true but frankly that's the same thing as you heard about a lot of the 19 hijackers.
CANDIOTTI: Al-Bakri is a U.S. citizen like the other five men who were rounded up in Lackawanna over the weekend. They are charged with participating in an al Qaeda training camp in the summer of 2001 and therefore providing material support to a terrorist organization. Ahmed al-Bakri says his brother did travel overseas but could not be involved in doing any harm to the U.S.
AHMED AL-BAKRI, SUSPECT'S BROTHER (through translator): He was at his wedding there and he told my parents in a phone call that he was arrested after false accusations from the United States that he carried explosives. He was searched and nothing was found, no evidence.
CANDIOTTI: Al-Bakri was last in western New York in July before returning to Bahrain. FBI agents interviewed al-Bakri on September 11 when America marked the anniversary of the attacks. The government says al-Bakri admitted going to an al Qaeda camp and implicated others. That prompted the weekend arrests.
He appeared in court wearing leg irons and handcuffs. The judge appointed the unemployed former delivery man an attorney. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
JOHN MOLLOY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My client seems - he's a little bit confused because of everything happening so fast.
CANDIOTTI: Two other suspects are believed to be in Yemen according to the FBI. One of their names Jabel El Benna (ph) revealed in a criminal complaint unsealed in court.
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CANDIOTTI: Now the name of the other man, the alleged recruiter according to government officials is Kamal Derwish (ph). He is being called a central player in this alleged conspiracy, someone who traveled not only through Lackawanna, New York but also overseas and he is alleged to have made travel arrangements for these men to get to those al Qaeda training camps.
Now the question is did these men know what they were doing or what they were getting into when they were going overseas. Of course, they told their family they were simply going over there for religious training. Well, according to one government official that's the ultimate question. Wolf.
BLITZER: Susan, I take it people in Buffalo and Lackawanna, the suburb, must be shocked at what's going on. Give us a little flavor of how people over there are reacting to this development.
CANDIOTTI: Well, as we've been reporting all along, they're hearing these allegations but they firmly believe that these men are innocent until proven guilty. They say it just doesn't add up in their opinion, that all they know about is that they were going overseas to better learn their religion, and all of this talk about getting involved with al Qaeda just doesn't make sense to them. But, they're watching this case very closely as (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that update. We'll continue to follow this story as well. It's been a year of challenge and high stress for Vice President Dick Cheney and his family. We'll find out how they're holding up when I speak live with the vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, just ahead.
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BLITZER: Welcome back.
School children around the country recited the Pledge of Allegiance simultaneously today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today, as the 215th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Lynne Cheney has just finished hosting a Constitution Day program at the vice president's residence here in Washington. She's now able to spend some time with us.
Mrs. Cheney, thank you so much for joining us. Did you feel at all awkward when you said the Pledge of Allegiance using that phrase, "under God," which, of course, has come under some legal question out on the West Coast?
LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Wolf, it just seemed such a natural part of the pledge to me, and I think to all of the kids and teachers and principals who were here, I don't think controversy entered our minds for a moment.
BLITZER: Was that one of the reasons behind this decision, just to reaffirm the nature of the Pledge of Allegiance, to go ahead and recite it across the country today, because of the controversy under that legal ruling a few months back?
CHENEY: You know, I really don't have any insight into why the Pledge Across America was done today, except that it is the Constitution's anniversary, and there's probably not a more important date in our history to remember. And one good way of remembering our country and our history and our Constitution is, of course, with the Pledge of Allegiance.
BLITZER: You've been spending a lot of time dealing with history and dealing with children since you're the wife of the vice president. What specifically did you do today? CHENEY: Well, we had 200 students here, second graders from District of Columbia schools, and we had their teachers and their principals. And we all got together. We had wonderful historical characters. George Washington was with us today and James Madison, the father of the Constitution. John Adams was here. He didn't actually go to the Constitutional Convention, but we had him, because he was the first vice president. We had Ben Franklin, the wise man of the Constitutional Convention.
And then we also had Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass, because it's very important that kids -- indeed that all of us understand that our country was founded on very high ideals, but we haven't always lived up to them. And one of the categories of heroes we should look to are the men and women who helped us understand that we weren't living up to our ideals and that we should do a better job and he helped us to do a better job. Frederick Douglass did that. Elizabeth Cady Stanton did that.
BLITZER: We were showing our viewers some of the pictures. Those characters look pretty realistic to me, at least on the little screen -- the TV screen.
CHENEY: Well, the interesting thing, most of the characters are actors, who are very well practiced in portraying these characters. But Frederick Douglass is actually Frederick Douglass IV, the great great grandson of Frederick Douglass.
BLITZER: That's why they look so realistic.
CHENEY: So it was wonderful to have him and his wife here.
BLITZER: Now, vice president, I take it, did not attend your event today.
CHENEY: That's correct. And many children asked me where he was. And I explained that he was down at the White House; that he had lots of work to do.
BLITZER: What does that mean when we all here he's in a secure and undisclosed location?
CHENEY: Well, today he was at the White House. So he was not at a secure, undisclosed location.
He and the president -- and I think this represents great wisdom -- have decided that it's very important to be sure that they aren't predictably together. And that when the threat level reaches a certain height, the president should stay here and the vice president go to a secure, undisclosed location. I think it represents a very wise, long-term view of this country and its needs.
BLITZER: So as long as we're on this high state of alert, this orange level, that's going to continue?
CHENEY: Well, I'm not sure what's going to continue, Wolf. His movements are unpredictable. And I wouldn't like to tell you exactly what he's going to do tomorrow, though, I usually am privy to at least the next couple of days.
BLITZER: Well, if you're not privy, nobody should be privy.
He got a clean bill of health last week from his doctors. A lot of our viewers, of course, are always interested. How is the vice president doing? How is he coping with the stress, for example?
CHENEY: Well, he does very well. He's exercising. He's watching his diet. I think those two things help all of us live through stressful situations better.
But, you know, he's also -- and I think this is also true of many of us -- he's able to do every day things that he thinks are very important. And I sometimes think that's the most gratifying life. It might be stressful in some view, but in another view it has so much satisfaction attached to it, to be able to bring your energies and talents to bear on important issues. I think he's doing quite well, thank you.
BLITZER: You and I remember, he lived through the stress of the Persian Gulf War 11 years ago. Was that more stressful than the current situation?
CHENEY: Oh, I really can't judge. The Persian Gulf War, he was secretary of defense. It was a different role he played.
But certainly any time when our nation's security is at risk, and when there's a question of sending some of the fine men and women in our armed forces overseas and putting them in harm's way, that is a situation that you pay a great deal of attention to, and you think quite deeply about.
BLITZER: Mrs. Cheney, please give our best regards to the vice president, and hopefully he won't have too stressful a time in the next few months and years while he's vice president. I appreciate your joining us on this very historic and important day.
CHENEY: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Bye, bye.
CHENEY: Bye.
BLITZER: An angry judge slaps a White House official with contempt charges. Find out why Gale Norton is on the hot seat, accused of lying.
Plus, hold on to your wallet when you hear those diet ads that say you can eat anything and still lose weight. Surprise, surprise. They may be misleading.
And the city versus the feds. Santa Cruz kicks off its medical marijuana giveaway.
But first, a look at news making "Headlines Around the World." Hundreds of Palestinians marched in Lebanon to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres. An Israeli-backed Lebanese Christian mill is blamed for hundreds of deaths in two Beirut refugee camps.
In a surprising admission, North Korean Leader Kim Jung Il acknowledged that his country kidnapped 11 Japanese citizens during the 1970s and '80s. Mr. Kim apologized to Japan's prime minister during talks aimed at normalizing relation between the two countries.
A nurse is on trial in the Netherlands, charged with murdering 13 patients over several years. She is accused of giving five children and eight elderly people lethal doses of drugs. Her alleged victims included a judge at the U.N. War Trials Tribunal in The Hague.
Two ships carrying nuclear waste arrived at an English port despite a protest as they came through the Irish Sea. Environmentalists tailed the ships in their own vessels, but they did not try to block the shipment.
A new character officially joined the cast of South Africa's version of "Sesame Street." He is a bear-like Muppet with HIV. The show's producers hope to promote acceptance for Africa's HIV-positive children.
Everybody was kung fu fighting at a festival in Southwestern China. Buddhist monks and kung fu students got together for a mix of martial arts and meditation.
Last week we told you about a plan to send a remote controlled camera through a narrow shaft in Egypt's Great Pyramid to peer inside a mysterious sealed chamber. Guess what? All that was found was the entrance to another sealed chamber. Scientists insist they're not disappointed, they simply discovered another piece in the pyramid's puzzle.
And that's our look around the world.
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BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
I want to update you on our top story, U.N. talks with Iraqi officials on the prospect of returning those U.N. weapon inspectors to Iraq. The head of the U.N. Weapons Inspection Team, Hans Blix, has now emerged from a one-hour meeting with Iraqi officials, saying talks were, quote, "useful and fruitful" and saying they will resume in Vienna, Austria in 10 days.
The discussions are designed to get those U.N. weapons inspectors back as quickly as possible. U.S. officials, including the secretary of state, Colin Powell, insist that there must be another U.N. Security Council resolution in advance of those U.N. inspectors going back to Iraq.
But right now, the first formal meeting between the U.N. Weapons Inspection Team and Iraqi officials. Dr. Hans Blix and Iraqi officials saying they will continue those discussions in 10 days in Vienna, Austria.
Let's look a look at some other stories making news right now.
A federal judge in Michigan says the U.S. government subjected a Lebanese man to illegal secret detention, and she has ordered his release within 10 days if he is not granted new hearings that are open to the public. The suspect is the head of a Michigan-based Islamic charity. He was arrested after last September's terrorist attacks on immigration violations. The case is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Former Attorney General Janet Reno gives up her battle for the Florida governor's office. A short time ago Reno conceded defeat in the race for the Democratic nomination to her opponent, Bill McBride. Last week's primary was marred by voting problems. Reno gained some votes in a recheck of some ballots, but not enough to overtake McBride. The Democratic nominee faces the Republican governor, Jeb Bush, in November.
An angry federal judge today held Interior Secretary Gale Norton in contempt. The judge says Norton failed to comply with his order to fix oversight problems with Native American trust funds. Six years ago, five Indians filed suit, claiming the federal government mismanaged billions of dollars in the trust funds. The judge calls the government's handling of the funds "disgraceful."
A few minutes ago we told you about a collision of two small planes over Carlsbad, California.
Deb Henke from our CNN affiliate KFMB in San Diego is on the scene.
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DEBRA HENKE, KFMB CORRESPONDENT: This Debra Henke, over Carlsbad California, where the afternoon two small planes collided in midair.
This is fairly close to a relatively busy airport, a controlled airspace. These two small planes, again, collided. We understand that there are three fatalities in the two planes: a man and woman in one of the planes, and then another victim in the second plane. No word on exactly what might have happened, what might have gone wrong here today. But again, three fatalities after a small plane crash, two small planes collide in midair over Carlsbad, California.
I'm Debra Henke for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Debra.
Technology is playing an ever-increasing role in law enforcement. A Florida county says it's found a way to determine whether suspects are committing crimes while they're awaiting trial. CNN's Mark Potter takes a look.
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MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Seminole County, Florida, north of Orlando, a college student arrested for alleged drug possession studies at home, wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet. It's part of a new type of satellite-monitoring program that keeps an eye on defendants and their movements before trial.
For this young man, the bracelet is a constant reminder he is being watched, and to stay out of trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does keep me from going to some places that I would normally go to, getting into trouble or hanging out with other people that I shouldn't be hanging out with.
POTTER: The Seminole County Sheriff's Department says this program is the first of its kind nationwide. What makes it unique is that defendants' daily movements are compared with computerized crime reports to help determine if any of them may have broken the law before they go to trial. If so, they go back to jail.
Here, a crime scene is in purple, the defendant is in red.
CYNTHIA JOINER, SEMINOLE CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. CRIME ANALYST: The red dots represent an offender that was in the area at that particular moment when the offense occurred.
POTTER (on camera): OK, but that doesn't convict him.
JOINER: Correct. In this particular instance, what we would do is then hand this over to the investigator investigating the case, and he or she would then just follow-up on the information to determine whether or not it's valid information.
POTTER (voice-over): County Judge John Sloop believes the bracelet is an effective tool for preventing repeat crime.
JOHN SLOOP, SEMINOLE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: I think it's a good idea. This is kind of like where an orthodontist will put braces on crooked teeth, where it asserts a gentle pressure over time, and eventually they straighten out.
POTTER: In some cases, the bracelets are offered in lieu of bail to defendants who otherwise couldn't afford to get out of jail before trial.
DONALD ESLINGER, SEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF: It just makes sense. It gives the individual the ability to earn a living. It gives the individual the ability to be with his family, to support their family, and we want that.
POTTER: Because it frees more prisoners, the monitoring program has even won measured support from the ACLU. HOWARD SIMON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLORIDA ACLU: And what we're talking about here is a program that might help reduce the terrible levels of incarceration. That is a major problem we have in this country.
POTTER: For this young man, the price of freedom is that he is always monitored.
Mark Potter, CNN, Seminole County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Buyer, beware. There may be more than meets the eye when it comes to magic weight-loss solutions. Elizabeth Cohen joins us live to sort out the good, the bad, and the fraudulent.
Plus, the vaccine shortage that may leave your kids out in the cold at the doctor's office.
And the big guy down the center moves to the sidelines: Patrick Ewing goes on the move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked: In the 1960s, doctors began prescribing what for weight loss? The answer: methamphetamines. Today they are not widely used. Instead, most doctors recommend good nutrition and exercise.
In 2000, Americans spent $35 billion on weight loss products such as dietary supplements, videos, medical treatments and books.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on false claims for diet products. In a new study, the FTC looked at some 300 ads and found that more than half had claims that could not be substantiated.
Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is keeping track of the story. She's joining us at the CNN Center.
There you are in Atlanta. Tell us all about it.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today the Federal Trade Commission announced that they've lodged complaints against two weight loss products.
One of them is called Quick Slim. It promised that people would lose two pounds a day without diet and exercise. The Federal Trade Commission said that's impossible.
The other product is called Celufight, and that one promised that you'd get rid of the celulite on your stomach and your hips and your rear-end, again, with no diet and exercise. And the Federal Trade Commission said, not true, can't be true; lodged a complaint against that company.
The FTC says this is just the tip of the iceberg. The agency admits they get can't get to everyone. As you mentioned, they looked at 300 ads. They found that most of them had some form of a false claim, or what probably would be a false claim. And, as you said, $35 billion is spent on these products, like pills and books and video.
Let's take a look at specifically what they found -- some of the claims that they found: "Starts to work within minutes." Experts will tell you that that just can't be true, things don't work within minutes.
Another claim: You burn away all the calories and all the food you take in every time you eat if you use their product. Well, if that was true you'd be dead because you wouldn't have any calories in you to keep you alive.
A third one -- this is my personal favorite -- "Have you ever seen an overweight fish, or an oyster with a few pounds too many? Everyone knows that sea animals never get fat." And this was an ad for a product that was made up of the ground up shells of shrimps, crabs and oysters. And they were saying, well, shrimps, crabs and oysters aren't fat, so if you eat their ground up shells, then you won't get fat either. Well, it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that that isn't true.
So now, what red flags can you look for? When you see ads, what should you look for to let you know that things are probably not true?
Look for the phrase "no diet or exercise required." Experts will tell you it's impossible to lose weight with no diet and no exercise.
The second one, look for phrases "clinically proven" or "doctor approved." Often those are used when they don't mean anything; it's just a way of convincing you. Some other phrases to look for: "natural" or "safe." First of all, even if it is natural, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's safe. It also doesn't necessarily mean that it's effective.
So, basically in conclusion, what the FTC says is "buyer beware"; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
And if any one of these things worked, if it really did give us weight loss with no effort at all, you would bet we would all be using it and there would be no obesity epidemic in the United States -- Wolf.
BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Very excellent advice from our Elizabeth Cohen, as usual. Thanks very much for that advice. I love those before and after pictures; they're always good to see. I don't believe them, but they're good to see.
Also On our health beat: push comes to shove in Santa Cruz, California, just moments from now. Following up a story we told you about yesterday, city and county leaders in Santa Cruz are set to be on hand at city hall at the top of the hour, when marijuana is handed out to some patients who have a doctor's approval to use the drug. Federal agents plan to be there as well. The DEA recently stirred anger in Santa Cruz by arresting the owners of a medical marijuana farm. California allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The drug is illegal under federal law.
And a new government report warns of the potential for diseases to spread because of a nationwide shortage of childhood vaccines. The shortage has forced a majority of states to scale back their immunization requirements for school and day care programs. Much of the blame is tied to drugmakers who have dropped out of the market, or slowed production to upgrade their plants. Congress is, right now, looking into the problem.
A basketball legend hangs up his jersey. When we return, Patrick Ewing in his own words. Find out why he's pulling out of the game.
And fans get a mouthful for "Monday Night Football." The pepper spray incident that left everyone crying foul.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Checking these stories on this evening's "Newswire."
Pepper spray turned up the heat on last night's NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins. Police had used the spray to break up a fight in the stands, but the fumes spread to the Eagles' bench. The fourth quarter was delayed for about eight minutes.
One of the NBA's greatest centers is calling it quits. All-Star Patrick Ewing announced his retirement today after an amazing 17-year career. He says he's accepted a job as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. Ewing spent 15 years with the New York Knicks and signed as a free agent with Orlando last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK EWING, FORMER NEW YORK KNICK: I thought I had a great career. And I definitely had a great career here in New York. And how do I want people to remember me? Just that, when he stepped out on the court, he gave it 110 percent, and he tried to do his best to help the team win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Good Luck to Patrick Ewing, here in Washington with the Wizards.
Now to an emotional journey back in time with Former President George Bush to Chichijima, Japan, where he was shot down as a pilot in World War II.
"AMERICAN MORNING's" Paula Zahn took that journey.
Paula is now joining us live from "AMERICAN MORNING's" new home in New York.
We're so excited to have you on the show, Paula, but tell us about this remarkable experience, encounter you had with the former president. PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Well, it was amazing. It happened a little bit earlier this summer. The president, Wolf, has talked about wanting to do a couple things, to feel as though his life has been complete. One is, you know, bailing out of an airplane at the age of 80. He's going to do that whole thing in a parachute again.
And he always wanted to return to the exact spot off the coast off Japan where he was shot down in World War II. And it took him 58 years to do it. And we traveled with the president as the Japanese military actually helped us find those exact coordinates where the plane went down.
And as you can imagine, it was extremely emotional for the president because the whole reason for going there was to try to better understand what happened, Wolf, when he was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.
He lost two of his buddies that day in the plane that he was piloting. And to this day he has felt quite responsible for their fate and wondered if there was anything he could have done that would have spared their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I'll tell you something, being in World War II, I think helped me as president, understand what it was like to send somebody's kid into combat.
ZAHN (voice-over): When deciding to send U.S. troops into Panama, Bush said he felt some of the same pains he had as a 20-year- old Navy pilot.
G.H.W. BUSH: I remember the night of before the battle started, before all signals were go, a feeling of physical pain across my shoulders and neck. It was excruciating. I grabbed a couple of Tylenol, and that didn't help a damn bit.
And I guess what I'm saying is, the feeling was not of fear, but of custodianship, of being responsible for someone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And Wolf, to this day he feels responsible for what happened to the two other crew members on his plane. People who witnessed him being shot down say they saw two chutes, one opened, one didn't. And he lost his two buddies. And an emotional scene out at sea. He put flowers out at sea in their honor, and we will show a little bit of that to you over the next three days.
BLITZER: I'll be getting up every morning, as I always do, Paula. But I'll be especially anxious to see these reports on the former president.
While I have you, tell us a little bit of the new set that you're debuting tomorrow morning, right?
ZAHN: Check this out, Wolf. First thing tomorrow morning, Mayor Bloomberg will be dropping by to help us kind of launch this new show.
Look -- I don't know whether you can see right now just how many opportunities we have that we didn't have in our old studio. It has all these technical gadgets and stuff in here that allow us to simultaneously interview six different people from six different locations.
And the best thing about it is we actually see daylight. See that? That's 6th Avenue in New York, looking out at 50th and 6th. So we're going to get a lot of street traffic. We're directly across the street from Radio City Music Hall. And so we're hoping that we'll be able to engage those folks in our show by asking them hot-button issues of the day.
And we're just really excited about the new place.
BLITZER: Paula, I've got to tell you, I'm a jealous dog. I can't wait to see that set in person.
Good luck for you on the set for many, many years to come. Thanks for joining us.
ZAHN: That is very nice of you, and thanks for having me on your show tonight.
BLITZER: Oh, anytime. Thank you very much, Paula.
ZAHN: You know, I watch you every night, Wolf. It's kind of like the family viewing habit --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: All right.
ZAHN: The family hour in our household.
BLITZER: Thank you, Paula.
Let's go to New York now -- somebody else I watch every single night: "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you. And those are very nice digs, indeed. Congratulations, Paula and company.
Well, coming up next here, Saddam Hussein promises to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq. We'll be examining that promise and his prospects. The president, however, says he's seen this all before. We'll have reports from the White House and United Nations.
Janet Reno concedes defeat in her race in the Democratic primary for governor of Florida. CNN'S Candy Crowley will report. And one of the nation's leading business groups is calling for tougher rules on stock options, and limiting excessive corporate pay. We'll have a special report for you, and I'll be talking with the man leading the group, the CEO of the Blackstone Group, Pete Peterson.
And SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt will be here with us tonight.
All of that and a great deal more ahead on "MONEYLINE." Please join us.
Now back to Wolf Blitzer in that very old studio of his.
BLITZER: Well, Lou, both of us, we're going to want new sets after we see that Paula Zahn set.
Thanks for joining us, we'll be watching you tonight in a few minutes.
Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of the Day." Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? Logon to cnn.com/wolf to vote.
We'll have the results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked you: Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? 53 percent of you say yes, 47 percent say no. Remember, not a scientific poll.
That's all the time we have today. Join me tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Discusses Her Husband; Investigators Put Together More Pieces of 9/11 Puzzle>
Aired September 17, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS showdown Iraq; Baghdad opens the door to weapons inspectors but will the U.S. slam it shut?
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have seen this game before.
BLITZER: Her husband has led the charge against Iraq, but with the U.S. on a terror alert, he's keeping a lower profile. How's he holding up? I'll ask Lynne Cheney live.
Investigators turn up many more pieces of the 9/11 puzzle. Should the government have been able to put them together? And, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Federal regulators say weight loss ads are weighed down by false and misleading claims.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): It's Tuesday, September 17. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq in 1998 and have since been barred from returning. Iraq has now opened the door for renewed inspections but the Bush administration is holding out for a better invitation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Saddam Hussein may be ready to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq but President Bush and his top advisers are by no means ready to say bon voyage. They say they don't want to be fooled again by the Iraqi leader.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act.
BLITZER: In the face of repeated U.S. threats of war, the Iraqi government Monday abruptly delivered a letter to the U.N. saying the inspectors could come back, no conditions attached. But, the Bush administration says the U.N. Security Council must still pass another resolution with tough language warning of serious consequences if those inspectors don't get complete access to all sites in Iraq.
POWELL: We can not just take a one and a quarter page letter signed by the foreign minister as the end of this matter. We have seen this game before.
BLITZER: President Bush even making an uncomplimentary comparison to the international body that was unable to prevent World War II.
BUSH: The United Nations must act. It's a time for them to determine whether or not they'll be the United Nations or the League of Nations.
BLITZER: But other key U.N. members, including Russia, say no additional U.N. resolution is necessary. U.S. officials say intent of diplomacy to win over the Russians and others has only just begun. The Iraqis, even in backing down on the issue of inspectors, continue to rail against the Bush administration.
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: But the Americans were using this matter as a pretext. They might use other pretexts in order to commit their aggression against Iraq.
BLITZER: For their part, U.N. weapons inspectors say they're ready.
MELISSA FLEMING, NATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (via telephone): Our inspectors are practically packed and ready to go. We have planning in place. We are all awaiting a green light.
BLITZER: The process of getting that green light has now formally begun with Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix opening talks with Iraqi officials at the U.N.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: If the United States is skeptical about the value of renewed U.N. weapons inspections, so is Iraq. Let's go live to Baghdad. That's where we find CNN's Rula Amin. Rula, tell us how the Iraqis are dealing with this issue right now.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the skepticism in Washington is generating more doubts here in Baghdad. We heard this morning from Iraq's deputy prime minister who was talking to delegates, international delegates, who were here to support Iraq, and he basically said that Iraq assumes and accuses the United States of using the weapons inspections as a pretext, that the U.S. is after Iraq's oil, and Iraq's wealth, and that's why the Iraqis have a lot of doubt that this is the end of the crisis.
There are no illusions here that this is the end of it but there is relief that this is a break, that there is a chance now to resolve this problem with some kind of peaceful talks. However, the delegates who were hear talking to the Iraqis and encouraging them to allow the inspectors back had also strong words to the United States, like British MP George Galloway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE GALLOWAY, BRITISH MP: Iraq, to use an English phrase, has now bitten the bullet and I don't think it's going to spit the bullet out and spoil the effect by behaving in any untoward way. So yes, I do think that war is about to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: Now, the Iraqis say despite their doubts, despite their skepticism, they are committed to deliver on their promise and that they will give the inspectors unfettered access. Wolf.
BLITZER: Rula Amin in Baghdad thank you very much. And across Europe, Saddam Hussein's offer to allow weapons inspectors back into Iraq is being hailed as a step in the right direction but there's also skepticism from some U.S. allies on the continent; more now from our Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Hello, Wolf. As you would expect among Washington's friends and allies, the British were, like the White House, the most skeptical about the Iraqi offer.
Analysts on this side of the pond say that what changed, however, is that Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz went to Saddam Hussein over the past weekend and told him he had no choice left but to readmit the weapons inspectors.
Political survival is Saddam's end game, and while readmitting the weapons inspectors does not guarantee Saddam's survival, it appears to have bought him time, time perhaps to take some of the momentum out of the Bush administration's military drive to unseat him.
(on camera): The Europeans are not naive. They recognize the offer from Saddam may be phony and he may let the inspectors in, then stall at each presidential palace and site they may wish to inspect. Still, Saddam does not have many options left. Europeans believe it was an astute short-term move on his part. The French were surprised. They didn't think he could move so quickly. Germany's Chancellor Schroeder called it an important step in the right direction.
No one over here is overly optimistic, realizing the process of weapons inspection in Iraq could break down again once those inspectors start poking around.
Walter Rodger CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: So could fresh U.N. inspections determine once and for all whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Could inspections head off a war? Joining me now is a leading expert on the subject, Gary Milhollin. He's the director of the Wisconsin project on nuclear arms control. Gary thanks for joining us. First question, will this work if the Iraqis let a new team of inspectors back in? GARY MILHOLLIN, DIR., WISCONSIN PROJECT: I can't see how the inspectors could certify in a reasonable period of time that Saddam is clean; that is, I think it would take them at least a year and even by then with the present mandate that they have, I think it would be hard to give concrete assurance that the problem is solved.
BLITZER: What's wrong, if it takes a year, it takes a year. Isn't that better than a war?
MILHOLLIN: Well, it's not better than a war if during that year Saddam builds something that we don't want him to build, or it could take two years, or it could wind up in a process which we saw before of a simple standoff in which everybody would be arguing who's the reasonable person, the inspectors or the Iraqis? I think that's the most likely thing.
BLITZER: U.S. satellite reconnaissance photography, satellite imagery, they've taken enormous numbers of pictures of Iraq over all of these years since the Gulf War. They presumably watch everything that's being moved, but now they'll be able to go in, presumably into those presidential palaces and some other places. We're showing our viewers some pictures of recent satellite imagery where the U.N. inspectors presumably would want to get access.
MILHOLLIN: Yes. One of the problems is that the presidential sites are in a special inspection category. In order to go into a presidential site, the inspectors have to first notify the Iraqis they're coming. They have to tell them who's on the team; that is, whether they're nuclear inspectors or biological inspectors, and they have to take a special group of diplomats with them from the U.N. These conditions make it very hard to do a practical inspection of these sites.
BLITZER: So, in other words, it would give the Iraqis notification and there would be no surprise. They could move whatever they wanted, is that what you're saying?
MILHOLLIN: Yes. You know the inspectors ran an experiment some years ago in which they started photographing from a U-2 spy plane a site that they were planning to inspect. What the photograph showed was that first there was no activity, then a bunch of Iraqi trucks left, then there was no activity, and then the inspectors showed up. The problem is that the Iraqis have been moving things and they've got most of their programs ready to hit the road.
BLITZER: So is it your sense he's just, Saddam Hussein, playing for time and sort of sucking the world into this game so that in the meantime he can develop weapons of mass destruction?
MILHOLLIN: My sense is that Saddam thinks, and this is not just my opinion but the opinion of many people who have studied this, that weapons of mass destruction are critical to his survival and his status, and that he will never give them up, and one of the proofs of that is that he could have ended this crisis any time in the last 11 years and produced billions of dollars of additional oil income just by giving up the programs which he hasn't done. BLITZER: So, your advice to President Bush would be don't even bother with these inspections?
MILHOLLIN: No, my advice to President Bush is to go the direction the administration seems to be going, which is to get a strong resolution out of the United Nations, and that's what Secretary Powell is trying to do and I think that's the proper step to take.
BLITZER: With a threat in there obviously of an ultimatum, you don't comply, you don't disarm there will be a war.
MILHOLLIN: That's right because I think paradoxically enough that could actually work because the only time Saddam has ever been serious about inspections is when he's been threatened with imminent war. Then he gets serious; otherwise, no interest.
BLITZER: All right, Gary Milhollin thanks for joining us as usual.
MILHOLLIN: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: Thank you. Here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? We'll have the results later this hour. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
And we're just getting this information in on a story that's filtering in to us. Two small planes have collided near Carlsbad, California this afternoon. It's not known how many people were aboard. Emergency crews are on the scene. Carlsbad is located near San Diego. You're looking at pictures of this crash. We don't know the extent of injuries but we will get more information on this developing story and have those details for you when they become available.
When we come back, secret intelligence reports made public for the first time ever. When we return, a new look at what the government knew about al Qaeda before September 11. Also, she's the woman behind the man behind the scenes at the White House, Lynne Cheney will join us live.
Plus, don't get fooled, those lose weight fast ads just may be misleading. Our Elizabeth Cohen joins us with the skinny, but first today's news quiz. In the 1960s, doctors began prescribing what for weight loss, grapefruit, methamphetamines, sweat lodges, Valium? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(AUDIO/VIDEO GAP)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): ...intelligence reports that may offer some answers. A special staff has been sifting through over 400,000 documents looking for clues the CIA and other intelligence agencies might have missed, including specifics on what the terrorists said to each other.
Until now, the only direct clues publicly known are two electronic intercepts by the National Security Agency recorded but not translated the day before the attacks and first reported on CNN. "The match begins tomorrow" said one person in Afghanistan to another in Saudi Arabia. "Tomorrow is zero hour" said another.
A congressional source close to the investigation says reading the classified data collected by U.S. intelligence using surveillance satellites, eavesdropping equipment and spies prior to 9/11 is sobering because so much of it indicates the depth of the hatred of this country on the part of many extremists overseas.
There is no smoking gun thus far, the congressional source says, no evidence anyone in U.S. intelligence had specific information about the 9/11 attacks, but the evidence does suggest the government knew a lot more about the seriousness of the threat from Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda than it told the American people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: There has been a behind-the-scenes battle between committee members and some senior Bush administration officials who are balking at testifying in public before a joint committee, but the congressional source says cooperation on declassifying secrets has been good over all. So stay tuned, Wolf, for intelligence revelations and they'll come tomorrow morning.
BLITZER: David, this might not be the final chapter though in this continuing question. There could still be a blue ribbon outside presidential commission if you will that will take yet another look at what the government knew when and what they did with that information.
ENSOR: Well, that's right. There's increasing support for such an idea. The time is running out for the Congress. They hope to recess in mid October and there are more and more members of the intelligence committees even that believe another probe is called for. There were nine, of course, of the Pearl Harbor matter.
BLITZER: These probes may just be beginning. David Ensor tomorrow will be a huge day. We'll be covering it, watching it with you as you get us all those details. Thank you very much.
And the investigation continues today into an alleged al Qaeda cell near Buffalo, New York. Even though six arrests have already been made, sources say two suspects remain at large including one man described as the cell's recruiter. Our National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Buffalo and she has the late-breaking developments. Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. Yes, the U.S. government would very much like to get its hands on both of these men and one, in particular. Government officials are saying that he played a more central role than the others because they say that he was used to recruit people working for al Qaeda both here and overseas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Plans for his parents to attend their son's marriage was what led authorities to locate suspect Mukhtar al- Bakri, arrested on his wedding day in Bahrain. The 22-year-old al- Bakri was put on a plane to the U.S. and arrested when he entered U.S. airspace.
FRANK AHEARN, FBI BUFFALO: These were upstanding members of the community. They went to school. They did things. Well, that's true but frankly that's the same thing as you heard about a lot of the 19 hijackers.
CANDIOTTI: Al-Bakri is a U.S. citizen like the other five men who were rounded up in Lackawanna over the weekend. They are charged with participating in an al Qaeda training camp in the summer of 2001 and therefore providing material support to a terrorist organization. Ahmed al-Bakri says his brother did travel overseas but could not be involved in doing any harm to the U.S.
AHMED AL-BAKRI, SUSPECT'S BROTHER (through translator): He was at his wedding there and he told my parents in a phone call that he was arrested after false accusations from the United States that he carried explosives. He was searched and nothing was found, no evidence.
CANDIOTTI: Al-Bakri was last in western New York in July before returning to Bahrain. FBI agents interviewed al-Bakri on September 11 when America marked the anniversary of the attacks. The government says al-Bakri admitted going to an al Qaeda camp and implicated others. That prompted the weekend arrests.
He appeared in court wearing leg irons and handcuffs. The judge appointed the unemployed former delivery man an attorney. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
JOHN MOLLOY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My client seems - he's a little bit confused because of everything happening so fast.
CANDIOTTI: Two other suspects are believed to be in Yemen according to the FBI. One of their names Jabel El Benna (ph) revealed in a criminal complaint unsealed in court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Now the name of the other man, the alleged recruiter according to government officials is Kamal Derwish (ph). He is being called a central player in this alleged conspiracy, someone who traveled not only through Lackawanna, New York but also overseas and he is alleged to have made travel arrangements for these men to get to those al Qaeda training camps.
Now the question is did these men know what they were doing or what they were getting into when they were going overseas. Of course, they told their family they were simply going over there for religious training. Well, according to one government official that's the ultimate question. Wolf.
BLITZER: Susan, I take it people in Buffalo and Lackawanna, the suburb, must be shocked at what's going on. Give us a little flavor of how people over there are reacting to this development.
CANDIOTTI: Well, as we've been reporting all along, they're hearing these allegations but they firmly believe that these men are innocent until proven guilty. They say it just doesn't add up in their opinion, that all they know about is that they were going overseas to better learn their religion, and all of this talk about getting involved with al Qaeda just doesn't make sense to them. But, they're watching this case very closely as (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that update. We'll continue to follow this story as well. It's been a year of challenge and high stress for Vice President Dick Cheney and his family. We'll find out how they're holding up when I speak live with the vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
School children around the country recited the Pledge of Allegiance simultaneously today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today, as the 215th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Lynne Cheney has just finished hosting a Constitution Day program at the vice president's residence here in Washington. She's now able to spend some time with us.
Mrs. Cheney, thank you so much for joining us. Did you feel at all awkward when you said the Pledge of Allegiance using that phrase, "under God," which, of course, has come under some legal question out on the West Coast?
LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Wolf, it just seemed such a natural part of the pledge to me, and I think to all of the kids and teachers and principals who were here, I don't think controversy entered our minds for a moment.
BLITZER: Was that one of the reasons behind this decision, just to reaffirm the nature of the Pledge of Allegiance, to go ahead and recite it across the country today, because of the controversy under that legal ruling a few months back?
CHENEY: You know, I really don't have any insight into why the Pledge Across America was done today, except that it is the Constitution's anniversary, and there's probably not a more important date in our history to remember. And one good way of remembering our country and our history and our Constitution is, of course, with the Pledge of Allegiance.
BLITZER: You've been spending a lot of time dealing with history and dealing with children since you're the wife of the vice president. What specifically did you do today? CHENEY: Well, we had 200 students here, second graders from District of Columbia schools, and we had their teachers and their principals. And we all got together. We had wonderful historical characters. George Washington was with us today and James Madison, the father of the Constitution. John Adams was here. He didn't actually go to the Constitutional Convention, but we had him, because he was the first vice president. We had Ben Franklin, the wise man of the Constitutional Convention.
And then we also had Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass, because it's very important that kids -- indeed that all of us understand that our country was founded on very high ideals, but we haven't always lived up to them. And one of the categories of heroes we should look to are the men and women who helped us understand that we weren't living up to our ideals and that we should do a better job and he helped us to do a better job. Frederick Douglass did that. Elizabeth Cady Stanton did that.
BLITZER: We were showing our viewers some of the pictures. Those characters look pretty realistic to me, at least on the little screen -- the TV screen.
CHENEY: Well, the interesting thing, most of the characters are actors, who are very well practiced in portraying these characters. But Frederick Douglass is actually Frederick Douglass IV, the great great grandson of Frederick Douglass.
BLITZER: That's why they look so realistic.
CHENEY: So it was wonderful to have him and his wife here.
BLITZER: Now, vice president, I take it, did not attend your event today.
CHENEY: That's correct. And many children asked me where he was. And I explained that he was down at the White House; that he had lots of work to do.
BLITZER: What does that mean when we all here he's in a secure and undisclosed location?
CHENEY: Well, today he was at the White House. So he was not at a secure, undisclosed location.
He and the president -- and I think this represents great wisdom -- have decided that it's very important to be sure that they aren't predictably together. And that when the threat level reaches a certain height, the president should stay here and the vice president go to a secure, undisclosed location. I think it represents a very wise, long-term view of this country and its needs.
BLITZER: So as long as we're on this high state of alert, this orange level, that's going to continue?
CHENEY: Well, I'm not sure what's going to continue, Wolf. His movements are unpredictable. And I wouldn't like to tell you exactly what he's going to do tomorrow, though, I usually am privy to at least the next couple of days.
BLITZER: Well, if you're not privy, nobody should be privy.
He got a clean bill of health last week from his doctors. A lot of our viewers, of course, are always interested. How is the vice president doing? How is he coping with the stress, for example?
CHENEY: Well, he does very well. He's exercising. He's watching his diet. I think those two things help all of us live through stressful situations better.
But, you know, he's also -- and I think this is also true of many of us -- he's able to do every day things that he thinks are very important. And I sometimes think that's the most gratifying life. It might be stressful in some view, but in another view it has so much satisfaction attached to it, to be able to bring your energies and talents to bear on important issues. I think he's doing quite well, thank you.
BLITZER: You and I remember, he lived through the stress of the Persian Gulf War 11 years ago. Was that more stressful than the current situation?
CHENEY: Oh, I really can't judge. The Persian Gulf War, he was secretary of defense. It was a different role he played.
But certainly any time when our nation's security is at risk, and when there's a question of sending some of the fine men and women in our armed forces overseas and putting them in harm's way, that is a situation that you pay a great deal of attention to, and you think quite deeply about.
BLITZER: Mrs. Cheney, please give our best regards to the vice president, and hopefully he won't have too stressful a time in the next few months and years while he's vice president. I appreciate your joining us on this very historic and important day.
CHENEY: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Bye, bye.
CHENEY: Bye.
BLITZER: An angry judge slaps a White House official with contempt charges. Find out why Gale Norton is on the hot seat, accused of lying.
Plus, hold on to your wallet when you hear those diet ads that say you can eat anything and still lose weight. Surprise, surprise. They may be misleading.
And the city versus the feds. Santa Cruz kicks off its medical marijuana giveaway.
But first, a look at news making "Headlines Around the World." Hundreds of Palestinians marched in Lebanon to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres. An Israeli-backed Lebanese Christian mill is blamed for hundreds of deaths in two Beirut refugee camps.
In a surprising admission, North Korean Leader Kim Jung Il acknowledged that his country kidnapped 11 Japanese citizens during the 1970s and '80s. Mr. Kim apologized to Japan's prime minister during talks aimed at normalizing relation between the two countries.
A nurse is on trial in the Netherlands, charged with murdering 13 patients over several years. She is accused of giving five children and eight elderly people lethal doses of drugs. Her alleged victims included a judge at the U.N. War Trials Tribunal in The Hague.
Two ships carrying nuclear waste arrived at an English port despite a protest as they came through the Irish Sea. Environmentalists tailed the ships in their own vessels, but they did not try to block the shipment.
A new character officially joined the cast of South Africa's version of "Sesame Street." He is a bear-like Muppet with HIV. The show's producers hope to promote acceptance for Africa's HIV-positive children.
Everybody was kung fu fighting at a festival in Southwestern China. Buddhist monks and kung fu students got together for a mix of martial arts and meditation.
Last week we told you about a plan to send a remote controlled camera through a narrow shaft in Egypt's Great Pyramid to peer inside a mysterious sealed chamber. Guess what? All that was found was the entrance to another sealed chamber. Scientists insist they're not disappointed, they simply discovered another piece in the pyramid's puzzle.
And that's our look around the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
I want to update you on our top story, U.N. talks with Iraqi officials on the prospect of returning those U.N. weapon inspectors to Iraq. The head of the U.N. Weapons Inspection Team, Hans Blix, has now emerged from a one-hour meeting with Iraqi officials, saying talks were, quote, "useful and fruitful" and saying they will resume in Vienna, Austria in 10 days.
The discussions are designed to get those U.N. weapons inspectors back as quickly as possible. U.S. officials, including the secretary of state, Colin Powell, insist that there must be another U.N. Security Council resolution in advance of those U.N. inspectors going back to Iraq.
But right now, the first formal meeting between the U.N. Weapons Inspection Team and Iraqi officials. Dr. Hans Blix and Iraqi officials saying they will continue those discussions in 10 days in Vienna, Austria.
Let's look a look at some other stories making news right now.
A federal judge in Michigan says the U.S. government subjected a Lebanese man to illegal secret detention, and she has ordered his release within 10 days if he is not granted new hearings that are open to the public. The suspect is the head of a Michigan-based Islamic charity. He was arrested after last September's terrorist attacks on immigration violations. The case is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Former Attorney General Janet Reno gives up her battle for the Florida governor's office. A short time ago Reno conceded defeat in the race for the Democratic nomination to her opponent, Bill McBride. Last week's primary was marred by voting problems. Reno gained some votes in a recheck of some ballots, but not enough to overtake McBride. The Democratic nominee faces the Republican governor, Jeb Bush, in November.
An angry federal judge today held Interior Secretary Gale Norton in contempt. The judge says Norton failed to comply with his order to fix oversight problems with Native American trust funds. Six years ago, five Indians filed suit, claiming the federal government mismanaged billions of dollars in the trust funds. The judge calls the government's handling of the funds "disgraceful."
A few minutes ago we told you about a collision of two small planes over Carlsbad, California.
Deb Henke from our CNN affiliate KFMB in San Diego is on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBRA HENKE, KFMB CORRESPONDENT: This Debra Henke, over Carlsbad California, where the afternoon two small planes collided in midair.
This is fairly close to a relatively busy airport, a controlled airspace. These two small planes, again, collided. We understand that there are three fatalities in the two planes: a man and woman in one of the planes, and then another victim in the second plane. No word on exactly what might have happened, what might have gone wrong here today. But again, three fatalities after a small plane crash, two small planes collide in midair over Carlsbad, California.
I'm Debra Henke for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Debra.
Technology is playing an ever-increasing role in law enforcement. A Florida county says it's found a way to determine whether suspects are committing crimes while they're awaiting trial. CNN's Mark Potter takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Seminole County, Florida, north of Orlando, a college student arrested for alleged drug possession studies at home, wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet. It's part of a new type of satellite-monitoring program that keeps an eye on defendants and their movements before trial.
For this young man, the bracelet is a constant reminder he is being watched, and to stay out of trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does keep me from going to some places that I would normally go to, getting into trouble or hanging out with other people that I shouldn't be hanging out with.
POTTER: The Seminole County Sheriff's Department says this program is the first of its kind nationwide. What makes it unique is that defendants' daily movements are compared with computerized crime reports to help determine if any of them may have broken the law before they go to trial. If so, they go back to jail.
Here, a crime scene is in purple, the defendant is in red.
CYNTHIA JOINER, SEMINOLE CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT. CRIME ANALYST: The red dots represent an offender that was in the area at that particular moment when the offense occurred.
POTTER (on camera): OK, but that doesn't convict him.
JOINER: Correct. In this particular instance, what we would do is then hand this over to the investigator investigating the case, and he or she would then just follow-up on the information to determine whether or not it's valid information.
POTTER (voice-over): County Judge John Sloop believes the bracelet is an effective tool for preventing repeat crime.
JOHN SLOOP, SEMINOLE COUNTY COURT JUDGE: I think it's a good idea. This is kind of like where an orthodontist will put braces on crooked teeth, where it asserts a gentle pressure over time, and eventually they straighten out.
POTTER: In some cases, the bracelets are offered in lieu of bail to defendants who otherwise couldn't afford to get out of jail before trial.
DONALD ESLINGER, SEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF: It just makes sense. It gives the individual the ability to earn a living. It gives the individual the ability to be with his family, to support their family, and we want that.
POTTER: Because it frees more prisoners, the monitoring program has even won measured support from the ACLU. HOWARD SIMON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLORIDA ACLU: And what we're talking about here is a program that might help reduce the terrible levels of incarceration. That is a major problem we have in this country.
POTTER: For this young man, the price of freedom is that he is always monitored.
Mark Potter, CNN, Seminole County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Buyer, beware. There may be more than meets the eye when it comes to magic weight-loss solutions. Elizabeth Cohen joins us live to sort out the good, the bad, and the fraudulent.
Plus, the vaccine shortage that may leave your kids out in the cold at the doctor's office.
And the big guy down the center moves to the sidelines: Patrick Ewing goes on the move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked: In the 1960s, doctors began prescribing what for weight loss? The answer: methamphetamines. Today they are not widely used. Instead, most doctors recommend good nutrition and exercise.
In 2000, Americans spent $35 billion on weight loss products such as dietary supplements, videos, medical treatments and books.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on false claims for diet products. In a new study, the FTC looked at some 300 ads and found that more than half had claims that could not be substantiated.
Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is keeping track of the story. She's joining us at the CNN Center.
There you are in Atlanta. Tell us all about it.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today the Federal Trade Commission announced that they've lodged complaints against two weight loss products.
One of them is called Quick Slim. It promised that people would lose two pounds a day without diet and exercise. The Federal Trade Commission said that's impossible.
The other product is called Celufight, and that one promised that you'd get rid of the celulite on your stomach and your hips and your rear-end, again, with no diet and exercise. And the Federal Trade Commission said, not true, can't be true; lodged a complaint against that company.
The FTC says this is just the tip of the iceberg. The agency admits they get can't get to everyone. As you mentioned, they looked at 300 ads. They found that most of them had some form of a false claim, or what probably would be a false claim. And, as you said, $35 billion is spent on these products, like pills and books and video.
Let's take a look at specifically what they found -- some of the claims that they found: "Starts to work within minutes." Experts will tell you that that just can't be true, things don't work within minutes.
Another claim: You burn away all the calories and all the food you take in every time you eat if you use their product. Well, if that was true you'd be dead because you wouldn't have any calories in you to keep you alive.
A third one -- this is my personal favorite -- "Have you ever seen an overweight fish, or an oyster with a few pounds too many? Everyone knows that sea animals never get fat." And this was an ad for a product that was made up of the ground up shells of shrimps, crabs and oysters. And they were saying, well, shrimps, crabs and oysters aren't fat, so if you eat their ground up shells, then you won't get fat either. Well, it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that that isn't true.
So now, what red flags can you look for? When you see ads, what should you look for to let you know that things are probably not true?
Look for the phrase "no diet or exercise required." Experts will tell you it's impossible to lose weight with no diet and no exercise.
The second one, look for phrases "clinically proven" or "doctor approved." Often those are used when they don't mean anything; it's just a way of convincing you. Some other phrases to look for: "natural" or "safe." First of all, even if it is natural, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's safe. It also doesn't necessarily mean that it's effective.
So, basically in conclusion, what the FTC says is "buyer beware"; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
And if any one of these things worked, if it really did give us weight loss with no effort at all, you would bet we would all be using it and there would be no obesity epidemic in the United States -- Wolf.
BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Very excellent advice from our Elizabeth Cohen, as usual. Thanks very much for that advice. I love those before and after pictures; they're always good to see. I don't believe them, but they're good to see.
Also On our health beat: push comes to shove in Santa Cruz, California, just moments from now. Following up a story we told you about yesterday, city and county leaders in Santa Cruz are set to be on hand at city hall at the top of the hour, when marijuana is handed out to some patients who have a doctor's approval to use the drug. Federal agents plan to be there as well. The DEA recently stirred anger in Santa Cruz by arresting the owners of a medical marijuana farm. California allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The drug is illegal under federal law.
And a new government report warns of the potential for diseases to spread because of a nationwide shortage of childhood vaccines. The shortage has forced a majority of states to scale back their immunization requirements for school and day care programs. Much of the blame is tied to drugmakers who have dropped out of the market, or slowed production to upgrade their plants. Congress is, right now, looking into the problem.
A basketball legend hangs up his jersey. When we return, Patrick Ewing in his own words. Find out why he's pulling out of the game.
And fans get a mouthful for "Monday Night Football." The pepper spray incident that left everyone crying foul.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Checking these stories on this evening's "Newswire."
Pepper spray turned up the heat on last night's NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins. Police had used the spray to break up a fight in the stands, but the fumes spread to the Eagles' bench. The fourth quarter was delayed for about eight minutes.
One of the NBA's greatest centers is calling it quits. All-Star Patrick Ewing announced his retirement today after an amazing 17-year career. He says he's accepted a job as an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. Ewing spent 15 years with the New York Knicks and signed as a free agent with Orlando last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK EWING, FORMER NEW YORK KNICK: I thought I had a great career. And I definitely had a great career here in New York. And how do I want people to remember me? Just that, when he stepped out on the court, he gave it 110 percent, and he tried to do his best to help the team win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Good Luck to Patrick Ewing, here in Washington with the Wizards.
Now to an emotional journey back in time with Former President George Bush to Chichijima, Japan, where he was shot down as a pilot in World War II.
"AMERICAN MORNING's" Paula Zahn took that journey.
Paula is now joining us live from "AMERICAN MORNING's" new home in New York.
We're so excited to have you on the show, Paula, but tell us about this remarkable experience, encounter you had with the former president. PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Well, it was amazing. It happened a little bit earlier this summer. The president, Wolf, has talked about wanting to do a couple things, to feel as though his life has been complete. One is, you know, bailing out of an airplane at the age of 80. He's going to do that whole thing in a parachute again.
And he always wanted to return to the exact spot off the coast off Japan where he was shot down in World War II. And it took him 58 years to do it. And we traveled with the president as the Japanese military actually helped us find those exact coordinates where the plane went down.
And as you can imagine, it was extremely emotional for the president because the whole reason for going there was to try to better understand what happened, Wolf, when he was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.
He lost two of his buddies that day in the plane that he was piloting. And to this day he has felt quite responsible for their fate and wondered if there was anything he could have done that would have spared their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I'll tell you something, being in World War II, I think helped me as president, understand what it was like to send somebody's kid into combat.
ZAHN (voice-over): When deciding to send U.S. troops into Panama, Bush said he felt some of the same pains he had as a 20-year- old Navy pilot.
G.H.W. BUSH: I remember the night of before the battle started, before all signals were go, a feeling of physical pain across my shoulders and neck. It was excruciating. I grabbed a couple of Tylenol, and that didn't help a damn bit.
And I guess what I'm saying is, the feeling was not of fear, but of custodianship, of being responsible for someone else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And Wolf, to this day he feels responsible for what happened to the two other crew members on his plane. People who witnessed him being shot down say they saw two chutes, one opened, one didn't. And he lost his two buddies. And an emotional scene out at sea. He put flowers out at sea in their honor, and we will show a little bit of that to you over the next three days.
BLITZER: I'll be getting up every morning, as I always do, Paula. But I'll be especially anxious to see these reports on the former president.
While I have you, tell us a little bit of the new set that you're debuting tomorrow morning, right?
ZAHN: Check this out, Wolf. First thing tomorrow morning, Mayor Bloomberg will be dropping by to help us kind of launch this new show.
Look -- I don't know whether you can see right now just how many opportunities we have that we didn't have in our old studio. It has all these technical gadgets and stuff in here that allow us to simultaneously interview six different people from six different locations.
And the best thing about it is we actually see daylight. See that? That's 6th Avenue in New York, looking out at 50th and 6th. So we're going to get a lot of street traffic. We're directly across the street from Radio City Music Hall. And so we're hoping that we'll be able to engage those folks in our show by asking them hot-button issues of the day.
And we're just really excited about the new place.
BLITZER: Paula, I've got to tell you, I'm a jealous dog. I can't wait to see that set in person.
Good luck for you on the set for many, many years to come. Thanks for joining us.
ZAHN: That is very nice of you, and thanks for having me on your show tonight.
BLITZER: Oh, anytime. Thank you very much, Paula.
ZAHN: You know, I watch you every night, Wolf. It's kind of like the family viewing habit --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: All right.
ZAHN: The family hour in our household.
BLITZER: Thank you, Paula.
Let's go to New York now -- somebody else I watch every single night: "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you. And those are very nice digs, indeed. Congratulations, Paula and company.
Well, coming up next here, Saddam Hussein promises to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq. We'll be examining that promise and his prospects. The president, however, says he's seen this all before. We'll have reports from the White House and United Nations.
Janet Reno concedes defeat in her race in the Democratic primary for governor of Florida. CNN'S Candy Crowley will report. And one of the nation's leading business groups is calling for tougher rules on stock options, and limiting excessive corporate pay. We'll have a special report for you, and I'll be talking with the man leading the group, the CEO of the Blackstone Group, Pete Peterson.
And SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt will be here with us tonight.
All of that and a great deal more ahead on "MONEYLINE." Please join us.
Now back to Wolf Blitzer in that very old studio of his.
BLITZER: Well, Lou, both of us, we're going to want new sets after we see that Paula Zahn set.
Thanks for joining us, we'll be watching you tonight in a few minutes.
Time is running out for you to weigh in on our "Web Question of the Day." Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? Logon to cnn.com/wolf to vote.
We'll have the results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked you: Do you think sending U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq is a waste of time? 53 percent of you say yes, 47 percent say no. Remember, not a scientific poll.
That's all the time we have today. Join me tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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