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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Washington, D.C. Suburb Traumatized by Five Murders in Less Than 16 Hours; Stephen Kim Arrested After Firing Seven Shots at U.N. Building

Aired October 03, 2002 - 17:00   ET

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

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


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's Thursday, October 3, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We begin with two developing stories. In New York violence at a place of peace, authorities say a gunman fired a number of shots. CNN has exclusive pictures of the aftermath, all of this happening right in front of our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. We'll give you the latest on this incident in just a few moments.

But first, a shocking series of shootings in what is normally a quiet area outside the nation's capitol. Montgomery County has been traumatized by five killings in less than 16 hours, four of them coming in a two-hour span this morning. Our national correspondent Bob Franken is on the scene. He's joining us now live with the latest. Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're waiting for a new conference from top Montgomery County officials. A message is going to be that they're going to need help looking for information that might come from anybody who might be a witness to shootings that, as you pointed out, began 16 hours ago and ended at about ten o'clock this morning Eastern time. The first ones began about this time 24 hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): While police say there is no apparent connections between the victims, their killer or killers have been operating in a calculated way. Six shots have been fired at six locations all within a few miles of each other here in a Maryland suburb of Washington. Five have been killed. Schools let out at their normal times after students were kept inside all day, as police spread out in a massive manhunt.

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY CO. POLICE: I don't know at this point who or what we're dealing with, what the thought process is, what the plan is and so we are certainly anxious. We have our resources deployed but, yes, people need to continue with life.

FRANKEN: The incidents began Wednesday evening. A single shot crashed through a craft store window. No one was hit. But a half hour later at a nearby supermarket, another shot rang out. This time, a 55-year-old man was killed outside the store. The shootings resumed in the morning at 7:41. A man cutting his grass in the area was shot dead. Less than a half hour later, a cab driver was filling up his car at a service station. He was shot and killed. Another half hour after that, a woman was shot dead outside a post office near a retirement home. A little over an hour later, another murder, again a single shot. This time it took the life of a woman who was simply at a service station vacuuming her van.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of ladies came from there and she said there's something wrong with this lady, so we went to go and help her, to pull her out because the door was on top of her. We couldn't pull her out.

FRANKEN: Police quote some witnesses as saying they may have spotted two people in a vehicle described as a box-type truck with a damaged tailgate. Trucks were being stopped throughout the area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: As for the schools, officials say they plan to open them this morning subject to any later developments. They're trying to keep calm in this area, which is somewhat difficult considering the fact that five people were killed as they were going about their lives, which were suddenly taken from them, Wolf, for no apparent reason.

BLITZER: A very bizarre and frightening situation, Bob. I understand the police are about to issue, release information about some rewards that they're going to be announcing?

FRANKEN: One of the frustrations has been that they have not really gotten a lot of information. Part of the problem is, is that apparently these are happening so quickly that nobody is really able to get much information, really able to be much of a witness, so the police are trying everything they can to try and get some help in finding these people.

BLITZER: Bob Franken with the very latest thanks very much. Let's get a little bit more information on this investigation, what's become an urgent search for at least one suspect, maybe more. Joining me now on the phone is Lucille Baur of the Montgomery County Police force. Lucille thanks for joining us. Do you believe there is one individual, one killer responsible or more?

LUCILLE BAUR, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We don't know at this point. The only information that we have has been provided from a witness to the shootings that occurred outside the post office that's located in front of the Leisure World Senior Citizen community in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Maryland, and that witness provided us with our vehicle description and provided us with the information that they believe that vehicle contained two occupants.

BLITZER: Have you, Lucille, conclusively concluded already, at least preliminarily, that all the victims were shot by the same weapons? BAUR: We have not. We are going to have to wait on the results of ballistics testing for that information. So, as soon as we get information from the Medical Examiner's Office, we'll be able to make that determination. But, while we have no concrete definitive evidence linking these shootings, it can be reasonably assumed that they are related.

BLITZER: And that's a basis on some preliminary investigation. What are you about to announce as far as a reward is concerned? Can you share that with us?

BAUR: I do not have that information. It is being released by our Police Chief Charles Moose and our County Executive Douglas Duncan. I do understand there is a reward fund being set up and we are asking our citizens because they are going to be our best resource in helping us solve this case. We're asking anyone with any information to call in and give us the clues. We will follow up on whatever information is provided to us. We believe that someone out there knows something that can help us solve these cases.

BLITZER: All right, Lucille thanks for joining us. I want to go to a news conference.

BAUR: Yes. You'll get your most up to date information.

BLITZER: The Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan is speaking right now. Let's listen in.

BAUR: Thank you.

DOUGLAS DUNCAN, MONTGOMERY CO. EXECUTIVE: ...and the people of this region to remain calm but also to be very vigilant, to report any suspicious or unusual activity. If you sight the suspect vehicle, a white Mitsubishi or Isuzu box truck with small black lettering and possible damage to the rear door, please call 240-777-2600. If you have any information at all that you think might be helpful, please call 240-777-2600. We're also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of whoever is responsible for this.

Parents all across this region tonight when I go home, I'm going to have to try to attempt to explain to my own children why someone or some group of individuals would want to randomly kill people as they went about their daily routines. It's not going to be a very easy discussion but it's a very necessary one. It's important that we talk through these kinds of events, these kinds of tragedies with our children, with members of our extended families, as well as our friends and neighbors.

This mindless violence occurred in Montgomery County today but it's affected an entire region and by pulling together, we're going to get through it. Thank you very much, and now I'd like to call up Chief Moose to say a few words. Chief.

MOOSE: As we stated earlier, when we finish taking questions, we will provide you with the names of the victims. We have completed all of those notifications, and certainly I would plead with you for your sensitivity to those families. If they want to discuss this matter, certainly I'm sure they will reach out to you but, again, they're all stunned.

They are very hurt. They've been working with our victim assistance specialists, but again we will give you the names and ask you to show respect and discipline to those families. And as the county executive said, certainly our sympathies, our deepest sympathies go out to them. Our entire county, the men and women of the Montgomery Police Department are saddened by their losses. We continue to conduct the investigation.

Resources continue to pour in from adjoining agencies from our federal agencies. We have made a very special point to reach out to these agencies and they have provided us with the things that we need and they have offered additional resources, depending on which way the investigation evolves.

BLITZER: Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose speaking to reporters. He's flanked by the Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Both of them expressing alarm obviously at the series of killings here right outside Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, a relatively middle-class to affluent county which services a lot of federal workers living in Montgomery County, working in the District of Columbia, working for the federal government shocked.

Within the span of some 16 hours, five killings, violence erupting right outside the nation's capitol and the killer or killers still on the loose, details of rewards just announced here outside Washington, D.C. We'll continue to monitor the developments. We'll continue to update you as we get more information.

But let's move on to another important story. Security officials at the United Nations say several employees narrowly missed being hit when a man fired into the air just outside the United Nations New York City headquarters. Our own senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, was there exactly when it happened. He's joining us now live. Walk us through, Richard, from your vantage point what you saw and heard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: I was in our CNN office inside the United Nations when I heard what sounded like gunshots. I turned to my left out this window behind me and out there I saw a man pointing a pistol straight up in the air firing. I kind of relaxed immediately because I thought, well, he's not firing at us.

It turns out two bullets did strike the U.N. building, at least two, one on the 18th floor, one on the 20th floor. It took about 30 seconds and here, held at gunpoint, is a man identified as Stephen Kim. He was detained by U.S. Secret Service people who work with State Department Protective Service for dignitaries. There happened to be key presidents of Cyprus here on the U.N. grounds. That's why these men were parked in a car outside the U.N. building and were able to get to him.

There are still very open questions of how the blue uniformed, the U.N. security people who are at various guard posts, why they didn't act faster or just exactly what they did. These U.S. Secret Service personnel subdued the man who really was acting very nonchalantly and just waiting for arrest. He threw 25 papers or so, white papers with writing on them, it turns out complaints about the people of North Korea, there you see it there, saying he is a citizen of the U.N.

He also brought a briefcase and a blue shopping bag that were left on the ground which nobody noticed at the beginning. He vaulted a fence, a perimeter fence outside the U.N. complex and that's how he got in. Security says they're looking at the tapes to see exactly what happened. There is sort of a blind spot between the guard house and a very leafy tree-filled area along First Avenue. Here's how the Chief of U.N. Security Michael McCann described to journalists exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MCCANN, CHIEF OF U.N. SECURITY AND SAFETY SERVICE: As far as we are currently aware bullets may have struck the Secretariat Building on the 18th and 20th floors narrowly missing several employees. At this point, it's our understanding that no one was hurt. We have a number of people that have received medical attention but not because of any injuries received because of the shots being fired. The pieces of paper that the man threw into the air were all identical and contained the rambling political message about human rights in North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The FBI is telling us the man is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Des Plain, Illinois. He's East Asian, maybe of Korean descent, but it's still not certain. He did not really speak much apparently to U.N. security. They didn't tell us anything about his demeanor but he certainly knew what he was doing, vaulted the fence and then fired seven shots from a revolver.

Anybody, Wolf, any of the hundreds of employees who work in U.N. offices in this 38, 39-story tower facing First Avenue were definitely at risk and several people, as you heard, definitely were a little traumatized from what happened.

BLITZER: Our Richard Roth. He is on the scene. He watched it unfold. Thanks for that report. We'll continue to monitor that story as well. Hurricane Lili spawns tornadoes in two states.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a few injuries and at least one very close call after Hurricane Lili hits the U.S. Gulf Coast.

BLITZER: Plus, more fallout from Martha's mess. She resigns from the New York Stock Exchange one day after a key plea deal that could land her in deep trouble. Also a one-on-one fight between Saddam Hussein and President Bush, a bizarre offer from the Iraqis on solving the crisis, but first a look at news making headlines around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In a moment, the damage from Hurricane Lili and Martha Stewart's latest move. We'll tell you about her resignation coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Land is taking some of the power out of Lili as the storm pushes inland, although it still packs quite a punch. Lili made landfall this morning as a hurricane. A couple of hours ago it was downgraded to a tropical storm. Still, Lili has done its share of damage.

The biggest hits have been in Louisiana and Mississippi. Power is out. Trees are down, and roads are closed, and now Lili is spinning off tornadoes in the region. Let's go live now to our national correspondent Gary Tuchman. He's joining us from Rayne, Louisiana. I guess Rayne being an appropriate name for that place, Gary.

TUCHMAN: Perhaps more appropriate, Wolf, rain and wind because they've had plenty and also a very close call. Hurricane Lili wasn't as strong as expected but we've traveled throughout much of Louisiana and we have seen a lot of damage, the most dramatic perhaps here at the water treatment plant in Rayne, Louisiana.

What happened here, several men were inside the water treatment plant. They heard the building shifting. They decided to evacuate. As they started to evacuate the building, part of the facade, the top part of the building started crumbling down. Hundreds of bricks ended up landing on the ground.

Two of the men who came out of the building were hit with the bricks. Let's tell you right away both men are in the hospital but they are not in life-threatening condition. They're in stable condition. One man was standing here, got hit in the head with the bricks over here.

Another man was inside this car ready to pull the car out when about 50 bricks landed on the car and you can get an idea. Just take one brick. Pick it up like this and that just gives you an idea of the force this man had to endure when all 50 bricks landed on the car but both men are doing OK and that's the good news.

Most of the damage we've seen has been less dramatic than that but all over the State of Louisiana, particularly southern Louisiana where we were driving, the most typical kind of damage, the house right across from the water treatment plant. You see the shingles on the roofs. We've seen hundreds of houses like this. We've also seen many broken windows as you might imagine, and then power lines, just entire poles and pylons landing in the street all over southern Louisiana.

Now, 800,000 people in the state were told to evacuate. Mandatory evacuations were in effect for one out of every five people who lived in Louisiana and why is it so important? We'll give you a reason why. Thirty miles west of here in Jefferson Davis Parish, we encountered a gas station where the entire canopy fell on top of the gas station and right near the pumps.

Now, we ourselves were looking for gas much of the day. Most of the stations were closed. We were pulling into gas stations, trying to get gas. If you would have pulled into this gas station and not evacuated the area and that canopy would have fallen on you, you would have had no chance. That canopy weighs thousands of pounds.

The governor of Louisiana is saying right now that for the people who evacuated, please stay away for another day at least while the State of Louisiana gets cleaned up - Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Gary Tuchman, be careful over there. I know it's over with but there are still plenty of problems, downed power lines. I want our viewers watching this in the area to be careful as well. Thanks for that report.

Martha Stewart throws in the towel at the New York Stock Exchange. Why can't the Queen of Clean shake the ImClone stock scandal; a closer look at Martha's mess. Also, a CNN exclusive, the secrets of John Walker Lindh, find out what he's telling investigators about his meetings with Osama bin Laden. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much what, toilet paper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like two 24s just in case, you know, so you can rather be safe than sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is there really a rush on toilet paper and other goods in Hawaii? The governor says there's no reason for panic. We'll talk to him. That's coming up. But first, today's news quiz. What I the most geographically isolated population center on earth, Australia, Hawaii, Antarctica, Pago Pago? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Martha Stewart has resigned from the board of the New York Stock Exchange one day after a broker's assistant cut a deal with prosecutors looking into allegations Stewart was involved in insider trading. Joining us now to talk about these late developments, Andy Serwer, he's editor-at-large for "Fortune" magazine. Andy, thanks for joining us.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Sure, Wolf.

BLITZER: So what do you make of this decision for Martha Stewart to resign? Did she resign or was she pushed?

SERWER: Well, you know, I talked to someone very close to the New York Stock Exchange board today, Wolf, just an hour or so ago and he insisted to me that she was not pushed but he did acknowledge that her situation had become more and more difficult is how this person put it to me, and said that her lawyers probably advised her that now was time to do the right thing is the way he phrased it.

So, I think what it means is that Martha Stewart is probably anticipating that charges may be filed against her very shortly, maybe in a matter of days or certainly in a matter of several weeks.

BLITZER: Is it obvious that the prosecutors believe this 26- year-old assistant, this Douglas Faneuil that the allegations that he's making against the broker as well as Martha Stewart?

SERWER: I think they are really - they do believe his story, Wolf. I mean obviously they've taken quite a while to sort of piece this all together, gone through young Faneuil's story, gone through Peter Bacanovic, the broker's story. Martha Stewart has had interaction with Washington through her attorneys trying to sort this out, and obviously they would not be pursuing the case based on his testimony if they didn't think it was very credible. Of course, they let him basically cop a plea by pleading to a misdemeanor in exchange for testimony, presumably to be used again Bacanovic as well as Martha Stewart.

BLITZER: So you really believe that in the next few days maybe there could be some formal charges leveled against Martha Stewart?

SERWER: Well that may be a little too soon, perhaps, but the people I'm talking to are suggesting within a matter of weeks. I mean after all, you'd have to take the sign that she stepped down from the board of the New York Stock Exchange as a signal that perhaps something is imminent.

But of course, the investigators are going to want to be very careful because Martha Stewart is going to have the best legal team that money can buy so they're going to want to make sure that they've got a case that they believe they can win.

BLITZER: I remember that day when she was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange ringing the bell, the day her company went public. How the mighty have fallen. That stock price has gone from a high of what to around what right now?

SERWER: Well, I think it was as high as about $50, Wolf, and now it's in the high single digits, around $7, and of course Martha Stewart's fortune is tied up in that stock. So, she's still a very, very wealthy woman but she was a lot wealthier just about two years ago when the stock was flying high.

BLITZER: Andy Serwer, he knows the situation, thanks for joining us.

SERWER: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you, and here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think Martha Stewart should have resigned from the New York Stock Exchange? We'll have the results later in this program. Please also go there to vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, send me your comments. We'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

President Bush challenged to a dual with Saddam Hussein? A look at one Iraqi offer to end the standoff, find out what the White House has to say about it as well. Also, the actor Robert Blake gets another chance at making bail. Will he get to walk by next week; but first a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Officials in the Philippines are blaming the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf for an explosion yesterday that killed three people, including an American Green Beret. Abu Sayyaf is believed to have ties with al Qaeda.

The Israeli newspaper Mahiri (ph) reports the Israeli army is practicing to possibly expel Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat to another country. The Israel Defense Forces would not comment on the report to CNN.

Denmark joins four other European counties boycotting the upcoming Miss World Pageant in Nigeria. It's a protest over the death sentence given under Islamic law to a Nigerian woman who had a baby out of wedlock.

Kenya's fashion industry is throwing its weight behind the international ban on ivory trading. Top models posed with elephants at a reserve near Nairobi for an ad campaign aimed at keeping the ban and discouraging illegal trade.

The Dublin Zoo is looking for a friend for 14-month-old Hoovie (ph) the hippo whose mother died after eating tennis balls someone threw in their enclosure. Zoo officials say Hoovie seems lost and they're searching for a companion for him. They say his father would like a little company too, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, an Iraqi leader challenges President Bush to a dual. More on that in just a moment.

Turning now to the showdown with Iraq. The Senate is debating whether to give the president the go ahead to use force. The administration is expecting to get an endorsement, but it's also looking for a United Nations Resolution giving it a military option. What happens if it doesn't get one? Here's our senior White House correspondent, John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president faces an uphill fight at the United Nations and is making clear he has a backup plan.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My intent is to put together a vast coalition of countries who understand the threat of Saddam Hussein.

KING: Administration officials say any U.S. led coalition would begin with Great Britain, Italy, Australia and most likely Spain. Romania and Bulgaria are bases and Black Sea ports and the White House also counts Poland as anti-Iraq ally. Administration sources say Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Omen would allow use of U.S. bases in those Arab nations even if they are not publicly supportive of a confrontation with Iraq.

BUSH: Military option is my last choice, not my first. It's my last choice. But Saddam has got to understand the United Nations must know that the will of this country is strong.

KING: The White House preference is a coalition under the banner of the United Nations but Russia, China and France remain skeptical of the need for a tough new Security Council resolution before weapons inspectors return to Iraq. The administration insists its private diplomacy is yielding progress.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I am optimistic that we will find a way forward in the Security Council. We must find a way forward if the Security Council will retain its relevance.

KING: The chief U.N. weapons inspector is due in Washington for talks on Friday. It has been three weeks now since President Bush told the United Nations he wanted the Iraq debate settled in days and weeks not months and years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And senior officials say the president is not overly concerned about the pace of the U.N. debate, not overly frustrated just jet. As one top aide put it, "Let's see where we are at this point next week" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, how much frustration is there at the White House on what's happening on Capitol Hill? The White House has a deal with the House Democrats and Republicans. The leadership, still no deal in the Senate. What's the problem?

KING: No deal with the Senate, but the White House believes that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle actually is in favor of what's on paper, the agreement with the House that he's having some problems within his caucus. Some Republicans also want some changes. The bet here at the White House is that what will pass the Senate will be exactly the same as what the deal is with the House. They don't rule out perhaps a few changes. But Wolf, they think at this point next week, he will have a resolution from the Congress. The big question is, will he have one from the United Nations. BLITZER: All right, John King over at the White House, thanks for that report.

Meanwhile, U.S. planes dropped more than bombs over Southern Iraq today. They dropped leaflets warning Iraqi gunners to stop targeting coalition jets enforcing the no-fly zones. As CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jaime McIntyre reports, this may be a sign of things to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. A-10s usually target tanks, but an A-10 mission over Iraq's Southern no-fly zone Thursday was aimed a that psyche of gunners. Its ordinance, 120,000 Arabic language leaflets that picture on one side an F-15 firing missiles at a radar and missile launcher and on the other, a warning to Iraqi air defenses to back off. In English the leaflets say, "Don't track or fire on coalition aircraft." And on the back, include the ominous warning, "You could be next."

The reaction from Iraqi gunners, according to the U.S. Central Command, was to fire artillery and missiles at the A-10. And the U.S. responded by bombing an air operation center near Tallil, 160 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The leafleting is the first in a year and comes as the U.S. has become increasingly frustrated by the Iraq's continued shoot down attempts.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I'll tell you what bothers me -- it bothers the dickens out of me that American and British air crews are getting fired at day after day after day with impunity.

MCINTYRE: In recent weeks, Rumsfeld has ordered more punishing retaliatory strikes to send a stronger message to Iraqi gunners. So far, they show no sign they're getting the message. U.S. planes are fired on nearly every time they fly. The U.S. insists its bombing is in self-defense and not part of any campaign to soften Iraqi air defenses prior to war.

(on camera): The Pentagon says the leaflet drops are just something the military does from time to time. Still the tactic offers a hint of the psychological operations that might be in store for Iraq. Sources say part of the military strategy is to convince top Iraqi generals they'd be better off if they didn't follow through on any orders to use chemical or biological weapons.

Jaime McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Iraq, in the meantime, may be resorting to its own brand of psychological warfare. The vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, today through down the goblet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAHA YASSIN RAMADAN, IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT (through translator): Bush wants to attack the whole Iraq, the Army and the infrastructure. If such a call is genuine, then let the American president and a selected group with him face a selected group of us. And we choose a neutral land and let Mr. Kofi Annan be a supervisor. And both groups should use the same weapon -- a president against a president, a vice president against a vice president and a dual takes place. If they are serious, in this way, we are saving the American and the Iraqi people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The White House is definitely not taking up the challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There can be no serious response to an irresponsible statement like that. I just want to point out that in the past when Iraq had disputes, it invaded its neighbors. There were no duals or invasions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer also says Iraq hast tended to settle its disputes with weapons of mass destruction. Don't wait for a dual between the president and the president of Iraq.

John Walker Lindh and Osama bin Laden, a CNN exclusive reveals chilling new details of the meeting between the Taliban American and the world's most wanted man. That's just ahead. And a family tragedy for a celebrated movie star. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What did Taliban American John Walker Lindh hear about al Qaeda's terror plans and what about his encounter with Osama bin Laden. A CNN exclusive is coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Taliban American John Walker Lindh faces sentencing tomorrow. He's agreed to a 20-year prison term and a plea bargain. The plea deal mandates that he cooperate with the government. In a CNN exclusive, CNN national correspondent, Mike Boettcher, reports on what Walker Lindh has told his interrogators, including some chilling disclosures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, he was interviewed by CNN. JOHN WALKER LINDH, AMERICAN TALIBAN: I haven't spoken English with native speakers in seven months. I have been speaking Arabic.

BOETTCHER: Then John Walker Lindh was questioned by U.S. Special Forces and then the FBI. Those interrogations were never made public. His attorneys tried to suppress them, saying they were made under duress. That was before Walker Lindh cut a plea bargain with federal prosecutors. Now, CNN has obtained copies of the reports made by the U.S. military and the FBI, reports that reveal new details about Walker Lindh, what he was doing in Afghanistan and new information that hints at possible new attacks against America.

John Walker Lindh was among a group of Taliban soldiers that surrendered to the Northern Alliance in late November. They were taken to Mazar-e-Sharif where Walker Lindh and others were questioned by two CIA employees. When many of the prisoners staged the revolt, Walker Lindh who was wounded in the leg hid out, finally surrendering after a week. That is when the interrogations by Special Forces began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People of all colors and races believing in one God and one humanity.

BOETTCHER: Walker Lindh told his questioners that he began his journey to Islam after seeing the movie, "Malcolm X" when he was 12 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plymouth Rock landed on us.

BOETTCHER: That launched an odyssey that took him from being a teenage Muslim convert to Northern California to an Arabic school in Yemen to Pakistan and finally Afghanistan. By the summer of 2001, according to his interrogation reports, Walker Lindh was at this camp, al-Faruq, run by al Qaeda for a seven-week training course.

WALKER LINDH: I came with the Pakistanis.

BOETTCHER: Walker Lindh was also questioned three times by the FBI over two days. The report says he was advised of his rights each time and waived them. He told them that although he wanted to join the Taliban, he was sent to al-Faruq because the Arab group is Osama bin Laden's, al Qaeda's group and that was the only way to get to the front lines.

The report continues -- "Lindh knew UBL's al Qaeda's purpose was to fight Americans. Walker Lindh outlined a training course that included three weeks of weapons familiarization, one weeks of topography, maps, one week of battlefield training, one week of explosives. Walker Lindh told his interrogators that bin Laden visited the camp three to five times while he was there, usually with one of his sons. He said met bin Laden once for five minutes with other recruits and that bin Laden made small talk and thanked them all for taking part in the jihad.

Walker Lindh told the FBI that the head of all al Qaeda's training camps personally asked him if he would take part in missions against the U.S. and Israel. He said he declined that. He also turned down a chance to swear allegiance to al Qaeda. Instead says the report, he swore allegiance to jihad.

Walker Lindh did not mention any other Americans being at al- Faruq even though several men from Buffalo would later be arrested and charged with being at the camp at the same time. Walker Lindh was on the front lines with the Taliban unit when the 9/11 attacks took place. His military questioners say, "Source showed remorse and signs of regret when he was asked about the attacks."

He told his interrogators that one of his former instructors was there and told the group that this was the first attack that a second wave would come at the beginning of Ramadan in mid-November and make America forget about the first attack. The instructor also talked of a third wave in early 2002, but provided no details. While walker Lindh told his Special Forces interrogators that the second phase of attacks could involve biological weapons or attacks on nuclear weapons facilities, there is a comment from the questioners saying, "Source was making assumptions and conjectures based on talk among his colleagues."

Even before he left the al-Faruq camp, Walker Lindh said one of his instructors told him that bin Laden sent 50 people to carry out 20 suicide operations and that the group believed the attacks were aimed a the U.S. and Israel. At the end of his questioning by the military, John Walker Lindh shared a final thought about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. Walker Lindh said families of al Qaeda members had been moved from Afghanistan to Yemen during 2001 and he thought Osama bin Laden may be planning on moving there.

Mike Boettcher, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good report, Mike.

A state that depends on the ports isn't panicking yet, but one of our affiliate stations reports some stockpiling of toilet paper. What's the real story in tourist (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Hawaii? We'll hear directly from the governor. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- What's the most geographically isolated population center on earth? The answer, Hawaii. The state is 2,000 miles from the Marshall Islands and 2,390 from California.

The lockdown of West Coast ports is costing the U.S. economy an estimated $1 billion a day and it may be about to affect Americans' every day lives in some additionally ugly ways. Unionized longshore workers are at loggerheads with port managers over control of new technology generated jobs on the waterfront. Hawaii, of course, depends on ocean shipments for two-thirds of its food and almost all of its goods. At least one Hawaii TV station is reporting that consumers are now stocking up on items from fresh milk to toilet paper. Governor Ben Cayetano joins us now live from Honolulu. Governor, thanks for joining us. What's the situation? Are people beginning to panic in your beautiful state?

GOV. BEN CAYETANO (D), HAWAII: No, you know, I give our people credit. I think the people have been pretty level headed about things. There has been some, you know, a little bit of stocking up, but not the kind of urgency and panic that I saw in the past when I was a kid. I think people have some fear that this is going to be settled.

BLITZER: On the basis of what, do you think, the people are optimistic because there's no indication when this will be settled?

CAYETANO: Well, you know, I think that the feeling is that the issue that they're talking about is not necessarily direct wages or money, they're talking about making the transition from labor type of jobs to technology type. And it seems that what the union is asking and what the company is willing to give is middle ground that can be reached by both sides. Right now they seem to be playing hardball, but that's the way these things usually go.

BLITZER: I suppose if the cargo ships don't arrive, you can always airlift -- you could always bring cargo in via air, but that's obviously much more expensive, right?

CAYETANO: Generally speaking, anywhere from three to five times more expensive, very expensive.

BLITZER: So what's your advice to the people of Hawaii right now as well as the tourists who love to come to your state?

CAYETANO: Well, we hope the tourists continue to come. Our business people, our retailers, our shop owners, have for some time now taken this in account, developed contingency plans. And while I wouldn't say that they have, you know, stocked up a great deal, they have enough inventory and carrying enough inventory to carry us over for a while.

The people I was talking about earlier, the regular, working person on the street, they have not panicked in any way. And so, I think we're going to be OK.

Now, the thing -- if there's a strike and it goes on too long, then I think that the situation may change.

BLITZER: Governor Cayetano, thanks for joining us. Thank you very much. Our condolences, by the way, to the loss of Congresswoman Pasty Mink, a long-time fixture in Washington as well. Thank you very much. Good luck to all our friends in Hawaii.

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

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you very much. Tropical Storm Lili may have weakened, but it's still dangerous for a good part of the country. Lili pounded the Louisiana coastal towns today. Streets there are flooded. Homes flooded. We'll be going live to Louisiana for the very latest. And the battle over the New Jersey U.S. Senate ballot intensified today. Republicans trying to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. I'll be joined by two of the country's savviest political analysts, John Zogby and Ron Faucheax.

And another setback for Martha Stewart today. She resigned from the board of the New York Stock Exchange. We'll have that and a great deal more on our corporate criminal watch tonight. A lot more ahead at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: You always do, thank you very much, Lou. We'll be watching.

And what's the funniest joke in the whole wide world?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN WILLIAMS, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: Everyone has to admit that probably the world's funniest joke is so filthy that you can't tell it or read it or say it in the paper without people going, "Oh dear God! Oh, my -- I love that joke, but I will never tell that joke again."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This one's not dirty, but we'll give you the punch line when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We can all use a joke every now and then. From London, John Draper reports on the results of a search for the world's funniest joke. You be the judge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DRAPER, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For no apparent reason, a man dressed as a chicken unveiled the joke for funniest by most cultures and countries around the world. It emerged as the lighter side of some rather serious research by these psychologists into how the brain operates. So here is the joke giggled at across the globe.

RICHARD WISEMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST, HERTFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY: What made the world laugh was the joke about the two hunters.

There are two hunters that go into the woods, and suddenly, one clutches of them clutches his throat, falls over on the ground, laying motionless. His eyes rolled back in his head. And his friend panics. He picks up his mobile phone. He calls the emergency services. He says, "Oh, my goodness, my friend's dead. I don't know what to do." And the operator says, "Look, just calm down. I can help. The first thing we have to do is make certain your friend is dead." And she hears a pause, then a gunshot. And the hunter comes back on the phone and says, "OK, I've done that, now what?"

DRAPER: Well, he is a psychologist and not a comic. But that joke is said to have the world in stitches. So how does it go down in Britain?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's an OK joke, certainly not as great as I was expecting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've reached that outreach.

DRAPER: We told it to Hollywood funnyman, Robin Williams. So is it the world's funniest?

WILLIAMS: Oh, God. It's close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Close?

WILLIAMS: Yes, close, but it's like -- but you know that everyone has to admit that probably the world's funniest joke is so filthy that you can't tell it, read it or say it or read it in the paper without people going, "Oh, dear God. Oh, my God. I love that joke, but I will never tell that joke again."

DRAPER: Of course, it all depends on your sense of humor and the way you tell them.

John Draper, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Funny, but not out of this world funny. Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question on The Day." This is not a joke. Earlier we asked -- do you think Martha Stewart should have resigned from the New York Stock Exchange? Seventy-eight percent of you say, "yes," 22 percent of you say, "no." Remember, not -- this is not a scientific poll.

Time to hear directly from you. Karen's e-mailing us this -- "Thank you for airing your interview with Walter Cronkite. I wish everyone from the top down could have heard what he had to say yesterday." But Ken says -- "I usually enjoy your show, but please don't visit old Walter on us again." Sorry, Ken, I like Walter Cronkite.

That's all the time we have. "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





Less Than 16 Hours; Stephen Kim Arrested After Firing Seven Shots at U.N. Building>


Aired October 3, 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: It's Thursday, October 3, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We begin with two developing stories. In New York violence at a place of peace, authorities say a gunman fired a number of shots. CNN has exclusive pictures of the aftermath, all of this happening right in front of our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. We'll give you the latest on this incident in just a few moments.

But first, a shocking series of shootings in what is normally a quiet area outside the nation's capitol. Montgomery County has been traumatized by five killings in less than 16 hours, four of them coming in a two-hour span this morning. Our national correspondent Bob Franken is on the scene. He's joining us now live with the latest. Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're waiting for a new conference from top Montgomery County officials. A message is going to be that they're going to need help looking for information that might come from anybody who might be a witness to shootings that, as you pointed out, began 16 hours ago and ended at about ten o'clock this morning Eastern time. The first ones began about this time 24 hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): While police say there is no apparent connections between the victims, their killer or killers have been operating in a calculated way. Six shots have been fired at six locations all within a few miles of each other here in a Maryland suburb of Washington. Five have been killed. Schools let out at their normal times after students were kept inside all day, as police spread out in a massive manhunt.

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY CO. POLICE: I don't know at this point who or what we're dealing with, what the thought process is, what the plan is and so we are certainly anxious. We have our resources deployed but, yes, people need to continue with life.

FRANKEN: The incidents began Wednesday evening. A single shot crashed through a craft store window. No one was hit. But a half hour later at a nearby supermarket, another shot rang out. This time, a 55-year-old man was killed outside the store. The shootings resumed in the morning at 7:41. A man cutting his grass in the area was shot dead. Less than a half hour later, a cab driver was filling up his car at a service station. He was shot and killed. Another half hour after that, a woman was shot dead outside a post office near a retirement home. A little over an hour later, another murder, again a single shot. This time it took the life of a woman who was simply at a service station vacuuming her van.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of ladies came from there and she said there's something wrong with this lady, so we went to go and help her, to pull her out because the door was on top of her. We couldn't pull her out.

FRANKEN: Police quote some witnesses as saying they may have spotted two people in a vehicle described as a box-type truck with a damaged tailgate. Trucks were being stopped throughout the area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: As for the schools, officials say they plan to open them this morning subject to any later developments. They're trying to keep calm in this area, which is somewhat difficult considering the fact that five people were killed as they were going about their lives, which were suddenly taken from them, Wolf, for no apparent reason.

BLITZER: A very bizarre and frightening situation, Bob. I understand the police are about to issue, release information about some rewards that they're going to be announcing?

FRANKEN: One of the frustrations has been that they have not really gotten a lot of information. Part of the problem is, is that apparently these are happening so quickly that nobody is really able to get much information, really able to be much of a witness, so the police are trying everything they can to try and get some help in finding these people.

BLITZER: Bob Franken with the very latest thanks very much. Let's get a little bit more information on this investigation, what's become an urgent search for at least one suspect, maybe more. Joining me now on the phone is Lucille Baur of the Montgomery County Police force. Lucille thanks for joining us. Do you believe there is one individual, one killer responsible or more?

LUCILLE BAUR, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We don't know at this point. The only information that we have has been provided from a witness to the shootings that occurred outside the post office that's located in front of the Leisure World Senior Citizen community in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Maryland, and that witness provided us with our vehicle description and provided us with the information that they believe that vehicle contained two occupants.

BLITZER: Have you, Lucille, conclusively concluded already, at least preliminarily, that all the victims were shot by the same weapons? BAUR: We have not. We are going to have to wait on the results of ballistics testing for that information. So, as soon as we get information from the Medical Examiner's Office, we'll be able to make that determination. But, while we have no concrete definitive evidence linking these shootings, it can be reasonably assumed that they are related.

BLITZER: And that's a basis on some preliminary investigation. What are you about to announce as far as a reward is concerned? Can you share that with us?

BAUR: I do not have that information. It is being released by our Police Chief Charles Moose and our County Executive Douglas Duncan. I do understand there is a reward fund being set up and we are asking our citizens because they are going to be our best resource in helping us solve this case. We're asking anyone with any information to call in and give us the clues. We will follow up on whatever information is provided to us. We believe that someone out there knows something that can help us solve these cases.

BLITZER: All right, Lucille thanks for joining us. I want to go to a news conference.

BAUR: Yes. You'll get your most up to date information.

BLITZER: The Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan is speaking right now. Let's listen in.

BAUR: Thank you.

DOUGLAS DUNCAN, MONTGOMERY CO. EXECUTIVE: ...and the people of this region to remain calm but also to be very vigilant, to report any suspicious or unusual activity. If you sight the suspect vehicle, a white Mitsubishi or Isuzu box truck with small black lettering and possible damage to the rear door, please call 240-777-2600. If you have any information at all that you think might be helpful, please call 240-777-2600. We're also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of whoever is responsible for this.

Parents all across this region tonight when I go home, I'm going to have to try to attempt to explain to my own children why someone or some group of individuals would want to randomly kill people as they went about their daily routines. It's not going to be a very easy discussion but it's a very necessary one. It's important that we talk through these kinds of events, these kinds of tragedies with our children, with members of our extended families, as well as our friends and neighbors.

This mindless violence occurred in Montgomery County today but it's affected an entire region and by pulling together, we're going to get through it. Thank you very much, and now I'd like to call up Chief Moose to say a few words. Chief.

MOOSE: As we stated earlier, when we finish taking questions, we will provide you with the names of the victims. We have completed all of those notifications, and certainly I would plead with you for your sensitivity to those families. If they want to discuss this matter, certainly I'm sure they will reach out to you but, again, they're all stunned.

They are very hurt. They've been working with our victim assistance specialists, but again we will give you the names and ask you to show respect and discipline to those families. And as the county executive said, certainly our sympathies, our deepest sympathies go out to them. Our entire county, the men and women of the Montgomery Police Department are saddened by their losses. We continue to conduct the investigation.

Resources continue to pour in from adjoining agencies from our federal agencies. We have made a very special point to reach out to these agencies and they have provided us with the things that we need and they have offered additional resources, depending on which way the investigation evolves.

BLITZER: Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose speaking to reporters. He's flanked by the Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Both of them expressing alarm obviously at the series of killings here right outside Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, a relatively middle-class to affluent county which services a lot of federal workers living in Montgomery County, working in the District of Columbia, working for the federal government shocked.

Within the span of some 16 hours, five killings, violence erupting right outside the nation's capitol and the killer or killers still on the loose, details of rewards just announced here outside Washington, D.C. We'll continue to monitor the developments. We'll continue to update you as we get more information.

But let's move on to another important story. Security officials at the United Nations say several employees narrowly missed being hit when a man fired into the air just outside the United Nations New York City headquarters. Our own senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, was there exactly when it happened. He's joining us now live. Walk us through, Richard, from your vantage point what you saw and heard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: I was in our CNN office inside the United Nations when I heard what sounded like gunshots. I turned to my left out this window behind me and out there I saw a man pointing a pistol straight up in the air firing. I kind of relaxed immediately because I thought, well, he's not firing at us.

It turns out two bullets did strike the U.N. building, at least two, one on the 18th floor, one on the 20th floor. It took about 30 seconds and here, held at gunpoint, is a man identified as Stephen Kim. He was detained by U.S. Secret Service people who work with State Department Protective Service for dignitaries. There happened to be key presidents of Cyprus here on the U.N. grounds. That's why these men were parked in a car outside the U.N. building and were able to get to him.

There are still very open questions of how the blue uniformed, the U.N. security people who are at various guard posts, why they didn't act faster or just exactly what they did. These U.S. Secret Service personnel subdued the man who really was acting very nonchalantly and just waiting for arrest. He threw 25 papers or so, white papers with writing on them, it turns out complaints about the people of North Korea, there you see it there, saying he is a citizen of the U.N.

He also brought a briefcase and a blue shopping bag that were left on the ground which nobody noticed at the beginning. He vaulted a fence, a perimeter fence outside the U.N. complex and that's how he got in. Security says they're looking at the tapes to see exactly what happened. There is sort of a blind spot between the guard house and a very leafy tree-filled area along First Avenue. Here's how the Chief of U.N. Security Michael McCann described to journalists exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MCCANN, CHIEF OF U.N. SECURITY AND SAFETY SERVICE: As far as we are currently aware bullets may have struck the Secretariat Building on the 18th and 20th floors narrowly missing several employees. At this point, it's our understanding that no one was hurt. We have a number of people that have received medical attention but not because of any injuries received because of the shots being fired. The pieces of paper that the man threw into the air were all identical and contained the rambling political message about human rights in North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The FBI is telling us the man is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Des Plain, Illinois. He's East Asian, maybe of Korean descent, but it's still not certain. He did not really speak much apparently to U.N. security. They didn't tell us anything about his demeanor but he certainly knew what he was doing, vaulted the fence and then fired seven shots from a revolver.

Anybody, Wolf, any of the hundreds of employees who work in U.N. offices in this 38, 39-story tower facing First Avenue were definitely at risk and several people, as you heard, definitely were a little traumatized from what happened.

BLITZER: Our Richard Roth. He is on the scene. He watched it unfold. Thanks for that report. We'll continue to monitor that story as well. Hurricane Lili spawns tornadoes in two states.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a few injuries and at least one very close call after Hurricane Lili hits the U.S. Gulf Coast.

BLITZER: Plus, more fallout from Martha's mess. She resigns from the New York Stock Exchange one day after a key plea deal that could land her in deep trouble. Also a one-on-one fight between Saddam Hussein and President Bush, a bizarre offer from the Iraqis on solving the crisis, but first a look at news making headlines around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In a moment, the damage from Hurricane Lili and Martha Stewart's latest move. We'll tell you about her resignation coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Land is taking some of the power out of Lili as the storm pushes inland, although it still packs quite a punch. Lili made landfall this morning as a hurricane. A couple of hours ago it was downgraded to a tropical storm. Still, Lili has done its share of damage.

The biggest hits have been in Louisiana and Mississippi. Power is out. Trees are down, and roads are closed, and now Lili is spinning off tornadoes in the region. Let's go live now to our national correspondent Gary Tuchman. He's joining us from Rayne, Louisiana. I guess Rayne being an appropriate name for that place, Gary.

TUCHMAN: Perhaps more appropriate, Wolf, rain and wind because they've had plenty and also a very close call. Hurricane Lili wasn't as strong as expected but we've traveled throughout much of Louisiana and we have seen a lot of damage, the most dramatic perhaps here at the water treatment plant in Rayne, Louisiana.

What happened here, several men were inside the water treatment plant. They heard the building shifting. They decided to evacuate. As they started to evacuate the building, part of the facade, the top part of the building started crumbling down. Hundreds of bricks ended up landing on the ground.

Two of the men who came out of the building were hit with the bricks. Let's tell you right away both men are in the hospital but they are not in life-threatening condition. They're in stable condition. One man was standing here, got hit in the head with the bricks over here.

Another man was inside this car ready to pull the car out when about 50 bricks landed on the car and you can get an idea. Just take one brick. Pick it up like this and that just gives you an idea of the force this man had to endure when all 50 bricks landed on the car but both men are doing OK and that's the good news.

Most of the damage we've seen has been less dramatic than that but all over the State of Louisiana, particularly southern Louisiana where we were driving, the most typical kind of damage, the house right across from the water treatment plant. You see the shingles on the roofs. We've seen hundreds of houses like this. We've also seen many broken windows as you might imagine, and then power lines, just entire poles and pylons landing in the street all over southern Louisiana.

Now, 800,000 people in the state were told to evacuate. Mandatory evacuations were in effect for one out of every five people who lived in Louisiana and why is it so important? We'll give you a reason why. Thirty miles west of here in Jefferson Davis Parish, we encountered a gas station where the entire canopy fell on top of the gas station and right near the pumps.

Now, we ourselves were looking for gas much of the day. Most of the stations were closed. We were pulling into gas stations, trying to get gas. If you would have pulled into this gas station and not evacuated the area and that canopy would have fallen on you, you would have had no chance. That canopy weighs thousands of pounds.

The governor of Louisiana is saying right now that for the people who evacuated, please stay away for another day at least while the State of Louisiana gets cleaned up - Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Gary Tuchman, be careful over there. I know it's over with but there are still plenty of problems, downed power lines. I want our viewers watching this in the area to be careful as well. Thanks for that report.

Martha Stewart throws in the towel at the New York Stock Exchange. Why can't the Queen of Clean shake the ImClone stock scandal; a closer look at Martha's mess. Also, a CNN exclusive, the secrets of John Walker Lindh, find out what he's telling investigators about his meetings with Osama bin Laden. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much what, toilet paper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like two 24s just in case, you know, so you can rather be safe than sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is there really a rush on toilet paper and other goods in Hawaii? The governor says there's no reason for panic. We'll talk to him. That's coming up. But first, today's news quiz. What I the most geographically isolated population center on earth, Australia, Hawaii, Antarctica, Pago Pago? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Martha Stewart has resigned from the board of the New York Stock Exchange one day after a broker's assistant cut a deal with prosecutors looking into allegations Stewart was involved in insider trading. Joining us now to talk about these late developments, Andy Serwer, he's editor-at-large for "Fortune" magazine. Andy, thanks for joining us.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Sure, Wolf.

BLITZER: So what do you make of this decision for Martha Stewart to resign? Did she resign or was she pushed?

SERWER: Well, you know, I talked to someone very close to the New York Stock Exchange board today, Wolf, just an hour or so ago and he insisted to me that she was not pushed but he did acknowledge that her situation had become more and more difficult is how this person put it to me, and said that her lawyers probably advised her that now was time to do the right thing is the way he phrased it.

So, I think what it means is that Martha Stewart is probably anticipating that charges may be filed against her very shortly, maybe in a matter of days or certainly in a matter of several weeks.

BLITZER: Is it obvious that the prosecutors believe this 26- year-old assistant, this Douglas Faneuil that the allegations that he's making against the broker as well as Martha Stewart?

SERWER: I think they are really - they do believe his story, Wolf. I mean obviously they've taken quite a while to sort of piece this all together, gone through young Faneuil's story, gone through Peter Bacanovic, the broker's story. Martha Stewart has had interaction with Washington through her attorneys trying to sort this out, and obviously they would not be pursuing the case based on his testimony if they didn't think it was very credible. Of course, they let him basically cop a plea by pleading to a misdemeanor in exchange for testimony, presumably to be used again Bacanovic as well as Martha Stewart.

BLITZER: So you really believe that in the next few days maybe there could be some formal charges leveled against Martha Stewart?

SERWER: Well that may be a little too soon, perhaps, but the people I'm talking to are suggesting within a matter of weeks. I mean after all, you'd have to take the sign that she stepped down from the board of the New York Stock Exchange as a signal that perhaps something is imminent.

But of course, the investigators are going to want to be very careful because Martha Stewart is going to have the best legal team that money can buy so they're going to want to make sure that they've got a case that they believe they can win.

BLITZER: I remember that day when she was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange ringing the bell, the day her company went public. How the mighty have fallen. That stock price has gone from a high of what to around what right now?

SERWER: Well, I think it was as high as about $50, Wolf, and now it's in the high single digits, around $7, and of course Martha Stewart's fortune is tied up in that stock. So, she's still a very, very wealthy woman but she was a lot wealthier just about two years ago when the stock was flying high.

BLITZER: Andy Serwer, he knows the situation, thanks for joining us.

SERWER: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you, and here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Do you think Martha Stewart should have resigned from the New York Stock Exchange? We'll have the results later in this program. Please also go there to vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, send me your comments. We'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

President Bush challenged to a dual with Saddam Hussein? A look at one Iraqi offer to end the standoff, find out what the White House has to say about it as well. Also, the actor Robert Blake gets another chance at making bail. Will he get to walk by next week; but first a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Officials in the Philippines are blaming the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf for an explosion yesterday that killed three people, including an American Green Beret. Abu Sayyaf is believed to have ties with al Qaeda.

The Israeli newspaper Mahiri (ph) reports the Israeli army is practicing to possibly expel Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat to another country. The Israel Defense Forces would not comment on the report to CNN.

Denmark joins four other European counties boycotting the upcoming Miss World Pageant in Nigeria. It's a protest over the death sentence given under Islamic law to a Nigerian woman who had a baby out of wedlock.

Kenya's fashion industry is throwing its weight behind the international ban on ivory trading. Top models posed with elephants at a reserve near Nairobi for an ad campaign aimed at keeping the ban and discouraging illegal trade.

The Dublin Zoo is looking for a friend for 14-month-old Hoovie (ph) the hippo whose mother died after eating tennis balls someone threw in their enclosure. Zoo officials say Hoovie seems lost and they're searching for a companion for him. They say his father would like a little company too, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, an Iraqi leader challenges President Bush to a dual. More on that in just a moment.

Turning now to the showdown with Iraq. The Senate is debating whether to give the president the go ahead to use force. The administration is expecting to get an endorsement, but it's also looking for a United Nations Resolution giving it a military option. What happens if it doesn't get one? Here's our senior White House correspondent, John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president faces an uphill fight at the United Nations and is making clear he has a backup plan.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My intent is to put together a vast coalition of countries who understand the threat of Saddam Hussein.

KING: Administration officials say any U.S. led coalition would begin with Great Britain, Italy, Australia and most likely Spain. Romania and Bulgaria are bases and Black Sea ports and the White House also counts Poland as anti-Iraq ally. Administration sources say Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Omen would allow use of U.S. bases in those Arab nations even if they are not publicly supportive of a confrontation with Iraq.

BUSH: Military option is my last choice, not my first. It's my last choice. But Saddam has got to understand the United Nations must know that the will of this country is strong.

KING: The White House preference is a coalition under the banner of the United Nations but Russia, China and France remain skeptical of the need for a tough new Security Council resolution before weapons inspectors return to Iraq. The administration insists its private diplomacy is yielding progress.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I am optimistic that we will find a way forward in the Security Council. We must find a way forward if the Security Council will retain its relevance.

KING: The chief U.N. weapons inspector is due in Washington for talks on Friday. It has been three weeks now since President Bush told the United Nations he wanted the Iraq debate settled in days and weeks not months and years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And senior officials say the president is not overly concerned about the pace of the U.N. debate, not overly frustrated just jet. As one top aide put it, "Let's see where we are at this point next week" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John, how much frustration is there at the White House on what's happening on Capitol Hill? The White House has a deal with the House Democrats and Republicans. The leadership, still no deal in the Senate. What's the problem?

KING: No deal with the Senate, but the White House believes that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle actually is in favor of what's on paper, the agreement with the House that he's having some problems within his caucus. Some Republicans also want some changes. The bet here at the White House is that what will pass the Senate will be exactly the same as what the deal is with the House. They don't rule out perhaps a few changes. But Wolf, they think at this point next week, he will have a resolution from the Congress. The big question is, will he have one from the United Nations. BLITZER: All right, John King over at the White House, thanks for that report.

Meanwhile, U.S. planes dropped more than bombs over Southern Iraq today. They dropped leaflets warning Iraqi gunners to stop targeting coalition jets enforcing the no-fly zones. As CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jaime McIntyre reports, this may be a sign of things to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. A-10s usually target tanks, but an A-10 mission over Iraq's Southern no-fly zone Thursday was aimed a that psyche of gunners. Its ordinance, 120,000 Arabic language leaflets that picture on one side an F-15 firing missiles at a radar and missile launcher and on the other, a warning to Iraqi air defenses to back off. In English the leaflets say, "Don't track or fire on coalition aircraft." And on the back, include the ominous warning, "You could be next."

The reaction from Iraqi gunners, according to the U.S. Central Command, was to fire artillery and missiles at the A-10. And the U.S. responded by bombing an air operation center near Tallil, 160 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The leafleting is the first in a year and comes as the U.S. has become increasingly frustrated by the Iraq's continued shoot down attempts.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I'll tell you what bothers me -- it bothers the dickens out of me that American and British air crews are getting fired at day after day after day with impunity.

MCINTYRE: In recent weeks, Rumsfeld has ordered more punishing retaliatory strikes to send a stronger message to Iraqi gunners. So far, they show no sign they're getting the message. U.S. planes are fired on nearly every time they fly. The U.S. insists its bombing is in self-defense and not part of any campaign to soften Iraqi air defenses prior to war.

(on camera): The Pentagon says the leaflet drops are just something the military does from time to time. Still the tactic offers a hint of the psychological operations that might be in store for Iraq. Sources say part of the military strategy is to convince top Iraqi generals they'd be better off if they didn't follow through on any orders to use chemical or biological weapons.

Jaime McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Iraq, in the meantime, may be resorting to its own brand of psychological warfare. The vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, today through down the goblet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAHA YASSIN RAMADAN, IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT (through translator): Bush wants to attack the whole Iraq, the Army and the infrastructure. If such a call is genuine, then let the American president and a selected group with him face a selected group of us. And we choose a neutral land and let Mr. Kofi Annan be a supervisor. And both groups should use the same weapon -- a president against a president, a vice president against a vice president and a dual takes place. If they are serious, in this way, we are saving the American and the Iraqi people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The White House is definitely not taking up the challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There can be no serious response to an irresponsible statement like that. I just want to point out that in the past when Iraq had disputes, it invaded its neighbors. There were no duals or invasions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer also says Iraq hast tended to settle its disputes with weapons of mass destruction. Don't wait for a dual between the president and the president of Iraq.

John Walker Lindh and Osama bin Laden, a CNN exclusive reveals chilling new details of the meeting between the Taliban American and the world's most wanted man. That's just ahead. And a family tragedy for a celebrated movie star. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What did Taliban American John Walker Lindh hear about al Qaeda's terror plans and what about his encounter with Osama bin Laden. A CNN exclusive is coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Taliban American John Walker Lindh faces sentencing tomorrow. He's agreed to a 20-year prison term and a plea bargain. The plea deal mandates that he cooperate with the government. In a CNN exclusive, CNN national correspondent, Mike Boettcher, reports on what Walker Lindh has told his interrogators, including some chilling disclosures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, he was interviewed by CNN. JOHN WALKER LINDH, AMERICAN TALIBAN: I haven't spoken English with native speakers in seven months. I have been speaking Arabic.

BOETTCHER: Then John Walker Lindh was questioned by U.S. Special Forces and then the FBI. Those interrogations were never made public. His attorneys tried to suppress them, saying they were made under duress. That was before Walker Lindh cut a plea bargain with federal prosecutors. Now, CNN has obtained copies of the reports made by the U.S. military and the FBI, reports that reveal new details about Walker Lindh, what he was doing in Afghanistan and new information that hints at possible new attacks against America.

John Walker Lindh was among a group of Taliban soldiers that surrendered to the Northern Alliance in late November. They were taken to Mazar-e-Sharif where Walker Lindh and others were questioned by two CIA employees. When many of the prisoners staged the revolt, Walker Lindh who was wounded in the leg hid out, finally surrendering after a week. That is when the interrogations by Special Forces began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People of all colors and races believing in one God and one humanity.

BOETTCHER: Walker Lindh told his questioners that he began his journey to Islam after seeing the movie, "Malcolm X" when he was 12 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plymouth Rock landed on us.

BOETTCHER: That launched an odyssey that took him from being a teenage Muslim convert to Northern California to an Arabic school in Yemen to Pakistan and finally Afghanistan. By the summer of 2001, according to his interrogation reports, Walker Lindh was at this camp, al-Faruq, run by al Qaeda for a seven-week training course.

WALKER LINDH: I came with the Pakistanis.

BOETTCHER: Walker Lindh was also questioned three times by the FBI over two days. The report says he was advised of his rights each time and waived them. He told them that although he wanted to join the Taliban, he was sent to al-Faruq because the Arab group is Osama bin Laden's, al Qaeda's group and that was the only way to get to the front lines.

The report continues -- "Lindh knew UBL's al Qaeda's purpose was to fight Americans. Walker Lindh outlined a training course that included three weeks of weapons familiarization, one weeks of topography, maps, one week of battlefield training, one week of explosives. Walker Lindh told his interrogators that bin Laden visited the camp three to five times while he was there, usually with one of his sons. He said met bin Laden once for five minutes with other recruits and that bin Laden made small talk and thanked them all for taking part in the jihad.

Walker Lindh told the FBI that the head of all al Qaeda's training camps personally asked him if he would take part in missions against the U.S. and Israel. He said he declined that. He also turned down a chance to swear allegiance to al Qaeda. Instead says the report, he swore allegiance to jihad.

Walker Lindh did not mention any other Americans being at al- Faruq even though several men from Buffalo would later be arrested and charged with being at the camp at the same time. Walker Lindh was on the front lines with the Taliban unit when the 9/11 attacks took place. His military questioners say, "Source showed remorse and signs of regret when he was asked about the attacks."

He told his interrogators that one of his former instructors was there and told the group that this was the first attack that a second wave would come at the beginning of Ramadan in mid-November and make America forget about the first attack. The instructor also talked of a third wave in early 2002, but provided no details. While walker Lindh told his Special Forces interrogators that the second phase of attacks could involve biological weapons or attacks on nuclear weapons facilities, there is a comment from the questioners saying, "Source was making assumptions and conjectures based on talk among his colleagues."

Even before he left the al-Faruq camp, Walker Lindh said one of his instructors told him that bin Laden sent 50 people to carry out 20 suicide operations and that the group believed the attacks were aimed a the U.S. and Israel. At the end of his questioning by the military, John Walker Lindh shared a final thought about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. Walker Lindh said families of al Qaeda members had been moved from Afghanistan to Yemen during 2001 and he thought Osama bin Laden may be planning on moving there.

Mike Boettcher, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good report, Mike.

A state that depends on the ports isn't panicking yet, but one of our affiliate stations reports some stockpiling of toilet paper. What's the real story in tourist (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Hawaii? We'll hear directly from the governor. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- What's the most geographically isolated population center on earth? The answer, Hawaii. The state is 2,000 miles from the Marshall Islands and 2,390 from California.

The lockdown of West Coast ports is costing the U.S. economy an estimated $1 billion a day and it may be about to affect Americans' every day lives in some additionally ugly ways. Unionized longshore workers are at loggerheads with port managers over control of new technology generated jobs on the waterfront. Hawaii, of course, depends on ocean shipments for two-thirds of its food and almost all of its goods. At least one Hawaii TV station is reporting that consumers are now stocking up on items from fresh milk to toilet paper. Governor Ben Cayetano joins us now live from Honolulu. Governor, thanks for joining us. What's the situation? Are people beginning to panic in your beautiful state?

GOV. BEN CAYETANO (D), HAWAII: No, you know, I give our people credit. I think the people have been pretty level headed about things. There has been some, you know, a little bit of stocking up, but not the kind of urgency and panic that I saw in the past when I was a kid. I think people have some fear that this is going to be settled.

BLITZER: On the basis of what, do you think, the people are optimistic because there's no indication when this will be settled?

CAYETANO: Well, you know, I think that the feeling is that the issue that they're talking about is not necessarily direct wages or money, they're talking about making the transition from labor type of jobs to technology type. And it seems that what the union is asking and what the company is willing to give is middle ground that can be reached by both sides. Right now they seem to be playing hardball, but that's the way these things usually go.

BLITZER: I suppose if the cargo ships don't arrive, you can always airlift -- you could always bring cargo in via air, but that's obviously much more expensive, right?

CAYETANO: Generally speaking, anywhere from three to five times more expensive, very expensive.

BLITZER: So what's your advice to the people of Hawaii right now as well as the tourists who love to come to your state?

CAYETANO: Well, we hope the tourists continue to come. Our business people, our retailers, our shop owners, have for some time now taken this in account, developed contingency plans. And while I wouldn't say that they have, you know, stocked up a great deal, they have enough inventory and carrying enough inventory to carry us over for a while.

The people I was talking about earlier, the regular, working person on the street, they have not panicked in any way. And so, I think we're going to be OK.

Now, the thing -- if there's a strike and it goes on too long, then I think that the situation may change.

BLITZER: Governor Cayetano, thanks for joining us. Thank you very much. Our condolences, by the way, to the loss of Congresswoman Pasty Mink, a long-time fixture in Washington as well. Thank you very much. Good luck to all our friends in Hawaii.

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

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you very much. Tropical Storm Lili may have weakened, but it's still dangerous for a good part of the country. Lili pounded the Louisiana coastal towns today. Streets there are flooded. Homes flooded. We'll be going live to Louisiana for the very latest. And the battle over the New Jersey U.S. Senate ballot intensified today. Republicans trying to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. I'll be joined by two of the country's savviest political analysts, John Zogby and Ron Faucheax.

And another setback for Martha Stewart today. She resigned from the board of the New York Stock Exchange. We'll have that and a great deal more on our corporate criminal watch tonight. A lot more ahead at the top of the hour. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: You always do, thank you very much, Lou. We'll be watching.

And what's the funniest joke in the whole wide world?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN WILLIAMS, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: Everyone has to admit that probably the world's funniest joke is so filthy that you can't tell it or read it or say it in the paper without people going, "Oh dear God! Oh, my -- I love that joke, but I will never tell that joke again."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This one's not dirty, but we'll give you the punch line when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We can all use a joke every now and then. From London, John Draper reports on the results of a search for the world's funniest joke. You be the judge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DRAPER, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For no apparent reason, a man dressed as a chicken unveiled the joke for funniest by most cultures and countries around the world. It emerged as the lighter side of some rather serious research by these psychologists into how the brain operates. So here is the joke giggled at across the globe.

RICHARD WISEMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST, HERTFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY: What made the world laugh was the joke about the two hunters.

There are two hunters that go into the woods, and suddenly, one clutches of them clutches his throat, falls over on the ground, laying motionless. His eyes rolled back in his head. And his friend panics. He picks up his mobile phone. He calls the emergency services. He says, "Oh, my goodness, my friend's dead. I don't know what to do." And the operator says, "Look, just calm down. I can help. The first thing we have to do is make certain your friend is dead." And she hears a pause, then a gunshot. And the hunter comes back on the phone and says, "OK, I've done that, now what?"

DRAPER: Well, he is a psychologist and not a comic. But that joke is said to have the world in stitches. So how does it go down in Britain?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's an OK joke, certainly not as great as I was expecting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've reached that outreach.

DRAPER: We told it to Hollywood funnyman, Robin Williams. So is it the world's funniest?

WILLIAMS: Oh, God. It's close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Close?

WILLIAMS: Yes, close, but it's like -- but you know that everyone has to admit that probably the world's funniest joke is so filthy that you can't tell it, read it or say it or read it in the paper without people going, "Oh, dear God. Oh, my God. I love that joke, but I will never tell that joke again."

DRAPER: Of course, it all depends on your sense of humor and the way you tell them.

John Draper, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Funny, but not out of this world funny. Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question on The Day." This is not a joke. Earlier we asked -- do you think Martha Stewart should have resigned from the New York Stock Exchange? Seventy-eight percent of you say, "yes," 22 percent of you say, "no." Remember, not -- this is not a scientific poll.

Time to hear directly from you. Karen's e-mailing us this -- "Thank you for airing your interview with Walter Cronkite. I wish everyone from the top down could have heard what he had to say yesterday." But Ken says -- "I usually enjoy your show, but please don't visit old Walter on us again." Sorry, Ken, I like Walter Cronkite.

That's all the time we have. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.

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