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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Major Combat in Iraq Long After Combat Was Declared Over; Is Iran Facing Revolution?; Interview With Pete Best
Aired June 13, 2003 - 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, HOST: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Tanks, helicopters, thousands of troops. Major combat in Iraq long after the major combat was declared over.
LT. GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, U.S. ARMY: We struck at very lethally ...
BLITZER: Is Iran facing a new revolution? Back in the streets, students battle regime riot squads.
Bonding, Bush style. On Father's Day weekend. Quality time during a time of crisis.
He was The Beatles' drummer before Ringo. They went on to fame and fortune without him. I will speak with Pete Best.
It's Friday, June 13, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
It seemed like there might be a lull in the violence, a pause as both sides buried their dead. But after a Palestinian rocket attack, Israel today struck again with full fury, firing missiles at a car in Gaza neighborhood. Then again, just a short while ago, another missile strike.
CNN's Kelly Wallace witnessed this latest attack. She is joining us now live from Gaza City -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we had these two Israeli air strikes in the span of just a few hours. The latest incident, as you said, took place just a short time ago. We saw the Israeli Apache helicopters in the sky, two of them firing one missile. The Israeli military saying the target was a weapons warehouse in Gaza City containing homemade rockets and other types of weapons.
Palestinian sources saying that warehouse belonging to Hamas militants. Sources also saying no one killed or injured in that attack. About four and a half hours earlier, this was the scene as Israeli helicopter gunships struck a car also in the area of Gaza City. The target of that, the Israeli military saying, two members of Hamas who were about to drive on their way and fire homemade rockets at Israel. In that attack, one person killed, a member of the Hamas military wing, and more than 20 others injured. We have now had seven air strikes over a four-day period, leaving some 23 Palestinians killed. Israeli officials saying they are going to go after the Hamas leadership, quote, "forcefully". One senior official, Wolf, telling me this is an all-out war -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelly, you're in Gaza right now. Is the Palestinian Authority -- are they in charge or is Hamas effectively in charge?
WALLACE: Well, that is a good question. Hamas is certainly -- has more popularity, much more popular than the Palestinian Authority and certainly than the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. Right now, the Palestinian Authority says it is doing what it can to try and rebuild security forces and try and work with groups like Hamas to get them to agree to a cease-fire.
But, Wolf, the sentiment of Palestinian officials publicly and privately is, these Israeli actions are not helping. They say it is undermining the Palestinian president and his efforts to try to maintain some control and try to rein in groups like Hamas.
BLITZER: Kelly Wallace on the scene for us in Gaza. Thanks, Kelly, very much.
And there is also serious fighting under way in Iraq. The war there was supposed to be over. But right now, big U.S. military operations are under way in a bid to destroy enemy forces presumably loyal to Saddam Hussein. Americans, Iraqis, and others are being killed in the fighting.
We begin with the combat action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): North of Baghdad, a U.S. tank patrol comes under heavy ambush. Rocket-propelled grenades fired at a 4th infantry patrol in Balad, about 35 miles from the capital. The Pentagon says the tanks returned fire, killing four attackers. Then U.S. tanks, backed by Apache attack helicopters and Bradley fighting vehicles, pursue their assailants.
U.S. Central Command says a total of 27 attackers are killed. No word on any U.S. casualties from that exchange. But Central Command says in the past 48 hours, six U.S. troops have been wounded in different attacks.
In a separate ongoing operation, U.S. troops battle suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists at what U.S. officials call a terrorist training camp west of Baghdad. U.S. officials say at least some fighters there may be from outside of Iraq.
MCKIERNAN: Was a camp area that was confirmed with bad guys, and specifically who the bad guys are will be determined as we exploit the site. We struck it very lethally and we're exploiting whatever intelligence value we can get from that site for future operations. BLITZER: Reports say about 70 opposition fighters are killed in that raid. Separately, in what's called "Operation Peninsula Strike", almost 400 Saddam loyalists are captured. It's part of a series of stepped-up U.S. raids this week targeting pockets of resistance that have killed more than 30 U.S. troops since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1st.
Near Kirkuk in the north, one raid by the 173rd Airborne Brigade captures dozens of fighters. Central Command says some may be al Qaeda sympathizers.
MCKIERNAN: We apprehend suspected either terrorists or regime holdouts that will go through a series of screening interrogations and decide what we have. But I couldn't confirm to you right now that those are all al Qaeda linked persons.
BLITZER: Iraq's infrastructure also targeted. Near Baiji in the north, Iraqi officials say unknown assailants attack a gas pipeline. No word from the U.S. military whether the two explosions are the result of organized sabotage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And these pictures are just coming in here showing some of the 4,000 U.S. troops involved in "Operation Peninsula Strike". The operation is taking place about 35 miles north of Baghdad. Joining me now with some assessment perspective on what's going on, the retired U.S. Army colonel, the former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, Pat Lang. What is going on right now, Pat?
PAT LANG, FORMER DIA ANALYST: Well, we've learned a very old lesson once again here, that it's one thing to defeat an country's armed forces in the open field in battle. We're extremely good at that. We can blow anybody's armed forces away. And then it's another thing if resistance is going to continue by other means after we have defeated the main force, what that's going to be like.
And that's what we're into now. There was an expectation that there wouldn't be a continuing hostility after the war was over. It turns out that's wrong. And so now, we're in the position of fighting what amounts to a counter insurgency campaign in the area north of Baghdad.
BLITZER: And militarily, that's a major struggle. It's not that easy to fight counter insurgence.
LANG: Yes, I've been in a few of these things myself. And it is ...
BLITZER: Going back to Vietnam, as we well remember.
LANG: Yes. That's right. And it's a very difficult kind of war to fight. You have to have a very large number of forces because the enemy has the opportunity to hide in the population if he has support, which he has to have. Then he can strike wherever he wishes. And you're responsible for defending all this terrain, these facilities, population centers. So you have to have a great big force and he can have a fairly small force and he can keep you running around chasing him, to try to get him. It takes a long time.
BLITZER: The U.S. has what, 160,000 troops on the ground in Iraq right now. Is that enough?
LANG: If this is going to continue, you know, and continue to ramp up in the Sunni Arab area north of Baghdad, I think probably in the end it's not going to be enough. There are going to have to be more coalition forces, probably another, I would guess, something like three divisions worth. That would be another 100,000 men. Or the U.S. is going to have to contribute part of that itself. And this is going to be difficult because our Army is only so big, you know.
BLITZER: The U.S. Army is already pretty tapped, isn't it?
LANG: Yes. Between the Marines and the Army, you know, I think there are only 13 active divisions. And this is a big, big commitment.
BLITZER: Pat Lang, good to have your perspective as usual. Thank you very much.
LANG: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Have police foiled, in Bangkok, a major, possible at least, dirty bomb plot acting on a tip from U.S. Investigators. Thai authorities today arrested a man who allegedly tried to sell a radioactive material suitable for making for what we often call a dirty bomb. Let's go live to our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, his name is Narong Penanam, and he was picked up today as a result of an international sting operation. Now, according to U.S. officials, U.S. investigators working for the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency received intelligence on this man back in October of 2002. Now, the information at the time suggested that he was peddling uranium to be used in the making of a dirty bomb.
Agents actually bought a sample. They tested it. They found out it was cesium-137, which is a material that be also be used to make dirty bombs. Those investigators working with Thai police set up another meeting for today, and the man was arrested. U.S. officials say that there is no information linking him to any terrorist organization at this time, and there is no information about any plot to use a dirty bomb against the United States. He was arrested for illegal possession of nuclear materials, and the investigation into any connections he may have continues.
BLITZER: This potentially is very alarming. Kelli, Thanks very much for that report. CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena.
Some father and sons have their moments. For one of the most powerful men in the world they're having their moments this weekend. President Bush shares some quality time with his dad this Father's Day weekend. Is he getting any advice? Plus -- he molested two girls in city hall. Now a judge is throwing the book at this former mayor.
And Pete Best. He was almost -- almost a superstar. So what was it like to get cut from the Beatles? I'll ask him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. In Iran, the worst anti-government protest in months are rocking the capital, Tehran. Gunfire ran through the streets -- rang through the streets late today as hundreds of hard line militants and riot police clashed with students. For a fourth day, police and vigilantes attacked bystanders and pulled people out of their cars and beat them. It's the biggest outbreak of violence since antigovernment protests broke out four days ago. No word yet if there are any injuries or deaths.
Joining us now with some perspective on all of this, the Georgetown University lecturer, Rob Sobhani. Rob, thanks for joining us. What exactly is going on in Iran? We don't seem to be getting much information but it looks pretty serious.
ROB SOBHANI, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: It is serious, Wolf, because what's happening really, is that the dynamic rule in Iran has changed from the fundamental challenge between reformers and hard liners to the government against the people. And what we're seeing is the people against the government on the streets.
BLITZER: Do the people have a chance?
SOBHANI: I think they do, because the overwhelming majority of the Iranian people want change. All the polls indicate that 60 percent, 80 percent of the Iranian people want the fundamental change in the nature of government. I think they are sick and tired of bureaucracy.
BLITZER: So are you suggesting it's possible there could be a revolution that would result in regime change, getting rid of the ayatollah, if you will?
SOBHANI: There are no doubt there are historic precedents for it. The Shah of Iran actually fell within several months. Milosevic fell in several months. The eastern European authoritarian states fell in several months. And so, yes, there is absolutely historical precedent, and that's why the vigilantes are cracking down so hard. They are very fearful of regime change.
BLITZER: So is this effectively potentially a Tiananmen Square?
SOBHANI: It is potential; however, the missing link here is that no leader has emerged yet to galvanize so the people can rally around and hang their hat on. If that leader emerges inside and outside of Iran, I think you'll see this very, very rapid move to regime change.
BLITZER: No leader among the students. Mostly these are students who are protesting? Is that right? SOBHANI: Absolutely, because Iran's population, as you know, is 50 percent under the age of 30. Unemployment is rampant; 200,000 top university students leave Iran every day. It's the country with the biggest brain drain. So if a leader emerges that the students and the women and everybody else can rally around this could really be trouble for the regime.
BLITZER: Was it a misreading to suggest that President Khatami could be that leader if he were to stand up against the Ayatollah Khamenei?
SOBHANI: Well, the problem with Khatami was that he was never willing to push the limits. He wanted to preserve the Islamic Republican, much like Gorbachev wanted to preserve the Soviet Union. The people of Iran have had it with the Islamic Republic. They want to go beyond the Islamic Republic.
BLITZER: And so your bottom-line assessment as far as the U.S. is concerned -- remember this is of axis of evil charter member, according to President Bush -- what should the U.S. government be doing right now?
SOBHANI: And President Bush, in that speech, said there is a distinction between the people and the government of Iran. We need to support the people of Iran, but make it very clear, everybody needs to make that message clear to the Iranian people. We will support you.
BLITZER: All right. Rob Sobhani, Thanks very much.
SOBHANI: Thanks.
BLITZER: Serious violation of the public's trust. A former mayor who used city hall -- get this -- to molest young girls, and he gets thrown into jail.
Also, apparently used and left by her own mother, a 7-year-old girl abandoned during a shot-lifting scheme.
And the origins of AIDS. Scientists say they've solved a medical mystery.
That, much more. Rudy Giuliani is joining us live. Stay with us for that.
First, today's news quiz.
Which of these diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans? Salmonella, anthrax, tuberculosis, all of the above? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The former mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 37 years in prison. Philip Giordano was convicted in March, of sexually abusing two pre-teen girls inside city hall and other locations. Today a judge told him, and I'm quoting now; "Your conduct is the worst I have ever seen." Giordano forced the girls, ages 8 and 10, to engage in sexual activities with him. He is also convicted of conspiring with a prostitute, who is the mother of one girl and the aunt of the other.
Authorities near Houston, Texas, are facing a puzzling situation. A young girl, who police say was used in a shoplifting scheme that also involved her mother, has been abandoned. Michelle Lacasas (ph) from our affiliate KRIV has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): She is only 7 years old, a child called to do the dirty work of three females suspected of shopping at this Randall's grocery store in Sugar Land.
DET. MARSHALL SLOT, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS POLICE: A manager saw them walk in the store and recognized them as two females who had possibly shoplifted from the store before, so he started watching them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surveillance video shows a Hispanic female, supposedly the child's cousin, directing her to a basket of stolen goods. Moments later, you see the girl running out of the store with the basket, and then the manager, who was watching. He caught the child, but the getaway car, this red Chevrolet Corsica, sped away.
SLOT: And the child identified the mother as Maria Reyes (ph), and also identified her as being the driver of the car that fled the scene, which makes it all that more shocking.
ESTELLA OLGUIN, CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICE: It is unusual not to have a relative who is willing to come forward and come get her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been four days the abandoned little girl has been in custody of Children's Protective Services. Family, unwilling to come forward, although they have contacted CPS about her.
OLGUIN: They haven't come to our office and presented themselves from the information that they've given us, like addresses have false. So, at this point we're trying to find out who she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is proving difficult. The girl gives two different names. She doesn't know what school she goes to or who her teacher was.
OLGUIN: She is a very healthy 7-year-old girl, very bright, so that's why it's surprising that she doesn't know a lot of information, like even where she lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: That report from Michelle Lacasas (ph) of our affiliate KRIV. By the way, police say the girl doesn't face any criminal charges because of her age.
Rudy Giuliani has a new job. He's here. He'll join us live to explain why Colin Powell has recruited him for a special mission. Plus, a Father's day weekend with two presidents and the surprising stumble.
And monkey pox at a day care center. An outbreak that has doctors very concerned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. Coming up, New York's former mayor on a new mission. I'll speak live with Rudy Giuliani. First, the latest headlines.
An Israeli helicopter missile attack at Gaza destroyed a weapons warehouse of the Islamic group, Hamas. Palestinian sources say there were no casualties. The attack came just a few hours after another Israeli air strike in Gaza destroyed a car, killing one person and wounding 25 people. Palestinian sources say four Hamas members were in the car.
A church in Wilmington, Delaware, was destroyed today by an explosion and a fire. It happened at the Church of Christ, Written in Heaven. One person was treated for minor injuries. The fire was contained in about 30 minutes.
There's help on the way for passengers who have trouble boarding planes because their names resemble those of terror suspects on a so- called no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration is allowing those passengers to submit a passenger I.D. verification form to the TSA. Once that's done, the verification is given to airlines and airport officials. But the TSA cautions, passengers still may encounter some problems.
The State Department citing new security threats is warning Americans against travel to Indonesia. The warning states that U.S. officials believe extremist elements may be planning more attacks against American interests throughout the country. And the Indonesian government is urging Americans already in the troubled province of Aceh to leave immediately.
Former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, has a new job. Today he accepted an invitation by the Secretary of State Colin Powell. Rudy Giuliani will head the U.S. delegation to a conference on anti- Semitism in Europe. It couldn't have come at a better, more opportune moment. Belgium police today arrested a man suspected of trying to blow up a synagogue there. It could have been the latest in a string of anti-Jewish attacks linked to violence in the Middle East and other matters.
Rudy Giuliani is joining us now live from New York. Welcome, Mr. Mayor. And tell us why you accepted this mission.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Well, I accepted it because I believe this is something that both the president and Colin Powell have put a tremendous amount of focus on. They have gotten the OSCE, which is a group of 55 nations in Europe and -- including the United States and some in North America -- for the first time to make this part of their agenda, as part of security in Europe.
So it's a recognition that there is a problem, which has taken some time to get some of these countries to do, to recognize the fact that there is a problem. And there is a recognition that there has to be a common agenda to try to figure out how to get control of this and eliminate these acts of anti-Semitism.
BLITZER: The -- there's been a lot of anti-Semitism in Europe since 9/11 -- even earlier, especially in France. Why this up -- this surge in anti-Semitic incidents going on in Europe?
GIULIANI: Well, I think, you know, some of it is -- some of it -- if not a great deal of it, is linked to the situation in the Middle East and the way in which that's exploded, the way it's discussed, the way in which sometimes the Israelis are demonized. And then it turns itself into people acting out.
And the reality is that if you don't get control of it, then it can really -- it can really become a very serious problem. And you're not going to be able to deal with it by pretending it's not going on.
So the purpose of this conference is to get a lot of attention for it and then to end up having some very specific things that will be recommended that can be followed up. For example, keeping statistics on a regular basis of the hate acts, hate crimes -- anti- Semitism and others -- that take place in these countries, reviewing them on a regular basis, and also urging them to have hate crimes legislation, so that it would cover anti-Semitism, but it would also cover, you know, other acts of bigotry and hatred that can take place. It's something that has to be uniform if you're going to be able to really deal with it.
BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, based on what you know, are these acts of anti-Semitism in Europe the result of the old-fashioned European anti- Semites who, of course, have been around forever resulting in the Holocaust, if you will, in Germany, in World War II? Or are they the result of the Muslims and the Arabs who now increasingly become a larger part of the European society?
GIULIANI: I think it's impossible to give, like, an accurate subdivision and say 20 percent one and 70 percent the other and 10 percent something else. I think you have both the remnants of what's called -- let's call it traditional anti-Semitism, which is, I guess the oldest form of prejudice that we have in our society. It goes back at least in the Christian era, for 2,000 years and then before that. And I think you still have some of that. And, you know, we see that in some of the neo-Nazi, neo-Fascist groups.
But I think a lot of it is also driven by, you know, present world politics and you have all of this -- all of this discussion, all of these canards that are established in the education of people. And it has an impact. It has an effect. I mean, the reality is there's an organization in the United States called Words Can Heal. And the opposite of that is words can also have a tremendous impact on people's psyche. BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, I was going to interrupt and say we're almost out of time. But I have to ask you a question totally unrelated because there is so much buzz in New York, where you are right now. Bill Clinton running for mayor of New York. A, is that going to happen? and, B, do you think he could win?
GIULIANI: Well, you never have any idea about who's going to win. I don't think that's serious. And, you know, I think -- no, I don't think it's serious. And I think Mike Bloomberg is doing a good job and he's making difficult decisions, which is what you have to do at the beginning of an administration. And I think he's going to be a very, very formidable candidate for re-election in a few years. And he's somebody who really knows this city, which is something that, you know, ultimately you have to really take into consideration -- what kind of real connection do you have to this city?
BLITZER: All right. The buzz not serious. Mayor, we spoke just before you got -- we spoke just before you got married. I wished you a lot of luck. This is the first time we're speaking since you've been married. Congratulations once again. Thanks for joining us. Good luck in Europe.
GIULIANI: Well, Judith and I both thank you. Thank you very much, Wolf.
BLITZER: And we're looking forward to hearing from you when you get back on what's going on. Thank you very much.
Caught up in controversy over a war in Iraq that won't apparently end at a Middle East peace process that just won't get started. President bush is getting away from it all with another President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): George Bush Sr.'s 79th birthday. Three generations of Bushes converging on the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Clearly a time to unwind, even on a Segway Scooter, taking a tumble in the process.
But also a tile to reflect on the dynamic between two men, two presidents, a father and son who have had the normal ebb and flow of that relationship, but in a fishbowl.
JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT SHOW": Got to be tough for George W. To find a president for his dad. I mean, how do you top giving him Iraq?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Earlier in his life, George W. Bush clearly felt the weight of trying to measure up to his father. And that was part of the pressure that led to the sense of his first decades being a little lost.
But since he's become president, in every way, we see it every day -- this is a man who is much more confident than he was only two- and-a-half years ago. And I suspect that that confidence has allowed him to have a more comfortable relationship with his father because he no longer feels as though he has to prove himself to him.
BLITZER: Not much more you can prove to your father when you become president of the United States.
GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I want to thank my dad, the most decent man I have ever known. All my life, I have been amazed that a gentle soul could be so strong. Dad, I am proud to be your son.
BLITZER: But in the crucible of a devastating homeland attack, a war on terror, a war with Iraq and contentious domestic battles with a divided Congress, how often does this son seek his father's advice?
BROWNSTEIN: I think that's really a mystery to all of us, how close -- how much he relies on the father's advice. I mean, I don't think we have a clear sense of that.
BLITZER: By many accounts, they do speak often. It's said the son has learned more politically from his father's mistakes after the first Gulf War than from his successes.
Aides say in the end, George W. Bush understandably relies more on advice of inner circle advisers: Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice. The irony, of course -- they all have close ties to his father as well.
For his part, the father must also deal with another ambitious son and a high profile sibling rivalry.
BROWNSTEIN: The relationship of Sonny and Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" -- George W. was a Sonny-like character: big, full of life, filled up a room. And Jeb was like Michael: quieter, more reserved, more urbane and maybe deep down always thought, despite all of that, that he was better suited for leadership. I think Jeb has sort of grown out of that.
BLITZER: Close, complex, lifelong, a father-son story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And if you didn't get a good look before, President Bush did stumble a bit off that Segway Scooter he tried out. CNN did a little digging to show you he's not the first president, of course, to miss a step.
Remember this clip. Look at the bottom of your TV set right now. Gerald Ford falls down the stairwell from Air Force One. Chevy Chase would have had fun with that one. Of course, he did have fun with that one.
President Clinton, by the way had the luck to fall but it was off camera. He fell off the stairs, Greg Norman's house, many of you remember. But he couldn't hide his lack of mobility for weeks thereafter.
And although he never made president, Bob Dole got close enough to earn honorable mention for this tumble from the campaign trial in 1996. All of us remember that. Thank God he was not hurt badly. The decorated veteran later equipped, though, he ought to get another Purple Heart.
Here's your turn to weigh in on our story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Who is the better president? George W. Bush or George Herbert Walker Bush?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf during this holiday -- this Father's Day Holiday weekend. And of course while you're there, I would love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at end of this program. That's, also, of course where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
As we've seen throughout much of the reporting over the past several months, the war in Iraq was very, very quick, but it's still not over. And in one sense, it's already history. A new book collects more than 250 of the most compelling images from the war, representing more than 100 photojournalists, many of whom risked their lives to cover it.
John Moore, who was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, is one of them. He's joining us now live from New York. Briefly, John, tell us how this book came about.
JOHN MOORE, PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, this was edited, as you said, from photographers' work, over 100 photographers, 250 photographs, pictures that started before the war, during and as it concluded. And it came together basically with a compilation of so many people and so much talent.
BLITZER: All right. Let's take a look at some of these really dramatic pictures. A really outstanding book.
First, two photos we'll show our viewers, sort of a before and after scene. We see these soldiers posing in front of a mosaic of Saddam Hussein, then a tank, of course, knocking it down. How did you get that?
MOORE: Well, I was there when it happened to take place. They had just taken over the Medina headquarters of the Republican Guard. And they arrived and it was cleaned out. There was no one there and they decided to take some souvenir photos in front of the monument and then tore the thing down.
BLITZER: Look at this next picture. I'll put it on the screen. Two soldiers, obviously at an emotional moment.
MOORE: This image came just following heavy combat in the outskirts of Baghdad. The unit had been attacked, ambushed alongside the road in a village outside of the capital. The suicide fighters dressed in black fired RPGs and injured several soldiers. The unit fought back and killed all of them and the soldier on the left, who is being congratulated, had just killed several Iraqi irregular fighters.
BLITZER: We see the next picture a famous Baghdad landmark. But tell our viewers what's going on in this photo. MOORE: This is a very strange scene in Baghdad. The -- it's the marching grounds the parade grounds inside the city with massive monuments. As you can see, the swords and the tank parked. Basically, the soldiers were there relaxing and they had gathered to show vehicles which had been attacked by Iraqi forces during the campaign and during the taking of the city.
BLITZER: John Moore, a great photographer. The book, "The War in Iraq: a Photo History." The first of its kind probably out. We will probably get a lot more but this is really special.
Thanks very much, John.
MOORE: Thank you.
BLITZER: Is monkeypox spreading?
An outbreak at a day care center is raising some serious concerns.
Also, medical mystery solved. Scientists say they've tracked down the origins of AIDS.
And a rock drummer who almost made it big. Pete Best getting booted from the Beatles. He explains how it happened way back then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked, "Which of these diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans?
The answer, all of the above.
You can get salmonella from handling lizards, anthrax from cows and tuberculosis from guinea pigs and prairie dogs.
There is still no vaccine or cure for AIDS but researchers say they finally know how the epidemic began. Scientists have traced the virus to monkeys in Africa later who were later eaten chimpanzees, and they in turn were butchered by humans for meat. The finds are published in today's "Science Magazine." Up to 25 million people have died with AIDS and nearly 40 million are infected with HIV.
Right now researchers are trying to determine if 16 people at a day care center and the woman who runs it have come down with monkeypox.
Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining now live with the latest -- Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is all happening at a private home day care center in Indiana. What happened is that the owners of the day care center decided to get some prairie dogs for the children to play with and they came from the same pet store where other prairie dogs with monkeypox had come from. And in fact, these two monkeypox got sick and died at the end of May, but before they died the children played with them. It's believed of the 19 children registered at that day care center that about 16 of them may have monkeypox. They're being tested. The Centers for Disease Control now has those specimens. It is looking at them.
One of the children, the daughter of the owner, is extremely ill and she is in the hospital. The other children have recovered and their lesions are healing. Now, these children, if they have it, caught it from prairie dogs. But in addition, there is another story, this time in Wisconsin of few people who may have caught monkeypox from humans. So this time not animal transmission but person-to- person transmission.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COHEN (voice-over): Here are the culprits, pet prairie dogs suspected of spreading monkeypox to people in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey. But now there may be another culprit, human beings. Two health care workers in Wisconsin, one at this hospital and one at a dermatologist's office, may have contracted the disease from their patients with monkeypox. Specimens are due to arrive at the Centers for Disease control today and results could be ready Saturday. If these health care workers really do have monkeypox...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very important to point out this is fully expected.
COHEN: Monkeypox spreads person to person in Africa, where it kills up to 10 percent of its victims. The disease is not expected to be as deadly in the United States, where there are 72 cases under investigation, 13 of which have been laboratory confirmed. Some patients have been hospitalized but no one has died. Not as deadly because people in the United States who might have been exposed to monkeypox are being offered the smallpox vaccine. The two diseases are closely related.
(on camera): Since it does spread person to person, could it spread around the globe?
Could thereby another SARS type epidemic?
CDC officials say probably not.
(voice-over): That's because while monkeypox does spread person to person, it usually doesn't spread person to person to person.
DR. STEPHEN OSTROFF, CDC: This isn't a virus well adapted for transmission from human to human. So even if we do see cases like this occurring, after one or possibly two generations of this, it tends to burn itself out in humans. And so we don't think this would be a continuous or ongoing problem.
COHEN: And how do you know if you have monkeypox?
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, rash, enlarged lymph nodes and exposure to exotic animals or to a person with monkeypox. So, if you haven't been playing with one of these recently or don't know anyone who has, then there is probably no way you monkeypox.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: The CDC says if you think your pet has it, don't just release it, you should call your veterinarian -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We know the government is giving out some vaccinations, but what else is the government trying to do, Elizabeth, to stop this?
COHEN: Well, the government this week decided to ban sales of prairie dogs, so that was one step. In addition, they're looking back at a Texas facility where monkeypox may have started at the first place and trying to trace back where all those animals might be now.
BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for covering this story with us.
He was almost famous and in the most popular band in the world. Pete Best, a onetime Beatle on how it all began and ended.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Before Ringo, there was Pete Best. He kept the beat for two years while The Beatles polished their act. His mother even ran the basement club in Liverpool where The Beatles got started. But The Beatles went with a different drummer just before they hit it big. Author of a new book entitled, "The Beatles, The True Beginning," Pete Best spoke with me from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Pete Best, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on writing the new book. Tell our viewers, remind them very briefly, why weren't you the drummer for The Beatles when they really made it? Ringo Starr replaced you?
PETE BEST, FORMER BEATLE: I wish I knew that particular reason. It happened 40-odd years ago. The reason which was given at my dismissal by Brian Epstein was the fact that I wasn't a good enough drummer. But that's never held water, simply because of the fact I was reputed in those days to be one of the number one drummers in Liverpool. And ever since I've gone back into show business with my own band, touring the world, people who have seen me play, say honestly, Pete, that couldn't have been the reason. I don't know the reason apart from that at this present moment in time.
BLITZER: Well, have you ever spoken to Paul and Ringo, for example? Have you ever spoken to any of The Beatles about this?
BEST: No. I've never had the platform to actually do that, Wolf. It's been one of those situations, the circumstances they were in. You know, they're world leaders, they're touring the world. I'm doing my own little thing, you know, raising a family, touring the world with my own band. We never get the -- I suppose you could turn around and say the dimension to sit down and talk about what happened or what could have happened. But to be quite honest, I'm not really concerned about that. It was something which happened many, many years ago. Water has gone under the bridge. We all have got our lives to lead, and I think we should be looking towards today and tomorrow and not what happened 40 years ago.
BLITZER: You have a right, though, to be a little bit bitter. Your mother, Mona, for example, played an important role in creating this band that was eventually called The Beatles.
BEST: She was the unsung hero. And that's -- you know, she played such a dominant part in the new book, "The Beatles, the True Beginnings," and she's an unsung hero. It was through her foresight, her idea to turn a humble coffee club, which was a coffee bar in the basement of our house in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Liverpool, into what became the catalyst for the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sound. And that conquered the world many, many years afterwards.
BLITZER: What was your favorite Beatles song when you were part of The Beatles?
BEST: When I was part of The Beatles, I think we were just starting to play "I Saw Her Standing There" in the set, and that was something they recorded many, many years afterwards, and it still sounds great to me.
BLITZER: And all these years later, as you look back, what goes through your mind? You have to have some sense of, I guess, anger, bitterness. What goes through your mind?
BEST: To be quite honest, it's something which I've put very much at the back of my own mind. Yes, initially when it happened, because of the circumstances that prevailed and the way the dismissal took place, it was something which did cause me a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, a lot of financial embarrassment. I carried the stigma with me, which was carried on by the media, but I managed to overcome that.
And now it's very much the case of, OK, it was great to be part of the biggest band who became the icons in the music industry, but it's lovely to lead my own life, and turn around and say, yes, I was part of it, I have the recognition for my contribution, but that's it. You know, I've got a life to lead, and I move on with it.
BLITZER: Pete Best, that's a healthy attitude. Thanks so much for joining us. I don't know if I'd be as forgiving as you are, but you're a gentleman.
BEST: Thank you, Wolf. It's been my pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Or hot Web question of the day is this: Who's the better president? George W. Bush or George Herbert Walker Bush? You can still vote, cnn.com/wolf, and we'll have the results when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's take a look and see how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember we've been asking you this question: Who's the better president? Look at this -- 26 percent of you say George W. Bush; 74 percent of you say George Herbert Walker Bush. That's the father. You can find the exact vote tally. Continue to vote, by the way. Vote all weekend on our Web site, cnn.com. Remember, we always remind you, this is not a scientific poll, but we still enjoy doing these polls.
A reminder, you can always catch us Monday through Friday 5:00 p.m. Eastern, also noon Eastern Monday through Friday. I'll see you Sunday, of course, on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. That's at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. For the latest developments, let's turn it over to Jan Hopkins. She's standing by in New York.
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Is Iran Facing Revolution?; Interview With Pete Best>
Aired June 13, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Tanks, helicopters, thousands of troops. Major combat in Iraq long after the major combat was declared over.
LT. GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, U.S. ARMY: We struck at very lethally ...
BLITZER: Is Iran facing a new revolution? Back in the streets, students battle regime riot squads.
Bonding, Bush style. On Father's Day weekend. Quality time during a time of crisis.
He was The Beatles' drummer before Ringo. They went on to fame and fortune without him. I will speak with Pete Best.
It's Friday, June 13, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
It seemed like there might be a lull in the violence, a pause as both sides buried their dead. But after a Palestinian rocket attack, Israel today struck again with full fury, firing missiles at a car in Gaza neighborhood. Then again, just a short while ago, another missile strike.
CNN's Kelly Wallace witnessed this latest attack. She is joining us now live from Gaza City -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we had these two Israeli air strikes in the span of just a few hours. The latest incident, as you said, took place just a short time ago. We saw the Israeli Apache helicopters in the sky, two of them firing one missile. The Israeli military saying the target was a weapons warehouse in Gaza City containing homemade rockets and other types of weapons.
Palestinian sources saying that warehouse belonging to Hamas militants. Sources also saying no one killed or injured in that attack. About four and a half hours earlier, this was the scene as Israeli helicopter gunships struck a car also in the area of Gaza City. The target of that, the Israeli military saying, two members of Hamas who were about to drive on their way and fire homemade rockets at Israel. In that attack, one person killed, a member of the Hamas military wing, and more than 20 others injured. We have now had seven air strikes over a four-day period, leaving some 23 Palestinians killed. Israeli officials saying they are going to go after the Hamas leadership, quote, "forcefully". One senior official, Wolf, telling me this is an all-out war -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelly, you're in Gaza right now. Is the Palestinian Authority -- are they in charge or is Hamas effectively in charge?
WALLACE: Well, that is a good question. Hamas is certainly -- has more popularity, much more popular than the Palestinian Authority and certainly than the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. Right now, the Palestinian Authority says it is doing what it can to try and rebuild security forces and try and work with groups like Hamas to get them to agree to a cease-fire.
But, Wolf, the sentiment of Palestinian officials publicly and privately is, these Israeli actions are not helping. They say it is undermining the Palestinian president and his efforts to try to maintain some control and try to rein in groups like Hamas.
BLITZER: Kelly Wallace on the scene for us in Gaza. Thanks, Kelly, very much.
And there is also serious fighting under way in Iraq. The war there was supposed to be over. But right now, big U.S. military operations are under way in a bid to destroy enemy forces presumably loyal to Saddam Hussein. Americans, Iraqis, and others are being killed in the fighting.
We begin with the combat action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): North of Baghdad, a U.S. tank patrol comes under heavy ambush. Rocket-propelled grenades fired at a 4th infantry patrol in Balad, about 35 miles from the capital. The Pentagon says the tanks returned fire, killing four attackers. Then U.S. tanks, backed by Apache attack helicopters and Bradley fighting vehicles, pursue their assailants.
U.S. Central Command says a total of 27 attackers are killed. No word on any U.S. casualties from that exchange. But Central Command says in the past 48 hours, six U.S. troops have been wounded in different attacks.
In a separate ongoing operation, U.S. troops battle suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists at what U.S. officials call a terrorist training camp west of Baghdad. U.S. officials say at least some fighters there may be from outside of Iraq.
MCKIERNAN: Was a camp area that was confirmed with bad guys, and specifically who the bad guys are will be determined as we exploit the site. We struck it very lethally and we're exploiting whatever intelligence value we can get from that site for future operations. BLITZER: Reports say about 70 opposition fighters are killed in that raid. Separately, in what's called "Operation Peninsula Strike", almost 400 Saddam loyalists are captured. It's part of a series of stepped-up U.S. raids this week targeting pockets of resistance that have killed more than 30 U.S. troops since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1st.
Near Kirkuk in the north, one raid by the 173rd Airborne Brigade captures dozens of fighters. Central Command says some may be al Qaeda sympathizers.
MCKIERNAN: We apprehend suspected either terrorists or regime holdouts that will go through a series of screening interrogations and decide what we have. But I couldn't confirm to you right now that those are all al Qaeda linked persons.
BLITZER: Iraq's infrastructure also targeted. Near Baiji in the north, Iraqi officials say unknown assailants attack a gas pipeline. No word from the U.S. military whether the two explosions are the result of organized sabotage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And these pictures are just coming in here showing some of the 4,000 U.S. troops involved in "Operation Peninsula Strike". The operation is taking place about 35 miles north of Baghdad. Joining me now with some assessment perspective on what's going on, the retired U.S. Army colonel, the former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, Pat Lang. What is going on right now, Pat?
PAT LANG, FORMER DIA ANALYST: Well, we've learned a very old lesson once again here, that it's one thing to defeat an country's armed forces in the open field in battle. We're extremely good at that. We can blow anybody's armed forces away. And then it's another thing if resistance is going to continue by other means after we have defeated the main force, what that's going to be like.
And that's what we're into now. There was an expectation that there wouldn't be a continuing hostility after the war was over. It turns out that's wrong. And so now, we're in the position of fighting what amounts to a counter insurgency campaign in the area north of Baghdad.
BLITZER: And militarily, that's a major struggle. It's not that easy to fight counter insurgence.
LANG: Yes, I've been in a few of these things myself. And it is ...
BLITZER: Going back to Vietnam, as we well remember.
LANG: Yes. That's right. And it's a very difficult kind of war to fight. You have to have a very large number of forces because the enemy has the opportunity to hide in the population if he has support, which he has to have. Then he can strike wherever he wishes. And you're responsible for defending all this terrain, these facilities, population centers. So you have to have a great big force and he can have a fairly small force and he can keep you running around chasing him, to try to get him. It takes a long time.
BLITZER: The U.S. has what, 160,000 troops on the ground in Iraq right now. Is that enough?
LANG: If this is going to continue, you know, and continue to ramp up in the Sunni Arab area north of Baghdad, I think probably in the end it's not going to be enough. There are going to have to be more coalition forces, probably another, I would guess, something like three divisions worth. That would be another 100,000 men. Or the U.S. is going to have to contribute part of that itself. And this is going to be difficult because our Army is only so big, you know.
BLITZER: The U.S. Army is already pretty tapped, isn't it?
LANG: Yes. Between the Marines and the Army, you know, I think there are only 13 active divisions. And this is a big, big commitment.
BLITZER: Pat Lang, good to have your perspective as usual. Thank you very much.
LANG: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Have police foiled, in Bangkok, a major, possible at least, dirty bomb plot acting on a tip from U.S. Investigators. Thai authorities today arrested a man who allegedly tried to sell a radioactive material suitable for making for what we often call a dirty bomb. Let's go live to our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, his name is Narong Penanam, and he was picked up today as a result of an international sting operation. Now, according to U.S. officials, U.S. investigators working for the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency received intelligence on this man back in October of 2002. Now, the information at the time suggested that he was peddling uranium to be used in the making of a dirty bomb.
Agents actually bought a sample. They tested it. They found out it was cesium-137, which is a material that be also be used to make dirty bombs. Those investigators working with Thai police set up another meeting for today, and the man was arrested. U.S. officials say that there is no information linking him to any terrorist organization at this time, and there is no information about any plot to use a dirty bomb against the United States. He was arrested for illegal possession of nuclear materials, and the investigation into any connections he may have continues.
BLITZER: This potentially is very alarming. Kelli, Thanks very much for that report. CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena.
Some father and sons have their moments. For one of the most powerful men in the world they're having their moments this weekend. President Bush shares some quality time with his dad this Father's Day weekend. Is he getting any advice? Plus -- he molested two girls in city hall. Now a judge is throwing the book at this former mayor.
And Pete Best. He was almost -- almost a superstar. So what was it like to get cut from the Beatles? I'll ask him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. In Iran, the worst anti-government protest in months are rocking the capital, Tehran. Gunfire ran through the streets -- rang through the streets late today as hundreds of hard line militants and riot police clashed with students. For a fourth day, police and vigilantes attacked bystanders and pulled people out of their cars and beat them. It's the biggest outbreak of violence since antigovernment protests broke out four days ago. No word yet if there are any injuries or deaths.
Joining us now with some perspective on all of this, the Georgetown University lecturer, Rob Sobhani. Rob, thanks for joining us. What exactly is going on in Iran? We don't seem to be getting much information but it looks pretty serious.
ROB SOBHANI, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: It is serious, Wolf, because what's happening really, is that the dynamic rule in Iran has changed from the fundamental challenge between reformers and hard liners to the government against the people. And what we're seeing is the people against the government on the streets.
BLITZER: Do the people have a chance?
SOBHANI: I think they do, because the overwhelming majority of the Iranian people want change. All the polls indicate that 60 percent, 80 percent of the Iranian people want the fundamental change in the nature of government. I think they are sick and tired of bureaucracy.
BLITZER: So are you suggesting it's possible there could be a revolution that would result in regime change, getting rid of the ayatollah, if you will?
SOBHANI: There are no doubt there are historic precedents for it. The Shah of Iran actually fell within several months. Milosevic fell in several months. The eastern European authoritarian states fell in several months. And so, yes, there is absolutely historical precedent, and that's why the vigilantes are cracking down so hard. They are very fearful of regime change.
BLITZER: So is this effectively potentially a Tiananmen Square?
SOBHANI: It is potential; however, the missing link here is that no leader has emerged yet to galvanize so the people can rally around and hang their hat on. If that leader emerges inside and outside of Iran, I think you'll see this very, very rapid move to regime change.
BLITZER: No leader among the students. Mostly these are students who are protesting? Is that right? SOBHANI: Absolutely, because Iran's population, as you know, is 50 percent under the age of 30. Unemployment is rampant; 200,000 top university students leave Iran every day. It's the country with the biggest brain drain. So if a leader emerges that the students and the women and everybody else can rally around this could really be trouble for the regime.
BLITZER: Was it a misreading to suggest that President Khatami could be that leader if he were to stand up against the Ayatollah Khamenei?
SOBHANI: Well, the problem with Khatami was that he was never willing to push the limits. He wanted to preserve the Islamic Republican, much like Gorbachev wanted to preserve the Soviet Union. The people of Iran have had it with the Islamic Republic. They want to go beyond the Islamic Republic.
BLITZER: And so your bottom-line assessment as far as the U.S. is concerned -- remember this is of axis of evil charter member, according to President Bush -- what should the U.S. government be doing right now?
SOBHANI: And President Bush, in that speech, said there is a distinction between the people and the government of Iran. We need to support the people of Iran, but make it very clear, everybody needs to make that message clear to the Iranian people. We will support you.
BLITZER: All right. Rob Sobhani, Thanks very much.
SOBHANI: Thanks.
BLITZER: Serious violation of the public's trust. A former mayor who used city hall -- get this -- to molest young girls, and he gets thrown into jail.
Also, apparently used and left by her own mother, a 7-year-old girl abandoned during a shot-lifting scheme.
And the origins of AIDS. Scientists say they've solved a medical mystery.
That, much more. Rudy Giuliani is joining us live. Stay with us for that.
First, today's news quiz.
Which of these diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans? Salmonella, anthrax, tuberculosis, all of the above? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The former mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 37 years in prison. Philip Giordano was convicted in March, of sexually abusing two pre-teen girls inside city hall and other locations. Today a judge told him, and I'm quoting now; "Your conduct is the worst I have ever seen." Giordano forced the girls, ages 8 and 10, to engage in sexual activities with him. He is also convicted of conspiring with a prostitute, who is the mother of one girl and the aunt of the other.
Authorities near Houston, Texas, are facing a puzzling situation. A young girl, who police say was used in a shoplifting scheme that also involved her mother, has been abandoned. Michelle Lacasas (ph) from our affiliate KRIV has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): She is only 7 years old, a child called to do the dirty work of three females suspected of shopping at this Randall's grocery store in Sugar Land.
DET. MARSHALL SLOT, SUGAR LAND, TEXAS POLICE: A manager saw them walk in the store and recognized them as two females who had possibly shoplifted from the store before, so he started watching them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surveillance video shows a Hispanic female, supposedly the child's cousin, directing her to a basket of stolen goods. Moments later, you see the girl running out of the store with the basket, and then the manager, who was watching. He caught the child, but the getaway car, this red Chevrolet Corsica, sped away.
SLOT: And the child identified the mother as Maria Reyes (ph), and also identified her as being the driver of the car that fled the scene, which makes it all that more shocking.
ESTELLA OLGUIN, CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICE: It is unusual not to have a relative who is willing to come forward and come get her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been four days the abandoned little girl has been in custody of Children's Protective Services. Family, unwilling to come forward, although they have contacted CPS about her.
OLGUIN: They haven't come to our office and presented themselves from the information that they've given us, like addresses have false. So, at this point we're trying to find out who she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is proving difficult. The girl gives two different names. She doesn't know what school she goes to or who her teacher was.
OLGUIN: She is a very healthy 7-year-old girl, very bright, so that's why it's surprising that she doesn't know a lot of information, like even where she lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: That report from Michelle Lacasas (ph) of our affiliate KRIV. By the way, police say the girl doesn't face any criminal charges because of her age.
Rudy Giuliani has a new job. He's here. He'll join us live to explain why Colin Powell has recruited him for a special mission. Plus, a Father's day weekend with two presidents and the surprising stumble.
And monkey pox at a day care center. An outbreak that has doctors very concerned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. Coming up, New York's former mayor on a new mission. I'll speak live with Rudy Giuliani. First, the latest headlines.
An Israeli helicopter missile attack at Gaza destroyed a weapons warehouse of the Islamic group, Hamas. Palestinian sources say there were no casualties. The attack came just a few hours after another Israeli air strike in Gaza destroyed a car, killing one person and wounding 25 people. Palestinian sources say four Hamas members were in the car.
A church in Wilmington, Delaware, was destroyed today by an explosion and a fire. It happened at the Church of Christ, Written in Heaven. One person was treated for minor injuries. The fire was contained in about 30 minutes.
There's help on the way for passengers who have trouble boarding planes because their names resemble those of terror suspects on a so- called no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration is allowing those passengers to submit a passenger I.D. verification form to the TSA. Once that's done, the verification is given to airlines and airport officials. But the TSA cautions, passengers still may encounter some problems.
The State Department citing new security threats is warning Americans against travel to Indonesia. The warning states that U.S. officials believe extremist elements may be planning more attacks against American interests throughout the country. And the Indonesian government is urging Americans already in the troubled province of Aceh to leave immediately.
Former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, has a new job. Today he accepted an invitation by the Secretary of State Colin Powell. Rudy Giuliani will head the U.S. delegation to a conference on anti- Semitism in Europe. It couldn't have come at a better, more opportune moment. Belgium police today arrested a man suspected of trying to blow up a synagogue there. It could have been the latest in a string of anti-Jewish attacks linked to violence in the Middle East and other matters.
Rudy Giuliani is joining us now live from New York. Welcome, Mr. Mayor. And tell us why you accepted this mission.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Well, I accepted it because I believe this is something that both the president and Colin Powell have put a tremendous amount of focus on. They have gotten the OSCE, which is a group of 55 nations in Europe and -- including the United States and some in North America -- for the first time to make this part of their agenda, as part of security in Europe.
So it's a recognition that there is a problem, which has taken some time to get some of these countries to do, to recognize the fact that there is a problem. And there is a recognition that there has to be a common agenda to try to figure out how to get control of this and eliminate these acts of anti-Semitism.
BLITZER: The -- there's been a lot of anti-Semitism in Europe since 9/11 -- even earlier, especially in France. Why this up -- this surge in anti-Semitic incidents going on in Europe?
GIULIANI: Well, I think, you know, some of it is -- some of it -- if not a great deal of it, is linked to the situation in the Middle East and the way in which that's exploded, the way it's discussed, the way in which sometimes the Israelis are demonized. And then it turns itself into people acting out.
And the reality is that if you don't get control of it, then it can really -- it can really become a very serious problem. And you're not going to be able to deal with it by pretending it's not going on.
So the purpose of this conference is to get a lot of attention for it and then to end up having some very specific things that will be recommended that can be followed up. For example, keeping statistics on a regular basis of the hate acts, hate crimes -- anti- Semitism and others -- that take place in these countries, reviewing them on a regular basis, and also urging them to have hate crimes legislation, so that it would cover anti-Semitism, but it would also cover, you know, other acts of bigotry and hatred that can take place. It's something that has to be uniform if you're going to be able to really deal with it.
BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, based on what you know, are these acts of anti-Semitism in Europe the result of the old-fashioned European anti- Semites who, of course, have been around forever resulting in the Holocaust, if you will, in Germany, in World War II? Or are they the result of the Muslims and the Arabs who now increasingly become a larger part of the European society?
GIULIANI: I think it's impossible to give, like, an accurate subdivision and say 20 percent one and 70 percent the other and 10 percent something else. I think you have both the remnants of what's called -- let's call it traditional anti-Semitism, which is, I guess the oldest form of prejudice that we have in our society. It goes back at least in the Christian era, for 2,000 years and then before that. And I think you still have some of that. And, you know, we see that in some of the neo-Nazi, neo-Fascist groups.
But I think a lot of it is also driven by, you know, present world politics and you have all of this -- all of this discussion, all of these canards that are established in the education of people. And it has an impact. It has an effect. I mean, the reality is there's an organization in the United States called Words Can Heal. And the opposite of that is words can also have a tremendous impact on people's psyche. BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, I was going to interrupt and say we're almost out of time. But I have to ask you a question totally unrelated because there is so much buzz in New York, where you are right now. Bill Clinton running for mayor of New York. A, is that going to happen? and, B, do you think he could win?
GIULIANI: Well, you never have any idea about who's going to win. I don't think that's serious. And, you know, I think -- no, I don't think it's serious. And I think Mike Bloomberg is doing a good job and he's making difficult decisions, which is what you have to do at the beginning of an administration. And I think he's going to be a very, very formidable candidate for re-election in a few years. And he's somebody who really knows this city, which is something that, you know, ultimately you have to really take into consideration -- what kind of real connection do you have to this city?
BLITZER: All right. The buzz not serious. Mayor, we spoke just before you got -- we spoke just before you got married. I wished you a lot of luck. This is the first time we're speaking since you've been married. Congratulations once again. Thanks for joining us. Good luck in Europe.
GIULIANI: Well, Judith and I both thank you. Thank you very much, Wolf.
BLITZER: And we're looking forward to hearing from you when you get back on what's going on. Thank you very much.
Caught up in controversy over a war in Iraq that won't apparently end at a Middle East peace process that just won't get started. President bush is getting away from it all with another President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): George Bush Sr.'s 79th birthday. Three generations of Bushes converging on the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Clearly a time to unwind, even on a Segway Scooter, taking a tumble in the process.
But also a tile to reflect on the dynamic between two men, two presidents, a father and son who have had the normal ebb and flow of that relationship, but in a fishbowl.
JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT SHOW": Got to be tough for George W. To find a president for his dad. I mean, how do you top giving him Iraq?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Earlier in his life, George W. Bush clearly felt the weight of trying to measure up to his father. And that was part of the pressure that led to the sense of his first decades being a little lost.
But since he's become president, in every way, we see it every day -- this is a man who is much more confident than he was only two- and-a-half years ago. And I suspect that that confidence has allowed him to have a more comfortable relationship with his father because he no longer feels as though he has to prove himself to him.
BLITZER: Not much more you can prove to your father when you become president of the United States.
GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I want to thank my dad, the most decent man I have ever known. All my life, I have been amazed that a gentle soul could be so strong. Dad, I am proud to be your son.
BLITZER: But in the crucible of a devastating homeland attack, a war on terror, a war with Iraq and contentious domestic battles with a divided Congress, how often does this son seek his father's advice?
BROWNSTEIN: I think that's really a mystery to all of us, how close -- how much he relies on the father's advice. I mean, I don't think we have a clear sense of that.
BLITZER: By many accounts, they do speak often. It's said the son has learned more politically from his father's mistakes after the first Gulf War than from his successes.
Aides say in the end, George W. Bush understandably relies more on advice of inner circle advisers: Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice. The irony, of course -- they all have close ties to his father as well.
For his part, the father must also deal with another ambitious son and a high profile sibling rivalry.
BROWNSTEIN: The relationship of Sonny and Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" -- George W. was a Sonny-like character: big, full of life, filled up a room. And Jeb was like Michael: quieter, more reserved, more urbane and maybe deep down always thought, despite all of that, that he was better suited for leadership. I think Jeb has sort of grown out of that.
BLITZER: Close, complex, lifelong, a father-son story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And if you didn't get a good look before, President Bush did stumble a bit off that Segway Scooter he tried out. CNN did a little digging to show you he's not the first president, of course, to miss a step.
Remember this clip. Look at the bottom of your TV set right now. Gerald Ford falls down the stairwell from Air Force One. Chevy Chase would have had fun with that one. Of course, he did have fun with that one.
President Clinton, by the way had the luck to fall but it was off camera. He fell off the stairs, Greg Norman's house, many of you remember. But he couldn't hide his lack of mobility for weeks thereafter.
And although he never made president, Bob Dole got close enough to earn honorable mention for this tumble from the campaign trial in 1996. All of us remember that. Thank God he was not hurt badly. The decorated veteran later equipped, though, he ought to get another Purple Heart.
Here's your turn to weigh in on our story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Who is the better president? George W. Bush or George Herbert Walker Bush?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf during this holiday -- this Father's Day Holiday weekend. And of course while you're there, I would love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at end of this program. That's, also, of course where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
As we've seen throughout much of the reporting over the past several months, the war in Iraq was very, very quick, but it's still not over. And in one sense, it's already history. A new book collects more than 250 of the most compelling images from the war, representing more than 100 photojournalists, many of whom risked their lives to cover it.
John Moore, who was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, is one of them. He's joining us now live from New York. Briefly, John, tell us how this book came about.
JOHN MOORE, PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, this was edited, as you said, from photographers' work, over 100 photographers, 250 photographs, pictures that started before the war, during and as it concluded. And it came together basically with a compilation of so many people and so much talent.
BLITZER: All right. Let's take a look at some of these really dramatic pictures. A really outstanding book.
First, two photos we'll show our viewers, sort of a before and after scene. We see these soldiers posing in front of a mosaic of Saddam Hussein, then a tank, of course, knocking it down. How did you get that?
MOORE: Well, I was there when it happened to take place. They had just taken over the Medina headquarters of the Republican Guard. And they arrived and it was cleaned out. There was no one there and they decided to take some souvenir photos in front of the monument and then tore the thing down.
BLITZER: Look at this next picture. I'll put it on the screen. Two soldiers, obviously at an emotional moment.
MOORE: This image came just following heavy combat in the outskirts of Baghdad. The unit had been attacked, ambushed alongside the road in a village outside of the capital. The suicide fighters dressed in black fired RPGs and injured several soldiers. The unit fought back and killed all of them and the soldier on the left, who is being congratulated, had just killed several Iraqi irregular fighters.
BLITZER: We see the next picture a famous Baghdad landmark. But tell our viewers what's going on in this photo. MOORE: This is a very strange scene in Baghdad. The -- it's the marching grounds the parade grounds inside the city with massive monuments. As you can see, the swords and the tank parked. Basically, the soldiers were there relaxing and they had gathered to show vehicles which had been attacked by Iraqi forces during the campaign and during the taking of the city.
BLITZER: John Moore, a great photographer. The book, "The War in Iraq: a Photo History." The first of its kind probably out. We will probably get a lot more but this is really special.
Thanks very much, John.
MOORE: Thank you.
BLITZER: Is monkeypox spreading?
An outbreak at a day care center is raising some serious concerns.
Also, medical mystery solved. Scientists say they've tracked down the origins of AIDS.
And a rock drummer who almost made it big. Pete Best getting booted from the Beatles. He explains how it happened way back then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked, "Which of these diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans?
The answer, all of the above.
You can get salmonella from handling lizards, anthrax from cows and tuberculosis from guinea pigs and prairie dogs.
There is still no vaccine or cure for AIDS but researchers say they finally know how the epidemic began. Scientists have traced the virus to monkeys in Africa later who were later eaten chimpanzees, and they in turn were butchered by humans for meat. The finds are published in today's "Science Magazine." Up to 25 million people have died with AIDS and nearly 40 million are infected with HIV.
Right now researchers are trying to determine if 16 people at a day care center and the woman who runs it have come down with monkeypox.
Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining now live with the latest -- Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is all happening at a private home day care center in Indiana. What happened is that the owners of the day care center decided to get some prairie dogs for the children to play with and they came from the same pet store where other prairie dogs with monkeypox had come from. And in fact, these two monkeypox got sick and died at the end of May, but before they died the children played with them. It's believed of the 19 children registered at that day care center that about 16 of them may have monkeypox. They're being tested. The Centers for Disease Control now has those specimens. It is looking at them.
One of the children, the daughter of the owner, is extremely ill and she is in the hospital. The other children have recovered and their lesions are healing. Now, these children, if they have it, caught it from prairie dogs. But in addition, there is another story, this time in Wisconsin of few people who may have caught monkeypox from humans. So this time not animal transmission but person-to- person transmission.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COHEN (voice-over): Here are the culprits, pet prairie dogs suspected of spreading monkeypox to people in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey. But now there may be another culprit, human beings. Two health care workers in Wisconsin, one at this hospital and one at a dermatologist's office, may have contracted the disease from their patients with monkeypox. Specimens are due to arrive at the Centers for Disease control today and results could be ready Saturday. If these health care workers really do have monkeypox...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very important to point out this is fully expected.
COHEN: Monkeypox spreads person to person in Africa, where it kills up to 10 percent of its victims. The disease is not expected to be as deadly in the United States, where there are 72 cases under investigation, 13 of which have been laboratory confirmed. Some patients have been hospitalized but no one has died. Not as deadly because people in the United States who might have been exposed to monkeypox are being offered the smallpox vaccine. The two diseases are closely related.
(on camera): Since it does spread person to person, could it spread around the globe?
Could thereby another SARS type epidemic?
CDC officials say probably not.
(voice-over): That's because while monkeypox does spread person to person, it usually doesn't spread person to person to person.
DR. STEPHEN OSTROFF, CDC: This isn't a virus well adapted for transmission from human to human. So even if we do see cases like this occurring, after one or possibly two generations of this, it tends to burn itself out in humans. And so we don't think this would be a continuous or ongoing problem.
COHEN: And how do you know if you have monkeypox?
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, rash, enlarged lymph nodes and exposure to exotic animals or to a person with monkeypox. So, if you haven't been playing with one of these recently or don't know anyone who has, then there is probably no way you monkeypox.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: The CDC says if you think your pet has it, don't just release it, you should call your veterinarian -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We know the government is giving out some vaccinations, but what else is the government trying to do, Elizabeth, to stop this?
COHEN: Well, the government this week decided to ban sales of prairie dogs, so that was one step. In addition, they're looking back at a Texas facility where monkeypox may have started at the first place and trying to trace back where all those animals might be now.
BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for covering this story with us.
He was almost famous and in the most popular band in the world. Pete Best, a onetime Beatle on how it all began and ended.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Before Ringo, there was Pete Best. He kept the beat for two years while The Beatles polished their act. His mother even ran the basement club in Liverpool where The Beatles got started. But The Beatles went with a different drummer just before they hit it big. Author of a new book entitled, "The Beatles, The True Beginning," Pete Best spoke with me from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Pete Best, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on writing the new book. Tell our viewers, remind them very briefly, why weren't you the drummer for The Beatles when they really made it? Ringo Starr replaced you?
PETE BEST, FORMER BEATLE: I wish I knew that particular reason. It happened 40-odd years ago. The reason which was given at my dismissal by Brian Epstein was the fact that I wasn't a good enough drummer. But that's never held water, simply because of the fact I was reputed in those days to be one of the number one drummers in Liverpool. And ever since I've gone back into show business with my own band, touring the world, people who have seen me play, say honestly, Pete, that couldn't have been the reason. I don't know the reason apart from that at this present moment in time.
BLITZER: Well, have you ever spoken to Paul and Ringo, for example? Have you ever spoken to any of The Beatles about this?
BEST: No. I've never had the platform to actually do that, Wolf. It's been one of those situations, the circumstances they were in. You know, they're world leaders, they're touring the world. I'm doing my own little thing, you know, raising a family, touring the world with my own band. We never get the -- I suppose you could turn around and say the dimension to sit down and talk about what happened or what could have happened. But to be quite honest, I'm not really concerned about that. It was something which happened many, many years ago. Water has gone under the bridge. We all have got our lives to lead, and I think we should be looking towards today and tomorrow and not what happened 40 years ago.
BLITZER: You have a right, though, to be a little bit bitter. Your mother, Mona, for example, played an important role in creating this band that was eventually called The Beatles.
BEST: She was the unsung hero. And that's -- you know, she played such a dominant part in the new book, "The Beatles, the True Beginnings," and she's an unsung hero. It was through her foresight, her idea to turn a humble coffee club, which was a coffee bar in the basement of our house in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Liverpool, into what became the catalyst for the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sound. And that conquered the world many, many years afterwards.
BLITZER: What was your favorite Beatles song when you were part of The Beatles?
BEST: When I was part of The Beatles, I think we were just starting to play "I Saw Her Standing There" in the set, and that was something they recorded many, many years afterwards, and it still sounds great to me.
BLITZER: And all these years later, as you look back, what goes through your mind? You have to have some sense of, I guess, anger, bitterness. What goes through your mind?
BEST: To be quite honest, it's something which I've put very much at the back of my own mind. Yes, initially when it happened, because of the circumstances that prevailed and the way the dismissal took place, it was something which did cause me a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, a lot of financial embarrassment. I carried the stigma with me, which was carried on by the media, but I managed to overcome that.
And now it's very much the case of, OK, it was great to be part of the biggest band who became the icons in the music industry, but it's lovely to lead my own life, and turn around and say, yes, I was part of it, I have the recognition for my contribution, but that's it. You know, I've got a life to lead, and I move on with it.
BLITZER: Pete Best, that's a healthy attitude. Thanks so much for joining us. I don't know if I'd be as forgiving as you are, but you're a gentleman.
BEST: Thank you, Wolf. It's been my pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Or hot Web question of the day is this: Who's the better president? George W. Bush or George Herbert Walker Bush? You can still vote, cnn.com/wolf, and we'll have the results when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's take a look and see how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember we've been asking you this question: Who's the better president? Look at this -- 26 percent of you say George W. Bush; 74 percent of you say George Herbert Walker Bush. That's the father. You can find the exact vote tally. Continue to vote, by the way. Vote all weekend on our Web site, cnn.com. Remember, we always remind you, this is not a scientific poll, but we still enjoy doing these polls.
A reminder, you can always catch us Monday through Friday 5:00 p.m. Eastern, also noon Eastern Monday through Friday. I'll see you Sunday, of course, on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. That's at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. For the latest developments, let's turn it over to Jan Hopkins. She's standing by in New York.
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Is Iran Facing Revolution?; Interview With Pete Best>
