Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Liberia's Taylor Given 48 Hours to Leave Country; Unemployment Hits Nine-Year High
Aired July 03, 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, GUEST HOST: President Bush wants him out. Now a breaking development in Africa. Does the president of Liberia have 48 hours to leave? Also a breaking story in the war on terror, and new military tribunals.
WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
The White House weighs a risky mission overseas. U.S. troops wait for orders. Liberians can't wait. Today, CNN goes one on one with President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, we got a special ties to Liberia, historical ties in the United States. That's why we are involved in this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Iraq attacks. The heat is on the troops again.
Target Saddam, and the sons. Will a bounty bring them into custody?
Jobless in America. Unemployment hits a nine-year high. Can it get any worse?
It is Thursday, July 3, 2003. Hello from the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Martin Savidge reporting. Great to be with you. Wolf Blitzer is off.
We begin with breaking news out of Liberia, where President Charles Taylor is under heavy U.S. and international pressure to step down.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is live via videophone from Monrovia -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Marty. We are hearing this news just in that President Taylor has been given 48 hours to leave town. A senior source inside the executive mansion telling CNN that President Taylor was given 48 hours as of Thursday afternoon. I asked where did this ultimatum come from? They said, You do the math.
Now, again, Marty, President Taylor has been offered asylum in neighboring Nigeria. There was an envoy in town from Nigeria to weigh the options with President Taylor. Apparently he had rejected it at first. Now he'll have to weigh that option more closely, because time is running out, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Well, Jeff, now, what happens if he does not step down? I mean, has someone talked about this with the president?
KOINANGE: Well, all along the president himself has been saying that he is not going anywhere. Up until a couple of days ago, when President Bush issued that very strong statement saying President Taylor must leave now, and now this ultimatum. If he doesn't leave, Marty, anything can happen.
Again, if he does not leave, this whole city could -- the rebels, again, the rebels have been threatening to come into town for a long time. This could be their signal to walk into town and take care of business on their own, even as Liberians eagerly await peacekeepers and any American force that will come and literally liberate them from years of struggling, Marty.
SAVIDGE: And Jeff, are the rebels in such a power position that they could come in and take the capital at any moment?
KOINANGE: Well, Marty, they've threatened to do that twice in two weeks. Last weekend, they decided for a universal -- unilateral ceasefire. They did withdraw to about 50 kilometers of town. But they have said if there's any sign that President Taylor is not leaving, they will march into town and take over themselves.
So that threat is still pretty much in the air, and they could carry it out anytime soon. That's if President Taylor doesn't leave town, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Jeff Koinange for CNN, reporting to us live from Monrovia over the videophone. Thanks very much.
He's saying that President Taylor been given 48 hours to leave.
Now, an exclusive interview with President Bush as he grapples with that very tough decision, whether to send U.S. troops to wartorn Liberia. Mr. Bush spoke with CNN's Tumi Makgabo of the program "INSIDE AFRICA" airing on CNN International. A key U.S. demand, the departure of Liberia's president, Charles Taylor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We're look -- we're talking to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) countries right now to determine whether or not -- you know, the -- what the nature of a peacekeeping force might look like. You know, I'm the kind of person likes to know all the facts before I make a decision.
Now, we got a special, you know, ties to Liberia. There's historical ties to the United States. That's why we are involved in this issue. And I am going to look at all the options to determine how best to bring peace and stability. But one thing has to happen. That's Mr. Taylor needs to leave. And I've been outspoken on that, Mr. Colin Powell has been outspoken on that. And I think most of the people involved with this issue understand that that's -- that's important, that he do leave.
TUMI MAKGABO, HOST, CNN "INSIDE AFRICA": You say he needs to leave. Does that mean that if those negotiations fail and President Charles Taylor refuses to go, that will you send troops to remove him from office and not only to...
BUSH: Well, first of all...
MAKGABO: ... pick up the people?
BUSH: ... I refuse to accept the negative. I understand it's your job to try to put that forward. I believe he'll listen. And until he doesn't listen, then we can come back and talk about the issue. In other words, I hope he does listen, and I'm convinced he will listen.
MAKGABO: And should he not?
BUSH: Norah, I'm convinced -- you miss (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- I'm convinced he will listen and make the decision, the right decision, if he cares about his country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: And if you're just joining us, we want to remind you now that Liberian President Charles Taylor has apparently been told he has 48 hours to get out of the country. We continue to follow that development.
You can hear what the president has to say, meanwhile, on other issues, such as Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, later this hour. The full interview ahead of the president's trip to Africa will air on this weekend.
Now, as the president weighs his options on Liberia, let's go live now to CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Marty.
Well, you just heard from the president himself. The White House is saying, and he is saying, that there is no decision, no decision has been made on whether or not to send those U.S. troops to Liberia for peacekeeping reasons.
But right now, that interview, what you just heard from the president and what you are hearing from top aides, are all part of an intense diplomatic effort under way to try to convince Charles Taylor, the president of that country, that it is time for him to leave, because, as the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, made clear, they believe here at the White House that he is a menace not only to his country, but also to the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Charles Taylor is out of politics. There isn't going to be any stabilization of the situation in Liberia. It doesn't matter what kind of force you send in, it doesn't matter what you try to do. His leaving is a condition for the parties coming to a stable peace and beginning a political process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, you just heard Condoleezza Rice saying that his leaving is a condition for peace. But what nobody here, including the president himself, will say is whether or not his leaving is a condition for U.S. troops being on the ground. And that is -- the reason for that is because they are really hoping that these public comments send a very strong signal that Taylor must go or else.
And but a complicating factor in all this is, of course, that Taylor has been indicted for war crimes. He is somebody who -- it's unclear what his future would be when he leaves. Condoleezza Rice would not say whether or not part of the intense diplomatic discussions would be to give him some kind of immunity or to allow him to leave the country without serving time for his war crimes.
All they are saying is that President Bush wants him to leave, and they do want to do this -- want to get this settled before Monday, when President Bush has his first trip to Africa, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Dana, thanks very much. This is a story that continues to grow almost by the moment.
President Bush plans to take his -- you just heard, his first presidential visit to Africa next week. While there, he is not scheduled to visit troubled areas, countries plagued by civil war, including Liberia, Congo, Ivory Coast, and Sudan.
But Mr. Bush will visit nations which are allies in the war on AIDS and terrorism. His trip is designed to boost the U.S. image in Africa and to raise awareness in the United States of Africa's struggles with HIV/AIDS and terrorism.
The countries on his itinerary include Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, and Nigeria. We'll bring you reports from these nations all of next week.
Hundreds of Liberians demonstrated in front of the U.S. embassy in Monrovia today, chanting, "We want peace." They called for U.S. troops to enter the country and demanded that President Charles Taylor leave. As they ran through the streets, protesters clashed at times with Taylor's security forces. A pro-Taylor demonstration called by the government drew very few supporters.
From combat duty to keeping the peace, the U.S. already has major troop commitments all over the world. The hot spots are Iraq, where you have 146,000 U.S. troops deployed, and Afghanistan, where the U.S. still has 9,000 troops. The U.S. keeps 37,000 troops in South Korea. That's a potential flashpoint. And, of course, 43,000 nearby in Japan.
And there are the peacekeepers, then, in the Balkans and in Egypt Sinai Desert.
Can the U.S. help rescue Liberia from a dreadful situation? Should President Bush send peacekeepers?
Joining me from Boston now is John Shattuck. He's CEO of John f. Kennedy Library Foundation. He is a former U.S. ambassador. And we should also reiterate at this time, we had this breaking news about Mr. Taylor.
What do you make of this? First of all, do you know -- and I know it may be a bit unfair -- who is making the demand? Is it someone in his country saying, Get out or else? Or could it be the U.S. saying, Get out now in 48?
JOHN SHATTUCK, CEO, JFK LIBRARY FOUNDATION: Well, this is a time of maximum leverage for the United States and for the international community over Charles Taylor.
The fact that President Bush is going to Africa in just three days, the fact that there is now a united view within the United Nations and all the regional countries in West Africa that Taylor should leave and that intervention should occur in terms of peacekeepers who can come in to begin to move this country into a much more stable situation.
So I think the demands are coming from many quarters. But most of all, I think at the moment, and it's the right place to have it come from, it's coming from the United States, which has a great deal of leverage over the situation.
I think it's important that President Bush make clear, even more clear than he has, that humanitarian intervention, under these circumstances, is exactly what the world needs, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
SAVIDGE: Well, give us an idea of what we may be stepping into, politically and also civil war-wise. What is the situation in Liberia?
SHATTUCK: Well, Liberia, of course, has been torn by war, really a lot of it caused by Taylor himself, since he seized power 10 years ago. And Liberia has taken on refugees from the neighboring countries, where Taylor has fomented disruptions. There are a million people who are trapped in Monrovia at the moment, and hundreds of thousands of refugees, women and children, who are struggling to stay alive.
It is a situation that is crying out for basic security. But it is -- the good news, if you will, is that it is a situation where everyone agrees, including all the rebel factions, that international peacekeepers are needed. And that was...
SAVIDGE: Well, are we essentially, if we send in U.S. forces, then, going in on the side of the rebels? Are we basically saying, You're right, Taylor needs to go, and we're going to help you get rid of him?
SHATTUCK: Well, Taylor is isolated. I don't think Taylor -- the -- we're not talking about rebels versus Taylor. We're talking about a leader, a criminal leader, who is, at the moment, refusing to leave office. But I think he will. He's actually said he will. Over the recent days, he's gone back and forth on this.
This is not a situation where the United States is going to get trapped, or any of the other countries that are going to go in are going to get trapped.
SAVIDGE: How can we say that with certainty?
SHATTUCK: Well, obviously, we never can say anything with certainty. But we've learned a lot of lessons of humanitarian interventions that have taken place in the past. We know the kind of force that's required. We also know that this is really a situation where diplomacy needs to be backed by force.
And the kind of diplomacy that's needed to get Taylor out of there and to get the parties to begin to talk to each other cannot go forward without some basic elements of security that are -- that would be provided by the international peacekeeping force that should be going in.
SAVIDGE: So is the idea of sending U.S. troops in, in conjunction with a peacekeeping force, stabilize and then get out, and let the peacekeeping force handle things from there on out?
SHATTUCK: Well, I -- yes. I mean, I think the stabilization needs to occur over time, with peacekeepers with a different kind of mandate. The initial mandate, however, would be one that Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations has said has to be very strong, very robust, allowing peacekeepers to really take action, and not be trapped in the way that we've seen in tragic situations like Somalia in the past.
SAVIDGE: Right. Exactly my point.
Thank you, sir, very much for joining us. Time is short. And that was John Shattuck, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. We appreciate your comments this evening. Thanks.
Two hundred thousand Liberians died during a civil war that raged through most of the '90s. Now the country's torn by another conflict that has filled the capital with desperate refugees.
Once again, here's CNN's Jeff Koinange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE (voice-over): The old adage, When it rains, it pours, is taking on a whole new meaning these days in Liberia, Africa's oldest nation-state.
This was once a luxury apartment complex in the capital city. Now it's homes to hundreds of squatters seeking refuge from fierce fighting across the country, as rebel forces fight to overthrow the government.
The living conditions here are as deplorable as they are unbearable. There is no running water, no electricity, no sanitation. Food is only available for those who can afford it, and at three times the regular price, very few here can boast of having one meal a day.
Many here used to have decent jobs -- lawyers, doctors, engineers. Now they all share one thing in common -- homelessness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are suffering in Liberia. We are appealing to the international community to please come in, you know, and help us the best way they can.
KOINANGE: But help seems far away at this point. And in its place, misery and suffering.
(on camera): And when it's not pouring down with rain, it's the sun's powerful rays beating down on the people of Liberia and adding to their misery. That is Liberia for you, once one of Africa's most peaceful nations, now one of its most violent. Once a popular tourist destination, now one giant squatter camp.
(voice-over): Take, for instance, the country's largest football stadium. Once the home of the national team, the Lone Stars. Now it's home to close to what aid workers estimate 30,000 displaced Liberians. It's the children that are the most vulnerable, and many here will die before this conflict is finally over.
These refugees are coping with ailments of all kinds -- hunger, heat, and devastating rain, leaving many here feeling cursed, but seemingly without bitterness.
But then again, this is Liberia, where every day is an uphill battle, and every step a case study in pain and suffering.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Here's your turn now to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this. Are U.S. Troops spread too thin? We'll have the results later in the broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf.
And while you are there, we'd love to hear from you. Send us your comments, and we might read some of them at the end of this program. That's also where, of course, you can read our daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
We want to tell you about a story that is just developing now. It is coming out of the Pentagon. Pentagon officials (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that President Bush has passed six names of captives held in the war on terror to the Pentagon for consideration to be tried in the United States military tribunals. Pentagon officials declined to name the individuals, but note that the next step is for the Pentagon to decide if they will be tried, and what charges will be brought against them.
Stay with us. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, will have more on this during this hour.
Well, a multimillion-dollar ransom for Saddam Hussein. U.S. forces step up the pressure. Is he worth as much as Osama bin Laden?
Plus, out of work and out of luck. The unemployment rate hits a high. Is there any hope in sight for a sunny financial future?
And Nazi in America. A man accused of being a death camp guard arrested. Find out how authorities tracked him down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: How's this for a headline? Thirty thousand more Americans are out of work, putting unemployment at a nine-year high. Almost a million people have lost their jobs in the past three months.
CNN's Kathleen Hays is in New York now with the latest on this story -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Hi, there, Martin.
Well, you know, Wall Street was looking for a small uptick in the unemployment rate. They didn't expect it to jump to 6.4 percent. That's why today's numbers cast some renewed doubts on the strength of the nation's economic rebound.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAYS (voice-over): President Bush is counting on it. He needs it to get reelected. And Wall Street's betting on it. Traders need it to keep the stock market rally going. But the job market isn't going along with it, failing to get stronger in June. The nation's unemployment rate hit a nine-year high, and the economy lost another 30,000 jobs. And many say workers remain vulnerable.
ANTHONY CHAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, BANC ONE: I am concerned, because it basically tells me that for the moment, the labor market is basically stuck the mud, and they're -- we're not seeing much of an improvement.
JARED BERNSTEIN, LABOR ECONOMIST, ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE: We were expecting uninspiring. What we got was depressing. This is considerably worse than expectation.
HAYS: Manufacturing cut another 56,000 workers, the 35th month in a row of job losses. Telecommunications shed 7,000 jobs, and 13,000 retail workers got pink slips.
Looking ahead, experts say more retail workers could lose their jobs if consumer spending doesn't pick up. Government workers are at risk as state and local governments cut jobs to cut costs and trim big budget deficits.
Some bright spots. High-tech job cuts seem to be slowing, and the insurance sector has stabilized.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we look at the temporary help supply numbers, they are increasing. So that is a positive sign that may indicate, again, increased business confidence. And we need that to get more investment and more job creation.
HAYS: Consumers need more confidence too. But that may be hard to come by until jobs start growing again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAYS: The labor force grew by more than 600,000 people in June. That includes both people working and people looking for work. Now, most of those people probably didn't find a job, but economists say it's a good sign anyway, because it shows maybe even the unemployed believe that a recovery is just around the corner, Martin.
SAVIDGE: All right, we'll look for any glimmer of hope we can find. Kathleen Hays, thanks very much.
We'll get more insight into this story with a guest in just a moment.
But first, an accused Nazi in America, busted in Michigan. Police tracked down a long-wanted criminal. Find out what he was doing during World War II.
Also, price on the head of Saddam Hussein. Will the greed factor help U.S. troops track him down?
And sibling rivalry at Wimbledon. The showdown between Venus and Serena.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Well, you heard just before we went to break the grim unemployment picture.
Now I am joined by John Challenger in Chicago. His firm finds jobs for people.
Thanks very much for being with us.
Let me start off with an obvious question here. If you are out of work, if you are looking for work, and you haven't been able to find it, where should your hope be, and what should you be doing?
JOHN CHALLENGER, CHALLENGER, GRAY, AND CHRISTMAS: There are some good sectors out there right now. Health care is creating jobs. That's one place that many people are changing industries as they go out and search. About 45 to 50 percent of the people right now aren't staying in the area they've been in. They are moving on to areas or sectors that are hot. SAVIDGE: OK, say you got a job now, but you're worried that you may be in this next sector that is going to be hit by layoffs. You've got to be looking at this picture. Who do you think is going to get hurt next?
CHALLENGER: Manufacturing has been hit so often and so hard in this recession, 36 months and it's continuing job losses. So certainly those manufacturing workers are in tough shape. What that means is, go back to school. Take some classes, get your resume out there. In fact, get engaged in industry organizations, community organizations. That's where you find jobs.
SAVIDGE: Yes, what if you can't afford to go back to school, though?
CHALLENGER: Sometimes your company will pick up some of that tuition reimbursement. A lot of companies out there today want to train you. They want you to develop new skills. so if you are lucky enough to work for a company that's doing that, take advantage of it.
Community colleges often don't really charge that much at all. You can take it at night. It's tough, takes a lot of hours, but it's good career management.
SAVIDGE: Did this latest report surprise you, as far as where the numbers went? And does it make you worried about the prospect of things getting better?
CHALLENGER: This report had something for everyone with an axe to grind. There were actually 250,000 more people who are working in June. But there are another 360,000 people who are unemployed, who wanted work and couldn't find it.
So this report was all over the map. But the big number, the 6.4 percent, was a huge jump. That was the biggest since 9/11, and very concerning.
SAVIDGE: OK, is it a glitch? Is it a bump in the road? Or is it an indication that things are going to get worse?
CHALLENGER: Let's hope it's a bump in the road. There's certainly extraordinary stimulus out in the economy. I was very happy to see that the temporary jobs number went up again. That's two consecutive months. Business owners, as they start to see growth in their business, hire temporary workers. And then if the recovery is for real, they see the orders keep coming, then they convert those people into full-timers.
SAVIDGE: All right. John Challenger in Chicago, it is your company that finds jobs for people. Thanks for looking at the silver lining. We appreciate it.
President Bush on weapons of mass destruction. More of our exclusive interview.
Plus, a multimillion-dollar ransom for Saddam Hussein. Will it help track down the former dictator?
And a person of interest, but not arrested. The roommate of a missing basketball player answers back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Welcome back to CNN.
Big bounty for Saddam Hussein. Is he worth as much as bin Laden? Find out in a moment.
First, though, the latest headlines.
Tense moments in New York near La Guardia Airport this afternoon. A rental car agency was evacuated while police looked at a suspicious device in a vehicle. It ended up being two players taped to an alarm clock. Police say it was a hoax.
Terror suspects in court. Eight members of a so-called Virginia jihad network plead not guilty in Alexandria. They're accused of training for an Islamic terrorist group that wants to drive India from Kashmir. Their trial is set to begin November 17.
A massive fireworks explosion in Florida claims a fifth life. And the site of last night's deadly accident in Bonita Springs is still smoldering. Investigators are backing away from the heat. They say the fire could spread, and officials fear what's left of the holiday fireworks might detonate.
It's Sister Act 2 at Wimbledon. Venus and Serena Williams face off at the finals for the second straight year. Venus managed to rally in the semis today, despite a stomach injury. The sisters have faced each other in four of the past five grand slam finals.
More now from that exclusive interview with President Bush. This time on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. The president spoke with CNN's Tumi Makgabo of the program inside Africa airing on CNN International ahead of his trip to Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAKGABO: Can you give us a sense of how close the administration feels you are to finding those weapons of mass destruction and banned weapons?
BUSH: Oh, sure, yes, there's no doubt in my mind he had a weapons program. He used them. Remember he was the guy that gassed his own people. Those are weapons of mass destruction. He used them on his own people. No doubt we found a biological lab, the very same lab that had been banned by the United Nations. It'll be a matter of time.
Let me talk about Iraq and I appreciate you bringing it up. If I think something needs to be done to enhance the security of the American people, I'll do it. See that's my most important job is to protect the security of America. Secondly, I believe in freedom for people. And I suffer when I hear the stories of what took place inside of Iraq. The mass graves that have been discovered, the torture chambers, the jails for children and the Iraqi people are going to benefit mightily from the actions of the United States and a lot of other nations because they'll be free.
We've been there for about 90 days, and, you know, the world is such that we expect democracy to have occurred yesterday. It's going to take awhile for a free Democratic Iraq to evolve, but it's going to happen. And history will show you -- it will show you or the skeptics, that we are actually correct in our assessment of Mr. Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: At least 10 more American soldiers are injured after a new round of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live from Baghdad on the mission that seems to get harder every day -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Marty, three of those soldiers wounded in the center of Baghdad early in the morning. Somebody fired a rocket-propelled grenade at their Humvee as they were driving through the center of the city. A bystander also -- a bystander was killed and 10 other Iraqis at that location were also injured in that particular incident.
Now what happened following that attack, some crowd gathered around. One of the soldiers was injured at the side of the road, the crowd gathered. People started dancing on the damaged Humvee and apparently set it on fire. It burst into flames.
There was another attack about 60 miles west of Baghdad outside of the town of Ramadi. An explosive device went off as a convoy was traveling along the road. Six soldiers, we are told, were wounded in that particular incident.
Over the night a number of shooting incidents. U.S. soldiers engaged by lone gunmen. Returned fire in a number of cases. Two lone gunmen killed in those instances. One U.S. soldier injured. One 6- year-old Iraqi boy injured. The instances of attacks on U.S. soldiers now averaging 13 attacks a day, according to one U.S. commander here.
Now the top U.S. administrator here, Paul Bremer, has now announced there will be a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Saddam Hussein or information that will verify his death. $15 million for Uday and $15 million for Qusay Saddam Hussein, the two sons of the former Iraqi leader -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Nic, I understand you were in Fallujah today. That's another very troubled town in Iraq. What did you find when you got there?
ROBERTSON: Well the latest major incident there was a few days ago. A compound blew up in a mosque there. A very volatile situation. A town very tense. The U.S. troops there trying very hard to explain to the townspeople, through local community leaders, that they were not involved in that particular explosion.
The community leaders there say that they believe that we talked with some of the leading Sheiks, the tribal leaders some of the top clerics in the town, the mayor of the town. They all say they believe the U.S.'s investigation and their assessment that the explosion appears to have come from inside the building, that it blew out the walls, the roof collapse. That's why at least seven people died in that particular situation.
There are still people in that city who do not believe that. They believe the United States would destroy the building, and there is still a lot of work for the troops there to convince people they were not responsible -- Marty.
SAVIDGE; Nic Robertson live in Baghdad, where it's just after 1:30 in the morning.
That new $25 million bounty on the head of Saddam Hussein can't come too soon for U.S. troops battling his followers in Iraq. Let's go live now to CNN senior correspondent Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well Marty, a group of key U.S. senators has just returned from Iraq with some sobering insights. As one senator put it, the U.S. is in a race against time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: What's left of a U.S. army Humvee smolders on a Baghdad street. The latest evidence of the increasingly bold attacks that are inflicting daily casualties on U.S. forces.
LT. COL. JOSE ROBLE, U.S. ARMY: We believe someone fired a rocket-propelled grenade or some other kind of explosive device was launched against the third vehicle in the military convoy, and it consumed the vehicle.
MCINTYRE: With U.S. commanders convinced the belief that Saddam Hussein may still be alive is fueling the daring guerrilla attacks, the U.S. has now put a $25 million bounty on his head, and is offering $15 million for either of his sons. U.S. senators just back from Iraq are unanimous that getting Saddam is the key to restoring peace.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: Believe me. He's not 10 feet tall. He's damn near 10 feet in the ground.
MCINTYRE: Despite the inability of the U.S. military to quash the resistance so far. The commander of U.S. forces insists more troops is not the answer.
LT. GEN. RICHARD SANCHEZ, U.S. ARMY: In terms of needing any more forces. I don't need any more forces.
MCINTYRE: But fresh troops are needed to relieve the battle- weary forces. Especially non-American troops, says one of the senators. SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: It seems to me could well try to reduce that target, the size of that target if we can be substituted by forces from other countries.
MCINTYRE: The senators toured Iraq for three days and got classified briefings from U.S. and British commanders.
SEN. MARK DAYTON (D), MINNESOTA: We were told, unequivocally, by military command that the war continues and it's being engaged actively by U.S. forces. We were told that the next 60 to 90 days would be crucial, and that while it will take time, time is not on our side.
MCINTYRE: One ominous trend, anti-American insurgents are gradually adopting more sophisticated and more deadly tactics.
SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: This sheet of paper outlines how you come up and then you kill that American or wound that American by shooting beneath the bottom of the kevlar helmet and the top of the body armor. That has been practiced in a number of cases.
MCINTYRE: U.S. commanders told the lawmakers the U.S. was in a race against time to neutralize the disparate anti-American groups before they unite.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: One fear is that these three groups will somehow find common cause against us, and that would be a significant problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: Now the senators said it's important for Americans to understand that the United States is going to be in Iraq for a long time with a large number of troops -- Martin.
SAVIDGE; Jamie, let me switch you to another topic, this issue of President Bush making terror war suspects eligible for military tribunals. What do we know of this?
MCINTYRE: Well these are six enemy combatants taken in the conflict in Afghanistan that will now be subject to possible military commissions. What will happen now is that now that the president has sent their names over, not disclosed to the Pentagon, charges will be prepared against them. A case made. Defense attorneys appointed. And jurisdiction appointed and they will face a possible military commission in the weeks and months ahead. But at this point, none have been charged. They remain enemy combatants under U.S. detention -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jamie McIntyre, live at the Pentagon. Thanks very much.
Retired army Colonel Patrick Lang is a former Iraq analyst for the defense department. He's in Washington to talk about the problems with , well, with the U.S. troops in Iraq. Thank you sir for being with us. RETIRED COLONEL PATRICK LANG, FORMER DEFENSE DEPARTMENT IRAQ ANALYST: My pleasure:
SAVIDGE: Let me get started, though not with your words, with the words of President Bush that he spoke yesterday that's raised a lot of controversy. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring them on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Alright, now we are going to move along to the reaction today coming from Ari Fleischer at the White House responding to the criticism that's been torn up by these comment from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I don't think people in Iraq who are loyal to Saddam Hussein are going to or not going to attack based on a news conference. They are going to attack because that's what they've done as long as they were in power and that's what they'll continue to do.
I think that the President Bush was expressing there is his confidence in the men and women of the military to handle the military mission that they still remain in the middle of. Major combat operations have ended, but obviously combat has not for those who are there and the president has faith and confidence in the men and women in the military who are doing their duty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Alright, Colonel Lang, here' the question for you, is it really possible that someone in Iraq heard the comments of the president, decided to act on them and organized the response and that's what we saw today?
LANG: I think that's extremely unlikely. I don't think that, in fact, that what is happening in Iraq has anything, in particular to do with anything the president said. In fact, you know, it may not have been evident during the successful ground campaign we took part in, but in fact Iraqi society is such that the level of general xenophobia and fear and dislike of foreign domination is very high. And you have these 5 groups that Secretary Rumsfeld talked about yesterday, to which I might add former officers and men of the Iraqi army who are reacting to our presence almost like antibodies arising in an animal which has suffered a foreign invasion of some sort. And the longer this goes on, the more they'll see themselves as embarked in a common cause against us.
SAVIDGE: Do you agree with the perspective by some in Iraq there on the U.S. side that there is a timeline here and one that may be growing shorter. LANG: I don't think there's any reason to think this will die out naturally of its own accord. In fact, there's a lot of potential here for resistance. It's kind of endemic in Arab culture and the Iraqis are a particularly tough lot, no matter how easily the 3rd Infantry Division they have run over then.
And so I think the longer this goes on and the more used they become to our presence, the more likely it is you that have a kind of spontaneous generation of resistance to us, which becomes increasingly sophisticated in terms of tactics, use of weapons, mainly through obstruction from former Iraqi soldiers. And I think it gets worse and worse. So I think two or three months is a critical phase, is a reasonable time period.
SAVIDGE: OK. Well, what do you do about that? Do you either say, Well it's time to get out of here and we'll leave the country to itself, or do you tough it out?
LANG: I think -- I don't think there's any -- we have no choice but to stay in Iraq now until that we can see some sort of reasonable government installed. But my own choice would to be see this internationalized as much as possible. To do that it's going to be necessary to surrender some element of political control here to whoever our partners are overseas, or they're just not going to want to play in this game. I think in the long run we're going to have to do that. Otherwise, the burden is going to be unbelievable for the U.S. Army.
SAVIDGE: More troops? Do you think they're needed? Or more troops from other nations needed?
LANG: There need to be more troops. I respect General Sanchez's opinion, but I know how big a place Iraq is, having been there many times. And I think to cover all of this ground and all these population centers, lines of communication and things like this, you need a lot more troops than you got now.
The Army, as I say, is spread pretty thin around the world, and I think you really need to have some allied troops in there, 50,000, 60,000, something like that, in order to be able to cover all the places you need to cover.
SAVIDGE: All right. Retired Army Colonel Patrick Lang, thanks very much for joining us.
LANG: Sure.
SAVIDGE: Thanks for your insights. We appreciate it.
Big hopes and a big letdown. The road map to peace in the Middle East plans hit a bump in the road. Will it survive the first steps forward?
And renewed searching for a missing basketball player. Find out what clues police have unheard -- unearthed, that is.
But first, a look at other news making headlines "Around the World."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Italy's prime minister moved to end a growing diplomatic crisis. He apologized in a phone call today to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for saying a certain German lawmaker could portray a Nazi concentration camp overseer in a movie.
An unprecedented warning from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. It says that climate changes were making extreme weather more common, including record heat in Europe and a record number of tornadoes in the U.S.
Experts from around the world are working on the mystery of the blob. The giant gelatinous lump washed up on a beach in Chile last week. Some speculate it's a giant octopus. Others say it's just discarded whale blubber.
In South Africa, the discovery of what's believed to be the oldest dinosaur, dating back as far as 215 million years. The creature measured almost 33 feet long and weighed almost two tons.
In Argentina, riot police called out to control postgame violence. Soccer fans poured into the streets and started burning debris and throwing things at police after a 3-1 victory over Brazil.
And Lance Armstrong says it's just another Tour De France. But the four-time champion could make history as the first American to win that race five times. The 100th Tour De France starts Saturday.
And that's our look "Around the World."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Foul play or just missing? The search for a college basketball player takes authorities to a specific place. That story coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: He was wanted for 16 years. Now a Michigan man accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard is finally in custody.
Marc Santia of CNN affiliate WDIV in Detroit has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC SANTIA, WDIV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Johan Laprek (ph). Late last night, immigration and custom enforcement agents as well as McComb County deputies and an undercover task force swarmed this quiet Clinton township neighborhood and arrest the 77- year-old.
(on camera): What did you see? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a K-9 unit truck and a police car and there was a guy parked next door for a few hours parked in his car. And that was kind of suspicious.
SANTIA (voice-over): Agents says Laprek is a fugitive from Germany who has been on the run for the last few years. Federal sources tell local 4 this 77-year-old served in the Death Head Battalion, a Nazi military component under Adolf Hitler's command during World War II. He was stationed as a guard at Mauthausen, the main concentration camp in Auschwitz, where 200,000 people were tortured and killed.
Neighbors here in Clinton township say Laprek is a quiet man who seldom came outside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of feel sorry for the guy myself.
SANTIA (on camera): Hello. My name is Marc Santia. I'm from Channel 4.
(voice-over): Laprek's family didn't want to speak on camera today. Local 4 has learned Laprek became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1958 then denaturalized in 1987 after agents learned he misrepresented his wartime service.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: One neighbor called the suspect the nicest man in the world, adding that he thinks officials should just let the situation alone.
Israel released dozens of Palestinian detainees today. The latest in a series of moves aimed at ending almost three years of conflict. A four-day-old truce continues to hold, although precariously, as we hear from CNN's Matthew Chance in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is meant to be the road that symbolizes the benefits of peace for ordinary Palestinians. Israeli checkpoints that make travel for the many here for the many so difficult, were meant to have gone. Some believed this gridlock would be forgotten. Their hopes were shortlived.
"This is just a show," says Basim (ph). "They still control the whole area. As long as we can see them, it's not right," he says.
"Whatever happened to the Israelis last night, it's not our fault, is it?" says Mohammed (ph). "So why are they back?"
Israel says it's blockade, which has now been lifted, was in response to this rocket attack over night on the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom, nestled inside the Gaza Strip. A number of injuries were reported.
Himself visiting Gaza, the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, was quick to condemn the actions of renegade militants opposed to the current truce with Israel.
"These are acts of sabotage," he said, "and we do not accept them."
But support among Palestinians for a truce some see as one-sided, may be wearing thin. In the West Bank town of Qalqilya (ph), thousands attended the funeral of Mahmud Showa (ph), a commander of the militant Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, shot dead by Israeli troops during an operation to arrest militants. Al Aqsa, which has been ambiguous towards the cease-fire all along, says it will respond.
The coming days could pose more challenges for those set on Israeli/Palestinian peace.
(on camera): These latest incidents underline just how fragile is the progress that's been made between the two sides in recent days. Hopes are still with Israel and the Palestinians living up to their commitments. But doubts loom large the U.S.-backed road map peace plan can survive even its first step.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today said that after the first time since he entered office, there is -- quote -- "a real possibility of an end to terror and the return to normal life."
A high-tech hunt for a missing basketball player: why investigators are once again combing the Texas countryside.
And bad blood between J.Lo and the man some say made her a star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: A new search this morning near Waco, Texas, for the Baylor University basketball player missing now for three weeks. CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman is covering that story.
Did they find anything new -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Marty, not yet. On a blazing hot central Texas day, a Waco, Texas, police helicopter took to the skies with thermal imaging equipment looking for evidence in rural area north of Waco. It found nothing. There have been several searches over the last few days, a couple on the ground, including one near Hill County, Texas, which is northeast of Waco. They have been looking for the body of Patrick Dennehy, the 20-year- old basketball player from the Baylor University basketball team. But nobody has been found. As far as evidence being found, police are not revealing that. Patrick Dennehy has been missing for three weeks.
Police aren't even sure if he's dead or alive. But the longer this goes on, the less likely it is that he is alive. There are no suspects in the case. There are so-called persons of interest. The police will not tell us how many. They will not tell us names except for one. That name is Carlton Dotson. Carlton Dotson is said to be a friend of Patrick Dennehy, former roommate, on the basketball team with him also.
The main reason he's a person of interest, his name is on a legal affidavit. A confidential informant has told police Dotson killed Dennehy. We don't know if the informant knows what he talking about. We don't know if he telling he truth. But either way Mr. Dotson is aware he has a legal situation on his hand and he hired an attorney. His attorney talked to CNN's Paula Zahn and his disdain for the confidential informant quite clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRADY IRVIN, CARTON DOTSON'S ATTY.: The first thing you have to look at is this person has been classified at quote unquote, "a confidential informant." Those people who know anything about the practice of law and have ever done a jury trial in their life, there's one instruction a judge gives to a jury. They'll tell the jury that before you came today a quote/unquote "confidential informant." Anything that confidential informant has stated to you should be taken with caution. You should be highly, highly careful, as you analyze the statements of a confidential informant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: It's not clear what the police think about this confidential informant, if they have an opinion, they are not telling us. But the fact is, no charges have been filed and the police have told us this investigation is not progressing very well at this point.
Marty, back to you.
SAVIDGE: Nope, not looking too good.
Gary Tuchman, thank you very much, live from Waco.
The case of former fugitive, Max Factor heir, or the Max Factor heir, tops todays justice file. Andrew Luster forfeited his right to appeal in his case when he fled to Mexico during his trial. He was convicted in absentia of drugging and raping women. Luster was captured by a bounty hunter last month.
And then speaking of which. The bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman, is facing charges in Mexico, where bounty hunting is illegal. But he says he's expected to be, or he expects to be exonerated. Chapman spent three days in a Mexican jail after capturing luster. He says that lawyers there, or his lawyer, doubts that Chapman will have to serve any more time.
Jennifer Lopez is accusing her long-time manager of fraud. A complaint filed with the California labor officials accuses Benny Medina of misappropriating funds among other things. Medina is credited some with making Ms. Lopez's career. He calls the accusation untrue and offenses.
Our hot "Web Question of the Day" is this, "Are U.S. Troops spread too thin?" Vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. The results when we come back.
But first some of your instant feedback on Liberia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: OK. Here's how you are weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day."
Are U.S. Troops spread too thin?
Eighty-six percent said yes, while 14 percent of you said no. As we always tell you, this is not a scientific poll.
Time to hear from you and read some of your e-mail on the U.S. offering a $25 million reward for information that leads to Saddam Hussein's arrest.
Edwin writes, "Now that is incentive! Most people won't do a good deed, even turning over an evil dictator, just for the heck of it. Hopefully the reward will help lead us to Saddam."
But Dell sends this, "With our country in such dire economic straights, where did we get the $25 million for a reward for finding Saddam?"
And from Stan, "The unemployment rate is steadily climbing, and we're worried about Saddam Hussein, Liberia and a host of other issues that have nothing to do with our immediate well-being. Where are our priorities?"
Thanks for watching.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Unemployment Hits Nine-Year High>
Aired July 3, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, GUEST HOST: President Bush wants him out. Now a breaking development in Africa. Does the president of Liberia have 48 hours to leave? Also a breaking story in the war on terror, and new military tribunals.
WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
The White House weighs a risky mission overseas. U.S. troops wait for orders. Liberians can't wait. Today, CNN goes one on one with President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, we got a special ties to Liberia, historical ties in the United States. That's why we are involved in this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Iraq attacks. The heat is on the troops again.
Target Saddam, and the sons. Will a bounty bring them into custody?
Jobless in America. Unemployment hits a nine-year high. Can it get any worse?
It is Thursday, July 3, 2003. Hello from the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Martin Savidge reporting. Great to be with you. Wolf Blitzer is off.
We begin with breaking news out of Liberia, where President Charles Taylor is under heavy U.S. and international pressure to step down.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is live via videophone from Monrovia -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Marty. We are hearing this news just in that President Taylor has been given 48 hours to leave town. A senior source inside the executive mansion telling CNN that President Taylor was given 48 hours as of Thursday afternoon. I asked where did this ultimatum come from? They said, You do the math.
Now, again, Marty, President Taylor has been offered asylum in neighboring Nigeria. There was an envoy in town from Nigeria to weigh the options with President Taylor. Apparently he had rejected it at first. Now he'll have to weigh that option more closely, because time is running out, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Well, Jeff, now, what happens if he does not step down? I mean, has someone talked about this with the president?
KOINANGE: Well, all along the president himself has been saying that he is not going anywhere. Up until a couple of days ago, when President Bush issued that very strong statement saying President Taylor must leave now, and now this ultimatum. If he doesn't leave, Marty, anything can happen.
Again, if he does not leave, this whole city could -- the rebels, again, the rebels have been threatening to come into town for a long time. This could be their signal to walk into town and take care of business on their own, even as Liberians eagerly await peacekeepers and any American force that will come and literally liberate them from years of struggling, Marty.
SAVIDGE: And Jeff, are the rebels in such a power position that they could come in and take the capital at any moment?
KOINANGE: Well, Marty, they've threatened to do that twice in two weeks. Last weekend, they decided for a universal -- unilateral ceasefire. They did withdraw to about 50 kilometers of town. But they have said if there's any sign that President Taylor is not leaving, they will march into town and take over themselves.
So that threat is still pretty much in the air, and they could carry it out anytime soon. That's if President Taylor doesn't leave town, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Jeff Koinange for CNN, reporting to us live from Monrovia over the videophone. Thanks very much.
He's saying that President Taylor been given 48 hours to leave.
Now, an exclusive interview with President Bush as he grapples with that very tough decision, whether to send U.S. troops to wartorn Liberia. Mr. Bush spoke with CNN's Tumi Makgabo of the program "INSIDE AFRICA" airing on CNN International. A key U.S. demand, the departure of Liberia's president, Charles Taylor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We're look -- we're talking to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) countries right now to determine whether or not -- you know, the -- what the nature of a peacekeeping force might look like. You know, I'm the kind of person likes to know all the facts before I make a decision.
Now, we got a special, you know, ties to Liberia. There's historical ties to the United States. That's why we are involved in this issue. And I am going to look at all the options to determine how best to bring peace and stability. But one thing has to happen. That's Mr. Taylor needs to leave. And I've been outspoken on that, Mr. Colin Powell has been outspoken on that. And I think most of the people involved with this issue understand that that's -- that's important, that he do leave.
TUMI MAKGABO, HOST, CNN "INSIDE AFRICA": You say he needs to leave. Does that mean that if those negotiations fail and President Charles Taylor refuses to go, that will you send troops to remove him from office and not only to...
BUSH: Well, first of all...
MAKGABO: ... pick up the people?
BUSH: ... I refuse to accept the negative. I understand it's your job to try to put that forward. I believe he'll listen. And until he doesn't listen, then we can come back and talk about the issue. In other words, I hope he does listen, and I'm convinced he will listen.
MAKGABO: And should he not?
BUSH: Norah, I'm convinced -- you miss (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- I'm convinced he will listen and make the decision, the right decision, if he cares about his country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: And if you're just joining us, we want to remind you now that Liberian President Charles Taylor has apparently been told he has 48 hours to get out of the country. We continue to follow that development.
You can hear what the president has to say, meanwhile, on other issues, such as Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, later this hour. The full interview ahead of the president's trip to Africa will air on this weekend.
Now, as the president weighs his options on Liberia, let's go live now to CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Marty.
Well, you just heard from the president himself. The White House is saying, and he is saying, that there is no decision, no decision has been made on whether or not to send those U.S. troops to Liberia for peacekeeping reasons.
But right now, that interview, what you just heard from the president and what you are hearing from top aides, are all part of an intense diplomatic effort under way to try to convince Charles Taylor, the president of that country, that it is time for him to leave, because, as the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, made clear, they believe here at the White House that he is a menace not only to his country, but also to the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Charles Taylor is out of politics. There isn't going to be any stabilization of the situation in Liberia. It doesn't matter what kind of force you send in, it doesn't matter what you try to do. His leaving is a condition for the parties coming to a stable peace and beginning a political process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, you just heard Condoleezza Rice saying that his leaving is a condition for peace. But what nobody here, including the president himself, will say is whether or not his leaving is a condition for U.S. troops being on the ground. And that is -- the reason for that is because they are really hoping that these public comments send a very strong signal that Taylor must go or else.
And but a complicating factor in all this is, of course, that Taylor has been indicted for war crimes. He is somebody who -- it's unclear what his future would be when he leaves. Condoleezza Rice would not say whether or not part of the intense diplomatic discussions would be to give him some kind of immunity or to allow him to leave the country without serving time for his war crimes.
All they are saying is that President Bush wants him to leave, and they do want to do this -- want to get this settled before Monday, when President Bush has his first trip to Africa, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Dana, thanks very much. This is a story that continues to grow almost by the moment.
President Bush plans to take his -- you just heard, his first presidential visit to Africa next week. While there, he is not scheduled to visit troubled areas, countries plagued by civil war, including Liberia, Congo, Ivory Coast, and Sudan.
But Mr. Bush will visit nations which are allies in the war on AIDS and terrorism. His trip is designed to boost the U.S. image in Africa and to raise awareness in the United States of Africa's struggles with HIV/AIDS and terrorism.
The countries on his itinerary include Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, and Nigeria. We'll bring you reports from these nations all of next week.
Hundreds of Liberians demonstrated in front of the U.S. embassy in Monrovia today, chanting, "We want peace." They called for U.S. troops to enter the country and demanded that President Charles Taylor leave. As they ran through the streets, protesters clashed at times with Taylor's security forces. A pro-Taylor demonstration called by the government drew very few supporters.
From combat duty to keeping the peace, the U.S. already has major troop commitments all over the world. The hot spots are Iraq, where you have 146,000 U.S. troops deployed, and Afghanistan, where the U.S. still has 9,000 troops. The U.S. keeps 37,000 troops in South Korea. That's a potential flashpoint. And, of course, 43,000 nearby in Japan.
And there are the peacekeepers, then, in the Balkans and in Egypt Sinai Desert.
Can the U.S. help rescue Liberia from a dreadful situation? Should President Bush send peacekeepers?
Joining me from Boston now is John Shattuck. He's CEO of John f. Kennedy Library Foundation. He is a former U.S. ambassador. And we should also reiterate at this time, we had this breaking news about Mr. Taylor.
What do you make of this? First of all, do you know -- and I know it may be a bit unfair -- who is making the demand? Is it someone in his country saying, Get out or else? Or could it be the U.S. saying, Get out now in 48?
JOHN SHATTUCK, CEO, JFK LIBRARY FOUNDATION: Well, this is a time of maximum leverage for the United States and for the international community over Charles Taylor.
The fact that President Bush is going to Africa in just three days, the fact that there is now a united view within the United Nations and all the regional countries in West Africa that Taylor should leave and that intervention should occur in terms of peacekeepers who can come in to begin to move this country into a much more stable situation.
So I think the demands are coming from many quarters. But most of all, I think at the moment, and it's the right place to have it come from, it's coming from the United States, which has a great deal of leverage over the situation.
I think it's important that President Bush make clear, even more clear than he has, that humanitarian intervention, under these circumstances, is exactly what the world needs, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
SAVIDGE: Well, give us an idea of what we may be stepping into, politically and also civil war-wise. What is the situation in Liberia?
SHATTUCK: Well, Liberia, of course, has been torn by war, really a lot of it caused by Taylor himself, since he seized power 10 years ago. And Liberia has taken on refugees from the neighboring countries, where Taylor has fomented disruptions. There are a million people who are trapped in Monrovia at the moment, and hundreds of thousands of refugees, women and children, who are struggling to stay alive.
It is a situation that is crying out for basic security. But it is -- the good news, if you will, is that it is a situation where everyone agrees, including all the rebel factions, that international peacekeepers are needed. And that was...
SAVIDGE: Well, are we essentially, if we send in U.S. forces, then, going in on the side of the rebels? Are we basically saying, You're right, Taylor needs to go, and we're going to help you get rid of him?
SHATTUCK: Well, Taylor is isolated. I don't think Taylor -- the -- we're not talking about rebels versus Taylor. We're talking about a leader, a criminal leader, who is, at the moment, refusing to leave office. But I think he will. He's actually said he will. Over the recent days, he's gone back and forth on this.
This is not a situation where the United States is going to get trapped, or any of the other countries that are going to go in are going to get trapped.
SAVIDGE: How can we say that with certainty?
SHATTUCK: Well, obviously, we never can say anything with certainty. But we've learned a lot of lessons of humanitarian interventions that have taken place in the past. We know the kind of force that's required. We also know that this is really a situation where diplomacy needs to be backed by force.
And the kind of diplomacy that's needed to get Taylor out of there and to get the parties to begin to talk to each other cannot go forward without some basic elements of security that are -- that would be provided by the international peacekeeping force that should be going in.
SAVIDGE: So is the idea of sending U.S. troops in, in conjunction with a peacekeeping force, stabilize and then get out, and let the peacekeeping force handle things from there on out?
SHATTUCK: Well, I -- yes. I mean, I think the stabilization needs to occur over time, with peacekeepers with a different kind of mandate. The initial mandate, however, would be one that Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations has said has to be very strong, very robust, allowing peacekeepers to really take action, and not be trapped in the way that we've seen in tragic situations like Somalia in the past.
SAVIDGE: Right. Exactly my point.
Thank you, sir, very much for joining us. Time is short. And that was John Shattuck, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. We appreciate your comments this evening. Thanks.
Two hundred thousand Liberians died during a civil war that raged through most of the '90s. Now the country's torn by another conflict that has filled the capital with desperate refugees.
Once again, here's CNN's Jeff Koinange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE (voice-over): The old adage, When it rains, it pours, is taking on a whole new meaning these days in Liberia, Africa's oldest nation-state.
This was once a luxury apartment complex in the capital city. Now it's homes to hundreds of squatters seeking refuge from fierce fighting across the country, as rebel forces fight to overthrow the government.
The living conditions here are as deplorable as they are unbearable. There is no running water, no electricity, no sanitation. Food is only available for those who can afford it, and at three times the regular price, very few here can boast of having one meal a day.
Many here used to have decent jobs -- lawyers, doctors, engineers. Now they all share one thing in common -- homelessness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are suffering in Liberia. We are appealing to the international community to please come in, you know, and help us the best way they can.
KOINANGE: But help seems far away at this point. And in its place, misery and suffering.
(on camera): And when it's not pouring down with rain, it's the sun's powerful rays beating down on the people of Liberia and adding to their misery. That is Liberia for you, once one of Africa's most peaceful nations, now one of its most violent. Once a popular tourist destination, now one giant squatter camp.
(voice-over): Take, for instance, the country's largest football stadium. Once the home of the national team, the Lone Stars. Now it's home to close to what aid workers estimate 30,000 displaced Liberians. It's the children that are the most vulnerable, and many here will die before this conflict is finally over.
These refugees are coping with ailments of all kinds -- hunger, heat, and devastating rain, leaving many here feeling cursed, but seemingly without bitterness.
But then again, this is Liberia, where every day is an uphill battle, and every step a case study in pain and suffering.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Here's your turn now to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this. Are U.S. Troops spread too thin? We'll have the results later in the broadcast. Vote at cnn.com/wolf.
And while you are there, we'd love to hear from you. Send us your comments, and we might read some of them at the end of this program. That's also where, of course, you can read our daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
We want to tell you about a story that is just developing now. It is coming out of the Pentagon. Pentagon officials (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that President Bush has passed six names of captives held in the war on terror to the Pentagon for consideration to be tried in the United States military tribunals. Pentagon officials declined to name the individuals, but note that the next step is for the Pentagon to decide if they will be tried, and what charges will be brought against them.
Stay with us. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, will have more on this during this hour.
Well, a multimillion-dollar ransom for Saddam Hussein. U.S. forces step up the pressure. Is he worth as much as Osama bin Laden?
Plus, out of work and out of luck. The unemployment rate hits a high. Is there any hope in sight for a sunny financial future?
And Nazi in America. A man accused of being a death camp guard arrested. Find out how authorities tracked him down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: How's this for a headline? Thirty thousand more Americans are out of work, putting unemployment at a nine-year high. Almost a million people have lost their jobs in the past three months.
CNN's Kathleen Hays is in New York now with the latest on this story -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Hi, there, Martin.
Well, you know, Wall Street was looking for a small uptick in the unemployment rate. They didn't expect it to jump to 6.4 percent. That's why today's numbers cast some renewed doubts on the strength of the nation's economic rebound.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAYS (voice-over): President Bush is counting on it. He needs it to get reelected. And Wall Street's betting on it. Traders need it to keep the stock market rally going. But the job market isn't going along with it, failing to get stronger in June. The nation's unemployment rate hit a nine-year high, and the economy lost another 30,000 jobs. And many say workers remain vulnerable.
ANTHONY CHAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, BANC ONE: I am concerned, because it basically tells me that for the moment, the labor market is basically stuck the mud, and they're -- we're not seeing much of an improvement.
JARED BERNSTEIN, LABOR ECONOMIST, ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE: We were expecting uninspiring. What we got was depressing. This is considerably worse than expectation.
HAYS: Manufacturing cut another 56,000 workers, the 35th month in a row of job losses. Telecommunications shed 7,000 jobs, and 13,000 retail workers got pink slips.
Looking ahead, experts say more retail workers could lose their jobs if consumer spending doesn't pick up. Government workers are at risk as state and local governments cut jobs to cut costs and trim big budget deficits.
Some bright spots. High-tech job cuts seem to be slowing, and the insurance sector has stabilized.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we look at the temporary help supply numbers, they are increasing. So that is a positive sign that may indicate, again, increased business confidence. And we need that to get more investment and more job creation.
HAYS: Consumers need more confidence too. But that may be hard to come by until jobs start growing again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAYS: The labor force grew by more than 600,000 people in June. That includes both people working and people looking for work. Now, most of those people probably didn't find a job, but economists say it's a good sign anyway, because it shows maybe even the unemployed believe that a recovery is just around the corner, Martin.
SAVIDGE: All right, we'll look for any glimmer of hope we can find. Kathleen Hays, thanks very much.
We'll get more insight into this story with a guest in just a moment.
But first, an accused Nazi in America, busted in Michigan. Police tracked down a long-wanted criminal. Find out what he was doing during World War II.
Also, price on the head of Saddam Hussein. Will the greed factor help U.S. troops track him down?
And sibling rivalry at Wimbledon. The showdown between Venus and Serena.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Well, you heard just before we went to break the grim unemployment picture.
Now I am joined by John Challenger in Chicago. His firm finds jobs for people.
Thanks very much for being with us.
Let me start off with an obvious question here. If you are out of work, if you are looking for work, and you haven't been able to find it, where should your hope be, and what should you be doing?
JOHN CHALLENGER, CHALLENGER, GRAY, AND CHRISTMAS: There are some good sectors out there right now. Health care is creating jobs. That's one place that many people are changing industries as they go out and search. About 45 to 50 percent of the people right now aren't staying in the area they've been in. They are moving on to areas or sectors that are hot. SAVIDGE: OK, say you got a job now, but you're worried that you may be in this next sector that is going to be hit by layoffs. You've got to be looking at this picture. Who do you think is going to get hurt next?
CHALLENGER: Manufacturing has been hit so often and so hard in this recession, 36 months and it's continuing job losses. So certainly those manufacturing workers are in tough shape. What that means is, go back to school. Take some classes, get your resume out there. In fact, get engaged in industry organizations, community organizations. That's where you find jobs.
SAVIDGE: Yes, what if you can't afford to go back to school, though?
CHALLENGER: Sometimes your company will pick up some of that tuition reimbursement. A lot of companies out there today want to train you. They want you to develop new skills. so if you are lucky enough to work for a company that's doing that, take advantage of it.
Community colleges often don't really charge that much at all. You can take it at night. It's tough, takes a lot of hours, but it's good career management.
SAVIDGE: Did this latest report surprise you, as far as where the numbers went? And does it make you worried about the prospect of things getting better?
CHALLENGER: This report had something for everyone with an axe to grind. There were actually 250,000 more people who are working in June. But there are another 360,000 people who are unemployed, who wanted work and couldn't find it.
So this report was all over the map. But the big number, the 6.4 percent, was a huge jump. That was the biggest since 9/11, and very concerning.
SAVIDGE: OK, is it a glitch? Is it a bump in the road? Or is it an indication that things are going to get worse?
CHALLENGER: Let's hope it's a bump in the road. There's certainly extraordinary stimulus out in the economy. I was very happy to see that the temporary jobs number went up again. That's two consecutive months. Business owners, as they start to see growth in their business, hire temporary workers. And then if the recovery is for real, they see the orders keep coming, then they convert those people into full-timers.
SAVIDGE: All right. John Challenger in Chicago, it is your company that finds jobs for people. Thanks for looking at the silver lining. We appreciate it.
President Bush on weapons of mass destruction. More of our exclusive interview.
Plus, a multimillion-dollar ransom for Saddam Hussein. Will it help track down the former dictator?
And a person of interest, but not arrested. The roommate of a missing basketball player answers back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Welcome back to CNN.
Big bounty for Saddam Hussein. Is he worth as much as bin Laden? Find out in a moment.
First, though, the latest headlines.
Tense moments in New York near La Guardia Airport this afternoon. A rental car agency was evacuated while police looked at a suspicious device in a vehicle. It ended up being two players taped to an alarm clock. Police say it was a hoax.
Terror suspects in court. Eight members of a so-called Virginia jihad network plead not guilty in Alexandria. They're accused of training for an Islamic terrorist group that wants to drive India from Kashmir. Their trial is set to begin November 17.
A massive fireworks explosion in Florida claims a fifth life. And the site of last night's deadly accident in Bonita Springs is still smoldering. Investigators are backing away from the heat. They say the fire could spread, and officials fear what's left of the holiday fireworks might detonate.
It's Sister Act 2 at Wimbledon. Venus and Serena Williams face off at the finals for the second straight year. Venus managed to rally in the semis today, despite a stomach injury. The sisters have faced each other in four of the past five grand slam finals.
More now from that exclusive interview with President Bush. This time on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. The president spoke with CNN's Tumi Makgabo of the program inside Africa airing on CNN International ahead of his trip to Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAKGABO: Can you give us a sense of how close the administration feels you are to finding those weapons of mass destruction and banned weapons?
BUSH: Oh, sure, yes, there's no doubt in my mind he had a weapons program. He used them. Remember he was the guy that gassed his own people. Those are weapons of mass destruction. He used them on his own people. No doubt we found a biological lab, the very same lab that had been banned by the United Nations. It'll be a matter of time.
Let me talk about Iraq and I appreciate you bringing it up. If I think something needs to be done to enhance the security of the American people, I'll do it. See that's my most important job is to protect the security of America. Secondly, I believe in freedom for people. And I suffer when I hear the stories of what took place inside of Iraq. The mass graves that have been discovered, the torture chambers, the jails for children and the Iraqi people are going to benefit mightily from the actions of the United States and a lot of other nations because they'll be free.
We've been there for about 90 days, and, you know, the world is such that we expect democracy to have occurred yesterday. It's going to take awhile for a free Democratic Iraq to evolve, but it's going to happen. And history will show you -- it will show you or the skeptics, that we are actually correct in our assessment of Mr. Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: At least 10 more American soldiers are injured after a new round of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us live from Baghdad on the mission that seems to get harder every day -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Marty, three of those soldiers wounded in the center of Baghdad early in the morning. Somebody fired a rocket-propelled grenade at their Humvee as they were driving through the center of the city. A bystander also -- a bystander was killed and 10 other Iraqis at that location were also injured in that particular incident.
Now what happened following that attack, some crowd gathered around. One of the soldiers was injured at the side of the road, the crowd gathered. People started dancing on the damaged Humvee and apparently set it on fire. It burst into flames.
There was another attack about 60 miles west of Baghdad outside of the town of Ramadi. An explosive device went off as a convoy was traveling along the road. Six soldiers, we are told, were wounded in that particular incident.
Over the night a number of shooting incidents. U.S. soldiers engaged by lone gunmen. Returned fire in a number of cases. Two lone gunmen killed in those instances. One U.S. soldier injured. One 6- year-old Iraqi boy injured. The instances of attacks on U.S. soldiers now averaging 13 attacks a day, according to one U.S. commander here.
Now the top U.S. administrator here, Paul Bremer, has now announced there will be a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Saddam Hussein or information that will verify his death. $15 million for Uday and $15 million for Qusay Saddam Hussein, the two sons of the former Iraqi leader -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Nic, I understand you were in Fallujah today. That's another very troubled town in Iraq. What did you find when you got there?
ROBERTSON: Well the latest major incident there was a few days ago. A compound blew up in a mosque there. A very volatile situation. A town very tense. The U.S. troops there trying very hard to explain to the townspeople, through local community leaders, that they were not involved in that particular explosion.
The community leaders there say that they believe that we talked with some of the leading Sheiks, the tribal leaders some of the top clerics in the town, the mayor of the town. They all say they believe the U.S.'s investigation and their assessment that the explosion appears to have come from inside the building, that it blew out the walls, the roof collapse. That's why at least seven people died in that particular situation.
There are still people in that city who do not believe that. They believe the United States would destroy the building, and there is still a lot of work for the troops there to convince people they were not responsible -- Marty.
SAVIDGE; Nic Robertson live in Baghdad, where it's just after 1:30 in the morning.
That new $25 million bounty on the head of Saddam Hussein can't come too soon for U.S. troops battling his followers in Iraq. Let's go live now to CNN senior correspondent Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well Marty, a group of key U.S. senators has just returned from Iraq with some sobering insights. As one senator put it, the U.S. is in a race against time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: What's left of a U.S. army Humvee smolders on a Baghdad street. The latest evidence of the increasingly bold attacks that are inflicting daily casualties on U.S. forces.
LT. COL. JOSE ROBLE, U.S. ARMY: We believe someone fired a rocket-propelled grenade or some other kind of explosive device was launched against the third vehicle in the military convoy, and it consumed the vehicle.
MCINTYRE: With U.S. commanders convinced the belief that Saddam Hussein may still be alive is fueling the daring guerrilla attacks, the U.S. has now put a $25 million bounty on his head, and is offering $15 million for either of his sons. U.S. senators just back from Iraq are unanimous that getting Saddam is the key to restoring peace.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: Believe me. He's not 10 feet tall. He's damn near 10 feet in the ground.
MCINTYRE: Despite the inability of the U.S. military to quash the resistance so far. The commander of U.S. forces insists more troops is not the answer.
LT. GEN. RICHARD SANCHEZ, U.S. ARMY: In terms of needing any more forces. I don't need any more forces.
MCINTYRE: But fresh troops are needed to relieve the battle- weary forces. Especially non-American troops, says one of the senators. SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: It seems to me could well try to reduce that target, the size of that target if we can be substituted by forces from other countries.
MCINTYRE: The senators toured Iraq for three days and got classified briefings from U.S. and British commanders.
SEN. MARK DAYTON (D), MINNESOTA: We were told, unequivocally, by military command that the war continues and it's being engaged actively by U.S. forces. We were told that the next 60 to 90 days would be crucial, and that while it will take time, time is not on our side.
MCINTYRE: One ominous trend, anti-American insurgents are gradually adopting more sophisticated and more deadly tactics.
SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: This sheet of paper outlines how you come up and then you kill that American or wound that American by shooting beneath the bottom of the kevlar helmet and the top of the body armor. That has been practiced in a number of cases.
MCINTYRE: U.S. commanders told the lawmakers the U.S. was in a race against time to neutralize the disparate anti-American groups before they unite.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: One fear is that these three groups will somehow find common cause against us, and that would be a significant problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: Now the senators said it's important for Americans to understand that the United States is going to be in Iraq for a long time with a large number of troops -- Martin.
SAVIDGE; Jamie, let me switch you to another topic, this issue of President Bush making terror war suspects eligible for military tribunals. What do we know of this?
MCINTYRE: Well these are six enemy combatants taken in the conflict in Afghanistan that will now be subject to possible military commissions. What will happen now is that now that the president has sent their names over, not disclosed to the Pentagon, charges will be prepared against them. A case made. Defense attorneys appointed. And jurisdiction appointed and they will face a possible military commission in the weeks and months ahead. But at this point, none have been charged. They remain enemy combatants under U.S. detention -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Jamie McIntyre, live at the Pentagon. Thanks very much.
Retired army Colonel Patrick Lang is a former Iraq analyst for the defense department. He's in Washington to talk about the problems with , well, with the U.S. troops in Iraq. Thank you sir for being with us. RETIRED COLONEL PATRICK LANG, FORMER DEFENSE DEPARTMENT IRAQ ANALYST: My pleasure:
SAVIDGE: Let me get started, though not with your words, with the words of President Bush that he spoke yesterday that's raised a lot of controversy. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring them on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Alright, now we are going to move along to the reaction today coming from Ari Fleischer at the White House responding to the criticism that's been torn up by these comment from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I don't think people in Iraq who are loyal to Saddam Hussein are going to or not going to attack based on a news conference. They are going to attack because that's what they've done as long as they were in power and that's what they'll continue to do.
I think that the President Bush was expressing there is his confidence in the men and women of the military to handle the military mission that they still remain in the middle of. Major combat operations have ended, but obviously combat has not for those who are there and the president has faith and confidence in the men and women in the military who are doing their duty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Alright, Colonel Lang, here' the question for you, is it really possible that someone in Iraq heard the comments of the president, decided to act on them and organized the response and that's what we saw today?
LANG: I think that's extremely unlikely. I don't think that, in fact, that what is happening in Iraq has anything, in particular to do with anything the president said. In fact, you know, it may not have been evident during the successful ground campaign we took part in, but in fact Iraqi society is such that the level of general xenophobia and fear and dislike of foreign domination is very high. And you have these 5 groups that Secretary Rumsfeld talked about yesterday, to which I might add former officers and men of the Iraqi army who are reacting to our presence almost like antibodies arising in an animal which has suffered a foreign invasion of some sort. And the longer this goes on, the more they'll see themselves as embarked in a common cause against us.
SAVIDGE: Do you agree with the perspective by some in Iraq there on the U.S. side that there is a timeline here and one that may be growing shorter. LANG: I don't think there's any reason to think this will die out naturally of its own accord. In fact, there's a lot of potential here for resistance. It's kind of endemic in Arab culture and the Iraqis are a particularly tough lot, no matter how easily the 3rd Infantry Division they have run over then.
And so I think the longer this goes on and the more used they become to our presence, the more likely it is you that have a kind of spontaneous generation of resistance to us, which becomes increasingly sophisticated in terms of tactics, use of weapons, mainly through obstruction from former Iraqi soldiers. And I think it gets worse and worse. So I think two or three months is a critical phase, is a reasonable time period.
SAVIDGE: OK. Well, what do you do about that? Do you either say, Well it's time to get out of here and we'll leave the country to itself, or do you tough it out?
LANG: I think -- I don't think there's any -- we have no choice but to stay in Iraq now until that we can see some sort of reasonable government installed. But my own choice would to be see this internationalized as much as possible. To do that it's going to be necessary to surrender some element of political control here to whoever our partners are overseas, or they're just not going to want to play in this game. I think in the long run we're going to have to do that. Otherwise, the burden is going to be unbelievable for the U.S. Army.
SAVIDGE: More troops? Do you think they're needed? Or more troops from other nations needed?
LANG: There need to be more troops. I respect General Sanchez's opinion, but I know how big a place Iraq is, having been there many times. And I think to cover all of this ground and all these population centers, lines of communication and things like this, you need a lot more troops than you got now.
The Army, as I say, is spread pretty thin around the world, and I think you really need to have some allied troops in there, 50,000, 60,000, something like that, in order to be able to cover all the places you need to cover.
SAVIDGE: All right. Retired Army Colonel Patrick Lang, thanks very much for joining us.
LANG: Sure.
SAVIDGE: Thanks for your insights. We appreciate it.
Big hopes and a big letdown. The road map to peace in the Middle East plans hit a bump in the road. Will it survive the first steps forward?
And renewed searching for a missing basketball player. Find out what clues police have unheard -- unearthed, that is.
But first, a look at other news making headlines "Around the World."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Italy's prime minister moved to end a growing diplomatic crisis. He apologized in a phone call today to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for saying a certain German lawmaker could portray a Nazi concentration camp overseer in a movie.
An unprecedented warning from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. It says that climate changes were making extreme weather more common, including record heat in Europe and a record number of tornadoes in the U.S.
Experts from around the world are working on the mystery of the blob. The giant gelatinous lump washed up on a beach in Chile last week. Some speculate it's a giant octopus. Others say it's just discarded whale blubber.
In South Africa, the discovery of what's believed to be the oldest dinosaur, dating back as far as 215 million years. The creature measured almost 33 feet long and weighed almost two tons.
In Argentina, riot police called out to control postgame violence. Soccer fans poured into the streets and started burning debris and throwing things at police after a 3-1 victory over Brazil.
And Lance Armstrong says it's just another Tour De France. But the four-time champion could make history as the first American to win that race five times. The 100th Tour De France starts Saturday.
And that's our look "Around the World."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Foul play or just missing? The search for a college basketball player takes authorities to a specific place. That story coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: He was wanted for 16 years. Now a Michigan man accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard is finally in custody.
Marc Santia of CNN affiliate WDIV in Detroit has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC SANTIA, WDIV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Johan Laprek (ph). Late last night, immigration and custom enforcement agents as well as McComb County deputies and an undercover task force swarmed this quiet Clinton township neighborhood and arrest the 77- year-old.
(on camera): What did you see? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a K-9 unit truck and a police car and there was a guy parked next door for a few hours parked in his car. And that was kind of suspicious.
SANTIA (voice-over): Agents says Laprek is a fugitive from Germany who has been on the run for the last few years. Federal sources tell local 4 this 77-year-old served in the Death Head Battalion, a Nazi military component under Adolf Hitler's command during World War II. He was stationed as a guard at Mauthausen, the main concentration camp in Auschwitz, where 200,000 people were tortured and killed.
Neighbors here in Clinton township say Laprek is a quiet man who seldom came outside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of feel sorry for the guy myself.
SANTIA (on camera): Hello. My name is Marc Santia. I'm from Channel 4.
(voice-over): Laprek's family didn't want to speak on camera today. Local 4 has learned Laprek became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1958 then denaturalized in 1987 after agents learned he misrepresented his wartime service.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: One neighbor called the suspect the nicest man in the world, adding that he thinks officials should just let the situation alone.
Israel released dozens of Palestinian detainees today. The latest in a series of moves aimed at ending almost three years of conflict. A four-day-old truce continues to hold, although precariously, as we hear from CNN's Matthew Chance in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is meant to be the road that symbolizes the benefits of peace for ordinary Palestinians. Israeli checkpoints that make travel for the many here for the many so difficult, were meant to have gone. Some believed this gridlock would be forgotten. Their hopes were shortlived.
"This is just a show," says Basim (ph). "They still control the whole area. As long as we can see them, it's not right," he says.
"Whatever happened to the Israelis last night, it's not our fault, is it?" says Mohammed (ph). "So why are they back?"
Israel says it's blockade, which has now been lifted, was in response to this rocket attack over night on the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom, nestled inside the Gaza Strip. A number of injuries were reported.
Himself visiting Gaza, the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, was quick to condemn the actions of renegade militants opposed to the current truce with Israel.
"These are acts of sabotage," he said, "and we do not accept them."
But support among Palestinians for a truce some see as one-sided, may be wearing thin. In the West Bank town of Qalqilya (ph), thousands attended the funeral of Mahmud Showa (ph), a commander of the militant Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, shot dead by Israeli troops during an operation to arrest militants. Al Aqsa, which has been ambiguous towards the cease-fire all along, says it will respond.
The coming days could pose more challenges for those set on Israeli/Palestinian peace.
(on camera): These latest incidents underline just how fragile is the progress that's been made between the two sides in recent days. Hopes are still with Israel and the Palestinians living up to their commitments. But doubts loom large the U.S.-backed road map peace plan can survive even its first step.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today said that after the first time since he entered office, there is -- quote -- "a real possibility of an end to terror and the return to normal life."
A high-tech hunt for a missing basketball player: why investigators are once again combing the Texas countryside.
And bad blood between J.Lo and the man some say made her a star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: A new search this morning near Waco, Texas, for the Baylor University basketball player missing now for three weeks. CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman is covering that story.
Did they find anything new -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Marty, not yet. On a blazing hot central Texas day, a Waco, Texas, police helicopter took to the skies with thermal imaging equipment looking for evidence in rural area north of Waco. It found nothing. There have been several searches over the last few days, a couple on the ground, including one near Hill County, Texas, which is northeast of Waco. They have been looking for the body of Patrick Dennehy, the 20-year- old basketball player from the Baylor University basketball team. But nobody has been found. As far as evidence being found, police are not revealing that. Patrick Dennehy has been missing for three weeks.
Police aren't even sure if he's dead or alive. But the longer this goes on, the less likely it is that he is alive. There are no suspects in the case. There are so-called persons of interest. The police will not tell us how many. They will not tell us names except for one. That name is Carlton Dotson. Carlton Dotson is said to be a friend of Patrick Dennehy, former roommate, on the basketball team with him also.
The main reason he's a person of interest, his name is on a legal affidavit. A confidential informant has told police Dotson killed Dennehy. We don't know if the informant knows what he talking about. We don't know if he telling he truth. But either way Mr. Dotson is aware he has a legal situation on his hand and he hired an attorney. His attorney talked to CNN's Paula Zahn and his disdain for the confidential informant quite clear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRADY IRVIN, CARTON DOTSON'S ATTY.: The first thing you have to look at is this person has been classified at quote unquote, "a confidential informant." Those people who know anything about the practice of law and have ever done a jury trial in their life, there's one instruction a judge gives to a jury. They'll tell the jury that before you came today a quote/unquote "confidential informant." Anything that confidential informant has stated to you should be taken with caution. You should be highly, highly careful, as you analyze the statements of a confidential informant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: It's not clear what the police think about this confidential informant, if they have an opinion, they are not telling us. But the fact is, no charges have been filed and the police have told us this investigation is not progressing very well at this point.
Marty, back to you.
SAVIDGE: Nope, not looking too good.
Gary Tuchman, thank you very much, live from Waco.
The case of former fugitive, Max Factor heir, or the Max Factor heir, tops todays justice file. Andrew Luster forfeited his right to appeal in his case when he fled to Mexico during his trial. He was convicted in absentia of drugging and raping women. Luster was captured by a bounty hunter last month.
And then speaking of which. The bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman, is facing charges in Mexico, where bounty hunting is illegal. But he says he's expected to be, or he expects to be exonerated. Chapman spent three days in a Mexican jail after capturing luster. He says that lawyers there, or his lawyer, doubts that Chapman will have to serve any more time.
Jennifer Lopez is accusing her long-time manager of fraud. A complaint filed with the California labor officials accuses Benny Medina of misappropriating funds among other things. Medina is credited some with making Ms. Lopez's career. He calls the accusation untrue and offenses.
Our hot "Web Question of the Day" is this, "Are U.S. Troops spread too thin?" Vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. The results when we come back.
But first some of your instant feedback on Liberia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: OK. Here's how you are weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day."
Are U.S. Troops spread too thin?
Eighty-six percent said yes, while 14 percent of you said no. As we always tell you, this is not a scientific poll.
Time to hear from you and read some of your e-mail on the U.S. offering a $25 million reward for information that leads to Saddam Hussein's arrest.
Edwin writes, "Now that is incentive! Most people won't do a good deed, even turning over an evil dictator, just for the heck of it. Hopefully the reward will help lead us to Saddam."
But Dell sends this, "With our country in such dire economic straights, where did we get the $25 million for a reward for finding Saddam?"
And from Stan, "The unemployment rate is steadily climbing, and we're worried about Saddam Hussein, Liberia and a host of other issues that have nothing to do with our immediate well-being. Where are our priorities?"
Thanks for watching.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Unemployment Hits Nine-Year High>
