Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Army Arrests Another Member Suspected Of Espionage; Air Force Academy Cadet Attacked, Attacker Discharged Honorably; Women Accuse Wal-Mart Of Sexual Discrimination In Lawsuit

Aired September 24, 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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Enemies on the inside?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: What the heck is going on here? This is the Pentagon, not the INS.

BLITZER: The military facing new heat, as it searches for suspected al Qaeda spies.

Academy angst. A former Air Force cadet remembers the night she became a victim.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night and he was holding me down by the throat, licking my face.

BLITZER: So why is he in the Army now?

Taking on Wal-Mart. Seven women looking for payday. Could millions more collect?

And from the frontlines to frontrunner. What you might not know about Wesley Clark's past.

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, September, 24 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

The pentagon is scrambling to plug security loopholes at its Guantanamo Bay detention center for Taliban and al Qaeda suspects now that two members of the U.S. military has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and aiding the enemy.

Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: (AUDIO GAP) suspect is under surveillance, although no one has been arrested.

These cases have been raising a lot of questions. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The questions are obvious. How could a lowly military translator at Camp Delta, the super secure prison for al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, gain access to some of the most sensitive, secretive data about the detainees?

SCHUMER: What the heck is going on here? This is the Pentagon, not the INS.

MCINTYRE: The charge sheet for senior airman Ahmad Al Halabi lists dozens of security breaches, everything from downloading information to his laptop computer from a secure system, to gathering over 180 electronic versions of written notes from prisoners, to delivering unauthorized food, namely baklava pastries.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Anytime you have allegations like this, you always look at your procedures and your process. And that would be natural and normal. So we'll do that.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon insists before the arrest of Captain James Lee (sic), a Muslim chaplain, who is also suspected but not charged with spying, it was already reviewing its procedures for appointing chaplains, as well as the outside religious organizations that is certify them. Unnamed citizens of Syria were alleged to be the intended recipient of the information from Air Force translator Al Halabi. But Syria denies any connection to him.

IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN CHARGE D'AFFAIRS: We do not need information from him. Second -- this is very important. Syria is not concerned at all with any supposedly Islamic extremists that might be held in any American prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Al Halabi's lawyer insists he's not a spy or a terrorist. He is from Syria and was heading back there, but not to pass secrets, says his lawyer -- to get married -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jamie, thanks very much.

Painful, baffling and outrageous. Those are some of the words he's using to describe the apparent security breaches at Guantanamo. Senator Charles Schumer is looking for answers. But he also has questions about the vetting of one of the suspects, a Muslim army chaplain.

Senator Schumer is joining us now live from Capitol Hill.

Senator, what's your biggest problem, your biggest concern right now?

SCHUMER: Well, my biggest concern is, obviously, the big picture, security at this base. Obviously, this is one of our most sensitive bases, having hundreds of, potentially, al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. And in two instances, it looks like that security was breached, whether a criminal law was broken or not. And how did that happen?

My second concern is the way we have chosen chaplains in the Army as well as in the prisons, although that's a separate issue. There is one group, the Wahabi group, that's an extreme, violent, professing form of Islam, not like the rest of Islam, which is a peaceful religion. And they seem to have a stranglehold on who becomes a chaplain in the Army.

BLITZER: Are -- are you referring, Senator, to the group called the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council? Is that what you're referring to?

SCHUMER: I am.

BLITZER: And -- but they just certify these chaplain. They don't necessarily train them.

SCHUMER: Well, there's training that goes on by a few of the other groups as well. And there is training. They have trained some of these chaplains.

They don't train them in terms of the Army procedures and stuff, but they do give them some kinds of training and indoctrination, et cetera. But they shouldn't be choosing them.

BLITZER: But is there any difference between Muslim chaplains are chosen by the U.S. military as opposed to Christian chaplains or Jewish chaplains?

SCHUMER: Well, the bottom line is, if you had one only group of Christians -- say, it was a very, very dogmatic group of Christians or a dogmatic group of Jews and the rest, the 99 percent of Christians and Jews who are part of mainstream did not get their chaplains.

That's the problem here. One is pluralism -- that there are many, many Muslim men and women in the Army who are Sunni or Shia and they don't want a Wahabi chaplain.

But the second, the Wahabi group, has tended to profess violence. Many of the chaplains who were chosen, not only in the Army but in the prisons, state and local, have professed admiration for the hijackers. This is -- this shouldn't be. And you don't have a right -- you have a right to say what you think in America. You don't have a right to be chosen a chaplain.

BLITZER: We -- we're going to be speaking later this hour with a representative of an American Muslim group. But some have already complained about an anti-Muslim hysteria that's developing that people are jumping to conclusions before anyone -- any of the evidence really has been seen by anyone.

SCHUMER: The two groups that choose chaplains in the Army are both under investigation for terrorism. They have met a probable cause standard. That -- to say that that defames Muslim to defame Muslims and Islam itself, because the vast majority, overwhelming majority of Muslims in America are peaceful and pro-American. And these small groups have sort of been hijacked to an extreme position. They do not represent Muslims in America. But they do represent a danger to America, as we have seen.

BLITZER: So are you satisfied now, Senator, that the Pentagon is doing everything they should be doing, the FBI,...

SCHUMER: No.

BLITZER: ..the Justice Department, to make sure if there is a problem, it's being resolved?

SCHUMER: I do not.

You know, I wrote them six months ago, before any of this came about, about these groups. As of two days ago, they said they did nothing. Now, they say they're looking into it with these recent revelations.

But I think, over all, when it comes to security, the Army has been far too lax. How is it that the kind of background checks that we should be doing for anyone to set foot in Guantanamo hasn't done. How is it that even if the criminal standard isn't met -- because, at this point, there are allegations -- did we find such security breaches? I think the Army has a long way to go in terms of tightening up security at Guantanamo, and probably, although I don't know this for a fact, but it's logical at other sensitive bases at well.

BLITZER: Senator Charles Schumer, thanks very much for joining us.

And later this hour, we'll get the views of a representative of the American -- the Council on American-Islamic Relations. That's coming up here on CNN as well.

They were on opposite sides of the fence when it came to the war in Iraq. But today, President Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder were busy mending fences, saying they've set aside their differences and will look to the future. The German leader pledged economic and technical aid for the rebuilding of Iraq and renewed an offer to help train Iraqi security forces.

The Pentagon is considering deploying more National Guard and reserve troops to Iraq. Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman General Peter Pace says it may be necessary if a third multinational force can't be assembled soon. Pace says the decision to alert reservists will be made in the next six weeks.

In Baghdad, an attack apparently aimed at U.S. forces missed its target. But the results were still deadly.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is live in the Iraqi capital. He's joining us now live with details -- Harris.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. It was indeed another a day of violence in Iraq, this time around several Iraqi civilians were the perhaps unattended victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK (voice-over): Kazimia (ph) district in central Baghdad, scene of the latest act of terrorism in the Iraqi capital. A bomb intended for a passing U.S. military vehicle blew up two public buses instead, killing at least one person, a 17-year-old passenger, and injuring a dozen civilians.

Relatives cried as injured patients were treated at a nearby hospital, an all too familiar scene for Baghdad's weary emergency response workers.

The latest bombing came as many in the Iraqi capital reacted to U.S. President George W. Bush's speech at the United Nations by blaming the U.S. for their current troubles.

"Any Iraqi you ask will tell you that we are capable of handling our own affairs," says this Baghdad resident.

Many of the U.S. soldiers in Iraq who saw the speech were glad the U.S. is seeking international support, but others say the president's performance gave them little inspiration.

STAFF SGT. JASON DUNGAN, U.S. ARMY: I wasn't particularly impressed with anything new that he came out with. I think he just brought out some old issues that the U.N. hasn't -- hasn't took any action on yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK: Now, regardless of the U.N., the fact is that the occupation of Iraq has not turned out quite the way the Bush administration expected, and opinions here seem to reflect at least some of those voiced by Bush's audience at the United Nations -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Harris, you've been speaking with U.S. troops on the ground in Baghdad and elsewhere since you've returned to Iraq. What's the mood that you get from these young men and women who are on the frontlines out there?

WHITBECK: Well, a lot of them were hoping to hear words during the Bush speech at the U.N. that would indicate that they might be heading home. And of course, few heard those words. So there is a mixture of resignation on the part of some. Some say we're here to do a job. We have to do it until we're allowed to go home. But others -- there is -- there has been a continued sense of frustration on the part of some soldiers who feel that they've already been here too long.

BLITZER: CNN's Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad for us. Harris, thanks very much for joining us.

So what do Baghdad residents think about the situation in their country? A new Gallup Poll, which CNN was not involved with, is shedding some light -- 62 percent say ousting Saddam Hussein indeed was worth any hardships they have suffered since the coalition invasion. But only about one-third say the country is better off since then; 47 percent say it's worse off.

Still, there is optimism, according to this poll -- 67 percent of those asked Iraq will be better off in five years.

Honor betrayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night, and he was holding me down by the throat licking my face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A former male cadet admits to Air Force investigators he assaulted a female classmate. So why was he never prosecuted?

Plus, sexual discrimination charges against the nation's biggest retailer. The woman -- women, that is, taking on Wal-Mart.

And pushing to play at the highest level. But one NFL rule is blocking this star's way. We'll get to all of that. First, though, our "News Quiz."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Who was the youngest player ever drafted by the National Football League? Emmitt Smith? Terrell Suggs? Jamir Miller? Michael Vick? The answer coming up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Still to come, he could be President Bush's strongest competition in 2004. But there's a lot you probably don't know about General Wesley Clark.

We'll take a closer look at his past. All that coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In less than four hours, the five major candidates in the California recall election will face off in the only debate Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to take part in, at least so far.

Our national correspondent Bob Franken is in Los Angeles for us. He's got a look at what's at stake tonight -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, believe it or not, the event this evening is going to take on an actual look of normalcy, if there's anything about this race we can consider normal. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Who would have thought that a large television audience would actually watch a political debate, particularly in California? But this is, after all, the Super Bowl of debates, at least that's what candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger calls it. And well he should, considering it's the only one he's agreed to attend, the only one where the questions were released in advance.

Some real toughies like:

What do you expect to accomplish in the time remaining on Gray Davis' term that he could not?

LT. GOV. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D), CALIFORNIA: In the middle of a crisis, there is no script.

FRANKEN: But the candidates to replace Gray Davis will the have a chance to throw unscripted zingers at each other, and Schwarzenegger's ability to stand up to that could be make-or-break for him.

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Schwarzenegger has to reassure voters that he has the experience, the skill, the knowledge to handle this job.

FRANKEN: There are five actors in tonight's drama, the other principal and barely (ph) principled candidates: Peter Camejo of the Green Party, conservative-turned-liberal-turned-whatever Arianna Huffington, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, there just in case his fellow Democrat Davis doesn't survive the recall.

And there's Arnold Schwarzenegger and that other Republican, Tom McClintock, who will likely do what he can to inspire a bad performance by the actor. McClintock is under intense pressure from many party leaders of the race to pull out of the race and clear the way. He's siphoning votes from Schwarzenegger, they claim.

But if the leading man's stars should fade tonight, McClintock could very well dig his heels in further. A decent performance by Schwarzenegger, and the clamor for McClintock to step aside will probably grow more frantic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Meanwhile, Governor Davis is going to be watching, not participating. And as he battles to avoid recall, he can only hope that all of his potential replacements do poorly -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob, the stakes are huge nationally as well, including for President Bush. Is there any sign the White House at all is getting involved in trying to influence McClintock or Schwarzenegger or anyone else, for that matter?

FRANKEN: The White House has gone underground on this. Most Democrats believe that there is some surreptitious involvement by the White House, but it's going out of its way, the administration is going out of its way not to be splattered by this.

BLITZER: CNN's Bob Franken with the latest from Los Angeles. We'll watch the debate. I'm sure you will as well. Thanks, Bob, very much.

CNN, by the way, plans live coverage of this California recall debate tonight. You can watch the candidates square off. They will be here on CNN 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Will you watch the California recall debate tonight?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. But you can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Voting in the recall election is already under way in some places. Los Angeles County election officials are letting voters cast early ballots today using touch-screen voting machines. A dozen have been set up at sites throughout the county. In addition, more than 600,000 absentee ballots have already been cast statewide.

Growing fears inside Gitmo. That's the U.S. naval base, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Are al Qaeda spies working inside the U.S. military?

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many things were happening so fast I couldn't believe it. And the next thing I knew I just grabbed a sword, put it between my legs and locked myself in a ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Scandal: inside the Air Force Academy. A female is assaulted but the male walks away under honorable conditions.

And warnings of a severe flu season and worries Americans won't be prepared. What you need to know right now. All that. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JAMES YEE, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: I had built a rapport, I had built relationships with the detainees, so they feel, many of them, several of them, the majority feel comfortable talking to me, knowing that I will sincerely address their concerns through the camp relations for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That was U.S. Army Captain James Yee, a Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, now being held for suspected security breaches. Also held, Air Force translator Ahmed Al Halabi. He's charged with espionage and aiding the enemy. Is there a terrorist connection? Are Muslim members of the U.S. military being unfairly singled out? Joining me is Ibrahim Hooper of the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations. Ibrahim, thanks very much for joining us. This is pretty shocking stuff. It must be a nightmare for American Muslims, in particular?

IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNSEL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Unfortunately, the American Muslim community is already under suspicion. And this kind of unfortunate incident only adds to that burden. And we see -- like we had Senator Schumer exploiting the situation to try and further disenfranchise and marginalize American Muslims.

BLITZER: When you say exploit the situation, he's obviously concerned...

HOOPER: Schumer has a long history of jousting with the American Muslim community and its leadership. He's using this to further his political agenda. But first...

BLITZER: Let me press you on this, because on this particular -- he's, obviously, concerned that maybe there's a security breach...

HOOPER: He's throwing out these hot button terms, Wahabi, militant, extremist. He never names names. He never gives evidence. So people are left thinking there is a vast conspiracy out there. And it's just nonsense.

But first of all, if there was treason, if there was espionage, if there was any law that was broken, people should be punished. That, the American Muslim community...

BLITZER: And this particular case, Al Halabi is specifically charged with -- and we'll put it up on the screen -- espionage, aiding the enemy, false statements, bank fraud, failing to obey orders. Obviously, those are among the most serious kinds of charges.

HOOPER: If they're true, bring evidence in an open court of law, try him, convict him, punish him.

BLITZER: But you have confidence in the military code of justice?

HOOPER: I think the facts aren't all out yet. I think, we need to see what's really there. What we're hearing are leaks, behind the scenes reports. We need to see actual evidence. We need to see it in open court and be judged by a reasonable people.

BLITZER: As you know, a lot of Muslims in the United States, indeed a lot of non-Muslims are pretty angry about what's happening at Guantanamo Bay. There are laws, obviously, that U.S. military personnel have to obey. Is there a sense that some American Muslims in the U.S. military may be so upset about what they see happening at Guantanamo Bay, they may decide to take matters into their own hands?

HOOPER: We don't know, because we don't know what the conditions are down there. Everything is shrouded in such secrecy we don't know what's happening. That adds to the mystery of the situation. If they would allow the inspectors to go in, somebody to go in and say, here's what's happening, that would open up the situation quite a bit. I don't think we have seen all the facts in this case.

BLITZER: We have seen very few of the facts so far. We got a limited amount of information. I want to show our viewers, Ibrahim we want to show you as well, we just got a picture of Mr. Al Halabi. There he is Ahmad Al Halabi, the senior airmen. This is the first time we've seen a picture of this man accused of espionage, aiding the enemy and these other charges. What's been the reaction in your community since word came earlier this week of these two cases?

HOOPER: I think the Muslim community and the Arab American community are shell shocked at this point. They're seeing a stream, a drum beat of these kinds incidents, one after another. And we're not seeing support from political circles from elected officials, from opinion leaders.

In fact, why aren't we hearing President Bush come out and defend the patriotism of the thousands of American Muslims who are serving loyally in the military instead of focusing on these two cases and, again, focusing on the religion? Let's judge the case based on the evidence, not on religion or ethnicity.

BLITZER: Fair enough. Thanks very much Ibrahim Hooper for joining us.

A female cadet tells her story of suffering and fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he tried to have his way, but I just stayed in that ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You won't believe what happened to her admitted attacker.

And a hang-up on the do not call list. Find out why a federal ruling may keep your phone ringing, even during dinnertime.

Plus, not playing by the rules or not playing because of the rules. One football star challenges the NFL. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The nation's largest employer possibly facing the largest sexual discrimination case ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hadn't gotten promoted for 15 years. I didn't get promoted until after the lawsuit.

BLITZER: Find out what's at stake for Wal-Mart. WOLF BLITZER REPORT is back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

In just a moment, where's the honor?

A male cadet admits to investigators he attacked a female classmate. Still how can he reenlist in the army?

But first, a check of the latest headlines.

(NEWS BREAK)

BLITZER: The U.S. Congress here in Washington is getting a chance to hear firsthand about the Air Force Academy sex scandal. Earlier, a civilian panel blamed the leaders for ignoring repeated warning signs of problems. You are about to hear first-hand of such a case. CNN learned of this story from our affiliate KMGH and its investigator team. It deals with the assault of a female cadet by an upper level cadet who admits the assault. The woman was so traumatized by what happened, she lost her dream of becoming an Air Force Officer and discharged for medical reason after the attack. Here is her side of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYA: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night, and he was holding me down by the throat licking my face. At first I didn't know who it was. I didn't know who it was. It was pitch black. So many things were happening so fast I couldn't believe it. The next thing I knew, I just grabbed the sword and locked myself in a ball. He tried to have his way, but I just stayed in that ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The male cadet, Maurice Cooper, later received a general discharge under honorable contusions following a separate drinking incident. He's now in the U.S. Army.

Recently, John Ferrugia of CNN affiliate KMGH spoke with Cooper. John's joining us live now from Denver. John thanks very much.

I want to play for our viewers a telephone conversation you had with Cooper who sounded, we must say, surprised that the sexual assault was not a factor in his own dismissal. Listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MAURICE COOPER, ACCUSED ATTACKER: It was never addressed and I just found that odd, extremely odd.

JOHN FERRUGIA, KMGH: You mean the Air Force never said to you the reason you are getting out is because you attacked this girl.

COOPER: Not at the hearing, no.

FERRUGIA: So you assumed it's not anywhere on your record.

COOPER: That's what I'm thinking. And nobody has ever asked about it while I have been in the Army either. It's just never been brought up.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, John. What's the fallout. This is so dramatic, so shocking. Tell us what happened since you broke this.

FERRUGIA: Well, Wolf, the army is scrambling to find this guy's enlistment records. They are trying to figure out how he got in, having admitted to sexual assault to air force investigators while in the Air Force Academy. What they suspect is the air force never included that file in his records. So there's no record of it. That's how he got in.

BLITZER: You've been breaking this story left and right. You've been all over it.

Is this an isolated incident, or is it just the beginning of the tip of an iceberg?

FERRUGIA: Well, you know, the broader issue here -- you bring it up as tip of the iceberg. The broader issue really is here, Wolf, are there other cadet whose were dismissed for minor infractions which, when in fact, they were guilty of or suspected of sexual assault? That's like being in a civilian role, being involved in a sexual assault and given a traffic ticket and saying, OK, you're charged with this. The fact is that the air force has those records. We can't get to those records. After our story, when we found out about this, we went to Colorado Senator Wayne Allard, who is in fact on the Senate Arm's Services Committee. He's now begun asking the same questions of the air force. What's in those records. We need to look at them.

BLITZER: Who ultimately makes these kinds of decisions as to the discharge of these cadets under various circumstances?

FERRUGIA: Well, Wolf, when there's a dismissal from the air force academy, typically the recordings up the ladder to air force headquarters at the Pentagon. Someone there has to view it and sign off on it. The question is, was that sex assault file part of that record or did the Air Force Academy leadership fail to give air force headquarters that information so, therefore, they passed it along. That's the real question here. And in this case, that's another question that we've been asking the air force.

BLITZER: What has the air force said to you?

FERRUGIA: Wolf, so far the general counsel of the air force has said in a report that, indeed, this case should have been prosecuted. But we've been asking very specific questions about the procedures, how this case was handled, whether other cases are being looked at, simply nothing. They have not responded in anyway whatsoever.

BLITZER: That's John Ferrugia of our affiliate KMGH joining us from Denver. John, good work. Thanks for all that important reporting.

The company's largest employer could soon be facing the largest civil rights lawsuit ever. It depends on the outcome of a federal court hearing in San Francisco today.

CNN's Jen Rogers is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wal-Mart is probably the largest film processor. This is one photo they would rather not develop. Four women on the courthouse steps who charge Wal-Mart discriminated against them. With more employees than G.M., Ford, IBM, and General Electric combined, Wal-Mart is the largest employer. Soon it could be facing the largest civil rights lawsuit ever. Right now, it is just a handful of current and former female employees who are suing the retail giant, alleging Wal-Mart discriminates against them when it comes to pay and promotions. But the women's attorneys are hoping to win class action status for the case, arguing in federal court today these are not isolated incidents, but part of a larger pattern at the nation's number one retailer.

JOCELYN LARKIN, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: These women feel that Wal- Mart has not given a fair shake to women in terms of their ability to advance within the company and to be paid fairly for the same work.

ROGERS: Attorneys for the women argue two-thirds of hourly employees at Wal-Mart are women, but only one-third of managers are female.

CHRISTINE KWAPNOSKI, PLAINTIFF: I hadn't gotten promoted for 15 years. I didn't get promoted until after this lawsuit.

ROGERS: Wal-Mart denies the charges and says it has a policy against discrimination of any kind.

MONA WILLIAM, V.P. OF COMMUNICATIONS WAL-MART: There could be isolated instances of someone making the wrong decision. We do everything we can to make sure all associates are treated fairly.

ROGERS: (on camera): If the judge certifies the lawsuit as a class action case, the number of women involved could balloon to 1.5 million. The judge is expected to make his decision within the next few months.

Jen Rogers. CNN Financial News, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Managers of the company's largest pension funds want big changes in the New York Stock Exchange. They met today with a special governance committee just days after the pay scandal that forced the resignation of the chairman Dick Grasso. The fund managers want the Securities and Exchange Commission to do a review of the NYSE's pay and policies, and even stock trading -- even review stock trading practices.

Big changes for some Microsoft Web users overseas. The country (sic) says starting October 14, its MSN Web sites will no longer offer unsupervised chat rooms in 28 countries. The U.S. and Canada are not included. Microsoft says the change is designed to protect all users from spam and to protect children from what it calls inappropriate communication.

How young is too young? One player sues the NFL over a rule that's keeping him benched.

And a sticky subject. Should you roll up your sleeve for the flu shot this season?

Plus, his career path media aura (ph), but part of Wesley Clark's background will indeed surprise you. I'll explore his life and times. That's first just ahead.

First, let's take a quick check of some stories making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Pope cancels audience. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II canceled his weekly audience today in St. Peter's square because of illness. The Vatican officials say the move was only a precautionary measure. The 83 year-old Pope is suffering from intestinal problems. He recently returned from a grueling trip to Slovakia where he appeared frail and short of breath.

A new suspect in Sweden. Stockholm police have announced a second arrest in the stabbing death of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. The unidentified man was arrested today. Prosecutor's say the first man detained in the case is no longer suspected of the murder and has been set free.

Stoning verdict due. Lawyers in Nigeria say it is difficult to predict the outcome of a case that has attracted worldwide attention. A Muslim appeals court is scheduled to rule tomorrow in the case of a woman sentenced to be put to death by stoning for adultery. She was convicted after having a baby ten months after a divorce.

Terrifying ordeal, rescuers have pulled 2 Colombian men to safety after they were trapped by a landslide. The men were trapped while repairing an aqueduct. They were rescued after 4 hours.

Revising history. Hillary Clinton's best-selling autobiography "Living History," has gone on sale in China, but not without facing the sensor's knife. A local publisher cut out some negative references to China, including passages dealing with human rights issues and the suppression of the media. While Beijing did not sanction the move, censorship of books, films and Web sites is common in the communist country. And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Wesley Clark jumped into the Democratic presidential race last week and landed in the lead, at least for now. The retired 4-star general is tested in battle, but not necessarily in politics, at least not in civilian politics. Here is a look at the man behind the medals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): There's never been much question that Wesley Clark was brilliant, ambitious, focused. But could a former supreme allied commander follow in the footsteps of his reported hero Dwight David Eisenhower and become a popular public figure when he was unpopular within the U.S. Army?

GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET): He has taken some bum raps on some of the reputation. He does have the reputation to use people to get ahead.

BLITZER (voice-over): His drive began in childhood. His father, an Orthodox Jew died when Clark was 5. His mother moved him from Chicago to Arkansas and remarried. Clark took his stepfather's last name, was raised a Baptist, later became Catholic. He says he didn't find out about his Jewish roots until he was a young man and looked up Jewish cousins and keeps in close touch with them to this day.

The ambition in evidence early enrolling in West Point in 1962. He was a top debater there, graduated at the top of his class. A Rhodes Scholarship followed but so did jealousy, resentment.

WESLEY CLARK, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what you have to understand about the armed forces, it is a competitive bureaucracy. People enter at the bottom and come out at the top. There's a lot of gossip. There's some sharp elbows in there.

BLITZER (voice-over): The crucible of Vietnam defined Clark's military generation. His awards: a purple heart, bronze star, silver star, rising star. Wesley Clark would go on to become chief of the U.S. Southern Command, and in a fortuitous time, NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. In that role, he was widely praised for his diplomatic skills with NATO leaders.

GRANGE: He had some, I'd say, wild ideas for how though handle Bosnia and Kosovo. But then, somebody needed to think out of the box in order to accomplish some of the missions that were not being accomplished.

BLITZER (voice-over): 1999, the United States finally took a stand against ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Wesley Clark's NATO forces drove the Serbs out without one Allied combat death. But Clark feuded with his bosses, Joint Chief Chairmen Hugh Shelton and Defense Secretary William Cohen, mostly over Clark's insistent push for the use of ground troops and Apache helicopters.

WILLIAM COHEN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are no plans to send troops in a nonpermissive environment.

BLITZER (voice-over): Clark lost that political battle, then lost a larger one. Observers say he simply alienated Cohen and Shelton too much during Kosovo. Shortly after winning the war, before his tenure as allied command was over, he was forced to step down. Clark was furious.

Whatever bitterness was there, gave way to a civilian retirement highlighted by a book on modern war and a stint as a CNN military analyst. Last week, the ambition surfaced again.

CLARK: And I'm here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America.

BLITZER (voice-over): Wesley Clark announced his presidential candidacy with none of his former military peers in attendance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And tomorrow, the general will have his first opportunity to participate in a Democratic presidential debate. We'll see how he does there.

Some say it is one of the deadliest illnesses facing millions each year, but its also one of the easiest to prevent. The facts you need to know about the flu shot. That's coming up straight ahead.

And a controversial college football star. His latest move. Another surprise. We'll tell you all about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, who was the youngest player ever drafted by the National Football League? The answer, Jamir Miller. He was 20 years, five months, seven days old when he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals from UCLA in the first round of the 1994 draft.

On the grid iron, the suspended Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett wants an early shot at the NFL so he's suing a league. He's asking a judge to throw out a rule that prevents him from entering the draft until he's been out of high school for three years. The latest on this story now from CNN's Steve Overmyer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A football coach can wait his whole career for a Maurice Clarett. Still in his teens and only months removed from his High School graduation, the Ohio native led his home state Buckeye's to college football's national title. But as another autumn arrived, Clarett suddenly found himself with no place to play.

ANDY GEIGER, ATHLETIC DIR. OHIO STATE: This is a sad day, and we regret deeply what Maurice Clarett has lost and what the Ohio State University, our football family, our fans have lost for this year.

OVERMYER: Ohio State says Maurice Clarett broke the rules of college sports. That he accepted money from an Ohio businessman and lied about it when questioned by investigators. His choices were to accept a one-year suspension or continue his college career at a lower level.

One choice he did not have was to play football at the very highest level, the NFL. Teenagers have been playing pro basketball, hockey and major league baseball for decades, but Clarett, who will be 20 in October, cannot jump to the NFL because of a rule that says an incoming player must be three years past his high school graduation. On Tuesday, Clarett took steps to challenge that rule.

PETER RUSH, ATTORNEY: It's unclear why they have the restriction. Did not offer a great reason for it, which, to me, signals there is no good reason for it.

OVERMYER: The NFL is fighting hard to keep the policy intact, saying they league has very sound reasons for denying athletes, like Clarett, the chance to compete for a job, but skeptics say the league has simpler motives.

MIKE FISH, SI.COM COLUMNIST: The way it is now, the colleges have it made because these kids can't leave. The pros and NFL have to leave because they don't have to develop their own talent. The system is already there. It's free. They are getting free talent provided by the colleges.

OVERMYER: The NBA lost a similar challenge more than 30 years ago, but the NFL could win in court if it could prove its rule is part of a collective bargaining agreement with its players. For CNN sports, I'm Steve Overmyer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Now to your health, a story that could save your life. U.S. officials are bracing for what could be an especially bad flu season. They are putting out an important warning. Here is CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A severe flu season is just wrapping up in Australia. And that's giving public health officials hints as to how bad it might be in the northern hemisphere.

NANCY COX, CDC: These troublesome viruses may predominate in the coming influenza season in the U.S.

COHEN: If that's the case, there are worries Americans won't be prepared because many people who should get vaccinations don't. COX: We have the lowest vaccination rates among high-risk children and young adults.

COHEN: The flu kills 36,000 Americans each year. Some people are especially vulnerable and that's why the Centers for Disease Control recommends flu shots for anybody with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or asthma, for anyone over age 50, for children ages 6 to 23 months and women who will be at least three months pregnant during the flu season.

And here is how many actually do get shots, 34 percent of 50 to 64 year-olds and just 10 percent of children with asthma. This year, for the first time, there's an alternative to getting the shot, a nasal spray. But there are two catches.

One, the people who need it most like the elderly and small children, are not allowed to get it for medical reasons. It contains a version of the live virus. Only healthy adults can get the spray. And it is expensive. So even though an ouch free alternative sounds great, it probably won't make a big change during a season that based on Australia's experience could be unpleasant. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We'll have the results of our Web question. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day, will you watch the California recall debate tonight? Look at this 19 percent say yes, 81 percent say no. We remind you, this is not a scientific poll, but watch tonight's debate if you want. CNN live coverage, 9:00 pm Eastern.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

END

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Force Academy Cadet Attacked, Attacker Discharged Honorably; Women Accuse Wal-Mart Of Sexual Discrimination In Lawsuit>


Aired September 24, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Enemies on the inside?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: What the heck is going on here? This is the Pentagon, not the INS.

BLITZER: The military facing new heat, as it searches for suspected al Qaeda spies.

Academy angst. A former Air Force cadet remembers the night she became a victim.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night and he was holding me down by the throat, licking my face.

BLITZER: So why is he in the Army now?

Taking on Wal-Mart. Seven women looking for payday. Could millions more collect?

And from the frontlines to frontrunner. What you might not know about Wesley Clark's past.

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, September, 24 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

The pentagon is scrambling to plug security loopholes at its Guantanamo Bay detention center for Taliban and al Qaeda suspects now that two members of the U.S. military has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and aiding the enemy.

Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: (AUDIO GAP) suspect is under surveillance, although no one has been arrested.

These cases have been raising a lot of questions. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The questions are obvious. How could a lowly military translator at Camp Delta, the super secure prison for al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, gain access to some of the most sensitive, secretive data about the detainees?

SCHUMER: What the heck is going on here? This is the Pentagon, not the INS.

MCINTYRE: The charge sheet for senior airman Ahmad Al Halabi lists dozens of security breaches, everything from downloading information to his laptop computer from a secure system, to gathering over 180 electronic versions of written notes from prisoners, to delivering unauthorized food, namely baklava pastries.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Anytime you have allegations like this, you always look at your procedures and your process. And that would be natural and normal. So we'll do that.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon insists before the arrest of Captain James Lee (sic), a Muslim chaplain, who is also suspected but not charged with spying, it was already reviewing its procedures for appointing chaplains, as well as the outside religious organizations that is certify them. Unnamed citizens of Syria were alleged to be the intended recipient of the information from Air Force translator Al Halabi. But Syria denies any connection to him.

IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN CHARGE D'AFFAIRS: We do not need information from him. Second -- this is very important. Syria is not concerned at all with any supposedly Islamic extremists that might be held in any American prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Al Halabi's lawyer insists he's not a spy or a terrorist. He is from Syria and was heading back there, but not to pass secrets, says his lawyer -- to get married -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jamie, thanks very much.

Painful, baffling and outrageous. Those are some of the words he's using to describe the apparent security breaches at Guantanamo. Senator Charles Schumer is looking for answers. But he also has questions about the vetting of one of the suspects, a Muslim army chaplain.

Senator Schumer is joining us now live from Capitol Hill.

Senator, what's your biggest problem, your biggest concern right now?

SCHUMER: Well, my biggest concern is, obviously, the big picture, security at this base. Obviously, this is one of our most sensitive bases, having hundreds of, potentially, al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. And in two instances, it looks like that security was breached, whether a criminal law was broken or not. And how did that happen?

My second concern is the way we have chosen chaplains in the Army as well as in the prisons, although that's a separate issue. There is one group, the Wahabi group, that's an extreme, violent, professing form of Islam, not like the rest of Islam, which is a peaceful religion. And they seem to have a stranglehold on who becomes a chaplain in the Army.

BLITZER: Are -- are you referring, Senator, to the group called the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council? Is that what you're referring to?

SCHUMER: I am.

BLITZER: And -- but they just certify these chaplain. They don't necessarily train them.

SCHUMER: Well, there's training that goes on by a few of the other groups as well. And there is training. They have trained some of these chaplains.

They don't train them in terms of the Army procedures and stuff, but they do give them some kinds of training and indoctrination, et cetera. But they shouldn't be choosing them.

BLITZER: But is there any difference between Muslim chaplains are chosen by the U.S. military as opposed to Christian chaplains or Jewish chaplains?

SCHUMER: Well, the bottom line is, if you had one only group of Christians -- say, it was a very, very dogmatic group of Christians or a dogmatic group of Jews and the rest, the 99 percent of Christians and Jews who are part of mainstream did not get their chaplains.

That's the problem here. One is pluralism -- that there are many, many Muslim men and women in the Army who are Sunni or Shia and they don't want a Wahabi chaplain.

But the second, the Wahabi group, has tended to profess violence. Many of the chaplains who were chosen, not only in the Army but in the prisons, state and local, have professed admiration for the hijackers. This is -- this shouldn't be. And you don't have a right -- you have a right to say what you think in America. You don't have a right to be chosen a chaplain.

BLITZER: We -- we're going to be speaking later this hour with a representative of an American Muslim group. But some have already complained about an anti-Muslim hysteria that's developing that people are jumping to conclusions before anyone -- any of the evidence really has been seen by anyone.

SCHUMER: The two groups that choose chaplains in the Army are both under investigation for terrorism. They have met a probable cause standard. That -- to say that that defames Muslim to defame Muslims and Islam itself, because the vast majority, overwhelming majority of Muslims in America are peaceful and pro-American. And these small groups have sort of been hijacked to an extreme position. They do not represent Muslims in America. But they do represent a danger to America, as we have seen.

BLITZER: So are you satisfied now, Senator, that the Pentagon is doing everything they should be doing, the FBI,...

SCHUMER: No.

BLITZER: ..the Justice Department, to make sure if there is a problem, it's being resolved?

SCHUMER: I do not.

You know, I wrote them six months ago, before any of this came about, about these groups. As of two days ago, they said they did nothing. Now, they say they're looking into it with these recent revelations.

But I think, over all, when it comes to security, the Army has been far too lax. How is it that the kind of background checks that we should be doing for anyone to set foot in Guantanamo hasn't done. How is it that even if the criminal standard isn't met -- because, at this point, there are allegations -- did we find such security breaches? I think the Army has a long way to go in terms of tightening up security at Guantanamo, and probably, although I don't know this for a fact, but it's logical at other sensitive bases at well.

BLITZER: Senator Charles Schumer, thanks very much for joining us.

And later this hour, we'll get the views of a representative of the American -- the Council on American-Islamic Relations. That's coming up here on CNN as well.

They were on opposite sides of the fence when it came to the war in Iraq. But today, President Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder were busy mending fences, saying they've set aside their differences and will look to the future. The German leader pledged economic and technical aid for the rebuilding of Iraq and renewed an offer to help train Iraqi security forces.

The Pentagon is considering deploying more National Guard and reserve troops to Iraq. Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman General Peter Pace says it may be necessary if a third multinational force can't be assembled soon. Pace says the decision to alert reservists will be made in the next six weeks.

In Baghdad, an attack apparently aimed at U.S. forces missed its target. But the results were still deadly.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is live in the Iraqi capital. He's joining us now live with details -- Harris.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. It was indeed another a day of violence in Iraq, this time around several Iraqi civilians were the perhaps unattended victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK (voice-over): Kazimia (ph) district in central Baghdad, scene of the latest act of terrorism in the Iraqi capital. A bomb intended for a passing U.S. military vehicle blew up two public buses instead, killing at least one person, a 17-year-old passenger, and injuring a dozen civilians.

Relatives cried as injured patients were treated at a nearby hospital, an all too familiar scene for Baghdad's weary emergency response workers.

The latest bombing came as many in the Iraqi capital reacted to U.S. President George W. Bush's speech at the United Nations by blaming the U.S. for their current troubles.

"Any Iraqi you ask will tell you that we are capable of handling our own affairs," says this Baghdad resident.

Many of the U.S. soldiers in Iraq who saw the speech were glad the U.S. is seeking international support, but others say the president's performance gave them little inspiration.

STAFF SGT. JASON DUNGAN, U.S. ARMY: I wasn't particularly impressed with anything new that he came out with. I think he just brought out some old issues that the U.N. hasn't -- hasn't took any action on yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK: Now, regardless of the U.N., the fact is that the occupation of Iraq has not turned out quite the way the Bush administration expected, and opinions here seem to reflect at least some of those voiced by Bush's audience at the United Nations -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Harris, you've been speaking with U.S. troops on the ground in Baghdad and elsewhere since you've returned to Iraq. What's the mood that you get from these young men and women who are on the frontlines out there?

WHITBECK: Well, a lot of them were hoping to hear words during the Bush speech at the U.N. that would indicate that they might be heading home. And of course, few heard those words. So there is a mixture of resignation on the part of some. Some say we're here to do a job. We have to do it until we're allowed to go home. But others -- there is -- there has been a continued sense of frustration on the part of some soldiers who feel that they've already been here too long.

BLITZER: CNN's Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad for us. Harris, thanks very much for joining us.

So what do Baghdad residents think about the situation in their country? A new Gallup Poll, which CNN was not involved with, is shedding some light -- 62 percent say ousting Saddam Hussein indeed was worth any hardships they have suffered since the coalition invasion. But only about one-third say the country is better off since then; 47 percent say it's worse off.

Still, there is optimism, according to this poll -- 67 percent of those asked Iraq will be better off in five years.

Honor betrayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night, and he was holding me down by the throat licking my face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A former male cadet admits to Air Force investigators he assaulted a female classmate. So why was he never prosecuted?

Plus, sexual discrimination charges against the nation's biggest retailer. The woman -- women, that is, taking on Wal-Mart.

And pushing to play at the highest level. But one NFL rule is blocking this star's way. We'll get to all of that. First, though, our "News Quiz."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Who was the youngest player ever drafted by the National Football League? Emmitt Smith? Terrell Suggs? Jamir Miller? Michael Vick? The answer coming up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Still to come, he could be President Bush's strongest competition in 2004. But there's a lot you probably don't know about General Wesley Clark.

We'll take a closer look at his past. All that coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In less than four hours, the five major candidates in the California recall election will face off in the only debate Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to take part in, at least so far.

Our national correspondent Bob Franken is in Los Angeles for us. He's got a look at what's at stake tonight -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, believe it or not, the event this evening is going to take on an actual look of normalcy, if there's anything about this race we can consider normal. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Who would have thought that a large television audience would actually watch a political debate, particularly in California? But this is, after all, the Super Bowl of debates, at least that's what candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger calls it. And well he should, considering it's the only one he's agreed to attend, the only one where the questions were released in advance.

Some real toughies like:

What do you expect to accomplish in the time remaining on Gray Davis' term that he could not?

LT. GOV. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D), CALIFORNIA: In the middle of a crisis, there is no script.

FRANKEN: But the candidates to replace Gray Davis will the have a chance to throw unscripted zingers at each other, and Schwarzenegger's ability to stand up to that could be make-or-break for him.

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Schwarzenegger has to reassure voters that he has the experience, the skill, the knowledge to handle this job.

FRANKEN: There are five actors in tonight's drama, the other principal and barely (ph) principled candidates: Peter Camejo of the Green Party, conservative-turned-liberal-turned-whatever Arianna Huffington, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, there just in case his fellow Democrat Davis doesn't survive the recall.

And there's Arnold Schwarzenegger and that other Republican, Tom McClintock, who will likely do what he can to inspire a bad performance by the actor. McClintock is under intense pressure from many party leaders of the race to pull out of the race and clear the way. He's siphoning votes from Schwarzenegger, they claim.

But if the leading man's stars should fade tonight, McClintock could very well dig his heels in further. A decent performance by Schwarzenegger, and the clamor for McClintock to step aside will probably grow more frantic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Meanwhile, Governor Davis is going to be watching, not participating. And as he battles to avoid recall, he can only hope that all of his potential replacements do poorly -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob, the stakes are huge nationally as well, including for President Bush. Is there any sign the White House at all is getting involved in trying to influence McClintock or Schwarzenegger or anyone else, for that matter?

FRANKEN: The White House has gone underground on this. Most Democrats believe that there is some surreptitious involvement by the White House, but it's going out of its way, the administration is going out of its way not to be splattered by this.

BLITZER: CNN's Bob Franken with the latest from Los Angeles. We'll watch the debate. I'm sure you will as well. Thanks, Bob, very much.

CNN, by the way, plans live coverage of this California recall debate tonight. You can watch the candidates square off. They will be here on CNN 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Will you watch the California recall debate tonight?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. But you can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Voting in the recall election is already under way in some places. Los Angeles County election officials are letting voters cast early ballots today using touch-screen voting machines. A dozen have been set up at sites throughout the county. In addition, more than 600,000 absentee ballots have already been cast statewide.

Growing fears inside Gitmo. That's the U.S. naval base, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Are al Qaeda spies working inside the U.S. military?

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many things were happening so fast I couldn't believe it. And the next thing I knew I just grabbed a sword, put it between my legs and locked myself in a ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Scandal: inside the Air Force Academy. A female is assaulted but the male walks away under honorable conditions.

And warnings of a severe flu season and worries Americans won't be prepared. What you need to know right now. All that. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JAMES YEE, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: I had built a rapport, I had built relationships with the detainees, so they feel, many of them, several of them, the majority feel comfortable talking to me, knowing that I will sincerely address their concerns through the camp relations for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That was U.S. Army Captain James Yee, a Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, now being held for suspected security breaches. Also held, Air Force translator Ahmed Al Halabi. He's charged with espionage and aiding the enemy. Is there a terrorist connection? Are Muslim members of the U.S. military being unfairly singled out? Joining me is Ibrahim Hooper of the Counsel on American-Islamic Relations. Ibrahim, thanks very much for joining us. This is pretty shocking stuff. It must be a nightmare for American Muslims, in particular?

IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNSEL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Unfortunately, the American Muslim community is already under suspicion. And this kind of unfortunate incident only adds to that burden. And we see -- like we had Senator Schumer exploiting the situation to try and further disenfranchise and marginalize American Muslims.

BLITZER: When you say exploit the situation, he's obviously concerned...

HOOPER: Schumer has a long history of jousting with the American Muslim community and its leadership. He's using this to further his political agenda. But first...

BLITZER: Let me press you on this, because on this particular -- he's, obviously, concerned that maybe there's a security breach...

HOOPER: He's throwing out these hot button terms, Wahabi, militant, extremist. He never names names. He never gives evidence. So people are left thinking there is a vast conspiracy out there. And it's just nonsense.

But first of all, if there was treason, if there was espionage, if there was any law that was broken, people should be punished. That, the American Muslim community...

BLITZER: And this particular case, Al Halabi is specifically charged with -- and we'll put it up on the screen -- espionage, aiding the enemy, false statements, bank fraud, failing to obey orders. Obviously, those are among the most serious kinds of charges.

HOOPER: If they're true, bring evidence in an open court of law, try him, convict him, punish him.

BLITZER: But you have confidence in the military code of justice?

HOOPER: I think the facts aren't all out yet. I think, we need to see what's really there. What we're hearing are leaks, behind the scenes reports. We need to see actual evidence. We need to see it in open court and be judged by a reasonable people.

BLITZER: As you know, a lot of Muslims in the United States, indeed a lot of non-Muslims are pretty angry about what's happening at Guantanamo Bay. There are laws, obviously, that U.S. military personnel have to obey. Is there a sense that some American Muslims in the U.S. military may be so upset about what they see happening at Guantanamo Bay, they may decide to take matters into their own hands?

HOOPER: We don't know, because we don't know what the conditions are down there. Everything is shrouded in such secrecy we don't know what's happening. That adds to the mystery of the situation. If they would allow the inspectors to go in, somebody to go in and say, here's what's happening, that would open up the situation quite a bit. I don't think we have seen all the facts in this case.

BLITZER: We have seen very few of the facts so far. We got a limited amount of information. I want to show our viewers, Ibrahim we want to show you as well, we just got a picture of Mr. Al Halabi. There he is Ahmad Al Halabi, the senior airmen. This is the first time we've seen a picture of this man accused of espionage, aiding the enemy and these other charges. What's been the reaction in your community since word came earlier this week of these two cases?

HOOPER: I think the Muslim community and the Arab American community are shell shocked at this point. They're seeing a stream, a drum beat of these kinds incidents, one after another. And we're not seeing support from political circles from elected officials, from opinion leaders.

In fact, why aren't we hearing President Bush come out and defend the patriotism of the thousands of American Muslims who are serving loyally in the military instead of focusing on these two cases and, again, focusing on the religion? Let's judge the case based on the evidence, not on religion or ethnicity.

BLITZER: Fair enough. Thanks very much Ibrahim Hooper for joining us.

A female cadet tells her story of suffering and fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he tried to have his way, but I just stayed in that ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You won't believe what happened to her admitted attacker.

And a hang-up on the do not call list. Find out why a federal ruling may keep your phone ringing, even during dinnertime.

Plus, not playing by the rules or not playing because of the rules. One football star challenges the NFL. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The nation's largest employer possibly facing the largest sexual discrimination case ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hadn't gotten promoted for 15 years. I didn't get promoted until after the lawsuit.

BLITZER: Find out what's at stake for Wal-Mart. WOLF BLITZER REPORT is back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

In just a moment, where's the honor?

A male cadet admits to investigators he attacked a female classmate. Still how can he reenlist in the army?

But first, a check of the latest headlines.

(NEWS BREAK)

BLITZER: The U.S. Congress here in Washington is getting a chance to hear firsthand about the Air Force Academy sex scandal. Earlier, a civilian panel blamed the leaders for ignoring repeated warning signs of problems. You are about to hear first-hand of such a case. CNN learned of this story from our affiliate KMGH and its investigator team. It deals with the assault of a female cadet by an upper level cadet who admits the assault. The woman was so traumatized by what happened, she lost her dream of becoming an Air Force Officer and discharged for medical reason after the attack. Here is her side of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYA: I just remember waking up in the middle of the night, and he was holding me down by the throat licking my face. At first I didn't know who it was. I didn't know who it was. It was pitch black. So many things were happening so fast I couldn't believe it. The next thing I knew, I just grabbed the sword and locked myself in a ball. He tried to have his way, but I just stayed in that ball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The male cadet, Maurice Cooper, later received a general discharge under honorable contusions following a separate drinking incident. He's now in the U.S. Army.

Recently, John Ferrugia of CNN affiliate KMGH spoke with Cooper. John's joining us live now from Denver. John thanks very much.

I want to play for our viewers a telephone conversation you had with Cooper who sounded, we must say, surprised that the sexual assault was not a factor in his own dismissal. Listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MAURICE COOPER, ACCUSED ATTACKER: It was never addressed and I just found that odd, extremely odd.

JOHN FERRUGIA, KMGH: You mean the Air Force never said to you the reason you are getting out is because you attacked this girl.

COOPER: Not at the hearing, no.

FERRUGIA: So you assumed it's not anywhere on your record.

COOPER: That's what I'm thinking. And nobody has ever asked about it while I have been in the Army either. It's just never been brought up.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, John. What's the fallout. This is so dramatic, so shocking. Tell us what happened since you broke this.

FERRUGIA: Well, Wolf, the army is scrambling to find this guy's enlistment records. They are trying to figure out how he got in, having admitted to sexual assault to air force investigators while in the Air Force Academy. What they suspect is the air force never included that file in his records. So there's no record of it. That's how he got in.

BLITZER: You've been breaking this story left and right. You've been all over it.

Is this an isolated incident, or is it just the beginning of the tip of an iceberg?

FERRUGIA: Well, you know, the broader issue here -- you bring it up as tip of the iceberg. The broader issue really is here, Wolf, are there other cadet whose were dismissed for minor infractions which, when in fact, they were guilty of or suspected of sexual assault? That's like being in a civilian role, being involved in a sexual assault and given a traffic ticket and saying, OK, you're charged with this. The fact is that the air force has those records. We can't get to those records. After our story, when we found out about this, we went to Colorado Senator Wayne Allard, who is in fact on the Senate Arm's Services Committee. He's now begun asking the same questions of the air force. What's in those records. We need to look at them.

BLITZER: Who ultimately makes these kinds of decisions as to the discharge of these cadets under various circumstances?

FERRUGIA: Well, Wolf, when there's a dismissal from the air force academy, typically the recordings up the ladder to air force headquarters at the Pentagon. Someone there has to view it and sign off on it. The question is, was that sex assault file part of that record or did the Air Force Academy leadership fail to give air force headquarters that information so, therefore, they passed it along. That's the real question here. And in this case, that's another question that we've been asking the air force.

BLITZER: What has the air force said to you?

FERRUGIA: Wolf, so far the general counsel of the air force has said in a report that, indeed, this case should have been prosecuted. But we've been asking very specific questions about the procedures, how this case was handled, whether other cases are being looked at, simply nothing. They have not responded in anyway whatsoever.

BLITZER: That's John Ferrugia of our affiliate KMGH joining us from Denver. John, good work. Thanks for all that important reporting.

The company's largest employer could soon be facing the largest civil rights lawsuit ever. It depends on the outcome of a federal court hearing in San Francisco today.

CNN's Jen Rogers is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wal-Mart is probably the largest film processor. This is one photo they would rather not develop. Four women on the courthouse steps who charge Wal-Mart discriminated against them. With more employees than G.M., Ford, IBM, and General Electric combined, Wal-Mart is the largest employer. Soon it could be facing the largest civil rights lawsuit ever. Right now, it is just a handful of current and former female employees who are suing the retail giant, alleging Wal-Mart discriminates against them when it comes to pay and promotions. But the women's attorneys are hoping to win class action status for the case, arguing in federal court today these are not isolated incidents, but part of a larger pattern at the nation's number one retailer.

JOCELYN LARKIN, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: These women feel that Wal- Mart has not given a fair shake to women in terms of their ability to advance within the company and to be paid fairly for the same work.

ROGERS: Attorneys for the women argue two-thirds of hourly employees at Wal-Mart are women, but only one-third of managers are female.

CHRISTINE KWAPNOSKI, PLAINTIFF: I hadn't gotten promoted for 15 years. I didn't get promoted until after this lawsuit.

ROGERS: Wal-Mart denies the charges and says it has a policy against discrimination of any kind.

MONA WILLIAM, V.P. OF COMMUNICATIONS WAL-MART: There could be isolated instances of someone making the wrong decision. We do everything we can to make sure all associates are treated fairly.

ROGERS: (on camera): If the judge certifies the lawsuit as a class action case, the number of women involved could balloon to 1.5 million. The judge is expected to make his decision within the next few months.

Jen Rogers. CNN Financial News, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Managers of the company's largest pension funds want big changes in the New York Stock Exchange. They met today with a special governance committee just days after the pay scandal that forced the resignation of the chairman Dick Grasso. The fund managers want the Securities and Exchange Commission to do a review of the NYSE's pay and policies, and even stock trading -- even review stock trading practices.

Big changes for some Microsoft Web users overseas. The country (sic) says starting October 14, its MSN Web sites will no longer offer unsupervised chat rooms in 28 countries. The U.S. and Canada are not included. Microsoft says the change is designed to protect all users from spam and to protect children from what it calls inappropriate communication.

How young is too young? One player sues the NFL over a rule that's keeping him benched.

And a sticky subject. Should you roll up your sleeve for the flu shot this season?

Plus, his career path media aura (ph), but part of Wesley Clark's background will indeed surprise you. I'll explore his life and times. That's first just ahead.

First, let's take a quick check of some stories making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Pope cancels audience. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II canceled his weekly audience today in St. Peter's square because of illness. The Vatican officials say the move was only a precautionary measure. The 83 year-old Pope is suffering from intestinal problems. He recently returned from a grueling trip to Slovakia where he appeared frail and short of breath.

A new suspect in Sweden. Stockholm police have announced a second arrest in the stabbing death of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. The unidentified man was arrested today. Prosecutor's say the first man detained in the case is no longer suspected of the murder and has been set free.

Stoning verdict due. Lawyers in Nigeria say it is difficult to predict the outcome of a case that has attracted worldwide attention. A Muslim appeals court is scheduled to rule tomorrow in the case of a woman sentenced to be put to death by stoning for adultery. She was convicted after having a baby ten months after a divorce.

Terrifying ordeal, rescuers have pulled 2 Colombian men to safety after they were trapped by a landslide. The men were trapped while repairing an aqueduct. They were rescued after 4 hours.

Revising history. Hillary Clinton's best-selling autobiography "Living History," has gone on sale in China, but not without facing the sensor's knife. A local publisher cut out some negative references to China, including passages dealing with human rights issues and the suppression of the media. While Beijing did not sanction the move, censorship of books, films and Web sites is common in the communist country. And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Wesley Clark jumped into the Democratic presidential race last week and landed in the lead, at least for now. The retired 4-star general is tested in battle, but not necessarily in politics, at least not in civilian politics. Here is a look at the man behind the medals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): There's never been much question that Wesley Clark was brilliant, ambitious, focused. But could a former supreme allied commander follow in the footsteps of his reported hero Dwight David Eisenhower and become a popular public figure when he was unpopular within the U.S. Army?

GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET): He has taken some bum raps on some of the reputation. He does have the reputation to use people to get ahead.

BLITZER (voice-over): His drive began in childhood. His father, an Orthodox Jew died when Clark was 5. His mother moved him from Chicago to Arkansas and remarried. Clark took his stepfather's last name, was raised a Baptist, later became Catholic. He says he didn't find out about his Jewish roots until he was a young man and looked up Jewish cousins and keeps in close touch with them to this day.

The ambition in evidence early enrolling in West Point in 1962. He was a top debater there, graduated at the top of his class. A Rhodes Scholarship followed but so did jealousy, resentment.

WESLEY CLARK, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what you have to understand about the armed forces, it is a competitive bureaucracy. People enter at the bottom and come out at the top. There's a lot of gossip. There's some sharp elbows in there.

BLITZER (voice-over): The crucible of Vietnam defined Clark's military generation. His awards: a purple heart, bronze star, silver star, rising star. Wesley Clark would go on to become chief of the U.S. Southern Command, and in a fortuitous time, NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. In that role, he was widely praised for his diplomatic skills with NATO leaders.

GRANGE: He had some, I'd say, wild ideas for how though handle Bosnia and Kosovo. But then, somebody needed to think out of the box in order to accomplish some of the missions that were not being accomplished.

BLITZER (voice-over): 1999, the United States finally took a stand against ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Wesley Clark's NATO forces drove the Serbs out without one Allied combat death. But Clark feuded with his bosses, Joint Chief Chairmen Hugh Shelton and Defense Secretary William Cohen, mostly over Clark's insistent push for the use of ground troops and Apache helicopters.

WILLIAM COHEN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are no plans to send troops in a nonpermissive environment.

BLITZER (voice-over): Clark lost that political battle, then lost a larger one. Observers say he simply alienated Cohen and Shelton too much during Kosovo. Shortly after winning the war, before his tenure as allied command was over, he was forced to step down. Clark was furious.

Whatever bitterness was there, gave way to a civilian retirement highlighted by a book on modern war and a stint as a CNN military analyst. Last week, the ambition surfaced again.

CLARK: And I'm here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America.

BLITZER (voice-over): Wesley Clark announced his presidential candidacy with none of his former military peers in attendance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And tomorrow, the general will have his first opportunity to participate in a Democratic presidential debate. We'll see how he does there.

Some say it is one of the deadliest illnesses facing millions each year, but its also one of the easiest to prevent. The facts you need to know about the flu shot. That's coming up straight ahead.

And a controversial college football star. His latest move. Another surprise. We'll tell you all about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, who was the youngest player ever drafted by the National Football League? The answer, Jamir Miller. He was 20 years, five months, seven days old when he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals from UCLA in the first round of the 1994 draft.

On the grid iron, the suspended Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett wants an early shot at the NFL so he's suing a league. He's asking a judge to throw out a rule that prevents him from entering the draft until he's been out of high school for three years. The latest on this story now from CNN's Steve Overmyer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A football coach can wait his whole career for a Maurice Clarett. Still in his teens and only months removed from his High School graduation, the Ohio native led his home state Buckeye's to college football's national title. But as another autumn arrived, Clarett suddenly found himself with no place to play.

ANDY GEIGER, ATHLETIC DIR. OHIO STATE: This is a sad day, and we regret deeply what Maurice Clarett has lost and what the Ohio State University, our football family, our fans have lost for this year.

OVERMYER: Ohio State says Maurice Clarett broke the rules of college sports. That he accepted money from an Ohio businessman and lied about it when questioned by investigators. His choices were to accept a one-year suspension or continue his college career at a lower level.

One choice he did not have was to play football at the very highest level, the NFL. Teenagers have been playing pro basketball, hockey and major league baseball for decades, but Clarett, who will be 20 in October, cannot jump to the NFL because of a rule that says an incoming player must be three years past his high school graduation. On Tuesday, Clarett took steps to challenge that rule.

PETER RUSH, ATTORNEY: It's unclear why they have the restriction. Did not offer a great reason for it, which, to me, signals there is no good reason for it.

OVERMYER: The NFL is fighting hard to keep the policy intact, saying they league has very sound reasons for denying athletes, like Clarett, the chance to compete for a job, but skeptics say the league has simpler motives.

MIKE FISH, SI.COM COLUMNIST: The way it is now, the colleges have it made because these kids can't leave. The pros and NFL have to leave because they don't have to develop their own talent. The system is already there. It's free. They are getting free talent provided by the colleges.

OVERMYER: The NBA lost a similar challenge more than 30 years ago, but the NFL could win in court if it could prove its rule is part of a collective bargaining agreement with its players. For CNN sports, I'm Steve Overmyer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Now to your health, a story that could save your life. U.S. officials are bracing for what could be an especially bad flu season. They are putting out an important warning. Here is CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A severe flu season is just wrapping up in Australia. And that's giving public health officials hints as to how bad it might be in the northern hemisphere.

NANCY COX, CDC: These troublesome viruses may predominate in the coming influenza season in the U.S.

COHEN: If that's the case, there are worries Americans won't be prepared because many people who should get vaccinations don't. COX: We have the lowest vaccination rates among high-risk children and young adults.

COHEN: The flu kills 36,000 Americans each year. Some people are especially vulnerable and that's why the Centers for Disease Control recommends flu shots for anybody with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or asthma, for anyone over age 50, for children ages 6 to 23 months and women who will be at least three months pregnant during the flu season.

And here is how many actually do get shots, 34 percent of 50 to 64 year-olds and just 10 percent of children with asthma. This year, for the first time, there's an alternative to getting the shot, a nasal spray. But there are two catches.

One, the people who need it most like the elderly and small children, are not allowed to get it for medical reasons. It contains a version of the live virus. Only healthy adults can get the spray. And it is expensive. So even though an ouch free alternative sounds great, it probably won't make a big change during a season that based on Australia's experience could be unpleasant. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We'll have the results of our Web question. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day, will you watch the California recall debate tonight? Look at this 19 percent say yes, 81 percent say no. We remind you, this is not a scientific poll, but watch tonight's debate if you want. CNN live coverage, 9:00 pm Eastern.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

END

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Force Academy Cadet Attacked, Attacker Discharged Honorably; Women Accuse Wal-Mart Of Sexual Discrimination In Lawsuit>