Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Haitians Head for Safe Heaven; Parents Push for Answers in Columbine Massacre
Aired February 26, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ready to attack. As rebels ring the capital, Haitians head for safe haven any way the can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They should be sent back to Haiti.
BLITZER: Are the gates closed?
Columbine massacre. Parents push for answers. Now, newly- revealed evidence shows the horror. How much did authorities know before the killing?
Shock jock silenced.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Suspended and off the air in six markets.
BLITZER: Pulling the plug on Howard Stern. Who's next? I'll ask radio talk show host Michael Savage.
Same-sex celebrity. Rosie O'Donnell says, I do. But what else is she saying?
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, February 25, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And, in fact, only within the past few minutes, celebrity Rosie O'Donnell has tied the knot with her partner, Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco. They spoke afterwards. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, MARRIED LESBIAN PARTNER IN SAN FRANCISCO: Some people asked us where we were going on our honeymoon with four kids under the age of 8. There will be no honeymoon.
But I'd like to thank the city of San Francisco for this amazing...
(CHEERS)
O'DONNELL: ... for the amazing stance that the mayor has taken and for all of the people here who assisted not just us but the thousands and thousands of other law-abiding, loving American families who wanted the rights to have families...
(CHEERS)
O'DONNELL: And I thank you all for being here. I just -- one thought ran through my mind over and over on the plane as we were flying out here. With liberty and justice for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time partner Kelli Carpenter only within the past few minutes got married in San Francisco. Later this hour we'll go to San Francisco. Our correspondent Rusty Dornin is standing by with all of the details of this wedding. Some 3,300 same-sex weddings have now taken place in San Francisco.
Let's move on now to what's brewing as a major international crisis. Haiti may be poised to be on the brink of disaster. With peace efforts seemingly stalled, rebels say they're ready to attack the capital whenever they get the order. They've warned citizens to stay indoors but many already are fleeing with an increasing number headed for the United States where the order is to stop them before they get anywhere close to U.S. land.
We'll go live to our national security correspondent David Ensor, to CNN's John Zarrella in Miami. But we begin on the ground in Haiti. That's where CNN's Lucia Newman is standing by with the latest -- Lucia.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Wolf. Well, the pressure is mounting on President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down. The rumors are spreading like the California wildfires that he's already cut a deal to go to Panama. In fact, another one is that he's already on his way to Morocco.
But when the president spoke to CNN just a couple hours ago by phone, and we asked whether or not he was even considering resigning, his answer was a flat no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, PRESIDENT OF HAITI: We had 32 coup d'etat, it's enough. We need now to respect the constitutional order. And I will leave the palace on February 7, 2006, which is good for our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWMAN: Here in the capital the situation remains tense. Today U.S. Marines escorted all non-essential all U.N. personnel and their families to the airport. Yesterday they hadn't been able to make it because of all of the roadblocks along the way.
Also, businesses are closed, almost all of them, gas stations are opening only open a couple of hours and people are cuing up to get extra fuel in case there should be trouble here in the capital.
In the meantime the rebels are in a holding pattern, just waiting for what they say is the right time to pounce on the capital Port-au- Prince -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Lucia Newman on the ground for us in Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Thank you, Lucia, very much.
Peace efforts have faltered with President Aristide vowing to hang on and opposition groups rejecting a power-sharing deal. But for now the search for a solution is continuing, indeed taking on a much greater sense of urgency.
Let's get details from our national security correspondent David Ensor -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, indeed, that urgency is being felt here in Washington. It's being felt Paris and Caribbean capitals and at the United Nations in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice-over): The deepening crisis in Haiti prompted an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council at which there were calls for international force to go in and impose law and order.
K.D. KNIGHT, JAMAICAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Immediate action is needed to safeguard democracy.
ENSOR: France and other governments are calling on Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down as demanded by the Haitian opposition and the armed rebels. The U.S. has not publicly done so though Secretary of State Powell's support for Aristide seemed tepid at best in an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want President Aristide to do what he thinks is best for his country. What we're looking for is a political solution to end the violence.
ENSOR: A former U.S. ambassador to Haiti was more direct.
TIMOTHY CARNEY, FRM. U.S. AMB. TO HAITI: We're at the end game for President Aristide. If he wants to have any kind of a legacy, any reputation left, it is time for him to draw the right conclusions and prepare his exit.
ENSOR: Pentagon officials say they are now examining various plans, ranging from ways to evacuate embassies to ways to protect humanitarian supplies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: So far the U.S. and other governments that could be involved are hesitating to send forces to Haiti. They prefer to press for a ceasefire on a political deal first. Meantime, of course, the desperation of Haitians, especially to the north, continues to deepen -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor with the latest on that. Thank you, David, very much. And to our viewers, you can see the complete interview with the Secretary of State Colin Powell tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That airs 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
With Haiti, though, clearly in turmoil, many people are trying to get out. The arrival of a ship off the Florida coast is raising new concerns about a refugee crisis. CNN's John Zarrella is joining us now live from Miami -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, that 200-foot freighter, the Margot, continues to sit about ten miles off the Florida coast. On board the Margot remain the 17 Haitians believed to have forced the captain of that vessel to bring them to Miami within the last few days.
Meanwhile, despite this particular incident and incidents in the Windward Passage off the coast of Haiti where 500 Haitians are believed to be already on board U.S. Coast Guard cutters, the Coast Guard here in Miami is telling CNN that there is no indication that this is the beginning of a mass migration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): One day after the Coast Guard intercepted this freighter off the coast of Miami Beach, 17 Haitians remain aboard the ship. Florida Governor Jeb Bush says it's clear, the Haitians hijacked the vessel and he says they should be sent home.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: They hijacked a boat, they hijacked a large vessel. And unless they have a well-founded fear of persecution that is specific that meets the criteria of our laws, they should be sent back.
ZARRELLA: In the early 1990s, tens of thousands of Haitians fleeing political unrest set sail for the United States, igniting a huge immigration controversy in Florida. Governor Bush's brother, the president, is determined to stop that from happening again.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will turn back any refugee that attempts to reach our shores.
ZARRELLA: The administration says it's concerned that the refugee boats are dangerous and over crowded. Just the same, the president's statement drew fire from Florida's Haitian-American community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he urged them not to come that would be fine. He said those who are caught will be returned. That is disturbing. That is a very tragic situation going on in Haiti.
When the president says we're going to send you back regardless of who you are, it's troubling.
ZARRELLA: The freighter off the coast of Miami could be just the beginning. The Coast Guard says it has picked up a total of 500 refugees, most of them from boats in the Windward Passage, the strait separating Haiti from Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Late this afternoon, Coast Guard officials told us that the investigation into what happened on board the Margot will be lengthy, so no telling, Wolf, how long that ship will sit off the Florida coast -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John Zarrella in Miami with that. John, thank you very much.
Andy Apaide is one of the leaders of the coalition opposing Haiti's President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He's joining us now live via telephone from Port-au-Prince.
Mr. Apaide, thank you very much for joining us. You heard President Aristide right here on CNN tell our Judy Woodruff he's not leaving. He's been democratically elected. He doesn't support any coup. What's your reaction?
ANDY APAID, OPPOSITION: Mr. Aristide's options are going and fading away every day with less and less options. And today the democratic platform is promoting the idea of his exit under a negotiated peaceful and orderly process. After a promising return in 1994 with 20,000 marines and $3 billion spent, with all sectors ready to cooperate with Mr. Aristide in 1994, today we have an constitutional crisis and catastrophe.
BLITZER: Are you ready to accept -- Mr. Apaid, excuse me for interrupting. Are you ready to accept the proposal for some sort of solution of power-sharing solution?
APAID: What we have said is that we believe that we can build a government of reconstruction that can be a consensual one, but Mr. Aristide is an element of division in the country. All sectors in the society believe we will have no democratic process with him. He must resign. It is critical because he has never respected his word in any of the international community resolutions and we have an institutional catastrophe by his own doing after he had everything to do it right.
BLITZER: Andy Apaid, thanks very much for joining us. We will continue talking with you. In the meantime, let's bring in the Reverend Jesse Jackson. He's been involved speaking with U.S. officials here in Washington, as well as with President Aristide. Reverend Jackson, what's going to happen now?
REV. JESSE JACKSON: Aristide must go is not a negotiation. What's on the table is, the man who was democrat's elected by the majority of the people has signed an agreement that he and the opposition will accept a strong prime minister. What the U.S. must do is to defend the democracy, no. 1, and, two, use its strength to send in some troops to defend the president's compound as it is defending the U.S. embassy compound, urge the opposition to disarm with consequences. That's what we're doing in Iraq and all around the world. They must disarm or face consequences. Agree to restructure the government, as it were, and send in emergency assistance to the people. That is our obligation.
BLITZER: But it doesn't look -- Reverend Jackson, excuse me for interrupting. It doesn't look like the Bush administration is ready to deploy U.S. troops to get directly involved in that kind of mission. The only troops there are protecting the U.S. embassy compound in Port-au-Prince.
JACKSON: When I hear the words, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, if Mr. Bush will not defend refugees fleeing persecution, not defend democracy in Haiti, then that is tepid leadership. Mr. Bush, Mr. Powell, must speak with the kind of authority they do in Iraq. Today 18 black congressional members sought to meet Mr. Bush. He would not meet. They went in protest and finally he met with them, Mr. Bush, Mr. Powell and Condoleezza Rice. They offered tepid resistance to those who would not accept an agreement. There must have a commitment to defend that democracy as well as to honor international law, the refugees.
BLITZER: Reverend Jackson, thanks very much for joining us. We will continue to talk with you as well. Haiti situation, a huge crisis unfolding with major ramifications for the United States.
Other news we're following, including this. Shock jock suspension. Why the nation's largest radio chain is now pulling the plug on Howard Stern. And who could be next?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an emotional moment when you're looking at a piece of metal that took your daughter's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Columbine shootings. Shocking new videotapes of the two young killers are released, raising painful memories and brand new questions.
And partners in protest, Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time girlfriend, her partner, they travel to California. And as you saw here on CNN, they are now married. We're live from City Hall where the ceremony just happened over the past hour. Our Rusty Dornin is standing by with details. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Major setback today for popular radio shock jock, Howard Stern. He was pulled off the air indefinitely in six major markets around the United States by Clear Channel Communications for supposedly violating nude decency standards. The move comes the same day as Clear Channel's president and CEO John Hogan testified before the House energy and commerce subcommittee. Here's Stern's reaction today on his radio show followed by the Clear Channel executive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD STERN, RADIO PERSONALITY: I got a call from my agent saying, you're suspended in six markets. Actually, he told me I was just suspended in San Diego. I didn't know I was suspended in every market. I go, what did I do wrong? He goes, no one really knows and they don't, either. They've got to come up with something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've got to find something.
STERN: Because the guy had to go testify in front of Congress, the head of Clear Channel. And I feel bad for him. I can't imagine the pressure they're putting on this guy and I feel bad from now on everyone...
JOHN HOGAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS: I'd like to point out that Clear Channel radio airs tens of thousands of hours of programming each week that is in line with community standards and sensibilities. I hope that the subcommittee will understand that the Bubbas of the world and the Howard Sterns of the world are the exception rather than the rule and that they will no longer have a platform on our stations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: No stranger to controversy himself is Michael Savage. He's the popular radio host and commentator, also author of a new best-seller, a second best-seller, "The Enemy Within." He's joining us now live from San Francisco to talk about this. Michael, I know you don't agree with Howard Stern on almost everything, but what do you think of the decision to yank him off the air?
MICHAEL SAVAGE, RADIO HOST: It's a tough one, Wolf. You know, Howard Stern, I don't know how an intelligent man like him could do what he does for a living without shooting his brains out. But that's my choice. I can click past him at night and not watch him. On the other hand, we have a government that's raised fines to $275,000 per incident broadcasted over 100 stations, $27 million for one dirty word or something like that. I don't blame John Hogan.
On the other hand, what's next? A government sensor in every studio, yours and mine? You're on the left, I'm on the right, the country's split down the middle. You're going to gore someone's ox every day. We don't want censorship, however, we need decency, we need some minimal standards. So what's the solution? We have it already. We've just got to enforce them, Wolf.
And the source of control should be where it is now: in your studio, in my studio. The producer should know when you or I go over the line.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: There's one difference, though, he's over the air, which means young kids listening in the early morning hours, they can hear some of what he's saying and there's a difference between what is said, let's say, on cable where you have to pay for it or what you get directly over the air. That's, I guess, the argument that's made why they're yanking him.
SAVAGE: Yes, but he has a producer who can be given very clear instructions by the stations that take him. These are the words, these are the scenes we're not going to let you run. And you should censor them on your side before they get out on the air.
I don't think you or I want to live in a world where we have a government censor sitting at a switch in Washington, D.C., controlling what you may say which offends someone on the right, or what I say which offends someone on the left. We can't live there, Wolf.
So, again, the burden goes back to the local station that's -- program where it's emanating. The producer has to control it.
BLITZER: So should there be a delay and somebody is listening very carefully and bleep it out if there's something very controversial? Is that what your suggesting?
SAVAGE: Well, what's controversial becomes the question. Every day I'm sure that 50 percent of America doesn't like me calling liberals "red diapered doper babies." Is that offensive? I don't know. I think it's accurate.
But is it offensive? Well if it's offensive, so what? Is it vial? No, it's a description. So who's going to judge this? That's the problem, Wolf.
I don't have the answer. I'm not King Solomon. I do know this. We all know what decency is and what decency isn't. Having women with low self-esteem, a stripping naked on the television set, being turned into hunks of meat is not my idea of any broadcast decency and I don't think it should go out, either.
BLITZER: Well let me ask you, does this send the chilling effect? You are a very popular talk show host, you've got a huge audience out there. What has happened to Howard Stern, does it send a chilling effect to you, given the history? You were pulled off of MSNBC because of controversial comments you made about homosexuals.
SAVAGE: Well, sir, there's a left-wing fascism that is de facto acting as the national censorship board. Their ox was gored. I watched Rosie O'Donnell get married today. Frankly, I wanted to vomit.
But I didn't say don't broadcast it. I just turned it off. I found it offensive. I didn't say they should fire Rosie O'Donnell or whatever. I'm not as fascistic as the people on the other side of the aisle. I can tolerate it by turning it off.
They apparently want to control. So what can I tell you, Wolf? It depends upon whose ox is being gored.
BLITZER: So but does it send a chilling effect to you?
SAVAGE: No.
BLITZER: Will you be more careful on what you say on the radio as a result of what's happened today?
SAVAGE: Wolf, I have a PhD. Let me tell you, I'm very careful. I'm trained in science. I try to keep it within a certain boundary. You know I don't go outside that boundary. I don't use those words that I know will offend a child listening to the show. And that's where I draw the lines.
As far as cursing or insulting, you don't need to do that. They insult themselves. My enemies insult themselves with their politics. So it doesn't chill me in that regard.
But the bottom line here is, I don't believe Howard Stern should be taken off the air. I think people should take him off the air if they don't like him by going to another station, number one.
Number two, I think his own producer has an obligation to censor him internally. That's where I think it lies, in the studio.
BLITZER: But you know Howard Stern has been around for a long time. I listened to him this morning driving in. I didn't hear anything different today than I haven't heard a million times on Howard Stern's show before. It doesn't look like what he said in the last few days is any different than what he's been saying for years.
SAVAGE: If a man with a degree from Harvard can talk about panties every day with any degree of enthusiasm, I don't know how he gets up in the morning. But that's what he does for $30 million a year. God bless him if he can do it. I don't watch it. I find it humiliating to the women, I find it humiliating to my own state of mind and the state of America today. But that's my choice. I just don't watch the guy.
He's got his own choices to make. I don't know that taking him off the air is the answer. I think he will self destruct. I think the stations will stop carrying him because they don't need it. They don't want it. And I think that's the ultimate censorship. The ultimate censorship is the free market. That's how I see it.
BLITZER: Michael Savage is the author of a new best-seller, "The Enemy Within," a radio talk show host. Michael, thanks as usual for joining us.
SAVAGE: God bless you, Wolf. You do a great job.
BLITZER: Thank you very much.
Much more news coming up including the Democrats, they're getting ready to debate again. A preview to tonight's action in Los Angeles, that's coming up.
Also, the world most wanted man. Are U.S. and Pakistani forces closing in on Osama bin Laden? I'll speak to a Pakistani journalist who has the inside story.
Lessons learned from a disturbing new tape of the Columbine shooters. Just released. What Colorado officials want you to see and prevent.
And the defiant I do. Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time partner taking the vows of marriage at San Francisco City hall. We'll take you there live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: President Bush was in full campaign mode today visiting Kentucky. He raised more than one million dollars at a fund raiser in Louisville where he also visited a factory.
In his remarks the president called on Congress to make his tax cuts permanent, saying that will create economic growth and jobs.
The president also took aim at his Democratic rivals for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The security and propriety of America are at stake. Our opponents have not offered much in the way of strategies to win the war or policies to expand the economy.
So far, all we hear is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: With the Super Tuesday primaries only five days away, the four remaining Democratic candidates are getting ready to debate in Los Angeles tonight. Judy Woodruff of CNN's "INSIDE POLITICS" is standing by live with a preview -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there, Wolf. I'm on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Right behind me the building where the debate will take place.
It is an important debate, we all know. A lot of everybody who's interested in politics will be watching. Why? Because after one of the speediest primary seasons in modern memory it may all come down to next Tuesday, Super Tuesday.
And at this stage of the campaign there's no mistaking who's the front runner and who is his main challenger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF (voice-over): One called upbeat and energetic. The other, dignified and deliberate. One sometimes prone to Senate speak. The other, fighting the perception he's inexperienced. The two leading Democrats have divergent styles and appeal, but their targets couldn't be more similar.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president is not in touch with what's going on in people's lives. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think George Bush is on the run and I think he's on the run because he doesn't have a record to run on.
WOODRUFF: So with the Super Tuesday primaries now less than a week away, tonight's debate in Los Angeles couldn't be more crucial.
Consider that after more than a dozen televised debates the candidate pool has narrowed to just four.
ART TORRES, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: You are better able to spend more time in examining the candidate's positions and the candidates themselves than you were in Iowa and New Hampshire, where you had nine candidates and a whole plethora of other issues.
WOODRUFF: Of the four, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton have the least to lose. There is much more at stake for Senators Edwards and Kerry.
MARTIN KAPLAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Well, in many ways, it's Kerry's to lose. He is the presumptive nominee and people are watching him to make sure that he is Mr. Electable.
WOODRUFF: So it may come down to survival for Edwards. Can he stop Kerry's momentum? Can he make a last-minute connection with voters? Can he turn the race on its head?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: He has to shake this race up and, also, Edwards doesn't have enough money to run a campaign ads on television in California. That can cost $2 million a week. He doesn't have it. So tonight is his last chance to make an impression.
WOODRUFF: Edwards rallied today in San Francisco. Could voters be swayed by his Southern charm, or will they stick with a steady perceived winner? Tonight's debate could decide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: So, Wolf, a lot of people looking at this debate wondering if this will be the place where John Edwards breaks out of that positive campaign mode and takes it -- takes the debate to John Kerry and tries to draw very sharp distinctions between the two of them. We'll see. It's going to be a conversational format. It promises to be a really interesting debate.
BLITZER: And that will be dramatic if he does that.
Judy, thank you very much -- Judy Woodruff in Los Angeles for us.
And to our viewers, don't miss the CNN "Los Angeles Times" Democratic presidential debate. It airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific, only here on CNN.
Getting married. Rosie O'Donnell and her longtime partner say, I do. We'll have special coverage from San Francisco's City Hall. That's coming up.
Inside the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Secondary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld goes to Afghanistan with a message for those trying to catch him.
Plus, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the fact that those allegations remain I think is deeply irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Tony Blair fires right back after allegations his government spied on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.
Stepping up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, how Pakistani troops are impacting U.S. search efforts for the most wanted terrorist in the world. We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.
The FDA has approved the first drug that promises to attack cancer by choking off its blood supply. The colon cancer drug Avastin can extend the lives of patients with advanced cases by about five months. Experts say the drug significant because it's the first to work according to the theory that tumors must form a network of blood vessels to survive. We'll be hearing a lot more about this in the coming days and weeks.
A former British Cabinet minister says British intelligence agents spied on the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, before the war in Iraq. Prime Minister Tony Blair blasted the accusation earlier today, but he stopped short of actually denying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: We act in accordance with domestic and international law, and we act in the best interest of this country. And our security services are a vital part of the protection of this country. So I'm not going to comment on their operations, not directly, not indirectly. That should not be taken, as I say, as any indication about the truth of any particular allegations and I think the fact that those allegations were made I think is deeply irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And lots of rain, but so far no major floods or mudslides in Southern California. A strong Pacific storm has dumped up to six inches of rain in some parts. Areas left bare by the fall wildfires are still at risk for mudslides as the storm moves east.
Capping a weeklong trip to trouble spots, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was in Afghanistan today. He met with Prime Minister Hamid Karzai and with U.S. troops who are preparing for a spring offensive against al Qaeda. Rumsfeld praised neighboring Pakistan for cracking down on its side of the border and he said he hopes the U.S. can get its hands on Osama bin Laden at some point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Close doesn't count. The world will be a better place when he is captured or killed. That is the goal of a great many nations, 90 nations in the coalition in the global war on terror. And we -- it will happen when it happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Are U.S. forces getting closer to Osama bin Laden? Is Pakistan stepping up the pursuit? Is Pakistan's role making much of a difference?
Joining us now from New York, Ahmed Rashid, author of several books, including "Taliban" and "Jihad."
Ahmed, thanks very much for joining us.
What's the answer to the first question? Are U.S. forces, based on what you know, getting closer to Osama?
AHMED RASHID, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST: Well, what we do know, Wolf, is that the huge resources, special forces, satellite, intelligence, which are shifted to Iraq in 2002 have now come back to Afghanistan, so there is an incredible now amount of pressure. Many of the same resources that captured Saddam Hussein are now back in Afghanistan trying to capture Osama bin Laden.
BLITZER: Based on what you know, the area where Osama bin Laden presumably is, is getting -- is shrinking. Is that right?
RASHID: Well, yes. I mean, that's what local people are saying in Pakistan. There's an incredible focus now on Waziristan, the tribal belt between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he's believed to be hiding.
But it's a very difficult, rugged terrain and much of the population is in sympathy with him.
BLITZER: The role of Pakistan is critical in this search for Osama bin Laden. Is president Pervez Musharraf doing everything he possibly can to help the U.S. in this hunt?
RASHID: I think there has been a change of attitude in Pakistan, especially after the assassination attempts against the president in December and the nuclear scandal in January.
The U.S. now has enormous leverage, I think, over Pakistan, which it is using extensively to try and capture Osama bin Laden. I think there is much better cooperation as far as al Qaeda is concerned. More troops have moved to the border. Pakistan had asked for a lot of equipment, such as night-vision, helicopters. Some of this equipment is now coming in from the Americans.
So I think Pakistan is in a better position now to try and hunt him down.
BLITZER: Who is protecting Osama bin Laden?
RASHID: It's very difficult to say, but this area is very, very sympathetic to him. The Pashtun population here is very sympathetic to him.
He's still obviously spending a lot of money for protection. It's not just goodwill that people are keeping him there, wherever he is. He's spending money and there must be an element of terror, also. Pakistani troops have been killed in this region. American troops have been killed in this region.
BLITZER: And it seems that the Taliban is trying to make some sort of military comeback amidst all of this. What can you tell us about that?
RASHID: Well, there is no doubt that the Taliban have been regrouping. There is a very intense insurgency going on in Southern Afghanistan, quite separate from the al Qaeda attacks which are going up more to the north.
And here, too, this is really hurting President Hamid Karzai and the prospects of holding elections in June, which the government is keen on, which the Americans are keen on. And there, too, there has been a lot of American pressure on Pakistan to be more cooperative. The Taliban have been recruiting extensively in Pakistan.
BLITZER: There is one sensitive, very sensitive issue, whether U.S. troops will be allowed or are allowed to operate from Pakistani soil in this war against terror, the search for Osama bin Laden, the war against the Taliban. What can you tell us about that?
RASHID: Well, President Musharraf has categorical about that, saying there is no way that U.S. troops will be operating in Pakistan. But a lot of technical U.S. personnel, I think, are already there working closely with the Pakistanis, monitoring intelligence and satellite feeds and other things.
Now, you can call them troops. You can call them technical personnel belonging to the American agencies, special forces. But the Pakistanis don't call them troops. The other thing is that there certainly is a threat now, that I think what the Americans have told the Pakistanis is that, if the American forces on the border inside Afghanistan pursue an al Qaeda group and the Pakistani forces are not on the border there to stop them entering Pakistan, where they may be trying to escape, there is a possibility that some U.S. forces may carry out hot pursuit into Pakistan for a short period of time.
BLITZER: Ahmed Rashid, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
RASHID: Thank you.
BLITZER: Reexamining Columbine, the case that shocked America, indeed, much of the world, the Columbine school shootings. Now, a new report out today revealing surprising new information.
Getting mad and getting married. Rosie O'Donnell has just gotten married. And we will have coverage.
And bus beating. The students' videotape attacking another classmate are now formally charged. We'll get to all of that.
First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Border battle. Two Palestinians armed with assault rifles and hand grenades attacked Israelis at a border crossing in Gaza. A gun battle followed. Both Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.
Macedonia mourns. The president of Macedonia is feared dead following the disappearance of his plane over Bosnia. Six other passengers and two pilots were aboard the aircraft. President Boris Trajkovski was on his way to an international investment conference.
Angry aftershock. Frustration is mounting in Morocco over what's being called an inadequate and disorganized response to Tuesday's deadly earthquake. With thousands of survivors homeless and hungry, angry crowds halted and looted relief trucks and attacked a government office.
Widower's revenge? A Swiss Air traffic controller has been stabbed to death outside his home near the Zurich Airport. And police suspect it may have been an act of revenge. The controller was directing air traffic when two planes collided in 2002, killing 71 people. A man who lost his wife and two children in that collision has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Colorado authorities had at least 15 contacts involving the two young men behind the deadly 1999 Columbine High School massacre. That's just one of the details out in a brand new report which officials are making public in hopes of preventing a similar tragedy.
CNN's Adrian Baschuk is live in Golden, Colorado. He's joining us with more -- Adrian.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good evening.
In addition to that report, more than 10,000 items of evidence are on public display. It's been detrimental to some family whose have had to see this, but relief for many who demand full disclosure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK (voice-over): The footage released today by the Colorado attorney general's office is of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris making a video for a school project. The killers appear in trench coats, firing fake guns and showing vivid signs of anger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will freakin' kill you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASCHUK: The firearms, spent bullets and pipe bombs Harris and Klebold used to kill 12 students, a teacher and themselves have been made public, along with 35,000 pages of documents. Wednesday night, victims' parents got a preview.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing how those two kids could get all that in the school without being noticed.
BASCHUK: Officials say one reason they are releasing the report now is to learn from the missed signals to avoid another such tragedy in the future.
KEN SALAZAR, COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have hope that the legacy of Columbine will be one in which our schools become safer and our communities become safer.
BASCHUK: Complaints filed about Eric Harris dating back to 1997 detailed death threats he made to students on the Internet. After the death threats, a Jefferson County sheriff's investigator filed an affidavit for a search warrant seeking to link Eric Harris to a pipe bomb found just two miles from his home.
A lieutenant withdrew the request because there were no eyewitnesses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK: Now, while so much of what these families have seen is disturbing, one thing marks relief. Four 20-pound propane tanks are on display that the killers intended to use as massive bombs, but somehow never exploded -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Adrian Baschuk in Colorado for us -- thanks, Adrian, very much.
In our justice report, a follow-up to a disturbing story we showed you earlier this month. Six Jacksonville Florida students have now been arrested on misdemeanor charges stemming from a videotaped beating of a 12-year-old on a school bus. The victim was not seriously hurt. The students had already been suspended from school over the incident.
Taking a stand against President Bush's opposition to gay marriage. Rosie O'Donnell travels to San Francisco to say, I do.
Plus, in the spotlight, Elvis Presley's granddaughter. Find out why she's caught the media's attention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, COMEDIAN: Some people asked us where we were going on our honeymoon. With four kids under the age of 8, there will be no honeymoon.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A high-profile celebrity is jumping right into the controversy over same-sex marriage. Rosie O'Donnell and her longtime partner flew from New York to San Francisco today to get married in what she calls an act of civil disobedience.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is in San Francisco with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was love and politics, Rosie O'Donnell-style, complete with an act defiance, as O'Donnell and her longtime partner, Kelli Carpenter, stopped on a whirlwind tour here at San Francisco City Hall, were married in the mayor's office and then descended the steps of rotunda here to speak to a couple hundred well- wishers who loudly applauded them.
O'Donnell again repeated that part of the reason she did this was because of what she felt were vile words by President Bush.
O'DONNELL: We were both inspired to come here after the sitting president said the vile and vicious and hateful comments he did on Tuesday.
DORNIN: O'Donnell and Carpenter join some 3,300 gay and lesbian couples that have been married here at San Francisco City Hall.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Do you support Rosie O'Donnell's decision to marry a woman? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results a little bit later in this broadcast. We're also standing by to update you on a new development, Colin Powell speaking out on the future of President Aristide of Haiti. We'll have that for you.
Also ahead, modeling debut. Elvis Presley's granddaughter puts her best foot forward on the catwalk.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Updating our top story, the unrest in Haiti.
Just a little while ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke out very strongly, for the first time seriously questioning the ability of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to remain in power as Haiti's president.
Listen precisely to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: He is the democratically elected president, but he has had difficulties in his presidency. And I think, as a number of people have -- have commented, whether or not he is able to effectively continue as president is something that he will have to examine. I hope he will examine it carefully, considering the interest of the Haitian people. But he is the democratically elected president of Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Strong words from the secretary of state.
Remember, he'll be a guest on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's tonight, Paula Zahn's show. You will see the secretary of state, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day": Do you support Rosie O'Donnell's decision to marry a woman? Forty-two percent of you say yes; 58 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
An Elvis sighting on the fashion runway, it's our picture of the day, obviously not the King himself. But she is his granddaughter, Riley Keough, modeling in Milan for Dolce and Gabbana. The 14-year- old is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and her ex-husband musician Danny Riley Keough. It's the teenager's first time modeling. The designers predict it won't be her last. She's looking good.
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow noon Eastern as well.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Columbine Massacre>
Aired February 26, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ready to attack. As rebels ring the capital, Haitians head for safe haven any way the can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They should be sent back to Haiti.
BLITZER: Are the gates closed?
Columbine massacre. Parents push for answers. Now, newly- revealed evidence shows the horror. How much did authorities know before the killing?
Shock jock silenced.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Suspended and off the air in six markets.
BLITZER: Pulling the plug on Howard Stern. Who's next? I'll ask radio talk show host Michael Savage.
Same-sex celebrity. Rosie O'Donnell says, I do. But what else is she saying?
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, February 25, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And, in fact, only within the past few minutes, celebrity Rosie O'Donnell has tied the knot with her partner, Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco. They spoke afterwards. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, MARRIED LESBIAN PARTNER IN SAN FRANCISCO: Some people asked us where we were going on our honeymoon with four kids under the age of 8. There will be no honeymoon.
But I'd like to thank the city of San Francisco for this amazing...
(CHEERS)
O'DONNELL: ... for the amazing stance that the mayor has taken and for all of the people here who assisted not just us but the thousands and thousands of other law-abiding, loving American families who wanted the rights to have families...
(CHEERS)
O'DONNELL: And I thank you all for being here. I just -- one thought ran through my mind over and over on the plane as we were flying out here. With liberty and justice for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time partner Kelli Carpenter only within the past few minutes got married in San Francisco. Later this hour we'll go to San Francisco. Our correspondent Rusty Dornin is standing by with all of the details of this wedding. Some 3,300 same-sex weddings have now taken place in San Francisco.
Let's move on now to what's brewing as a major international crisis. Haiti may be poised to be on the brink of disaster. With peace efforts seemingly stalled, rebels say they're ready to attack the capital whenever they get the order. They've warned citizens to stay indoors but many already are fleeing with an increasing number headed for the United States where the order is to stop them before they get anywhere close to U.S. land.
We'll go live to our national security correspondent David Ensor, to CNN's John Zarrella in Miami. But we begin on the ground in Haiti. That's where CNN's Lucia Newman is standing by with the latest -- Lucia.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Wolf. Well, the pressure is mounting on President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down. The rumors are spreading like the California wildfires that he's already cut a deal to go to Panama. In fact, another one is that he's already on his way to Morocco.
But when the president spoke to CNN just a couple hours ago by phone, and we asked whether or not he was even considering resigning, his answer was a flat no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, PRESIDENT OF HAITI: We had 32 coup d'etat, it's enough. We need now to respect the constitutional order. And I will leave the palace on February 7, 2006, which is good for our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWMAN: Here in the capital the situation remains tense. Today U.S. Marines escorted all non-essential all U.N. personnel and their families to the airport. Yesterday they hadn't been able to make it because of all of the roadblocks along the way.
Also, businesses are closed, almost all of them, gas stations are opening only open a couple of hours and people are cuing up to get extra fuel in case there should be trouble here in the capital.
In the meantime the rebels are in a holding pattern, just waiting for what they say is the right time to pounce on the capital Port-au- Prince -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Lucia Newman on the ground for us in Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Thank you, Lucia, very much.
Peace efforts have faltered with President Aristide vowing to hang on and opposition groups rejecting a power-sharing deal. But for now the search for a solution is continuing, indeed taking on a much greater sense of urgency.
Let's get details from our national security correspondent David Ensor -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, indeed, that urgency is being felt here in Washington. It's being felt Paris and Caribbean capitals and at the United Nations in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR (voice-over): The deepening crisis in Haiti prompted an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council at which there were calls for international force to go in and impose law and order.
K.D. KNIGHT, JAMAICAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Immediate action is needed to safeguard democracy.
ENSOR: France and other governments are calling on Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down as demanded by the Haitian opposition and the armed rebels. The U.S. has not publicly done so though Secretary of State Powell's support for Aristide seemed tepid at best in an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want President Aristide to do what he thinks is best for his country. What we're looking for is a political solution to end the violence.
ENSOR: A former U.S. ambassador to Haiti was more direct.
TIMOTHY CARNEY, FRM. U.S. AMB. TO HAITI: We're at the end game for President Aristide. If he wants to have any kind of a legacy, any reputation left, it is time for him to draw the right conclusions and prepare his exit.
ENSOR: Pentagon officials say they are now examining various plans, ranging from ways to evacuate embassies to ways to protect humanitarian supplies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: So far the U.S. and other governments that could be involved are hesitating to send forces to Haiti. They prefer to press for a ceasefire on a political deal first. Meantime, of course, the desperation of Haitians, especially to the north, continues to deepen -- Wolf.
BLITZER: David Ensor with the latest on that. Thank you, David, very much. And to our viewers, you can see the complete interview with the Secretary of State Colin Powell tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That airs 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
With Haiti, though, clearly in turmoil, many people are trying to get out. The arrival of a ship off the Florida coast is raising new concerns about a refugee crisis. CNN's John Zarrella is joining us now live from Miami -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, that 200-foot freighter, the Margot, continues to sit about ten miles off the Florida coast. On board the Margot remain the 17 Haitians believed to have forced the captain of that vessel to bring them to Miami within the last few days.
Meanwhile, despite this particular incident and incidents in the Windward Passage off the coast of Haiti where 500 Haitians are believed to be already on board U.S. Coast Guard cutters, the Coast Guard here in Miami is telling CNN that there is no indication that this is the beginning of a mass migration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): One day after the Coast Guard intercepted this freighter off the coast of Miami Beach, 17 Haitians remain aboard the ship. Florida Governor Jeb Bush says it's clear, the Haitians hijacked the vessel and he says they should be sent home.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: They hijacked a boat, they hijacked a large vessel. And unless they have a well-founded fear of persecution that is specific that meets the criteria of our laws, they should be sent back.
ZARRELLA: In the early 1990s, tens of thousands of Haitians fleeing political unrest set sail for the United States, igniting a huge immigration controversy in Florida. Governor Bush's brother, the president, is determined to stop that from happening again.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will turn back any refugee that attempts to reach our shores.
ZARRELLA: The administration says it's concerned that the refugee boats are dangerous and over crowded. Just the same, the president's statement drew fire from Florida's Haitian-American community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he urged them not to come that would be fine. He said those who are caught will be returned. That is disturbing. That is a very tragic situation going on in Haiti.
When the president says we're going to send you back regardless of who you are, it's troubling.
ZARRELLA: The freighter off the coast of Miami could be just the beginning. The Coast Guard says it has picked up a total of 500 refugees, most of them from boats in the Windward Passage, the strait separating Haiti from Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Late this afternoon, Coast Guard officials told us that the investigation into what happened on board the Margot will be lengthy, so no telling, Wolf, how long that ship will sit off the Florida coast -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John Zarrella in Miami with that. John, thank you very much.
Andy Apaide is one of the leaders of the coalition opposing Haiti's President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He's joining us now live via telephone from Port-au-Prince.
Mr. Apaide, thank you very much for joining us. You heard President Aristide right here on CNN tell our Judy Woodruff he's not leaving. He's been democratically elected. He doesn't support any coup. What's your reaction?
ANDY APAID, OPPOSITION: Mr. Aristide's options are going and fading away every day with less and less options. And today the democratic platform is promoting the idea of his exit under a negotiated peaceful and orderly process. After a promising return in 1994 with 20,000 marines and $3 billion spent, with all sectors ready to cooperate with Mr. Aristide in 1994, today we have an constitutional crisis and catastrophe.
BLITZER: Are you ready to accept -- Mr. Apaid, excuse me for interrupting. Are you ready to accept the proposal for some sort of solution of power-sharing solution?
APAID: What we have said is that we believe that we can build a government of reconstruction that can be a consensual one, but Mr. Aristide is an element of division in the country. All sectors in the society believe we will have no democratic process with him. He must resign. It is critical because he has never respected his word in any of the international community resolutions and we have an institutional catastrophe by his own doing after he had everything to do it right.
BLITZER: Andy Apaid, thanks very much for joining us. We will continue talking with you. In the meantime, let's bring in the Reverend Jesse Jackson. He's been involved speaking with U.S. officials here in Washington, as well as with President Aristide. Reverend Jackson, what's going to happen now?
REV. JESSE JACKSON: Aristide must go is not a negotiation. What's on the table is, the man who was democrat's elected by the majority of the people has signed an agreement that he and the opposition will accept a strong prime minister. What the U.S. must do is to defend the democracy, no. 1, and, two, use its strength to send in some troops to defend the president's compound as it is defending the U.S. embassy compound, urge the opposition to disarm with consequences. That's what we're doing in Iraq and all around the world. They must disarm or face consequences. Agree to restructure the government, as it were, and send in emergency assistance to the people. That is our obligation.
BLITZER: But it doesn't look -- Reverend Jackson, excuse me for interrupting. It doesn't look like the Bush administration is ready to deploy U.S. troops to get directly involved in that kind of mission. The only troops there are protecting the U.S. embassy compound in Port-au-Prince.
JACKSON: When I hear the words, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, if Mr. Bush will not defend refugees fleeing persecution, not defend democracy in Haiti, then that is tepid leadership. Mr. Bush, Mr. Powell, must speak with the kind of authority they do in Iraq. Today 18 black congressional members sought to meet Mr. Bush. He would not meet. They went in protest and finally he met with them, Mr. Bush, Mr. Powell and Condoleezza Rice. They offered tepid resistance to those who would not accept an agreement. There must have a commitment to defend that democracy as well as to honor international law, the refugees.
BLITZER: Reverend Jackson, thanks very much for joining us. We will continue to talk with you as well. Haiti situation, a huge crisis unfolding with major ramifications for the United States.
Other news we're following, including this. Shock jock suspension. Why the nation's largest radio chain is now pulling the plug on Howard Stern. And who could be next?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an emotional moment when you're looking at a piece of metal that took your daughter's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Columbine shootings. Shocking new videotapes of the two young killers are released, raising painful memories and brand new questions.
And partners in protest, Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time girlfriend, her partner, they travel to California. And as you saw here on CNN, they are now married. We're live from City Hall where the ceremony just happened over the past hour. Our Rusty Dornin is standing by with details. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Major setback today for popular radio shock jock, Howard Stern. He was pulled off the air indefinitely in six major markets around the United States by Clear Channel Communications for supposedly violating nude decency standards. The move comes the same day as Clear Channel's president and CEO John Hogan testified before the House energy and commerce subcommittee. Here's Stern's reaction today on his radio show followed by the Clear Channel executive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD STERN, RADIO PERSONALITY: I got a call from my agent saying, you're suspended in six markets. Actually, he told me I was just suspended in San Diego. I didn't know I was suspended in every market. I go, what did I do wrong? He goes, no one really knows and they don't, either. They've got to come up with something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've got to find something.
STERN: Because the guy had to go testify in front of Congress, the head of Clear Channel. And I feel bad for him. I can't imagine the pressure they're putting on this guy and I feel bad from now on everyone...
JOHN HOGAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS: I'd like to point out that Clear Channel radio airs tens of thousands of hours of programming each week that is in line with community standards and sensibilities. I hope that the subcommittee will understand that the Bubbas of the world and the Howard Sterns of the world are the exception rather than the rule and that they will no longer have a platform on our stations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: No stranger to controversy himself is Michael Savage. He's the popular radio host and commentator, also author of a new best-seller, a second best-seller, "The Enemy Within." He's joining us now live from San Francisco to talk about this. Michael, I know you don't agree with Howard Stern on almost everything, but what do you think of the decision to yank him off the air?
MICHAEL SAVAGE, RADIO HOST: It's a tough one, Wolf. You know, Howard Stern, I don't know how an intelligent man like him could do what he does for a living without shooting his brains out. But that's my choice. I can click past him at night and not watch him. On the other hand, we have a government that's raised fines to $275,000 per incident broadcasted over 100 stations, $27 million for one dirty word or something like that. I don't blame John Hogan.
On the other hand, what's next? A government sensor in every studio, yours and mine? You're on the left, I'm on the right, the country's split down the middle. You're going to gore someone's ox every day. We don't want censorship, however, we need decency, we need some minimal standards. So what's the solution? We have it already. We've just got to enforce them, Wolf.
And the source of control should be where it is now: in your studio, in my studio. The producer should know when you or I go over the line.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: There's one difference, though, he's over the air, which means young kids listening in the early morning hours, they can hear some of what he's saying and there's a difference between what is said, let's say, on cable where you have to pay for it or what you get directly over the air. That's, I guess, the argument that's made why they're yanking him.
SAVAGE: Yes, but he has a producer who can be given very clear instructions by the stations that take him. These are the words, these are the scenes we're not going to let you run. And you should censor them on your side before they get out on the air.
I don't think you or I want to live in a world where we have a government censor sitting at a switch in Washington, D.C., controlling what you may say which offends someone on the right, or what I say which offends someone on the left. We can't live there, Wolf.
So, again, the burden goes back to the local station that's -- program where it's emanating. The producer has to control it.
BLITZER: So should there be a delay and somebody is listening very carefully and bleep it out if there's something very controversial? Is that what your suggesting?
SAVAGE: Well, what's controversial becomes the question. Every day I'm sure that 50 percent of America doesn't like me calling liberals "red diapered doper babies." Is that offensive? I don't know. I think it's accurate.
But is it offensive? Well if it's offensive, so what? Is it vial? No, it's a description. So who's going to judge this? That's the problem, Wolf.
I don't have the answer. I'm not King Solomon. I do know this. We all know what decency is and what decency isn't. Having women with low self-esteem, a stripping naked on the television set, being turned into hunks of meat is not my idea of any broadcast decency and I don't think it should go out, either.
BLITZER: Well let me ask you, does this send the chilling effect? You are a very popular talk show host, you've got a huge audience out there. What has happened to Howard Stern, does it send a chilling effect to you, given the history? You were pulled off of MSNBC because of controversial comments you made about homosexuals.
SAVAGE: Well, sir, there's a left-wing fascism that is de facto acting as the national censorship board. Their ox was gored. I watched Rosie O'Donnell get married today. Frankly, I wanted to vomit.
But I didn't say don't broadcast it. I just turned it off. I found it offensive. I didn't say they should fire Rosie O'Donnell or whatever. I'm not as fascistic as the people on the other side of the aisle. I can tolerate it by turning it off.
They apparently want to control. So what can I tell you, Wolf? It depends upon whose ox is being gored.
BLITZER: So but does it send a chilling effect to you?
SAVAGE: No.
BLITZER: Will you be more careful on what you say on the radio as a result of what's happened today?
SAVAGE: Wolf, I have a PhD. Let me tell you, I'm very careful. I'm trained in science. I try to keep it within a certain boundary. You know I don't go outside that boundary. I don't use those words that I know will offend a child listening to the show. And that's where I draw the lines.
As far as cursing or insulting, you don't need to do that. They insult themselves. My enemies insult themselves with their politics. So it doesn't chill me in that regard.
But the bottom line here is, I don't believe Howard Stern should be taken off the air. I think people should take him off the air if they don't like him by going to another station, number one.
Number two, I think his own producer has an obligation to censor him internally. That's where I think it lies, in the studio.
BLITZER: But you know Howard Stern has been around for a long time. I listened to him this morning driving in. I didn't hear anything different today than I haven't heard a million times on Howard Stern's show before. It doesn't look like what he said in the last few days is any different than what he's been saying for years.
SAVAGE: If a man with a degree from Harvard can talk about panties every day with any degree of enthusiasm, I don't know how he gets up in the morning. But that's what he does for $30 million a year. God bless him if he can do it. I don't watch it. I find it humiliating to the women, I find it humiliating to my own state of mind and the state of America today. But that's my choice. I just don't watch the guy.
He's got his own choices to make. I don't know that taking him off the air is the answer. I think he will self destruct. I think the stations will stop carrying him because they don't need it. They don't want it. And I think that's the ultimate censorship. The ultimate censorship is the free market. That's how I see it.
BLITZER: Michael Savage is the author of a new best-seller, "The Enemy Within," a radio talk show host. Michael, thanks as usual for joining us.
SAVAGE: God bless you, Wolf. You do a great job.
BLITZER: Thank you very much.
Much more news coming up including the Democrats, they're getting ready to debate again. A preview to tonight's action in Los Angeles, that's coming up.
Also, the world most wanted man. Are U.S. and Pakistani forces closing in on Osama bin Laden? I'll speak to a Pakistani journalist who has the inside story.
Lessons learned from a disturbing new tape of the Columbine shooters. Just released. What Colorado officials want you to see and prevent.
And the defiant I do. Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time partner taking the vows of marriage at San Francisco City hall. We'll take you there live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: President Bush was in full campaign mode today visiting Kentucky. He raised more than one million dollars at a fund raiser in Louisville where he also visited a factory.
In his remarks the president called on Congress to make his tax cuts permanent, saying that will create economic growth and jobs.
The president also took aim at his Democratic rivals for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The security and propriety of America are at stake. Our opponents have not offered much in the way of strategies to win the war or policies to expand the economy.
So far, all we hear is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: With the Super Tuesday primaries only five days away, the four remaining Democratic candidates are getting ready to debate in Los Angeles tonight. Judy Woodruff of CNN's "INSIDE POLITICS" is standing by live with a preview -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there, Wolf. I'm on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Right behind me the building where the debate will take place.
It is an important debate, we all know. A lot of everybody who's interested in politics will be watching. Why? Because after one of the speediest primary seasons in modern memory it may all come down to next Tuesday, Super Tuesday.
And at this stage of the campaign there's no mistaking who's the front runner and who is his main challenger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF (voice-over): One called upbeat and energetic. The other, dignified and deliberate. One sometimes prone to Senate speak. The other, fighting the perception he's inexperienced. The two leading Democrats have divergent styles and appeal, but their targets couldn't be more similar.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president is not in touch with what's going on in people's lives. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think George Bush is on the run and I think he's on the run because he doesn't have a record to run on.
WOODRUFF: So with the Super Tuesday primaries now less than a week away, tonight's debate in Los Angeles couldn't be more crucial.
Consider that after more than a dozen televised debates the candidate pool has narrowed to just four.
ART TORRES, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: You are better able to spend more time in examining the candidate's positions and the candidates themselves than you were in Iowa and New Hampshire, where you had nine candidates and a whole plethora of other issues.
WOODRUFF: Of the four, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton have the least to lose. There is much more at stake for Senators Edwards and Kerry.
MARTIN KAPLAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Well, in many ways, it's Kerry's to lose. He is the presumptive nominee and people are watching him to make sure that he is Mr. Electable.
WOODRUFF: So it may come down to survival for Edwards. Can he stop Kerry's momentum? Can he make a last-minute connection with voters? Can he turn the race on its head?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: He has to shake this race up and, also, Edwards doesn't have enough money to run a campaign ads on television in California. That can cost $2 million a week. He doesn't have it. So tonight is his last chance to make an impression.
WOODRUFF: Edwards rallied today in San Francisco. Could voters be swayed by his Southern charm, or will they stick with a steady perceived winner? Tonight's debate could decide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: So, Wolf, a lot of people looking at this debate wondering if this will be the place where John Edwards breaks out of that positive campaign mode and takes it -- takes the debate to John Kerry and tries to draw very sharp distinctions between the two of them. We'll see. It's going to be a conversational format. It promises to be a really interesting debate.
BLITZER: And that will be dramatic if he does that.
Judy, thank you very much -- Judy Woodruff in Los Angeles for us.
And to our viewers, don't miss the CNN "Los Angeles Times" Democratic presidential debate. It airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific, only here on CNN.
Getting married. Rosie O'Donnell and her longtime partner say, I do. We'll have special coverage from San Francisco's City Hall. That's coming up.
Inside the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Secondary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld goes to Afghanistan with a message for those trying to catch him.
Plus, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the fact that those allegations remain I think is deeply irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Tony Blair fires right back after allegations his government spied on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.
Stepping up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, how Pakistani troops are impacting U.S. search efforts for the most wanted terrorist in the world. We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.
The FDA has approved the first drug that promises to attack cancer by choking off its blood supply. The colon cancer drug Avastin can extend the lives of patients with advanced cases by about five months. Experts say the drug significant because it's the first to work according to the theory that tumors must form a network of blood vessels to survive. We'll be hearing a lot more about this in the coming days and weeks.
A former British Cabinet minister says British intelligence agents spied on the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, before the war in Iraq. Prime Minister Tony Blair blasted the accusation earlier today, but he stopped short of actually denying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: We act in accordance with domestic and international law, and we act in the best interest of this country. And our security services are a vital part of the protection of this country. So I'm not going to comment on their operations, not directly, not indirectly. That should not be taken, as I say, as any indication about the truth of any particular allegations and I think the fact that those allegations were made I think is deeply irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And lots of rain, but so far no major floods or mudslides in Southern California. A strong Pacific storm has dumped up to six inches of rain in some parts. Areas left bare by the fall wildfires are still at risk for mudslides as the storm moves east.
Capping a weeklong trip to trouble spots, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was in Afghanistan today. He met with Prime Minister Hamid Karzai and with U.S. troops who are preparing for a spring offensive against al Qaeda. Rumsfeld praised neighboring Pakistan for cracking down on its side of the border and he said he hopes the U.S. can get its hands on Osama bin Laden at some point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Close doesn't count. The world will be a better place when he is captured or killed. That is the goal of a great many nations, 90 nations in the coalition in the global war on terror. And we -- it will happen when it happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Are U.S. forces getting closer to Osama bin Laden? Is Pakistan stepping up the pursuit? Is Pakistan's role making much of a difference?
Joining us now from New York, Ahmed Rashid, author of several books, including "Taliban" and "Jihad."
Ahmed, thanks very much for joining us.
What's the answer to the first question? Are U.S. forces, based on what you know, getting closer to Osama?
AHMED RASHID, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST: Well, what we do know, Wolf, is that the huge resources, special forces, satellite, intelligence, which are shifted to Iraq in 2002 have now come back to Afghanistan, so there is an incredible now amount of pressure. Many of the same resources that captured Saddam Hussein are now back in Afghanistan trying to capture Osama bin Laden.
BLITZER: Based on what you know, the area where Osama bin Laden presumably is, is getting -- is shrinking. Is that right?
RASHID: Well, yes. I mean, that's what local people are saying in Pakistan. There's an incredible focus now on Waziristan, the tribal belt between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he's believed to be hiding.
But it's a very difficult, rugged terrain and much of the population is in sympathy with him.
BLITZER: The role of Pakistan is critical in this search for Osama bin Laden. Is president Pervez Musharraf doing everything he possibly can to help the U.S. in this hunt?
RASHID: I think there has been a change of attitude in Pakistan, especially after the assassination attempts against the president in December and the nuclear scandal in January.
The U.S. now has enormous leverage, I think, over Pakistan, which it is using extensively to try and capture Osama bin Laden. I think there is much better cooperation as far as al Qaeda is concerned. More troops have moved to the border. Pakistan had asked for a lot of equipment, such as night-vision, helicopters. Some of this equipment is now coming in from the Americans.
So I think Pakistan is in a better position now to try and hunt him down.
BLITZER: Who is protecting Osama bin Laden?
RASHID: It's very difficult to say, but this area is very, very sympathetic to him. The Pashtun population here is very sympathetic to him.
He's still obviously spending a lot of money for protection. It's not just goodwill that people are keeping him there, wherever he is. He's spending money and there must be an element of terror, also. Pakistani troops have been killed in this region. American troops have been killed in this region.
BLITZER: And it seems that the Taliban is trying to make some sort of military comeback amidst all of this. What can you tell us about that?
RASHID: Well, there is no doubt that the Taliban have been regrouping. There is a very intense insurgency going on in Southern Afghanistan, quite separate from the al Qaeda attacks which are going up more to the north.
And here, too, this is really hurting President Hamid Karzai and the prospects of holding elections in June, which the government is keen on, which the Americans are keen on. And there, too, there has been a lot of American pressure on Pakistan to be more cooperative. The Taliban have been recruiting extensively in Pakistan.
BLITZER: There is one sensitive, very sensitive issue, whether U.S. troops will be allowed or are allowed to operate from Pakistani soil in this war against terror, the search for Osama bin Laden, the war against the Taliban. What can you tell us about that?
RASHID: Well, President Musharraf has categorical about that, saying there is no way that U.S. troops will be operating in Pakistan. But a lot of technical U.S. personnel, I think, are already there working closely with the Pakistanis, monitoring intelligence and satellite feeds and other things.
Now, you can call them troops. You can call them technical personnel belonging to the American agencies, special forces. But the Pakistanis don't call them troops. The other thing is that there certainly is a threat now, that I think what the Americans have told the Pakistanis is that, if the American forces on the border inside Afghanistan pursue an al Qaeda group and the Pakistani forces are not on the border there to stop them entering Pakistan, where they may be trying to escape, there is a possibility that some U.S. forces may carry out hot pursuit into Pakistan for a short period of time.
BLITZER: Ahmed Rashid, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
RASHID: Thank you.
BLITZER: Reexamining Columbine, the case that shocked America, indeed, much of the world, the Columbine school shootings. Now, a new report out today revealing surprising new information.
Getting mad and getting married. Rosie O'Donnell has just gotten married. And we will have coverage.
And bus beating. The students' videotape attacking another classmate are now formally charged. We'll get to all of that.
First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Border battle. Two Palestinians armed with assault rifles and hand grenades attacked Israelis at a border crossing in Gaza. A gun battle followed. Both Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.
Macedonia mourns. The president of Macedonia is feared dead following the disappearance of his plane over Bosnia. Six other passengers and two pilots were aboard the aircraft. President Boris Trajkovski was on his way to an international investment conference.
Angry aftershock. Frustration is mounting in Morocco over what's being called an inadequate and disorganized response to Tuesday's deadly earthquake. With thousands of survivors homeless and hungry, angry crowds halted and looted relief trucks and attacked a government office.
Widower's revenge? A Swiss Air traffic controller has been stabbed to death outside his home near the Zurich Airport. And police suspect it may have been an act of revenge. The controller was directing air traffic when two planes collided in 2002, killing 71 people. A man who lost his wife and two children in that collision has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Colorado authorities had at least 15 contacts involving the two young men behind the deadly 1999 Columbine High School massacre. That's just one of the details out in a brand new report which officials are making public in hopes of preventing a similar tragedy.
CNN's Adrian Baschuk is live in Golden, Colorado. He's joining us with more -- Adrian.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good evening.
In addition to that report, more than 10,000 items of evidence are on public display. It's been detrimental to some family whose have had to see this, but relief for many who demand full disclosure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK (voice-over): The footage released today by the Colorado attorney general's office is of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris making a video for a school project. The killers appear in trench coats, firing fake guns and showing vivid signs of anger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will freakin' kill you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASCHUK: The firearms, spent bullets and pipe bombs Harris and Klebold used to kill 12 students, a teacher and themselves have been made public, along with 35,000 pages of documents. Wednesday night, victims' parents got a preview.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing how those two kids could get all that in the school without being noticed.
BASCHUK: Officials say one reason they are releasing the report now is to learn from the missed signals to avoid another such tragedy in the future.
KEN SALAZAR, COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have hope that the legacy of Columbine will be one in which our schools become safer and our communities become safer.
BASCHUK: Complaints filed about Eric Harris dating back to 1997 detailed death threats he made to students on the Internet. After the death threats, a Jefferson County sheriff's investigator filed an affidavit for a search warrant seeking to link Eric Harris to a pipe bomb found just two miles from his home.
A lieutenant withdrew the request because there were no eyewitnesses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASCHUK: Now, while so much of what these families have seen is disturbing, one thing marks relief. Four 20-pound propane tanks are on display that the killers intended to use as massive bombs, but somehow never exploded -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Adrian Baschuk in Colorado for us -- thanks, Adrian, very much.
In our justice report, a follow-up to a disturbing story we showed you earlier this month. Six Jacksonville Florida students have now been arrested on misdemeanor charges stemming from a videotaped beating of a 12-year-old on a school bus. The victim was not seriously hurt. The students had already been suspended from school over the incident.
Taking a stand against President Bush's opposition to gay marriage. Rosie O'Donnell travels to San Francisco to say, I do.
Plus, in the spotlight, Elvis Presley's granddaughter. Find out why she's caught the media's attention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, COMEDIAN: Some people asked us where we were going on our honeymoon. With four kids under the age of 8, there will be no honeymoon.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A high-profile celebrity is jumping right into the controversy over same-sex marriage. Rosie O'Donnell and her longtime partner flew from New York to San Francisco today to get married in what she calls an act of civil disobedience.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is in San Francisco with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was love and politics, Rosie O'Donnell-style, complete with an act defiance, as O'Donnell and her longtime partner, Kelli Carpenter, stopped on a whirlwind tour here at San Francisco City Hall, were married in the mayor's office and then descended the steps of rotunda here to speak to a couple hundred well- wishers who loudly applauded them.
O'Donnell again repeated that part of the reason she did this was because of what she felt were vile words by President Bush.
O'DONNELL: We were both inspired to come here after the sitting president said the vile and vicious and hateful comments he did on Tuesday.
DORNIN: O'Donnell and Carpenter join some 3,300 gay and lesbian couples that have been married here at San Francisco City Hall.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Do you support Rosie O'Donnell's decision to marry a woman? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results a little bit later in this broadcast. We're also standing by to update you on a new development, Colin Powell speaking out on the future of President Aristide of Haiti. We'll have that for you.
Also ahead, modeling debut. Elvis Presley's granddaughter puts her best foot forward on the catwalk.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Updating our top story, the unrest in Haiti.
Just a little while ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke out very strongly, for the first time seriously questioning the ability of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to remain in power as Haiti's president.
Listen precisely to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: He is the democratically elected president, but he has had difficulties in his presidency. And I think, as a number of people have -- have commented, whether or not he is able to effectively continue as president is something that he will have to examine. I hope he will examine it carefully, considering the interest of the Haitian people. But he is the democratically elected president of Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Strong words from the secretary of state.
Remember, he'll be a guest on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's tonight, Paula Zahn's show. You will see the secretary of state, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day": Do you support Rosie O'Donnell's decision to marry a woman? Forty-two percent of you say yes; 58 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
An Elvis sighting on the fashion runway, it's our picture of the day, obviously not the King himself. But she is his granddaughter, Riley Keough, modeling in Milan for Dolce and Gabbana. The 14-year- old is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and her ex-husband musician Danny Riley Keough. It's the teenager's first time modeling. The designers predict it won't be her last. She's looking good.
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow noon Eastern as well.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Columbine Massacre>
