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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Holiday Travelers Face Weather Problems; U.S. Commander in Mosul Speaks Out; Security Check Procedures Change at Airports
Aired December 23, 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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, just as Americans hit the roads and skies for the holiday weekend, much of the country faces a blanket of snow. We'll tell you when and where to expect problems.
Stand by for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Weather woes. Winter delivers a kick to the nation's midsection, leaving many holiday travelers snow bound.
Iraq investigation, what they think they know about the mess tent bomber.
GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: An individual in an Iraqi military uniform, possibly with a vest-worn explosive device, was inside the facility.
KING: I'll speak with the U.S. commander in Mosul.
"Security Watch." Tired of putting up with the patdown, there are new rules at the nation's airports.
And bowling for dollars. You won't believe where Yasser Arafat invested his money.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, December 23rd, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Thanks for joining us. I'm John King, in for Wolf Blitzer.
White Christmas is an understatement for what millions of Americans will be experiencing. Winter weather has buried parts of the Midwest with snow. Frigid temperatures are sending thermometers plummeting over a large portion of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Skies are clear, temperatures are cold, and there's a thick layer of snow blanketing much of the upper Midwest today. The Ohio Valley took the brunt of the storm, with more than two feet of snow reported in some areas, along with drifts up to five feet deep. Drivers across the region had to change, if not cancel, their travel plans, with hundreds left stranded on impassable highways. At least 11 traffic deaths in four states are blamed on the severe weather.
Air travel also impacted with delays reported in Detroit, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, and expected to spread to the busy Northeast corridor. Those not traveling are still being impacted, with power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of homes.
Heavy snow is also blamed for collapsing part of the roof of this building in Cincinnati and this one near Louisville, Kentucky. No reports of injuries in either incident. Those living in the hardest hit areas are trying to keep a sunny outlook, despite the winter wallop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to deal with it. What do you expect? This is Michigan weather. So you just deal with it and do the best you can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: More now on some of the hardest hit areas, beginning with CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. She has been braving the elements in Evansville, Indiana, where hundreds of drivers found themselves snowed in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): The snow may have stopped in southern Indiana, but the travel problems continue. Hundreds of motorists had been stranded along interstate 64 and 36 counties in southern Indiana have declared a state of emergency. Most of the roads are impassable.
The interstate is closed on 64 from the Illinois-Indiana state line extending over to the east of Evansville, Indiana. The National Guard has been called out to try and rescue some of those people. But a very unlikely samaritan traveling from St. Louis was able to make a wide path to the other side of the interstate and get plenty of people to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're sitting in their cars. They're going to run out of gas, 10 hours. And their kids are cold. I mean, we do what we had to do, you know, plowing and it wasn't our intentions, but it's all working out now.
JERAS (on camera): Authorities say they don't know when the interstate will open again, but they are making efforts to get the roads cleared. The wind is blowing, howling at times, up to 30 miles per hour, and that is adding to the problem with visibility being very poor and blowing and drifting of snow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TINO RAMOS, WBNS REPORTER: Snow, ice, and rain, a heavy combination for the people in central Ohio. Here in Pickaway County, they are in a level three emergency, which means nobody should be on the road except for those emergency vehicles. This is the reason why. This is a two-lane road here in Pickaway County. You can see the ice is so heavy on many of the tree limbs that they just basically went onto the road covering the area. As a matter of fact, there are four state roads in Pickaway County that are closed because of this. Take a look at this. You can see right over here, this tree just collapsed under its own weight. Obviously, some of the areas knocked out power as it hit power lines.
Take a look. As a matter of fact, this transformer got knocked out early in the morning after one of the heavy limbs ended up going over the lines, pulling the transformer entirely out. People had to cut away some of the limbs. Others just kind of waiting to see if this stuff will thaw out before they can tackle any of the problems.
A lot of power outages in the Pickaway County area here and basically in central Ohio. Over 200,000 people without power because of the snow and ice storm.
As far as travel is concerned, well, many of the roads now covered with ice, with a small layer of snow on top of it. Again, the problem is road crews trying to get out and salt these things down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: That report from Tino Ramos of our affiliate WBNS in Pickaway County, Ohio. So what's next for those people and who's next in line for the snow? CNN meteorologist Orelon Sidney is in the CNN Weather Center with an up to the minute forecast -- Orelon.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, John. The good news is that the snow is pretty much over for most part. There is a little bit of lake (ph) effect snow still possible tonight for the western part of Michigan and the southern coast of Lake Erie.
But take you back 24 hours, this is where the area of low pressure tracked, right across Arkansas, stretching up through Indiana and Ohio. Those again some of the higher snow amounts there.
Out to the east, there is lots of warm air. So what you've got there is rainfall. I say just rainfall because we do have windy conditions causing some airport delays. I'll show you in a moment.
Take a look at this. Liberty, Indiana, 31 inches of snowfall. That is a record total there. Boston, Indiana, at 24 inches. We're still looking at some advisories, mainly that's because of blowing snow and the chance that we could see more lake (ph) effect snows tonight. But those amounts will be light, maybe two to four inches in most places.
Still raining here across the Northeast, you could see as much as an inch, and we do have delays at La Guardia, Newark, and Chicago because of windy conditions. We have delays too out of Atlanta. Ground stops now in effect for Cleveland Hopkins, for JFK and Newark International. That means they're not letting planes destined for this location take off and go there.
So we're seeing some pretty good delays in those locations. Cold air too working its way south. It will be very chilly tonight across much of the nation -- John.
KING: Orelon, thank you very much. And to our viewers, here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Is bad weather disrupting your holiday travel plans? You can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results a bit later in the broadcast.
Last month, you might remember the U.S. military said it had rooted out insurgents from their stronghold of Falluja. Today fighting raged once again there. And the military says three U.S. Marines were killed in Al Anbar province, which includes Falluja.
Even as the first few hundred refugees began trickling back into the city, embattled U.S. forces were calling in air strikes. CNN's Karl Penhaul has the story from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of just five U.S. checkpoints open for refugees returning to Falluja.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've been waiting here from 6:00 a.m. until now, and no one could enter. They gave us these instructions to get into the city.
PENHAUL: It's not exactly a warm welcome home. This sign warns, any person that attempts to enter Falluja with a weapon is liable to be killed. An estimated 250,000 civilians fled Falluja before the assault. Marines say about 500 returned Thursday. Men of fighting age must show IDs and undergo fingerprint and eye scans like immigrants arriving at U.S. airports. Residents have been waiting six and a half weeks to go back. Their patience is near breaking point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They took about five cars near the bridge, and then they did not allow us to enter the city. I think this is a kind of propaganda, only because no one entered the city of Falluja until now.
PENHAUL: U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers who stormed the city in November say they're trying to stop insurgents filtering back, disguised as civilians. Despite the November assault with massive U.S. fire power and thousands of troops, some of the insurgents never left.
As refugees were returning Thursday, guerrilla fighters holed up in houses battled on. A Marine spokesman said U.S. Marines pulled back and called in air strikes to level the building.
Witnesses say one-third of Falluja may have been flattened by fighting since November. Some of those who returned Thursday found they had little to go back to. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is a disaster, not a district. No one can walk here, let alone live. There is no water, no electricity, nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I just came to find the house as you see it, a wreck. Where will my family and children stay? What do we do?
PENHAUL: To date, U.S. and Iraqi officials have given no accurate assessment of how many homes were destroyed and how many civilians were killed. For now, returning residents will pick up what pieces are left while the rattle of distant gun fire reminds them the insurgency has not been defeated.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Investigators believe they know what happened in that tragic mess tent in Mosul Tuesday. The commander of U.S. forces in the area tells CNN that the bomber apparently wore an Iraqi military uniform along with a vest filled with explosives. A military spokesman adds that a torso found at the scene was clad in just such a uniform.
Meantime, U.S. medical personnel in Germany are doing all they can for those badly wounded by the blast. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Landstuhl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The shattered survivors of a horrific bombing -- these the latest images of 35 casualties evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany from Mosul. More than half still fighting for their lives in intensive care, their injuries more serious, say doctors, because none wore body armor in the mess tent that was attacked.
COL. RHONDA CORNUM, CMDR., LANDSTUHL MED. CENTER: In this case, we have very, very mild extremity injuries. At the same time, we have some people that have just some horrible internal injuries. And, you know, spleen, kidney, intestine, stomach, esophagus, bladder. So all -- it's just very different than what we've been seeing for about the past year.
CHANCE: And the attack was different too. Hitting troops and civilian contractors at their most vulnerable. The biggest single influx of injured to Landstuhl from Iraq since the war began. Medical teams here called in from Christmas leave, now working day and night to save them.
CORNUM: I have hope that every single one of them will make it. Now, I never guarantee that, but we've had very good success. We have excellent, excellent nursing care, excellent surgeons, excellent intensive care people. And I have great faith that the vast majority, if not everybody, will make it. CHANCE: Make it, if not home for Christmas, then at least some time soon after. Some of the least injured from Mosul have already been sent to hospitals in the U.S. to continue their recovery although most still remain in Germany. U.S. medical officials say it will be some days yet before all the survivors of the Mosul bombing are fit enough to go home. Matthew Chance, CNN, Landstuhl, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: The commander of Task Force Olympia based in Mosul speaks out about Tuesday's deadly attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we have a good procedure to do that, but clearly in this instance, I failed to identify some shortcoming that allowed this to occur.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: My interview with Brigadier General Carter Ham next.
Hands off the chest. Complaints prompt new rules for airport security screeners.
And secret connection. The hip New York City hangout with ties to Yasser Arafat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Deadly suicide attacks are carried out almost every day in Iraq. And U.S. military officials believe that's what happened Tuesday, when an explosion ripped through a mess tent in an American base in Mosul. 14 American soldiers were among the 22 people killed. Dozens of others were wounded. That attack raises serious questions about security at U.S. bases across Iraq, and earlier I spoke about these issues and that attack with the commander of American forces in Mosul, Brigadier General Carter Ham.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: General Ham, thank you for joining us so much today at this difficult and trying time. I want to get to some questions about exactly what happened and what you know about what happened. But I want to begin first by giving you an opportunity to speak to viewers here in the United States, including perhaps some of the family members and friends of those killed and wounded in the tragedy the other day.
BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: Well, John, thanks for the opportunity to discuss these issues with you today. They are very important issues. But at the heart of all of this, we have to keep in mind, in our thoughts and in our prayers the soldiers who were lost, those who were wounded, the civilians and the family members who bear a heavy burden now at this very special time of year. Our hearts and our thoughts and our prayers go out to each and every one of them. I would also tell you that the soldiers here remain strong. They are every bit as committed to this successful accomplishment of their mission today as they were two days ago. And I have to tell you, as a soldier serving with them, I'm extraordinarily proud to be with them here today.
KING: General, help us understand. This is the question I'm sure many of these families are asking and many people across America are asking, how did this happen? How did an apparent suicide bomber get such a weapon on to a U.S. military base? What do you know so far about the investigation?
HAM: Well, John, we don't know exactly how it happened. But we are going to find out. There has been an investigation initiated. First -- the first part of the investigation started shortly after the incident, and that was to determine what was the nature of the explosion, whether it was indirect fire or some other device. The forensics experts, the explosives experts, determined that in their very best judgment that the explosion that day was caused by a device that was inside of the facility. The question now turns to how did that happen? And I don't know the answer to that question yet. We're investigating. We will find out. But as of this moment, we don't know. What we think is likely, but certainly not certain, is that an individual in an Iraqi military uniform, possibly with a vest-worn explosive device, was inside the facility and detonated the facility causing this tragedy. That's preliminary. We'll find out what the truth is and then take necessary actions as we gain more information.
KING: That raises the question, sir, that if there is one infiltrator, there could well be two, three or more. What steps are you taking to go back and recheck people, whether they be people with Iraqi military uniforms or some of the contractors, the hired hands, if you will, to come in to provide service on the base? What has changed and what are you doing to try to make sure this doesn't happen again?
HAM: John, my highest priority is the protection of our forces. Because if we don't protect our force, we can't accomplish our mission. So I take that responsibility very, very seriously. Every day we make assessments based on the intelligence that we have, the threats that we think we are likely to face, and then determine what are the most appropriate measures to take to counter or disrupt those threats. I think we have a good procedure to do that. But clearly in this instance, I failed to identify some shortcoming that allowed this to occur. That's why we're doing this investigation, to find out where was that seam that these murders were able to exploit and so that we can preclude such events in the future and again continue our actions to protect our force to the best extent that is possible.
KING: What are the rules for troops going into that hall for mess, or what were the rules at the time? Would they be required to have their vests on or at that time of the day do the rules on the base allow them to be in a less secure posture, if you will?
HAM: Well, I don't want to get into a lot of specifics, but we do have a series of force protection measures that we take, again, based upon the threat. It is not at all unusual for soldiers to come in off of a mission, have their body armor on, move to a meal, eat the meal quickly and then move right back out on a mission.
So it's not at all unusual to see soldiers with body armor. There are times when we prescribe that body armor must be worn and helmets must be worn. Again, that's based on the threat. And indeed, there are some times when we close the dining facilities based on threat, which we have done in the past. It is the application of random protective measures, seemingly random protection measures, based on the threat as we assess it, and in my direction of those protective measures that we try to apply to keep our soldiers as safe as we can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Is a lone suicide bomber behind that attack in Mosul? Ahead, more of our interview with Brigadier General Carter Ham including a message from him to the families of the fallen.
Plus new restrictions for airport security screeners. What you won't be feeling on your next trip.
And later...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
P. DIDDY, ENTERTAINER: I'll probably be more interested in being a revolutionary.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: What does that mean?
P.DIDDY: Somebody that's, you know, making a change. Forcing a change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: He's an entertainer and an activist. Wolf talks with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs as we look back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: More now of my interview with the U.S. commander in Mosul, Iraq, Brigadier General Carter Ham. I asked him in more details now about that deadly explosion Tuesday at the U.S. military mess tent that officials believe was a suicide attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Are you convinced, sir, that this was the work solely of that suicide bomber? There have been some suggestions in people I've talked to perhaps there was a suicide bomb in the tent and then knowing that U.S. personnel would come to that area to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters, that perhaps then some follow-on attacks from mortars from the outside. Any indication of that at all?
HAM: Well, not yet. But that's why we do the investigation, is to get to those particular facts. It is very difficult to conceive that this would be the act of a lone individual. It would seem to me reasonable to assume that this was a mission perhaps some time in the planning, days perhaps, that this particular group, and Ansar al Sunna has claimed responsibility. I have no reason to doubt that. They are a very vicious terrorist organization. So I think it is probably a well-coordinated action rather than the actions of one particular individual.
KING: Sir, you delivered the policy if you will, on the ground in Iraq. It is set by the civilians and military leadership back here in Washington. Do you have enough boots on the ground?
HAM: I have enough U.S. boots on the ground. I do not have enough Iraqi boots on the ground. And ultimately, to defeat this insurgency, it will be Iraqi security forces that will necessarily have to step up and assume an increasing and ultimately total responsibility for security in their own nation. The development of Iraqi security forces has not been as fast as any of us would have liked. Having said that, some Iraqi security forces appear in Mosul and throughout the area for which we are responsible, have performed very, very well for some time reaching back into early this year.
Others, notably the police, in mid November, have not performed well at all -- in a very disappointing manner. So the mixed performance of the Iraqi security forces and the slow development is a great concern I think to all of us, and really, that's got to be the decisive effort. That's where we have to apply our energies, is to help the Iraqis get to a point where they can carry this burden themselves.
KING: And sir, Mosul, a few weeks back was relatively quiet by Iraqi standards and the standards of the insurgency, anyway. What does this attack and the subsequent crackdown by your men and others -- what does that tell us about the nature of the insurgency right now and its ability to move around, if you will?
HAM: Well, I would say that Mosul has not been quiet for some time time. In the spring, summer, it was quiet, but we've seen some disturbing indicators. I think what it tells us truly about the nature of this insurgency is that it is very complex. The elements that make up the insurgents, both former regime elements, terrorists, and religious extremists, are capable, they are very dangerous, very lethal as we have certainly seen in the past few days, and they are also very adaptive in how they apply their particular brands of terror.
So this is an extraordinarily complex situation. It is one that requires the application not just of military force, though there certainly is an important role for military force, but there is also an important requirement for economic reconstitution as security situations allow that, for assistance in the Iraqis developing governmental systems at the local through national levels. It has to be a multifaceted approach to defeat this insurgency over the long time, and the leading role has to be taken by Iraqis.
KING: General, you spend a great deal of time, I'm sure, studying the enemy. And I hate to use this word, but they have had a success in their view in recent days. What does that do to the psychology, if you will, of the terrorists you're fighting?
HAM: It is an enemy success. And they are clearly using that. We see that on Web sites and in newspapers, in other means of intelligence that we collect on this enemy that they are using this as sort of a rallying call. What concerns me now in this particular sector is two particular things. First, they will use this as a recruiting tool, if you will, as evidence of their success and their ability to strike at us and at legitimate Iraqi governmental officials. Secondly, I am concerned about the so-called copycat attacks that I think is a threat -- to see someone that maybe before didn't think about an attack like this, maybe now will start to think of this kind of an attack against us, or against other Iraqi security forces. So we have to be on our best guard over the coming days, weeks and months for that kind of threat.
KING: General, I want to close on a more personal note. As you know, it is Christmas week back here in the United States. The American people thinking about the troops around the world. And certainly your men and women this week with their thoughts and their prayers, some also going to their post office, on the Internet to send greetings and gifts and the like. Is there anything that your men and women need?
HAM: Well, John, I would tell you, what we need most are the best wishes, the thoughts and prayers of the American people, and we're getting that.
And I can tell you that it makes a difference. The outpouring of support from Americans that we never knew to us, to all of our soldiers, and to our families across America, has been absolutely incredible. It conveys to me and to the soldiers that serve here how special America feels about its soldiers. And that gives us the strength to carry on.
For those families who have suffered their worst possible tragedies at this very special time of year, they carry the heaviest burden. And I think all of us share in offering our love and our thoughts and our prayers to them and to know that their comrades in arms, that our comrades in arms, their sacrifice will not have been made in vain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Brigadier General Carter Ham earlier today from Mosul.
Changes to how women will be treated at the airport. But is passenger comfort worth risking general security?
That story next in our CNN security watch.
Bowling bar mitzvahs? Find out how former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is connected with a New York City bowling alley.
And, later, as genocide rages, how one man offered shelter from the storm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Our security watch report today on a controversial procedure that's carried out every day at airports across the country.
Joining us with the details, CNN's Brian Todd.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, all of us have been through it, those pat-downs that we have to endure at security checkpoints. And many women have had problems with the way those have been conducted, and now the government is doing something about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Even when delicately done, this move has made some female airline passengers cringe. One of them, a former congresswoman, recently chose to drive more than seven hours rather than fly and endure it.
HELEN CHENOWETH-HAGE (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I thought, you know, this is pretty aggressive and invasive, to pat a woman's torso down, especially around the breast area.
TODD: Many complaints like that from female passengers have prompted the Transportation Security Administration to issue a new order. As of Thursday, screeners are not allowed to routinely touch passengers between their breasts during pat-downs. They can only touch the perimeters of the chest, backside, and abdomen.
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: Like good partners, we listen to our traveling public, and we're looking at how to make this a little bit more comfortable.
TODD: More comfortable, but will we be more safe? Screeners were ordered to conduct more frequent and thorough passenger searches back in September, after two plane crashes in Russia believed to have been caused by Chechen women who carried explosives on board.
With the procedures changing again, one screener at Boston's Logan Airport tells us they're getting mixed signals about which rules were more effective. If the new pat-downs are just as safe, he says, it means the old procedures weren't even necessary. Full pat-downs are still allowed if an alarm goes off when a passenger is being wanded or irregular clothing is being detected. Women are giving the new procedures mixed reviews.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're a little strange, but it was not invasive at all. She was very polite, told me what she was going to do. It was very quick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They always come dangerously close to where you think they shouldn't. And this time, most times, they tell you that, if they're going to pat in a sensitive area, they'll use the back of their hands. But this woman, I guess, in the rush, she just kind of patted wherever she needed to.
TODD: Some screeners believe those areas can be searched tactfully with the use of so-called ETDs, explosive trace detection machines. Screeners check material with handheld devices, then run the swabs through those machines. ETDs are in place in every U.S. airport, but are now only being used on luggage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: A TSA official tells us ETDs cannot be used on passengers because they get contaminated by body fluids and other substances from the skin. And he says, if they tried to modify the machines and use them on passengers, it would dramatically slow the screening process, John.
KING: So fewer pat-downs, Brian, but not an elimination?
TODD: Not an elimination. If you set off something in a metal detector or you're wanded and you set off something, you still get searched in those specific areas.
KING: New rules on a holiday weekend. Interesting to watch.
TODD: Right.
KING: Thank you, Brian Todd.
And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
KING: West Bank Palestinians today held their first local elections in three decades. Only two dozen towns and villages took part. Major cities will vote in the next round. Their turnout was heavy in what's widely seen as a trial run for January's presidential election, when Palestinians will choose a successor to Yasser Arafat.
And more than a month after his death, some of Yasser Arafat's financial dealings are coming to light, including a seemingly bizarre investment in a bowling alley that caters to bar mitzvahs and celebrity customers ranging from Dustin Hoffman to Usher.
Let's go live now to CNN's Mary Snow in New York -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, John.
Well, a spokesman for the International Monetary Fund confirms that $900 million was invested by money managers with ties to the late Yasser Arafat. Now, a small slice of that made its way here to New York, and at least one person says, he's outraged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): It's an unlikely place for political controversy, but beyond the bowling pins and parties in this trendy New York spot is money linked to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The owner says, he's shocked.
THOMAS SHANNON, CEO, STRIKE HOLDINGS: We don't choose to be affiliated with any political-based organization, especially one that, you know, may or may not have ties to things that we find absolutely abhorrent.
SNOW: Thomas Shannon says he's been working with his lawyers since Bloomberg News broke the story. He says he's returning $1.3 million invested in his business by a company which is part funded by the Palestine Commercial Services Company.
SHANNON: Not only do we have a lot of customers that are Jewish. We do a lot of charitable work with Jewish organizations.
SNOW: Bowlmor boasts of celebrity visits that include one from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who once barred Yasser Arafat from New York City's Lincoln Center. Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of "Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It," says Arafat's investments are coming to go light because of questions by donor groups.
RACHEL EHRENFELD, AUTHOR, "FUNDING EVIL": Arafat controlled the money. Arafat controlled where the money was going. He employed people in order to invest the money. And, of course, not one bank account was under his name.
SNOW: The question is, how did the money wind up in a New York bowling alley that hosts bar mitzvah parties? Shannon says the money came from a private investment company called SilverHaze . He says he went to school with the firm's founder. SilverHaze declined to stay whether it had invested in Bowlmor, but told CNN: "The Palestinian National Authority, like all governments worldwide, invest money on behalf of their people in a broad spectrum of businesses. Mischaracterizing this process to exploit complex political sensitivities serves no one."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And our efforts to contact the Palestine Investment Fund and the Palestinian finance minister were unsuccessful. Also, the Palestinian mission to the U.N. says it has no comment on the story -- John.
KING: Mary Snow in New York -- thank you, Mary.
And now a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Fear is the top subject for teachers in southern Thailand. Just days after two teachers were killed by suspected Muslim insurgents, teachers at more than 300 schools walked off the job, demanding better security from the government. Almost 600 people have been killed in the mostly Muslim south this year. And officials warn, militants are likely to launch more large-scale attacks next year.
Giant sapphire. People down under are flocking to see the biggest cruise ship ever to visit Australia. The Sapphire Princess is twice as big as the Titanic. Amenities for its almost 4,000 passengers and crew include five swimming pools, nine restaurants, 13 bars, a wedding chapel, and a mini-golf course.
Not dead yet. A ban outlawing the ancient British sport of fox hunting, due to start in February, could be postponed for up to a year. Prime Minister Tony Blair's government says it won't oppose an expected injunction sought by a pro-hunting lobby to delay the ban.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Remembering Rwanda, the story of how one man helped save more than 1,200 lives.
A hip-hop superstar trying to make a difference in the world, Wolf's interview with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs ahead.
And later, forget the sleigh. These Santas prefer two wheels. Find out what record these bearded bikers are trying to break in our picture of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Every once in a while, when the saying hell on earth becomes reality, an ordinary individual takes extraordinary steps to save the lives of others.
It happened 10 years ago, when hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children were slaughtered in Rwanda. That nightmare and that man's courage are the subject now of the new movie "Hotel Rwanda."
Once again, CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Can you pick out the hero in this group? Try the nondescript middle-aged grandfather on the right. Place him back 10 years, as his country descends into madness.
April 1994, two presidents are assassinated. A piece accord collapses. Rwanda crumbles with it. Smoldering resentment between ethnic Hutu and their rival Tutsis explodes into a surreal, murderous rampage. Hutu extremists begin murdering Tutsis and moderate Hutus. In three months, more than 800,000 people are slaughtered.
Paul Rusesabagina is in the middle of it. The manager of a four- star hotel in the capital, Kigali, he is a moderate Hutu, his wife, a Tutsi. He begins the enormous task of protecting her and taking in others at the same time.
PAUL RUSESABAGINA, FORMER HOTEL MANAGER: I thought I was doing my right job, my day-to-day life, a manager's life, a manager's job.
TODD: The new film "Hotel Rwanda" chronicles the genocide in Rusesabagina's footsteps. Played by Don Cheadle, this unassuming, somewhat naive businessman is at first bewildered by the chaos outside his hotel's gates, then watches his friends turn into killers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
DON CHEADLE, ACTOR: You do not honestly believe that you can kill them all?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: And why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: As the corpses pile up and the Westerners get out, Rusesabagina starts taking in people desperate for any shelter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
CHEADLE: Go inside. Go inside the hotel, all of you.
TODD: With little protection and dwindling supplies, he houses more than 1,200 people and wards off their attackers.
(on camera): Paul Rusesabagina told me he often used some pretty basic psychology to save lives. If you want to control someone, he said, keep him close to you. To keep militiamen at bay, he often spoke directly to them as they came to his hotel. He charmed them into being distracted and moving on.
(voice-over): Sometimes, it meant serving them drinks and food. Other times, it called for a frantic bribe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
CHEADLE: I will give you 100,000 franks for all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Give me it.
CHEADLE: I don't have it here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEADLE: Just from him doing the things that he knew how to do moment to moment. It's not some mythic figure. It's just a common, everyday man. And I think that's what people are connecting to.
TODD: Consciously avoiding scenes of graphic violence, the filmmakers weave a personal thriller with a central character who overcomes his own doubts and mistakes and the betrayal of friends and nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Thank you very much. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No Rwandans.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Today, Paul Rusesabagina seems almost unfathomably cheerful and normal, living in Belgium with his family, running a trucking company in Zambia, receiving honors and ovations, staying on message.
RUSESABAGINA: What people see should be put in facts, not only into words. If it is never again, they have to make it never again.
TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And this footnote, "Hotel Rwanda" was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards last week, including best picture, best actor, and best original song.
Right now, it's showing in select theaters in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Looking back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN "P. DIDDY" COMBS, ENTERTAINER: There's a lot of lies in politics, a lot of deception. What you're hearing isn't what I think somebody can guarantee they can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Hip-hop star Sean Combs on politics, music, and more next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Through the end of the year, we're looking back at some of the fascinating people we've interviewed in 2004 in a series, the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Today, a man whose resume includes as many careers, hip-hop star, actor, entrepreneur, as it does names, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and simply Sean Combs.
Wolf Blitzer sat down with Combs in New York back in March.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You went, in a decade, from being an intern and a college kid who was from Howard University, basically, and then within 10 years you've got this empire...
COMBS: Yes.
BLITZER: ... that you've put together, where it's -- I'm guessing tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars.
COMBS: Yes. BLITZER: How much are you worth right now?
COMBS: I mean, it's -- I'm worth a lot.
BLITZER: We're talking -- we're talking in...?
COMBS: I mean, I don't -- you know, I like to value my success on how many people I've been -- been able to give a chance to.
I -- I employ over -- over 400 employees worldwide. You know, I'm an independent company. I own my own record company, my clothing line. All of my ventures, I'm an owner of it.
I'm the owner of my catalogue, wrote my master's. And that's something that I've very proud of. But the most important thing, not the monetary aspects. It's how many lives I could touch and change and help to -- to get a chance to so they could realize their dreams and have a life of their own.
BLITZER: You want to be an inspiration to a lot of young people.
COMBS: I try my best. I think that -- I think that's important. I won't shy away from trying my best to be a role model. And one of my ways that I try to be a role model is by being real and being true and being honest, and you know, living my life the best way I can and doing the best I can on a day to day basis.
BLITZER: Do you want to go into politics?
COMBS: No, not at all.
BLITZER: Why?
COMBS: I mean, politics to me is -- there's a lot of lies in politics, a lot of deception. What you're hearing isn't what I think somebody can guarantee they could do. I would have to say, I'd probably be more interested in being a revolutionary.
BLITZER: What does that mean?
COMBS: Somebody that's, you know, making a change, forcing a change, you know, exposing -- exposing the lies and forcing a change and overturning the liars, you know?
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: How do you go about doing that?
COMBS: I would also have to say -- I would also have to say I would, you know -- I would want to be an activist, you know, before I would want to be a politician.
BLITZER: So you -- you are an activist to a certain degree.
COMBS: Yes.
BLITZER: Because you supported Al Sharpton.
COMBS: I support the -- you know, overturning the Rockefeller Law, which should be overturned in New York state.
BLITZER: What's that?
COMBS: You know, this is the law that we have where you have people that are jailed for drug related crimes. And it could be their first offense, and they could go away for life for a minimal, you know, minimal -- having minimal drugs on them in their possession.
So you have a mother and maybe she had, you know, ten vials of crack on her. And she stays in, you know, up to 25 years to life.
And this was something that was supposed to deter, you know, drug kingpins. And you know, it just didn't work. And it's really just affected the black community, the Latino community and put a lot of mothers and fathers and daughters and sons away for a long time, people that never -- made their first mistake.
And so, you know, I'm an activist on that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Tomorrow, we'll revisit Wolf's interview with the dean of broadcast journalists, Walter Cronkite, sharing his views on politics, war, and more.
Results of our Web question of the day next. Plus, revving up for the big day. Thousands of Santas trade in their sleds for bikes in our picture of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember, we've been asking you, is bad weather disrupting your holiday travel plans? Ten percent of say yes; 90 percent of you say no. This is not a scientific poll.
No travel delays for 2,600 Santas. That's our picture of the day. Bikers from all across Britain came together to a racetrack near Birmingham, all dressed as Santa, to raise money for a children's charity. They were hoping to break the British record for a Santa gathering. But with only 2,663 showing up, they fell short by 53 Saint Nicks.
Maybe that's where Wolf is.
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS at this time, 5:00 Eastern. Thanks for joining us.
"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
Aired December 23, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, just as Americans hit the roads and skies for the holiday weekend, much of the country faces a blanket of snow. We'll tell you when and where to expect problems.
Stand by for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Weather woes. Winter delivers a kick to the nation's midsection, leaving many holiday travelers snow bound.
Iraq investigation, what they think they know about the mess tent bomber.
GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: An individual in an Iraqi military uniform, possibly with a vest-worn explosive device, was inside the facility.
KING: I'll speak with the U.S. commander in Mosul.
"Security Watch." Tired of putting up with the patdown, there are new rules at the nation's airports.
And bowling for dollars. You won't believe where Yasser Arafat invested his money.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, December 23rd, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Thanks for joining us. I'm John King, in for Wolf Blitzer.
White Christmas is an understatement for what millions of Americans will be experiencing. Winter weather has buried parts of the Midwest with snow. Frigid temperatures are sending thermometers plummeting over a large portion of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Skies are clear, temperatures are cold, and there's a thick layer of snow blanketing much of the upper Midwest today. The Ohio Valley took the brunt of the storm, with more than two feet of snow reported in some areas, along with drifts up to five feet deep. Drivers across the region had to change, if not cancel, their travel plans, with hundreds left stranded on impassable highways. At least 11 traffic deaths in four states are blamed on the severe weather.
Air travel also impacted with delays reported in Detroit, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, and expected to spread to the busy Northeast corridor. Those not traveling are still being impacted, with power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of homes.
Heavy snow is also blamed for collapsing part of the roof of this building in Cincinnati and this one near Louisville, Kentucky. No reports of injuries in either incident. Those living in the hardest hit areas are trying to keep a sunny outlook, despite the winter wallop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to deal with it. What do you expect? This is Michigan weather. So you just deal with it and do the best you can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: More now on some of the hardest hit areas, beginning with CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. She has been braving the elements in Evansville, Indiana, where hundreds of drivers found themselves snowed in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): The snow may have stopped in southern Indiana, but the travel problems continue. Hundreds of motorists had been stranded along interstate 64 and 36 counties in southern Indiana have declared a state of emergency. Most of the roads are impassable.
The interstate is closed on 64 from the Illinois-Indiana state line extending over to the east of Evansville, Indiana. The National Guard has been called out to try and rescue some of those people. But a very unlikely samaritan traveling from St. Louis was able to make a wide path to the other side of the interstate and get plenty of people to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're sitting in their cars. They're going to run out of gas, 10 hours. And their kids are cold. I mean, we do what we had to do, you know, plowing and it wasn't our intentions, but it's all working out now.
JERAS (on camera): Authorities say they don't know when the interstate will open again, but they are making efforts to get the roads cleared. The wind is blowing, howling at times, up to 30 miles per hour, and that is adding to the problem with visibility being very poor and blowing and drifting of snow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TINO RAMOS, WBNS REPORTER: Snow, ice, and rain, a heavy combination for the people in central Ohio. Here in Pickaway County, they are in a level three emergency, which means nobody should be on the road except for those emergency vehicles. This is the reason why. This is a two-lane road here in Pickaway County. You can see the ice is so heavy on many of the tree limbs that they just basically went onto the road covering the area. As a matter of fact, there are four state roads in Pickaway County that are closed because of this. Take a look at this. You can see right over here, this tree just collapsed under its own weight. Obviously, some of the areas knocked out power as it hit power lines.
Take a look. As a matter of fact, this transformer got knocked out early in the morning after one of the heavy limbs ended up going over the lines, pulling the transformer entirely out. People had to cut away some of the limbs. Others just kind of waiting to see if this stuff will thaw out before they can tackle any of the problems.
A lot of power outages in the Pickaway County area here and basically in central Ohio. Over 200,000 people without power because of the snow and ice storm.
As far as travel is concerned, well, many of the roads now covered with ice, with a small layer of snow on top of it. Again, the problem is road crews trying to get out and salt these things down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: That report from Tino Ramos of our affiliate WBNS in Pickaway County, Ohio. So what's next for those people and who's next in line for the snow? CNN meteorologist Orelon Sidney is in the CNN Weather Center with an up to the minute forecast -- Orelon.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, John. The good news is that the snow is pretty much over for most part. There is a little bit of lake (ph) effect snow still possible tonight for the western part of Michigan and the southern coast of Lake Erie.
But take you back 24 hours, this is where the area of low pressure tracked, right across Arkansas, stretching up through Indiana and Ohio. Those again some of the higher snow amounts there.
Out to the east, there is lots of warm air. So what you've got there is rainfall. I say just rainfall because we do have windy conditions causing some airport delays. I'll show you in a moment.
Take a look at this. Liberty, Indiana, 31 inches of snowfall. That is a record total there. Boston, Indiana, at 24 inches. We're still looking at some advisories, mainly that's because of blowing snow and the chance that we could see more lake (ph) effect snows tonight. But those amounts will be light, maybe two to four inches in most places.
Still raining here across the Northeast, you could see as much as an inch, and we do have delays at La Guardia, Newark, and Chicago because of windy conditions. We have delays too out of Atlanta. Ground stops now in effect for Cleveland Hopkins, for JFK and Newark International. That means they're not letting planes destined for this location take off and go there.
So we're seeing some pretty good delays in those locations. Cold air too working its way south. It will be very chilly tonight across much of the nation -- John.
KING: Orelon, thank you very much. And to our viewers, here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Is bad weather disrupting your holiday travel plans? You can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results a bit later in the broadcast.
Last month, you might remember the U.S. military said it had rooted out insurgents from their stronghold of Falluja. Today fighting raged once again there. And the military says three U.S. Marines were killed in Al Anbar province, which includes Falluja.
Even as the first few hundred refugees began trickling back into the city, embattled U.S. forces were calling in air strikes. CNN's Karl Penhaul has the story from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of just five U.S. checkpoints open for refugees returning to Falluja.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've been waiting here from 6:00 a.m. until now, and no one could enter. They gave us these instructions to get into the city.
PENHAUL: It's not exactly a warm welcome home. This sign warns, any person that attempts to enter Falluja with a weapon is liable to be killed. An estimated 250,000 civilians fled Falluja before the assault. Marines say about 500 returned Thursday. Men of fighting age must show IDs and undergo fingerprint and eye scans like immigrants arriving at U.S. airports. Residents have been waiting six and a half weeks to go back. Their patience is near breaking point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They took about five cars near the bridge, and then they did not allow us to enter the city. I think this is a kind of propaganda, only because no one entered the city of Falluja until now.
PENHAUL: U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers who stormed the city in November say they're trying to stop insurgents filtering back, disguised as civilians. Despite the November assault with massive U.S. fire power and thousands of troops, some of the insurgents never left.
As refugees were returning Thursday, guerrilla fighters holed up in houses battled on. A Marine spokesman said U.S. Marines pulled back and called in air strikes to level the building.
Witnesses say one-third of Falluja may have been flattened by fighting since November. Some of those who returned Thursday found they had little to go back to. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is a disaster, not a district. No one can walk here, let alone live. There is no water, no electricity, nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I just came to find the house as you see it, a wreck. Where will my family and children stay? What do we do?
PENHAUL: To date, U.S. and Iraqi officials have given no accurate assessment of how many homes were destroyed and how many civilians were killed. For now, returning residents will pick up what pieces are left while the rattle of distant gun fire reminds them the insurgency has not been defeated.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Investigators believe they know what happened in that tragic mess tent in Mosul Tuesday. The commander of U.S. forces in the area tells CNN that the bomber apparently wore an Iraqi military uniform along with a vest filled with explosives. A military spokesman adds that a torso found at the scene was clad in just such a uniform.
Meantime, U.S. medical personnel in Germany are doing all they can for those badly wounded by the blast. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Landstuhl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The shattered survivors of a horrific bombing -- these the latest images of 35 casualties evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany from Mosul. More than half still fighting for their lives in intensive care, their injuries more serious, say doctors, because none wore body armor in the mess tent that was attacked.
COL. RHONDA CORNUM, CMDR., LANDSTUHL MED. CENTER: In this case, we have very, very mild extremity injuries. At the same time, we have some people that have just some horrible internal injuries. And, you know, spleen, kidney, intestine, stomach, esophagus, bladder. So all -- it's just very different than what we've been seeing for about the past year.
CHANCE: And the attack was different too. Hitting troops and civilian contractors at their most vulnerable. The biggest single influx of injured to Landstuhl from Iraq since the war began. Medical teams here called in from Christmas leave, now working day and night to save them.
CORNUM: I have hope that every single one of them will make it. Now, I never guarantee that, but we've had very good success. We have excellent, excellent nursing care, excellent surgeons, excellent intensive care people. And I have great faith that the vast majority, if not everybody, will make it. CHANCE: Make it, if not home for Christmas, then at least some time soon after. Some of the least injured from Mosul have already been sent to hospitals in the U.S. to continue their recovery although most still remain in Germany. U.S. medical officials say it will be some days yet before all the survivors of the Mosul bombing are fit enough to go home. Matthew Chance, CNN, Landstuhl, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: The commander of Task Force Olympia based in Mosul speaks out about Tuesday's deadly attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we have a good procedure to do that, but clearly in this instance, I failed to identify some shortcoming that allowed this to occur.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: My interview with Brigadier General Carter Ham next.
Hands off the chest. Complaints prompt new rules for airport security screeners.
And secret connection. The hip New York City hangout with ties to Yasser Arafat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Deadly suicide attacks are carried out almost every day in Iraq. And U.S. military officials believe that's what happened Tuesday, when an explosion ripped through a mess tent in an American base in Mosul. 14 American soldiers were among the 22 people killed. Dozens of others were wounded. That attack raises serious questions about security at U.S. bases across Iraq, and earlier I spoke about these issues and that attack with the commander of American forces in Mosul, Brigadier General Carter Ham.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: General Ham, thank you for joining us so much today at this difficult and trying time. I want to get to some questions about exactly what happened and what you know about what happened. But I want to begin first by giving you an opportunity to speak to viewers here in the United States, including perhaps some of the family members and friends of those killed and wounded in the tragedy the other day.
BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: Well, John, thanks for the opportunity to discuss these issues with you today. They are very important issues. But at the heart of all of this, we have to keep in mind, in our thoughts and in our prayers the soldiers who were lost, those who were wounded, the civilians and the family members who bear a heavy burden now at this very special time of year. Our hearts and our thoughts and our prayers go out to each and every one of them. I would also tell you that the soldiers here remain strong. They are every bit as committed to this successful accomplishment of their mission today as they were two days ago. And I have to tell you, as a soldier serving with them, I'm extraordinarily proud to be with them here today.
KING: General, help us understand. This is the question I'm sure many of these families are asking and many people across America are asking, how did this happen? How did an apparent suicide bomber get such a weapon on to a U.S. military base? What do you know so far about the investigation?
HAM: Well, John, we don't know exactly how it happened. But we are going to find out. There has been an investigation initiated. First -- the first part of the investigation started shortly after the incident, and that was to determine what was the nature of the explosion, whether it was indirect fire or some other device. The forensics experts, the explosives experts, determined that in their very best judgment that the explosion that day was caused by a device that was inside of the facility. The question now turns to how did that happen? And I don't know the answer to that question yet. We're investigating. We will find out. But as of this moment, we don't know. What we think is likely, but certainly not certain, is that an individual in an Iraqi military uniform, possibly with a vest-worn explosive device, was inside the facility and detonated the facility causing this tragedy. That's preliminary. We'll find out what the truth is and then take necessary actions as we gain more information.
KING: That raises the question, sir, that if there is one infiltrator, there could well be two, three or more. What steps are you taking to go back and recheck people, whether they be people with Iraqi military uniforms or some of the contractors, the hired hands, if you will, to come in to provide service on the base? What has changed and what are you doing to try to make sure this doesn't happen again?
HAM: John, my highest priority is the protection of our forces. Because if we don't protect our force, we can't accomplish our mission. So I take that responsibility very, very seriously. Every day we make assessments based on the intelligence that we have, the threats that we think we are likely to face, and then determine what are the most appropriate measures to take to counter or disrupt those threats. I think we have a good procedure to do that. But clearly in this instance, I failed to identify some shortcoming that allowed this to occur. That's why we're doing this investigation, to find out where was that seam that these murders were able to exploit and so that we can preclude such events in the future and again continue our actions to protect our force to the best extent that is possible.
KING: What are the rules for troops going into that hall for mess, or what were the rules at the time? Would they be required to have their vests on or at that time of the day do the rules on the base allow them to be in a less secure posture, if you will?
HAM: Well, I don't want to get into a lot of specifics, but we do have a series of force protection measures that we take, again, based upon the threat. It is not at all unusual for soldiers to come in off of a mission, have their body armor on, move to a meal, eat the meal quickly and then move right back out on a mission.
So it's not at all unusual to see soldiers with body armor. There are times when we prescribe that body armor must be worn and helmets must be worn. Again, that's based on the threat. And indeed, there are some times when we close the dining facilities based on threat, which we have done in the past. It is the application of random protective measures, seemingly random protection measures, based on the threat as we assess it, and in my direction of those protective measures that we try to apply to keep our soldiers as safe as we can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Is a lone suicide bomber behind that attack in Mosul? Ahead, more of our interview with Brigadier General Carter Ham including a message from him to the families of the fallen.
Plus new restrictions for airport security screeners. What you won't be feeling on your next trip.
And later...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
P. DIDDY, ENTERTAINER: I'll probably be more interested in being a revolutionary.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: What does that mean?
P.DIDDY: Somebody that's, you know, making a change. Forcing a change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: He's an entertainer and an activist. Wolf talks with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs as we look back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: More now of my interview with the U.S. commander in Mosul, Iraq, Brigadier General Carter Ham. I asked him in more details now about that deadly explosion Tuesday at the U.S. military mess tent that officials believe was a suicide attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Are you convinced, sir, that this was the work solely of that suicide bomber? There have been some suggestions in people I've talked to perhaps there was a suicide bomb in the tent and then knowing that U.S. personnel would come to that area to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters, that perhaps then some follow-on attacks from mortars from the outside. Any indication of that at all?
HAM: Well, not yet. But that's why we do the investigation, is to get to those particular facts. It is very difficult to conceive that this would be the act of a lone individual. It would seem to me reasonable to assume that this was a mission perhaps some time in the planning, days perhaps, that this particular group, and Ansar al Sunna has claimed responsibility. I have no reason to doubt that. They are a very vicious terrorist organization. So I think it is probably a well-coordinated action rather than the actions of one particular individual.
KING: Sir, you delivered the policy if you will, on the ground in Iraq. It is set by the civilians and military leadership back here in Washington. Do you have enough boots on the ground?
HAM: I have enough U.S. boots on the ground. I do not have enough Iraqi boots on the ground. And ultimately, to defeat this insurgency, it will be Iraqi security forces that will necessarily have to step up and assume an increasing and ultimately total responsibility for security in their own nation. The development of Iraqi security forces has not been as fast as any of us would have liked. Having said that, some Iraqi security forces appear in Mosul and throughout the area for which we are responsible, have performed very, very well for some time reaching back into early this year.
Others, notably the police, in mid November, have not performed well at all -- in a very disappointing manner. So the mixed performance of the Iraqi security forces and the slow development is a great concern I think to all of us, and really, that's got to be the decisive effort. That's where we have to apply our energies, is to help the Iraqis get to a point where they can carry this burden themselves.
KING: And sir, Mosul, a few weeks back was relatively quiet by Iraqi standards and the standards of the insurgency, anyway. What does this attack and the subsequent crackdown by your men and others -- what does that tell us about the nature of the insurgency right now and its ability to move around, if you will?
HAM: Well, I would say that Mosul has not been quiet for some time time. In the spring, summer, it was quiet, but we've seen some disturbing indicators. I think what it tells us truly about the nature of this insurgency is that it is very complex. The elements that make up the insurgents, both former regime elements, terrorists, and religious extremists, are capable, they are very dangerous, very lethal as we have certainly seen in the past few days, and they are also very adaptive in how they apply their particular brands of terror.
So this is an extraordinarily complex situation. It is one that requires the application not just of military force, though there certainly is an important role for military force, but there is also an important requirement for economic reconstitution as security situations allow that, for assistance in the Iraqis developing governmental systems at the local through national levels. It has to be a multifaceted approach to defeat this insurgency over the long time, and the leading role has to be taken by Iraqis.
KING: General, you spend a great deal of time, I'm sure, studying the enemy. And I hate to use this word, but they have had a success in their view in recent days. What does that do to the psychology, if you will, of the terrorists you're fighting?
HAM: It is an enemy success. And they are clearly using that. We see that on Web sites and in newspapers, in other means of intelligence that we collect on this enemy that they are using this as sort of a rallying call. What concerns me now in this particular sector is two particular things. First, they will use this as a recruiting tool, if you will, as evidence of their success and their ability to strike at us and at legitimate Iraqi governmental officials. Secondly, I am concerned about the so-called copycat attacks that I think is a threat -- to see someone that maybe before didn't think about an attack like this, maybe now will start to think of this kind of an attack against us, or against other Iraqi security forces. So we have to be on our best guard over the coming days, weeks and months for that kind of threat.
KING: General, I want to close on a more personal note. As you know, it is Christmas week back here in the United States. The American people thinking about the troops around the world. And certainly your men and women this week with their thoughts and their prayers, some also going to their post office, on the Internet to send greetings and gifts and the like. Is there anything that your men and women need?
HAM: Well, John, I would tell you, what we need most are the best wishes, the thoughts and prayers of the American people, and we're getting that.
And I can tell you that it makes a difference. The outpouring of support from Americans that we never knew to us, to all of our soldiers, and to our families across America, has been absolutely incredible. It conveys to me and to the soldiers that serve here how special America feels about its soldiers. And that gives us the strength to carry on.
For those families who have suffered their worst possible tragedies at this very special time of year, they carry the heaviest burden. And I think all of us share in offering our love and our thoughts and our prayers to them and to know that their comrades in arms, that our comrades in arms, their sacrifice will not have been made in vain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Brigadier General Carter Ham earlier today from Mosul.
Changes to how women will be treated at the airport. But is passenger comfort worth risking general security?
That story next in our CNN security watch.
Bowling bar mitzvahs? Find out how former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is connected with a New York City bowling alley.
And, later, as genocide rages, how one man offered shelter from the storm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Our security watch report today on a controversial procedure that's carried out every day at airports across the country.
Joining us with the details, CNN's Brian Todd.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, all of us have been through it, those pat-downs that we have to endure at security checkpoints. And many women have had problems with the way those have been conducted, and now the government is doing something about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Even when delicately done, this move has made some female airline passengers cringe. One of them, a former congresswoman, recently chose to drive more than seven hours rather than fly and endure it.
HELEN CHENOWETH-HAGE (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: I thought, you know, this is pretty aggressive and invasive, to pat a woman's torso down, especially around the breast area.
TODD: Many complaints like that from female passengers have prompted the Transportation Security Administration to issue a new order. As of Thursday, screeners are not allowed to routinely touch passengers between their breasts during pat-downs. They can only touch the perimeters of the chest, backside, and abdomen.
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: Like good partners, we listen to our traveling public, and we're looking at how to make this a little bit more comfortable.
TODD: More comfortable, but will we be more safe? Screeners were ordered to conduct more frequent and thorough passenger searches back in September, after two plane crashes in Russia believed to have been caused by Chechen women who carried explosives on board.
With the procedures changing again, one screener at Boston's Logan Airport tells us they're getting mixed signals about which rules were more effective. If the new pat-downs are just as safe, he says, it means the old procedures weren't even necessary. Full pat-downs are still allowed if an alarm goes off when a passenger is being wanded or irregular clothing is being detected. Women are giving the new procedures mixed reviews.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're a little strange, but it was not invasive at all. She was very polite, told me what she was going to do. It was very quick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They always come dangerously close to where you think they shouldn't. And this time, most times, they tell you that, if they're going to pat in a sensitive area, they'll use the back of their hands. But this woman, I guess, in the rush, she just kind of patted wherever she needed to.
TODD: Some screeners believe those areas can be searched tactfully with the use of so-called ETDs, explosive trace detection machines. Screeners check material with handheld devices, then run the swabs through those machines. ETDs are in place in every U.S. airport, but are now only being used on luggage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: A TSA official tells us ETDs cannot be used on passengers because they get contaminated by body fluids and other substances from the skin. And he says, if they tried to modify the machines and use them on passengers, it would dramatically slow the screening process, John.
KING: So fewer pat-downs, Brian, but not an elimination?
TODD: Not an elimination. If you set off something in a metal detector or you're wanded and you set off something, you still get searched in those specific areas.
KING: New rules on a holiday weekend. Interesting to watch.
TODD: Right.
KING: Thank you, Brian Todd.
And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
KING: West Bank Palestinians today held their first local elections in three decades. Only two dozen towns and villages took part. Major cities will vote in the next round. Their turnout was heavy in what's widely seen as a trial run for January's presidential election, when Palestinians will choose a successor to Yasser Arafat.
And more than a month after his death, some of Yasser Arafat's financial dealings are coming to light, including a seemingly bizarre investment in a bowling alley that caters to bar mitzvahs and celebrity customers ranging from Dustin Hoffman to Usher.
Let's go live now to CNN's Mary Snow in New York -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, John.
Well, a spokesman for the International Monetary Fund confirms that $900 million was invested by money managers with ties to the late Yasser Arafat. Now, a small slice of that made its way here to New York, and at least one person says, he's outraged.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): It's an unlikely place for political controversy, but beyond the bowling pins and parties in this trendy New York spot is money linked to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The owner says, he's shocked.
THOMAS SHANNON, CEO, STRIKE HOLDINGS: We don't choose to be affiliated with any political-based organization, especially one that, you know, may or may not have ties to things that we find absolutely abhorrent.
SNOW: Thomas Shannon says he's been working with his lawyers since Bloomberg News broke the story. He says he's returning $1.3 million invested in his business by a company which is part funded by the Palestine Commercial Services Company.
SHANNON: Not only do we have a lot of customers that are Jewish. We do a lot of charitable work with Jewish organizations.
SNOW: Bowlmor boasts of celebrity visits that include one from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who once barred Yasser Arafat from New York City's Lincoln Center. Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of "Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It," says Arafat's investments are coming to go light because of questions by donor groups.
RACHEL EHRENFELD, AUTHOR, "FUNDING EVIL": Arafat controlled the money. Arafat controlled where the money was going. He employed people in order to invest the money. And, of course, not one bank account was under his name.
SNOW: The question is, how did the money wind up in a New York bowling alley that hosts bar mitzvah parties? Shannon says the money came from a private investment company called SilverHaze . He says he went to school with the firm's founder. SilverHaze declined to stay whether it had invested in Bowlmor, but told CNN: "The Palestinian National Authority, like all governments worldwide, invest money on behalf of their people in a broad spectrum of businesses. Mischaracterizing this process to exploit complex political sensitivities serves no one."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And our efforts to contact the Palestine Investment Fund and the Palestinian finance minister were unsuccessful. Also, the Palestinian mission to the U.N. says it has no comment on the story -- John.
KING: Mary Snow in New York -- thank you, Mary.
And now a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Fear is the top subject for teachers in southern Thailand. Just days after two teachers were killed by suspected Muslim insurgents, teachers at more than 300 schools walked off the job, demanding better security from the government. Almost 600 people have been killed in the mostly Muslim south this year. And officials warn, militants are likely to launch more large-scale attacks next year.
Giant sapphire. People down under are flocking to see the biggest cruise ship ever to visit Australia. The Sapphire Princess is twice as big as the Titanic. Amenities for its almost 4,000 passengers and crew include five swimming pools, nine restaurants, 13 bars, a wedding chapel, and a mini-golf course.
Not dead yet. A ban outlawing the ancient British sport of fox hunting, due to start in February, could be postponed for up to a year. Prime Minister Tony Blair's government says it won't oppose an expected injunction sought by a pro-hunting lobby to delay the ban.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Remembering Rwanda, the story of how one man helped save more than 1,200 lives.
A hip-hop superstar trying to make a difference in the world, Wolf's interview with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs ahead.
And later, forget the sleigh. These Santas prefer two wheels. Find out what record these bearded bikers are trying to break in our picture of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Every once in a while, when the saying hell on earth becomes reality, an ordinary individual takes extraordinary steps to save the lives of others.
It happened 10 years ago, when hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children were slaughtered in Rwanda. That nightmare and that man's courage are the subject now of the new movie "Hotel Rwanda."
Once again, CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Can you pick out the hero in this group? Try the nondescript middle-aged grandfather on the right. Place him back 10 years, as his country descends into madness.
April 1994, two presidents are assassinated. A piece accord collapses. Rwanda crumbles with it. Smoldering resentment between ethnic Hutu and their rival Tutsis explodes into a surreal, murderous rampage. Hutu extremists begin murdering Tutsis and moderate Hutus. In three months, more than 800,000 people are slaughtered.
Paul Rusesabagina is in the middle of it. The manager of a four- star hotel in the capital, Kigali, he is a moderate Hutu, his wife, a Tutsi. He begins the enormous task of protecting her and taking in others at the same time.
PAUL RUSESABAGINA, FORMER HOTEL MANAGER: I thought I was doing my right job, my day-to-day life, a manager's life, a manager's job.
TODD: The new film "Hotel Rwanda" chronicles the genocide in Rusesabagina's footsteps. Played by Don Cheadle, this unassuming, somewhat naive businessman is at first bewildered by the chaos outside his hotel's gates, then watches his friends turn into killers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
DON CHEADLE, ACTOR: You do not honestly believe that you can kill them all?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: And why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: As the corpses pile up and the Westerners get out, Rusesabagina starts taking in people desperate for any shelter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
CHEADLE: Go inside. Go inside the hotel, all of you.
TODD: With little protection and dwindling supplies, he houses more than 1,200 people and wards off their attackers.
(on camera): Paul Rusesabagina told me he often used some pretty basic psychology to save lives. If you want to control someone, he said, keep him close to you. To keep militiamen at bay, he often spoke directly to them as they came to his hotel. He charmed them into being distracted and moving on.
(voice-over): Sometimes, it meant serving them drinks and food. Other times, it called for a frantic bribe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
CHEADLE: I will give you 100,000 franks for all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Give me it.
CHEADLE: I don't have it here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEADLE: Just from him doing the things that he knew how to do moment to moment. It's not some mythic figure. It's just a common, everyday man. And I think that's what people are connecting to.
TODD: Consciously avoiding scenes of graphic violence, the filmmakers weave a personal thriller with a central character who overcomes his own doubts and mistakes and the betrayal of friends and nations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "HOTEL RWANDA")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Thank you very much. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No Rwandans.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Today, Paul Rusesabagina seems almost unfathomably cheerful and normal, living in Belgium with his family, running a trucking company in Zambia, receiving honors and ovations, staying on message.
RUSESABAGINA: What people see should be put in facts, not only into words. If it is never again, they have to make it never again.
TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And this footnote, "Hotel Rwanda" was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards last week, including best picture, best actor, and best original song.
Right now, it's showing in select theaters in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Looking back at the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN "P. DIDDY" COMBS, ENTERTAINER: There's a lot of lies in politics, a lot of deception. What you're hearing isn't what I think somebody can guarantee they can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Hip-hop star Sean Combs on politics, music, and more next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Through the end of the year, we're looking back at some of the fascinating people we've interviewed in 2004 in a series, the best of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Today, a man whose resume includes as many careers, hip-hop star, actor, entrepreneur, as it does names, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and simply Sean Combs.
Wolf Blitzer sat down with Combs in New York back in March.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You went, in a decade, from being an intern and a college kid who was from Howard University, basically, and then within 10 years you've got this empire...
COMBS: Yes.
BLITZER: ... that you've put together, where it's -- I'm guessing tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars.
COMBS: Yes. BLITZER: How much are you worth right now?
COMBS: I mean, it's -- I'm worth a lot.
BLITZER: We're talking -- we're talking in...?
COMBS: I mean, I don't -- you know, I like to value my success on how many people I've been -- been able to give a chance to.
I -- I employ over -- over 400 employees worldwide. You know, I'm an independent company. I own my own record company, my clothing line. All of my ventures, I'm an owner of it.
I'm the owner of my catalogue, wrote my master's. And that's something that I've very proud of. But the most important thing, not the monetary aspects. It's how many lives I could touch and change and help to -- to get a chance to so they could realize their dreams and have a life of their own.
BLITZER: You want to be an inspiration to a lot of young people.
COMBS: I try my best. I think that -- I think that's important. I won't shy away from trying my best to be a role model. And one of my ways that I try to be a role model is by being real and being true and being honest, and you know, living my life the best way I can and doing the best I can on a day to day basis.
BLITZER: Do you want to go into politics?
COMBS: No, not at all.
BLITZER: Why?
COMBS: I mean, politics to me is -- there's a lot of lies in politics, a lot of deception. What you're hearing isn't what I think somebody can guarantee they could do. I would have to say, I'd probably be more interested in being a revolutionary.
BLITZER: What does that mean?
COMBS: Somebody that's, you know, making a change, forcing a change, you know, exposing -- exposing the lies and forcing a change and overturning the liars, you know?
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: How do you go about doing that?
COMBS: I would also have to say -- I would also have to say I would, you know -- I would want to be an activist, you know, before I would want to be a politician.
BLITZER: So you -- you are an activist to a certain degree.
COMBS: Yes.
BLITZER: Because you supported Al Sharpton.
COMBS: I support the -- you know, overturning the Rockefeller Law, which should be overturned in New York state.
BLITZER: What's that?
COMBS: You know, this is the law that we have where you have people that are jailed for drug related crimes. And it could be their first offense, and they could go away for life for a minimal, you know, minimal -- having minimal drugs on them in their possession.
So you have a mother and maybe she had, you know, ten vials of crack on her. And she stays in, you know, up to 25 years to life.
And this was something that was supposed to deter, you know, drug kingpins. And you know, it just didn't work. And it's really just affected the black community, the Latino community and put a lot of mothers and fathers and daughters and sons away for a long time, people that never -- made their first mistake.
And so, you know, I'm an activist on that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Tomorrow, we'll revisit Wolf's interview with the dean of broadcast journalists, Walter Cronkite, sharing his views on politics, war, and more.
Results of our Web question of the day next. Plus, revving up for the big day. Thousands of Santas trade in their sleds for bikes in our picture of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember, we've been asking you, is bad weather disrupting your holiday travel plans? Ten percent of say yes; 90 percent of you say no. This is not a scientific poll.
No travel delays for 2,600 Santas. That's our picture of the day. Bikers from all across Britain came together to a racetrack near Birmingham, all dressed as Santa, to raise money for a children's charity. They were hoping to break the British record for a Santa gathering. But with only 2,663 showing up, they fell short by 53 Saint Nicks.
Maybe that's where Wolf is.
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS at this time, 5:00 Eastern. Thanks for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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