Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Bush Meets with German Chancellor; Will U.S. Strike Nuclear Sites in Iran?; China Builds up Military Might; Pope's Book Condemns Gay Marriage, Abortion; Rain Leads to More Mudslides in Southern California; Former Airport Security Screener Alleges Sloppy Practices

Aired February 23, 2005 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now: new concerns about airport security in a major U.S. city. Why one airport screener is coming forward with a very serious allegation.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Balance of power.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You have shown that America's military is one of the world's greatest forces for good.

BLITZER: But will America's allies defy the president and boost China's military forces?

Defending his faith: in a new book, the pope pulls no punches, calling gay marriage evil, and likening abortion to mass murder.

The skies will clear, but the threat still hangs over soggy Southern California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not out of the woods, even after we get our sunshine back.

BLITZER: Survivor stories.

TOMMY THOMPSON, FORMER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Why am I failing my daughter in this regard? Why haven't we been able to find a cure?

BLITZER: Women and their loved ones caught up in the battle against breast cancer.

Short-timer: she's been foraging for dandelions in the prison yard, but what will Martha Stewart do when she gets out?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, February 23, 2005.

BLITZER: President Bush is on the last stop of a tour aimed at mending the rift with Europe. He'll try to finish his repair job during a summit tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.

Earlier today, a major thaw in an icy relationship as Mr. Bush finally spoke with one of his toughest critics, the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, is traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Germany for the first time since a bitter feud over the Iraq war, a joint promise to focus more on areas of agreement, and a concerted effort by the president to allay European worries that Iran will be the next military target.

BUSH: Diplomacy is just beginning. Iran is not Iraq.

KING: Mr. Bush almost made clear he will not immediately push for new sanctions on Syria, saying he wants to wait and see if Damascus pulls its troops and secret police from Lebanon before May elections.

BUSH: We will see how they respond before there's any further discussions about going back to the United Nations.

KING: Just being here was significant. Back in 2003, Mr. Bush would not speak to Chancellor Schroeder for seven months because of his vocal opposition to the Iraq war. Both men now speak of a new chapter.

GERHARD SCHROEDER, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): We have agreed that we are not going to constantly emphasize where we're not agreeing.

KING: Still the differences were clear, just as they were at Mr. Bush's earlier stop in Brussels. Mr. Schroeder and others in Europe want to offer Iran financial and diplomatic incentives in exchange for a promise not to develop nuclear weapons.

Mr. Bush doesn't hide his contempt for Iran's leaders but tried to played down tactical promises with the European negotiators.

BUSH: It's vital that Iranians hear the world speaks with one voice, that they shouldn't have a nuclear weapon.

KING: China is the latest source of transatlantic tensions. Mr. Bush is urging Europeans to keep a ban on major military sales to Beijing in place. Mr. Schroeder says the embargo will be lifted.

Before leaving Germany, this visit with U.S. troops and a spirited defense of the Iraq war.

BUSH: You have acted in the great liberating tradition of our nation. KING: Opposition to the war is the driving force behind anti- Bush sentiment here and across much of Europe. Mr. Bush attributes the divide to different views of the significance of September 11.

(on camera) The president told a round table here that those who view the attacks on United States as a horrible but isolated incident and those, who like him, view them as a wakeup call to the global terror threat, often talk past each other, to which he quickly added, "I plead guilty at times."

John King, Mainz, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: President Bush says he's keeping all options open when it comes to stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but would the United States really risk a new war?

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

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you ask that question you have to think the U.S. has been in this situation before, and at that point it almost went to war in 1994.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): All this week while traveling in Europe, President Bush has sent a mixed message, dismissing the idea the U.S. is considering bombing Iran's suspected nuclear sites, while refusing to rule out such an attack in the future.

BUSH: This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table.

MCINTYRE: In fact, the U.S. came close to carrying out a preemptive strike against North Korea in 1994. As Pentagon officials later confirmed, plans were seriously considered to use Cruise missiles and stealth aircraft to destroy North Korea's Pyongyang (ph) nuclear reactor.

The air strike option was rejected by then Defense Secretary William Perry who decided not to risk all-out war on the Korea Peninsula, a war the Pentagon projected could result in one million casualties on both sides.

The crisis was averted when North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear program in return for nuclear technology that did not produce raw materials for nuclear weapons. But that 1994 agreement didn't stop North Korea from working on nuclear bombs in secret and now claiming to possess them.

Fast forward to 2005 in Iran, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent. Unlike in North Korea 11 years ago, Iran's nuclear facilities are dispersed, and the locations of many are unknown. While a single strike might set back Iran's nuclear ambitions, experts say it would not shut them down.

FRANK GAFFNEY, CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY: What you're going to be able to do, if you do attack them, is probably not much more than interrupt, disrupt, or degrade for a time the onward march of the Iranians towards nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And Wolf, Pentagon officials say the key to a successful preemptive strike is to couple it with a strong warning that any retaliation would be suicidal while presenting the rest of the world with strong evidence that the strike was justified in the first place -- Wolf.

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

As John King noted earlier, the Atlantic alliance may be tested again by a hot new dispute that stretches far across the Pacific, namely, arm sales to China.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, gives us a closer look from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On his trip to Europe, President Bush made it clear, his administration is not happy the European Union may lift its arms embargo on China.

BUSH: There is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan.

STARR: Even as the U.S. has used China to bring North Korea back to the nuclear negotiating table, the U.S. intelligence community believes China's plans to expand its military force is an emerging problem in Asia.

PORTER GOSS, CIA DIRECTOR: Beijing's military modernization and military build up could tilt the power in the Taiwan Strait. Improved Chinese capabilities threaten U.S. forces in the region.

STARR: The CIA is tracking several Chinese military developments.

GOSS: In 2004 China increased its ballistic missile forces to deploy across to Taiwan, across -- from Taiwan, excuse me, and rolled out several new submarines. China continues to develop more robust, survivable nuclear armed missiles, as well as conventional capability for use in regional conflict.

STARR: The Pentagon's most recent report on China's military power underscores Beijing's determination to project its military power outside its own borders in a crisis.

Last year China reported two Russia arms contracts, $1 billion for 24 SU-30 fighters, and $500,000 for SA-20 surface to air missiles. China is pursuing new weapons in all areas. Russia and the republicans of the former Soviet Union remain its major suppliers for now.

The Pentagon report also notes China has watched the U.S. war in Iraq carefully, and the Chinese leadership has concluded in the event of war with Taiwan that ground forces will be vital. Air strikes will not be enough. Psychological operations will be need to attack Taiwan's will to fight. Modern communications gear is a top priority.

On this coastline directly opposite Taiwan, China continues to increase the number of short-range ballistic missiles. Now more than 500 missiles are in place.

Still, China lacks the amphibious power for an outright invasion, so keeping the U.S. Navy at bay in defending Taiwan may be a crucial Chinese military strategy at a time when the U.S. Navy is planning to cut an aircraft carrier from its force.

(on camera) The Chinese government says it is not looking for a fight. This country is clearly focused on becoming an economic powerhouse and keeping North Korea in check, but Beijing and Washington continue to watch each other's military plans and Taiwan very closely just in case.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Taking a strong stand, controversial remarks in a new edgy book by the pope. The pontiff attacks gay marriage and abortion.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost like an earthquake, thunder rumbling low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole house just shook.

BLITZER: More flooding, sinkholes, and mudslides in California as the state suffers its wettest season in more than century.

And later, from imprisoned domestic diva to the new comeback kid, how Stewart's star power is rising as she nears freedom.

Out Mary Snow standing by with the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He's elderly and ailing, but Pope John Paul II is still taking a tough stance, tackling issues such as gay marriage and abortion in his latest book.

Our senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, reports from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 84-year-old pope showed his steel again, this time in a new book articulating the ideology of his faith.

John Paul II held his weekly audience on the day his new book, "Memory and Identity," went on sale. Don't be fooled by the innocuous title; it has an edge. The aging pontiff attacks homosexual marriage as part of a new, quote, "ideology of evil," which he said insidiously threatens society.

(on camera) The book also condemns abortion. Not a surprise, except that the pope calls it legalized extermination, similar to what was practiced in some formerly totalitarian countries. That passage offended some Jews, who saw the pope equating abortion with their Holocaust.

(voice-over) Not so said a leading Vatican cardinal.

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER, CONG. FOR DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH: It's not true. The pope does not compare Holocaust with abortion.

RODGERS: Still one Jewish critic took the pontiff to task for trying to impose Rome's anti-abortion doctrine on non-Catholics.

AMOS LUZZATO, JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADER: If it is their opinion, they cannot impose to me their opinion. If it is their belief, they cannot impose to me their belief.

RODGERS: John Paul II also revisits the 1981 assassination attempt in which a Turk nearly killed him, but he sheds no new light on why.

When near death, the pope affirms he was, quote, "practically on the other side," and was saved only by the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

"Memory and Identity" does not seem likely to rival "The Da Vinci Code" in terms of sales, but the pope's book has its own audience.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Back in this country, skies are clearing over most of Southern California, but the danger from a week's worth of relentless rain isn't over yet.

Nine deaths are blamed on a series of storms, which officials say have cost $52 million damage in Los Angeles County alone. L.A.'s mayor wants President Bush to declare the city a disaster area in the wake of the record-setting deluge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): Southern California struggles to cope with what is now its wettest rain season in 115 years.

Among the latest casualties, the runway at a small airport in Santa Paula, northwest of Los Angeles, shut down as it loses ground to the now raging river next door.

Also closed, dozens of roads across the region, including the famous Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, where a giant bolder looms ominously overhead. Officials think gravity will eventually bring it down.

The same fate may await these homes in Highland Park, whose hillside perches are slowly giving way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded almost like an earthquake, thunder, rumbling, low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole house just shook.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The house just shook. We jumped out of bed.

BLITZER: In all, almost 100 homes across Southern California have been deemed uninhabitable. And that number could grow, even as the rain stops.

BATT. CHIEF JOHN VIDOVICH, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: Our concern is once the sun does come out again, the threat has not subsided. The earth is going to continue to move for several weeks. So we're not out of the woods, even after we get our sunshine back.

BLITZER: Lingering problems also for Southern California beaches, littered with debris. The water, teaming with bacteria from storm runoff, people are advised to stay out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen it quite this way. We've lived here for nine years, and this is probably the dirtiest I've seen the ocean.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Amid all that, officials in the Simi Valley area had to deal with another dangerous situation, a tiger roaming the hills near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The animal was shot and killed this morning near a school athletic field.

Officials say there was no choice, because a tranquilizer would have taken several minutes to bring down the animal, leaving the hunters in danger. No word who owned the tiger or how long it had been on the loose.

Accusations of cheating during security checkpoint tests in a major airport. A former airport screener speaking out about the alleged deception. How vulnerable are the nation's airports? We'll get to that. Plus this, the gender battle, controversial words by Harvard's president, igniting debates across the country. He'll hear from both sides.

Also, first lady Laura Bush on her own international charm offensive. Is she winning the hearts and minds of Europeans?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back on our "CNN Security Watch."

There are troubling new allegations from a former airport screener. The ex-screener has filed suit against the company that runs security checkpoints at San Francisco International Airport. That's one of five U.S. airports where private companies are in charge of security under a pilot program.

The lawsuit says the company cheated on inspections, giving false information to Transportation Security Administration officials, and tipping screeners off before undercover inspections took place.

As part of our commitment to national security concerns, CNN is launching its America Bureau, a dedicated corps of correspondents and analysts, exclusive to CNN, to give you unique insight into keeping America safe.

Clark Kent Ervin is a former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. He's one of our new analysts. He's joining us now live from New York.

Clark, thanks very much for joining us.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Is this allegation by this former screener, is it credible?

ERVIN: Yes, I believe it is. Of course, we don't know whether this particular allegation is true, but it sounds plausible.

When we at the office of inspector general conducted our own tests, undercover tests in '03, we on occasion, after being in an airport for a few days, and on occasion even a few hours, would get the sense that our screeners were being recognized.

We would do our best to minimize that by varying the screener -- by varying the force that we had there, and also by other means. But it sounds plausible.

BLITZER: So sometimes you would send in decoys into these airports to make sure that everything is as it's supposed to be, the screening is going forward properly, but you would get the sense that some of these screeners actually knew these were decoys?

ERVIN: Yes, that's right, particularly if we were there for a period of time, as I say. We did our best to minimize that, but we got that sense. And so certainly, if airport officials were notifying the screeners that they were being watched by federal investigators, then obviously, that compromised that integrity of the test.

BLITZER: But there were times, and correct me if I'm wrong, where you would have to formerly notify the leadership, the managers of these airports that, "You know what? We're sending in these decoys. Just be aware of that, but keep it quiet."

ERVIN: That's right. We would do that, but we did it in a certain way. We limited the number of airport officials we notified to the minimum number possible, and we also did it just minutes before we arrived to minimize the likelihood that the screeners would be tipped off.

Other government agencies do it different ways. It's possible, of course, to notify no one at all. The only downside of doing that, of course, is if a weapon or explosive is identified by the screener for us, the instinct would be to draw a weapon, and God forbid a weapon could actually be used against one of the federal examiners. And of course, no one would want to lose his or her life in that way, but it's certainly possible to do that.

BLITZER: So what's the solution to compromised testing, if there is a solution?

ERVIN: Well, it seems to me really the only solution is, as I say, to have absolutely no notice whatsoever. There's a danger, as I say, of that, but that would protect the integrity of the tests.

And indeed, if more incidents like this are uncovered, again, assuming these allegations are true, I believe that the federal government will go toward that model of inspection.

BLITZER: Clark Kent Ervin is one of our new analysts involving homeland security. Clark, welcome aboard. Thanks very much for joining us.

ERVIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: The defendant in a lawsuit, Covenant Security, says that because of the pending lawsuit it's restrained from publicly discussing the allegations against it.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

A university president under fire. Did the president of Harvard go too far in his comments about women? We'll hear from criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy and Harvard law school professor, Alan Dershowitz. They disagree on this issue, almost free (ph).

Also coming up, the domestic diva, Martha Stewart walks away from prison in about a week. Her plans to return to stardom. We're standing by for information on that.

And later, surviving cancer. Paula Zahn joins me live to talk about her emotional interview with the former secretary, Tommy Thompson, on his wife and daughter's battles with breast cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Harvard's president under fire for comments about women. We'll have a debate as Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz debates criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy. That's coming up. First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

The New York City medical examiner has stopped trying to identify human remains from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. A spokeswoman says the office has exhausted all current DNA technology, but if new technology emerges, the process could resume.

Of the almost 2,800 people known to have been killed at the World Trade Center, the remains of just over half have been identified.

After more than three weeks of jury selection, a jury is now seated in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. The panel includes four men and eight women, but apparently no African- Americans. Eight alternates still have to be chosen.

Embattled Harvard University President Lawrence Summers may have dodged a faculty bullet, at least for now. At a packed two-hour meeting yesterday, there was little talk of a no confidence vote some faculty members have been calling for, but Summers did get an earful from several irate professors.

He called the session, quote, "candid" and vowed to temper his famously blunt management style.

What upset a lot of teachers and students was Summers' recent remarks on why few women hold top positions in science and engineering. According to a transcript, Summers said, and I'm quoting now: "There are issues of intrinsic aptitude." And he followed that up with this: "The data will, I'm confident, reveal that Catholics are substantially underrepresented in investment banking, that white men are substantially underrepresented in the National Basketball Association, and that Jews are very substantially underrepresented in farming and in agriculture."

Just a little while ago, I discussed Summers' controversy with criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy, who's been a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School, and Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Wendy Murphy, Alan Dershowitz, thanks very much for joining us.

A very sensitive, but important subject. Let me read to you part of what Larry Summers, the president of Harvard, said yesterday at that meeting with the faculty of Arts and Sciences. He said, among other things: "I am committed to opening a new chapter in my work with you. To start, I pledge to you that I will seek to listen more and more carefully and to temper my words and actions in ways that convey respect and help us work together more harmoniously. No doubt, I will not always get things right, but I am determined to set a different tone."

Wendy Murphy, what do you think? Is he -- should he stay on as president of Harvard University?

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, you know, Wolf, if I had my druthers, I would have had him read a very different speech. I would have had him say, I hereby resign because I care that much -- that much about the integrity of this institution. I realize that my comments were deeply offensive, and I will send the strongest message possible about my commitment to gender equality by stepping down.

And I think that would have really made a big difference. Now, that being said, this is an OK next-best alternative, because I think he is sincere. He has a track record at Harvard that will make a lot of people say, yes, sure. We've heard that before. You know, you -- he's been in trouble before along gender lines. And he didn't get it.

So, I'm not so sure people have faith in his commitment, but I for one am willing to give him a chance. He just better get on the stick quick.

All right, Alan Dershowitz, what do you think?

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, AUTHOR, "RIGHTS FROM WRONGS": It would have been the worst possible thing for him to have been forced out of office for expressing a view which may turn out to be right or wrong. It is a scientific point of view. He said it with all kind of moderation: Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. Perhaps gender and this kind of differential play some role in why we have discrimination against women.

If he had been fired as the result of this, the next step would have been to prevent professors from expressing views regarding gender differences, and then researchers, and then ultimately students. This is an attempt to impose political correctness straitjackets on university discussions of very, very important issues.

I hope Larry Summers does not temper his comments. He's been a good president because he has engendered controversy. If you're offended by his remarks, respond to them. Universities are not places where you go to, to avoid being offended by controversial statements.

MURPHY: But you know what, Alan, though? Let me just respond to this issue of political correctness, because it's interesting.

You know, if this issue had been about race, he never would have said it. He would have understood the political correctness implications. He would have raised his finger to the political wind and he would have said, I shouldn't say that, not because it's, I don't know, unseemly, but because it's really bad for culture in a country that professes to care for equality of citizenship for someone in charge of the most influential university on the planet to make any kind of comment that validates the idea that people can be intrinsically less valuable as human beings. If he had done it about race, he'd be gone, and you know it.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: You didn't read the speech. He never said anything about intrinsic human beings. What he said was -- in fact, he didn't even use the word innate. What he said is...

MURPHY: Intrinsic.

DERSHOWITZ: What he said is, there may be variables, there may be differences. And we know there are differences.

Look, being a man and being a women mean there are differences, unlike race. Race is a social construct. People who are called black in America are not called black in Brazil or in South Africa. Gender is real. We know that women test better and higher on all kinds of verbal skills, and we know that young men test slightly higher on some kind of visual skills.

The fact that there may be some differences doesn't imply any inequality or less value. The whole thing was done in the context of, how do we remedy the terrible situation that exists at the 25 major research universities where there are far fewer women in the highest math and science positions? And he's exploring the possibility that there are three possible theories of this.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Hold on. Let her respond.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Alan, Alan, Alan, look, one of the hypotheses he put out there was that it was an intrinsic issue, that gender is somehow less -- makes women less capable of rising to the level of men in math and science. He said it. He raised it as a hypothetical explanation. It's unacceptable, inappropriate, because it gives valid to the point -- let me -- look, let me just make a different point.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Just because you don't like and you're offended by it doesn't make it untrue.

MURPHY: No. No. It's about validating these kind of crazy ideas in science.

DERSHOWITZ: What's if it's true?

MURPHY: Look, Alan, you know that science once purported to prove that black people, because of the color of their skin, were incapable of voting.

DERSHOWITZ: They were wrong. MURPHY: That was science.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Thank God we had science to...

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Well, let's evolve around gender for a time, huh?

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: And that's what we ought to do, science answer science.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: ... responded to by good science.

MURPHY: Let me just make one point here. Let me make a good point here, because I think one of the reasons people are responding as much as they are about his opinions around gender is because he has done bad things around gender in the past.

He's done some good things. He appointed Elena Kagan, dean of the law school. She's fantastic. He gets points for that. But when I was there as a visiting scholar at the law school, Alan -- and you know this -- he adopted a policy in sexual assault cases that required victims to have independent proof of the rape before the school would do anything, respond in any way in terms of disciplinary action. And you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: I don't think he had anything to do with that.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Yes, of course. It was under his leadership. It was under his leadership. He owns it. We went to the Office For Civil Rights at the Department of Education. And it was all about Title IX and gender equality.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: You're making a very important point.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Let me finish.

Larry Summers said, this issue has nothing to do with Title IX. Larry Summers doesn't understand that Title IX, which is all about gender equality, he doesn't know how that connects to sexual violence? That's a problem, Alan.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Let Alan respond.

Alan, go ahead.

DERSHOWITZ: You and other people are furious at him for other things he's done. The anti-Israel zealots are furious at him because of a statement he made about Israel. Some other people are very angry at him because of his conversation with Cornel West. you're angry at him with Title IX.

I was angry with him because I think he took the wrong position on Solomon Amendment about gay rights. If you're angry with him, answer him, respond to him. The answer to making a scientific mistake, if you think he made a scientific mistake, is write an article, prove him wrong.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: And my free speech rights, Alan...

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Let me finish now.

The idea that people are fired because of expressing views about science, that's Galileo. That's the old days.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: We're entitled to expressed views that you don't agree with.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: I didn't say he should be fired. I'm using my...

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Yes, you did. You asked him to resign.

MURPHY: That's different.

DERSHOWITZ: Well, that would have been worse.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: My free speech rights include my right to ask him to resign, Alan.

DERSHOWITZ: And you're wrong. And you're wrong.

MURPHY: Free speech. Free speech.

DERSHOWITZ: No, you have a right to make mistakes, too.

MURPHY: Ask him to resign.

DERSHOWITZ: You're dead wrong, but you shouldn't be fired because you're wrong

MURPHY: I'm not wrong for thinking he should step down. That's my opinion.

DERSHOWITZ: No, you're wrong. And he might have been wrong.

Certainly, what he said doesn't confirm my views. My own views -- I've been teaching 41 years -- and I teach a lot of sophisticated classes on math and law. And I have never seen any differences of any kind between men and women in math. In fact, the two A-pluses I gave last year in my course, both -- blind-graded, both went to women.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: I don't think he's wrong, but you don't in a university fire somebody for saying something you may think is wrong.

MURPHY: It's not about his right to say it. Of course he has a right to say it.

DERSHOWITZ: If he's fired...

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: It's about leadership.

DERSHOWITZ: That's an excuse.

MURPHY: He is in an important position of leadership.

DERSHOWITZ: That's an excuse.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Today, Summers. Tomorrow, it's a professor.

MURPHY: If the president of the United States said the same thing, I'd be saying this exact thing to him, too.

DERSHOWITZ: And you'd be wrong.

BLITZER: All right.

MURPHY: No, I have the opinion and the freedom to say it.

DERSHOWITZ: Because people can express their views and not to be fired for expressing those views.

BLITZER: Wendy and Alan, unfortunately -- very good debate, underscoring some of the issues involved in this whole controversy at Harvard. We have to, unfortunately, leave it right there.

Wendy Murphy, Alan Dershowitz, thanks, both of you, for joining us.

DERSHOWITZ: Thank you.

MURPHY: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Doing her part to strengthen strained relations, Laura Bush. We'll take a closer look at the first lady's role on a crucial presidential mission now under way.

Also, Martha Stewart getting out of prison in the coming days, what she's been doing inside and what she has planned. That's coming up.

Also, it strikes hundreds of thousands of American women each year. CNN's Paula Zahn joins me with a preview of her breast cancer special that will air tonight.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Her husband is the one in the European spotlight, but what is the first lady, Laura Bush, doing to help the president patch up differences with important allies?

Joining us now with more on Laura Bush's role on this president's first trip abroad since his reelection, CNN's Brian Todd -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the first lady seems to be conducting her own balancing act in Europe, and how she's doing may depend on one's perception of what her role should be on this trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Venturing out in Brussels, under a tight cordon of security, visiting a queen, as always, saying all the right things.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Germany is a close friend and ally of the United States. And our nations and our people are bound by common values and common interests.

TODD: Observers say Laura Bush is sticking to the script on this European swing, the script of her husband's efforts to repair chilly relations with European allies and the script of at least part of her own political life.

GREGORY KATZ, "THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE": Well, I think she's really trying to stay very much in the background.

TODD: Observers say this trip will not evoke images of Hillary Clinton abroad or Jacqueline Kennedy favorite charm offensive in Paris. Laura Bush's pattern, according to those who have covered her, is to never upstage her husband when she's with him. But in not venturing out more among the public, is this a missed opportunity to win European hearts and minds?

KATZ: They made a strategic decision not to use Laura Bush that way. But it might well have been effective. She was very impressive on the campaign trail last year, and I think could have taken a more active role.

TODD: The first lady's press office says she's getting out there with a full agenda, meeting with other first ladies and attending cultural events. Some believe she could do more of that, emphasizing those things she enjoys that Europeans hold dear, the arts, theater, literature, to balance out her husband's cowboy image on the continent.

But some say this very setting is the reason we're not seeing a higher-profile Laura Bush.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: The United States has a uniquely personal brand of politics where everything about a president, including his family, is news. That's not true overseas. Europeans do not regard a first lady as a political figure. They don't regard their own first ladies as political figures.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: One journalist who has covered Mrs. Bush extensively says look for her to reassert herself the next time she travels by herself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.

Martha Stewart is gearing up for a comeback. And so is her company, despite a big loss in the last quarter. Stewart's own personal net worth has shot up while she's been in prison. And company investors are hoping her release in about a week will pay off.

Let's go to New York. CNN's Mary Snow is standing by with details -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.

Martha Stewart is expected to be released from prison next Friday, March 4. A person who recently visited her described in Alderson describes her as doing great, saying that she's anxious to return to her family, friends and her work. And today, her company said it's eagerly awaiting her return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): She is set to be ready to get planting, has ordered the seeds, and has make extensive to-do lists. Martha Stewart has her work cut out for her when she's released from prison in Alderson, West Virginia, next week. One job, says marketers, will be to polish her image.

ROBIN KOVAL, THE KAPLAN THALER GROUP: I don't think it's been damaged. I think it's up for reevaluation and how she manages it, but she's a great brand.

SNOW: Her brand, Though, has suffered since she's been in prison. Today, her company reported a $7 million loss in the last quarter, mainly because of lost advertising revenue.

But Wall Street has been betting on her comeback. Her company's stock has soared more than 100 percent since she began serving time in October. That's boosted her net worth by more than $500 million, a far cry from the pennies she earns in prison, where her magazine editor says she's been practicing yoga and foraging for dandelions on the prison grounds, among other things. It's expected she will share some of her experiences in her recently announced new syndicated show.

SUSAN LYNE, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: This is a forgiving country. People love redemption stories.

SNOW: Reality show king Mark Burnett is producing the show. It will begin airing in September. He'll also produce a new version of "The Apprentice" starring Stewart. And there have already been lines for tryouts. Stewart has a lot riding on it.

KOVAL: If she's popular on television, if she shows humility to the public, it's certainly not a sure thing, but I think advertisers will go where the readers are, and readers will go where the interest is. And I think Martha is going to be interesting again.

SNOW: And it appears she's preparing for the part. Stylist Frederic Fekkai recently visited Alderson, reportedly to consult on coloring her blonde hair, this as she gets ready to leave prison for five months of home confinement in Bedford, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And while she's serving that time of home confinement, she'll be able to leave her house for 48 hours a week, this in order to work. Also, her lawyers are pressing ahead with their appeal of her conviction, and they're scheduled to be back in court on March 17 -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Mary Snow reporting for us from New York -- Mary, thank you very much.

Battling breast cancer. Paula Zahn joins us live and tells us about her emotional interview with the former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. His wife and daughter are both survivors. We'll talk with Paula right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in this country, striking hundreds of thousands each year, among them, both the wife and daughter of the former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

He talked about it in an emotional interview with our own Paula Zahn.

Paula is joining us now live from New York.

Paula, what did he say?

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's quite remarkable and a little bit surprising to me, because, in this hour, we profile Carly Simon and her fight against breast cancer, Lynn Redgrave, and my mother's two-time battle against breast cancer.

And when I interviewed him, I didn't want to go in with any preconceived notions about what he was going to tell us, but I guess the most important thing, as you'll hear in this short snippet we're going to play now, is here was a man who was running the Health and Human Services, and despite all the access he had to great medical care, he had moments of feeling helpless and moments of feeling like he couldn't help his family at all.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, FMR. HHS SECRETARY: You always believe, you know, your children, you know, are going to be healthy and are going to be able to carry on and why should a child, you know, that's early 30s, come down with breast cancer?

First, I was governor when my wife came down with it. Now I'm secretary of health and human services, the head of all of all of the doctors and medical care, and I can't do anything about it. Why am I failing my daughter in this regard? Why haven't we been able to find a cure? It was one of not madness or being angry, it was just being upset and frustrated that we haven't been able to come full circle to find a cure for breast cancer.

ZAHN: Did you ever share your anger with your daughter, Tommy?

THOMPSON: Well, not really, because, you know, your wife was there, and you thought sure, you've won it all. You've been able to beat this disease. And she's been now cancer-free for 11 years. And then get hit, you know, almost in the stomach, by the knowledge that your daughter is coming down with breast cancer. It's very difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Paula, this is an amazing hour you've put together tonight. But tell our viewers why you're so passionate, why this is such an important subject for you.

ZAHN: Well, I think, as you'll see tonight, the bottom line is that we're talking about survivors because these are women whose cancers were caught early on.

And from Carly Simon to Lynn Redgrave and my mother, despite how contradictory the science has been at times, they will all tell us that mammograms saved their lives. So, that's the bottom underlying message of tonight's hour. Women have to assert control over their bodies. We have to make some tough decisions, but we are the ones that have to show up at the doctors' offices and demand some of these screening tests.

BLITZER: Paula Zahn, thanks very much.

Paula has put together a truly incredible one-hour special tonight. It airs 8:00 p.m. Eastern, "Breast Cancer: Survivor Stories," "PAULA ZAHN NOW," must-watch TV.

Thanks, Paula, very much.

A new development in the upcoming royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, we'll have that detail when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Let's take a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): More survivors and more bodies are being found in the devastation of an earthquake that hit southeastern Iran yesterday. More than 400 people were killed. And the death toll is expected to climb.

Rescue attempt. A desperate operation is under way in Kashmir to save more than 300 Indian soldiers trapped in a snow-covered tunnel for six days. The men entered the tunnel when the area was hit by a blizzard; 25 soldiers have been pulled to safety.

Iron man, a paraplegic man from Singapore is trying to set a world record by racing his wheelchair in seven marathons in 70 days on seven continents. The 48-year-old doctor hopes to raise $1.5 million for the treatment of childhood cancer.

Stamp of approval. Despite a 19th century law to the contrary, the British government says it's lawful for members of the royal family to marry in civil ceremonies. The ruling clears the way for Prince Charles' marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles a civil ceremony in April.

And that's our look at around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And "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 February 23, 2005 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now: new concerns about airport security in a major U.S. city. Why one airport screener is coming forward with a very serious allegation.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Balance of power.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You have shown that America's military is one of the world's greatest forces for good.

BLITZER: But will America's allies defy the president and boost China's military forces?

Defending his faith: in a new book, the pope pulls no punches, calling gay marriage evil, and likening abortion to mass murder.

The skies will clear, but the threat still hangs over soggy Southern California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not out of the woods, even after we get our sunshine back.

BLITZER: Survivor stories.

TOMMY THOMPSON, FORMER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Why am I failing my daughter in this regard? Why haven't we been able to find a cure?

BLITZER: Women and their loved ones caught up in the battle against breast cancer.

Short-timer: she's been foraging for dandelions in the prison yard, but what will Martha Stewart do when she gets out?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, February 23, 2005.

BLITZER: President Bush is on the last stop of a tour aimed at mending the rift with Europe. He'll try to finish his repair job during a summit tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.

Earlier today, a major thaw in an icy relationship as Mr. Bush finally spoke with one of his toughest critics, the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, is traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Germany for the first time since a bitter feud over the Iraq war, a joint promise to focus more on areas of agreement, and a concerted effort by the president to allay European worries that Iran will be the next military target.

BUSH: Diplomacy is just beginning. Iran is not Iraq.

KING: Mr. Bush almost made clear he will not immediately push for new sanctions on Syria, saying he wants to wait and see if Damascus pulls its troops and secret police from Lebanon before May elections.

BUSH: We will see how they respond before there's any further discussions about going back to the United Nations.

KING: Just being here was significant. Back in 2003, Mr. Bush would not speak to Chancellor Schroeder for seven months because of his vocal opposition to the Iraq war. Both men now speak of a new chapter.

GERHARD SCHROEDER, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): We have agreed that we are not going to constantly emphasize where we're not agreeing.

KING: Still the differences were clear, just as they were at Mr. Bush's earlier stop in Brussels. Mr. Schroeder and others in Europe want to offer Iran financial and diplomatic incentives in exchange for a promise not to develop nuclear weapons.

Mr. Bush doesn't hide his contempt for Iran's leaders but tried to played down tactical promises with the European negotiators.

BUSH: It's vital that Iranians hear the world speaks with one voice, that they shouldn't have a nuclear weapon.

KING: China is the latest source of transatlantic tensions. Mr. Bush is urging Europeans to keep a ban on major military sales to Beijing in place. Mr. Schroeder says the embargo will be lifted.

Before leaving Germany, this visit with U.S. troops and a spirited defense of the Iraq war.

BUSH: You have acted in the great liberating tradition of our nation. KING: Opposition to the war is the driving force behind anti- Bush sentiment here and across much of Europe. Mr. Bush attributes the divide to different views of the significance of September 11.

(on camera) The president told a round table here that those who view the attacks on United States as a horrible but isolated incident and those, who like him, view them as a wakeup call to the global terror threat, often talk past each other, to which he quickly added, "I plead guilty at times."

John King, Mainz, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: President Bush says he's keeping all options open when it comes to stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but would the United States really risk a new war?

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

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you ask that question you have to think the U.S. has been in this situation before, and at that point it almost went to war in 1994.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): All this week while traveling in Europe, President Bush has sent a mixed message, dismissing the idea the U.S. is considering bombing Iran's suspected nuclear sites, while refusing to rule out such an attack in the future.

BUSH: This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table.

MCINTYRE: In fact, the U.S. came close to carrying out a preemptive strike against North Korea in 1994. As Pentagon officials later confirmed, plans were seriously considered to use Cruise missiles and stealth aircraft to destroy North Korea's Pyongyang (ph) nuclear reactor.

The air strike option was rejected by then Defense Secretary William Perry who decided not to risk all-out war on the Korea Peninsula, a war the Pentagon projected could result in one million casualties on both sides.

The crisis was averted when North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear program in return for nuclear technology that did not produce raw materials for nuclear weapons. But that 1994 agreement didn't stop North Korea from working on nuclear bombs in secret and now claiming to possess them.

Fast forward to 2005 in Iran, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent. Unlike in North Korea 11 years ago, Iran's nuclear facilities are dispersed, and the locations of many are unknown. While a single strike might set back Iran's nuclear ambitions, experts say it would not shut them down.

FRANK GAFFNEY, CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY: What you're going to be able to do, if you do attack them, is probably not much more than interrupt, disrupt, or degrade for a time the onward march of the Iranians towards nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And Wolf, Pentagon officials say the key to a successful preemptive strike is to couple it with a strong warning that any retaliation would be suicidal while presenting the rest of the world with strong evidence that the strike was justified in the first place -- Wolf.

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

As John King noted earlier, the Atlantic alliance may be tested again by a hot new dispute that stretches far across the Pacific, namely, arm sales to China.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, gives us a closer look from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On his trip to Europe, President Bush made it clear, his administration is not happy the European Union may lift its arms embargo on China.

BUSH: There is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan.

STARR: Even as the U.S. has used China to bring North Korea back to the nuclear negotiating table, the U.S. intelligence community believes China's plans to expand its military force is an emerging problem in Asia.

PORTER GOSS, CIA DIRECTOR: Beijing's military modernization and military build up could tilt the power in the Taiwan Strait. Improved Chinese capabilities threaten U.S. forces in the region.

STARR: The CIA is tracking several Chinese military developments.

GOSS: In 2004 China increased its ballistic missile forces to deploy across to Taiwan, across -- from Taiwan, excuse me, and rolled out several new submarines. China continues to develop more robust, survivable nuclear armed missiles, as well as conventional capability for use in regional conflict.

STARR: The Pentagon's most recent report on China's military power underscores Beijing's determination to project its military power outside its own borders in a crisis.

Last year China reported two Russia arms contracts, $1 billion for 24 SU-30 fighters, and $500,000 for SA-20 surface to air missiles. China is pursuing new weapons in all areas. Russia and the republicans of the former Soviet Union remain its major suppliers for now.

The Pentagon report also notes China has watched the U.S. war in Iraq carefully, and the Chinese leadership has concluded in the event of war with Taiwan that ground forces will be vital. Air strikes will not be enough. Psychological operations will be need to attack Taiwan's will to fight. Modern communications gear is a top priority.

On this coastline directly opposite Taiwan, China continues to increase the number of short-range ballistic missiles. Now more than 500 missiles are in place.

Still, China lacks the amphibious power for an outright invasion, so keeping the U.S. Navy at bay in defending Taiwan may be a crucial Chinese military strategy at a time when the U.S. Navy is planning to cut an aircraft carrier from its force.

(on camera) The Chinese government says it is not looking for a fight. This country is clearly focused on becoming an economic powerhouse and keeping North Korea in check, but Beijing and Washington continue to watch each other's military plans and Taiwan very closely just in case.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Taking a strong stand, controversial remarks in a new edgy book by the pope. The pontiff attacks gay marriage and abortion.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost like an earthquake, thunder rumbling low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole house just shook.

BLITZER: More flooding, sinkholes, and mudslides in California as the state suffers its wettest season in more than century.

And later, from imprisoned domestic diva to the new comeback kid, how Stewart's star power is rising as she nears freedom.

Out Mary Snow standing by with the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He's elderly and ailing, but Pope John Paul II is still taking a tough stance, tackling issues such as gay marriage and abortion in his latest book.

Our senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, reports from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 84-year-old pope showed his steel again, this time in a new book articulating the ideology of his faith.

John Paul II held his weekly audience on the day his new book, "Memory and Identity," went on sale. Don't be fooled by the innocuous title; it has an edge. The aging pontiff attacks homosexual marriage as part of a new, quote, "ideology of evil," which he said insidiously threatens society.

(on camera) The book also condemns abortion. Not a surprise, except that the pope calls it legalized extermination, similar to what was practiced in some formerly totalitarian countries. That passage offended some Jews, who saw the pope equating abortion with their Holocaust.

(voice-over) Not so said a leading Vatican cardinal.

CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER, CONG. FOR DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH: It's not true. The pope does not compare Holocaust with abortion.

RODGERS: Still one Jewish critic took the pontiff to task for trying to impose Rome's anti-abortion doctrine on non-Catholics.

AMOS LUZZATO, JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADER: If it is their opinion, they cannot impose to me their opinion. If it is their belief, they cannot impose to me their belief.

RODGERS: John Paul II also revisits the 1981 assassination attempt in which a Turk nearly killed him, but he sheds no new light on why.

When near death, the pope affirms he was, quote, "practically on the other side," and was saved only by the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

"Memory and Identity" does not seem likely to rival "The Da Vinci Code" in terms of sales, but the pope's book has its own audience.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Back in this country, skies are clearing over most of Southern California, but the danger from a week's worth of relentless rain isn't over yet.

Nine deaths are blamed on a series of storms, which officials say have cost $52 million damage in Los Angeles County alone. L.A.'s mayor wants President Bush to declare the city a disaster area in the wake of the record-setting deluge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): Southern California struggles to cope with what is now its wettest rain season in 115 years.

Among the latest casualties, the runway at a small airport in Santa Paula, northwest of Los Angeles, shut down as it loses ground to the now raging river next door.

Also closed, dozens of roads across the region, including the famous Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, where a giant bolder looms ominously overhead. Officials think gravity will eventually bring it down.

The same fate may await these homes in Highland Park, whose hillside perches are slowly giving way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded almost like an earthquake, thunder, rumbling, low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole house just shook.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The house just shook. We jumped out of bed.

BLITZER: In all, almost 100 homes across Southern California have been deemed uninhabitable. And that number could grow, even as the rain stops.

BATT. CHIEF JOHN VIDOVICH, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: Our concern is once the sun does come out again, the threat has not subsided. The earth is going to continue to move for several weeks. So we're not out of the woods, even after we get our sunshine back.

BLITZER: Lingering problems also for Southern California beaches, littered with debris. The water, teaming with bacteria from storm runoff, people are advised to stay out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen it quite this way. We've lived here for nine years, and this is probably the dirtiest I've seen the ocean.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Amid all that, officials in the Simi Valley area had to deal with another dangerous situation, a tiger roaming the hills near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The animal was shot and killed this morning near a school athletic field.

Officials say there was no choice, because a tranquilizer would have taken several minutes to bring down the animal, leaving the hunters in danger. No word who owned the tiger or how long it had been on the loose.

Accusations of cheating during security checkpoint tests in a major airport. A former airport screener speaking out about the alleged deception. How vulnerable are the nation's airports? We'll get to that. Plus this, the gender battle, controversial words by Harvard's president, igniting debates across the country. He'll hear from both sides.

Also, first lady Laura Bush on her own international charm offensive. Is she winning the hearts and minds of Europeans?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back on our "CNN Security Watch."

There are troubling new allegations from a former airport screener. The ex-screener has filed suit against the company that runs security checkpoints at San Francisco International Airport. That's one of five U.S. airports where private companies are in charge of security under a pilot program.

The lawsuit says the company cheated on inspections, giving false information to Transportation Security Administration officials, and tipping screeners off before undercover inspections took place.

As part of our commitment to national security concerns, CNN is launching its America Bureau, a dedicated corps of correspondents and analysts, exclusive to CNN, to give you unique insight into keeping America safe.

Clark Kent Ervin is a former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. He's one of our new analysts. He's joining us now live from New York.

Clark, thanks very much for joining us.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Is this allegation by this former screener, is it credible?

ERVIN: Yes, I believe it is. Of course, we don't know whether this particular allegation is true, but it sounds plausible.

When we at the office of inspector general conducted our own tests, undercover tests in '03, we on occasion, after being in an airport for a few days, and on occasion even a few hours, would get the sense that our screeners were being recognized.

We would do our best to minimize that by varying the screener -- by varying the force that we had there, and also by other means. But it sounds plausible.

BLITZER: So sometimes you would send in decoys into these airports to make sure that everything is as it's supposed to be, the screening is going forward properly, but you would get the sense that some of these screeners actually knew these were decoys?

ERVIN: Yes, that's right, particularly if we were there for a period of time, as I say. We did our best to minimize that, but we got that sense. And so certainly, if airport officials were notifying the screeners that they were being watched by federal investigators, then obviously, that compromised that integrity of the test.

BLITZER: But there were times, and correct me if I'm wrong, where you would have to formerly notify the leadership, the managers of these airports that, "You know what? We're sending in these decoys. Just be aware of that, but keep it quiet."

ERVIN: That's right. We would do that, but we did it in a certain way. We limited the number of airport officials we notified to the minimum number possible, and we also did it just minutes before we arrived to minimize the likelihood that the screeners would be tipped off.

Other government agencies do it different ways. It's possible, of course, to notify no one at all. The only downside of doing that, of course, is if a weapon or explosive is identified by the screener for us, the instinct would be to draw a weapon, and God forbid a weapon could actually be used against one of the federal examiners. And of course, no one would want to lose his or her life in that way, but it's certainly possible to do that.

BLITZER: So what's the solution to compromised testing, if there is a solution?

ERVIN: Well, it seems to me really the only solution is, as I say, to have absolutely no notice whatsoever. There's a danger, as I say, of that, but that would protect the integrity of the tests.

And indeed, if more incidents like this are uncovered, again, assuming these allegations are true, I believe that the federal government will go toward that model of inspection.

BLITZER: Clark Kent Ervin is one of our new analysts involving homeland security. Clark, welcome aboard. Thanks very much for joining us.

ERVIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: The defendant in a lawsuit, Covenant Security, says that because of the pending lawsuit it's restrained from publicly discussing the allegations against it.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

A university president under fire. Did the president of Harvard go too far in his comments about women? We'll hear from criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy and Harvard law school professor, Alan Dershowitz. They disagree on this issue, almost free (ph).

Also coming up, the domestic diva, Martha Stewart walks away from prison in about a week. Her plans to return to stardom. We're standing by for information on that.

And later, surviving cancer. Paula Zahn joins me live to talk about her emotional interview with the former secretary, Tommy Thompson, on his wife and daughter's battles with breast cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Harvard's president under fire for comments about women. We'll have a debate as Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz debates criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy. That's coming up. First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

The New York City medical examiner has stopped trying to identify human remains from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. A spokeswoman says the office has exhausted all current DNA technology, but if new technology emerges, the process could resume.

Of the almost 2,800 people known to have been killed at the World Trade Center, the remains of just over half have been identified.

After more than three weeks of jury selection, a jury is now seated in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. The panel includes four men and eight women, but apparently no African- Americans. Eight alternates still have to be chosen.

Embattled Harvard University President Lawrence Summers may have dodged a faculty bullet, at least for now. At a packed two-hour meeting yesterday, there was little talk of a no confidence vote some faculty members have been calling for, but Summers did get an earful from several irate professors.

He called the session, quote, "candid" and vowed to temper his famously blunt management style.

What upset a lot of teachers and students was Summers' recent remarks on why few women hold top positions in science and engineering. According to a transcript, Summers said, and I'm quoting now: "There are issues of intrinsic aptitude." And he followed that up with this: "The data will, I'm confident, reveal that Catholics are substantially underrepresented in investment banking, that white men are substantially underrepresented in the National Basketball Association, and that Jews are very substantially underrepresented in farming and in agriculture."

Just a little while ago, I discussed Summers' controversy with criminal defense attorney Wendy Murphy, who's been a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School, and Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Wendy Murphy, Alan Dershowitz, thanks very much for joining us.

A very sensitive, but important subject. Let me read to you part of what Larry Summers, the president of Harvard, said yesterday at that meeting with the faculty of Arts and Sciences. He said, among other things: "I am committed to opening a new chapter in my work with you. To start, I pledge to you that I will seek to listen more and more carefully and to temper my words and actions in ways that convey respect and help us work together more harmoniously. No doubt, I will not always get things right, but I am determined to set a different tone."

Wendy Murphy, what do you think? Is he -- should he stay on as president of Harvard University?

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, you know, Wolf, if I had my druthers, I would have had him read a very different speech. I would have had him say, I hereby resign because I care that much -- that much about the integrity of this institution. I realize that my comments were deeply offensive, and I will send the strongest message possible about my commitment to gender equality by stepping down.

And I think that would have really made a big difference. Now, that being said, this is an OK next-best alternative, because I think he is sincere. He has a track record at Harvard that will make a lot of people say, yes, sure. We've heard that before. You know, you -- he's been in trouble before along gender lines. And he didn't get it.

So, I'm not so sure people have faith in his commitment, but I for one am willing to give him a chance. He just better get on the stick quick.

All right, Alan Dershowitz, what do you think?

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, AUTHOR, "RIGHTS FROM WRONGS": It would have been the worst possible thing for him to have been forced out of office for expressing a view which may turn out to be right or wrong. It is a scientific point of view. He said it with all kind of moderation: Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. Perhaps gender and this kind of differential play some role in why we have discrimination against women.

If he had been fired as the result of this, the next step would have been to prevent professors from expressing views regarding gender differences, and then researchers, and then ultimately students. This is an attempt to impose political correctness straitjackets on university discussions of very, very important issues.

I hope Larry Summers does not temper his comments. He's been a good president because he has engendered controversy. If you're offended by his remarks, respond to them. Universities are not places where you go to, to avoid being offended by controversial statements.

MURPHY: But you know what, Alan, though? Let me just respond to this issue of political correctness, because it's interesting.

You know, if this issue had been about race, he never would have said it. He would have understood the political correctness implications. He would have raised his finger to the political wind and he would have said, I shouldn't say that, not because it's, I don't know, unseemly, but because it's really bad for culture in a country that professes to care for equality of citizenship for someone in charge of the most influential university on the planet to make any kind of comment that validates the idea that people can be intrinsically less valuable as human beings. If he had done it about race, he'd be gone, and you know it.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: You didn't read the speech. He never said anything about intrinsic human beings. What he said was -- in fact, he didn't even use the word innate. What he said is...

MURPHY: Intrinsic.

DERSHOWITZ: What he said is, there may be variables, there may be differences. And we know there are differences.

Look, being a man and being a women mean there are differences, unlike race. Race is a social construct. People who are called black in America are not called black in Brazil or in South Africa. Gender is real. We know that women test better and higher on all kinds of verbal skills, and we know that young men test slightly higher on some kind of visual skills.

The fact that there may be some differences doesn't imply any inequality or less value. The whole thing was done in the context of, how do we remedy the terrible situation that exists at the 25 major research universities where there are far fewer women in the highest math and science positions? And he's exploring the possibility that there are three possible theories of this.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Hold on. Let her respond.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Alan, Alan, Alan, look, one of the hypotheses he put out there was that it was an intrinsic issue, that gender is somehow less -- makes women less capable of rising to the level of men in math and science. He said it. He raised it as a hypothetical explanation. It's unacceptable, inappropriate, because it gives valid to the point -- let me -- look, let me just make a different point.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Just because you don't like and you're offended by it doesn't make it untrue.

MURPHY: No. No. It's about validating these kind of crazy ideas in science.

DERSHOWITZ: What's if it's true?

MURPHY: Look, Alan, you know that science once purported to prove that black people, because of the color of their skin, were incapable of voting.

DERSHOWITZ: They were wrong. MURPHY: That was science.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Thank God we had science to...

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Well, let's evolve around gender for a time, huh?

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: And that's what we ought to do, science answer science.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: ... responded to by good science.

MURPHY: Let me just make one point here. Let me make a good point here, because I think one of the reasons people are responding as much as they are about his opinions around gender is because he has done bad things around gender in the past.

He's done some good things. He appointed Elena Kagan, dean of the law school. She's fantastic. He gets points for that. But when I was there as a visiting scholar at the law school, Alan -- and you know this -- he adopted a policy in sexual assault cases that required victims to have independent proof of the rape before the school would do anything, respond in any way in terms of disciplinary action. And you know what?

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: I don't think he had anything to do with that.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Yes, of course. It was under his leadership. It was under his leadership. He owns it. We went to the Office For Civil Rights at the Department of Education. And it was all about Title IX and gender equality.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: You're making a very important point.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: Let me finish.

Larry Summers said, this issue has nothing to do with Title IX. Larry Summers doesn't understand that Title IX, which is all about gender equality, he doesn't know how that connects to sexual violence? That's a problem, Alan.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Let Alan respond.

Alan, go ahead.

DERSHOWITZ: You and other people are furious at him for other things he's done. The anti-Israel zealots are furious at him because of a statement he made about Israel. Some other people are very angry at him because of his conversation with Cornel West. you're angry at him with Title IX.

I was angry with him because I think he took the wrong position on Solomon Amendment about gay rights. If you're angry with him, answer him, respond to him. The answer to making a scientific mistake, if you think he made a scientific mistake, is write an article, prove him wrong.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: And my free speech rights, Alan...

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Let me finish now.

The idea that people are fired because of expressing views about science, that's Galileo. That's the old days.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: We're entitled to expressed views that you don't agree with.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: I didn't say he should be fired. I'm using my...

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Yes, you did. You asked him to resign.

MURPHY: That's different.

DERSHOWITZ: Well, that would have been worse.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: My free speech rights include my right to ask him to resign, Alan.

DERSHOWITZ: And you're wrong. And you're wrong.

MURPHY: Free speech. Free speech.

DERSHOWITZ: No, you have a right to make mistakes, too.

MURPHY: Ask him to resign.

DERSHOWITZ: You're dead wrong, but you shouldn't be fired because you're wrong

MURPHY: I'm not wrong for thinking he should step down. That's my opinion.

DERSHOWITZ: No, you're wrong. And he might have been wrong.

Certainly, what he said doesn't confirm my views. My own views -- I've been teaching 41 years -- and I teach a lot of sophisticated classes on math and law. And I have never seen any differences of any kind between men and women in math. In fact, the two A-pluses I gave last year in my course, both -- blind-graded, both went to women.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: I don't think he's wrong, but you don't in a university fire somebody for saying something you may think is wrong.

MURPHY: It's not about his right to say it. Of course he has a right to say it.

DERSHOWITZ: If he's fired...

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: It's about leadership.

DERSHOWITZ: That's an excuse.

MURPHY: He is in an important position of leadership.

DERSHOWITZ: That's an excuse.

(CROSSTALK)

DERSHOWITZ: Today, Summers. Tomorrow, it's a professor.

MURPHY: If the president of the United States said the same thing, I'd be saying this exact thing to him, too.

DERSHOWITZ: And you'd be wrong.

BLITZER: All right.

MURPHY: No, I have the opinion and the freedom to say it.

DERSHOWITZ: Because people can express their views and not to be fired for expressing those views.

BLITZER: Wendy and Alan, unfortunately -- very good debate, underscoring some of the issues involved in this whole controversy at Harvard. We have to, unfortunately, leave it right there.

Wendy Murphy, Alan Dershowitz, thanks, both of you, for joining us.

DERSHOWITZ: Thank you.

MURPHY: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Doing her part to strengthen strained relations, Laura Bush. We'll take a closer look at the first lady's role on a crucial presidential mission now under way.

Also, Martha Stewart getting out of prison in the coming days, what she's been doing inside and what she has planned. That's coming up.

Also, it strikes hundreds of thousands of American women each year. CNN's Paula Zahn joins me with a preview of her breast cancer special that will air tonight.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Her husband is the one in the European spotlight, but what is the first lady, Laura Bush, doing to help the president patch up differences with important allies?

Joining us now with more on Laura Bush's role on this president's first trip abroad since his reelection, CNN's Brian Todd -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the first lady seems to be conducting her own balancing act in Europe, and how she's doing may depend on one's perception of what her role should be on this trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Venturing out in Brussels, under a tight cordon of security, visiting a queen, as always, saying all the right things.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Germany is a close friend and ally of the United States. And our nations and our people are bound by common values and common interests.

TODD: Observers say Laura Bush is sticking to the script on this European swing, the script of her husband's efforts to repair chilly relations with European allies and the script of at least part of her own political life.

GREGORY KATZ, "THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE": Well, I think she's really trying to stay very much in the background.

TODD: Observers say this trip will not evoke images of Hillary Clinton abroad or Jacqueline Kennedy favorite charm offensive in Paris. Laura Bush's pattern, according to those who have covered her, is to never upstage her husband when she's with him. But in not venturing out more among the public, is this a missed opportunity to win European hearts and minds?

KATZ: They made a strategic decision not to use Laura Bush that way. But it might well have been effective. She was very impressive on the campaign trail last year, and I think could have taken a more active role.

TODD: The first lady's press office says she's getting out there with a full agenda, meeting with other first ladies and attending cultural events. Some believe she could do more of that, emphasizing those things she enjoys that Europeans hold dear, the arts, theater, literature, to balance out her husband's cowboy image on the continent.

But some say this very setting is the reason we're not seeing a higher-profile Laura Bush.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: The United States has a uniquely personal brand of politics where everything about a president, including his family, is news. That's not true overseas. Europeans do not regard a first lady as a political figure. They don't regard their own first ladies as political figures.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: One journalist who has covered Mrs. Bush extensively says look for her to reassert herself the next time she travels by herself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.

Martha Stewart is gearing up for a comeback. And so is her company, despite a big loss in the last quarter. Stewart's own personal net worth has shot up while she's been in prison. And company investors are hoping her release in about a week will pay off.

Let's go to New York. CNN's Mary Snow is standing by with details -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.

Martha Stewart is expected to be released from prison next Friday, March 4. A person who recently visited her described in Alderson describes her as doing great, saying that she's anxious to return to her family, friends and her work. And today, her company said it's eagerly awaiting her return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): She is set to be ready to get planting, has ordered the seeds, and has make extensive to-do lists. Martha Stewart has her work cut out for her when she's released from prison in Alderson, West Virginia, next week. One job, says marketers, will be to polish her image.

ROBIN KOVAL, THE KAPLAN THALER GROUP: I don't think it's been damaged. I think it's up for reevaluation and how she manages it, but she's a great brand.

SNOW: Her brand, Though, has suffered since she's been in prison. Today, her company reported a $7 million loss in the last quarter, mainly because of lost advertising revenue.

But Wall Street has been betting on her comeback. Her company's stock has soared more than 100 percent since she began serving time in October. That's boosted her net worth by more than $500 million, a far cry from the pennies she earns in prison, where her magazine editor says she's been practicing yoga and foraging for dandelions on the prison grounds, among other things. It's expected she will share some of her experiences in her recently announced new syndicated show.

SUSAN LYNE, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: This is a forgiving country. People love redemption stories.

SNOW: Reality show king Mark Burnett is producing the show. It will begin airing in September. He'll also produce a new version of "The Apprentice" starring Stewart. And there have already been lines for tryouts. Stewart has a lot riding on it.

KOVAL: If she's popular on television, if she shows humility to the public, it's certainly not a sure thing, but I think advertisers will go where the readers are, and readers will go where the interest is. And I think Martha is going to be interesting again.

SNOW: And it appears she's preparing for the part. Stylist Frederic Fekkai recently visited Alderson, reportedly to consult on coloring her blonde hair, this as she gets ready to leave prison for five months of home confinement in Bedford, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And while she's serving that time of home confinement, she'll be able to leave her house for 48 hours a week, this in order to work. Also, her lawyers are pressing ahead with their appeal of her conviction, and they're scheduled to be back in court on March 17 -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Mary Snow reporting for us from New York -- Mary, thank you very much.

Battling breast cancer. Paula Zahn joins us live and tells us about her emotional interview with the former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. His wife and daughter are both survivors. We'll talk with Paula right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in this country, striking hundreds of thousands each year, among them, both the wife and daughter of the former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

He talked about it in an emotional interview with our own Paula Zahn.

Paula is joining us now live from New York.

Paula, what did he say?

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's quite remarkable and a little bit surprising to me, because, in this hour, we profile Carly Simon and her fight against breast cancer, Lynn Redgrave, and my mother's two-time battle against breast cancer.

And when I interviewed him, I didn't want to go in with any preconceived notions about what he was going to tell us, but I guess the most important thing, as you'll hear in this short snippet we're going to play now, is here was a man who was running the Health and Human Services, and despite all the access he had to great medical care, he had moments of feeling helpless and moments of feeling like he couldn't help his family at all.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, FMR. HHS SECRETARY: You always believe, you know, your children, you know, are going to be healthy and are going to be able to carry on and why should a child, you know, that's early 30s, come down with breast cancer?

First, I was governor when my wife came down with it. Now I'm secretary of health and human services, the head of all of all of the doctors and medical care, and I can't do anything about it. Why am I failing my daughter in this regard? Why haven't we been able to find a cure? It was one of not madness or being angry, it was just being upset and frustrated that we haven't been able to come full circle to find a cure for breast cancer.

ZAHN: Did you ever share your anger with your daughter, Tommy?

THOMPSON: Well, not really, because, you know, your wife was there, and you thought sure, you've won it all. You've been able to beat this disease. And she's been now cancer-free for 11 years. And then get hit, you know, almost in the stomach, by the knowledge that your daughter is coming down with breast cancer. It's very difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Paula, this is an amazing hour you've put together tonight. But tell our viewers why you're so passionate, why this is such an important subject for you.

ZAHN: Well, I think, as you'll see tonight, the bottom line is that we're talking about survivors because these are women whose cancers were caught early on.

And from Carly Simon to Lynn Redgrave and my mother, despite how contradictory the science has been at times, they will all tell us that mammograms saved their lives. So, that's the bottom underlying message of tonight's hour. Women have to assert control over their bodies. We have to make some tough decisions, but we are the ones that have to show up at the doctors' offices and demand some of these screening tests.

BLITZER: Paula Zahn, thanks very much.

Paula has put together a truly incredible one-hour special tonight. It airs 8:00 p.m. Eastern, "Breast Cancer: Survivor Stories," "PAULA ZAHN NOW," must-watch TV.

Thanks, Paula, very much.

A new development in the upcoming royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, we'll have that detail when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Let's take a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): More survivors and more bodies are being found in the devastation of an earthquake that hit southeastern Iran yesterday. More than 400 people were killed. And the death toll is expected to climb.

Rescue attempt. A desperate operation is under way in Kashmir to save more than 300 Indian soldiers trapped in a snow-covered tunnel for six days. The men entered the tunnel when the area was hit by a blizzard; 25 soldiers have been pulled to safety.

Iron man, a paraplegic man from Singapore is trying to set a world record by racing his wheelchair in seven marathons in 70 days on seven continents. The 48-year-old doctor hopes to raise $1.5 million for the treatment of childhood cancer.

Stamp of approval. Despite a 19th century law to the contrary, the British government says it's lawful for members of the royal family to marry in civil ceremonies. The ruling clears the way for Prince Charles' marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles a civil ceremony in April.

And that's our look at around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And "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