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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

A Look at Pope John Paul II's Last Will; FDA Wants Bextra Off the Market

Aired April 07, 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: Closing the door on the pontiff's public viewing. You're looking live outside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The last crowd of faithful have finished paying their respects. We're now only 11 hours away from the funeral mass of Pope John Paul II. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The pope's last will. Did John Paul consider resigning? And why did he request that all his personal notes be burned?

The pope, the president and the CIA. An astonishing inside account of how they shared Cold War secrets.

EDWARD ROWNY, FORMER REAGAN ADVISER: Often remarked to President Reagan that I wish our CIA was as good as the pope's intelligence apparatus.

BLITZER: More harm than good? Why a popular pain killer is being pulled from the market? And what it means for you.

Silent and sudden killer. When NBC's David Bloom died in Iraq, it wasn't from an act of war. I'll speak with his widow about a medical condition you need to know about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, April 7th, 2005.

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. An unprecedented pilgrimage is now coming to an end. About an hour ago, the giant doors of St. Peter's Basilica were closed, and the public viewing of the body of Pope John Paul II has ended. Now full attention turns to tomorrow's funeral. Scheduled to begin 10:00 a.m. local, 4:00 a.m. Eastern.

Outside St. Peter's Square, as you can see, now eerily empty, after playing host to millions of pilgrims from around the world who came to pay their respects to the late pontiff.

For more on what's happening right now at the Vatican and the reading of the pope's will, we turn to our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci -- Alessio. ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Wolf, from St. Peter's Square. Yes, you can see the closed door of the St. Peter's Basilica here behind me. Indeed, the funeral expected to start tomorrow morning at 10:00 local time, and the preparations are in full swing -- in full swing indeed. For the first time in the last four days, this entire area has been totally cleared of pilgrims as well as tourists.

And as you can see, some of the preparation under way here. They have prepositioned hundreds if not thousands of bottles of water. Police, of course, is -- the police presence, of course, has been beefed up. Of course, tomorrow they expect at least 200 among dignitaries, ministers, prime ministers, government officials, as well as of course the U.S. president and the two former U.S. presidents.

Now, meanwhile, as you mentioned, earlier today, the Vatican has released an Italian translation of the pope's will. No surprises there really, Wolf, but a document that reveals John Paul II's spirituality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI (voice-over): A will is usually a private matter, but in the case of Pope John Paul II, this last testament had the world's media in a frenzy.

The pope began writing this document only months after his election in 1978. The result is a 15-page collection of historical and spiritual reflections, spanning his 26-year papacy.

In keeping with tradition, no word about who he would like as his successor, and no word about the option of resigning due to his age and frail health.

But in the year 2000, afflicted by a series of ailments, he wondered when his time would come, asking God to summon him when he so wished.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: He's not necessarily talking about his resignation. He is meditating on the fact that, by the year 2000, he had done what he understood to be his mission. And he was asking God, what is next? What do you want of me next?

VINCI: The first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years, he wondered where he should be buried.

(on camera): Even at one point considering breaking with church tradition to have his funeral in Poland and not in Rome. A decision he eventually left up to the College of Cardinals.

GALLAGHER: We know now that he will be buried in St. Peter's Basilica. However, the pope left it open to the College of Cardinals, in conjunction with the episcopal conference, the bishops of Poland, to make that decision.

VINCI (voice-over): Not until 19 years after his assassination attempt does he mention his brush with death, calling his survival "the wish of God" and "a miracle."

The pope has often been credited with helping bring down communism, but in his will he thanks providence for the fact that it didn't take a nuclear war to end the Cold War.

John Paul left no material possessions behind and asked that his personal records be burned.

GALLAGHER: Well, it's not so unusual that the pope would ask for his documents to be burned. Paul VI asked for them to be burned after his death. And in a way, it just protects them from being published posthumously and not having been revised. The pope loved to revise over and over his documents. So I think that that's a way to secure that some of his thoughts don't go out without revision.

VINCI: His will thanks a select few by name, including his friend and trusted secretary of 40 years, Don Stanislaw, one of the Vatican's most powerful men until the pope died.

He also thanks the former chief rabbi of Rome, who welcomed the late pontiff in his synagogue in 1986, making him the first pope ever to enter a Jewish house of worship -- just one of many groundbreaking moments in his papacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI: And Wolf, in the next few hours, security officials will set up the metal detectors. The crowd will be allowed back in the square around 5:00 tomorrow morning. Of course, anybody approaching the square will be carefully searched -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Alessio Vinci reporting from Rome. Thank you, Alessio, very much.

The large crowds in Rome are a major security challenge. Two hundred world leaders planning to attend the funeral. As Alessio said, metal detectors are being installed right now in St. Peter's Square. Security forces, by the way, will increase to 15,000 by tomorrow, including 1,500 military forces.

Rome's mayor says all non-essential traffic will be halted in Rome from midnight until 6:00 p.m. tomorrow local time. Schools and other public buildings will be closed. Air space within 40 miles of the Vatican will be off limits to private aircraft. Key areas are being monitored by security cameras, and the Tiber River is also being patrolled.

Meanwhile, we're learning new details of formerly secret high- level meetings between John Paul II and members of the Reagan administration during the 1980s. Our Barbara Starr is joining us now live from the Pentagon. She has that story -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there is a very special look inside the Reagan administration's relationship with Pope John Paul II.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Pope John Paul II, President Reagan and the CIA -- a relationship many say won the Cold War. One man saw it firsthand. Former Ambassador Edward Rowny was President Reagan's arms control adviser. Now 88 years old, his eyesight is failing, but his memory is sharp, of his meetings with the pope in the 1980s, briefings that included CIA secrets.

President Reagan sent Rowny to the Vatican to get the pope's support in the fight against communism.

ROWNY: He wanted the pope to know his philosophy of peace through strength.

STARR: But the pope had his own questions.

ROWNY: He wanted to know what kind of a man is Reagan? What's he like? How do you deal with him? Is he a thoughtful man? Is he a compassionate man?

STARR: The most unexpected moment came when the pope asked Rowny how President Reagan dealt with being shot, an experience both men had shared.

ROWNY: I guess the most surprising thing he asked me was about the recount the day in the White House -- I was in the White House the day Reagan was shot and how he conducted himself. And how he quipped, and how Reagan joked, you know, I hope these doctors are all Republicans, things like that. That amused the pope a great deal.

I told him, they were -- I thought that they had handled the situations very similarly, except that Reagan did not forgive the man that shot him the way the pope did.

STARR: According to former Reagan national security adviser, Richard Allen, CIA Director William Casey also went to the Vatican with classified intelligence briefings of Soviet missiles in Czechoslovakia and troops in Poland.

RICHARD ALLEN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Casey would occasionally climb into his specially equipped windowless C-141 jet, painted black. With the president's blessing, he would fly to Rome, be taken undercover to the Vatican.

STARR: Rowny was impressed by the pope's grasp of world affairs.

ROWNY: Oh, he had a marvelous intelligence gathering apparatus. I often remarked to President Reagan that I wish our CIA was as good as the pope's intelligence apparatus.

STARR: And always impressed by the pope's humor.

On one visit, Rowny fell on a step. A red-capped cleric grabbed him. The pope saw what happened and used a baseball metaphor.

ROWNY: He looked at me and he said, pretty good catch for a cardinal, don't you think?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Wolf, Rowny says the pope was interested in just about everything. One day the, pope asked him about Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev, wanting to know just how much influence those two women exerted over their husbands -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Fascinating material, Barbara. What was the pope's reaction when Reagan said to him that, unlike the pope, he couldn't forgive the man who tried to assassinate him?

STARR: Well, Edward Rowny says that as he recalls the incident, when the pope smiled about all of that, he then said to Rowny, "well, I'm a confessor." So Rowny says, at the end of the day, the way he remembers the pope is a man with great humor, great skill, and, of course, unshakeable faith -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Barbara Starr reporting for us.

Another popular pain killer deemed unsafe. When we come back, why the FDA wants Bextra pulled from the market. New drug warnings and more confused patients. What should a person in pain do right now? We'll take a closer look.

And remember that Terri Schiavo memo? Suggestions that her case be exploited for political purposes? Now the source of this controversial idea is revealed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Turning now to some very important health news. Drug maker Pfizer today pulled a popular pain killer off the market, and government regulators want similar medications to carry stronger warnings about possible heart attack and stroke dangers. We begin our coverage on this important story, our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joining us from New York -- Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, back in February, an FDA advisory panel actually recommended keeping the pain killer Bextra on the market. So the FDA's announcement today came as a surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There?

STACEY KAUFMAN, PAIN CLINIC PATIENT: Oh, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there?

KAUFMAN: Yeah.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Stacey Kaufman suffers neck pain. On a doctor's advice, she had considered taking Bextra, but never did.

KAUFMAN: It could have really bad effects on us. It's scary. What can you trust? How do you know what you can trust?

CHERNOFF: Now, the Food and Drug Administration says no one should take Bextra, not only due to risk of heart attack, but also danger of a very rare but severe skin reaction.

DR. STEVEN GALSON, FDA: Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is one of them. It's a rash that becomes worse and worse. And unfortunately, it can become so bad to result in death.

CHERNOFF: Bextra's manufacturer, Pfizer, estimates seven million people have taken the pill for pain or arthritis since the drug's introduction three years ago. Last year, the company sold $1.3 billion worth.

(on camera): Pfizer says it disagrees with the FDA's decision on Bextra. And while the company is telling patients to stop taking the drug, it also plans meetings with the FDA to try to get Bextra back on the market.

(voice-over): The FDA was heavily criticized last year when it failed to issue a warning before Merck voluntarily pulled the pain killer Vioxx off the market. Studies showed a risk of heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Michel Dubois, head of the Pain Clinic at New York University Med Center believes FDA officials may be overreacting on Bextra to avoid more criticism.

DR. MICHEL DUBOIS, NYU MEDICAL CENTER: It was assumed that after the FDA panel, the drug's safety issue had been solved. And, obviously, it is an ongoing saga.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: This all comes at a very bad time for Pfizer, which earlier this week announced a $4 billion cost cutting program because its sales have been slowing down. But Pfizer does sell the top alternative to Bextra, and that's Celebrex, and it now will carry a stricter warning label -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll see, though, what the future of Celebrex may bring. We don't know about that at this point. We only know it will have a stronger warning attached to it.

Allan Chernoff, thank you very much.

First it was Vioxx, now it's Bextra. And with the FDA warning about other painkillers, you may be wondering, what do I do now? Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen may have some answers for all of us. She's joining us from the CNN Center -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if you're confused about all these different painkillers, we have some information for you to help you make safe choices.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COHEN (voice-over): Now with Bextra off the market, what's a person in pain supposed to do? Should they instead take Celebrex, or maybe Advil, or Aleve? Not so fast. Thursday the FDA announced these drugs would have to warn patients about heart attack and stroke risks on the label. Confused patients have a lot of questions.

DR. NORMAN MARCUS, PAIN SPECIALIST: People are afraid, they're sad, because a lot of times they got a great result from some of these drugs that are now problematic.

COHEN: Experts offer this advice: Try acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. With normal doses, it doesn't seem to cause liver problems as long as you don't drink too much. Use over-the-counter Ibuprofen and Naproxen, such as Advil and Aleve, only in doses recommended on the label and only for two weeks. Use Celebrex only as a last resort, and only if you have a low risk of having a heart attack.

If you have heart disease, experts recommend not using Celebrex at all.

And the most important advice -- talk to your doctor. He or she may help you decide if the pain is so bad that the drugs are worth it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: In a statement, Pfizer said that they disagree with Bextra's -- with the FDA's analysis of the data on Bextra, but the company agreed to pull it off the shelves -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth, is there any other things that people should be doing right now if they're really nervous about painkillers, if they have arthritis, or other debilitating pain?

COHEN: What they need to think through, Wolf, is they need to think, what is my personal risk of having a heart attack or a stroke? For example, let's say you have arthritis, but you're young. Your heart's in good condition. You don't have any cardiovascular problems. You might decide that it's worth taking -- you and your doctor might decide together that it's worth taking these drugs, because the pain is just interfering with your life, and your doctor will follow you and will check you for any kind of cardiovascular problems.

However, another person who's also in pain might say, you know, I had a heart attack last year; I really shouldn't be risking having another one. That patient would make a very different decision. It all depends on your personal health risk.

BLITZER: Good idea. Talk to your doctor at all times on these kinds of sensitive issues. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

When we come back, monks on a mission to say good-bye to Pope John Paul II. We're with a group of Franciscan monks as they make a rare trip from their monastery to Rome. This is a story you'll see only here on CNN.

A daring and dangerous job. Hear from an agent who infiltrated one of the most violent biker gangs in the United States.

And later, remembering David Bloom, the former NBC correspondent who died while covering the war in Iraq. His widow, Melanie, she'll join us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: These are live pictures. A vigil under way in Rome right now. The official viewing for the thousands, perhaps millions, who stopped by to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. The viewing is now over. They're getting ready for the funeral to begin only within a matter of hours.

Among the millions flocking to the Vatican to pay their respects to John Paul II, a group of semi-cloistered monks. CNN's Jim Bittermann reports their odyssey awed and overwhelmed them in unexpected ways.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the ancient hilltop town of Tarquinia, an hour from Rome, it was not yet dawn. Still, at the Franciscan monastery, the 11 monks and novices were already deep in devotion. Following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, they're sworn to a life of prayer, preaching and penance. They have no television, no radio, no newspapers, and only rarely do they leave their community.

But this day, they decided to break their solitude. Their pope was dead, and five of the brothers decided to make a pilgrimage to Rome.

"We're not just going to say good-bye to a great man," said 23- year-old Brother Donato. "The pope is our point of reference. He means everything to us."

And so the five crammed into an ancient Fiat with a bad headlight, and began their pilgrimage to Rome.

They prayed as they drove, stopping only because the Fiat was about to run out of gas.

Finally, at about 10:00 in the morning, they reached the city. The crowds were everywhere. It was noisy and a little confusing. Brother Donato and his band got lost more than once.

When they got to the end of the line of people waiting to see the pope's body, it stretched back all the way across the River Tiber. A friendly but optimistic policeman told them the wait would only be about five or six hours.

Still, six hours later, they had not even crossed the Tiber.

"We are enthusiastic," said Brother Donato.

The day wore on. And in the river of people, the brothers got separated.

It was just before sunset when the first of them finally made out St. Peter's Dome in the distance.

As Brother Donato had explained, Franciscans are known for their patience.

A lot of that was required, especially since the dignitaries had started arriving. And every time one of them paid homage to the pope, the line slowed down a little.

Then, disaster struck. Within a few feet of entering St. Peter's Square, the line stopped dead. It was now 2:00 in the morning, but the area had to be cleaned.

Still, Brother Donato's enthusiasm was undimmed. "No matter what it takes," he explained, "we Franciscans are not going to miss the chance to bid good-bye to our spiritual leader."

And what it took was another four hours. At 5:00 in the morning, they finally made it into St. Peter's and passed the pope's body.

Nearly 24 hours after their morning mass and after 18 hours of waiting in line, Brother Donato was still enthusiastic. "It's been a life experience," he said, "and definitely worth it."

Plenty in it for him and the other Franciscans to go back to Tarquinia and reflect upon.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good for them.

When we come back, a memo suggesting Republicans should make hay out of the Terri Schiavo case. Now we'll tell you who was behind that controversial document.

Undercover with an outlaw biker gang. We'll hear from an agent who lived to tell about it.

And NBC's David Bloom died in Iraq two years ago exactly yesterday. He died from a dangerous medical condition that you need to know about. Coming up, I'll speak with his widow, Melanie Bloom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Source revealed. We'll find out who was behind a memo suggesting the Terri Schiavo case be exploited for political gain.

First, though, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

An apparent bombing in Cairo has left at least two people dead and at least 18 others wounded. Egyptian police say one of the dead was a French tourist. The other victim has not been identified. Three Americans and four French nationals were among the wounded. The historic bazaar district is near the al-Azhar Mosque, a leading center of Islamic scholarship.

The United Nations Security Council today authorized an international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The resolution came after a U.N. fact- finding mission said Lebanon's own probe of the bombing had -- quote -- "serious flaws." That mission held Syria responsible for a lack of security in Lebanon at the time of the bombing.

A sheriff's report says an unlocked door to a judge's chamber and inadequate security cameras contributed to last month's Atlanta courthouse shootings, but the preliminary report sheds little light on the rampage that left four people dead, including a judge. Brian Nichols, who was being tried on a rape charge at the time, now faces four counts of murder.

During the height of the Terri Schiavo controversy, there were reports about a Capitol Hill memo touting the Schiavo case as a good issue for Republicans. Today, there's new information about the source of that memo.

Our congressional correspondent Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill. He's joining us live -- Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was one of the unanswered questions of the Terri Schiavo case, and tonight we can say where that controversial one-page memo came from.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): Republican Senator Mel Martinez of Florida put an end to any doubt over the source of an unsigned memo casting the Terri Schiavo case as a winning political issue for Republicans.

In a written statement, Martinez announced that, "A senior member of my staff was unilaterally responsible for this document." Martinez said that the memo was not approved by him or any other member of his staff and that the person responsible for drafting and circulating this document "has tendered their resignation, and I have accepted it."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gentleman's time has expired.

JOHNS: The memo was explosive because it suggested Republicans were trying to profit politically from Schiavo's predicament. It surfaced at the height of the congressional debate over her case. The memo said: "This is an important moral issue, and the pro-life base will be excited. This is a great political issue. This is a tough issue for Democrats."

Republicans immediately disavowed the memo, and, at the time, Martinez denied having anything to do with it.

REP. MEL MARTINEZ (R), FLORIDA: There's some memo supposedly floating around. I have no idea who wrote it or why they would write such a memo. I have not seen it. I did see it this morning, I guess, while I was on TV, but I have not read it or seen it other than that. And I think it's completely inappropriate.

JOHNS: But, Wednesday night, Martinez said the document had, in fact, been in his lapel pocket. And, thinking it was a policy paper, he handed it to Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. Still, Martinez insists he had no idea what was on the paper and that he had never seen it until just recently.

Reaction to the news was mixed. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter suggested the fuss over the document was all but routine for Capitol Hill, telling CNN -- quote -- "It's no surprise that people are looking for political advantage. That happened once before around here." Democratic Senator Charles Schumer tried to be gracious about it.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I mean, I think that what's important here is the principle, not the politics. And Senator Martinez said it was a mistake, and I take him at his word. And let's move on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (on camera): But Democratic Senate aides were less forgiving, today claiming this memo was the latest example of -- quote -- "Republican lowball tactics" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Joe Johns reporting for us from Capitol Hill -- thank you, Joe, very much.

In other news, the new Iraq is taking shape starting at the top, and it's very different from the Saddam Hussein version. While Kurds and Shiites were persecuted by the previous regime, today, a former Kurdish guerrilla leader, Jalal Talabani, was sworn in as Iraq's president. A Shiite, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, was sworn in as a vice president, along with Sunni Ghazi al-Yawar.

And the man who will wield the real power as prime minister was nominated today. He's Ibrahim al-Jaafari, an Islamist Shiite who spent two decades in exile in Iran and in Britain. Jaafari, who has close ties to Iran, says he hopes to name a new Cabinet within the next week or two.

The U.S. military says 13 of the 16 people confirmed dead in yesterday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan were American service members. The other three confirmed dead were civilians employed by the U.S. government contractors. Two more American service members are now listed as missing. The military says the CH-47 Chinook helicopter went down in severe weather in the desert southwest of Kabul. Officials reported no sign of hostile fire.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Leaving Lebanon. Syrian troops are picking up the pace of their withdrawal, with one Lebanese military official saying the final stage of the pullout has begun. Syria is pledging to be gone by April 30, ahead of Lebanon's next election.

Bus breakthrough. Service has been inaugurated between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled regions of Kashmir. It's the latest sign of improving relations between the two nuclear powers.

Security concerns. A British tabloid says one of its reporters drove a van containing a fake bomb into Windsor Castle just two days before the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. An investigation is under way.

Blossom celebration. Japan's famed cherry blossoms are in full bloom after being delayed more than a week by unseasonably cold weather.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we have some lovely cherry blossoms here in Washington, D.C. as well.

When we come back, inside the dangerous world of an undercover agent. We'll hear from a man who penetrated one of the most violent motorcycle gangs, rivals to the Hells Angels group.

Remembering David Bloom. Just two years after his shocking death, we look back at his life and his career. And DVT awareness, the silent killer responsible for David's death. His widow, Melanie, joins us to discuss the condition.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In a new book out this week, a former undercover government agent tells a dramatic story of daring and danger. Billy Queen says he spent two years with one of the most violent outlaw biker gangs in America.

Our Brian Todd spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Billy Queen could be your neighbor, the guy sitting next to you at a ball game, or the guy who pulls up next to you on a motorcycle. For the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, that was the point.

BILLY QUEEN, AUTHOR, "UNDER AND ALONE": Agents deal with a myriad of violent situations, and it doesn't get any more violent than outlaw motorcycle gangs.

TODD: Queen says the ATF need him to penetrate the Mongols, who he says were the gun-running, drug-peddling more violent rivals to the Hells Angels.

QUEEN: I had to do anything that they wanted me to do, from running drugs to participating in fights with them, to assisting in stealing motorcycles, to anything and everything that came up.

TODD: Anything to a point.

QUEEN: I couldn't participate in murder. I couldn't participate in rape.

TODD: By slight of hand and luck, Queen says, he got out of three gang rapes, at least one situation where he was told to kill someone. For two years, Queen lived this life. His exploits are in a new book, "Under and Alone," that the ATF won't comment on, except to acknowledge that Queen was an undercover agent.

His scariest moment, he says, when a group of Mongols took him to an abandoned orange grove north of L.A., they said, for some shooting practice. The group surrounded him, checked for a wire that he decided not to wear that day. One of them got in his face.

QUEEN: And he put a gun up to the side of my head, and he said, so if I put a bullet through the through your head right now, nobody's going to know where to start looking for you, is that right? And the only thing I could do was say, yes, that's right. I was the only one there that didn't have a gun.

TODD (on camera): What happened?

QUEEN: They asked me to turn around and go out in the field and set some cans up to shoot at. And I turned around and fully expected them to shoot me in the back. But they didn't.

TODD (voice-over): By April of 2000, Queen couldn't take it anymore.

QUEEN: I was completely isolated. I lost the contact with my kids. And when it was over with, that became even worse.

TODD: Hundreds of law enforcement personnel swept in, made arrests, shut down the case. Queen says his operation sent more than 50 Mongols to prison, took down several drug and theft rings. He doesn't seem to have regrets. And he's patched up things with his kids. But he's still under protection, he says, and still has to keep moving.

QUEEN: They could kill you at any time. It doesn't get any more dangerous than that.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Amazing.

Still ahead, a shocking loss that could have been prevented, the medical condition that caused NBC correspondent David Bloom's unexpected death. His widow, Melanie, joins me live. She has important information you'll want to hear.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Live pictures, a mass that has developed at St. John's Lateran Cathedral in Rome. You're looking at these live pictures right now. Just a little bit more than 10 hours from now, the funeral mass in Rome will begin. That would be 10:00 a.m. local time, 4:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN, of course, will have live coverage throughout the morning.

Covering wars is a dangerous business and a number of journalists have died in Iraq. Not all of those deaths have been caused directly by bullets or explosions. Two years ago yesterday, NBC News correspondent David Bloom died because of a medical condition that often goes undetected.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID BLOOM, NBC REPORTER: David Bloom, NBC News, Los Angeles.

BLITZER (voice-over): Colleagues said he was a tough competitor, but you couldn't help liking him. David Bloom grew up in Minnesota, where he liked to play hockey and was a skilled high school debater. He worked his way up in the television industry and was a local reporter in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida.

D. BLOOM: Trying to hide your face?

BLITZER: His coverage helped win a Peabody Award and a job with NBC. He was only 29 years old. But it wasn't long before he had one of the network's most prestigious beats, covering the White House. That's when I got to know him and like him.

D. BLOOM: The Serbs are rushing to complete their ethnic cleansing.

BLITZER: One of his producers called him robo-correspondent, saying he'd just keep going and going and never stop. I can testify to that as well.

But Bloom also was a family man with a wife and three young daughters. And, in March of 2000, he became a co-host of the weekend "Today Show," a job that allowed him to spend more time at home.

D. BLOOM: Ah, that's good. They're empty.

BLITZER: While that assignment allowed Bloom to show off his softer side, he was still a reporter at heart. And when U.S. troops headed to the Persian Gulf, Bloom wanted to be with them.

D. BLOOM: For now, I'm David Bloom with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division -- back to you.

BLITZER: He accompanied the troops in a piece of equipment dubbed the Bloom-mobile, a military recovery vehicle equipped with a microwave antenna and a gyroscope-mounted camera that Bloom himself had helped to designed.

D. BLOOM: ... talk, you got to yell to me, because it's really hard to hear out here.

BLITZER: The Bloom-mobile allowed him to report live, even while he was on the move. It also may have contributed to his death.

Bloom spent long hours in the tiny passenger compartment and complained of cramps behind his knee. Consulted by phone, doctors suspected deep vein thrombosis, DVT for short, a condition caused when a blood clot forms in a large vein, often after long periods of restricted mobility. They advised him to seek medical attention.

Instead, Bloom continued his work. He was a man determined. He was not going to miss out on this story. On the night of April 6, 2003, David Bloom called NBC to ask for college basketball scores. Then he called his wife. He turned off his cell phone, got out of the Bloom-mobile and collapsed. David Bloom was dead. He was only 39 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, as you just heard, David left behind a wife and three beautiful daughters. His widow, Melanie, joins us now live to discuss her husband's death and legacy.

We'll speak with Melanie right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just before the break, we were talking about David Bloom, the NBC News correspondent who died in Iraq exactly two years ago yesterday of a medical condition called DVT.

David's widow, Melanie, is a spokeswoman now for the Coalition to prevent DVT. She's here in our Washington studio.

And it's good to have you here, Melanie.

MELANIE BLOOM, WIDOW OF DAVID BLOOM: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: I know this is very hard for you. It's very hard for me, too. David was a very good friend, as you know.

But how are you doing, first of all?

M. BLOOM: Thank you for asking.

Doing OK, all things considered. It's been a rough two years, but we're coming through it, the girls and I.

BLITZER: The girls are OK?

M. BLOOM: They're doing well. Yes, they're strong little girls.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Give them our love, of course.

What was -- first of all, let's go back a little bit. Then we'll talk about now. What was it like when you got that word? It must have been such a jolt.

M. BLOOM: It was a jolt. I was in complete and total shock to get the call and then to find out that it wasn't even war-related.

You know, the irony is that he did everything he could to protect himself while he was there covering the war, chemical masks and chemical suits and flak jackets. And, in the end, it was something inside his own body that took his life.

BLITZER: Melanie, don't you think it was certainly, at least indirectly, war-related? If he had gotten a blood clot at home, he would have immediately gone to the emergency room.

M. BLOOM: Absolutely. Absolutely, yes. And the conditions surrounding -- the harsh conditions they were all enduring, his crew and the troops, yes, that certainly all contributed, the dehydration and the cramped space and restricted mobility, as you mentioned before.

BLITZER: Did he tell you about feeling some pains in his legs, in his knees, before the actual event?

M. BLOOM: He actually -- he actually did, yes.

About three nights before he died, he called home and was whispering into the telephone. And I said, why are you whispering? You're scaring me. And he said, you know, I'm on the Baghdad border, and we have to have lights out and voices low because of the fear of ambush. And I'm sleeping on top of the tank.

And I said, David, get back into the tank, where it's safe. You know, why are you on top of the tank? He said, I just need to stretch out. I've been sleeping knees to chin every night in this tank, and I just have to stretch my legs out. I've been having cramps. And then he just went on to talk about the stars over the Iraqi desert and moved on past it. So, it seemed reasonable, young guy, healthy, fit, sleeping that way, working, eating, living out of the tank. It seemed reasonable that he would have cramps. And he didn't take it seriously, and nor did I.

BLITZER: You had no idea about this illness. M. BLOOM: You know, I had never heard of it. Until that call came, I had never heard of deep vein thrombosis.

And I thought it was some sort of freak random act that struck David down in the desert. And, afterwards, I learned more about it and found out that this takes more lives annually than AIDS and breast cancer combined. And I thought, how is this possible when I've never even heard of it? And, to my knowledge, David had never heard of it either.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about what our viewers need to know, because I know you've become very active now in getting this information out there.

For example, a lot of people fly in cramped quarters for long distances. They potentially are vulnerable.

M. BLOOM: That's right. It's been called economy class syndrome.

People who go on long flights and have, again, that restricted mobility, they are at greater risk. But there are a lot of people at risk. And it can affect women when they're on the hormone replacement therapy, birth control pill, when they're pregnant. There are a lot of risk factors, people who are laid up for whether it be for surgery or for a sports injury or anything that takes them off their feet for long, extended periods of time or long-haul flights, travel.

And there is a great Web site that does list all of the risk factors, preventdvt.org. It also lists the warning signs and symptoms. Only 50 percent of the time, there are symptoms. David did have symptoms, but we didn't know what to do about that. We didn't know how serious those symptoms were.

BLITZER: People just write it off as cramps and it seems almost natural.

M. BLOOM: Sure. Sure.

BLITZER: There is a hereditary element in this as well.

M. BLOOM: That's true. That's true. And we discovered that after the fact with David. Along with the restricted mobility and dehydration and the long-haul flights leading up to embedding with the troops, David, we found, after doing the autopsy, that he had a gene, Leiden, factor five Leiden, which is an inherited blood coagulant disorder that did predispose him. It just added to his risk factors.

BLITZER: Can people be tested for that gene to see if they have this added danger hidden in their bodies?

M. BLOOM: Yes, they can. They can.

And yet many, many deaths are caused without having that gene. So it really is a culmination of events that come together to bring about a pulmonary embolism and/or death. Two million Americans each year will develop a blood clot or a DVT. Out of that number, 600,000 will develop a pulmonary embolism, and 200,000 will die. And David was one of those 200,000.

BLITZER: I have a brother-in-law who had that problem. But he's on medication. He takes medication, probably will be taking it the rest of his life.

M. BLOOM: That's right. That's right.

If someone is, you know, found to be at greater risk, their doctors can prescribe the right either medication or just steps, even stretching on the plane or keeping the circulation going. And there's a range of treatments and preventative measures.

And, again, preventdvt.org, they list them all there. There's a risk assessment tool, so people can find out, could this even impact me or affect me?

BLITZER: What do you recommend, though, that people who are watching right now and are worried about this? Beyond going to the Web site, what should they be doing?

M. BLOOM: You know, I think talk to your doctor, because it's not forefront in doctors' minds when they see people for various other problems.

For instance, cancer is a terrific, big risk factor for DVT. And yet people are there to talk about their problem, their issue, their cancer, but they don't understand that they are at greater risk for DVT. And, as I mentioned before, there are so many other people at any given time in their life who could be at risk. So, I think talking to your doctor is the most important thing you can do to try to prevent it.

BLITZER: We only have a little time left.

David was such a great guy in the years that I worked with him at the White House. He worked for NBC. I worked for CNN. Obviously, we were competitors, but we became very close. We probably spent a lot more time with each other, we used to joke, than maybe with our own wives at the time. I'm sure he said that to you as well.

But it was difficult, I'm sure, last night for you at the Radio- TV Correspondents Dinner.

M. BLOOM: Right. Right. It was difficult. It landed on the date of his anniversary of death, but it was really special, too. David's brothers went up and presented the award that is given in David's name and memory. So, it was really actually kind of bittersweet.

BLITZER: We will always remember David. Thank you.

And thank you, Melanie, for the good work you're doing. Good luck to you. I met David's parents last night. I had met them before, but they're lovely people. And just wish the daughters, your daughters, all the best.

M. BLOOM: Thank you, Wolf. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: Melanie Bloom is doing important work for all of us.

Thank you, Melanie.

M. BLOOM: Thanks.

BLITZER: And please stay with CNN for live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

I'll be back tomorrow for our special coverage, along with Judy Woodruff. Our coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll go all the way until right now, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Until then, thanks for watching. "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 April 7, 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: Closing the door on the pontiff's public viewing. You're looking live outside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The last crowd of faithful have finished paying their respects. We're now only 11 hours away from the funeral mass of Pope John Paul II. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The pope's last will. Did John Paul consider resigning? And why did he request that all his personal notes be burned?

The pope, the president and the CIA. An astonishing inside account of how they shared Cold War secrets.

EDWARD ROWNY, FORMER REAGAN ADVISER: Often remarked to President Reagan that I wish our CIA was as good as the pope's intelligence apparatus.

BLITZER: More harm than good? Why a popular pain killer is being pulled from the market? And what it means for you.

Silent and sudden killer. When NBC's David Bloom died in Iraq, it wasn't from an act of war. I'll speak with his widow about a medical condition you need to know about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, April 7th, 2005.

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. An unprecedented pilgrimage is now coming to an end. About an hour ago, the giant doors of St. Peter's Basilica were closed, and the public viewing of the body of Pope John Paul II has ended. Now full attention turns to tomorrow's funeral. Scheduled to begin 10:00 a.m. local, 4:00 a.m. Eastern.

Outside St. Peter's Square, as you can see, now eerily empty, after playing host to millions of pilgrims from around the world who came to pay their respects to the late pontiff.

For more on what's happening right now at the Vatican and the reading of the pope's will, we turn to our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci -- Alessio. ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Wolf, from St. Peter's Square. Yes, you can see the closed door of the St. Peter's Basilica here behind me. Indeed, the funeral expected to start tomorrow morning at 10:00 local time, and the preparations are in full swing -- in full swing indeed. For the first time in the last four days, this entire area has been totally cleared of pilgrims as well as tourists.

And as you can see, some of the preparation under way here. They have prepositioned hundreds if not thousands of bottles of water. Police, of course, is -- the police presence, of course, has been beefed up. Of course, tomorrow they expect at least 200 among dignitaries, ministers, prime ministers, government officials, as well as of course the U.S. president and the two former U.S. presidents.

Now, meanwhile, as you mentioned, earlier today, the Vatican has released an Italian translation of the pope's will. No surprises there really, Wolf, but a document that reveals John Paul II's spirituality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI (voice-over): A will is usually a private matter, but in the case of Pope John Paul II, this last testament had the world's media in a frenzy.

The pope began writing this document only months after his election in 1978. The result is a 15-page collection of historical and spiritual reflections, spanning his 26-year papacy.

In keeping with tradition, no word about who he would like as his successor, and no word about the option of resigning due to his age and frail health.

But in the year 2000, afflicted by a series of ailments, he wondered when his time would come, asking God to summon him when he so wished.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: He's not necessarily talking about his resignation. He is meditating on the fact that, by the year 2000, he had done what he understood to be his mission. And he was asking God, what is next? What do you want of me next?

VINCI: The first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years, he wondered where he should be buried.

(on camera): Even at one point considering breaking with church tradition to have his funeral in Poland and not in Rome. A decision he eventually left up to the College of Cardinals.

GALLAGHER: We know now that he will be buried in St. Peter's Basilica. However, the pope left it open to the College of Cardinals, in conjunction with the episcopal conference, the bishops of Poland, to make that decision.

VINCI (voice-over): Not until 19 years after his assassination attempt does he mention his brush with death, calling his survival "the wish of God" and "a miracle."

The pope has often been credited with helping bring down communism, but in his will he thanks providence for the fact that it didn't take a nuclear war to end the Cold War.

John Paul left no material possessions behind and asked that his personal records be burned.

GALLAGHER: Well, it's not so unusual that the pope would ask for his documents to be burned. Paul VI asked for them to be burned after his death. And in a way, it just protects them from being published posthumously and not having been revised. The pope loved to revise over and over his documents. So I think that that's a way to secure that some of his thoughts don't go out without revision.

VINCI: His will thanks a select few by name, including his friend and trusted secretary of 40 years, Don Stanislaw, one of the Vatican's most powerful men until the pope died.

He also thanks the former chief rabbi of Rome, who welcomed the late pontiff in his synagogue in 1986, making him the first pope ever to enter a Jewish house of worship -- just one of many groundbreaking moments in his papacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI: And Wolf, in the next few hours, security officials will set up the metal detectors. The crowd will be allowed back in the square around 5:00 tomorrow morning. Of course, anybody approaching the square will be carefully searched -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Alessio Vinci reporting from Rome. Thank you, Alessio, very much.

The large crowds in Rome are a major security challenge. Two hundred world leaders planning to attend the funeral. As Alessio said, metal detectors are being installed right now in St. Peter's Square. Security forces, by the way, will increase to 15,000 by tomorrow, including 1,500 military forces.

Rome's mayor says all non-essential traffic will be halted in Rome from midnight until 6:00 p.m. tomorrow local time. Schools and other public buildings will be closed. Air space within 40 miles of the Vatican will be off limits to private aircraft. Key areas are being monitored by security cameras, and the Tiber River is also being patrolled.

Meanwhile, we're learning new details of formerly secret high- level meetings between John Paul II and members of the Reagan administration during the 1980s. Our Barbara Starr is joining us now live from the Pentagon. She has that story -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there is a very special look inside the Reagan administration's relationship with Pope John Paul II.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Pope John Paul II, President Reagan and the CIA -- a relationship many say won the Cold War. One man saw it firsthand. Former Ambassador Edward Rowny was President Reagan's arms control adviser. Now 88 years old, his eyesight is failing, but his memory is sharp, of his meetings with the pope in the 1980s, briefings that included CIA secrets.

President Reagan sent Rowny to the Vatican to get the pope's support in the fight against communism.

ROWNY: He wanted the pope to know his philosophy of peace through strength.

STARR: But the pope had his own questions.

ROWNY: He wanted to know what kind of a man is Reagan? What's he like? How do you deal with him? Is he a thoughtful man? Is he a compassionate man?

STARR: The most unexpected moment came when the pope asked Rowny how President Reagan dealt with being shot, an experience both men had shared.

ROWNY: I guess the most surprising thing he asked me was about the recount the day in the White House -- I was in the White House the day Reagan was shot and how he conducted himself. And how he quipped, and how Reagan joked, you know, I hope these doctors are all Republicans, things like that. That amused the pope a great deal.

I told him, they were -- I thought that they had handled the situations very similarly, except that Reagan did not forgive the man that shot him the way the pope did.

STARR: According to former Reagan national security adviser, Richard Allen, CIA Director William Casey also went to the Vatican with classified intelligence briefings of Soviet missiles in Czechoslovakia and troops in Poland.

RICHARD ALLEN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Casey would occasionally climb into his specially equipped windowless C-141 jet, painted black. With the president's blessing, he would fly to Rome, be taken undercover to the Vatican.

STARR: Rowny was impressed by the pope's grasp of world affairs.

ROWNY: Oh, he had a marvelous intelligence gathering apparatus. I often remarked to President Reagan that I wish our CIA was as good as the pope's intelligence apparatus.

STARR: And always impressed by the pope's humor.

On one visit, Rowny fell on a step. A red-capped cleric grabbed him. The pope saw what happened and used a baseball metaphor.

ROWNY: He looked at me and he said, pretty good catch for a cardinal, don't you think?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Wolf, Rowny says the pope was interested in just about everything. One day the, pope asked him about Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev, wanting to know just how much influence those two women exerted over their husbands -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Fascinating material, Barbara. What was the pope's reaction when Reagan said to him that, unlike the pope, he couldn't forgive the man who tried to assassinate him?

STARR: Well, Edward Rowny says that as he recalls the incident, when the pope smiled about all of that, he then said to Rowny, "well, I'm a confessor." So Rowny says, at the end of the day, the way he remembers the pope is a man with great humor, great skill, and, of course, unshakeable faith -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Barbara Starr reporting for us.

Another popular pain killer deemed unsafe. When we come back, why the FDA wants Bextra pulled from the market. New drug warnings and more confused patients. What should a person in pain do right now? We'll take a closer look.

And remember that Terri Schiavo memo? Suggestions that her case be exploited for political purposes? Now the source of this controversial idea is revealed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Turning now to some very important health news. Drug maker Pfizer today pulled a popular pain killer off the market, and government regulators want similar medications to carry stronger warnings about possible heart attack and stroke dangers. We begin our coverage on this important story, our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joining us from New York -- Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, back in February, an FDA advisory panel actually recommended keeping the pain killer Bextra on the market. So the FDA's announcement today came as a surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There?

STACEY KAUFMAN, PAIN CLINIC PATIENT: Oh, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there?

KAUFMAN: Yeah.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Stacey Kaufman suffers neck pain. On a doctor's advice, she had considered taking Bextra, but never did.

KAUFMAN: It could have really bad effects on us. It's scary. What can you trust? How do you know what you can trust?

CHERNOFF: Now, the Food and Drug Administration says no one should take Bextra, not only due to risk of heart attack, but also danger of a very rare but severe skin reaction.

DR. STEVEN GALSON, FDA: Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is one of them. It's a rash that becomes worse and worse. And unfortunately, it can become so bad to result in death.

CHERNOFF: Bextra's manufacturer, Pfizer, estimates seven million people have taken the pill for pain or arthritis since the drug's introduction three years ago. Last year, the company sold $1.3 billion worth.

(on camera): Pfizer says it disagrees with the FDA's decision on Bextra. And while the company is telling patients to stop taking the drug, it also plans meetings with the FDA to try to get Bextra back on the market.

(voice-over): The FDA was heavily criticized last year when it failed to issue a warning before Merck voluntarily pulled the pain killer Vioxx off the market. Studies showed a risk of heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Michel Dubois, head of the Pain Clinic at New York University Med Center believes FDA officials may be overreacting on Bextra to avoid more criticism.

DR. MICHEL DUBOIS, NYU MEDICAL CENTER: It was assumed that after the FDA panel, the drug's safety issue had been solved. And, obviously, it is an ongoing saga.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: This all comes at a very bad time for Pfizer, which earlier this week announced a $4 billion cost cutting program because its sales have been slowing down. But Pfizer does sell the top alternative to Bextra, and that's Celebrex, and it now will carry a stricter warning label -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll see, though, what the future of Celebrex may bring. We don't know about that at this point. We only know it will have a stronger warning attached to it.

Allan Chernoff, thank you very much.

First it was Vioxx, now it's Bextra. And with the FDA warning about other painkillers, you may be wondering, what do I do now? Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen may have some answers for all of us. She's joining us from the CNN Center -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if you're confused about all these different painkillers, we have some information for you to help you make safe choices.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) COHEN (voice-over): Now with Bextra off the market, what's a person in pain supposed to do? Should they instead take Celebrex, or maybe Advil, or Aleve? Not so fast. Thursday the FDA announced these drugs would have to warn patients about heart attack and stroke risks on the label. Confused patients have a lot of questions.

DR. NORMAN MARCUS, PAIN SPECIALIST: People are afraid, they're sad, because a lot of times they got a great result from some of these drugs that are now problematic.

COHEN: Experts offer this advice: Try acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. With normal doses, it doesn't seem to cause liver problems as long as you don't drink too much. Use over-the-counter Ibuprofen and Naproxen, such as Advil and Aleve, only in doses recommended on the label and only for two weeks. Use Celebrex only as a last resort, and only if you have a low risk of having a heart attack.

If you have heart disease, experts recommend not using Celebrex at all.

And the most important advice -- talk to your doctor. He or she may help you decide if the pain is so bad that the drugs are worth it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: In a statement, Pfizer said that they disagree with Bextra's -- with the FDA's analysis of the data on Bextra, but the company agreed to pull it off the shelves -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth, is there any other things that people should be doing right now if they're really nervous about painkillers, if they have arthritis, or other debilitating pain?

COHEN: What they need to think through, Wolf, is they need to think, what is my personal risk of having a heart attack or a stroke? For example, let's say you have arthritis, but you're young. Your heart's in good condition. You don't have any cardiovascular problems. You might decide that it's worth taking -- you and your doctor might decide together that it's worth taking these drugs, because the pain is just interfering with your life, and your doctor will follow you and will check you for any kind of cardiovascular problems.

However, another person who's also in pain might say, you know, I had a heart attack last year; I really shouldn't be risking having another one. That patient would make a very different decision. It all depends on your personal health risk.

BLITZER: Good idea. Talk to your doctor at all times on these kinds of sensitive issues. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.

When we come back, monks on a mission to say good-bye to Pope John Paul II. We're with a group of Franciscan monks as they make a rare trip from their monastery to Rome. This is a story you'll see only here on CNN.

A daring and dangerous job. Hear from an agent who infiltrated one of the most violent biker gangs in the United States.

And later, remembering David Bloom, the former NBC correspondent who died while covering the war in Iraq. His widow, Melanie, she'll join us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: These are live pictures. A vigil under way in Rome right now. The official viewing for the thousands, perhaps millions, who stopped by to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. The viewing is now over. They're getting ready for the funeral to begin only within a matter of hours.

Among the millions flocking to the Vatican to pay their respects to John Paul II, a group of semi-cloistered monks. CNN's Jim Bittermann reports their odyssey awed and overwhelmed them in unexpected ways.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the ancient hilltop town of Tarquinia, an hour from Rome, it was not yet dawn. Still, at the Franciscan monastery, the 11 monks and novices were already deep in devotion. Following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, they're sworn to a life of prayer, preaching and penance. They have no television, no radio, no newspapers, and only rarely do they leave their community.

But this day, they decided to break their solitude. Their pope was dead, and five of the brothers decided to make a pilgrimage to Rome.

"We're not just going to say good-bye to a great man," said 23- year-old Brother Donato. "The pope is our point of reference. He means everything to us."

And so the five crammed into an ancient Fiat with a bad headlight, and began their pilgrimage to Rome.

They prayed as they drove, stopping only because the Fiat was about to run out of gas.

Finally, at about 10:00 in the morning, they reached the city. The crowds were everywhere. It was noisy and a little confusing. Brother Donato and his band got lost more than once.

When they got to the end of the line of people waiting to see the pope's body, it stretched back all the way across the River Tiber. A friendly but optimistic policeman told them the wait would only be about five or six hours.

Still, six hours later, they had not even crossed the Tiber.

"We are enthusiastic," said Brother Donato.

The day wore on. And in the river of people, the brothers got separated.

It was just before sunset when the first of them finally made out St. Peter's Dome in the distance.

As Brother Donato had explained, Franciscans are known for their patience.

A lot of that was required, especially since the dignitaries had started arriving. And every time one of them paid homage to the pope, the line slowed down a little.

Then, disaster struck. Within a few feet of entering St. Peter's Square, the line stopped dead. It was now 2:00 in the morning, but the area had to be cleaned.

Still, Brother Donato's enthusiasm was undimmed. "No matter what it takes," he explained, "we Franciscans are not going to miss the chance to bid good-bye to our spiritual leader."

And what it took was another four hours. At 5:00 in the morning, they finally made it into St. Peter's and passed the pope's body.

Nearly 24 hours after their morning mass and after 18 hours of waiting in line, Brother Donato was still enthusiastic. "It's been a life experience," he said, "and definitely worth it."

Plenty in it for him and the other Franciscans to go back to Tarquinia and reflect upon.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Good for them.

When we come back, a memo suggesting Republicans should make hay out of the Terri Schiavo case. Now we'll tell you who was behind that controversial document.

Undercover with an outlaw biker gang. We'll hear from an agent who lived to tell about it.

And NBC's David Bloom died in Iraq two years ago exactly yesterday. He died from a dangerous medical condition that you need to know about. Coming up, I'll speak with his widow, Melanie Bloom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Source revealed. We'll find out who was behind a memo suggesting the Terri Schiavo case be exploited for political gain.

First, though, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

An apparent bombing in Cairo has left at least two people dead and at least 18 others wounded. Egyptian police say one of the dead was a French tourist. The other victim has not been identified. Three Americans and four French nationals were among the wounded. The historic bazaar district is near the al-Azhar Mosque, a leading center of Islamic scholarship.

The United Nations Security Council today authorized an international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The resolution came after a U.N. fact- finding mission said Lebanon's own probe of the bombing had -- quote -- "serious flaws." That mission held Syria responsible for a lack of security in Lebanon at the time of the bombing.

A sheriff's report says an unlocked door to a judge's chamber and inadequate security cameras contributed to last month's Atlanta courthouse shootings, but the preliminary report sheds little light on the rampage that left four people dead, including a judge. Brian Nichols, who was being tried on a rape charge at the time, now faces four counts of murder.

During the height of the Terri Schiavo controversy, there were reports about a Capitol Hill memo touting the Schiavo case as a good issue for Republicans. Today, there's new information about the source of that memo.

Our congressional correspondent Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill. He's joining us live -- Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was one of the unanswered questions of the Terri Schiavo case, and tonight we can say where that controversial one-page memo came from.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): Republican Senator Mel Martinez of Florida put an end to any doubt over the source of an unsigned memo casting the Terri Schiavo case as a winning political issue for Republicans.

In a written statement, Martinez announced that, "A senior member of my staff was unilaterally responsible for this document." Martinez said that the memo was not approved by him or any other member of his staff and that the person responsible for drafting and circulating this document "has tendered their resignation, and I have accepted it."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gentleman's time has expired.

JOHNS: The memo was explosive because it suggested Republicans were trying to profit politically from Schiavo's predicament. It surfaced at the height of the congressional debate over her case. The memo said: "This is an important moral issue, and the pro-life base will be excited. This is a great political issue. This is a tough issue for Democrats."

Republicans immediately disavowed the memo, and, at the time, Martinez denied having anything to do with it.

REP. MEL MARTINEZ (R), FLORIDA: There's some memo supposedly floating around. I have no idea who wrote it or why they would write such a memo. I have not seen it. I did see it this morning, I guess, while I was on TV, but I have not read it or seen it other than that. And I think it's completely inappropriate.

JOHNS: But, Wednesday night, Martinez said the document had, in fact, been in his lapel pocket. And, thinking it was a policy paper, he handed it to Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. Still, Martinez insists he had no idea what was on the paper and that he had never seen it until just recently.

Reaction to the news was mixed. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter suggested the fuss over the document was all but routine for Capitol Hill, telling CNN -- quote -- "It's no surprise that people are looking for political advantage. That happened once before around here." Democratic Senator Charles Schumer tried to be gracious about it.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I mean, I think that what's important here is the principle, not the politics. And Senator Martinez said it was a mistake, and I take him at his word. And let's move on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (on camera): But Democratic Senate aides were less forgiving, today claiming this memo was the latest example of -- quote -- "Republican lowball tactics" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Joe Johns reporting for us from Capitol Hill -- thank you, Joe, very much.

In other news, the new Iraq is taking shape starting at the top, and it's very different from the Saddam Hussein version. While Kurds and Shiites were persecuted by the previous regime, today, a former Kurdish guerrilla leader, Jalal Talabani, was sworn in as Iraq's president. A Shiite, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, was sworn in as a vice president, along with Sunni Ghazi al-Yawar.

And the man who will wield the real power as prime minister was nominated today. He's Ibrahim al-Jaafari, an Islamist Shiite who spent two decades in exile in Iran and in Britain. Jaafari, who has close ties to Iran, says he hopes to name a new Cabinet within the next week or two.

The U.S. military says 13 of the 16 people confirmed dead in yesterday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan were American service members. The other three confirmed dead were civilians employed by the U.S. government contractors. Two more American service members are now listed as missing. The military says the CH-47 Chinook helicopter went down in severe weather in the desert southwest of Kabul. Officials reported no sign of hostile fire.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Leaving Lebanon. Syrian troops are picking up the pace of their withdrawal, with one Lebanese military official saying the final stage of the pullout has begun. Syria is pledging to be gone by April 30, ahead of Lebanon's next election.

Bus breakthrough. Service has been inaugurated between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled regions of Kashmir. It's the latest sign of improving relations between the two nuclear powers.

Security concerns. A British tabloid says one of its reporters drove a van containing a fake bomb into Windsor Castle just two days before the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. An investigation is under way.

Blossom celebration. Japan's famed cherry blossoms are in full bloom after being delayed more than a week by unseasonably cold weather.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we have some lovely cherry blossoms here in Washington, D.C. as well.

When we come back, inside the dangerous world of an undercover agent. We'll hear from a man who penetrated one of the most violent motorcycle gangs, rivals to the Hells Angels group.

Remembering David Bloom. Just two years after his shocking death, we look back at his life and his career. And DVT awareness, the silent killer responsible for David's death. His widow, Melanie, joins us to discuss the condition.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In a new book out this week, a former undercover government agent tells a dramatic story of daring and danger. Billy Queen says he spent two years with one of the most violent outlaw biker gangs in America.

Our Brian Todd spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Billy Queen could be your neighbor, the guy sitting next to you at a ball game, or the guy who pulls up next to you on a motorcycle. For the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, that was the point.

BILLY QUEEN, AUTHOR, "UNDER AND ALONE": Agents deal with a myriad of violent situations, and it doesn't get any more violent than outlaw motorcycle gangs.

TODD: Queen says the ATF need him to penetrate the Mongols, who he says were the gun-running, drug-peddling more violent rivals to the Hells Angels.

QUEEN: I had to do anything that they wanted me to do, from running drugs to participating in fights with them, to assisting in stealing motorcycles, to anything and everything that came up.

TODD: Anything to a point.

QUEEN: I couldn't participate in murder. I couldn't participate in rape.

TODD: By slight of hand and luck, Queen says, he got out of three gang rapes, at least one situation where he was told to kill someone. For two years, Queen lived this life. His exploits are in a new book, "Under and Alone," that the ATF won't comment on, except to acknowledge that Queen was an undercover agent.

His scariest moment, he says, when a group of Mongols took him to an abandoned orange grove north of L.A., they said, for some shooting practice. The group surrounded him, checked for a wire that he decided not to wear that day. One of them got in his face.

QUEEN: And he put a gun up to the side of my head, and he said, so if I put a bullet through the through your head right now, nobody's going to know where to start looking for you, is that right? And the only thing I could do was say, yes, that's right. I was the only one there that didn't have a gun.

TODD (on camera): What happened?

QUEEN: They asked me to turn around and go out in the field and set some cans up to shoot at. And I turned around and fully expected them to shoot me in the back. But they didn't.

TODD (voice-over): By April of 2000, Queen couldn't take it anymore.

QUEEN: I was completely isolated. I lost the contact with my kids. And when it was over with, that became even worse.

TODD: Hundreds of law enforcement personnel swept in, made arrests, shut down the case. Queen says his operation sent more than 50 Mongols to prison, took down several drug and theft rings. He doesn't seem to have regrets. And he's patched up things with his kids. But he's still under protection, he says, and still has to keep moving.

QUEEN: They could kill you at any time. It doesn't get any more dangerous than that.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Amazing.

Still ahead, a shocking loss that could have been prevented, the medical condition that caused NBC correspondent David Bloom's unexpected death. His widow, Melanie, joins me live. She has important information you'll want to hear.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Live pictures, a mass that has developed at St. John's Lateran Cathedral in Rome. You're looking at these live pictures right now. Just a little bit more than 10 hours from now, the funeral mass in Rome will begin. That would be 10:00 a.m. local time, 4:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN, of course, will have live coverage throughout the morning.

Covering wars is a dangerous business and a number of journalists have died in Iraq. Not all of those deaths have been caused directly by bullets or explosions. Two years ago yesterday, NBC News correspondent David Bloom died because of a medical condition that often goes undetected.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID BLOOM, NBC REPORTER: David Bloom, NBC News, Los Angeles.

BLITZER (voice-over): Colleagues said he was a tough competitor, but you couldn't help liking him. David Bloom grew up in Minnesota, where he liked to play hockey and was a skilled high school debater. He worked his way up in the television industry and was a local reporter in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida.

D. BLOOM: Trying to hide your face?

BLITZER: His coverage helped win a Peabody Award and a job with NBC. He was only 29 years old. But it wasn't long before he had one of the network's most prestigious beats, covering the White House. That's when I got to know him and like him.

D. BLOOM: The Serbs are rushing to complete their ethnic cleansing.

BLITZER: One of his producers called him robo-correspondent, saying he'd just keep going and going and never stop. I can testify to that as well.

But Bloom also was a family man with a wife and three young daughters. And, in March of 2000, he became a co-host of the weekend "Today Show," a job that allowed him to spend more time at home.

D. BLOOM: Ah, that's good. They're empty.

BLITZER: While that assignment allowed Bloom to show off his softer side, he was still a reporter at heart. And when U.S. troops headed to the Persian Gulf, Bloom wanted to be with them.

D. BLOOM: For now, I'm David Bloom with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division -- back to you.

BLITZER: He accompanied the troops in a piece of equipment dubbed the Bloom-mobile, a military recovery vehicle equipped with a microwave antenna and a gyroscope-mounted camera that Bloom himself had helped to designed.

D. BLOOM: ... talk, you got to yell to me, because it's really hard to hear out here.

BLITZER: The Bloom-mobile allowed him to report live, even while he was on the move. It also may have contributed to his death.

Bloom spent long hours in the tiny passenger compartment and complained of cramps behind his knee. Consulted by phone, doctors suspected deep vein thrombosis, DVT for short, a condition caused when a blood clot forms in a large vein, often after long periods of restricted mobility. They advised him to seek medical attention.

Instead, Bloom continued his work. He was a man determined. He was not going to miss out on this story. On the night of April 6, 2003, David Bloom called NBC to ask for college basketball scores. Then he called his wife. He turned off his cell phone, got out of the Bloom-mobile and collapsed. David Bloom was dead. He was only 39 years old.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, as you just heard, David left behind a wife and three beautiful daughters. His widow, Melanie, joins us now live to discuss her husband's death and legacy.

We'll speak with Melanie right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just before the break, we were talking about David Bloom, the NBC News correspondent who died in Iraq exactly two years ago yesterday of a medical condition called DVT.

David's widow, Melanie, is a spokeswoman now for the Coalition to prevent DVT. She's here in our Washington studio.

And it's good to have you here, Melanie.

MELANIE BLOOM, WIDOW OF DAVID BLOOM: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: I know this is very hard for you. It's very hard for me, too. David was a very good friend, as you know.

But how are you doing, first of all?

M. BLOOM: Thank you for asking.

Doing OK, all things considered. It's been a rough two years, but we're coming through it, the girls and I.

BLITZER: The girls are OK?

M. BLOOM: They're doing well. Yes, they're strong little girls.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Give them our love, of course.

What was -- first of all, let's go back a little bit. Then we'll talk about now. What was it like when you got that word? It must have been such a jolt.

M. BLOOM: It was a jolt. I was in complete and total shock to get the call and then to find out that it wasn't even war-related.

You know, the irony is that he did everything he could to protect himself while he was there covering the war, chemical masks and chemical suits and flak jackets. And, in the end, it was something inside his own body that took his life.

BLITZER: Melanie, don't you think it was certainly, at least indirectly, war-related? If he had gotten a blood clot at home, he would have immediately gone to the emergency room.

M. BLOOM: Absolutely. Absolutely, yes. And the conditions surrounding -- the harsh conditions they were all enduring, his crew and the troops, yes, that certainly all contributed, the dehydration and the cramped space and restricted mobility, as you mentioned before.

BLITZER: Did he tell you about feeling some pains in his legs, in his knees, before the actual event?

M. BLOOM: He actually -- he actually did, yes.

About three nights before he died, he called home and was whispering into the telephone. And I said, why are you whispering? You're scaring me. And he said, you know, I'm on the Baghdad border, and we have to have lights out and voices low because of the fear of ambush. And I'm sleeping on top of the tank.

And I said, David, get back into the tank, where it's safe. You know, why are you on top of the tank? He said, I just need to stretch out. I've been sleeping knees to chin every night in this tank, and I just have to stretch my legs out. I've been having cramps. And then he just went on to talk about the stars over the Iraqi desert and moved on past it. So, it seemed reasonable, young guy, healthy, fit, sleeping that way, working, eating, living out of the tank. It seemed reasonable that he would have cramps. And he didn't take it seriously, and nor did I.

BLITZER: You had no idea about this illness. M. BLOOM: You know, I had never heard of it. Until that call came, I had never heard of deep vein thrombosis.

And I thought it was some sort of freak random act that struck David down in the desert. And, afterwards, I learned more about it and found out that this takes more lives annually than AIDS and breast cancer combined. And I thought, how is this possible when I've never even heard of it? And, to my knowledge, David had never heard of it either.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about what our viewers need to know, because I know you've become very active now in getting this information out there.

For example, a lot of people fly in cramped quarters for long distances. They potentially are vulnerable.

M. BLOOM: That's right. It's been called economy class syndrome.

People who go on long flights and have, again, that restricted mobility, they are at greater risk. But there are a lot of people at risk. And it can affect women when they're on the hormone replacement therapy, birth control pill, when they're pregnant. There are a lot of risk factors, people who are laid up for whether it be for surgery or for a sports injury or anything that takes them off their feet for long, extended periods of time or long-haul flights, travel.

And there is a great Web site that does list all of the risk factors, preventdvt.org. It also lists the warning signs and symptoms. Only 50 percent of the time, there are symptoms. David did have symptoms, but we didn't know what to do about that. We didn't know how serious those symptoms were.

BLITZER: People just write it off as cramps and it seems almost natural.

M. BLOOM: Sure. Sure.

BLITZER: There is a hereditary element in this as well.

M. BLOOM: That's true. That's true. And we discovered that after the fact with David. Along with the restricted mobility and dehydration and the long-haul flights leading up to embedding with the troops, David, we found, after doing the autopsy, that he had a gene, Leiden, factor five Leiden, which is an inherited blood coagulant disorder that did predispose him. It just added to his risk factors.

BLITZER: Can people be tested for that gene to see if they have this added danger hidden in their bodies?

M. BLOOM: Yes, they can. They can.

And yet many, many deaths are caused without having that gene. So it really is a culmination of events that come together to bring about a pulmonary embolism and/or death. Two million Americans each year will develop a blood clot or a DVT. Out of that number, 600,000 will develop a pulmonary embolism, and 200,000 will die. And David was one of those 200,000.

BLITZER: I have a brother-in-law who had that problem. But he's on medication. He takes medication, probably will be taking it the rest of his life.

M. BLOOM: That's right. That's right.

If someone is, you know, found to be at greater risk, their doctors can prescribe the right either medication or just steps, even stretching on the plane or keeping the circulation going. And there's a range of treatments and preventative measures.

And, again, preventdvt.org, they list them all there. There's a risk assessment tool, so people can find out, could this even impact me or affect me?

BLITZER: What do you recommend, though, that people who are watching right now and are worried about this? Beyond going to the Web site, what should they be doing?

M. BLOOM: You know, I think talk to your doctor, because it's not forefront in doctors' minds when they see people for various other problems.

For instance, cancer is a terrific, big risk factor for DVT. And yet people are there to talk about their problem, their issue, their cancer, but they don't understand that they are at greater risk for DVT. And, as I mentioned before, there are so many other people at any given time in their life who could be at risk. So, I think talking to your doctor is the most important thing you can do to try to prevent it.

BLITZER: We only have a little time left.

David was such a great guy in the years that I worked with him at the White House. He worked for NBC. I worked for CNN. Obviously, we were competitors, but we became very close. We probably spent a lot more time with each other, we used to joke, than maybe with our own wives at the time. I'm sure he said that to you as well.

But it was difficult, I'm sure, last night for you at the Radio- TV Correspondents Dinner.

M. BLOOM: Right. Right. It was difficult. It landed on the date of his anniversary of death, but it was really special, too. David's brothers went up and presented the award that is given in David's name and memory. So, it was really actually kind of bittersweet.

BLITZER: We will always remember David. Thank you.

And thank you, Melanie, for the good work you're doing. Good luck to you. I met David's parents last night. I had met them before, but they're lovely people. And just wish the daughters, your daughters, all the best.

M. BLOOM: Thank you, Wolf. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: Melanie Bloom is doing important work for all of us.

Thank you, Melanie.

M. BLOOM: Thanks.

BLITZER: And please stay with CNN for live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

I'll be back tomorrow for our special coverage, along with Judy Woodruff. Our coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll go all the way until right now, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

Until then, thanks for watching. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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