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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Chief Justice Hospitalized with Fever; Shuttle Launch Scrubbed Due to Fuel Tank Glitch; Bush Administration Has No Comment on Rove Investigation; London Bombing Suspects I.D.'ed as British Nationals; Homeland Security Secretary Announces Changes
Aired July 13, 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: the chief justice of the United States in the hospital with a fever.
Also happening now: NASA trying to figure out what to do with the Discovery space shuttle now that it's been -- its launch has been scrubbed.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): London terror probe: another day of searches and shock as Britons learn the suspects were their fellow citizens.
Can it happen here? The government announces sweeping changes that will impact millions of people. We'll talk about that with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Karl Rove and the probe. President Bush breaks his silence on the CIA leak and the link to his top aide.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have instructed every member of my staff to fully cooperate in this investigation. I also will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, July 13, 2005.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us. We'll get to the scrubbing of the space shuttle shortly.
But after days of speculation that Chief Justice William Rehnquist might resign from the U.S. Supreme Court there's a major development. Rehnquist, who is 80 years old and has been suffering from thyroid cancer, was admitted to a Washington area hospital with a fever.
The news has revived talks that President Bush, already seeking a replacement for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, soon may be searching for a second Supreme Court nominee. CNN's Joe Johns is standing by live for us with more -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we got the word this afternoon, but this apparently occurred last night. The chief justice of the United States, 80 years old, as you said, taken to a hospital in Arlington, Virginia, right across the river, the Virginia Hospital Center, reportedly suffering from a fever. We do not know how serious that fever is.
Of course, we got some word that there might have been a problem earlier today, at least some speculation, because the chief did not show up for work. He did not follow his regular routine.
We did see with our cameras some security officials taking, apparently, a shirt out of the home of the chief justice. Also, apparently, a cane was taken out of there, as well.
No clear word until this afternoon. Apparently, a fever suffered by the chief justice of the United States, 80 years old. Also suffering, of course, from thyroid cancer, which has led to speculation the chief may at some point step down. No word on that.
The White House issuing a very brief one-word -- one-sentence statement today, saying, "We wish the chief justice a speedy recovery."
Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Any word, Joe, on the extent of the fever? Is it a minor fever? A high fever? Are they giving those kinds of specifics?
JOHNS: Court officials have not initial issued much at all on this, quite frankly, Wolf. What they have said is they don't believe it's very serious, but we haven't gotten any substantiation of that from the hospital, as you know.
BLITZER: Joe Johns reporting for us. Thank, Joe, very much.
The big question in Washington at this hour, given that the chief justice is battling thyroid cancer, is how serious is this fever that has developed? Dr. Kenneth Burman is an expert on thyroid disease treatment at the Washington Hospital Center in Georgetown University Hospital here in Washington. He's joining us.
As an expert on this whole issue, what goes through your mind as you hear this story?
DR. KENNETH BURMAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Wolf, thank you. First off, we obviously wish the chief justice best wishes and for a speedy recovery. And I want to emphasize, I'm not involved in his care.
But speaking in terms of medicine and thyroid, the first thing that comes to mind is that there are multiple causes of a fever that don't relate to thyroid. And those are probably more common.
BLITZER: Like what? Give us an example.
BURMAN: Sure. These include pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia. Someone who has a tracheotomy may have a little trouble with their secretions.
BLITZER: And he did have a tracheotomy.
BURMAN: Correct. And other medical illnesses such as -- that are just general medical illnesses, such as related to chemotherapy or fever or low white counts.
BLITZER: Or infection.
BURMAN: Infection, all due to perhaps the chemotherapy.
BLITZER: What would be the worst-case scenario? Infection?
BURMAN: I think those systemic problems such as infection can be handled and are general medical issues not related, necessarily, to his thyroid but more to the chronic malnutrition that someone might have in this circumstance.
BLITZER: Go ahead, sure.
BURMAN: Speaking of the thyroid, though, there are a couple of scenarios that come to mind, albeit rare.
BLITZER: Someone suffering from thyroid cancer and has gone through this treatment all of a sudden developing a fever and being taken to a hospital.
BURMAN: Correct. I want to emphasize you want to make sure they -- that they have some problem not related to the thyroid and look into that.
But with regard to the thyroid some types of thyroid cancer, perhaps the type he has, can invade local tissues and cause problems with the windpipe, the trachea, or even the skin and get secondary infections with those. And you can bleed into the tumor and get secondary infections such as that.
BLITZER: If he were a regular person, an average person, as opposed to the chief justice of the United States, would he normally, if he developed a fever, be taken to a hospital? Or you think there's some special extra precaution because he's the chief justice?
BURMAN: I think the physicians are to be lauded for being extra careful in an 80-year-old gentlemen, regardless of the circumstances. And until you look into it to find out whether it's something simple, perhaps even related to the tracheotomy itself that could be corrected or something more serious, it's much more prudent to investigate.
BLITZER: All right. We'll watch, and we'll hope and pray for his speedy recovery. Thanks very much, Dr. Burman, for that.
The much anticipated return of the space shuttle is on hold as today's liftoff was scrubbed. Weather had been seen as the biggest obstacle, but the culprit turned out to be something more significant and unexpected: a fuel tank sensor. NASA officials spoke about the problem at a news conference just minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE HALE, NASA PROGRAM DEPUTY MANAGER: Came out here all set to go today. We've been working really hard to be ready to go. And we incurred a problem. It was clearly a launch criteria violation. Took us about five minutes of discussion to confirm that and decide that it was time to try another day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more on the shuttle, we're joined now by shuttle commander and pilot Ken Cockrell. He's flown on five shuttle missions and has logged over 1,500 hours in space.
Commander, thanks very much for joining us. Is this a big deal or a little deal?
KEN COCKRELL, SHUTTLE COMMANDER/PILOT: Well, it's a big deal, although normal -- in a normal flight you shouldn't have these sensors come into play at all. Their purpose is to -- to shut down the engines before you run out of fuel if you got into some case where you ran out of fuel before you got to your -- getting to orbit target. It shouldn't be a big deal.
BLITZER: The fact that they discovered this literally only a couple hours before the scheduled takeoff, what does that say to you?
COCKRELL: Well, as I heard from the press briefing from Wayne Hale, the deputy program manager, there's a planned check of the sensors at two-and-a-half hours on the countdown clock. And that's exactly when they found the problem.
BLITZER: How unusual is this problem, based on earlier shuttles?
COCKRELL: We've had a couple of problems with low level cutoff sensors, which is what these are. There are four of them to guard against problems happening, say a sensor failing during the ascent. But to make sure we have all the sensors working to our best advantage we make sure that all four of them are working prelaunch.
BLITZER: What would have happened if the shuttle would have taken off with this problem in hand?
COCKRELL: More than likely nothing. As I mentioned before, the computers decide at what speed they need to cut off the main engines, and we carry enough fuel to get to that speed. But if some other problem happened like a fuel leak in the hydrogen tank today or some excessive usage of fuel because of one of the engines not performing properly, then these -- these low level cutoff sensors are designed to protect you.
You don't want the engines to still be running when you run out of fuel, because that can cause some damage in the -- in the engine compartment. So more than likely they wouldn't come into play at all. They're a backup.
BLITZER: So we heard at the news conference that the earliest they could lift off would be Saturday. But is that overly ambitious right now, based on previous experience?
COCKRELL: Well, it's -- I think the liftoff earliest time of Saturday is based on how much time it takes to drain the tank and then to make it safe for inspection. And then, after that happens, there will be more data collected. We'll understand better what the problem is. And then would we can really set a launch date.
But based on how much time it takes, the earliest would be Saturday, and that's the best we can say right now.
BLITZER: Well, it's best to be safe, rather than sorry. Ken Cockrell, thanks very much for joining us.
COCKRELL: Thank you.
BLITZER: Other news we're following here in Washington. President Bush broke his silence today on the controversy surrounding his top adviser, Karl Rove, and the leak of an undercover CIA operative's name.
Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, standing by live at the White House with details -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.
Well, it was the first time President Bush talked about this in recent days since the latest developments. But it was perhaps what the president didn't say that was most interesting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): There was Karl Rove, right behind his boss, waiting for the inevitable questions about his alleged role in outing a covert CIA agent. Two queries, no answers.
BUSH: We're in the midst of an ongoing investigation. And I will be more than happy to comment further once the investigation is completed.
BASH: Some GOP advisers were surprised the president did not offer his closest adviser and friend a vote of confidence. The White House insists that he wasn't hedging his bets; he wasn't asked.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Every person that works here at the White House, including Karl Rove, has the confidence of the president.
BASH: This president doesn't wait for specific questions when he has something to say. The current tight-lipped strategy is a remarkable shift. Mr. Bush showed no hesitation earlier in the investigation, including this exchange in September of 2003.
QUESTION: Yesterday, we were told that Karl Rove had no role in that. You talked to Karl and you have confidence in him?
BUSH: Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it. And we'll take the appropriate action.
BASH: But with "Time" magazine's Matt Cooper now testifying he and Rove discussed the issue...
MATT COOPER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: We worked out this waiver agreement with Karl Rove's attorney last week.
BASH: ... the White House is pulling back, letting the Republican National Committee distribute talking points to allies in Congress.
REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: I think what the Democrats are doing with Karl Rove is just another politically motivated part of their agenda.
BASH: Top Bush aides insist they're not distracted by all this, but it drowned out what the president wanted to talk about.
BUSH: Going to announce that the 2005 deficit is $94 billion less than previously expected.
BASH: And Rove questions are following administration figures around the world. The first lady faced one in Africa, the secretary of State as she traveled home from Asia.
MIKE FELDMAN, FORMER CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Most of the administration's public -- public faces are out there trying to change the subject. But when -- when an issue is this red hot and when it remains unresolved, it's very difficult to do so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And GOP strategists say for now getting allies to support Karl Rove, to support the White House, hasn't been that hard, because no clear crime was committed. No moral or political line has been crossed.
But, Wolf, even Bush loyalists admit what they do know about this investigation pales in comparison to what they don't know, and that is the biggest source of fear here. And that is why you're seeing an abundance of caution -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks, Dana, very much.
When we come back, suspects named in the London terror investigation, and a relative of one of them speaks publicly. We'll have the latest.
Also, new efforts to prevent similar attacks here. I'll speak with the Homeland Security secretary, Michael Chertoff.
Plus, cross-dressing and sexual humiliation. New details of alleged prisoner abuse at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba emerging before a U.S. Senate hearing. We'll have details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: British anti-terrorism police are turning up more clues in the deadly bombings of three subway trains and a bus in London last week. One new fact that stunned many people: the suspected suicide bombers were British nationals.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is in London with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The focus of the investigation remains 200 miles north of London. For a second day police and forensic experts searched the homes of three of the four suspected suicide bombers.
CHIEF COLIN CRAMPHORN, WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE: There's a lot of work left to be done here. It's a long, slow job. And it will be quite a while before we'll be able to return this area to normality.
VINCI: Police did not officially make public their identity. However, British media have reported the names of three of the suspects.
A police source confirmed to CNN one of the men is a 22-year-old British citizen of Pakistani origin, Shahzad Tanweer. His family, the source said, reported him missing shortly after 10 a.m. the day of the attacks, saying they suspected he was involved.
Investigators found forensic evidence he died at the Aldgate bombing site. His uncle in Leeds is still coming to terms with the notion that Shahzad could very well be one of Britain's first home- grown suicide bombers to strike on British soil.
BASHIR AHMED, SUSPECT'S UNCLE: I can't see any cause. (INAUDIBLE) From any foreign person, you can understand that. He was born here, bred here. He didn't know anything other than British culture.
VINCI: But at this stage investigators are not saying what they know, if anything, about the mastermind behind the attacks. Intelligence experts say it is unlikely the four suspects, three of whom were aged 18 to 30, could have acted alone.
MARTIN NAVIAS, CENTER FOR DEFENSE STUDIES: I think the events in London last week represent an escalation in the war against terror. I think we will in the next few months probably see more attacks against West European targets, attacks using suicide bombers and attacks using citizens of West European countries. This is going to be very difficult to stop. VINCI: The British prime minister believes one way to try stopping this trend is to reach out to the Muslim community. The attacks, he said, were not isolated incidents. He met at 10 Downing Street with Muslim members of Parliament. And in the House of Commons he laid out his early plan.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will seek to debate the right way forward in combating this evil within the Muslim community with Muslim leaders. And it's our intention to begin this process immediately. In the end, this could only be taken on and defeated by the community itself. But we all can help and facilitate, and we will do so.
VINCI: Among the measures Blair is considering: making it easier to prosecute those who incite terrorism.
(on camera) Amid concerns of a backlash against the Muslim community here, Tony Blair urged Britain to uphold its position of tolerance. But the feeling here tonight is one of shock and disbelief, not at the fact that the suspects were Muslims, but that they were born and bred here.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And we're just getting this word into CNN. British anti- terror police executed a search warrant at a home late this evening, north of London, in connection with last week's terrorist bombings. Police tell CNN no arrests were made, but a detailed forensic examination is expected to be carried out and may take some time to complete. We'll keep you updated.
Here in this country in our "CNN Security Watch," the huge Department of Homeland Security will undergo a sweeping overhaul. Our Kelli Arena from CNN's American bureau standing with more details -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff made his first major address concerning the department and the direction that he wants to take it in. He opened his speech offering condolences to the British people after the London bombings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff says the attacks in London are jarring reminders of the threats Americans face.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Together we gather once again in the shadow of a despicable act of terrorism.
ARENA: After an extensive review, he laid out his plan to make the homeland more secure.
CHERTOFF: DHS will -- will concentrate first and foremost, most relentlessly, on addressing threats that pose catastrophic consequences.
ARENA: A higher priority will be placed on preventing and responding to a nuclear or biological attack.
Without offering details, he said his department would step up detection systems on the nation's rails, subways and buses but conceded that all possible targets can't be protected.
RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: The only rational thing for a cabinet secretary to do in his position is to select those scenarios which, if they happened, would be most destructive to America.
ARENA: Another major priority: border security. Chertoff says he'll commit more workers and funds for better technology.
Chertoff talked about better screening of airline passengers and a retooling of the terror watch list. He also said first-time visitors to the U.S. would have to have prints taken of all 10 fingers.
Local Homeland officials say they like what they heard but are waiting for the fine print.
CARLO BOCCIA, BOSTON HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR: When I see these programs in action, then I'll be able to say, "We didn't get enough here, or we didn't adjust this program far enough. We need to do more of that." It's really too early to tell.
ARENA: About 80 percent of what Chertoff proposed can be accomplished under his existing authority, but the rest requires congressional approval.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Homeland officials say the most important change is the elimination of several layers of bureaucracy, giving Chertoff more direct responsibility -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Kelli Arena, thanks very much.
And when we come back, much more in our "CNN Security Watch." The secretary, Michael Chertoff, will join us to talk about the changes in Homeland Security, what it means for all of us.
Also, a suicide attack, horrific even by Iraqi standards. Dozens of children among the victims.
And a New York City woman goes straight to the top with her problem and gets some surprising results. Our Mary Snow will have details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now on those massive changes of the Department of Homeland Security that were unveiled today by the secretary, Michael Chertoff. As part of our "CNN Security Watch," I spoke with the secretary about this and other related issues just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.
CHERTOFF: Glad to be here.
BLITZER: The London terror attacks. A lot of people saw what happened, the fallout that's going on right now. How worried should Americans be that a similar kind of series of attacks could happen here?
CHERTOFF: Well, let me begin by emphasizing again that we don't have any specific information that there is an attack that's planned or imminent.
BLITZER: No hard evidence that anything is in the works right now in the United States.
CHERTOFF: There's no specific evidence that there's an attack planned in the United States in the near future or that's imminent in the United States. Obviously, we're always monitoring to see if there's new intelligence, and we're carefully following what the British investigation is revealing in the event that it does show that there's something that could touch our shores. But we nevertheless felt it was important as a matter of precaution to raise the alert level on the mass transit sector of the economy in a very measured way.
BLITZER: Buses and trains, subways.
CHERTOFF: Buses and trains, subways, simply because experience shows that sometimes the terrorists do follow an attack with a second wave. But I want to emphasize, it was really based on our study of their tactics, and not based on any specific piece of information.
BLITZER: Well, how well prepared is the country to deal with that kind of attack, if in fact it should come -- buses, subways, trains -- because a lot more money, as you well know, has been devoted to aviation security as opposed to ground security?
CHERTOFF: Well, of course, Wolf, we're dealing with different systems. And I think everybody understands that at some level, our experience shows there's no perfect safety on any system. You've got crime on subways. You have people commit crimes on trains or derail trains in the past. So we don't want to claim that we can give you a perfect blanket of protection.
What we do want to make sure is we're using our intelligence to anticipate attacks and intercept them, that we have in place measures to detect explosives in a reasonable fashion, that we have plans in place to respond if, in fact, there should be an attack. And I do think that we have quite a bit of work that's been done in our major systems to get to a good state of preparedness.
BLITZER: Well, let's say some guys, suicide bombers -- and we don't know for sure they were suicide bombers in London, but that's the working assumption -- right now decide to just simply go on a train or a subway or a bus with a backpack or carrying a satchel with 10 pounds of explosives? What, if anything, can be done to stop that?
CHERTOFF: Well, we do have, for example, deployed right now -- and it's enhanced in the current state of orange -- bomb-detection dogs, police, other types of detection capabilities which would give us a reasonable prospect of intercepting that.
BLITZER: They can sniff the explosives? Is that what you're saying?
CHERTOFF: That's right. And the dogs happen to be very good at doing that.
BLITZER: But those are at limited locations.
CHERTOFF: Well, we move them around. We deploy them in places we think are probably the most important or likely entry points. We do try to create a certain amount of uncertainty in the mind of anybody who wants to do something by deploying the resources from different parts of the system.
But you know, we also rely upon everybody doing the job of observing, and if they see something that's irregular, unusual, speak up. Go to a conductor. Go to a policeman.
I mean, I think part of this see-it/say-it philosophy, this watchfulness, is something which the British have adopted and many parts of the world have adopted, and I think we have to use that, as well.
BLITZER: Everyone says, though, that the best way to prevent this from happening is to infiltrate the cells, the terrorist cells that may be out there. Are you doing that?
CHERTOFF: Well, you've put your finger on a key element of the whole strategy for protecting our transit system and all of our systems, which is good intelligence. How do we get that? Well, some of it is intercepting communications. Some of it is capturing detainees and getting information from them. We use a whole range of intelligence-gathering techniques. And the more we can gather intelligence and advance warning, the better prepared we are to prevent something from happening.
BLITZER: Because in London, the working assumption now is that these terrorists -- and they're believed to be suicide terrorists -- they were British-born, young guys in their late-teens, early twenties, who were of Pakistani ancestry.
I guess what I'm getting at is, what happens if that happens here? How do you go out and find these kinds of potential terrorists if they've been recruited -- grown up in the United States, American citizens, but recruited, done some training, let's say, in Pakistan or Afghanistan or elsewhere?
CHERTOFF: Well, there's no question that there's a challenge when we deal with home-grown terrorism or people who are operating inside the country as opposed to those who are coming in. But some of the tools that we've been using and we want to continue to use under the Patriot Act, for example, give us the kinds of capabilities to get information that are critical if we're going to be able to protect our subways and our planes and our shopping centers.
So that's why there's a lot of emphasis that we place upon intelligence gathering not only overseas, but using the tools that the Patriot Act gave us to do some of that intelligence gathering here at home.
BLITZER: We now see what appears to be the first real suicide bombing in Western Europe. We've seen that in Israel, in Iraq, a lot of other places. Yesterday, we saw a suicide bomber at a shopping mall in Netanya along the coast north of Tel Aviv. What are you doing to prevent that from happening here in the United States?
CHERTOFF: Well, you know, I think we treat all issues of bombings as essentially the same problem. Obviously a suicide bomber can't be deterred, but in every instance, what we're concerned about first of all, how do you detect that a plot is afoot? Some of it is by gathering intelligence. It may be getting information from using some of our electronic surveillance under the Patriot Act. Some of it may be by infiltrating with informants. And some of it is using, you know, reasonable detection technology.
BLITZER: The British authorities are suggesting that they used what they called a military-grade explosive in these terror attacks in London. Is this kind of stuff readily available in the United States? Is it too available right now to potential terrorists?
CHERTOFF: Well, Wolf, I'd be careful about jumping to conclusions. You know, there's a lot of reporting. I can tell you, my own observation is reporting often changes. I think one of the things we're very interested in is getting some hard conclusion that we think the British will reach in the next day or so as they get more facts.
Obviously, we're following all the leads. We're working with them. We've got FBI over there working with the British authorities. And we're very closely connected as they learn lessons that we can then apply in our own country.
BLITZER: You delivered a speech today and have an extensive report on some major changes that you're implementing in the Department of Homeland Security. One change that you're not implementing is moving away from the color code that's been widely disparaged, if you will. Why?
CHERTOFF: Well, you know, we're looking at the issue of the color code. It's a matter that we're first of all looking at internally. And before we make any change -- and we're considering whether a change should be made -- we're going to talk to the other state governments and local governments that rely on the color code. We're going to deal with the private sector. We're going to talk to everybody who's a stakeholder in the process.
At the end of the day though, the function we want to do is to have an efficient way of raising the level of preparedness in a manageable and measured way when it's appropriate. And I think if you look back on what happened this past Thursday, the steps we took we took only after consulting with the major transportation systems, they believed it was an appropriate step to take. We thought it was appropriate. And I think therefore it made sense in a tailored way to raise our capabilities up in order to deter or intercept an event.
BLITZER: You're quoted in "USA Today" as saying you want to focus your attention on major terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, nuclear attacks, chemical or biological weapons, and have less emphasis on the smaller attacks, the so-called soft targets, which I guess we could characterize what happened in London. People are going to say, well, they're pretty concerned about those soft targets as well.
CHERTOFF: Well, I want to be clear we are concerned about all kinds of attacks. But I also want to make sure that we don't lose focus on what are the big-picture priorities. As bad as the attack in London is, as bad as an attack on a subway is -- and that's very bad and we have to do our level best to prevent it and to mitigate it -- a catastrophic attack would be many times worse. And I think as we build our capabilities and, particularly, look to see where the federal government has a unique value to play, we have to make sure we're focusing on those elements where the risk is the greatest.
Where we can help our states and local authorities deal with some of the kinds of threats that they've traditionally dealt with, obviously we want to do that. But we've got to drive our strategy with a long-term vision and not simply by reacting to an individual attack.
BLITZER: The most recent CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll showed that only 23 percent of the American public has what's called a great deal of confidence in the Bush administration to protect citizens from future acts of terror. That doesn't seem like a big number.
CHERTOFF: Well, you know, I think these polls typically go up and down, and they're often driven by the perception of what's going on in the world. It's understandable that when you see an attack on a subway system, and you reflect on how, in our open and free society, we do have vulnerabilities because we want to be open and free. It's understandable there's a certain amount of apprehension. What's important is resilience. We've got to be able to deal the risk. We've got to manage the risk. We've got to do the best we can to avert them. But at the end of the day, we've got to keep going about our business. And I think the British have a great lesson here. You know, they got up the next day. They got on the Underground. They got on the buses. They went about their business. And that resilience and that spirit is ultimately a very powerful weapon we have in the war against terror.
BLITZER: Mr. Secretary, thanks for spending a few moments with us.
CHERTOFF: My pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Michael Chertoff speaking with me just a little while ago.
And one other Homeland Security note involving air travel. The Homeland Security Department is dropping its requirement that passengers using Reagan National Airport here in Washington D.C. remain seated 30 minutes after taking off and 30 minutes before landing. The airport is very close to the White House, the Congress, and the Pentagon. Citing security improvements, including more firmly fastened cockpit doors, officials now say the stay seated precaution is no longer necessary. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
When we come back, children targeted in Baghdad. Details of the latest suicide bombing. This one, particularly brutal.
Also, new details of alleged detainee abuse at the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Plus, New York's mayor proves himself the city's go-to guy with an unusual late-night phone call. How do New Yorkers get the mayor directly on the phone? They do, and we'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back, another suicide car bombing in Iraq, but this one more horrific than most, dozens of children among the victims. We'll get the latest details from Baghdad. First, though, let's get a quick check of some other stories "Now in the News".
You're looking live at Space Shuttle Discovery still on the launch pad, after today's scheduled liftoff was scrubbed -- the reason, a faulty sensor on the external fuel tank. NASA officials now say Discovery won't lift off until Saturday, and that's at the earliest. It will be the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster back in 2003.
A 25-years sentence for former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers, convicted in the company's $11 billion accounting fraud. The 63-year- old reportedly wept during sentencing, but he didn't address the court. On the way in he was swarmed by reporters and photographers and he pushed one of them out of the way.
Michael J. Fox was on Capitol Hill, here in Washington, lobbying for increased stem cell research. The actor, who has Parkinson's Disease, is urging senators to pass a bill that would lift the limits imposed by President Bush in 2001. The House has already approved the measure but opponents are sponsoring competing bills.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: It's not the time to be distracted by a legislative shell game. I urge members of the Senate, send a strong message of hope to the hundred million Americans whose families are affected by disease. Vote to pass...
(END VIDEO TAPE)
BLITZER: A fourth Israeli woman has now died from injuries she received in yesterday's suicide bombing at a mall in Netanya. Israeli Defense Forces say they've arrested five members of Islamic Jihad in connection with the attack. Palestinian sources tell CNN a gun battle preceded the arrest and two Palestinian policemen were shot and killed by Israeli forces.
Suicide car bombings have occurred so often in Iraq that they've become almost a daily and they're certainly almost always a deadly routine. There was another one today, but this one was more horrific than most. Among the victims, dozens of children. CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with details.
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(SCREAMING)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The screams of grieving mothers; caskets large and small driven to gravesites on the roofs of cars; mangled toys on the side of the road.
The children who were killed in Wednesday's attack in Baghdad were not simply innocent bystanders, they were, it seems, targets. The attack happened in the morning hours as a U.S. military convoy stopped in eastern Baghdad and as they often do, spent a moment with Iraqi kids, handing out candy.
At the same time, a suicide bomber driving an SUV detonated close by. Of the over two dozen people killed, many were children. Also killed, at least one U.S. soldier. The explosion, so big it set a nearby house on fire.
This is a poor neighborhood of Baghdad. Residents already confronting enormous difficulty in daily life. But on this day, parents confronted the death of their children. Funerals took place within hours; the agonizing pain visible.
It's not the first time Baghdad has seen such violence. A similar incident occurred in September, last year, when 34 children died after car bombs targeted the opening of a sewage center. As with Wednesday's bomb, a brutal reminder of the insurgent mind.
LAITH KUBBA, SPOKESMAN FOR IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: The worst thing about these groups -- the worst thing, is that there is no limit to how far they go and how evil they can become.
RAMAN: Wednesday's attack hit a core effort in bridging cultural divides. Americans on patrol often stop to meet children as they swarm around troops, but this day the smiles ended abruptly. Instead, the cries of parents rang through the streets.
(on camera): As troops patrol throughout Baghdad, children are often the lone faces smiling back; eager always to approach the soldiers. Now such innocence has come under attack, caught in the crosshairs of Iraq's insurgency.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Investigations -- investigating allegations of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay. New details about interrogation tactics used at the detention facility are surfacing today during testimony on Capitol Hill. We'll go live to the Pentagon. That's coming up next.
And if you're a New Yorker with a problem, you may just want to let your fingers do the talking and the walking. Who you may be able to reach by just looking in the phone book, might shock you.
Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Startling details of interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They came to light in a hearing today over at the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is investigating FBI allegations of detainee abuse at the facility.
Our pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is standing by with details -- Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, indeed a rare look behind the scenes today at the interrogation of an al Qaeda terrorist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Investigators told the Senate Armed Services Committee the interrogation of Mohamed al-Kahtani, the 20th hijacker in the 9/11 plot, was abusive and degrading, but was not torture.
The senators heard graphic testimony about how interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, spent months breaking the will of the man known publicly by his I.D. number.
LT. GEN. RANDALL SCHMIDT, U.S. ARMY: ISN063 was told his mother and sister were whores. He was forced to wear a bra and a thong placed on his head during the course of interrogation. Twice interrogators told him he was a homosexual or had homosexual tendencies and that other detainees knew. He was forced to dance with a male interrogator.
STARR: Kahtani was isolated from other prisoners for 160 days and interrogated for up to 20 hours a day. It was the cumulative impact that led to a recommendation that Major General Jeffrey Miller, the Gitmo commander, be reprimanded. SCHMIDT: He failed to monitor and place limits on the application of authorized interrogation techniques -- authorized interrogation techniques and allowed this interrogation to result in potentially unnecessary and degrading, abusive treatment.
STARR: The Gitmo investigation found only two other incidents where interrogation policies were violated. Thousands of interrogations took place under the rules. Some senators endorsed tough interrogation.
SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: The actions of those who seek to do us harm, destroying our way of life; they are not to be coddled.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Wolf, no word on whether General Miller, the Gitmo commander, will in fact be reprimanded. The entire matter has been turned over to still more investigators -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Barbara Starr. Thanks very much.
Coming up at the top of the hour, Lou Dobbs tonight. Lou's standing by in New York with a little preview -- Lou?
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you very much. That little preview: Right now.
At 6:00 p.m. Eastern tonight here on CNN, we'll have the latest for you on the condition of Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He is in the hospital tonight with a fever. We'll have the latest.
We'll also be reporting on the outrage on Capitol Hill over China's efforts to take over one of our most important energy companies. I'll be talking with the powerful chairman of the House Arms Services Committee, who's been holding hearings.
And new concerns tonight, about the vulnerability of this country's chemical plants in a terrorist attack -- an attack that would have catastrophic consequences. We'll have that special report.
NASA has scrubbed the launch of the Shuttle Discovery. We will be looking into when the shuttle will blast off. We'll have a live report for you from the Kennedy Space Center.
And of course, we'll have the very latest developments on the continuing story of Karl Rove and the CIA leak.
All of that and a great deal more, coming up in just a few minutes at the top of the hour here on CNN. Please join us.
Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Lou. We'll be there.
When we come back, living in the Big Apple with a big city problem. Who do you call? One New York City woman got fed up and went straight to the top. You will be surprised how she did it and just how easy it was.
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BLITZER: They say you can't fight city hall, but one New York City woman discovered a surprising solution. Our Mary Snow is standing by with her story. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, imagine you live in the nation's biggest city, you need the city's help, it's keeping you up. How do you get the mayor's ear? Well, as one woman found out you call him at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEILA POWSNER, CALLED MAYOR BLOOMBERG: Is Dotty up?
SNOW (VOICE OVER): Sheila Powsner is worried about her 94-year- old Aunt Dotty. She moved in with her sister years ago, but when her sister died, the city told her she had to leave the Brooklyn apartment. Powsner has been battling the city's bureaucracy on her aunt's behalf. With time of the essence, Powsner decided Monday night to go straight to the source, and she dialed Mayor Bloomberg at his Manhattan home. She said she was shocked when he answered.
POWSNER: I said Mayor Bloomberg, is that you? He said yes. And I said, I told him I was Sheila Powsner from Milbasing (ph) calling about my 94-year-old Aunt Dorothy Woolner (ph) and her problem with trying to switch apartments.
SNOW: At a press conference Tuesday, the mayor acknowledged he got a call after 10:00 p.m..
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: Actually somebody called me about a housing problem at home last night -- fortunately, just as I turned out the light and not 10 minutes later.
SNOW: It turns out that Michael R. Bloomberg is listed in the phone book. Despite being in charge of a city with 8 million people, not to mention that he's a billionaire, the mayor has made it known he likes to do some things like everyday New Yorkers, such as riding the Subway, and keeping his number listed.
BLOOMBERG: But look, I appreciate it if you don't call me late at night, I can't really do anything then. But in an emergency, I work for the people.
SNOW: Normally city complaints go to a 311 call center, but the mayor said he gave Powsner his office number, she called Tuesday morning, and she says she is making progress with her Aunt Dotty's housing problem.
POWSNER: I've been stonewalled with this for a year-and-a-half. I've been knocking my head against the wall.
SNOW: Now this Brooklyn school teacher says in the future she won't hesitate to pick up the phone. POWSNER: No, no. I will try to call anybody and everybody if I think I need some help to try to get something done.
SNOW: So the White House better watch out.
POWSNER: Do you have a number for the White House?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW (on camera): The mayor has gotten calls before from ordinary citizens, and his press office says he has no plans to make his number private. Wolf?
BLITZER: That's a great story. Thanks Mary Snow for bringing it to us. Mary Snow in New York.
As part of CNN's anniversary this year, we're looking back at some key moments and newsmakers. Today, Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa. Here is CNN's Aaron Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A polish shipyard worker with a passion for freedom, Lech Walesa's fiery determination inspired Poland's Solidarity trade union and the eventual fall of the Iron Curtain. For his efforts against communism, Walesa earned the Nobel Peace Prize and some powerful allies. The electrician from Gdansk had the ear of the free world --
LECH WALESA, SOLIDARITY (through translator): Freedom is a human right.
BROWN: In 1989, Poland formed the first non-communist government in the Soviet Bloc, and Lech Walesa was elected the first president. But the confrontational style that made Walesa a great revolutionary, made him a controversial president. He lost re-election five years later. Walesa turned 62 years old this year. The father of eight is now a grandfather and still lives in Gdansk. After a failed bid for the polish presidency in 2000, Walesa turned his attention to political struggles outside Poland -- from Taiwan, to the recent election issues in Ukraine. He also founded the Lech Walesa Institute to Preserve the Spirit of Solidarity, in Poland and around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We have late word on the controversy over that CIA leak investigation and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove. All seven Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, including ranking member Jane Harmon, today signed a letter urging President Bush to revoke Rove's security clearance. Rove has been at the center of the controversy since it was revealed he discussed the case with at least one reporter.
Remember, you can always catch us weekdays 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
LOU DOBBS TONIGHT starts right now. Lou's standing by in New York.
END
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