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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Bombing Suspects Captured; Speed of Arrests Draws Comparisons to U.S.; Frist Parts Ways with Bush on Stem Cell Research; NASA: Shuttle Damage Minor; Six Party Talks; FBI Visits New York Mosque

Aired July 29, 2005 - 17:00   ET

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

ANDREA KOPPEL, HOST: Happening now: In London and Rome, police sweep in and sweep up the London bombing suspects. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): Caught: In a stunning series of raids, police seize more of the suspected transit bombers. Could investigators get results as quickly in this country?

Stem cell surprise: The Senate's top Republican breaks with the White House.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I believe we will have the opportunity to save many lives and make countless others' lives more fulfilling.

KOPPEL: A dog wash for the dogs of war. Pets and their families raise money to help canines serving on the frontlines.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, July 29, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Thanks so much for joining us. And I'm Andrea Koppel. Wolf has the day off.

It has been a fast-moving, relentless investigation, and today, they closed the noose. Heavily armed police raided apartments in London, and police in Rome raided another residence. Sources say all four of the suspects in the botched London transit bombings are now in custody.

Let's go straight now to CNN's Jonathan Mann, who is live in London. Jonathan, for those of us here in the states, our heads are spinning. I don't know what it's like there in London.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been an extraordinary day, a very dramatic day.

Police here at Scotland Yard had never mounted a manhunt like this, the biggest operational challenge in a century and a half for the London police force. And it culminated in an extraordinary day, much of which played out on television. The police deployed helicopters, sniper teams. They sent in heavily-armed officers with sub machine guns, their faces obscured with ski masks, to try and find three suspects who they were looking for, ever since the bombings that were botched here a little bit more than a week ago.

What happened is they went into a very quiet neighborhood and things went according to plan, or nearly. Some gripping moments of drama, an armed standoff that could have ended very badly.

ITN correspondent James Mates gives us a sense how that unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MATES, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two men naked, at least from the waist up, have been ordered at gunpoint onto the balcony there at the top of the screen. The man on the left appears to be following orders to lower his trousers. Both men seem to be suffering from the effects of gas.

The shouted orders from the police can be heard, though the words are hard to make out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: There were three arrests in London, one arrest in Rome, where British police tipped off Italian authorities using cell phone numbers, calls that were being made by one of the suspects. He's identified as Ramzi Mohammed, and he came without a fight.

Now, in the report that James Mates brought you, a really strange and unpredictable moment we didn't see. In fact, in the course of the armed standoff, children suddenly appeared from a balcony very near where the armed men were.

The British police were terrified that there would be more innocent victims before the day was over. Those children belonged to Brian Dempster, a neighbor, it turns out, of the two suspects. He explains what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN DEMPSTER, NEIGHBOR: Then gunshots. I was told to stay away from the windows and doors. And then there was more shooting and then the police come and told us to go in the gas masks and big dogs, to leave the house and that was it. We're here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still in their pajamas, aren't they?

DEMPSTER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You heard shooting when you were inside?

DEMPSTER: Yes, there was shooting outside. And then after that, we got told that we had to go, get out of the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you told what was going on?

DEMPSTER: No. Never got told, just to get out and get some clothes. As you can see, they're still in their pajamas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How frightening was it for you all?

DEMPSTER: Scary. Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm crying. I was very scared. I was crying. They had guns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have been told now?

DEMPSTER: Just can't wait to get home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had to get out of the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many explosions were there?

DEMPSTER: There was one explosions but four rounds of shooting, that I counted, anyway. With, like machine guns. It was...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four rounds.

DEMPSTER: Yes. It was shots like that, but spaces of time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think was going on then?

DEMPSTER: Bombers and terrorists. I didn't think it would come to my block.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: Can you imagine? An extraordinary amount of firepower in use today, but in fact, it was held in reserve. Police did need to use explosive charges to blast open a door. They did need to fire gas canisters to smoke the suspects out, but not a single shot was fired.

So eight days after the attacks, four suspects in Rome, rather, and in London are now in custody -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Really a remarkable day. Jonathan Mann in London, thanks.

Drama, suspense and action. Watching the British investigation of the botched bombings in London has been almost like watching a movie. If the time comes, could American law enforcement play the roles as effectively?

CNN's Brian Todd joins me with that.

I know that you've been talking to a number of former law enforcement officials.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrea. And those officials that we spoke to were also very impressed with the speed with which the British authorities moved in this case.

And their comparisons with U.S.-based investigations are generally positive with some nuance differences on the culture, law and the use of technology.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Four suspects wrapped up in eight days. One as far away as Rome. Impressive, even for a former Scotland Yard investigator.

PETER POWER, FORMER SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATOR: It's moving so quickly. In my experience, I've never seen an investigation go as fast as this.

TODD: With those compliments, comparisons. Could U.S. law enforcement move this fast? Officials, past and present, are taking a hard look at London.

DEPUTY CHIEF MICHAEL BERKOW, LOS ANGELES POLICE: There was a tremendous amount of evidence left behind by the nature of the event. And so as you work through these events, methodically, systematically, and based on best investigative practices, you are going to have leads. And that's exactly what happened in London and allowed them to move very quickly, just as we had in the states.

TODD: We spoke to three former FBI counter-terrorism officials who say, given similar evidence and manpower, U.S. agents could pull this off with equal efficiency.

GEORGE BAURIES, FORMER FBI OFFICIAL: Since 9/11, there's been an increase in police training through the FBI, through the joint terrorism task force and increased counter-terrorism training that extends to police officers, county officers and state troopers across the United States. And that allows for additional resources that the FBI can utilize for a crisis.

TODD: But they also point out some key differences. In England, they say, the widespread presence of surveillance cameras is crucial. One former official says, in England, it's possible the movements of any of these suspects could have been traced from subway stations or buses backward, maybe even to the residences they left, with cameras at every corner.

In U.S. law enforcement, they say, there's been a movement away from surveillance cameras because of civil liberties concerns, the intensity of labor they require and because of high tech sensors now being developed in the U.S. to detect strange body movements, chemical and biological agents.

But experts are taking another look, given recent events in Britain.

BAURIES: The success that the British authorities are having since the utilization of the CCT coverage, I think the United States is going to have to look at potentially, maybe, expanding or increasing the aggressiveness with which they're pursuing these technologies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Some other key investigative differences, say these experts, Great Britain is a much more compact country than the United States with more densely populated, more easily penetrated communities.

And they point out legal differences. In Britain, for instance, law enforcement agents don't always need search warrants to enter property and make arrests -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Some pretty big differences. Brian, thanks very much.

Well, how can American intelligence and law enforcement agencies hunt down terrorists without widespread video surveillance? Coming up, I'll speak with a former CIA deputy director, John McLaughlin.

And a change of heart today on stem cell research. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist broke with the administration and came out in favor of federal funding.

CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry joins us now from Capitol Hill.

So how much of a surprise was this to the White House, Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A big surprise, Andrea. After four years of standing with the president shoulder to shoulder on stem cells, Bill Frist decided to go his own way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): Following a White House signing ceremony, President Bush sought out Bill Frist after the majority leader's stunning decision to break with the White House on stem cell research.

FRIST: I believe the president's policy should be modified. We should expand federal funding.

HENRY: The Republican leader threw his weight behind increased taxpayer financing of embryonic stem cell research, defying the president's veto threat. Frist said, as a physician, he believes loosening the president's restrictions could help cure diseases like Alzheimers' and Parkinson's.

FRIST: How we answer these questions today and whether, in the end, we get them right impacts the promise not only of current research but of future research, as well. It will define us as a civilized and ethical society forever in the eyes of history.

HENRY: Leading conservatives blasted the move on moral grounds and said it will damage Frist's presidential ambitions.

REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: I think a candidate that believes in the destruction of life would have a very hard time appealing to the vast majority of the Republicans in this party.

HENRY: But it could play well with swing voters, especially after Nancy Reagan put out a statement saying Frist's decision has, quote, "the potential to alleviate so much suffering."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: But it's unclear whether Frist's support will get backers to the magic number of 67 votes they need to stop a presidential veto -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Ed, you were saying that it remains to be seen what impact this will have on Frist's presidential aspirations. But what impact do you think it will have on his relationship with the president in the short term?

HENRY: Well, Bill Frist did give the president a heads up with a phone call. And I think that there were some words exchanged. And I think this is just one issue, a blip. It's a big issue, clearly, but the president and the majority leader are going to work on 95-98 percent of these issues shoulder to shoulder. This is just one of the few issues that they're going to buck each other on.

KOPPEL: And they certainly need one another. Ed Henry on the Hill, thanks very much.

The controversy over stem cell research isn't going away anytime soon. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports now on why the research is so important to supporters and so detested by its opponents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like life itself, the stem cell controversy begins with a sperm entering an egg. In clinics around the country, infertile couples have their eggs and sperm joined in a lab to create embryos.

But often parents end up creating more than they want. And so unused embryos sit frozen in the lab for years. Many doctors say instead of letting them sit, why not try to turn them into medical treatments?

Inside the unused embryos are hundreds of stem cells. They're believed to be the raw ingredients for virtually any tissue in the human body. For example, researchers hope to turn stem cells into cardiac muscle to help heal heart tissue after a heart attack.

But here's the hitch. To make stem cells, the embryo must be destroyed. And for many, these embryos are life to be protected at all costs.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Life is a creation of God, not a commodity to be exploited by man.

COHEN: That's why in 2001, President Bush made his now famous speech. He said if scientists want to use federal dollars, they would have to restrict themselves to some 78 existing groups of stem cells so that no more embryos would be destroyed.

But scientists say those groups are virtually useless for a variety of technical reasons. And that's why many people, including Senator Bill Frist and Nancy Reagan, want the law to be changed to include more groups of embryonic stem cells.

NANCY REAGAN, FORMER FIRST LADY: There are so many diseases that can be cured or at least helped. We've lost so much time already, and I just really can't bear to lose any more.

COHEN (on camera): Right now, no one's been cured by embryonic stem cells, but many believe that these cells will one day save lives. However, others say that this entire area of research threatens the very meaning of life itself.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: A "CNN Security Watch" report next. The former deputy director of the CIA joins me live with more on what American investigators learned from today's big arrests in London and why other countries shouldn't let their guard down.

Battle plans. The space shuttle astronauts gear up to inspect for damage from this week's launch. We're live at NASA with details.

And cleaning up for a good cause: helping the dogs on patrol in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In our "Security Watch," British police acted with remarkable speed in arresting the London bombing suspects. Are there terror cells waiting to strike in this country? And would American authorities be able to match the apparent success of their British counterparts?

Joining me now is CNN national security advisor John McLaughlin.

Nice to see you, John.

We saw in Brian Todd's report there are a number of reasons perhaps why the British were so successful, whether it's the size of the country, the fact that their civil liberties aren't nearly as restricted as they are in this country. Why do you think?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Andrea, the British had literally a treasure trove of data here. That's the key thing.

This attack failed. And as a result, everything was left behind. Backpacks with bombs, containers, probably what we call pocket litter. That is everything that was in the containers and the backpacks, probably phone numbers, probably addresses. All of that came together in a way that gave them, in a sense, the kind of picture on the jigsaw puzzle box that you don't normally have when you're trying to put all these pieces together.

Also, the would be suicide bombers themselves, assuming they were suicide bombers, had to get away. They probably had no plan. They probably panicked. They probably did a lot of reckless, stupid things and left a trail behind them.

So all of these things came together in a way that, in a sense, is a counter terrorist official's dream in thwarting attacks.

KOPPEL: We know that, of the last three attacks or attempts, including one attempted attack in London, that there were at least tenuous links to this country. Does that mean that perhaps there could be cells, sleeper cells in the states that are just waiting for the order to launch a similar attack here?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, Andrea, the mistake we should not make is to assume that these are local attacks in Britain and that that's all there is to it. These attacks are part of an international movement, an international plan, and the United States is still very much in the gun sights for these terrorists. This is still the brass ring for them.

And while we have disrupted many plots in the United States as a result of capturing terrorists and what we learned from them, and those plots can be listed, it is still absolutely the case that they want to attack here.

KOPPEL: What can U.S. authorities do in the short term? Obviously, we do not have surveillance cameras on all of our buses and all of our trains the way they do in London. Are there other steps that authorities could be taking in the short term, beyond sort of having dogs patrolling or spot checks of luggage?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, you know, there are probably three pieces to this. One is the front end has to be good intelligence overseas. Most -- many of the plots that we've disrupted in the United States have come from leads developed by sources overseas.

Second, there has to be a kind of penetration of potential extremist groups in this country, coupled with an effort to harden the vulnerabilities of the United States against attack, because we now know a lot about their plans, their potential targets.

Look at the casing reports we had on our financial district about a year ago. We know a lot about what they want to do. So we have to systematically harden those targets.

And third, as Americans, we just need to learn to live in a different way, to be alert to these problems, to think all the time that we are potentially at risk and to be looking for signs of that danger.

So those three things have to come together: collection overseas, intense concern here, and awareness on the part of our citizens.

KOPPEL: John McLaughlin, thanks so much for coming in and thanks for your insight.

MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you.

KOPPEL: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Well, more time in space. NASA is thinking about extending the shuttle's mission. We'll go live to Johnson Space Center next.

The confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is picking up steam. We'll have the latest details.

And pet owners unite, helping the dogs hard at work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: NASA officials say they are not ruling out another shuttle flight this year, but the fleet will be grounded as officials grapple with falling insulation, which ultimately caused the Columbia disaster and happened again this week with Discovery's" liftoff.

John Zarrella is live at the Johnson Space Center near Houston, Texas, with more -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Andrea.

Well, in fact, you know, what a difference a day makes. After two really down days, this one was actually pretty good for the space agency.

They managed to take a look at the underbelly of the Space Shuttle Discovery. It looked really clean, meaning that there weren't any major debris impacts on the underbelly of the shuttle. So really, for a change, for both the astronauts up in space and for the mission team on the ground, this was an upbeat day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Wearing plastic hard hats for comic effect, the crew of the Discovery set about today's work, including the very serious matter of inspecting the shuttle for damage from insulation we now know broke off during liftoff.

EILEEN COLLINS, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: I was actually quite surprised to hear we had some large pieces of debris fall off the external tank. It wasn't what we had expected.

ZARRELLA: NASA officials say so far inspections of the shuttle's exterior have come up better than expected.

JOHN SHANNON, FLIGHT OPERATIONS MANAGER: The report we got back was that there were 25 small dings, no major dings. And you would compare that to about almost 150 that we had on average for other flights.

ZARRELLA: The astronauts will get their own up-close look at potential problems in their first space walk, scheduled early tomorrow morning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now that space walk will also include experimenting with some substances that they could use in the future to fix tiles in space. Just an experiment, but something they hope will work down the road, if they need it -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Well, the real work begins. John Zarrella, thanks so much.

And we're going to go back to London for more amazing images of today's terrorism raids and arrests.

Plus, Saddam Hussein answering questions in court. We'll show you what it was all about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS from our studios in Washington.

KOPPEL: Welcome back.

Dramatic scenes across London today as British authorities arrest the suspects in last week's bombings. But first, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

President Bush has formally sent his nomination of John Roberts for Supreme Court justice to the Senate. Senior congressional aides tell CNN that Roberts' confirmation hearings are expected to begin September 6 but that final details are still being worked out.

A suicide bombing in northern -- the northern Iraqi town of Rubia. The target was an army recruiting center. Reports on the number of people killed vary from 10 to as many as 26.

Meanwhile, we're learning Saddam Hussein testified in court yesterday. The 30-minute session covered the bloody crackdown of the 1991 Shiite uprising in southern Iraq.

Pakistan's president says he's ordering foreign students to be kicked out of the country's religious schools or madrasas. Some of them are seen as breeding grounds for extremism. At least two of the London bombers may have recently stayed at a Pakistani madrasa.

Now back to our top story: Police in London and Rome say they have rounded up all four suspects in the botched London transit bombings. The drama today was in London, where police staged a massive show of force. Paul Davies of Britain's ITV news, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAUL DAVIES, "ITV" NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hunting down the bombers after the biggest investigation the metropolitan police have ever launched. The net was tightening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move back, please!

DAVIES: Specialist units of police officers with guns, gas masks and body armor moved quickly into this district of West London and the people who normally live here were move out, told their lives could be in danger if they stayed.

The police had surrounded a block of flats; K block on the Peabody estate. The men they were looking for were on the top floor. Soon after armed officers had entered the building, the first of a series of controlled explosions was herd heard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. My son is in there.

DAVIES: My son is in there. A distraught woman tries to contact family and friends believed to be inside the cordon. Some residents then emerged from the flats. Children still in pajamas, evacuated during the shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was one explosion, but four rounds of like shooting, I counted anyway, of like a machine gun. So --

QUESTION: Four rounds?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It was like -- not shots like that, but in spaces of time, you know?

DAVIES: And the shootings hadn't stopped as we discovered as we tried to approach the back of the building.

(on camera): It's not exactly clear what it is, but we've now heard four shots coming from the direction of the flats over there. The police are moving everybody out in a hurry. They don't want people here. They're worried people being in line of sight of whatever is happening just around the corner.

(voice-over) We now know from these exclusive pictures, what was happening around the corner. Two men, would-be bombers we're told, were being persuaded to give themselves up. A resident who heard the exchange with the police, says the officers addressed one man by the name Muhammed (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He tried to say to him: You need to come out of the flat. After a while, they started saying: You need to come out of the flat with your underwear on and your arms up in the air.

He was then saying to them: How do I know that you're not going to shoot me? I'm scared. How am I going to know that you're not going to shoot me? And he kept repeating that.

They were saying if he actually like follows -- you know, follows their guidelines, follows their rules, he'll be all right. Then he said to them: Why do you want me to come out with just my underwear on? Like why? They said: You need to come out into the street with your underwear, with your underwear on, so that we know that you haven't got any explosives.

DAVIES: A few hundred yards away, now-evacuated residents waited in the street, but it was clear the immediate danger was over. The armed police and the men they'd been hunting had left at the end of a truly dramatic operation.

Paul Davies, ITV News, West London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPELL: Well, we've all been watching these really dramatic pictures coming out of London today and the story with twists and turns. But could it have an impact here on U.S. politics?

Coming up, Carlos Watson will give us his "Inside Edge."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPELL: President Bush won a victory today as the Senate gave final Congressional approval to a $14.5 billion energy bill. The 74- 26 Senate vote came one day after the House approved the same measure, also by a wide margin.

Critics call the measure a taxpayer giveaway to the oil industry, but supporters say it will expand U.S. energy supplies. President Bush could sign the bill as early as next week.

Well, even though the energy legislation won't have any immediate impact on gasoline prices, it may save you money in other ways. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is here to tell us how. And Gerri, we're talking about some serious money here.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Very serious money, Andrea. Good to see you.

That's right, you'll be able to save as much as thousands of dollars on your tax bill if you buy a hybrid car, install solar panels or maybe just upgrade your thermostat. Here are the details...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS (voice-over): Drive a hybrid by early next year, you'll get a tax credit of up to $3400. That's nearly $3,000 more in tax credits than hybrid owners currently get. Being more energy efficient around your home can get you up to $500 in additional tax credits. You can do that by improving your home's installation, upgrading thermostats and buying energy-efficient appliances like those given the energy star label by the government.

If you buy $2,000 worth of windows, you'll be able to get $200 back. Use the sun. The bill also gives a tax credit of up to $2,000 to people who install solar energy to heat their homes. Keep in mind the total tab will run you about $25,000.

Sorry, heating your pool with solar panels doesn't qualify you for the same credit and with extended daylight-saving time from 2007, it's estimated you'll be able to save about one percent on your total energy costs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Remember, Andrea, that most of these tax incentives don't even get started until 2006, but by taking advantage of these incentives, people will be able to save anywhere from $50 to $5900 on their tax bill.

KOPPEL: Terrific tips. Gerri, thanks so much.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

KOPPEL: In Beijing, they are making enough progress to keep going, which in and of itself is news. The six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program are stretching into the weekend.

More remarkably, the Bush administration says North Korea is being cooperative and is helping to create an atmosphere which could lead to an eventual agreement. That may stem from direct talks between the United States and North Korea. The two sides have held a series of sideline sessions this week.

Japan wants the six nations gathered in Beijing to take up the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents during the 1970s and '80s. The bizarre kidnappings are still taking a toll on the families involved. CNN's Atika Schubert reports from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than 20 years of his life, Kouchiro Iizuka did not know that he was adopted. He did not know that Shigeo Iizuka, the man he thought was his father, is in fact his uncle. He did not know that his mother, Yaeko Taguchi, vanished in 1978 when he was only a year old. This photo, he says, is the only evidence he has that they are related.

Her disappearance would have gone unnoticed, but for the 1987 bombing of a Korean airlines flight killing all 115 passengers on board. Kim Jung-He (ph) was one of two North Korean agents who'd confessed to carrying out the attacks posing as a Japanese tourist. In her confession to police, she claimed to have learned the language from a young Japanese woman she identified as Yaeko Taguchi.

The case baffled police, why would a young Japanese mother abandon her family to help plot a North Korean terrorist attack? Police questioned Shigeo Iizuka for weeks, but he resolved to keep it hidden from the little boy he now considered his son.

SHIGEO IIZUKA, YAEKO TAGUCHI'S BROTHER (through translator): The media at the time treated her like a criminal, he says. What if Kouchiro found out? We did not watch the news or read the papers. And of course, we never talked about it.

SCHUBERT: The family kept the secret for more than a decade until Kouchiro at the age of 21 discovered that his birth certificate labeled him as adopted. The truth was finally out. But it did not explain why did Taguchi leave.

That was finally answered in 2002 when North Korean leader Kim John-il admitted that Pyongyang had ordered the abduction of at least 13 Japanese citizens in order to train North Korean spies, among them, Yaeko Taguchi.

(on camera): The story of Yaeko Taguchi is one that North Korea's government may wish to forget. This bizarre tale of Cold War espionage lurks on the sidelines of ongoing nuclear talks still waiting for resolution.

(voice-over): North Korea says she died in a car accident shortly before the Korean air bombing. But Kouchiro doesn't believe this and wants Pyongyang to return her.

KOUCHIRO IIZUKA, YAEKO TAGUCHI'S SON: North Korea tells me to give up because my mother is dead. But we can't get any straight answers. And all signs point to her still being alive, he says. If I could see her, I would like to call her mother for the first time. That's what I want from the bottom of my heart.

SCHUBERT: As North Korea's nuclear talks drag on, Kouchiro waits for an answer.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: And you can certainly understand why.

Coming up at the top of the hour, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." And Lou is standing by in New York with a preview. Hi, lou.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, we'll be reporting on what is nothing less than an out of control pork barrel bribe by Congress for votes. Lawmakers approving a massive highway bill and energy bill with billions of dollars in subsidies for energy companies at a time when oil is selling at more than $60 a barrel.

And communist China and corporate America teaming up to fight it out with the U.S. government. The communists and corporate supremacists don't want any new limits on technology exports that could create weapons that one day may be used against us one day. We'll have that special report.

And a major break through in the hunt for radical Islamist terrorists responsible for the London bombings. Police capture key suspects in Britain and Italy. We'll have dramatic videotape of the arrests.

All of that and a great deal more coming up at the top of the hour. Please join us.

Now back to you, Andrea.

KOPPEL: Thanks very much, Lou.

They're put in harm's way to protect the troops. Coming up, we're going to tell you how animal lovers and their pets are getting together to support the dogs of war.

Also ahead, how the London terror probe could affect U.S. politics. Our Carlos Watson will have the "Inside Edge."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: FBI agents were at a New York City mosque today. But not for reasons you might think. CNN's Mary Snow explains. And joins us live from New York. So Mary, this is sort of community outreach.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, Andrea. And this comes just one day after American Muslim groups issued a fatwa against terrorism.

Today, a Brooklyn mosque opened its doors to FBI counter- terrorism agents. This was the first meeting of its kind. And it happened in what's believed to be one of the largest Pakistani communities in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SNOW (voice-over): It is called Little Pakistan. Those who live in this Brooklyn community say following 9/11, many residents here have had an uneasy relationship with law enforcement. That's why a friendly visit by the FBI to this mosque was striking. The special agent in charge of the FBI's counter-terrorism unit in New York addressed hundreds of worshipers.

CHARLES FRAHM, FBI: And I need your support as I have received...

SNOW: Community leaders are trying to enforce the message that Islam does not support terrorism. And they stress that agent Charles Frahm was invited and not there for policing.

SUHAIL MUZAFFAR, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: There's much more trust and confidence today in the community when he comes as an invited guest than previously, soon after 9/11.

SNOW: This community says it has been hard hit since 9/11 with thousands leaving.

MOHAMMED RAZVI, COUNCIL OF PAKISTAN.ORG: We have lost about 20,000 members within this community in Brooklyn alone. And we found out that over 30 businesses within this community have just shut down because people have left.

SNOW: Mohammed Razvi is a community activist who has collected reports of discrimination particularly against Muslim children.

RAZVI: A discrimination that had occurred to her was a girl called me a stupid Muslim.

SNOW: Discrimination is one concern among leaders. Another is that young people can become vulnerable to extremist messages.

FRAHM: The community at large is very concerned that there are pockets of elements that receive maybe a message that Islam does support terrorism. And that's not the case.

SNOW: As one leader put it, Muslims feet are to the fire to denounce terrorism.

WISSAM NASR, EXECUTIVE DIR, CAIR-NY: That both locally and nationally and even internationally you're getting a lot of anger from the average Muslim about -- against terrorism.

SNOW: But some say the visit from the FBI will do little to erase suspicion against Muslims. One 28-year-old Pakistani man who asked not to be identified says even after denouncing terrorism, he feels his neighbors are still looked at as suspects.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is all a media stunt. Just to give an impression to people that we are there for you and we are here and all these communities are OK. Whereas everybody knows we all know we are being profiled.

SNOW: The FBI says its motives are often misunderstood. And they want to listen and respond to the community's needs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And today's meeting was just the latest in a series of meetings that included a town hall meeting last month -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Sounds like it is a first step, but much more work needs to be done.

Mary Snow in New York, thanks.

This week's news has been dominated by the hunt for terror suspects in Britain. It's time to ask CNN political analyst Carlos Watson about that and more in today's "Inside Edge." He is in New York.

Carlos, I think we are having a little technical problem. So, we are going to take a break and get Carlos on the other side.

Oh, wait, we've got Carlos now. Carlos, are you there?

WATSON: I'm back. Here I am.

KOPPEL: There he is! There he is!

WATSON: Live from New York. KOPPEL: Hey, it's live TV. What do you expect?

Carlos, we know -- we've all been glued to the television in the last several days, just watching the developments, the twists and turns in Britain, but you've got to think that the White House and folks on Capitol Hill have been watching it as well to see what the implications might be for them.

WATSON: Certainly, Andrea, if for no other reason than that Congress is in the middle of appropriation season, figuring out how much money they are going to spend on homeland defense. And a number of members of Congress go away for the August recess. I think in addition to hearing a lot about John Roberts Supreme Court nomination, and in addition perhaps to hearing something about the new trade agreement that was just passed, I think certainly you'll hear a lot about homeland security, and whether or not enough is happening. I think particularly in a number of big cities, a number of legislators will get pushed, people like Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania, representing Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and places like that, about whether or not there's enough money being spent to protect mass transit in big city areas.

KOPPEL: Another big story this week has to do with the split within the AFL-CIO, and you are far too modest to toot your own horn, so I'll do it for you. I know that you on this show, on "The Inside Edge," had talked about this a couple of months ago.

WATSON: We did, Andrea. As you know, unions have played a major role in politics, particularly over the last 100 years or so here in the U.S., primarily Democratic politics. A major split with some of the unions, almost half of the member unions leaving the AFL-CIO and announcing that over the last couple of weeks.

Couple of big things to watch as you go forward with two major labor camps. One, will you start to see the new labor group, called Change to Win, which includes the SEIU and the Teamsters and others, will you see them starting to back more aggressively left-of-center candidates, more Howard Deans, if you will, instead of John Kerrys?

Number two, will you see any of these unions begin to do something we haven't seen them do before, and that is to begin to back some maverick Republicans, to say even if you're a Republican, to the extent that you agree with some of our issues, whether it's minimum wage, outsourcing protection, et cetera, we're willing to back you and leave what we've traditionally done.

And number three, will you begin to see them utilize their member strength to elect people to the board of pensions? And when you're on the board of a pension, we know these big pension funds often invest in big companies, whether it's Clorox or Xerox, that often in that way they can change the labor policies of big companies, everything from minimum wage to health care to training to outsourcing. So don't just look to them to spend political money. This new union organization may start to flex, if you will, a little pension money muscle.

KOPPEL: Carlos, in our remaining minute, want to talk to you about a really interesting congressional race that we're looking at next week in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is the first Iraqi war veteran who's throwing his hat in the political ring.

WATSON: Yes, and Andrea, you know, a lot of times you would say, a special election, why do we pay attention to that? But we pay attention to it because sometimes a special election is a harbinger of bigger things to come.

In this case, as you said, we've got the first Iraqi war veteran, using really strong words against President Bush, calling him a "chickenhawk" and saying that he and other Republicans are guilty of patriotism-lite. But he's running in a very conservative Republican district, one that President Bush won about two-thirds of the vote last time. He's running against a well-known state legislator in Jean Schmidt. But if this young man, Paul Hackett, a lawyer who served in the Iraqi war ultimately wins, that could be a huge shot across the bow of Republicans, and frankly, could wake up a lot of Democrats who may figure, we really can utilize this Iraqi war issue to win elections.

Some 14 years ago, in 1991, Harris Wofford, a candidate -- Democratic candidate for the Senate in Pennsylvania did something similar, when he upset Dick Thornburgh to win the Senate seat there, and he raised new issues that Bill Clinton used a year later, health care and job training, to win the presidency. So 2005 could be a canary in the coal mine for 2006.

KOPPEL: We'll be watching for those tweets.

Carlos Watson, have a nice weekend. Thanks for joining us.

WATSON: Have a great one.

KOPPEL: Pitching in to help the dogs of war. Our Barbara Starr has this heart-warming story after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOPPEL: In Virginia, there was a somewhat unusual fund-raiser for some very unusual American troops. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came in all shapes and sizes: Tough little dogs with plenty to yap about. Big dogs just hanging out. And this gang of golden retrievers. We'll get back to them in a minute.

One hundred and fifty dogs came to get a bath, in support of their canine comrades serving in the military.

Humans were asked to donated $10 for each bath. One man with no dog dropped off a $1,000 check. All the money will be used to buy veterinary supplies and toys for the nearly 200 military working dogs sniffing for bombs and going on patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mitchell is happy, very happy. His mom explains why he is here.

BRIGETTA JONES, DOG OWNER: I've read a lot about how their paws get damaged from the heat, their paws (INAUDIBLE) and everything.

STARR: Amy Nichols, owner of the Happy Tails dog spa, decided to have a dog wash when she got e-mails from dog handlers in Iraq, saying they were having a tough time.

AMY NICHOLS, DOG SPA OWNER: Seven dogs there were sharing one toy. And of course, we're all -- it broke our hearts, so we had a box sent to them right away.

STARR: Like soldiers, dogs are working in 100-degree-plus weather.

NICHOLS: One of the things they asked us for were cooling pads. You lay them out on the ground, the dog can lay on it, and it takes heat off of their body.

STARR (on camera): These are doggles. The soldiers had e-mailed saying they desperately want more of these to put on their dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan. It helps keep the hot desert sand out of their eyes.

(voice-over): This is how they are supposed to look. Our little fashion model doesn't quite have full military discipline. And those golden retrievers -- Maggie, Emily and Samantha -- it's hard to say who was happiest to get a bath. But we do know all this dog washing raised more than $9,000 to help canine soldiers on the front lines.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Tyson's Corner, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: I don't think Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" has anything to worry about.

Remember, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. And don't forget that Wolf's new show, "THE SITUATION ROOM," starts on August the 8th. It airs from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern every day, Monday through Friday.

Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Andrea Koppel in Washington. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Lou is standing by.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Thank you, Andrea. Have a good weekend.

END

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