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Quick Guide & Transcript: Bush details foiled terror plot, Week in Review

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SPECIAL REPORT

(CNN Student News) -- February 10, 2006

Quick Guide

Plot Foiled - Find out which West Coast building was the target of a foiled terrorist attack.

Week in Review - Discover how an Iranian newspaper plans to match one controversy with another.

Eyeing Spying - Get an idea of how the American people feel about the government's domestic spying program.

Transcript

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

SHANON COOK, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Shanon Cook, and we'd like to welcome you to this Friday edition of CNN Student News. A plot foiled: The president praises the international cooperation that kept the west coast's tallest building safe in Los Angeles. Voices of opinion: Americans discuss how they feel about privacy and security, as controversy swirls around a government surveillance program. And things you won't see everyday: Between a big eater and a bigger bunny, we'll bring you our latest findings from off the beaten path!

First Up: Plot Foiled

COOK: It stands more than one thousand feet above Los Angeles, and is one of the world's tallest buildings. And the president says international efforts kept the U.S. Bank Tower standing, despite a terrorist plan to attack it - like the world trade center were attacked. Sumi Das delivers the details on a plot foiled nearly four years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUMI DAS, CNN REPORTER: Speaking before an audience of National Guard members, President Bush delivered praise and a promise for the men and women who serve.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: They deserve the best, the best pay possible, the best training possible and the best equipment possible. It's a commitment this administration has made since I've been commander in chief and it's a commitment we will keep.

DAS: Along with themes heard in speeches past, new details about a foiled attack.

BUSH: In October 2001 Khalid Shaikh Mohammad the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, had already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack an airplane using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door and fly the plane into the tallest building on the West Coast.

DAS: That building: The "Library Tower"- now called U.S. Bank tower - in Los Angeles. The plot thwarted in early 2002, Mr. Bush said, with the arrest of a key operative by a southeast Asian nation. The details revealed to show the fruits of global cooperation and perhaps, to highlight a success in the administration's War on Terror.

BUSH: By working together we stopped a catastrophic attack on the homeland.

DAS: The president said more than ninety nations are cooperating to bring terrorists to justice, but he also said that America is not yet safe. For CNN Student News, I'm Sumi Das.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Week in Review

COOK: You might've been to a fair or party where someone drew caricatures: they're pictures with exaggerated features. An Iranian newspaper hopes certain caricatures will match one controversy with another. Deanna Morawski explains how.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNA MORAWSKI, CNN STUDENT NEWS REPORTER: The uproar over cartoon images of Islam's Prophet Mohammed intensified this week. Protests and riots continued in Muslim countries from the Middle East to Asia. They turned deadly in several places, with as many as a dozen people killed. The cartoons were recently published in European newspapers, showing offensive drawings of Mohammed. In retaliation, an Iranian newspaper has launched a contest calling for artists to submit caricatures of the holocaust.

The woman known as 'the first lady of the civil rights movement' was laid to rest Tuesday. Ten thousand mourners -- including four U.S. presidents -- filled "New Missionary Baptist Church" outside Atlanta to say goodbye to Coretta Scott King.

U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: By her steadfast determination, she helped to grind away falsehoods and ignorance that had too long been used to divide our society.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY/(D) MASSACHUSETTS: In the face of her constant courage, her unshakable faith, her inner strength and quiet grace, even Jim Crow had to yield.

MORAWSKI: The wife of the late Dr. Martin Luther king Jr.. Died at the age of 78 after suffering from ovarian cancer.

MORAWSKI: Alabama and federal authorities are investigating a string of recent church fires in the state. Four churches were burned Tuesday in western Alabama -- less than a week after five others were set on fire in nearby Bibb county.

TOMMY LEE SIMMONS, CHURCH MEMBER: It's hard to think why would whoever done this would do such things.

MORAWSKI: Investigators say the motive is unclear. They're checking into witness reports of two men in an SUV near several of the fires.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings into whether the NSA's domestic spying program is legal. The program monitors calls into or out of the U.S. when suspected terrorists are on the line - without a court-issued warrant. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says a congressional law and the constitution give President Bush the authority to carry out the program. But critics say the eavesdropping threatens civil liberties and privacy rights. That's your week in review. For CNN Student News, I'm Deanna Morawski.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Eyeing Spying

COOK: So how do Americans like you feel about the government's secret surveillance program? In the final report of our "Eyeing Spying" series... Richard Roth hit the streets to discuss the issues of privacy and security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN REPORTER: America loves a good spy story.

"ENEMY OF THE STATE," FROM TOUCHSTONE PICTURES: He is talking about ending personal privacy. Do you want your phone tapped? I'm not planning on blowing up the country.

ROTH: But these days - eavesdropping to catch terrorists - is not just a Hollywood caper.

U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: And I think the American people understand that, why tell the enemy what we're doing if the program is necessary to protect us from the enemy and it is.

ROTH: After 9-11, President Bush ok'd select eavesdropping on Americans' foreign communications without court approval. The work by the National Security Agency was meant to be kept secret.

GENERAL MICHAEL HAYDEN, DEP. DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We are going after very specific communications that our professional judgment tells us we have reason to believe are those associated with people who want to kill Americans.

ROTH: So how do Americans feel about this type of spying?

PERSON ON THE STREET: I think its a good idea. Anything to catch the terrorists.

PERSON ON THE STREET: My privacy is definitely more important than going after the terrorists.

PERSON ON THE STREET: If its to protect us, if you have nothing to hide you really shouldn't mind.

PERSON ON THE STREET: I been worried about my privacy for quite some time, this just reinforces my concern.

SCOTT KEETER, PEW CENTER: There's a virtual even split in the public between those who think that what the president is doing is acceptable or right and those who think that it's wrong.

ROTH: Americans may be willing to give up a little privacy if they think it will stop a terrorist attack. But they also worry about a president's power.

BAMFORD - INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: The NSA is the most powerful and most dangerous agency in the entire country when it comes to privacy.

PERSON ON THE STREET: In a post 9-11 world, which is what people are always throwing out as an excuse for imposing on our civil liberties and I do believe we should be more aware after that - but I also don't believe that you know, so much of our privacy should be invaded, I don't believe its right.

ROTH: And Americans prize their privacy.

PERSON ON THE STREET: I think Americans feel kind of entitled to something like privacy.

PEW CENTER: That ethic has been passed down through the generations and so the public, whether they are Democrat or Republican tend to have a sort of gut reaction against the government doing the kinds that are involved here.

PERSON ON THE STREET: Unfortunately, if you want your freedom, which I like, I'll live with a little bit of a threat of something happening.

ROTH: The heated debate on the home front has made Americans reflect on what kind of country they want. The U.S. Supreme Court may have to be the final arbiter of what they get. Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Quick Vote Result

COOK: We asked whether you thought the government's surveillance program was legal, and here are the results so far of our "quickvote": Around 44 percent of you say it's legal, and 56 percent say it's not. Now please keep in mind these results are not scientific. But it's a fun way to cast your opinion, and we invite you to do that this weekend at our Web site! You'll find the quickvote in today's transcript.

Black History Month: Harriet Tubman

RACHEL RICHARDSON, CNN STUDENT NEWS REPORTER: A runaway slave from Maryland, Harriet Tubman earned a reputation as "the Moses of her people." She's credited with leading more than 300 hundred slaves to freedom through the "underground railroad," a secret network that provided housing for runaway slaves as they journeyed to the free north. Tubman eventually became a leading abolitionist, and during the Civil War, she served as a spy, a scout, and a nurse for the Union Army. Honoring Harriet Tubman, this Black History Month.

Promo

COOK: Now you know one of the answers to our "Black History Month" quiz. But there are many other ways in which African-Americans have shaped our country's history. So head to today's transcript at CNN.com/EDUCATION, to test your knowledge today!

Off the Beaten Path

COOK: Before we go... Watch out, Elmer Fudd: We've found a wabbit you won't want to mess with! Carl Azuz brings us that story and more from "Off the Beaten Path."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS REPORTER: Call the doctor, Mom! It's time for another eating competition. Nothing fills the eye and turns the stomach like the gastronomically grotesque...and this "Wing Bowl" in Philly offered competitors a comparatively healthy alternative to cheesesteak! The prize was a new car -- transportation for when you wanted to, say, get your stomach pumped. And all the winner had to do was wolf 173 wings -- a great reason to marry a nurse and spend some meaningful "family time."

Speaking of eating... If you think bunny rabbits are harmless, cute little cuddly creatures...Get an eyeful of this! It's the hare no tortoise would dare to beat, at the risk of getting beat up! Weighing in at a whopping 19 pounds -- that's more than your cat! -- this German Giant wabbit will be spared the soup bowl, because few folks could finish him off!

ERWIN TEICHMANN, RABBIT RAISER: He is calm and stays here. He would stay here for an hour. I wouldn't need to be here and he would still be sitting here.

AZUZ: ...probably because he couldn't get up. But don't say that to his face! In other current events...If you're ever stranded, you'd better hope your message in a bottle doesn't reach England. This guy's did...and was returned with a note accusing him of littering! Fortunately, he wasn't stranded -- just surprised at the salty response. But he has the comfort of knowing that the exasperated Englishman spent a lot more in postage.

And watch out Barbie...Ken's got a whole new look, and he's lookin' to steal your heart! Now within reach, straight from the beach, hair full of bleach...It's the doll that's just too hot for long sleeves and pants. But somehow, it makes us nostalgic long for a simpler time, when all you needed was a handlebar to woo your woman, and a pair of nice chops to dice up the competition! Well, so much for bewitching buffalo-check sport coats--Surf's up! I'm Carl Azuz reporting from Off the Beaten Path!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Goodbye

COOK: And that brings us to the end of our show! For CNN Student News, I'm Shanon Cook. More stories are coming right up, on Headline News.

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