Airport Security Increased; Flooding In The Heartland
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Updates us live this hour.</s>BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. military says Hezbollah is behind the killing of Americans in Iraq. And officials say Iran is pulling the strings.</s>HARRIS: Soaked and soggy. Parts of the heartland under water this morning. It is Monday, July 2nd a you are in the</s>CNN NEWSROOM. NGUYEN: Great Britain on its highest terror alert right now. We do have some new developments to tell you about in the search for suspects. Here they go. Security sources tell CNN, the same men may have been behind the wheels of two unexploded car bombs in London and the Jeep that slammed into the Glasgow Airport. Two of the seven in custody are said to be medical doctors. In fact, sources say police investigating the London car bombings were tracking two of the men just before the attack on the airport. And in the United States, tighter security is in place at airports, but the overall terror alert level in the U.S. has unchanged. Let's begin now with our coverage in Scotland. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us on the phone from Glasgow. And, Nic, you just witnessed a police operation at the hospital in Glasgow. What's going on there?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, we have a developing situation here right now. The police have just rushed a bombs disposal vehicle into the grounds of the Royal Alexandra Hospital. They've been increasing security here over the last couple of hours, searching the accommodation provided for doctors. It is widely believed here at the moment that at least one of the men involved in that attack on Glasgow Airport was a doctor working at this particular hospital. Now the police have rushed in quite literally in the last few minutes, rushed in a bomb disposal vehicle. They have cleared the public out of the area, stopped traffic on the main road outside of the hospital, forced all the media back out of the hospital area. Police here have suddenly increased their numbers. The situation at the moment is very tense at the moment. Betty.</s>NGUYEN: Well, let me ask you, they've brought in this bomb disposal vehicle. Is there any particular area? Is it inside the hospital or outside the hospital that they're really focusing on?</s>ROBERTSON: Not clear at the moment, Betty. We can still see that bomb disposal vehicle parked on the hill on the road approaching the main part of the hospital, approaching the main access (ph), an emergency area. Just to the other side of the vehicle, however, is the accommodation area that the police were searching in the last few hours. The doctors' accommodation area. This is not the first time in the last couple of days that the police have had to bring in a bomb disposal team here. Yesterday they performed a controlled explosion on a vehicle parked here. We also understand from the police that this is the very same hospital where the injured attacker, burned as he tried to slam her car into Glasgow Airport on Saturday afternoon, this is where the injured attacker is also being held in the hospital. But again, just to reiterate the details we've learned today, it is understood that one of those two attackers, not clear if it's the one that's injured or the one that's in police custody, but one of those attackers at Glasgow Airport was a doctor working in this particular hospital. Betty.</s>NGUYEN: All right. So to be clear that one of those two that rammed in to the airport was a doctor at that hospital. And one of the two is also being treat at that hospital for burns. And yesterday a vehicle underwent a controlled explosion at that hospital. Do you know any more about that vehicle?</s>ROBERTSON: At the moment, the police have released no further details about the vehicle. The only vehicle the police have asked the public for help with so far in locating its movements over the past week was the vehicle used in the attack at Glasgow Airport. They publicly announced and called for people to provide any information they could, revealed the registration plates of that vehicle, which is relatively unusual in these situations. The vehicle in the controlled explosion yesterday, on Sunday, not clear about that. No new details on that from the police so far. Betty.</s>NGUYEN: OK. And very quickly, Nic, we're looking at video of -- well we were just a second ago, of people putting on their suits. I imagine that was part of the bomb disposal vehicle and the team that is accompanying it. Tell us again what is happening there with that disposal vehicle.</s>ROBERTSON: Well, the vehicle is still sitting parked on the hill in the approach to the airport. And quite literally now the police are pushing everybody further back, further back from that particular area. We've been asked to move further away. It's not clear at the moment where that vehicle -- where the bomb disposal vehicle is going to be deployed in the hospital. Is it going to go to the accommodation area that the police have just been searching? Is it going to go to another part of the hospital? Not clear. But again, this is not the first time that a bomb disposal team has been called in here in the past couple days. Betty.</s>NGUYEN: All right. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson with the latest there on the ground, at a hospital called the Royal Alexandra, which is near Glasgow. Thank you, Nic.</s>HARRIS: Terrorists, they can strike any time at in any place. Words of caution from President Bush. He is in Maine today meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Bush went out of the way to praise Britain's response to the terror threats, specifically the leadership of Britain's new prime minister.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It just goes to show the war against these extremists goes on. You never know where they may try to strike. And appreciate the very strong response that the Gordon Brown's government has given.</s>HARRIS: The British attacks came during Brown's first days as prime minister. In the United States, the terror alert level is unchanged, but travelers are seeing more security at U.S. airports. CNN's Jim Acosta is at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Jim, good to see you. OK. So you traveled by plane two weeks ago. You're traveling today. What's the noticeable difference?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Tony, you're going to see a noticeable difference at the airport. It depends on where you're going, how much time you give yourself before getting to the airport and so forth. People who give themselves plenty of time to get to the airport are going to make their flights. There aren't any major delays as a result of this security. But they're going to see a bigger police presence at the airport. Take a look behind me. You can see the folks here at this American Airlines terminal at LaGuardia Airport getting ready for their flights. And we have seen throughout the weekend and today the lines get long from time to time, but that's essentially from the busy holiday travel season and so forth. There might have been some delays during certain points over the last couple days because of additional baggage screening and so forth, but not anything too out of the ordinary. In terms of the visibility of law enforcement, we've seen police officer roaming the terminals with assault rifles. You see that from time to time. But we're seeing it's more prevalent now. You're seeing bomb-sniffing dogs. You're seeing police officers much more aggressive in terms of hustling people who are parked in front of the terminal, getting those people to move along so they don't linger to long in front of the terminal. And that's essentially what law enforcement is saying, is that you're going to see more of us out here during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. And under we get through this period and security officials feel that it's OK to sort of let this visibility subside. But in the meantime, they want people to do more than just tolerate these lines out here. They want people to keep their eyes and ears open. That old adage, if you see something, say something.</s>HARRIS: And, Jim, it sounds like if you allow yourself a little more time, you may get through just fine. You may be hassled a bit, but not unnecessarily.</s>ACOSTA: I think that's right. And most of the people we talked to, you know, we're reasonable folks, we Americans, right, Tony?</s>HARRIS: Sure.</s>ACOSTA: I think if we show up at the airport, we expect security in this day and age. We expect lines. And most of the people we talked to said, you know, look, we've been doing this for years. We're all pros at this now. I think folks are pretty OK with long lines and security at this point. And at this point, we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary that has been too stressful for travelers. Now at JFK International yesterday, a terminal for American Airlines was temporarily closed off to the public because of a suspicious package that turned out to be a bag with some cologne inside. That did inconvenience travelers. It also happened in California yesterday. But again, nothing too out of the ordinary.</s>HARRIS: OK. CNN's Jim Acosta for us at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Jim, good to see you. Thank you. U.K. terror investigation. Fast-moving developments this morning. New British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will update us. Her briefing live in the</s>NEWSROOM, 10: 30 a.m. Eastern Time.</s>NGUYEN: Well, it is being dubbed the lobster summit. President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin talking today at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Mr. Putin, flowers in hand, dropping in for two days of informal talks. And they have plenty to chat about. Washington's plans for a missile defense shield in Europe. Mr. Bush's criticism that Russia is back sliding on democratic reforms, and the expansion of NATO. Again, a lot to talk about. And we may hear from the two leaders a little bit later this morning. Wand you to take a look at what is happening. Parts of the American heartland just swamped with flood waters. Right now the situation is especially critical in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. In disaster declared across much of that region. And you can see why. In Coffeyville, Kansas, the high water has flooded a refinery and fertilizer plant. Homes and businesses also under water. Evacuations were ordered, but authorities say many of the town of 3,000 refuse to leave their homes. Also another hard-hit area was in a Kansas town. The National Guard rolled in to help with mandatory evacuations there.</s>HARRIS: So why don't we get another check of weather. The plains and the rest of the country. Chad Myers, there he is, in the Severe Weather Center. Good to see you, Chad. Good morning.</s>HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, investigating the origins of terror. Britain's fast-moving terror probe. We will talk live with a former Scotland Yard commander.</s>NGUYEN: Also, the U.K. terror investigation. There are fast- moving developments this morning. New British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will update us. We have her briefing live in the NEWSROOM. That is at 10:30 Eastern.</s>HARRIS: From Lebanon to the front lines in Iraq, Hezbollah operatives backed by Iran, the U.S. military confirming a story first reported exclusively on CNN.