incredibly loyal. this has been the greatest 22 years of my life. >> the end of leno's two-decade r reign begins with jimmy fallon on monday the 17th. olympic terror. an attempted hijacking sparking new fears of an attack as the winter games begin in sochi. the special forces raid that took down the hijacker and the latest intelligence of the potential attacks at the olympics into plus, profane diplomacy. new fallout from an expletive-filled phone call leaked online. how was her voice secretly recorded and by whom. tap water in one town has residents complaining that it is

making them sick though officials claim it is safe. so why were schools closed? a top health official says he won't drimnk the water. and vice president in an exclusive interview with cnn. what could his run for presidency mean for hillary clinton? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're getting new information about the breaking news, an attempt to hijack a passenger jet and force the pilots to fly into sochi, russia. even as this frightening ordeal was playing out, cnn has learned new information from intelligence officials about other suspected olympic terror plots, including the use of suicide attacks and small bombs. our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto has been tracking the developments for us. he begins this hour with the very latest. jim? >> this is exactly the target

authorities have worried about. a passenger jet. we have the very latest. within the last two hours, turkish special forces boarded the plane in a swift operation and took the hijacker into custody. the hijacker, we're told, did not go volume lnteerly. now, during the flight the ukrainian national attempted to have the plane diverted to sochi from istanbul. he said he had a bomb on board. pilots alerted the authorities about the hijacking but ignored his demand and continued on to istanbul. turkish f-16's scrambled to protect that plane. police found no bomb on board and at no time was the hijacker able to enter the cockpit post 9/11, in turkey they have reinforced doors like they do here. they do not believe that extremist groups in the caucasus

were involved. immediately, wolf, as you watch this from the beginning, his m.o. was different, particularly the groups that threatened the game in the past if they had a bomb on board, they would have detonated that bomb. in kt ffact, two planes were brt down in 2004. he said he had a bomb and did not set off the bomb. it was very clear early on that was not the kind of attack but it's the kind of target that they are concerned about. >> i'm hearing that are evaluating other plots out there? >> that's correct. there are a number of different threats to the game. one of them, of course, the possibility of smuggling terrorists inside toothpaste tubes. i'm told that the focus is on low sophistication but effective methods. that means suicide bombers, ieds, small arms attacks.

i'm also told they are aware of another potential threat. this is considered less likely and that is the use of chemical weapons. now, the origin of this concern was a threat posted on an extremist website where the commander of the chechen extremist group following bombs last month made a statement addressing the russian people saying, quote, these attacks are only the beginning of your suffering. the attacks will continue, including using chemicals. a very haunting and sobering threat there. i'm told that u.s. authorities have not confirmed these groups have access to these weapons. however, analysts are concerned about syria as a potential source. wolf, you and i have talked a lot about syria's chemical weapons and the security of those weapons and we know there is a nexus between security groups in syria and chechnya. they go back and forth have cooperation. that's something that they are watching. it's not the thing they are most concerned about. they are more concerned about

less sophisticated attacks but it's among other things that they have to keep an eye on. >> missing from libya as well. stand by because i want to bring in nick paton walsh and also our senior analyst, robert buriaird he's joining us from los angeles. nick, you're there. you're our eyes and ears. there's a sense of concern among the attendees but give us the latest as far as the security concerns are going on. >> reporter: well, the opening ceremony really passed without any notice of the drama happening out over the black sea just shortly before it we didn't see any change in the process happening inside the stadium. the fireworks at the end, still spectacularly went off and i think some people went home oblivious to what occurred inside the istanbul airport when

the forces went on to the plane. i have to say, it doesn't really sound like that particular hijacking signal was based upon a genuine hijack threat. there doesn't seem to be an exclusive device or that the ukrainian has any links outside of turkey or extremists at all. there is a possibility as one turkish official said that he may have been drugged and other substances involved as well. it may be an unfortunate coincidence of timing here, right in the middle of the opening ceremony, this man acted erratically as he did, of course, causing turkish pilots to be deeply concerned but what we've seen at the end is a remarkable piece of bad behavior and rather than the culmination of months of planning. >> cooperation between the u.s. and russian officials could be very significant if it's at a good level. >> you hear that there's some improvement but in general what i'm told is that for threats outside of russia, there's good

cooperation. for instance, there were arrests yesterday but inside russia, that's where the russians hold their cards closer to their chest and that's of concern because that's where the most serious threats seem to be emanating from and there are a lot of targets in russia. if they can't get inside the ring of steel, you have the transportation links, you have other cities where the groups are successful in recent weeks. >> let me bring bob baird into this situation. give us your concern about the threat level of these two weeks of olympic games in sochi. >> wolf, i think it's high. the chechens are capable of hitting at least somewhere in russia and i think they will. frankly, i'm a bit surprised they didn't try something today and i don't think that hijacking clearly wasn't part of their operations. i don't think we've seen the end of this. i can't imagine that the chechens or islamic groups would let this pass the entire olympics. the only thing we know is what

kind of deal the russians may have cut with them. that may pass without it happening but i would be surprise gld what i have heard, coming into these games and i wonder if you agree, i've been hearing from officials here in washington, what they are worried about is so-called softer targets outside of the immediate area of the olympic village but potentially could cause a lot of casualties, a lot of damage and areas that are less secure than the so-called ring of steel. >> wolf, you're absolutely right. you cannot protect all of russia. there's still missing weapons around the rlc, improvised devices. any number of things could be used against soft targets, foreigners in st. petersburg or moscow. i don't think they are going to let this pass the entire olympics. i really don't. >> nick, you're there.

you know about the hatred that a lot of these militants have, and they have had four, five, six years to prepar for this. so you have to assume that they are going to try for something. here's the question to you. what would be the most likely concern, the most likely target that they are most worried about? >> certainly the russians are absolutely clear that they are worried about railways. we've seen measures around railways simply trying to get into the olympic venues. they are obviously very worried here about a potential for liquids that aren't properly sanctions but across the south russia, that's the problem, wolf. and we're talking about a vast area. the police have their eyes focused on here. and the key problem here is not dealing with militants that

necessary follow a timetable or corporate structure, these are loose cells that are often very small and extraordinarily radical. a lot of them simply want to see their own lives distinguished to try to kill others. and then of course you have the preparation, you have the fact that law enforcement here when they are not really going to let terrible things occur, it's fortunate that today has passed without incident at all in southern russia. it's surprised me somewhat but the militants have a history of choosing the unexpected time to strike. they've had that pr victory here simply by continually making these threats and across all of russia, it's very hard to protect nine time zones even with russian resources. >> up ex in, top u.s. military

commanders accused of some shocking conduct, including sexual assault, gambling and cheating. the pentagon is taking dramatic action. plus, a jaw-dropping expletive said by an american diplomat as her phone call was secretly recorded. >> [ bleep ] the eu. ♪

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the new fallout from top diplomats hurled at the european union. the question now is how did they do it? why wasn't that call on a secure line and what will this do to the already chilly relationship

between washington and moscow? brian todd is here and has been looking into this. what did you find out? >> both sides accuse each other of meddling, spying, sabotage, all from one expletive on a phone line that was probably tapped. the f-bombed heard from around the world. victoria nuland frustrated. the recording of the phone call leaked on social media, a call which cannot be independently verified. she is not commenting on her apparent remark. >> other than to say it was pretty impressive trade craft. the audio was extremely clear. >> reporter: other u.s. officials jumping in. >> the russians were the first to tweet about this particular call only a few countries have

the level of capabilities needed. i'll let you use your own judgment. >> i think it says something about russia's role. >> the russians are, at the very least, denying they posted the call. i was just monitoring the internets, implying that's where he found it. this could be embarrassing for the americans given what the ambassador said on that same call about a power deal. >> you can be pretty sure if it does start to gain altitude, the russians will be working behind the scenes to try to torpedo it. >> this is a great propaganda to say, look, they are about as bad as we are and they are interfering and shape what is happening in the ukraine. >> there's also a big question about spy craft 101. why were two top diplomats having a phone call about that? here's a quote from former cia

paul redmond and my conversation with him today. if the state department is still so stupid as to be talking in this day and age about sensitive subjects in such a way over lines of communication that can be monitored, they deserve all of this embarrassment. we pressed the state department on that today and others said how do you instruct your diplomats to avoid doing this sort of thing or the dangers of these kinds of lines being tapped and a states spokesman if they were speaking on a secure line between washington and kiev, the capital of the ukraine where the u.s. ambassador in the ukraine is based, is there fear that the russians could tap into the so-called secure line? >> they are not saying. we don't know whether they were speaking over a secure line. we are assuming now that they did not, that this was an open

line. >> the u.s. is to blame, then, if they are speaking about sensitive issues like this and using the f-word, they should not necessarily be speaking on an open line that not only the russians but a bunch of others could listen in on. >> if they were speaking on a open phone line, that's been compromised. >> an unsecured line other open line, they've got a bigger problem. >> it's a disaster. >> thank you, brian todd reporting. reports of illnesses yet west virginia insists that their water is safe to drink. there are new developments. and will he or won't he run for president in 2016? the vice president joe biden speaking exclusively to cnn about the monumental decision that awaits him.

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turning now to a story cnn has been on since the beginning. tonight there may be more

trouble with the drinking water in charleston, west virginia. we're learning details about school closings and complaints of tap water with a foul odor and concerns that water may be making some people sick. health officials insist the water is safe to drink but many of the 3,000 residents just don't believe it. drew griffin is joining us. tonight there's evidence that some of those chemicals are still in the drinking water. >> no doubt about it. you know, they are trying to finally flush the entire system, wolf, get rid of any residual chemical still flowing through the pipes of the west virginia american system. the problem is the dreaded smell. there is growing skepticism that water is safe to drink, even with assurances from officials. residents simply don't and perhaps have good reason not to believe what they are being told. at a hearing on thursday, the head of the west virginia american water company sounded

defensive. basically saying it's time people believe him. >> this is an award winning treatment plant that's been there for 40 years. this five-day episode, i understand, has shaken the confidence. >> reporter: but recent attempts to flush water systems in homes and especially schools has again shaken confidence. the problem, schools are being closed because the flushing is creating what some experienced as overpowering stink, licorice, the tell-tale signature of this chemical used to clean coal. "just because you can smell it does not make it unacceptable for use." mcintyre reportedly also said we're trying to deal with an aesthetic issue. this week, no fewer than five schools closed because of that so-called aesthetic issue. a schoolworker was treated after fainting and one student treated for burning eyes. so is the water safe or not? according to federal, state, and

the local water officials, yes, based on epa guidelines. despite those assurances, most people are sticking with bottled water until they are completely sure what is and what is not flowing through their homes. cnn conducted their own test in homes this week, including the home of emily, the results mchm is still coming out of her taps, though only in trace amounts. safe, says the water company, no way says emily. >> there's just not a lot of information out there about this. we don't know what the long-term effects are going to be. yes rnths yes, it may not kill us but i'm concerned about what our kids are buying now. >> she is not drinking the water and may never again. >> wolf, there's going to be a congressional film here and i'm going to be there.

this is a way for one senate bill to get attention, focusing on improving the safety of above-ground chemical storage tanks in the country. that's the tank that caused the problem in the first place. again, that big question remains, when are people in charleston, west virginia, going to find someone, some number or a test that they actually believe in that will move them back to their taps? and right now i don't see it happening. >> what an awful situation. drew, we'll check back with you on monday. let's dig deeper right now. joining us, the health officer, executive director of the charleston health department. you just saw him in drew griffin's report as well. dr. gupta, when they say this is an aesthetic problem, what exactly does that mean? because a lot of folks don't buy it. they are smelling stuff. some of them are getting sick, their eyes are burning. what's going on? >> sure, wolf. one of the challenges here is

that the odor threshold for this chemical is very low. what that means in general terms is where the cdc has deemed this chemical to be safe at a certain level, it has to go almost 1,000 times below that level in order for the smell not to be. this is also in addition to the case issue that is at hand. people have a natural instinct like all of us, our water is not supposed to smell. so when you feel and smell black licorice in the water, people feel that the chemical is still in it, although in minute amounts and that's the reason that people are having the h hesitant to drink the water again. >> some folks were fainting, eyes were burning. is that a psychosomatic thing

going on or what is going on? >> when water is put at a higher temperature, there are more odors than at a cold temperature. so there are fumes and what we have been asked by a lot of residents is should we be looking at a water quality testing but also air quality testing because it is possible, speaking medically that when the fumes do occur, people could faint, people could have other troubles because of the fumes. so what's important to understand is that maybe because of the fumes and maybe because people are just fearful because, after all, what has happened here is people's water of all of the things that's been impacted and that is a very serious thing to happen. >> are you drinking the water? >> i am bathing in it. and here's what happens. there's a strong smell that comes out and as being a sensitive person, while safety is not the question for me

personal, it's actually the smell that prevents me, just like so many thousands of us virginians from drinking the water. >> dr. gupta, thank you and good luck to you and all of the residents. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. up next, joe biden says he can't think of a reason why he shouldn't run for president of the united states. i'm going to breakdown the vice president's surprising comments he made in an exclusive cnn interview, including when he said -- i'll breakdown what he said about laguardia airport and it's almost like an airport in a third world country. and if biden runs he'll have a hard time competing with the clinton political machine. we'll talk about hillary and her inner circle. score's on here. yeah, you've got our discover it card, so you get your fico® score on your monthly statements now, for free! that's nice of you! it's a great way to stay on top of your credit,

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vice president joe biden is revealing dramatic new hints for his 2016 run for the white house in an exclusive new interview with cnn's own kate bolduan. it's all new questions about what it could mean for hillary clinton as well. we want to bring in our own brianna keilar who is now a senior political correspondent. she'll be covering the 2016 campaign extensively. also, liza mundy who wrote a review on a new hillary clinton book due out next week called "hrc." first of all, brianna, congratulations on your new title. we'll get to that later. but tell us what you're hearing

about what the vice president had to say. >> well, wolf, vice president really made nws in this interview with kate bolduan about if he's running for 2016 and now we're learning that he intentionally chose a decision date well after hillary clinton who says she will say this year if she's running. joe biden telling cnn he's actively considering another run for president. >> can i have a timetable? >> probably realistically a year this summer. >> summer 2015. that, sources say to the vice president confirmed, is a very real target date. >> give me another good reason why you shouldn't run. >> i can't. >> reporter: yeah? >> there may be reasons i don't run but there's no obvious reason for me why i think i should not run. >> reporter: but sources say biden realizes that could change in the next year and a half, an

eternity in politics. top of his mind, his family. and if they think he should run. they did, after all, nix the 2004 effort. biden is very healthy. he doesn't drink, he watches what he eats, he stays fit. but he's not young. >> i feel no regret, not one single solitary ounce of regret. >> reporter: he's run for president twice unsuccessfully and knows the grueling nature of the campaign trail and white house. in 2016, he turned 74, which would make him the oldest first-term president in history. the health of his son beau who was treated last year at a reknown cancer center is a key consideration for biden. in november, beau said his doctors gave him a clean bill of health. but for the vice president, a man who lost his first wife and a daughter in a car crash, the health of his family will be determined in a presidential

run. beyond his family, the biggest influence on his decision, hillary clinton. her powerhouse candidacy, should she run, might dissuade biden. in fact, some of president obama's key campaign aides have already signed up with groups supportive of clinton. biden doesn't have a grassroots infrastructure. there's no super pac supporting him but one source said a team could be put together quickly. after all, he is the vice president. >> i've covered him for a long time. he was in the senate for 36 years. now vice president for five. he really would like to be -- i don't think there's any doubt that he would like to be president of the united states. >> no. and one source close to me said, yes, he's ambitious. it's not like he hasn't thought about this. but it's not the only thing in his calculus. in fact, i've been told that

he's ambitious but it's family beyond anything else. you get the sense that that matters a lot. health in his family, determative in this case, i'm told and hillary clinton is clearly a factor or he wouldn't have picked that date of summer 2015, giving himself quite a buffer to know whether or not she will be running. >> good point. let's talk a little bit about hillary clinton. joining our conversation, liza mundy is here. she's a journalist having written for "the washington post" for many years. you have an excellent new book review that published in the ba washington post today. loyalty, running throughout this book for hillary clinton is very significant. explain what's going on here. >> right. well, there's a dramatic scene towards the beginning of the book where it's after the 2008 presidential primaries, after her concession to barack obama and there are a couple of very loyal staffers who are in her

campaign head quarters putting the finishing touches on a microsoft excel spreadsheet which is tracking those who remained loyal to hillary clinton during the 2008 primaries and those who endorsed barack obama in many cases to the clinton's surprise and dismay, they want to have a record of people who were loyal to them and people who were not. >> presumably the people who were loyal will get jobs or get important decisions. those who were less than loyal might be shunned? >> well, more than that. while hillary clinton was secretary of state, it was bill clinton keeping the family political network alive. those who were loyal would get bill clinton campaigning for them in the midterms or the 2012 elections. those who were not loyal would in some cases see them campaigning against their primary opponents. >> as you point out, brianna, so much of the barack obama organization, money, talent, or z potentially for the vice

president if he decides to run would be an enormous problem. >> that's right. there's enormous money behind a hillary clinton campaign. that's not the biggest issue. one of the biggest issues for joe biden is he may be weighing getting in and building an organization is the technical expertise because when you look at the 2012 obama campaign, one of the thing that defined it, even compared to his campaign in 2008, was all of the voter inclination. it was seen widely to give him the edge over mitt romney and now you have folks steeped in this expertise who are aligning themselves behind hillary clinton, not joe biden. >> in your article on the stages of hillary, the evolution of hillary clinton, working with hillary clinton, you described this, among other things, initial stage dread working with her, then grudgingly respect her and then like her. explain this. >> when she took over as

secretary of state, she and barack obama are both celebrity politicians and so what you see over the course of several years in this book is those two individuals drawing closer together and their staff drawing closer together and people saying, you know, that they were really intimidated by hillary clinton. she seemed very formidable and then over the years with her hard work, with her sense of humor and her toughness, people becoming won over. >> i know the president and his aides repeatedly are asked if it's hillary clinton versus joe biden for the democratic nomination, mr. president, who would you support? he dodges that one, doesn't he? >> he dodges it. you can't blame him. obviously he's very close to both of these potential candidates and it would be unwise, i think you could argue also because some folks say at this point hillary clinton is so far ahead in the polls but at the same time, you know, it might be healthy for her or

certainly another candidate to have more of a contested primary and they don't really want president obama, for instance, clearing the field. they've looked back to bill clinton and al gore and said, that didn't actually serve al gore very well when bill clinton did that. >> you have a new job coming up? >> i do. >> it starts today. >> that's right. today. senior political correspondent covering 2016 democrats. hillary clinton, among them, obviously, and i'll be pitch hitting for you from time to time. >> welcome and good luck. this is going to be an excellent new chapter in your career already. >> liza, thank you for your part as well. brianna just spoke about joe biden's so-called verbal but why he said laguardia is like a third world country. what is going on? illegal grambling and drunkenness are some of the allegations against top military

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. it's disturbing breaking news coming in about an american missionary, kevin bae being held in north korea. let's bring in our chief national correspondent jim sciutto. what is going on? >> kenneth bae has been transferred from a hospital back to a labor camp. they are very concerned, says the state department, including about his health, which has been

a continuing concern. we're told that the swedish representatives who represent u.s. in that camp as recently as today and they have been able to see him ten times and the state department has been in touch now with kenneth bae's family to let them know this disturbing news. they continue to urge for his release and continue to offer to send ambassador king to north korea to help negotiate kenneth bae's release. this is particularly disappointing, wolf, because a couple weeks ago kenneth bae made a public apology in other cases where americans have been held in north korea, when you've seen that public apology, oftentimes their release is followed, so this is really disturbing news and particularly as the state department drew attention to the real concern about his health. he was in a hospital to be treated to go

as reseptemberly as yesterday morning, president obama at the national prayer breakfast, he singled out, he mentioned kenneth bae, my name, saying that he hopes, he prays that kenneth bae is released soon. >> you get these entreaties from the highest levels of the u.s. government. they've constantly made this offer to send a u.s. ambassador to negotiate the release, to discuss this with the highest levels of north korea authorities. in past cases sometimes this route may work. i worked for bill clinton in the case of laura ling. but there's really no way to slice this or sugarcoat this. this is disappointing news and somewhat of a surprise as well. >> i thought things were moving in the other direction. jim sciutto reporting. sexual assault, adultery, illegal gambling, drunkenness, those are just some of the allegations against some top u.s. military commanders. they're now so many problems

with misconduct at the highest levels of the united states military that the defense secretary chuck hagel had to come out and announce a crackdown. let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. she's working with very disturbing story for us. what's the very latest, barbara? >> reporter: look, wolf, the majority of u.s. troops, of course, serve very honorably, but some of the top brass are not. and that is leading to fundamental questions about whether the military has a problem with ethics. defense secretary chuck hagel says it's time to figure out just how bad the bad behavior is in the ranks. >> some of our people are falling short of these high standards and expectations. ethics and character are absolute values that we cannot take for granted. >> reporter: the pentagon has been deeply embarrassed by more than a dozen senior generals and admirals who have behaved so badly in the last 15 months, they have come under

investigation. >> i think we need to find out is there a deep, wide problem. if there is, then what's the scope of that problem? how did this occur? >> reporter: the majority of military personnel are upstanding, but some wonder if the military has lost ethical discipline after more than a decade of war. retired lieutenant general david barnham who commanded all troops in afghanistan says there are no excuses. >> leaders cannot have a culture that tolerates these kinds of behavior. >> reporter: one is headed to trial next month charged with sexual assault and adultery. brigadier general martin schweitzer is banned from briefing defense secretary chuck hagel. he wrote lewd e-mails about a fe female member of congress calling her smoking hot. his promotion is on hold.

brigadier general has been re y reprima reprimanded. vice admiral jeremy accused of illegal gambling. major general michael kerry relieved of duty for being drunk on official travel. >> a lot of these activity trps known to peers and the fact that they went unchallenged is flatly unacceptable. that bothers me. >> reporter: in the enlisted ranks, also, most obey the rules but there are high profile problems. more than 100 air force and navy nuclear personnel are under investigation for cheating on exams. now, america's top military officer general martin dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has also spoken out about this. he says in his words, the transgressions of a few cannot be allowed to stand and dismay the reputation and the

professionalism of the entire u.s. military. >> good point. but still very disturbing what's going on. coming up, we'll get back to our top story. coming out of the olympic games in russia, new details about the attempt to hijack a passenger jet and fly the passengers to sochi. former congresswoman gabby giffords doing something many thought she could never do again -- drive a car. ey guys! sorry we're late. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪

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focused on identifying former fighters from the the u.s., canada and europe who are being recruited by extremists to fight in syria's civil war. syria is now a matter of homeland security for the united states. president obama signed the nearly $1 trillion farm bill into law today. a massive bipartisan deal that sets agriculture policy for the next five years. he also laid out plans for a new program to strengthen rural businesses. the farm bill was passed with republican support, but no republicans invited to the signing ceremony today were in attendance. and take a look at this video. former congresswoman gabby giffords driving for first time since she was critically wounded in a shooting three dwreers ago. it shows her driving around a racetrack with her husband mark kelly. she posted the video to her facebook page with a message saying, quote, 2014 will be a year of many wins. giffords says she's also making progress with her speech and walking ability.

happening now, breaking news, we have new details the on an attempted airline hijacking and bomb threat linked to the olympics as the winter games begin under a cloud of terror fierce. we're also learning about other potential threats in sochi that authorities are tracking right now. sources revealing to cnn some of the dangerous plots that might unfold. plus, opening gaffes from a problem with the olympic rings to a slew of empty seats. can russian keep the winter games on course? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." let's begin with the breaking news. officials in turkey say they have an air pirate about custody after he tried to hijack a plane to sochi claiming he had a bomb on lert. f-16 fighter jets scrambled. in the end the plane landed safely. but for a while there was concern that the threats of olympic terror might be playing out. our senior international

correspondent nick paton walsh is in sochi. he has the latest information for us. nick? >> reporter: wolf, the real thing here was right in the middle of the opening ceremony of the sochi winter games here. after all those days of heightened alert and fears about toothpaste bombers, that plane flying from the eastern industrial city of hakib in ukraine to istanbul sent out a hijack signal. that's what caused turkish authorities to react quite so sharply. now, there was a situation on board. clearly a ukrainian national, we're being told, suggested that there was a bomb in the baggage hold. now, it's not clear if there was such a device. it seems like there wasn't or quite why he explained to them he thought he could detonate it. but the command he made to pilots was please divert this plane to sochi. of course, that given the climate we're in would have caused real fear. istanbul is one of two places you can fly directly to sochi to

from. there were already concerns there about the poshl for that toothpaste bomb threat. it appears pilots either fooled the man on board making him think he were landing in sochi. either way they actually landed in istanbul. the plane whisked to a safe zone in the sabiha gokcen airport in istanbul where security forces moved in again checking the plane for devices. it took a while, it seems -- we're not quite sure why -- for the passengers to begin to come off the plane. they were eventually off, 110 of them. then we have this singular ukrainian national. special forces entering the plane and apparently he was injured given he put up some type of arrest when they try to take him. not clear what caused him to do this. he wasn't drunk. he may have been on some other kind of substance. but it does seem to be perhaps not linked to islamic extremism in the area, maybe more his own decision to misbehave on the

aircraft. >> i'm sure we'll know more in the coming hours. a potential terror attack may be the greatest threat in sochi right now. but russian officials facing other major challenges as well now that the olympic games are officially under way. among other things there was a glitch in the opening ceremony. five figures that looked like snowflakes were supposed to turn into the olympic rings but one of them didn't. that certainly didn't help ease concerns that russia isn't ready to host one of the world's biggest sporting events. our senior international correspondent ivan watson is in sochi with more on the opening ceremonies of the winter games. tell us how it unfolded, ivan. >> well, it was quite a lavish ceremony, a real moment i believe of russian pride. you know, i was in a pretty humble cafe here in sochi. when the national anthem was sung in the stadium over my shoulder, the patrons and even the cooks and waitresses in the

cafe, they all stood up, some of them their eyes were moist, and they sang along and then applauded at the end of it. this is the moment that the russians, that the russian president vladimir putin have been waiting for. as the sochi olympics were officially opened today, the pomp and circumstance did little to veil questions still looming over the host city. >> just how ready are things? >> what's the security situation there? >> reporter: thursday the athletes put on their own show. flying, racing and speeding through in first competitions of the games. this afternoon's opening ceremonies, the most high profile event of the games, was as spectacular as any. just before the event, we caught up with janet napolitano, the former head of u.s. homeland security and leader of the u.s. delegation here. she told me the city and athletes who have come to

compete are prepared. >> well, i think from what i've seen so far, they're as ready as they're ever going to be. the opening ceremony is going to happen tonight. i'm very much looking forward to what the russians are going to put on. >> reporter: how can you describe the morale of the u.s. athletes, team usa? how are people looking right now? >> well, i have to thing, talking to the former olympians that are on our delegation, that right now our athletes are in the zone or getting into the zone. they've been training and practicing for years. they've been hearing about sochi for years. they're ready to go. they want to give their best performance, both for themselves and on behalf of the country. so i think they're really going to be top notch. >> reporter: napolitano played down the negative press that's led up to the games including a barrage of unflattering tweets revealing sochi's half paved roads, unclean water and oddly aligned facilities. >> there's been all this

controversy and a fair amount of criticism running up to today's opening. has it been overblown, you feel? are people giving the russians too hard a time? >> well, i think that with respect to security and accommodations, those have been kind of the two major storylines that i've seen, there have been concerns. they've been addressed. they are being addressed. and you know, the advice being given to people here is the same as we would give in the united states to any major sporting event, which is, you know, be careful, be mindful, know where your stuff is. you know, if you see unattended backpacks or the like, report that quickly. and from what i can tell within the olympic circle, within sochi itself, people are able to move around. once you have your credential, you're good and you just get to go to the games. >> reporter: the diverse delegation led by napolitano

includes two openly gay athletes. the presence of brian boitano and caitlin kay how comes as a not so subtle protest against russia's harsh anti-gay poll sis. what about this concern? ban ki-moon came out and repeated that there needs to be tolerance for the lgbt community. is this a point that is important to bring home for these sochi olympics' tolerance to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender? >> reporter: well, i think the u.n. secretary general said it yesterday. the president of the united states has said repeatedly we are a country that respects universal human values like freedom of expression and diversity and tolerance. and athletes should be judged on their performance on the ski slopes, in the hockey rink, on the ice and not on anything else. and i think that's the message of the united states, that's the

message of the world for the olympic games. >> reporter: and that's a message that seems to be sent as well with your delegation? >> well, as i mentioned, i think we don't have to send a message. we represent the united states. we have former olympians, we have leaders of government, we have myself, i lead the nation's largest public research university, the university of california. we have gold medalists and others who have been olympians in the past, so it is a very diverse delegation and our country is a very diverse country. >> would you urge visitors to come to the sochi olympics right now, people who may have some questions based on the of the controversies and the criticisms is running up to these winter games? >> the focus should be on the games, should be on the athletes. i certainly wouldn't advise anyone to come if they hadn't

already purchased their tickets. >> reporter: and wolf, we have seen very long lines of predominantly russians lining up to buy tickets at some of the various ticket sales points that we've seen around sochi. you know, hundreds of people waiting, in fact, in line. and when that cauldron, that olympic cauldron over my shoulder, when it was lit, there was a massive fireworks display here. you can just hear russians in the houses in this neighborhood cheering, whistling, again, a big moment of pride for this country, clearly. >> let's hope it goes smoothly and quietly with a lot of great athletes performing. thanks very much, ivan watson, in sochi. we're learning more about the potential olympic terror threats, though, in addition to concerns about a toothpaste type of tube bomb, u.s. authorities also telling our jim sciutto they're particularly concerned about suicide attacks as well as homemade bombs or ieds against

so-called softer targets. let's bring in terrorism expert and jane harmon, an expert on security issues is, president and ceo of the wilson center here in washington. paul, what are you hearing about these so-called terror threats against softer targets, not necessarily right inside the olympic village but just outside? >> well, woclf, there's a lot o concern that these terrorist groups in the caucasus could launch attacks somewhere in southern russia like they did in volgograd. there was a twin suicide bombing there, one against a railway station, one against a trolley bus. real concern that rather than attack the very hard targets in sochi, they could launch attacks somewhere in southern russia. >> jane harmon, you've seen all the reports of all the fierce out there, the threats. are we exaggerating, are these overblown? because u.s. intelligence

officials have told me they're deeply concerned and these are people who are not necessarily alarmists. >> i think we're prepared. these suicide bombers or whomever only have to be right once. we have to be right a hundred pr sent of the time, 100% is not achievable. we've prepositioned homeland security, fbi and military folks in sochi, we have naval warships in the black sea which abuts sochi, and we have others in the neighborhood in the mediterranean. and these are the right things to do. it's a hard message to hear. part of the message has to be what janet napolitano just said, pride in our athletes and the fact that the u.s. is, i think, likely to win a lot of golds and that's a great statement for our country. but it is a very dangerous world. why vladimir putin would pick a place that, first of all, is warm, palm trees, but that second abuts the wild west of russia, the north caucasus baffles me. >> it wasn't just vladimir

putin, it was the international olympic committee, they were the ones that selected sochi. >> this feels like a vanity project for putin. and $50 billion has really been spent. there's presumably a lot of corruption and there could be penetration by people in addition to these black widows somewhere and a person prepared to take her or his life has a much easier time attacking than somebody who wants to survive. >> where are they most vulnerable, paul? because you studied this for a long time. >> often the attacks that you least expect. and with the toothpaste threats are in france. what the russians were concerned about is that two chechen women living in france might travel to russia to launch suicide bombings there, not the sort of threat they might have perhaps expected or were expecting a threat perhaps from the caucasus region, but that's now being investigated by french authorities. they've not found any evidence at this point that those women were actually planning to launch attacks back in russia. >> jane, you interviewed the

homeland security secretary jay johnson today over at the wilson center. and he really had something that was pretty alarming to me to say about terrorists returning potentially to the united states from syria. let me play you a little clip. >> we know individuals from the u.s., canada and europe are traveling to syria to fight in the conflict. at the same time, extremists are actively trying to recruit westerners, indoctrinate them and see them return to their home countries with their extremist mission. >> pretty alarming stuff when you think about the thousands of folks that have gone to syria either to simply fight the musharraf al assad regime. >> sear dwra's pretty close to russia. might try to go up through the caucasus and attack at sochi, too. syria is the afghanistan of 2014. it's a new training ground. >> is there anything the u.s.

can do about this? >> well, we're trying. our intelligence services are pretty good. we're trying to find out about these folks and where they're going. if we're good at tracking where they are, we'll find them before they return and cause us paul. >> you want to weigh in quickly, paul, on this? >> there's huge concern about syria right now. there's an estimation up to 2,000 western europeans who are fighting with syria many with al qaeda affiliated groups. the concern is they're getting trained there and they do return to europe and fly to the united states without a visa. a lot of scrutiny about this right now. >> there's a visa waiver program and that allows people from europe in certain cases to transit immediately to the u.s. without a visa. so if they get to europe, they can get here and we really have to have, and we do have, best in class intelligence capability. >> jane harman, thanks very much. paul cruickshank, thanks to you as well.

still ahead, tickets to the opening ceremony available at the last minute. what does it say about the sochi games? are fans staying away? and secretary of state john kerry's unique send-off for a member of team usa along with some advice for their stay in sochi. >> alex ovechkin, secretary of state. honestly? my kids were always on my laptop. i didn't think i could buy them their own, let alone for under $300. but this asus with windows is lightweight and has everything they need -- not like chromebooks that can't install office or have to be connected to the internet to get much done. with this they can do homework, chat, play games -- on their own laptop, and their own time. so no more fighting... at least not over my laptop. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪

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we certainly saw a lot of the typical spectacle during the opening ceremonies over at the winter games in sochi. but as our correspondents looked around, something seemed to be missing. nick paton walsh filed this report as the main event was just getting under way. >> reporter: not many americans, not many international fans. not a lot of bustle ahead of the grand opening. these three american chaplains, regular, helping out at winter olympics were tempted to buy tickets to the opening ceremony amazingly still available this

morning. >> as many americans as normal when we're here. we're usually about one day prior to the opening ceremonies when we arrive. i haven't intersakted with a lot of english speaking. >> reporter: people are scared? >> it's unfortunate, but i'm afraid so. >> reporter: one major u.s. tour operator was this morning trying to sell a thousand tickets he'd got to sell to americans who haven't come. brian peters says only about one-sixth of their clients have fans, most are family members of athletes, normally the other way around. >> demand is less than half of what we did in vancouver. it's probably half of what i would have expected. we've had no shortage of tour clients who booked full packages, bought their tickets, planned to come, after the bombings in volgograd, they changed their mind, they've canceled. >> reporter: and still, security looms large. without the right pass, no liquids inside the cordon, police showed me in their rule

book. and those who had tickets, russians, pretty angry. this ticket office not open yet to physically hand people the tickets they've already paid for. >> this is still soviet union. >> reporter: in what way? >> in that there is a line for everything. there's an internet, there's 3-g, there's lt, but you have to wait for hours. >> reporter: the embassy expects thousands of americans. putin will hope for some of that to make this moment global rather than local. nick paton walsh, cnn, sochi. rachel nichols is joining us from sochi right now. you were there at the opening ceremonies. how did it go? what were some of the highlights? >> there was a slight glitch near the beginning, an electronic snowflake that was supposed to turn into an olympic ring didn't quite make it there. but really after that, it was a very polished affair. nods to russia's history, its contributions to literature, art, even a nod to the soviet

era and in the end a fireworks display that honestly made the super bowl halftime show feel like a kid's birthday party it was so grandiose. some of the sweetest moments were the little ones, the moment when iran and israel walked into the stadium, their delegations just feet apart from each other really symbolizing the olympic spirit of peace even in difficult times. then with the americans, skier heidi close kloser, i don't kno you have have been following her story. she tweeted out a picture of her with ice on her knee. she was on the practice for the downhill and tore up her acl, just during practice, the day before the games started. her dad said that on the way to the ambulance, she said to him, dad, am i even an olympian? of course she is. she crutched her way in walking with her teammates, really showing the olympic grit and spirit that these games are all about. >> there was also a little bit

of controversy at the opening ceremonies, right? >> two moments, actually. one was when the ioc president spoke, gave his address. he specifically mentioned diversity, then went even further and said that he hopes that politicians take notice from the athletes present in the stadium and their ideals of tolerance. now, he didn't go any further, but we all have to assume this is a nod against russia's anti-gay laws that have been so controversi controversial. then there was another controversial moment toward the end. the woman chosen to light the torch tonight, always a big subject of speculation, well, it was irene na ragnina, an olympic skater, but she's a former politician here in russia. last year she tweeted out a photo of president obama that had been doctored to include a banana superimposed over it. it was, of course, very contro slersial, condemned far and wide. she never apologized for it. the fact that she was selected to light the flame tonight echoed across, i would assume,

the globe and back over to the white house. i'm sure they took notice, wolf. >> i'm sure they did. was it pretty crowded? were there empty seats? what was that like? >> there were some empty seats there, which is unusual for an opening ceremony, but not the big wide patches of empty seats that we've seen at the venue so far. it will be interesting over the next few days. opening ceremony always a hot ticket. seemed to be again tonight. but we'll see over the course of these events whether the locals embrace the games, whether the tourists actually do come here or whether this is a mostly friends and family kind of olympics. >> we'll see soon enough. rachel, we'll be watching every step of the bay. thanks very much. as the sochi games got under way, president obama sent a special video message to america's athletes. >> hello, team usa. i just want to say congratulations and good luck to everyone representing the red, white and blue at the winter olympics and paralympic games this year. we couldn't be prouder of you.

and we can't wait to see what you accomplish in the next few weeks. we're also proud of everything you've done to get this far. so on behalf of all your fans around the country including everybody in the obama family, good luck and go team usa. >> and i'll echo that. the secretary of state john kerry, by the way, also did his part to cheer on team usa. he dropped a sir moneyial puck over at the washington capitals winning game against the winnipeg jets last night here in washington. john karlsson is a member of the u.s. olympic hockey team. they met with kerry in the locker room before the game, gave the secretary a capitals jersey. he said that kerry told him to have a good time in sochi and bring back the gold. >> it was fun. it was cool. it was, you know, something different than what we're used to. and he was excited to greet us and give us good luck and send us off. and you know, it was a pretty

cool moment. >> carlson gets ready to head to sochi on sunday, he tells cnn he isn't worried about security. >> i would go over there regardless of anything. it doesn't matter to me. i don't pay attention to it any more. you know, it's been a dream of mine to be a part of these olympics. and nothing's going to stop me. >> carlson also said he's bringing six family members to sochi and he sounds confident that they will also be safe. we hope to check in with him and his family while he's over at the olympic games for updates. just ahead, we'll explain why a new jobs report could be good news, especially if you're already working and want to move up. also a second chance to catch the best parts of jay leno's sometimes tearful, sometimes hilarious good-byes to the "tonight show." you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up-

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