or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one american family. >> president obama there, and that's where we will leave it. cnn international viewers will be joining jim clancy with the brief. and for our domestic viewers, suzanne malveaux has the day off. drew griffin is here with a continuation of "newsroom." have a great day. thanks, guys. we will continue with obviously the big news of today, this major development in the war on terror. let's get you up to speed on what is going on at the moment. u.s. forensic experts are testing dna from the boys of yebl to confirm his -- of osama bin laden to confirm his identity. u.s. forces shot and killed bin laden during a raid on this home in pakistan. this is video by thabz appears to show -- by abc news that

appears to show the al qaeda leader's bedroom soaked in blood. [ cheers ] >> usa! usa! >> this of the reaction almost as soon as the news broke. americans flocked to ground zero in new york to celebrate bin laden's death. 2,750 people died in the jake attack on -- in the al qaeda attack on the world trade center in 2001. a similar scene outside the white house. hundreds gathering upon the announcement and news from president obama last night at 11:35 last night. >> i can report to the american people and the world that the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden. the leader of al qaeda. and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. >> administration officials say it was handled according to the

islamic tradition, burying osama bin laden at sea. he was not found in a cave in the mountains, instead a million-dollar compound a half-hour's drive north of pakistan's capital. residents drew u.s. attention because of its size. 12 to 18-foot security walls, barbed wire, and no internet or phone service. obama administration officials believe the compound was built specifically for bin laden five years ago. [ chanting ] >> cadets at the u.s. military academy flooded on to the campus at west point, new york, early today to celebrate osama bin laden's death. and u.s. troops in afghanistan watched the president's announcement last night. the pentagon released this video of american forces at their base in kandahar. the u.s. invaded afghanistan shortly after 9/11 and has been fighting the taliban, bin laden's protectors, for close to ten years now. most leaders in the middle

east have been silent on osama bin laden's death. no scenes of jubilation in the treats there. only the leaders of afghanistan, turkey, and israel have cheered the news. hamas and gaza denounced bin laden's death as an assassination. the families of those who died on september 11 are expr s expressing relief and a sense of closure at bin laden's death. alice hogeland's son, mark bingham, a passenger on flight 93. heap and others rushed the cockpit -- he and others rushed the cockpit forcing the terrorists to force the plane down in a pennsylvania field rather than using it as an attack. >> my son was killed on september 11. and the lives of so many people were snuffed out on that day. and it is such a glorious thing that a measure of justice has been reaped today. and nowhere does the death of osama bin laden resonate more than at ground zero in new york. that's where we begin our live team coverage. cnn's ali velshi is there.

after last night's celebrations, what is the scene like right now? >> reporter: yeah, it's kind of surreal, drew. this just -- to give you a sense of it, that's north and that's south. i'm at the northeast corner of ground zero, where the twin towers stood, a few feet to my left. a lot of reporters -- in fact, everywhere we look there are reporters and cameras. this crowd when it happened at 11:00 last night, started gathering. people heard it on the news or through sports coverage because it was announced at a phillies-mets game. people started converging here because it made sense. this is the connection that most people have osama bin laden. and you've seen some of the pictures of the people here. you're looking at them now. there were -- it was real jubilation. there was singing, chanting, "usa, usa." a guy with bagpipes. some of it were sad. there were some people here who had lost loved ones. we spoke to one of them, my producer brian, when he got here, said that in a far corner, further removed from where we are, people were on their knees,

praying. this is hallowed ground. as the day continued, police put barricades in. revelers from overnight went away. but look at the number of people who are just gathering here. this is more than the number of people who would typically be here because they're working in the financial district. it's become, you know, everybody's walking around with phones and taking pictures and videos. and looking at what's going on. they're sort of collecting this memory because everybody, drew, remembers where they were on 9/11. and now people are sort of saying, is this how this changes? is this a change in new york history and in u.s. history? that's sort of the feel that's going. on it's jubilant. >> yeah. certainly an end of a chapter. but still sad. it's not bringing anybody back. and that is for sure. >> reporter: that's right. >> at -- >> reporter: a number of people have said that, it's not solving that problem yet. but at least people can worry less about osama bin laden and try and remember the victims a little bit more. >> ali, we'll be back as the museday develops. thanks -- the newsday develops. thanks. the crowd outside the white

house has dispersed but we're learning more about what led up to the operation and killing of osama bin laden. let's bring in our white house correspondent, dan lothian. walk us through the timeline. >> reporter: drew, first of all, i should tell you that going after osama bin laden had remained a key push for this administration. but much of what had been happening was going on behind the scenes. a senior administration official said that the hard push began back in june of 2009 when the president signed a memo to cia director panetta asking and calling on him to return within 30 days with a plan for "locating and bringing to justice osama bin laden." in the leadup to the mission that took place over the weekend, the president convened at least nine meetings with the principals of his national security team. there were at least a dozen other meetings between the principals and deputies. but it was on friday before the president went to alabama, remember he went there on friday to tuscaloosa, alabama, in the

wake of those tornadoes. on friday, though, before departing at 8:30 in the morning, the diplomatic room is when president obama meeting with his national security team and his chief of staff that he made the decision to launch this operation. then on sunday, while the president, he did play a half round of golf in the afternoon, got engaged in this ongoing operation. at 2:00 p.m. according to the white house, the president met with principals to review the final preparations. about an hour and a half later is when the president returned to the situation room for additional meetings. at 3:50ers according to the white house, the president first learned that osama bin laden was tentatively identified, but it wasn't until about 7:00 p.m., 7:01, that the president learned this was "a high probability that the high-value target was indeed osama bin laden." at :30 in the evening -- at 8:30 in the evening, the president received additional briefings. this has been going on for a number of years. came together this weekend. president obama came out late last night, as you know, to tell

the nation that in fact osama bin laden had been killed. >> all right. dan lothian live at the white house. we'll stand by in case we get a look and a talk at the president today. love to see what you are going to ask him as he may appear later today. let's bring carol costello in with your chance to talk back on the big story of the die, osama bin laden's death. carol has more. >> yeah, is there any other story today? it's been an amazing couple of days. americans are united again, maybe just for today, and maybe it will last, but just for today -- just. the death of osama bin laden has brought us together in a way we haven't experienced since the day after s -- days after 9/11. ♪ the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ [ applause ] >> united. the president said as much as he made his dramatic announcement. >> and tonight let us think back to the sense of unity that

prevailed on 9/11. i know that it has at times frayed. yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country. and the determination of the american people. >> plus, americans have not believed that in a long time. according to a cnn opinion research poll last september, 67% of us thought it was not likely the united states would capture or kill osama bin laden. as for what his death means for america's prolonged war on terror -- we just don't know. but just for today, americans are united in the fact that justice has finally come for bin laden's victim. our "talk back" question is simple -- what does osama bin laden's death mean to you? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comment later in the program. >> look forward to that. i bet it's going to be wide ranging. thanks. ahead on "the rundown," breaking down the mission. a former navy s.e.a.l. and his

opinion of the mission. and peter bergen spoke with osama bin laden in the '90s and will join us to discuss the future of al qaeda now. the father of a 9/11 victim is still angry. why he says today the government failed. . plus, inside the mult multimillion-dollar mansion in pakistan where osama bin laden was living when he was killed. ♪ sometimes i feel like... mom! ♪ i know i can count on you ♪ sometimes i feel like saying... ♪ mom! mom! ♪ ...see me through [ male announcer ] you know mom. ♪ you got the love... we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day

one she'll never forget. momma! [ male announcer ] that's why only zales is the diamond store. >> announcer: this past year alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with amazing innovation, driven by relentless competition,

wireless puts the world at your command. ♪ and my dog bailey and iworld love to hang out in the kitchen. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? you inspired a very special dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired. i've been looking at the numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business.

try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. i'm sad, missing him all the time. i feel that justice is done. that's a great feeling for me. and i do feel some overall calm. but i haven't felt it in almost ten years. >> your husband, michael, worked at cantor fitzgerald, he was on the 101st floor when it happened. >> yep. >> reporter: ten years, did you ever think this day would actually come? >> never. i was shocked. never thought it would happen. and i never thought it would give me a feeling of closure. i didn't believe that there could be closure because my husband's remains were never found. so i didn't think that this would ever give me closure, but in a way it does. i feel better. i feel like i could, you know, put a new foot forward and maybe

start a new chapter in my life. >> emotions overwhelming, especially there at new york's ground zero. americans celebrated just served and -- justice served and remembered those killed in the september 11 attacks. the operation that took down osama bin laden followed years of intelligence gathering, and apparently months and months of planning. it was carried out, though, in less than 40 minutes. the administration won't give a breakdown of the specific forces used, but a senior defense official says navy s.e.a.l.s. were involved, and brandon webb was a navy s.e.a.l. for ten years, took part in operations in afghanistan and pakistan. he's joining us from san diego. u.s. forces knew the home but perhaps not the layout. how did they train for this, how would they have trained for this specifically attacking and penetrating a compound, they obviously had never been to before. >> yeah, drew, these guys were -- would have just had a lot of connectnology at their diz posal. there's some amazing 3d target

package imagery where you can tell the different variations in heights of buildings, roads, but they would have had this compound dialed in pretty tight and spent, you know, just relentless hours rehearsing for the actual mission. you know, the -- the thing is it's really hard to get inside and know what's inside the interior on a compound of this size. but, you know, again, it just comes down to training and being ready for these uncertain environments which -- which is what these guys do all the time. >> what was impressing me earlier was the descriptions we had of how these helicopters were able to fly directly to this target without the knowledge of pakistan's military or civilian police authority, get in and get out, almost before anybody knew what happened. does that sound like a navy s.e.a.l. operation to you? >> yeah, i mean, it -- it's all about unconventional warfare. you know, this is a kill or

capture direct action type of mission. during these types of operations, we have a term in the special operations community that we call violence of action. it's where you overwhelm the enemy with skill and methodical aggression. you know, these guys are going -- this assault team is going room to room quickly and methodically, killing any hostile targets until bin laden was taken down. you know, this is close in, up in-your-face type of warfare. you can practically smell the sweat off your enemy. so, you know, these guys -- >> if i could -- >> really be commended. >> if i could drop in. we have breaking news that have just been released by a senior administration official telling cnn a dna match now confirms that osama bin laden was killed. so the dna testeding that was done on this corpse apparently has been finished, and it confirms that osama bin laden was killed in this targeted attack, we're told by navy s.e.a.l.s.

when would these navy s.e.a.l.s. have been told exactly who their target was to be? >> you know, these guys probably would have had a pretty good idea, but going into these things, it's all about compartmentalizing the intelligence, you know, the situations are -- are handled discreetly. so the actual notification could have come, you know, within -- within hours, you know, before these guys knew who the specific target was. i'm sure they are rehearsing well before -- in advance. but it just -- the actual target, high-value target that you're going after, usually it typically doesn't get revealed until the last minute. >> and we just broke the news that there's a dna match confirming this is osama bin laden. that required the taking of the body itself. have you ever been on a mission where you were instructed we need to take this target, and we need to remove him physically?

>> yeah, i mean, that's a common -- that's a common practice in these types of missions where you're going on -- you know, it's a kill or capture type of mission where you're going for a specific, high-value target with very clear and -- an idea of what has to happen. these guys do this stuff all the time. you know, it's similar to what i did in my first deployment after 9/11. you know, right on the ground in afghanistan. this is just the types of operations that the navy s.e.a.l.s. and other special operations groups practice all the time. >> we may never know who they are, but we surely owe them a great deal of thanks. thank you for your service, former navy s.e.a.l. brandon webb from san diego. confirming the news that just broke, dna match confirms osama bin laden has been killed. that's according to a senior administration official telling cnn at the white house today. what is the future of al qaeda now? and how does the post-bin laden

war on terror look? 

he was the face in the war on terror. the fbi has updated its most-wanted list to show that osama bin laden is dead. president obama calls the killing the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al qaeda. cnn national security analyst peter bergen joins us from

washington. you interviewed bin laden in '97, does -- are people galvanized by the death, peter? >> reporter: sadly, when you join al qaeda you don't pledge an oath to al qaeda, you pledge an oath to osama bin laden. other regional affiliates that join, they don't pledge a lethal injectionance -- pledge allegiance to osama bin ladeal pledge allegiance to osama bin laden. there will be pretenders after the death, zahari, bin laden has 11 sons. one or two were chosen to go

into their dad's line of business. one was in iran and sort of had a middle management role in al qaeda while he was living under some form of house arrest. he may have been killed in a drone strike in recent years. one of the sons was killed in this special forces raid earlier in the last 24 hours. you can imagine a kid with a family name trying to kind of take over from the dad. with there's no one of bin laden's "stature." >> let me read what cia director panetta wrote, "though bin laden is dead, terrorism is not. we have struck a heavy blow against this enemy. the only leader they have ever known whose hateful vision gave tries their atrocities is no

more." and panetta went on to say the uncatchable one has been caught and killed. this is a serious psychological blow to those people and those -- who were actually in the caves or pledging their allegiance to osama bin laden. perhaps who thought he would never be caught. >> reporter: indeed. well, you know, we spent half a trillion dollars in our intelligence services since 9/11. we finally got him. if you -- probably the most expensive manhunt certainly in history by orders of magnitude i would guess. and congratulations to everybody at the cia and u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s. and every entity in the u.s. government that had a role in this. i think the crucial thing that panetta said in that statement is that they've known about the leader. al qaeda was founded in pakistan in pakistan not far from where osama bin laden was killed over a couple of weekends in august, 1998. it was bin laden's idea. he was the uncontested leader of

the organization throughout its more than two-decade history. he's the intellectual author of the biggest mass murder in history. just -- comparisons to the nazis are not that useful in some senses, but the nazi party was very much a kards m-- a car charismatic partied. the numbers of takers before the hugely important event in the leaf that we've seen, bin laden was losing the war of ideas all across the muslim world for the good reason that al qaeda and its allies killed a lot of muslim civilians. for dwrugroups that say they'ree followers of islam, that's their comment. one of those who died on september 11 was this young man,

23-year-old james gateile, i'll get his father's thoughts after hearing the news of bin laden's deaths. the front page of the new york "daily news," "rot in hell," with a picture of osama bin laden. you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you. doubtful, you love me. hey, you can't take allegra with fruit juice. what? yeah, it's on the label. really? here, there's nothing about juice on the zyrtec® label. what? labels are meant to be read. i'd be lost without you. i knew you weren't allergic to me. [ sneezes ] you know, you can't take allegra with orange juice. both: really? fyi. [ male announcer ] get zyrtec®'s proven allergy relief and love the air®. [ male announcer ] twenty-four hour stuck-on food can be a huge project. but not for cascade complete pacs. with 70% more tough food cleaning ingredients, it's cascade's ultimate power tool for day old stuck-on food.

♪ [ jackhammer rattles ] [ male announcer ] cascade complete pacs. beyond your wildest clean. [ woman speaking chinese ] thank you. do you have an english menu? no english. [ speaking chinese ] [ gasps, speaks chinese ] do you guys like dumplings? i love dumplings. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmutual -- let our financial professionals help you reach your goals.

ahead, bin laden may be dead but the father of a 9/11 victim

says the mission doesn't end here. bin laden and his thugs damaged america's perception of islam. we'll get reaction to the death from muslims in the united states. and an e-mail from bin laden's brother to a cnn terror analyst. the announcement by president obama set off celebrations at ground zero in new york, the epicenter of the 9/11 attacks. a more reserved gathering has replaced the jubilant crowds from overnight. we have more from the scene right now. >> reporter: absolutely, we can tell you that there are a lot of people here, people taking pictures. when you think about ten years, i want to show you, this is the area where the twin towers once stood. this is an area that ten years ago people were running for their lives. today it is being rebuilt. clearly there's going to be a big celebration here on september 11 because progress has been made. it has taken a while for that to happen. last night there were folks who streamed to the areas, hundreds. some kneeling in prayer.

some of them crying. a very emotional time. i want to speak to alex powers. alex, come. you were here on that day. you -- tell me what this feels like today. >> it feels great that he's dead but it's just the beginning of what they plan to do later on to us or try to do. hopefully nothing happens, hopefully god protects us. >> reporter: do you feel -- are you surprised that they found him in an area that's heavily fortified by the pakistani military? was that a surprise to you? >> some surprise. pakistan has been -- both sides of the fence. not really surprised and surprised at the same time. the compound -- >> reporter: dna testing has come back positive. in fact, it is osama bin laden. is that good enough for you? what is it that you want to see? >> i would have liked to see pictures of the body at least. if he was in one piece. they buried him at sea, there's no real proof under than dwhan they're saying.

-- than dna that they're saying. everyone wants proof. >> reporter: you said 9/11 was a traumatic day for you. ten years later, how is it? >> it still feels sad and for all that we lost. at the same time it's like we're still surviving. we are survivors. >> alex powers, thank you very much. we also want to talk to these folks here. fred and shelly, first of all, you are from chicago, but it was important to you to come and see this before you returned home. how come? >> yes, it was very important. we've both been here before separately. we decided to come together this morning. >> reporter: and why? why is it important to be here on the day that osama bin laden is dead? >> probably would have come anyway. but obviously it makes is much more significant. >> reporter: you think about the trauma, that day, how is it at this moment in history? >> i have mixed feelings. i'm happy that this has

happened. that they've killed this evil man. i feel very badly about all the lives that have been lost because of him and his evil ways. but i think we as american have to be on guard and be aware that there are people that don't like us. it's too bad because this is the greatest country on earth, but we just have to be on guard. >> reporter: and a sense of pride today? >> very much so. >> all right. fred and shelly, thank you very much for joining us today. that's really the sense you get being here. a lot of people stopping, understanding that maybe they would have come here anyway, but that this is historic. the nypd on high alert, as is the rest of the world. the state department saying that this is not a time to let our guard down. that in fact, americans everywhere have to be vigilant. right now, a sense that -- of great pride that this has happened. drew? >> deb at ground zero in new york. you're looking at a live shot, aerial view of 9/11 -- the site

of the attack which is now being rebuilt. almost a pilgrimage stop for anybody visiting new york for the past ten years. i know i brought my own children there to teach them about what happened on that day. let's bring in wolf blitzers who is standing by -- wolf blitzer who is standing by in washington. i think a lot of attention is going to be focusing on pakistan and whether or not this country true she an ally in the war on terror. it seems the details being released now that pakistan was not involved in any of this. that osama bin laden was living so close to a military establishment and apparently so affluently and out -- not necessarily out in the open but standing out. does that raise questions over whether or not we can even trust pakistan anymore? >> well, there's no doubt, drew, as you know and many of our viewers know, that there are elements within the pakistani intelligence service, the isi, that officials don't trust

because of the nature of their historic relationship not only with the taliban but with certain al qaeda elements in afghanistan and elsewhere, as well. there is a much better relationship with the political leadership. president zardari, for example. some of the foreign ministry types, certainly the pakistani ambassador in washington saying that. but there are elements that the u.s. government doesn't trust, doesn't believe is helping in the war on terrorism. this will fuel some of those suspicions because bin laden was hiding in plain sight in this mansion, in an area where so many current and retired pakistani military officials, gener generals, high-ranking officers were living. this is a compound that stood out. it was bigger than so many of the others. and people were wondering no doubt what was going on inside. did there -- was there any protection? not necessarily from the highest elements of the pakistani government but perhaps others within the pakistani intelligence or even military community. this will fuel some of those

suspicions. we're told by u.s. officials the u.s. did not inform the pakistani government in advance of this military special operations force that was about to go in because this were too many concerns. it could be compromised, the u.s. military and intelligence personnel could be in danger. only later when they had to get out of there was the pakistani government directly informed, look, this is a covert u.s. operation, a hands-off -- you may be scrambling your jets, whatever, when you see the two american helicopter flying across pakistani airspace into neighboring afghanistan where they took bin laden's body and all the u.s. military and intelligence personnel eventually landed safely. but there were some moments there as you know, drew, that it was very, very touch and go. it could have gone in a very, very different direction. the good news is they got bin laden. they got him out, and all the americans got out, as well.

>> right. own, it was just a couple of weeks ago i remember reading admiral mike mullen, head of the joint chiefs, saying look, our relationship with the pakistan military is the worst it's been in years. pakistan's ambassador to the u.s. talked to our "american morning." listen to what he had to say. >> all the major personalities currently in guantanamo were arrested by pakistani authorities in cooperation with the united states. if we had really known where bin laden was, we would have got. we were glad that our american partners did. they have superior intelligence, they have superior technology. we are grateful to them and to god for having given us this opportunity to bring this chapter to an end. >> ambassador haquani, trying to spin the fact that pakistan has been a good fighter of al qaeda even though the leader of al qaeda was obviously embarrassingly hidden away just hundreds of meters or so from a

military base. >> yeah. he wasn't in some remote tribal area in the northwest part of pakistan, along the afghan border. he was not hiding in some cave. he was hiding in sort of in plain sight there in this town, only about an hour, hour and a half drive from the pakistani capital of islamabad. look, pakistani officials over the years -- and i've interviewed all of them from president -- former president musharraf, the current president zardari and others. they all would make the same point. if the u.s. has actionable intelligence on where bin laden or zawahiri may be hiding out in pakistan, they would say the same thing -- give us that information, and we will get them for you. we'll hand them over to you. but it would be awkward, it would be very problematic if american forces came on pakistani soil to do the job. that was the message the pakistani leadership over the

years always gave me, gave the news media. and they also gave the same message to the u.s. government. it was clear that the obama administration simply did not trust the pakistani government to get the job done. they were not about to share this information and risk losing ben laden as he had been lost in tora bora in the months after 9/11 in afghanistan. so the u.s. conclusion was if the united states is going to get bin laden, the united states is going to have to do it, you can't outsource this kind of operation to the pakistanis even if there were a better relationship and you're absolutely right, drew, in recent months that u.s.-pakistani relationship despite the $10 billion the united states has provided pakistan over the past several years, that relationship had -- had been strained severely. in part because of the good u.s. relationship with india. there's an enormous jealousy that the pakistanis have because the united states has strong relations with india. pakistanis see india as their chief rival, their chief enemy, if you will, over the contested

areas of kashmir and other issues. it's a complicated part of the world, but in this -- in this particular case, the president of the united states and all of his top national security advisers agree the u.s. would have to get the job done, couldn't -- couldn't rely on the pakistanis doing it. >> a complicated part of the world, wolf. and one you've traveled to many, many times. and you know, i mean, for the past ten years as reporters, this fight on terror has defined our professional lives. i think none more in particular than you who have talked to all these people. what was your reaction or when did you learn that osama bin laden was killed. and what were your personal thoughts? >> you know, it was really a weird situation for me last night. i was home. i was watching the washington capitals in the third period, ovechkin had just tied the game 2-2 against tampa bay. and as a washington capitals fan i was excited, looking forward to the overtime. when i got a call, it was around

9:40 p.m. eastern from sam feist, our political director, senior executive producer. they had just received -- cnn's network pool, and cnn had just received notification from jay carney, white house press secretary, that the president would be in the east room of the white house at 10:30 to make about a ten-minute statement. that was all he said. he didn't give us any details, what was involved, whether national security, domestic matters. we didn't know. sam said, "how long would it take you to get to the bureau?" i immediately grabbed a shirt and tie. i was in make-up -- there was no make-up artist here, though, so i put a little powder on my forehead. by 10: 13 i was on the set with don lemon who was anchoring our coverage. and on the way in, i was making phone calls to white house officials and other, include something members of congress who would normally be briefed. when sam called me at around

9:40, 9:45 whatever time it was, it dawned on me that it was erie and chilling for me. i was in the kitchen and almost in the exact same spot where i was almost ten years ago when those planes went into the world trade center, and the first thought i had was it's a sundays night, the president would -- a sunday night, the president would not be making a ten-minute address to the nation from the east room of the white house unless this was huge. it would have to be very big. i suspected maybe it had something to do with gadhafi in libya. i said to myself probably not big enough. then i started making calls and sources were saying it has nothing to do with gadhafi. nothing to do with elizabeth. it's -- with libya. and t it's something else, and my sources were saying way, way bigger. and i suspected in my own mind bin laden was dead. you don't report something like that based on a suspicion, based on just a hunch. based on your journalistic gut

instinct. you got to get confirmation. and you can't just get confirmation from one source, you need at least two really excellent sources who are getting their information from different parts -- potentially the government. i waited and eventually the word came in. once the white house phoned members of congress, telling them what was going on, word got out to their staffs, word got out quickly to the rest of the world. then the president eventually, an hour after originally scheduled, 11:35, went into the east room and made it official. it was one of those moments where as a journalist you say to yourself, wow, this is one of the most important stories that i've ever covered. it's very, very -- it's a great honor as a journalist to be covering it, especially in a sensitive moment like this. i was just really -- really proud of the job that cnn did. i was proud of the job that all of us did here at cnn. this is where cnn really excels.

and we were simulcast on cnn and cnn international, as you know. and i started getting tweets, started getting emails from viewers all over the world. if you follow twitter, cnn was trending on twitter. wolf blitzer was even trending -- people were watching. they were so, so happy. sure, there are some elements who are not happy. but a tiny little fringe element out there who support bin laden and al qaeda. but the whole world was thrilled, especially american in new york, here in washington, pennsylvania. this was a moment that so many people perhaps thought they would never see or hear. but it did happen. and we're only now beginning to appreciate the enormity of this historic situation. >> all right. wolf blitzer, so much more to will to this story as we learn, this is just day two. a lot of details coming up. i'm sure you are going to be having lets of details in the -- having lots of details in the "situation room." thanks for joining us.

appreciate your zin sight on all that. >> thank you. tonight at 9:00, the man who led new york city through the darkest days after 9/11 joins piers to share his thoughts on the killing of osama bin laden. former mayor rudy giuliani. cnn tonight, 9:00 eastern. ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 and talk to chuck about ttd# 1-800-345-2550 rolling over that old 401k. mom! mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store. i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now

because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of. aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme.

we've been seeing so much reaction from various sites on this day. we also want to get reaction from muslim in the u.s. on the death of osama bin laden. our ted roland joins us from orange county, california. there's a large islamic community there, ted. what are people saying to you? >> reporter: drew, weiner here at the islamic society of orange county for 5:00 a.m. prayers, and we got to tell you the leaders of the mosque here want everybody to know that they absolutely ecstatic that bin laden was killed. they want people to know that muslim, muslim americans are just as happy as any other americans. this is a mosque where one man prayed before leaving the country and joining al qaeda. they're sensitive to that. they've had threats over the years here, and they're very concerned that people know exactly that. in the ours after the news started to trick -- in the hours after the news startsed to trickle out, we went to arab american areas and got reaction. we found enthusiasm mixed with a little bit of skepticism.

>> i mean, you cut off the head of the snake, you -- the rest, you know, falls. it means this is finally over to me. >> we're elated that someone who's the biggest symbol of terrorism is finally gone now. and i can't wait to actually see his picture, to be honest with you. because we've been waiting for this moment for a long time. >> hopefully there will bring closure to most of the community that osama's dead, you know what i'm saying, we're not part of him. we're happy that he's dead, happy that he's gone. closure for everybody. >> reporter: and drew, as we've been hearing all day, people wanting to see that picture. so in their mind they know it's for real. but i think it's safe to say that in the arab american community in southern california, a lot of enthusiasm that bin laden is indeed dead. >> ted rowlands, thanks, orange county, california. our "talk back" question,

what does the death mean to you? nick says -- i know it means something different for my generation than it does for the older ones. i was 12 when never happened. to us he's the ultimate bad guy. terrorism will continue and we should continue to bring its participants to justice. building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible.

in an effort to give you the best network possible. curtis: welcome back to geico it's savings, on the radio. gecko: hello clarence from stevens point. clarence: ok, you know the grapes at the grocery ore? clarence: well, sometimeyoone. take it foa terive, see that's stealing.rence: s i say it's sampling. what do you think? gecko: yeah, um, listen clarence, i can't really speak to the moral bit, but if you switch to geico, you could save hundreds of dollars on yinsurance. you could buy a whole heap of grapes. how's that? vo: geico.cosa yo% more insurance. you could save hundreds of dollars on yinsurance. [ technician ] are you busy? management just sent over these new technical manuals. they need you to translate them into portuguese.

by tomorrow. [ male announcer ] ducati knows it's better for xerox to manage their global publications. so they can focus on building amazing bikes. with xerox, you're ready for real business. we have not seen the president since his announcement

last night announcing osama bin laden is dead, but he's expected to appear in that room in the white house in just a few minutes as a medal of honor ceremony. we of course will be monitoring that situation, perhaps taking it it live if the president fills in anymore details about the historic event. celebrations erupted as president obama made the announcement that osama bin laden had been killed, which brings us to today's talk back question. carol costello has all the responses. >> we decided this was the best question to ask today. what does osama bin laden's death mean for you? this from christopher. as a service member on 9/11, today as been an emotional roller coaster, one minute cheering, the next crying for all those lost over the last ten years. god bless america. dia diana, to me it's a little bit of justice. hope he burns in hell. it's disrespectful to not have his head on a stake.

and from arthur, i wish that would prevail to over all the bitterness. and rusty, one chapter is over, but we must continue to remain vigilant and stop those who would continue his murdering madness and use him as a martyr. please continue the conversation. facebook.com/carolcnn and i'll be back in about 15 minutes. >> they found him, he wasn't hiding in it a spider hole or cave. osama bin laden was living in luxury right out in the open. michael holmes will give us a look at the terrorist's last address. [ marge ] psst.

constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna... mom! mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store.

we continue to monitor that room in the white house. president obama has a scheduled, pre-scheduled, medal of honor ceremony. but this will be the first time he will meet the public and face cameras since announcing the death of osama bin laden last night. certainly we will break in live if the president is speaking about the events and we will tell what you news comes out of that event, as well. that it's live from the white house. it should be just a matter of

minutes. it was just hours after the twin tours fell many americans heard osama bin laden's name for the first time. but his history dates back well before 2001. the life and times of the infamous terrorist and he is best known by that one date, but he started attacking the west many years before. >> decades ago go. it started back in the '80s when he started to form al qaeda. the al qaeda terrorist group didn't fishily become a terror network until 1991 though he pounded it in '88. the next year he spent followers to somalia to fight u.s. troops there. in late february 1993, a bomb exploded at new york's world trade center. bin laden was named as a co-ck n co-spear are a con spear are a tore. he was charged with 224 counts

of murder. in 1999, bin wlladen appeared o the ten most wanted list for the first time. he was linked to the attack on the "uss cole "a" and then the that secured his notoriety. so yesterday's mission finally brings a halt to decades of terror at least as far as bin laden himself was concerned. >> truly an evil guy. what more you can say. thank you so much for bringing us up to speed. a live news conference scheduled to start at noon, 9/11 parents and families of firefighters and world trade center victims will react to the death of bin laden. we'll take you there live right after this quick break. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military,

veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more at usaa.com/retirement or call 877-242-usaa. that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ do you believe in magic? ♪ ♪ it's magic ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a comfort

that comes from the only caramel worthy of being wrapped in gold. ♪ do you believe in magic? [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like.

it is the top of the hour. i'm drew griffin. the news breaking since last night, osama bin laden dead. the president will appear live in a matter of moments in the white house. this is a medal of honor ceremony that was pre-scheduled, pre-scheduled before the president made his announcement last night that osama bin laden has been killed. however, we will be covering this event live. it will be the first time since that announcement that we have seen president obama and perhaps we'll get more details or at least some questions as to what has been going on since the announcement of his death.

a senior administration official is telling cnn that dna tests now confirm it, bin laden is dead. u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s shot him at a home in northern pakistan. the body has already been buried at sea. americans gathered at ground zero in new york celebrating the death of al qaeda's founder and leader. this is the site where 2752 people died at the world trade center on 9/11. this was the scene at west point. >> attention all cadets. osama bin laden is dead. we got him. >> usa, usa, usa! >> will video obtained by abc news is said to show a bloody bedroom inside the compound where special informations put a

bullet in the terror leader's head. 9/11 family members say justice has been served. >> i think we could say that we all feel a sigh of relief that no other family will suffer the way my family and so many families have suffered for so many years due to osama bin laden and the pain and myseiser he tried to reek across the world. >> the immediate reaction at ground zero, jubilation last night and early morning. there is a more reserved crowd gathering deborah feyerick is there with the latest. >> reporter: it is a more reserved crowd just because people are coming here because it is such an historic day, some people holding up the news pain in front of t paper in front of the site saying we got him. that is the freedom tower going up but now you can see how much progress has been made. next to it, the cranes. what you don't see, that's where the towers were.

nothing will ever be built on those footprints because if you were here on that day, nothing ever will be built. that is a place that is sacred to many people. but one person we want to speak to it, you were actually building the freedom how tower. tell me what it was when you heard bin laden was dead. >> it's freedom with joy, of course. we felt very glad that it happened. i felt more like the people it that pass away or the family members that pass away, the relief they must feel. it's very hard for what happened and the stuff that they have to deal with every year. so it was a relief. >> and for you yourself, because you were here, you saw the first plane hit and then you saw the second plane hit. and when that second plane hit, you realized it was no accident. >> yeah, when the first one hit, i thought it was a pilot, a heart attack or something. but when the second one hit, we

got really nervous, something's really going on. >> and now ten years later you're rebuilding the location. really historic. and when this area does reopen, one thing people will be able to see is the area, the very foundation of the world trade center towers. but right now a sense of pride, quiet reflection, but also a sense that at least now bin laden is dead. >> we're going go live to a news conference now being held by the families of firefighters who were killed. let's take a listen. >> our daughters and our loved ones. we is been often asked if we have closure. while we can cho t close the bsa bin laden, for the parents and

family, there will never be c closure. the lost of our loved ones is something we need to live with for the rest of our life. it's a bitter sweet day. it's good to see an evil person receive justice, but it's very bitter to realize that so many good people met a brutal and needless death at the hands of this monster. thank you. >> her son was a fire killed on 9-11-2001. wolf blitzer was on the air as the president announced this news and we're watching the president it looks like this is a prayer going on. but, wolf, the president will speak for the first time since the announcement last night. >> this is previously scheduled as you've been pointing out medal of honor ceremony that the president is participating in

leading over at the white house for two soldiers who were killed. he's going to cite their con spikeck uhe conspicuous galantr. i don't know this for a fact, but i suspect he'll make a reference to bin had and the u.s. troops who were gallantly brave underin undertaking this dangerous mission in pakistan, as well. i suspect the president will say something about that, he will they ever honor the two u.s. soldiers who were killed in action but were incredibly brave. this is the highest honor that the president of the united states can give u.s. military personnel. so this ceremony will be very, very moving. the president will tell their respective stories of what they did, these soldiers, two private first class u.s. military, u.s. army soldier, and then he'll at some point move on. but here is the president.

let's listen in. >> on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. to our many guests from hawaii, aloha. and thank you, chaplain, for that wonderful invocation. i think we can all agree this is a good day for america. our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is done, the world is safe r it is a better place because of the death of osama bin laden. today we're reminded that as a nation, there's nothing we can't do, when we put shourld dlders e wheel, when we work together, when we remember the sense of unity that defines us as americans. and we've seen that spirit, that

patriotism in the crowds that have gathered here outside the white house, at ground zero in new york and across the country, people holding candle, waving the flag, singing the national anthem, people proud to live in the united states of america and we're reminded that we're fortunate to have americans who dedicate their lives to protecting ours. they volunteer. they train. they endure separation from their families. they take extraordinary risk so is that we can be safe. they get the job done. we may not always know their names. we may not always know their stories. but they are there every day on the front lines of freedom and we are truly blessed. i do want to acknowledge before we begin the ceremony two individuals who have been

critical as part of my team who are here today. first of all, i think 13somebod who will go down as one of the finest secretaries of defense, secretary bob gates, who is here. [ applause ] and sitting beside him, someone who served with incredible valor on behalf of this country and is now somebody who i think whether will go down as one of the greatest secretaries of veterans affairs in our history, eric shinseki. [ applause ] now, i have to say that as

commander in chief, i could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform. that is true now in today's wars. it has been true in all of our wars. and it is why we are here today. long ago, they wrote of long soldiers in war. they shall not glow old at we that are left grow old. age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. today we are joined by two american families who six decades ago gave our nation one of their own. private first class henry svala

and prirs first class henry kawaha. they did not grow old. they matt ultimate sacrifice when they were just 19 and 20 years old. age did not weary them. in the hearts of their families, they remain forever young. loving sons, protective brothers, hometown kids who stood tall in america's hometown, in america's uniform. today we remember them and we hop honor them with the highest military decoration that our nation can bestow, the medal of honor. we also honor our families who remind us that it is our extraordinary military families who also bear the heavy burden of war. we are joined by members of congress who are here. we're very grateful for you.

we're also joined by leaders from the army and armed forces including chairman of the joint chiefs of staff admiral mike mullen and the vice chairman general jim haas cartright. there they are right there. and this is not in the script, but let me just acknowledge that without the leadership of bob gates, mike mullen, haas cartright, today and yesterday would not have happened. and their steadiness and leadership has been extraordinary. i could not be prouder of them and i am so grateful that they've been part of our team. [ applause ] i especially want to welcome

some of those who fought so bravely 60 years ago, our inspiring korean veterans. korean war veterans who have made the trip here and i also want to acknowledge those who are welcoming two more american heros in their ranks, medals of honor society. thank you so much. this past november, i paid a visit to south korea, a advice at this time that coincided with the 60th anniversary of the start of the door reanwar as well as november 11th, veterans day. and i was privileged to spend part of the day with our troops and with dozens of veteranses of the korean war. members of a generation who in the words of their memorial here in washington fought for a

country they never knew and a people they never met. it was a generation that included private first class anthony. tony grew up in hawaii. he learned early that we had a duty to others, his father, a dedicated police officer, and his mother who devoted herself to his children. tony was a tall guy, he lived swimming in the ocean, sounds like my kind of guy. his siblings remember him as the big brother. quiet, but strong who took care of them, stood up for them in the neighborhood, and would treat them to ice cream. tony's loyalty to family was matched by his love of country. even though hawaii wasn't even a

state yet. by 1951, the korean war had been raging for to tony was part of the 17th infantry division. his squad was near a village called chupery when they came under ferocious attack. with his men outnumbered, tony made a decision. he ordered his squad to fall back and seek cover. and then tony did something else. he stayed behind, machine gun in hand, he laid down fire so his men could get to safety. he was one american soldier alone against an approaching army. when tony was wounded in the shoulder, he fought on. he threw grenade after grenade. when his weapon ran out of

ammunition, he grabbed another. and when he ran out of ammo, he reached for the only thing left, a shovel. that's when the enemy overran his position. and in those file mome final mo combat was hand to hand. it was that bravery, that courage of the single soldier that inspired his men to regroup, to rally, and to drive the enemy back. and when they finally reached tony's position, the measure of his valor became clear. after firing so many bullets the barrel of his machine gun was literally bent, but tony had stood his ground. he had saved the lives of his men. after his death, tony was awarded the army's second highest award for valor, the distinguished service cross. but his family felt he deserved more. and so did senator and world war

ii vet, and we're honored that the senator has joined us and obviously we're extraordinarily grateful that we're joined by another senator and a metal of honor recipient. thank you so much for your presence.hawaii is a small stat they're a very big family. in fact i went to high school with one of their cousins. whity. this is a remarkable family. service defines them. tony's father and all six sons served in the military.

another member of the family has served in afghanistan. nearly 30 members of the family have traveled from hawaii to be here, including tony's sister, elaine, and brother, eugene. for the sacrifice that your family endured, for the service that your family has rendered, thank you so much. i would ask that you all join me in welcoming tony's nephew, george, who worked for so many years to get his uncle the honor that he deserved. grnlg. >> the president of the united

states of america authorized by act of congress march 3rd, 1863 has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor, united states army, for conspicuous gallantly at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 17th infantry division, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of korea on 1 september 1951. on that date the private first scl class was it charge of defending company f when the enemy launched an attack. because of the overwhelming number, friendly troops were

forced to execute a limited withdrawal. the private first class ordered his squad to take up more defensible positions and provided recovering fire. although having been wounded in the shoulder, the private first class gathered his supply of grenades and ammunition and returned to his original position to face the enemy alone. as the hostile troops concentrated their strength in his placement, he fought fiercely and courageously delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the on rushing enemy. when his ammunition was depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand to hand combat up he was killed. his heroic stand so inspired his comrades that they launched a counter attack that completely repulsed the enemy. upon reaching his emplacement,

friendly troops discovered 11 enemy soldiers lying dead in frnts of the emplacement and two inside it. killed in hand to hand combat. private first class's extraordinary heroism areflect great credit upon himself, the seventh infantry television and t division and the united states army.

>> about the time tony was inspiring his men, another young soldier was joining up in the division in korea. he grew up in new jersey. he loved fishing on the jersey shore. he was one of six kids and the youngest son. but the within when seemed to take care of everybody else. his sister, dorothy, remembers how their mom would be in the kitchen at the end of a long day trying to cook continue foresix kids. henry, a teenager, would walk in, grab his mother's hand and dance her around the kitchen. if anybody needed him, said dorothy, henry was there. and he was there for america in korea as the war neared its

third and final year. henry knew the dangers. he wrote, i may not return. that june of 1952, the rains and mosquitos were relentless, but they pushed on probing enemy line, fighting bunker by bunker, hill by hill. and as they neared the top of one hill, the rocky sleeps seemed to explode with enemy fire. his unit started to falter and that's when henry made his move. he stood up, he looked ahead, and he charged forward into a hail of bullets. those who were there described how he kept fires his weapon and how even after being wounded in the face, he refused medical staenks and kept leading the charge.

that's when an enemy grenade landed among his men. every human instinct, every impulse would tell a person to turn away. but at that critical moment, henry svehla did the opposite. he threw himself on that grenade and saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. henry svehla's body has never been recovered. it's a wound in the heart of his family that has never been fully healed. it's also a reminder that as a nation, we must never forget those who didn't come home, are missing in action or taken prisoner of war. we must never stop trying to bring them back to their families. henry was awarded the distinguished service cross, but his family believed that he had earned this nation's highest military honor. they contacted their congressman and his staff who made it their

mission and we thank them about for making this day possible. henry's parents and brother did not live to see this day, but two of his sisters are with us. dorothy, sylvia, you remind us that behind every american who wears our nation's uniform stands a family who serves with them. and behind every american who lays down their life for our country is a family who mourns them. and honors them for the rest of their lives. every day for nearly 60 years, you have lived the poet's words at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. and so i want to conclude today by inviting everyone to join me in welcoming henry's sister, dorothy, to the stage for the presentation of the medal.

>> the president of the united states authorized by act of congress march 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to private first class henry svehla for conspicuous gallantly at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. he distinguished himself by acts of intrepidity above and beyond the calm of duty while serving as a rifle man with f company seventh infantry division in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in korea on 12 june 1952.

that afternoon, while private first class svehla and his platoon were patrolling to determine enemy strength and positions, they were subjected to intense automatic weapons and small arms fire at the top of the hill. coming under heavy fire, the platoon's at being a began to falter. realizing the safety of the remaining troops were in peril, he wlept to his feet and charge the enemy positions firing his weapon and throwing grenades as he advanced. in the face of this courage and determination, the platoon rallied to attack. private first class svehla disregarding his own safety in-nikted heavy casualties. when suddenly fragments from a mortar round exploding near by seriously wounded him in the face. he refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack. when an enemy grenade landed

among a group of his comrade, without hesitation threw himself upon the grenade. during this action, he was mortally wounded. private first class svehla's selflessness at the cost of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the united states army.

>> let's give both families a big round of applause. for anthony and for henry. >> please join me in prayer. gracious god, you start oyou st hearts once again today. you've told us in the holy scripture that there's no -- >> wolf blitzer joining us from washington. wolf, i know we were going to interrupt and break into therd

if he said anything about osama bin laden, but that turned into quite an emotional ceremony honoring veterans of the korean war. i enjoyed hearing that. the president, though, on osama bin laden did say that the world is safer, it's a good day it for america and this proofs that there is nothing we can't do. >> he was very blunt. this is the same room that the president was this last night when he made the dramatic announcement around 11:30 p.m. eastern time. he's back there today honoring these two u.s. soldiers who died very courageously so many years ago, but he did use this moment. the president is speaking again. let's hear what he's saying. >> -- this will country safer. tony and henry stand as a model of courage and patriotism. god bless you an gd glod blesso

united states of america. >> anymore scheduled events of the president that you know of came? >> he's going to have a dinner later today with the congressional leadership democrats and republicans. but that's all previously scheduled. that's designed to try to get a more conducive atmosphere to deal with the deficit. there was an effort to see if some social events might ease the bitterness in the battle over the budget, how to deal with the long term entitlements issues and of course trying to raise the debt ceiling. i suspect now this subject, bin laden's death, will certainly be high on the agenda, as well. but no doubt they have a lot of work to do. right now the focus is on bin had, the aftermath, will there be some sort of retaliatory strike. there is a heightened sense of security as a result of this not

only here in the united states, but around the world especially at u.s. diplomatic military installationses, cultural installations. there's concern no actionable intel againsligence intelligence, no specific threats, but they're worried about it. so they're dealing with it. but right now the immediate issue is bin laden and what's going to be the fallout. let's remember, also, bin laden may be debt, but sa wthe number remains at large somewhere. we have no idea where. but you have to be sure that with bin laden dead, he's target number one for the u.s. and others in the search for terrorists. >> we'll see you tonight 5:00 to 7:00 eastern time, the situation room. and i'm told you'll have an exclusive with colin powell. so we'll look forward to hearing what he has to say about this

capture. wolf blitzer joining us from washington. thanks. i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose! did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nosebleed, and sore throat. i tossed t allergy symptoms out of my party. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. your finances can't manage themselves. but that doesn't mean they won't try. bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can. a certified financial planner professional.

cfp. let's make a plan. mom! ♪ i know i can count on you ♪ sometimes i feel like saying... ♪ mom! mom! ♪ ...see me through [ male announcer ] you know mom. ♪ you got the love... we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. momma! [ male announcer ] that's why only zales is the diamond store.

barbara starr has more details about this operation. >> reporter: indeed, drew. administration officials just

finished a back grounds briefing with the news media here to explain what more they could. and very interesting they had some images to show us. let's put up first a satellite image of the compound. a number of satellite images showed increased building in the area and showing the compound growing and added security this. now, second, after you see these satellite images, there is a drawing halves distrthat was di the compound himself. let's leave it up so we can walk people through what transpired when the helicopters got there. according to officials osama bin laden was living in that center building, a tall building living on the second and third floor

area. now, i don't know if you can see, but you see what lookses like a red stripe, but actually that's a representation of a seven foot security wall it that was around that upper floor of the building and the compound already had 18 ca-foot walls. so this was a very secure area. that's where bin laden was. when the u.s. troops landed there, the navy s.e.a.l.s brought in by helicopter, they cleared room by room as the firefight was breaking out. but officials telling us that upper floor was one of the last areas this they gey got to, tha they found bin laden. they say he did put up resistance and that he was killed in the firefight, but they refuse to offer very many details. was he firing, because he running away, was he making a last stand. but it was inside the area on that upper floor of that building where finally the u.s.

military got osama bin laden. >> so it's your impression they didn't land on that roof, they didn't drop on the roof, they came from the ground up? >> reporter: what we believe is there were several helicopters and they landed in a number of places around there. i don't know if you can see, there this are satellite dishes, there are wires, a number of obstructions. s assault team got away helicopters to fly away. but landing in these areas where there's these high wall, you run the risk of blowing dirt, blowing sand. this is very tricky business for helicopters. they like a nice clear hard surface to land. pilots like to see exactly where

they're going. and you can see this is a pretty rural type of situation in terms of there's residences around, but it's not all that built up. so it was dicey business to get in and dicey business to get out. >> not to mention the utility wires. the burial at sea, a lot of people still not clear why that took place. did they give you any information? >> reporter: the administration's walking a fine line here between wanting to tell people or say they want to tell people what has happened and diplomacy to say the least. they say they could find no land alternative for osama bin laden, but the fact is in a they didn't have much time to even think about because they didn't want to warn any other countries this was under way. some discussion out there that they might have thought about approaching the saudis to take his body. we don't know if they asked the

saudis. we know they thought about it. so the next alternative was barial at sea because they did not want bin laden's body to become a shrine, a rallying point for militants or for al qaeda that might make pilgrimages essentially to his burial site. so he was brought on to the aircraft carrier karl vincent which was out in the north arabian sea. the pentagon saying it followed all islamic religious practices. he was wrapped in a white cloth. prayers were said. and translated in to arabic. the body was weighted, put on a planning and basically tipped out into the sea in terms of the physical. that's the end of osama bin laden. his pail to the militant world still remains to be seen. >> the helicopters, how far did

they travel? was there a via point? because that's a long way to where a ship might be. >> reporter: i'm going to be very candid and say we didn't really know the answer to that yet. there has been discussion they came from the sea, there is also discussion they came from afghanistan. or even inside pakistan. inside pakistan is not likely because the military and the intelligence community is going to great lengths to say they did not inform pakistan about this assault mission. it there has been continuous drew, and you've report a lot on this, that the pakistani int intelligence services are infiltrated and that the word might have been leaked and bin laden might have gotten away, so they told nobody. this i would have to say is one of the most closely held military and security operations

i think we've seen in years. >> fascinating details on what took place includiing throwing him overboard into sea. here is your chance to talk about. >> fascinating details coming out. but let's talk about how this has united americans because americans are united again. maybe sdwrus f maybe just for today. but for today, justice. the death of osama bin laden has brought us together in a way we haven't seen since the days after 9/11. ♪ land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> united. the president said as much as he made his dramatic announcement. >> tonight let us think back to the sense of unity that

prevailed on 9/11. i know that its has at times frayed. yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the american people. >> most americans have not believed that, though. according to a research poll last september, 67% of us thought it was not likely the united states would capture or kill osama bin laden. as for what it means for american's prolonged war on terror, we don't know, but just for today, americans are united in the fact that justice has finally come for bin laden's victims. so our talk back question is simple. what does osama bin laden's death mean for you? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read some of your comments in a couple of minutes. it's a hugely busy day and all evening long we'll be covering this, as well. today at 5:00, wolf blitzer will talk with colin powell pl he

served at the time of the 9/11 attacks. you can tune in for the situation room for that. also on cnn tonight for worldwide reaction to the death of osama bin laden, eliot spitzer in the arena will be from the memorial at ground zero. that's at 8:00 eastern. at 9:00, piers morgan will have rou ju rudy giuliani followed by ac 360. in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. you want that?

you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat mom! ♪ i know i can count on you ♪ sometimes i feel like saying... ♪ mom! mom! ♪ ...see me through [ male announcer ] you know mom. ♪ you got the love... we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. momma! [ male announcer ] that's why only zales is the diamond store.

what makes us number one in motorcycle insurance? we love bikes. we love riders. and most of all, we love to ride. perfect hair every time. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

the terrorist mastermind living in a palace basically just 31 miles from pakistan's capital. not cowering in a cave. pakistan's ambassador to the u.s. disputes that interpretation. he spoke earlier on cnn's american morning. >> personalities in guantanamo were arrested by pakistani authorities in cooperation with the united states. we are very glad that our american partners did. they had superior intelligence, technology, and we are grateful to them and for god for having given us this opportunity to bring this chapter to an end.

>> nick, this potentially very embarrassing for pakistani officials at least. >> reporter: well,ic if it were proven that pakistani military intelligence officials knew bin laden was here for a long time and were sheltering him, that would be hugely significant. there is to indication of that at the moment. very early this morning, one source was quick to say that pakistani intelligence operatives have been on the ground during the american operation. that was denied by u.s. officials and subsequently then said that was not the case. but pakistanis are clear here the same source provided some of the raw data, the phone intercepts which may have allowed the americans to drill down and find this particular compound and importantly the courier who they say was coming back and forth from the compound and perhaps gave bin laden away. but certainly the issue of trust has been vital here for months and reached really its worst low of quite some time only last

month, frankly, with the pakistani military demanding that america curtail its drone strike and really a sense that both sides were not seeing eye to eye, were not the allies they claimed to be and frankly had stopped communicating and cooperating. so the idea of today's strike being unilateral operation which the pakistanis did not know about until it was over does make some sense. >> at the very least, it would be embarrassing that the pakistani intelligence would not know that osama bin laden was living so near a military base. >> reporter: that's rue. and i think also you have to bear in mind not standing up for the pakistanis entirely here, but this is a busy military town. if bin laden never left his compound, it's possible nobody could have known, but, yes, they pride themselves at being very pervasive. so an awful lot of questions. but pakistani officials very

keen it point out they're allies and one source saying they provided the raw data that led this operation to bin laden. >> all right, nick, the truth will bear out as we deal with the facts. thanks. ooh, a brainteaser. how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these:

unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. shorts! tanktops! [ female announcer ] grab a box of multigrain cheerios. get a code to... ...a 7 day plan to get going on your summer weight loss. get the box. get the code. get started!

one of 9 first strikes in this regard on terror began many say ten years ago when uniteded flight 93 was forced in to

ground by passengers. that is the fourth plane that did not reach its target on 9/11.that is the fourth plan did not reach its target on 9/11.ground by passengers. that is the fourth plane that did not reach its target on 9/11. instead it hit the field in shanksville, pennsylvania where they're building a permanent memorial. jim acosta is there today. i imagine people are visiting there today with varying feelings about what happened to bin laden over this it weweeken. >> reporter: that's right. it's a mixed bag of feelings before people streaming into this site here at shanksville to remember the lives lost on night 93 as you mentioned. were it not for the passengers and crew aboard that aircraft, the 9/11 commission concluded that it would have perhaps hit the u.s. capitol in washington, d.c. instead it hit this ground here. so we've seen people streaming in to this site which is now a national park service site all morning long. not only expressing their feelings for the victims of september 11th, but also to express a lot of relief that

osama bin laden is now dead. and i talked to one woman who could not help but be brought to tears by the memory of the people who lost their lives here. >> those brave people, i can't imagine what that must have been hike being in the back of that plane. and the fact that they knew what they had to do to save another catastrophe from happening. and i just-will-i don't know. i just don't have words. >> ten years later, it still brings tears to your eyes? absolutely. >> reporter: and she's not the only one who had tears if her eyes this morning. we've seen families bringing their children, people praying at this site, leaving messages and flowers and flags. this will be going on all day long. the national park service expects to exceed the normal number of people who come to this site every day and we should mention it's going to be a permanent national park service memorial, the first session of will this site opening up on september 11th,

the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. >> jim acosta, thank you so much, jim. these are the celebrations that erupted outside the white house and ground zero as president obama announced osama bin laden had been killed which brings us to today's talk back question and carol costello. >> simple today, what does osama bin laden's death means for you, this from art, i lost two friends on nim. the death won't bring them back you, but it gives me a tremendous feeling of relief. lauren says all the hard work my husband has done finally has some piece of justice and victory. it from peter, it means george bush can take that big mission accomplished banner out of his closet. it's finally correct. and this from jennifer, it tells us what obama meant when he said this way more important issues than dealing with trump's silliness over his birth certificate.

and this from kim. on our drive to school this morning, i asked my daughter this question. for your whole life, we've been liking for osama bin laden. does anything feel different to you now that he's been found and killed? she told me that she felt relief. me, too, sweetie. me, too. keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn. and thank you so much for your comments. a lot of them were quite moving. brought tears to my eyes. >> that last one was pretty good. thanks a lot. the tweets continue, the answers continue and so does the news in just a few minutes how with randi kaye. she'll be live from ground zero. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough.

that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. oh! [ both slurping ] ♪ [ female announcer ] the irresistible taste of cinnamon toast crunch. crave those crazy squares. mom! mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. we know diamonds. together we'll make this mother's day

one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you.