couple of points. and, you know, the problem is that, if we -- it is not me -- it leads to the areas that -- [ cell phone ringing ] that would limit the capacity to do this operation in the future and that would be a grave error. >> let me follow up on something you said that we would get. on tb vincent, was there a pathologist who would have made a complete record, and would there have been a written record of the navy burial of sea and could we sgretget a copy? >> well, the question, i'm addressing is the president's release of video and photographs, and the decision not to release that is due to the image and images and the potential harm that could cause by releasing those. >> could you go and ask?

>> yeah, and i will ask, but again, there is no point in trying to tease out all of these details about an operation that we have provided a great number of details on, and which, again, is the kind of operation that elements of which need to be protected for obvious reasons. >> jay, can you say that with certainty that bin laden's hideout would have been found without the enhanced interrogation techniques that were done under the bush administration? >> i can say with certainty that no single piece of information with the exception of the address of the compound was vital to this was singularly vital to this, because we are talking about tiny bits of information that were compiled by competent professionals over 9 1/2 year, and it is impossible to know if one piece of information came from one source

and corroborated in another way, and if, you know, which thread held the cloth together with the exception of the location over the compound, and i would simply note that has only been in existence for five or six years. so my -- and ask i finish answering his question. that would be great. the fact is that information was gathered from the detainees and we have multiple ways of gathering information, from the detainees from dif method analysts and putting the information together to create a body of work that led to the finding of the location where osama bin laden was hiding. >> it sounds to me like the very least of what you are saying is that the interrogation techniques cannot be ruled out as a critical and necessary

piece to have found bin laden. is that correct? it is possible, but -- >> i am saying that there is no single piece of foiinformation beyond the location of the compound that osama bin laden was hiding out that was incontrovertibly critical to the success of this operation on sunday. now, i can't categorically rule out that one piece of information, because we don't know. we are missing this sort of bigger picture here which is that the incredibly hard and focused work of our intelligence community and intelligent professionals who don't get credit, because they are so often that we can't name them and identify them, and stand them up and celebrate them led to this success. and thenb joint intel ic cooperation led to the success on sunday, and that is a testament to the focus,

determination of the american people to do what we said we would do. after 9/11, right up to sunday, which is that we were going to bring osama bin laden to justice, and we would keep looking for him and find him and bring him to justice, and that is what we did. yes, christy. >> at that point, you used, and the president used that in the transcript that you read from at the top of the briefing that osama bin laden had received justice. is that what the s.e.a.l.s wen b inin to do is to deliver justice or take custody? >> i went through a whole litany of what the assignment was -- >> well, it is an important message though, and this is how it is perceived around the world. >> yes, and if he had surrendered and we could have done that, brought him into custody safely, then that would have been bringing him to justice as well, but he was brought to justice on sunday, and i don't think that -- i

think it is entirely appropriate that given the circumstances that he was brought to justice in the way that he was that the professionals on the ground made, you know, put themselves at great risk and accomplished the mission. yes? >> you just said that we are not done going after terrorists. the pakistani government said in a statement that sunday's raid was an unauthorized unilateral action and how would that statement affect any future special operations that might take place for another person believed to be, you know, involved with al qaeda? >> we have a complicated, but vital and important relationship with pakistan. we don't agree on everything, but their cooperation has been essential in the fight against al qaeda. we continue to work on that relationship and seek that cooperation and receive it.

we will continue to seek and find and bring to justice terrorists who are plotting to harm americans and our allies. >> would you use the same method, and the same methods that were used on sunday even after? >> well, it is a hypothetical, but certainly that method was very effective and was entirely lawful and as i said before, i would not want to preclude that method from anything that i might say here. >> different subject, jay. >> yes. >> and in the meeting with the prince of wales this afternoon, will the president express any interest in meeting prince william and kate middleton on his visit to the uk later this month? >> i don't know. i honestly don't know. he might. >> he said yesterday that he would congratulate them -- >> i am sure he will

congratulate prince charles, but beyond that, i just can't predict. stein. >> so, just for the that question, are you saying that the u.s. reserves the right to, as the president said back in the campaign, that if pakistan will not act against terror suspects to go and ill filtrate pakistani t pakista pakistani territory and act against them? >> yes, he made clear in the campaign that was his view. he was criticized for that, and he maintained that that was his view, and by the actions he has taken as president, feels that it was the right approach, and continues to feel that way. >> why is the president concerned about incitement from the photographs if indeed bin laden was in fact the charles manson of the muslim world, and you paint him not as a muslim and he is described as an

extremist. >> i described him not as a muslim leader. >> and yet, you say that showing his dead body will incite -- >> we have no need to publish those photographs to establish that osama bin laden was killed, and it is not in the president's view necessary or prudent to do that, because of the possible inflammatory nature of those photographs. >> why is it inflammatory if he is -- >> well, there is a long history of images like that being used to rally opinion against people to turn the people in those photographs into heroes, and we are not interested in doing that. and we are also as americans not interested as the president said in trotting around photographs as trophies. that is not who we are. so, we won't do it. >> and some muslims have told me they would like to see the photographs. >> well, that is not who we are. >> and i think that i have answered the question. yes. >> and regarding a historical agreement between hamas and in

egypt, prime minister netanyahu called it a blow to peace and great victory for terrorism. what's the president think of this statement? to agree with netanyahu? >> we understand that fatah and hamas have reached a reconciliation agreement, and what is important now is that the palestinians ensure implementation of the agreement and that the implementation advances the prospects of peace rather than undermines the prospects. we are continuing to seek details and more about the nature of the agreement, and consulting with the parties about these very issues. i refer you to the palestinians on details of the agreement, because we are still seeking them ourselves. >> many people think without solving the palestine issue the terrorist activities will not disappear in that region. do you agree? >> we agree that it is imperative for the parties

involved to sit down and negotiate a lasting peace. the president believes that and has made that clear. >> and just a different question. the electric company sony was never authorized outsiders and they were that more than one -- all right. they have officially switched gears and we will as well here. welcome to "cnn newsroom." i'm brooke baldwin. you have been listening to jay carney briefing the members of the media for the past hour because of the big decision that we have learned coming out of the white house this afternoon, and the headline, they will not release the photos showing osama bin laden dead even though the public seems fairly anxious to see them and even though the head of the cia leon panetta said he thought that a photograph would be released. we will replay this. this is what jay carney, the white house press secretary, said a moment ago.

>> we have discussed this internally, and keep in mind that we are absolutely certain this is him. we have is done dna sampling and testing, and so there is no doubt that we killed osama bin laden. it is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool. that's not who we are. we don't trot out this stuff as trophies. and now carney went on to quote the president as saying that there is no need to spike the football. that is not who we are. before we get to the reporters, some pictures here from overseas. this is is from pakistan, and an american flag burned at a demonstration, and this was tuesday. take a look at this. this is another image from pakistan, and massive demonstration there in support, in support of the dead bin laden. now, the reaction we have seen thus far has been relatively muted and u.s. officials do not apparently to get things of

course getting out of hand, and potentially endangering americans here at home and abroad. dan lothian is at the white house for me this afternoon. dan, not in our national security interest, and according to carney and the president to make these photos public and quoting the president, this is not who we are, so dan, my question, was there ever a time when the president considered releasing one of these photos? >> you know, that is a good question, and in fact, jay carney was asked that at a briefing this afternoon and he said that from what he had seen, that the president was solid in his decision at least as of yesterday, but formally making that call sometime this morning. jay carney saying he was in the room. and again, at the very foundation of this decision is this administration believing that it was not the national security interests of this country for these photos of osama bin laden dead to be released. there was a lot of pressure on this white house and certainly as we have been reporting over the last few days, there is a

sort of internal deliberation as to whether or not it should be done. and i asked jay carney if it was the majority opinion of those advising the president that the pictures should not be released, and he said yes shg. we do know that the cia director leon panetta had been public about suggesting that the pictures would be released, but again, most of those around the president advising him according to jay carney were telling him that the photos should not be released. >> let me jump in, because you mentioned pa net tashgs anettap juxtaposing the news that we heard from him last night indicated to the public that a picture would be released. >> this is a portion from leon panetta just last night. >> i don't think that there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public. obviously, i have seen those photographs. we have analyzed them. there is no question that it is bin laden. >>er were y

>>erer were you debating how the release of a photo would go over given the gruesomene nesness ve the need of people all over the world to demand proof of death. >> there is no question that there were concerns and questions that had to be debated about just exactly what kind of impact would these photos have, but the bottom line is that, you know, we got bin laden, and i think that we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him. >> so, dan, given what we just heard there, and i know that our team at the white house has been doing some reporting and according to a democratic source, the president's inner circle none too pleased with panetta, and i'm quoting the source, i'm in charge here moments, and so what can you add, dan, of how that evolved today, and did panetta change his mind? >> well, it is unclear whether panetta changed his mind, because the president makes the call here, and as jay carney

pointed out that the reason that the president has the advisers around him is that he wants to hear from all of them and he does not want everybody to jump on board with his decision, and he will ultimately make that call, but he does want to hear dissidenting opinions, but in the end the president believed it would not be in the best interest of the country, and also i should point out that while there have been a lot of reports out there about concerns that this may or may not be osama bin laden, and we have seen that out on the internet and people on the streets from our reporting, and reporters overseas in pakistan who don't believe that osama bin laden was killed by the united states, this white house did not believe that that voice was loud or compelling enough to where they needed to trot out the photo as evidence. and also, there was a thinking that even if you put the evidence out there and show the photos that there were doubters who will not necessarily be convinced. >> yes, the president said no need to trot out this stuff like trophies. thank you, dan lothian, for the big reaction of the big decision

from the white house. i want to move from the white house to capitol hill, because many, many members of congress are talking and reacting to the news that the president has decided not to release the pictures of a deceased osama bin laden. let's go to dana bash because she and her team have been talking to members of the house and the senate side, and dana, what is the reaction? are most people in support of the president's decision? >> well, it is interesting, because you mentioned that leading up to this edecision, or team has been talking to members of both the chouse and the senate, and for those who did not want it to be released, obviously, happy, but there were several members of congress, again, in both parties who said they wanted the photos to be released released. we talked to peter king, who is the homeland security chairman, and another senator who said they should be be released. here is what he is saying now, i understand the president's decision and i will not oppose

it, and while i have said that releasing a photo will combat the conspiracy decisions about bin laden's death, and this is the decision of the president to make, and i respect it. so that is one way, and not everybody is reacting the same way that peter king is. duncan hunter is somebody who is from california and served tours in afghanistan and iraq, and here is what he told our congressional producer, deirdre walsh. i'm not talking about a member of the services committee, but as a marine who did three tours because of 9/11, and as americans we deserve to see them. there you see the two points. >> and also, you have two major republicans, senator hatch and mccain, both coming out to say we will follow whatever the president decides and support him 100%, so this tell ms. e that it did not fall on the party lines, but personal for the members of congress? >> it was, and i will tell you that for the most part even those senior members of congress

who said they wanted the photos to be released or didn't they ultimately said they would support what the president did. but these photos are floating around, if you will. we have talked to three united states' senators who say they have seen them, and one is senator saxby chambliss who is on the intelligence committee, and we have not heard what he thinks about the president's decision, but he says of the photos, it is what you expect to see for somebody who is shot in the head, and they are not pretty, but even though he said his concern, and we have heard this from others that even if you don't release them formally, because they will get out and those are the times we live in, so why not do it in a formal way, and that is what we heard from other members of congress and actually two other senators who said they had seen these photographs. >> dana bash, live on capitol hill. dana, what a day. thank you so much. i do want to take you quickly here and listen in for a moment with the president of the united

states speaking at the white house, and this is part of the -- he is speak about a number of troops who have been wounded. let's listen. >> i was proud to kick off this soldier ride two years ago. i'm just as thrilled to be kicking it off today. i'm pleased that we are joined by a number of members of congress here and the sun is coming out just as we start. we are also joined by the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and one of my top advisers over the last several years, and i could not be more grateful to him, general jim "hoss" ca cartwright and please give him a big round of applause. this is one of the most inspiring events that we do at the white house. we are joined by folks from every service. we have army. we have got -- [ applause ] we have got some navy folks. [ applause ] we have air force.

[ applause ] and you know we have some marines. [ applause ] and we have some coast guard. [ applause ] and just as importantly, we are joined by those who serve and sacrifice alongside you and that is all of the outstanding military families. [ applause ] now, you have all got your gear on? you are on the bikes and looking pretty sharp. thank you. you are ready to go, so i won't hold you back too long here with a long speech, but it is important to remember what this day is about. today's a reminder, as michelle and joe biden have already said that every american, every single person in the country can do something to support the troops and the families and everybody can do something. and so seven years ago a bartender from long islanded that same idea. he was not from a military

family, and he had never served in the military, but he knew that he owed our military something. he is just an ordinary american who was grateful for the service of all of those who wear the uniform. and he said, i just wanted to give something back. so he jumped on his bike and rode across the country, over 5,000 miles to raise funds and awareness for the wounded warriors. today, there are soldier rides all across america. giving our wounded warriors the confidence and support they need to recover. that is the difference a single person can make. today, we want to thank chris carney and everyone from the wounded warrior project for reminding us of our obligations to each other as americans. give them a big round of applause. and today is a tribute to all of you, a generation that has written your own extraordinary chapter in the american story.

our nation has been at war now for nearly ten years. tour after tour, year after year, you have done your duty. you have met every challenge from the deserts of iraq to the mountains of afghanistan. you have risked everything. you have carried in your hearts the memory of fallen heros who gave everything. you have earned your place among the greatest generation of americans. we saw that again this past weekend when thanks to the courage and precision of our forces the terrorists who started this war and who took so many innocent lives learned that america does not forget. america will ensure that justice is done. [ applause ] of course, for the riders here today, coming home from war marked the beginning of another at battle. the battle to recover and to stand again and to walk again

and to relearn in some cases the simple things that are the true pleasures of life, dancing with your spouse or holding your children. and in many ways, this might have been the toughest battle they have ever fought. but i want all of you to know something, you inspire me. you inspire everybody here. michelle and i treasure the moments we have had with some of you and your families. corporal nicolas eddinger is here. where is nicolas? right there, right in the middle. he was one of the special guests when michelle and i hosted a special dinner for military leaders at the white house. he was serving in afghanistan when an ied blast cost hmm one of his legs, but he is here today as part of his journey to recovery, and i want to just welcome nicolas back. private first class cory kent. where is cory? he is right there. i met cory in one of my visits

to walter reed last year and it was my honor the pin a purple heart on him. he lost both legs, but working hard to recover and he is leer today ready to ride. cory, you are an inspiration. ted wade is here. right there. after sustaining multiple injuries in iraq, ted's docker or thes did not think he would survive. he persevered and he pulled through, and i was honored that ted and his wife sarah joined me last year when i signed legislation for veterans and caregivers. i'm pleased that ted and sarah are back with us today because i can report that starting next week our veterans and wounded warriors and caregivers are start applying for the support that you need and deserve. we will get this done, and we are very proud of that. [ applause ] as sarah once said of ted, just like he needed a team in the

military to accomplish the mission, he needs a team at home for the longer war. i say to all of you here today that we will continue to build the team that you need for recovery. we will take care of you as well as you have taken care of us. for all of the riders here today, i want to say as your commander in chief, and as an american, thank you. we are grateful for you. you represent the very best in america. and in your fight to recover and the ride you are about to begin, we see the values and the virtues that make our country great. we make take a hit. we may endure great loss, but we are a strong and resilient people. we push on and we persevere and we are confident in the cause, and we know that like generations of americans before us, we will emerge stronger than before. god bless you. god bless the united states of america, and with that, let's

get this thing started. i think i have a horn. all right. y'all ready? you look ready. one, two, three! [ horn ] ♪ and there they went a smiling president obama. this is a fantastic project. it is part of the wounded soldier project, and part of the wounded soldier project, and you saw them leaving the white house

and essentially an opportunity for the president to pay tribute to the wounded warriors and the president and we as american, it is an opportunity for these guys and gals to get together and those who have been injured during war to be together and to show the rest of us that they are doing well, and they are recovering and i will tell you my hat is off to them. that was fantastic to be able to share that picture with you from the white house. what a day from the white house speaking of. stay with us, because coming up next, i want to speak with a democratic congressman, a muslim who disagrees with the president's decision not to release osama bin laden's picture. here he is. he is standing by, live on capitol hill. and hello to you, sir. we will be speaking on the other side of the break and he will tell me why next. but what did he say? 42 wild italians. huh? it's a cruise for plus-size individuals. it's a commercial. that's all. i'm pretty sure he said the chevy cruze eco -- a commercial for eagle? eagles? no eco, eco, eco!

it's "the chevy cruze eco gets up to 42 miles per gallon." who asked you? [ male announcer ] the amazingly fuel-efficient chevy cruze eco. turn up the volume! 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.

>> so, should the u.s. have released the bin laden photos? many in congress disagree with president obama's decision including democrat from indiana andrew carson. and congressman, why do you believe that the photo should have been released? >> well, it is a delicate thing. let me first commend and salute our president for his tremendous and bold leadership as well as our military and the intelligence community. i think that it is a delicate balancing act number one, and releasing the photos would bring a great deal of closure not only to americans, but to folks worldwide that osama bin laden is dead. on the other hand, releasing the photo could exacerbate existing tensions that are already out there, and incite others to cause harm to americans and folks worldwide. so he has to walk a tight rope and i respect the leadership, but he is bold and we are proud

of him. >> but i was told, congressman, that you believe that the president should have released the photos and why? >> i i said that the president has a right to release the photo, but it is an executive decision. i trust his leadership and trust his judgment. if he does not want to release the photos, that is fine, but again, it could bring a great deal of closure to folks who need closure and to those of us who have bought into the mythology of osama bin laden. he is certain ll lly can pose a threat, and it could increase the anti-american rhetoric across the globe. >> have you had a chance to speak to any other muslim american, and do they agree with the president's decision or do they sort of seek a sense of closure as well? >> i think that, you know, the muslims that i have spoken to, the feeling is mixed and some would love the photos to be released as closure and others don't think it is necessary,

because they, too, are concerned about the extremist elements out there and the elements who claim to represent islam. >> congressman carson, thank you so much. and president obama are's decision is a shock to some, and who helped to persuade the president if anyone at all, and who could have changed the decision? eye allergy symptoms.worst it goes right where you need it, relieving allergy eyes in minutes. get visine-a. the most complete allergy eye drop.

back to the breaking story today and the fact that the president has decided not the share photos of a dead osama bin laden. i want to bring in our senior political analyst gloria borger and i know you have fantastic sources you have been working

with here in washington, and you got a hint of this news yesterday. what were you told? >> i did. i did. you know, i was speaking with a senior white house official, and it was very clear to me that this senior official was completely opposed to the releasing of any of these photographs. he said to me, look, and this is a quote, we have the dna, the facials, the wife, and measurements. there is no real issue that he didn't get killed. then he went on to say, so what's the point really of releasing this? he started to talk about how we live in a reality tv world, and he said, if the point is just to have some shock value here, why do it? then he also went on to say, wasn't the president alone making the decision, but it would be decided also with his national security team, and that means the secretary of defense, the national security adviser and the secretary of state. so, i could see the way this was sort of trending, although, of course, you could not be sure,

because it is the president of the united states who makes the final call on this. >> right, right. >> but to hear that yesterday was kind of interesting. >> and you know, when we heard from jay carney, he said, yes, there was a pro/con discussion had within the administration and you mentioned sol of the individuals and the picture that we saw from sunday in the situation room, and members of the cabinet, i imagine are some of the folks he would have consulted. do we have any one particular voice that he listened to more than another? >> no, i think it is interesting that this is a president who lis tones a lot of people, and then goes home at night and decides and tells you what he is thinking. >> sleeps on it? >> well, i think that the arguments that were being made that were the really important arguments that were obviously the doubts out there, and do you have to -- because you went to all of the trouble of not dropping a bomb from a drone on this, and we have all of this evidence, and let the doubters understand that osama bin laden is dead.

on the other hand, also, there is a question of is, and i think that dana bash mentioned this earlier, if this leaks somehow, don't forget that people have been shown these photographs and did someone take a picture of them, who knows? you want to be able to control this story, and you don't want the photographs to come out and then you have to kind of catch up with it. so, it was an issue of can we actually control this? and then perhaps the white house, i think has another way, and maybe they will release some dna ed. i mean, you don't have to actually look at the photographs to know that this is osama bin laden. >> yeah, but, you and i are not biologists and if somebody shows me a piece of dna and says this is osama bin laden's dna, i mean, but if you show me a picture, that is two different issues? >> well, that is right, but don't forget that we live in an age in which pictures can be altered. >> of course, of course. >> and anybody can photoshop it, and you could show the picture

of him, and somebody could say, well, that is obviously photo shopped and that is clearly not osama bin laden, right. >> well, gloria, tell me if there is something to read into this, the whole leon panetta angle and this is when he was on with brian williams when he says that there is no doubt that a photo will be released, but he is head of the cia, but pending confirmation, he will be the head of the d.o.d. and could it be difficulty that he lands on one side and the president another? >> well, i don't know definitively, but you could say listening to that, that he is od there is ultimately that the photograph would be released. it is part of a historical record one would presume, so i don't know that somewhere down the road when it is less likely to inflame some people. >> perhaps under a different

administration? >> we, who knows, we just don't know. at this point, it is very hard to say, but it is very clear where this president comes down on it. he thought that that it would be gloating and used the word trophy, as he pointed out, and that is not who he is and not what we want to be. >> he is the one who made the call, and he made the call. gloria borger, nthank you as always. >> the cia and justice and other intelligence agencies and other law enforcement agencies are contributing people and machines to go through that material. >> so was osama bin laden planning attacks from that big massive compound? time is critical as the investigators are parsing through translating what they are getting from the hard drives and the dvds and computers that all of the navy s.e.a.l.s found, and we are getting hints and the information is very, very significant, and back with that.

i want to turn now to the apparent treasure trove of evidence seized during the raid that killed osama bin laden. these computer files and thumb drives and other data are giving us useful information today which is what we gleamed from home la homeland director jeanet jeanet paul toe -- janet napolitannapo

>> i understand that whatever is being shared from this treasure tro trove is being shared with your department already? >> it is being shared. >> and that is jeanne meserve, the homeland security correspondent, and do we know where the material is a, being analyzed, and b, talk to me about the sense of urgency here? >> well, they are aggressive in the initial analysis which is contributed to by different law enforcement and intelligent agencies across government and all of them bringing whatever resources they can to the matter which has considerable urgency, and if there is anything about impending plots, they want to disrupt them or names in there, they want to roll those people up. the attorney general was asked about the material today up on capitol hill, and here is a bit of what he had to say. >> material that was seized from that residence is being reviewed by intraagency team, cia, justice, other intelligence agencies and other law

enforcement agencies are contributing people and machines to go through the material as we glean information from the material we will make appropriate decisions as to who might be added to the terror list and the no-fly list -- >> you suspect that you will be adding people? >> my guess is that we probably will. >> i have asked government officials throughout if they have found any specific threat information na thein there, and sat that point in time no specific threat to u.s. or u.s. interests overseas. >> and back to the treasure trove, and senator finestein says that the information is substantial, and that is nebulous, but do we know anything beyond that? >> we, my source told me that the collection will yield valuable intelligence on al qaeda and the plans and intentions, and we expect to have insight into some of the

relationships inside of al qaeda, but the officials are not going beyond that, brooke. they don't want to compromise the intelligence, they want to use it. >> makes sense. jeanne meserve, thank you. now, watch this. >> our focus still has to be a government in afghanistan dotha does not host al qaeda and carry on. >> and it does not have a strategy that justifies 100,000 troops and $100 billion/year cost. >> those are just some, some of the views on capitol hill. so what do you think? should the u.s. maintain its presence in afghanistan now that osama bin laden is dead? we will tackle that topic next with retired army brigadier general. we're coming for what's ours. maybe you didn't hear. but dimes, nickels, even pennies have power now. because the volt charges for about a buck fifty a day. making most commutes gas-free for just a handful of change.

so we're taking it back. all of it. we have some driving to do. the 2011 chevrolet volt. it's more car than electric.

the white house suggesting that if the u.s. had released the pictures of osama bin laden, it could inflame terrorists and hurt american troops overseas. i want to bring in retired army brigadier general armet kimmette, and what do you make of the president's decision and do you support it?

>> i do. frankly, osama bin laden for years and years has been making videos and if he is still alive, you can be rest assure head is making another video right now, and if he is dead, there is no reason to appear triumphantless or sensationalless, because all it is going to do is to harm the already dicey relationship in the middle east. in this case, the president made the right decision. >> as a forr secretary of state, and retired army from a troop perspective on the ground in afghanistan, had this picture been released, what could have happened? what sort of violence could we have seen? >> well, again, i think that we need to be concerned in the wake of osama bin laden's killings that al qaeda, itself, is going to have to try to prove its legitimacy and try to demonstrate it is a viable organization. we have to be prepared, our military and diplomatic facil y

facilities and the travelers overseas have to realize that the risk in the naear term is higher, and if we had released the photos it would not be like the prophet muhammad cartoons where it incites the population to take retribution and revenge. >> i want to ask about the mission in afghanistan and the drawdown coming in july, and first, pakistan, we know that the mission sunday was strictly unilateral and u.s. commandos going in and killing bin laden and coming out, and now questions on the hill about isi and should we continue to fund the billions to pakistan, and where do you stand on that? some people say, hey, we should pull out, done. >> well, aside from the issue of whether pakistan had any

involvement in harboring and providing safe haven for osama, the fact remains that we are in pakistan, in the region and have a strategic national interest of having a relationship with pakistan. we do not want that government taken over by extremist elements. this is a nuclear armed country, and as president carter said, they have over 100 nukes and we don't want those to fall into the hands of radical extremists. it is a ground for terrorists, and we need to work with the government of pakistan. as the white house said yesterday, their security is our security, and this is no time for us to be pulling out that relationship? >> what about next door and with afghanistan and with bin laden's death, the pressure is mounting at the pentagon and starting in july they should be pulling out our men and women, and do you agree that there should be a fast massive troop withdrawal or not?

this massive troop withdrawal or not? >> i don't disagree that over time when the afghans are capable of taking on the responsibilities, we should hand that over and withdraw. my argument is not should we withdraw but the rate. it should be condition focused. when the afghans are ready to hand over the responsibilities themselves, we've got to hand them over as soon as we can hand them over. but the justification for the war in afghanistan was osama. osama is dead and now we can walk away, declare victory and get out, that mistake was made in the wake of the soviet withdrawal and we're back in, in many ways, to afghanistan because of that lack of support we gave afghanistan in the early '80s. >> i think one official was saying, look, we've run the ball so far but we cannot yet just walk off the field.

i wish i had more time with you, but i do not. but thank you so much. coming up here, we'll check in with nic robertson on the ground in abbottabad, pakistan and we'll find out what he is learning in and around that compound. stay here. e, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes.

and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

well take you back to our breaking story.

but quickly i want to pass this along. this is the big story out of missouri. the intentional breach in cairo, illinois, is causing pressure from the mississippi river but not enough. engineers are set to breach another river. they a levee. they are on the river today. take a look at that. more of the explosions. officials say water could still rise to record levels. hundreds of miles of farmland has been flooded. president obama invited former president george w. bush to ground zero has he heads there tomorrow but the former president declines. so what is behind his decision? wolf blitzer is standing by with that and more next. 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. 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.

and now let's go to wolf blitzer. wolf, a lot of us learned, we know that the president will be at ground zero tomorrow. he invited former president bush to be there and he politely declined, wantedi declined, wanting to stay out of the limelight? >> he really has kept that con sis stent see sense he left office. he will be in new york at ground zero with president obama on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in september.

but a spokesman for president bush said president bush will not be in attendance on thursday. he appreciated the invite but has chosen in his post presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. the spokesman for president bush adding he continues to celebrate with all americans this important victory in the war on terror. it's interesting, brooke, as you know, almost all of the top bush administration officials were deeply involved in the aftermath, the years following 9/11. they've warmly praised president obama for his decision, a very courageous decision, to send those navy s.e.a.l.s to abbottabad and go in there and kill bin laden. he's getting praised from all of them. they are praising the men and women of the military, the intelligence community. but it's across the board. the president will spend time up at ground zero tomorrow and will meet privately with some 9/11 families, which is certainly appropriate in the aftermath of

bin laden's death. we'll talk about this more at 5:00 p.m. representative peter king is our guest and he has strong views about what is going on. he disagrees with the president's decision not to release the death photos of bin laden. he also thinks that the enhanced interrogation techniques, waterboarding, played a direct role in the eventual killing of bin laden, although others strongly disagree with him on that. the deputy national security advisor to the president was on my show yesterday. he said it played no role in the enhanced interrogation techniques. we'll go into that as well. it's all good stuff, as you can imagine. >> of course it is. and it's interesting hearing from different members of congress as they were coming out of the panetta hearings. this is a question do you

believe the photos should be released? >> exactly. it cuts across the board. i guess it's a personal decision. those -- some people have actually seen the death photos of bin laden. he was shot before the eye. they have come out and said it would not be appropriate and those doubters, the haters of america, they think these photos were doctored or photoshopped in any case so it really doesn't make any difference. >> we'll look forward to the congressman king interview. thank you so much. now, at the top of the hour, a big decision out of the white house this afternoon. president obama officially saying he will not be releasing photos of a dead osama bin laden. he said moral and security concerns are behind his decision. this is actually through the white house spokesperson, jay carney. this is how we heard the details. this was at the white house briefing a couple of hours ago.

>> we discussed this internally. keep in mind, we are absolutely certain that this was him. we've done dna sampling and testing. so there is no doubt that we killed osama bin laden. it is important for us to make sure that very graphic tote toes of somebody shot in the head are not floating around and an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool. that is not who we are. we do not put these out as trophies. >> and the president's decision comes despite the public appetite, perhaps you want to see the photos and despite leon panetta saying last night that he believed the photos would be released. dan lothian, we learned from jay carney that the president made up his mind just this morning. and a lot of this had to do with concerns about national security interests in order to make she's public or not. the president saying that this is not who we are.

was there ever a point in time, dan lothian, where the president considered releasing a photo? >> reporter: well, that is such a good question. aides say as far as they know the president was always firm in his belief that there was no reason to release the photos. it's unclear, though, if in the early hours after osama bin laden had been killed and then it became clear that they had these photos if at any time the president did think that perhaps he would release those photos. what we do know, certainly, is that the president in the last few hours, as of yesterday, at least, was very firm in his belief that these photos should not be released. one of the things that the president did do was listen to those who were around him, his advisers, listening to dissenting opinion. there were some who believed that there was interest in releasing the photos but jay carney telling me that it was the majority opinion that the photos should not be released, brooke. >> what about the notion, dan, that one of these photos may

ultimately leak? is the white house at all worried about that and preparing for that? >> reporter: look, that had to be something that was part of these discussions taking place in private. because as you know in this high-tech world that we live in, it's very easy for these kinds of photographs to get circulated around, to get leaked out. certainly the white house is hanging on to those photos. but they have, according to sources up on the hill, been shown to lawmakers. so we can imagine that perhaps there is a possibility that the photos could be leaked out there. that was part of the discussion. nonetheless, the white house believing that there was no interest for this country and certainly it would be a negative impact to national security if those photos were released. >> dan lothian, live at the white house. thank you. let's go down the road to capitol hill. dana bash and her team have been gathering reaction from congress. just in the last hour we've spoken and you and your team have spoken to congress. what is the reaction that you're

hearing this hour? >> reporter: it's mixed just like it was mixed before the president made his decision. many members of congress so aptly -- it doesn't matter about the party, just their personal decision or the intelligence that they have been given. they have different points on whether this was or was not the right decision. some who thought that these photos should be released, like peter king, is also a member of congress from new york for whom that this is personal, originally he said that they should be released and now he says he respects the president's decision. others don't agree. for example, lindsay graham, this is what he said in part in a statement. oops, i just lost it. i know bin laden is dead but the best way to protect and defend our interests overseas is to prove that fact to the rest of the world. there's a little bit of a delay here.

pardon us. i'm afraid the decision made by president obama will unnecessarily prolong this debate. thank you for your patience. technology doesn't always work. but you get the gist, he thinks that it's the wrong thing to do. other members have said the same thing. a mix. >> the white house and certainly part of the discussion, the pros and cons with regard to the president, that there would be members of congress concerned that these pictures will still leak any way, dana bash. >> reporter: they are. those who said that they believed that these photos should be released. saxby told our producers that he believes that this is -- there's no way that this is not going to leak out. why not control it. on the other hand, i was just riding the subway with another republican senator, the subway that goes under the capitol, who said that he thinks it's the absolutely right decision.

whether it leaks out or not, the united states made the right decision. what he knows, as far as it's classified there's no way it is not accurate and he's very comfortable with not releasing these photos because he believes that it is true. >> dana bash, thank you. and another piece of this is the director of cia, leon panetta, said last night that he thought the pictures would be released. so in the course of 12 hours, what happened? why wasn't panetta on the same page as president obama? that's next.

out of washington, big, big news. president obama's decision not to show pictures showing a dead osama bin laden. they released a photo after an operation in iraq and two deceased hussein sons. given all of that, i want to continue the conversation with jessica yellin. given some of the photos that we've seen from different administrations, why is the obama white house more concerned about releasing this particular one? >> i make three points. one is two different administrations had very different orientations to the side of things in terms of their posture and their war on terror and image abroad. also, the zakari photoed looked

like he was sleepinging. the osama photo is quite gory, an open head wound above the eyes. and then bin laden is the leader of the movement. it could have have had an inciting event and why is it necessary. >> but there's also a bit of change if you look to the evolution of the story, initially releasing a great deal of information to now fewer and fewer bits of information is coming out. why is that, do you think? >> you know, it's their natural inclination to withhold as much as possible. and part of the problem was, when they've come out and been wrong in operational details, as john brennan was yesterday and

they are rushing to tell everybody and you get something wrong, when you correct it, it raises potentially more doubts and more confusion and questions. so what's the point. and then at there are some who feel that they should be sharing more. why not? it's a wonderful accomplishment, et cetera. but the general view of the white house is, said enough and the american public nose what has happened and we don't have to share more details than is necessary. >> and i spoke with dana bash on the hill. it's sort of differing opinion. but for most members of congress, respect the president's decision and you've talked to a lot of people in d.c. what do your people tell you? do they support the president? >> one thing that we have outside of d.c., we've asked the american public and our cnn poll shows that 56% of the american public wants the photo released. this was taken before the president's decision, not in the last hour, but that's the general view of the public. i've also been asking around for

potential republican rivals in the political world. the only person who has weighed in is sarah palin. she strongly disagrees. she has tweeted, not surprisingly, that we should not be "pussy footing around, it's part of the mission." >> jessica yellin, thank you so much. now watch what is coming up next. >> the bond between the u.s. and pakistan at a cross roads. >> you can't be coming to congress and ask for $3 billion. >> as congress asks whether we can even trust the pakistanis. is the risk bigger now of al qaeda getting them? also, new fears pakistan is harboring some of the world's most wanted terrorists. plus, we're learning what navy s.e.a.l.s found on bin laden's body.

apparently the 9/11 mastermind was ready to run. and the top secret mission may not have been so top secret at all. who else knew about the battle for bin laden and why the vice president is so surprised. >> not a single, solitary name leaked. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

unlike fish oil, megared softgels are small and easy to swallow with no fishy smell or aftertaste. try megared today.

okay. back to our big story. president obama deciding not to show any photos of the dead osama bin laden. these are some of the scenes that we've been seeing in pakistan since his killing. so far it's been relatively muted but i want to check in with nic robertson who is in abbottabad outside of the area where the raid occurred. from what you have seen and heard on the ground, do the administration's concerns about potential risks and reaction with regard to national security overseas, do they seem justified? >>. >> reporter: i think there is always going to be a certain

part of the population that is not going to believe what they heard from the president or the united states. 4 to 500 lawyers came out to protest against the whole raid on the compound. they say it's an entire fabrication of the government to improve president obama's poll ratings and their own politicians to improve their political position. they say the only thing that will convince them is if somebody chose a photograph and they were saying this before president obama announced that he was going to reveal those very sensitive images. now, is that a constituency that president obama is concerned about? are these lawyers and people that follow them intellectuals and they will sort of perhaps be part of a trend in the community here? will they represent a threat to

the united states's security? perhaps not in the bigger picture. so president obama is choosing not to win them over. there will be some that will not buy into this either but that's perhaps not going to make a difference. but it would be an important issue. >> what about with regard to the protests? they are a bit muted. are you surprised at all with regard to the united states that it hasn't been bigger? >> you know, there's a remarkable number of people that have been affected by bin laden. they really want this country to

move forward. it's really about time. let's try to stop creating divisions between the united states and pakistan. let's improve everyone's life. they know the united states has a lot to help pakistan with. there is much here that people want to see progress in the relationship with the united states. >> let's talk about the compound. you've been there for a couple of days now and we talked about people saying that they were gold merchants and you saw how tall the walls were, up to 18 feet. what more have you seen and learned there today, nic? >> well, we took a look around

and to try to answer that question, bin laden was living so close to the main military academy. how come the army did not notice. we took a look at the route from the academy to the compound. this is pakistan's famous military academy. they've got a great big tank right outside of it and it's famous because this is where all of pakistan's army officers come to get trained and it's literally about half a mile to a mile from where bin laden is living. we're going to take a look at how far away it was and how to get there. it's straight down this road, you'll see the route is long and straight towards the mountains, plenty of soldiers around here. it's equivalent, if you'd like, like west point in the united states. it's absolutely famous throughout pakistan. further up the road here, we've got a problem. because where we were able to drive up the road yesterday and then take the back streets to get across to bin laden's

compound, today the police are up there. they have a checkpoint and they won't let us get through. so we are going to have to park and dive down, take a walk down some of these outlets. but this is about a kilometer, just over half a mile from that military academy. it's quite an affluent area. there's another house being built, quite posh looking, kind of the average he. gold along the railings and then just painting the walls. this is an up and coming town. people say that it's expanding quite rapidly. an ideal place for bin laden to move into unnoticed. if it wasn't for the police checkpoint we wouldn't have to go across the river but this seems to be the only way to get to bin laden's compound. he made it easy. i'm not sure that i will. some are a bit wobbly. we're about a mile from the

military academy now, in the farm lands, the fields, cabbages over here, cows grazing over here. to the center of the town. more houses are there. this one is almost as tall as win laden's. this one over here, it's quite large. it's not as high but it has the ba barbed wire. it was probably twice that height and had the barbed wire at the top. this is about as close as we will get. it's about 500 miles that way. army checkpoint over there, police are coming down here. we're not going to be able to go any further forward. how come he was able to live here and get away with it and intelligence services did not pick up on them sooner, that's

going to be a lingering question and i have no indication that we will get an answer to it any time soon. the intelligence service has said so far that they didn't know anything is an embarrassment but insist it wasn't because they were not looking or inend. it's just that they missed it. >> president zardari saying that it's muir speculation that they were at all involved. nic robertson, thank you from abbottabad. and now this. other law enforcement agencies are contributing people and machines to go through that material. >> so we just saw the compound. was bin laden planning attacks from within the compound walls? there's an urgent rush to investigate everything those navy s.e.a.l.s found. and we're getting information that is very significant. we'll get to that next. plus, we are also hearing what the navy s.e.a.l.s found on osama bin laden's body and it sure sounds like the terrorist

was getting ready to run somewhere. stay right here. 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. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with amazing innovation, driven by relentless competition, wireless puts the world at your command. ♪

thing under the gas cap, thing... do you even have a name? well, it doesn't matter. because it's about to change. there's a cheaper, cleaner way to fuel up now. the volt plugs into any socket, and fuels up at home. sure it could use gas, but for most commutes you won't need much, if any. so from now on, fuel tube... we'll just call you...plan b. the 2011 chevrolet volt. it's more car than electric.

just got more powerful. introducing precise pain relieving heat patch. it blocks pain signals for deep relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. 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. let's keep in mind that there is this urgent going on from within the compound. it's been described as a potential treasurer trove, the

effort to banish al qaeda. jean, what are you learning about what they found? >> well, they are not giving us any specifics but they are aggressively analyzing this information and according to one u.s. official, they have the sense at this point that the collection is going to lead with the officials yield -- what this official calls valuable information about al qaeda's plans and intentions. they think it will give them some hint as to the relationships within al qaeda. the attorney general, eric holder, is up on capitol hill here today. he said they would be making decisions on whether to add names to the watch list, no fly list. but i just spoke with the u.s. official who told me at this point in time, no names have been added. information that has been gleamed from this material is making its way to the department of homeland security and this morning the secretary of homeland security talked about some of the protective actions that her department has been

taking. let's take a listen. >> we are and have been reviewing all open cases of potential al qaeda core, aqap and operatives, possibly in the united states in conjunction with the fbi. we are basing this on incoming intelligence. we are continuing to strengthen our recurrent visa asylum and other benefit applicants and recipients in cooperation with the intel community. we are deploying additional officers to nonsecured areas and our large airports, so-called category x airports. and we are providing additional information to all air carriers. now, there is no estimate on how long it will take to fully analyze this material. we're told at this point there is no information about specific threats to the u.s. or u.s. abroad but clearly everyone in

government is well aware of the heightened risk of something happened as a retaliatory move and reaction to the death of sew aum ma bin laden. brooke? >> there are a few new nuggets with regard to the compound and what was found in his clothing. what was sewn in there? >> had he two phone numbers sewn into his clothing and also he had some money, $500, approximately, in euros, brooke. so apparently he was prepared. >> he was prepared to run. jeanne meserve, thank you. >> and there are questions about whether the information leading us to osama bin laden was caused by waterboarding. and also questions about whether it's legal. eric holder said it absolutely was legal. >> we shot a man in cold blood without giving him an opportunity to surrender and we

all think that was terrific. let's face reality. we're a bunch of hypocrites. and that's probably necessary when you live in a real world with the terrible people. you want to comply with the highest standards but you also want to achieve the ends. you can't do that. >> except for the rule of law that's always been our strong suit and for the last decade we've run from the law to avoid it. this is an opportunity to reset and get back on the right track with living in fear. >> so let me ask you a question. would you then have not authorized the shooting of osama bin laden if they found him unarmed and not resisting, which is apparently what really happened. would you have said we should not have shot him? that's the rule of law. >> i think you're making a huge assumption. there's a 40-minute fire fights. they've had suicide bombers, any number of acts. they have to pat him down is equally absurd. >> piers morgan tonight at 9:00 eastern. it has become a back and

forth over who knew what and when and clearly the u.s. is not exactly trusting the pakistani's to fighter ror. but here's what is being overlooked. pakistan has nuclear weapons and apparently some of the world's most wanted terrorists. so what happens if the u.s.-pakistan relationship fizzles? that is next. plus, breaking news. a train that has derailed causing a massive fire. more details on that. stay with us.

take a look at these live pictures. massive flames. this is portland, oregon, thanks to our affiliate at kgw. you can see one fire truck and water putting this thing out. it's a train derailment. this is u.s. 30 west off cornelius west road. two-alarm fire. you can see the lumber. perhaps that is sparking the whole thing. the wreck involves lumber or logs and an overturned tanker car. multiple crews from portland fire and several departments dispatched. evacuations are under way a half

mile around this train derailment. massive, massive plumes of smoke. two-alarm fire in portland, oregon. we'll keep our eye on this. as soon as we get information, we will pass it along. i want to get back to our big story this afternoon. the military operation that left osama bin laden dead is increasing the mistrust between pakistan and the u.s. several officials question the claim that pakistan did not know that bin laden was hiding close to the pma and the u.s. government is asking pakistan to explain who built and owned that compound where osama bin laden apparently lived and where we know he died. for pakistan's part, they are saying that the raid was unauthorized. pakistanis take to the street in anti-american protests.

watch. this was the scene playing out in a couple of different cities within pakistan. you saw american flags that have been burned. many of the protesters are carrying large pictures saying osama is a muslim hero. adding to this, perez musharraf says that the u.s. operation to kill bin laden violated pakistan's sovereignty. and now to this video here. this is missouri. what happened was, you see the woman being rescued out of the war? she's rescued just in the nick of time before the car is fully submerged under that rushing river. i'll speak to the guardsman that rescued her. plus, a woman's mum my fied body found in her home. it could be a former playboy playmate. that's next.

the news is unfolding. rapid fire. let's go. beginning in new zee hand, an i reporter captures this twister that rips through aukland. it's build shredding this building into pieces. >> it's coming in this direction, is it not? >> oh, holy crap.

>> i haven't seen anything like it. oh, my gosh. >> now to this one. a mummified body believed to be a body of a 1950s playboy female. she starred in the horror movie attacking a 50 foot woman. the last time anybody remembers seeing her was four months ago but the mummified body in her bedroom may have been there up to a year. they are using medical and dental records to confirm her i'd tie. if gas is not already costing $4 a gallon where you live, it probably will soon. $3.98. we are flirting with that $4 mark.

at least one industry analyst says it will hit $4 a gallon this week. at least 178 tornadoes hit the south last week making it the largest tornado outbreak in the u.s. history. even that number, 178 is expected to rise. alabama's governor says his state will pay clean-up costs for the next 30 days to jump-start recovery efforts. more than 20 tornadoes touched down in alabama killing 250 there. and they weren't there to be heroes but in '93, a missouri woman trapped by floodwater, that is exactly what these guys have become. take a look at this. the woman there pulled out of the car probably should have turned around when she saw the water. instead, this grandmother, 93, tried driving across this flooded highway in southeast missouri. so thank god for the national

guard. these troops become the lifeline, pull her out of the water. the video obviously capturing this whole thing. she is expected to be fine. one of the two national guardsman who came to her rescue is joining me by phone from missouri. i know you told one of our producers, you know, moments like this rescue is the reason you signed up to be in the national guard. sir, if you can take me back to tuesday morning, were you nearby when the call came in. >> actually, we were approximately about -- i would say five to six miles out. >> five to six miles out. the water is rushing. i mean, it's breath taking looking at thisre rescue. how were you able to get her to safety? >> well, first off, i was not alone. a sergeant -- >> are you the one helping her out of the car and he was in the

water or vice versa? >> i am the one helping her out of the car, yes, ma'am. >> forgive me for interrupting. continue. >> oh. the sergeant and i get a call from the butler county sheriff's department and we head out that way. and we notice that the car was on the embankment. well, the sergeant was already out there and i was looking up the winch cable. well, about that time, sergeant bridges was already out in the water assessing the dangers that her and the same time. >> of course you're putting yourself in harm's risk with the rushing water. out to save her life. was she saying anything to you at that point or was she just silently thankful that you were there? >> well, i can tell you right now when i got to her, the only

thing that i saw was an ear to ear grim on her face. i'm pretty sure she was happy to see us. >> have you spoken with her since? she's okay, right? >> yes, ma'am. we were just simply doing our job. >> doing your jobs. that's pretty awesome. saving a life. you did an amazing job. thank you so much for calling in. bravo. and coming up next, he is virtually synonymous with peace and co and compassion. did you hear what the dalai lama said? plus, the father of the first soldier who was killed, find out what he said on his facebook page. his emotional story. we'll share it next. osed to rea. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it's beach homes or it's starting a vineyard. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 come on ! tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just help me figure it out tdd# 1-800-345-2550 in a practical, let's-make- this-happen kind of way. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 a vineyard ?

schwab real life retirement services is personalized, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 practical help that's focused on making your retirement real. open an account today and talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 about setting up your one-on-one consultation. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 an accident doesn't have to slow you down. introducing better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model year newer, with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today,

and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

the father of the very first american killed is now speaking out about osama bin laden's death and the emotion is overwhelming. steve shares his story. >> reporter: when he first hit the ground in afghanistan, his goal was to catch osama bin laden. instead, he became the first american to die fighting. ten years later, his father

takes the news of bin laden's death with a sense of justice and loss. >> there is not a doubt in my mind that this would have been a day of victory, to know that he was caught and killed. >> mike span was a young father of three, an ex marine and cia officer killed november 2001 in a prison uprise. not long before he could be seen on video interrogating john walker lynn, the so-called american taliban. span was looking for any bit of information in those critical early days to get closer to bin laden. >> i really feel like mike always thought that osama bin laden was the cause and he was the cause. he was the leader of al qaeda. >> but johnny says that when he heard about bin laden's death, he did not celebrate. everything he had to say about bin laden was summed up on facebook. it's a great day.

that s.o.b. is dead. the next morning, he placed fresh flowers at his son's memorial in his home town city hall in alabama. over the last ten years, spann says his greatest concern wasn't whether he would one day be out of the picture. it was that people here might one day forget, forget the sacrifices that people like his son had to make. or perhaps worse he worries that americans will forget to be vigilant. >> for us to say, okay, the fight is over and throw up our hands and have a big party, that's not the way we feel because mike is still gone. there is still an empty seat at the table. >> reporter: david mattingly, cnn, alabama. a lot of people weighing in on bin laden's death, including the dalai lama. he's been asked about his death. according to the l.a. times, he says that he may have deserved compassion and forgiveness as a

human being but "forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. if something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures. the bin laden question came up yesterday during his appearance at the university of southern california. we are a couple of minutes away from the blitzer in "the situation room." wolf, you are going to hear from the chair of the homeland security, peter king. and i remember him speaking yesterday. he's seen the pictures and he says they should have been released? >> he says they should have been released. i'm not so sure he's seen the pictures. i don't think he's physically actually seen the pictures. but, you know, he respects the president and says, this is a decision that the commander in chief has to make and he's not going to criticize the president on this. he does disagree with the white house on another sensitive issue, whether or not the enhanced interrogation

techniques on detainees at guantanamo bay played any role in the eventual finding and killing of bin laden. he says that they d the white house says that they did not. you'll hear his side of the story. gloria borger has been doing he can textensive reporting on thi. some people call it torture. other people use the example of waterboarding. whether or not they played a role or didn't play a role. what we do know for sure, you know this and our viewers know it, the obama administration has pushed aside all of those enhanced interrogation techniques. they are not using them right now and that is that. we'll have an extensive look at that. we'll also bring in a professor, one of the most knowledgeable scholars from the middle east. i'm going to ask him if releasing those photos of a dead bin laden would or would not have made a difference. we'll have extensive coverage on

all of this. >> enjoy, dr. jambi on your program. thank you. some in congress have in the past leaked information but have you heard this? >> although for over several months we were in the process of planning it and there were as many as 16 members of congress who were briefed on it, not a single, solitary thing leaked. >> for months the vice president says several -- he mentioned 16 -- congressional members knew about the operation to kill osama bin laden but kept it all a secret. joe johns thought this was pretty fascinating. joe and i will talk next. 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. pants pockets... and anyone, anywhere who would hide our precious coins. we're coming for what's ours. maybe you didn't hear. but dimes, nickels, even pennies have power now. because the volt charges for about a buck fifty a day. making most commutes gas-free for just a handful of change. so we're taking it back. all of it. we have some driving to do. the 2011 chevrolet volt. it's more car than electric. 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. but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for less than a dollar a day. selectquote found, rich, 37, a $500,000 policy for under $18 a month. even though dave, 43, takes meds to control his blood pressure, selectquote got him a $500,000 policy for under $28 a month. ellen, 47, got a $250,000 policy for under $20 a month. all it takes is a phone call. your personal selectquote agent will answer all your questions ... and impartially shop the highly rated term life companies selectquote represents for your best rates.

give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. selectquote. we shop. you save. now let's fast forward and look at tomorrow. president obama will be traveling to new york to look at family members of the victims of 9/11. also tomorrow, the u.s. sense sus bureau releasing more democrat graph particular data from the 2010 census. and also, happy almost. sin co-d cinco de mayo celebrations tomorrow. one thing is pretty clear, before the president's address late sunday night, there were some people, multiple people who

apparently knew something big was about to happen. joe johns is here with the political pop. joe, we heard from the vice president. i mean, i think he mentioned 16, 16 members of congress. >> that's right. and it's anybody's guess who they are. but typically when you have a situation on capitol hill where members of congress are briefed, you'll get the top members of the intelligence committees in the house and senate and plus the leadership plus a handful of others. it works out to about 16 people. let's listen to what the vice president said when he talked about being proud of the fact that none of this information got out. >> there was such an absolute overwhelming desire to accomplish this mission that although for over several months we were in the process of planning it and there were as many as 16 members of congress who were briefed on it, not a single, solitary thing leaked.

i find that absolutely amazing. >> yeah, amazing maybe. but i've got to tell you, the truth is that over the last ten years in washington, d.c., there have been numerous times when people thought osama bin laden was captured, killed, hemmed up, what have you. each and every one of those times it fizzled. i personally know of times when media people had bags packed ready to go. this would have been a situation where, yeah, osama bin laden, they are going to get him. i've heard that before. sort of the sky is falling. people wouldn't have believed it. >> so people have their go bags would have been all mute since this was the actual fact and no one actually leaked it. but do we know yet joe -- i know we don't know who, but when these members of congress actually found out about the operation? >> we really don't. but what we do know is that there are some members of

congress who suggest -- they started getting wind that something was going on recently with osama bin laden, all the way back to january. so if that's true, then, there were people who at least knew something was happening. it's not clear at all that members of congress got a blow by blow while it as wall going down sunday night until after the fact. >> do we know what it was that those 16 members of congress -- do they know that there was this operation to be had in a abbottabad and going after obl? or just that it was a huge target? >> my discussions with people were that we knew something was happening with osama bin laden and that it had to do within an assumed take down. >> okay. when the news finally broke on social media, was it congress at all? or the chief of the staff of a former pentagon official and possibly the rock? who were tweeting. but they were kind of right.

that's so random. >> okay. so sunday night around 10:24 eastern time. you're right. keith urban was the chief of staff for former secretary donald rumsfeld tweets out that something is happening. keith urban is obviously connected and there have been published reports that he got his information from a television news producer but that leans duane the rock johnson best known for a bunch of action movies and appearing as a host on wwe, professional wrestling. he tweets out around 10:24 p.m. eastern time as well, half an hour or so before this news got out, yeah, there's something going on. he's proud of america, proud to be an american, and that it's huge. who knows. i mean -- >> you've reached out to them. they are not calling you back, are they? >> right.