called flowage easements on the property giving the army the right to do this, sort of for the greater good. cairo, illinois, was further down the road. and 2,800 inhabitants as opposed to people losing about 100 homes. i don't think they're on solid legal ground here, especially because this supreme court, even though it's not in support of federal action, a lot of government action, it has sided with the army in cases like this and sort of allowing this greater good kind of argument. i don't think they're on sound legal footing here, unfortunately. but our hearts, of course, go out to the farmers that lost their livelihood and their homes. it is time for me to hand it off to my dear lady, fredricka whitfield who now simply just goes by @fwhitfield. >> oh, my goodness. >> i'm not going to let this go. good to have you on twitter. >> thank you for encouraging me to stay on board. seven tweets and counting. >> you'll be up there with many more. >> that's what they're telling

me the in your opinions are. i'm not counting. i'm just there. >> but it's all yours. good to see you. >> you have a great day. we're continuing to watch a lot of things. three big stories, same as t.j. for the last hour. flooding on the mississippi river, the aftermath of the deadly southeastern tornadoes and a briefing taking place at the pentagon this hour. that briefing focuses on intelligence gathered in the raid that killed osama bin laden. cameras are allowed inside that briefing. but our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is there and will tell us know what happens, what is to make of anything seized from that compound. and what intelligence may have been used to help american forces catch their man there in pakistan. in the meantime, let's check on those floods here in this country. along the mississippi river this hour, a scramble to protect lives and property. the worst flooding in decades has thousands of people on the run. the river is rising a foot a day in some places. and now rain is making matters

even worse. you can see the affected states right there. they're in the middle. carouthersville, missouri, the coast guard is closely watching traffic on the river. they're afraid the wake from the ships will make the flooding even worse. after essentially closing the mississippi river, the coast guard has now reopened that area but only one ship can go through at any one time. evacuations have been ordered in half a dozen states along the mississippi and many more are expected as the river slowly makes its way to the gulf of mexico. one of the hardest-hit areas so far, memphis, tennessee. >> we knew that the eventuality would become a reality. that's what's happening now. we've watched this now for about ten days. our tributaries are beginning to back up west to east. the mississippi is rising, as has been forecast. so it just looks like tentacles

that are wrapping its arm around shelby county. >> and it only seems to worsen by the moment. let's bring in alexandra steele. you're going to give us the anti-thesis of that. >> for some, the water is going down. for some, there will be no rain. it's like tentacles. it's like the river is giving everyone a hug. especially if you were to say that from space, these fingers of water overtaking. it's unbelievable. let's give you some images of what's it like in mississippi and tunika and places like that. with this inundation of rain. can you believe it? all nine casinos in tunika have closed due to flooding. what's unfortunate on so many fronts but the economic hit. this, of course, is derby weekend, one of the biggest weekends there. so that obviously a huge financial hit. harris casino tower, nearly six feet of water inside.

fredricka was just saying, those floodwaters there are only still rising. they have not yet crested like we have seen farther upstream. that's the scenario. it's kind of like a wall of water pushing in. it starts to the north with the mississippi. and this wall of water just has to go somewhere. it's like filling up a bathtub. you hit the top, there's nowhere to go but over. here's the record flooding. flood warnings means flooding is happening or is imminent. on may 11th, this is when we're going to see it crest in memphis. this is the first big city and the beginning of a stretch of places we will watch this water crest. we're going to see it go about 14 feet above flood stage on may 20th. it takes a few days. it's like throwing a ball down. it takes a little while to get to these places. later and later, may 20th in vicksburg, 14 1/2 feet above flood stage. may 22nd to natchez, you see the river landing.

then to baton rouge on may 23rd with that water getting about a foot and a half above flood stage. still incredibly high. talking some of these places at 50 feet, the flood stage. it's just been an enormity of circumstance. and we've seen so much rain. in the last week to two weeks to three weeks and looking back, even the last month, we've seen in places like southern illinois and missouri, 300 to 400 above-average percentage of rainfall. it's just really been incredible. on average, some places have gotten 20 inches and they only get 3 for the month. we've got more to come. this is the next five days. nothing too heavy. not another 10 inches. maybe an inch or two. but it's still going to come to the ground. it's going to exacerbate the situation. you can see the numbers. maybe a 2-incher. but on the whole, a half inch to an inch. some of these are going to still rise and then come back down. >> thanks so much, alexandra.

it has been since 1937 when memphis saw this kind of flooding. the mississippi is expected to crest in the city wednesday, nearly 14 feet above flood stage. here now is cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: four days from its projected peak in the mighty mississippi is not done with memphis by a long shot. a few houses already in the water. the owners apparently heeding evacuation warnings. but neighbors on a little higher ground still not so sure. >> it's 45 now. it's supposed to come to 48. if it goes over 48, we'll probably have to move. >> reporter: how much faith do you have in those predictions? >> goodness, i don't know. >> reporter: all along the banks, water pushes into areas that haven't seen flooding in generations. anything that isn't protected by a levee is in danger of being covered by the relentless waters. but some of the worst damage so far is nowhere near the riverfront. with the water in the mississippi continuing to rise,

the water in the tributaries, other rivers around memphis, have nowhere to go. the result is what you see here, widespread flooding and disruption miles away from the mississippi. and as you look at all this damage, city officials say, don't get the wrong idea. this city itself, with all its tourism and night life, is high and dry and expected to stay that way. >> i do want to make one thing clear. as you know, tourism, entertainment is a big part of our economy. i want everybody to know that downtown is still open. everything that has been planned will go on. >> reporter: nevertheless, engineers keep a watchful eye on a decades-old levee system that has never been tested like this before. volunteers fill sandbags hoping they will not be needed. and road crews shore up escape routes just in case of any last-minute evacuations. david mattingly, cnn, memphis. south of tennessee in

neighboring alabama, tornado victims are living day to day overwhelmed by the devastation around them. cnn's reynolds wolf joins us live from the hard-hit city of tuscaloosa. reynolds, it wasn't just state officials touring the disaster zone this weekend. but apparently a few entertainers have come out including the likes of bill cosby. why and what's the message? >> reporter: absolutely. we've all been really been focusing in on tuscaloosa and with very good reason. but there are many places around the alabama that have been devastated by this tornado. pratt city, a smaller community just to the northwest of downtown birmingham, as we go to the video, i want to show you this video. you can see a couple of people, one of the people you mentioned, very familiar to just about everyone tuning in. we have mayor william bell of birmingham but bill cosby touring pratt city. i think both of them really taken aback by the damage, specifically in that area. >> what i've seen of trucks and

maintenance things coming to clear up, as long as that's happening -- and i think people have learned from katrina this this is reality. and your mayor to make sure so quickly, so fast, this is turning people into believers and we need them to believe that they can help each other. >> while this storm was devastating, it has brought out the best of our city. and i'm grateful to be the mayor of a city that has such wonderful people in it. >> reporter: it's amazing the damage we've seen in places like pratt city, obviously here in tuscaloosa, but many of the other smaller places, not only spots like, say, ohatchee, alabama, but even into georgia, ringgold, damage there. we have a long way to go in terms of our severe weather season. as soon as we get into june, we

have the beginning of hurricane season. certainly a possibility of rough weather for months to come, along with flooding along parts of the mississippi. it is a very, very rough time. >> it surely is. thanks so much, reynolds. we continue to follow the tornadoes, the damage, the damage from flooding and then we're also keeping a close watch on a pentagon briefing that's taking place right now in the washington, d.c. area. we're talking about a briefing that involves details about intelligence surrounding the bin laden compound raid that's going on right now. we'll bring you the story as soon as we get it. our barbara starr is in that briefing room and will keep us up to date on that. ♪ ♪ when you're resonsible for this much of the team, you need a car you can count on. ♪

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the pentagon right now is holding a background briefing at this hour to discuss intelligence gathered during that u.s. raid in abbottabad pakistan that killed osama bin laden. they may release some video. in the meantime, there is new information from pakistan. a senior pakistani intelligence official tells cnn that an intercepted phone call started the operation that led to that raid. the call was made by a bin laden confident attendant, a courier who ended up leading u.s. forces to bin laden's compound. both al qaeda and bin laden's taliban allies now acknowledge that bin laden, the architect of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, was killed in that raid.

when then president george w. bush got word of the 9/11 attacks, he was at a florida elementary school reading to students. those children are now in their teens. our martin savidge talked to three of them about that day almost ten years ago and their reactions to bin laden's death. >> reporter: the event was famously interrupted. as now high school junior lenard rivers remembers. >> someone came in. all of a sudden we were told he had to leave. >> reporter: mariah williams was also there. >> there was a bunch of confusion and people scared and stuff. >> reporter: it was the moment the president was told the news of 9/11. ever since, these students have had a unique connection to the life and death of osama bin laden. for chantal guerrero, that had a profound effect [ o, say can you see ♪ >> it helped me realize and be a

little more serious and deal with things more firsthand at a younger age. >> reporter: her mother noticed the change almost immediately. a daughter growing up faster than most. >> she's an achiever. and i really think it has to do because of the impact that had on those kids that were there. i think they just see the world differently. >> reporter: today chantal is an honor student at sarasota military academy and a regular visitor to ground zero. the news of sunday night came as another complete surprise. >> i was really shocked. i didn't expect them to catch him at all. who would think they would catch him after ten years. >> reporter: rivers says both events have taught him something about life. >> i know anything can happen at any moment. and how things can strange real quick. >> reporter: guerrero says the end of bin laden does nothing to change her connection to that terrible day. >> it's still really meaningful because i was there that day and i did see -- i was kind of there

for part of history. >> reporter: the students say the death of bin laden doesn't really end the story, more like choses a chapter. instead, day say the story will continue to be written through the rest of their lives. in sarasota, i'm martin savidge. and, again, this reminder, our barbara starr is at the pentagon where intelligence officials are holding a background briefing right now on that raid that ultimately killed osama bin laden. we're hoping to hear from barbara shortly on the details being revealed. and a mother accused of child abuse for allegedly telling her child to get up and fight. what do our legal guys think about that? [ bob ] i'd love to build bird houses for the rest of my life.

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we're going to get to our legal guys in a moment. first, we want to remind you we're awaiting details out of a pentagon briefing taking place right now. barbara starr is there. we're hoping to hear more information about the kind of intelligence used in order to raid that compound of osama bin laden in pakistan which ultimately led to his death, information that may even entail what they seized from that compound as well, including computers or any kind of video, et cetera. we'll bring it to you momentarily. meantime, other news, one of the court cases that we are following closely today, a high-profile jury selection happening somewhere in florida. why the mystery? it's an important development in the casey anthony proceedings.

let's bring in avery friedman and richard herman. gentlemen, good to see both of you. very interesting twists and turns in this case. we're talking about three years now after the fact of the discovery of this little girl missing and then ultimately her death. and now we've got an appellate judge -- court that weighed in last night saying, it's all right that it will be a secret location where this jury selection would be taking place. this seems highly unusual, avery, or is it not? >> number one, it's highly unusual. number two, perhaps somebody forgot about the first amendment. the fact is that the media has already disclosed in the worst kept-secret in america that the jury is being selected in hillsboro county in tampa. the funny thing is the chief judge tampa says call the chief

judge in orlando. the fact is, nothing trumps the first amendment. understand prejudice to the defendant. but at the end of the day, first amendment prevails in this case. >> richard, this is strange, is it not? it doesn't appear as though this is something that happens on a fairly regular basis. there may be a change of venue. but that jury selection would take place in a secret location is highly unusual. >> it's highly unusual, fred. i have never seen or heard about this ever happening. i don't think this is something -- look, there's going to be a lot of challenges on appeal for this case. this probably is not going to be one of them. there will be more severe ones with the expert and the battle of the experts and what the judge allows in as admissible or not. but, look, there are far more reaching and devastating issues for this defense than whether or not the press know where this trial is going to be. this case is really setting up

miles and miles against this defendant. and this is what happens, fred, when an attorney lets his ego get involved and not his ability. this attorney, baez, does not belong defending this woman here. he does not have the skills to do it. and she is going to get annihilat annihilated. it's going to be a flash verdict. she's going to get crushed in this case. >> wow. three years after the fact. seems like this has been going on back and forth for a very long time. >> it really does. >> really is a painful case, too. let's talk about this very interesting case involving -- the allegation is computer misuse. and so, richard, who knew that -- we know that spouses may share a computer. but apparently one snooping into the other's e-mail may get you a charge imposed against you. this is the case taking place in michigan. >> well, it gets a charge. it gets prison time. it gets a criminal record. and it's not a nice thing to

have. >> up to five years in prison, right? >> yeah. up to five years. but who looks on their spouse's or boyfriend's or girlfriend's blackberries or computers or e-mails? who reads that stuff? nobody's going to raise their hands but you know who you are. listen, this guy is facing very serious charges here. his defense is it's a joint computer, we both use it. she gave me access to her account. she allowed me to look into her e-mails. that's his defense. probably not going to fly here. but they're waiting -- the legislature is going to rule on this. they're not going to hold it in domestic snooping issues. so he needs time. the defendant needs time. >> at the time, avery, leon and clara walker were married. now they're splitsville. but his contention was he had a little suspicion something was going on. when he read into those e-mails, he says she was having an affair and that kind of helped cement the gooel deal of their divorce.

maybe in a lot of courtrooms people might be able to empathize with, you've got to act on that suspicion. will that be his defense? is that enough, avery? >> no. he hacked into the computer, at least according to the prosecution. hacked into it. >> i had to try. >> i knew you were going to do that. i knew it. but the fact is, look, husband and wife can have their joint accounts. this claim is that he hacked into the computer and richard's right. the legislature is going to try to change the law to exempt spouses from breaking into their spouse's computers, which i think a ridiculous. the bottom line is, yeah, it's a felony, it's a first of its kind. and this case is going to trial soon. i think he's in big trouble. >> also ridiculous and i think everyone universally has to agree with this one, this next case involves the videotaping -- that's not the ridiculous part -- the videotaping of a fight between two teenage girls and apparently a mother is

charged with actually inciting this. so i have to take a pause right there because we hear some information coming out of this pentagon briefing that we've been talking about happening this hour. we've got our cnn producer, charlie, who's on the line with us right now. what can you tell us about what was revealed during this briefing at the pentagon? >> first of all, this briefing is still going on. it's a pretty remarkable -- it's a senior intelligence official for the first time laying out some of the details of the information and the collection of items that was seized after the killing of osama bin laden less than a week ago. and inside this pentagon briefing room, they showed five different videos that they insist are further proof that this was osama bin laden and that these materials were things that could have only been found in the osama bin laden compound. >> so videos discovered in the compound -- we're not talking

about intelligence video of observations of osama bin laden at the compound? >> that's correct. these are videos that they say belonged to osama bin laden. and there's one really remarkable video showing osama bin laden wearing a -- what looks like a wool cap with a blanket draped around his shoulders, holding a tv clicker, rocking backward and forward slightly in his chair. and it looks like it's a satellite selection on the screen, selection of satellite channels. and he clicks through them and watches various videos that are so familiar to all of us over the past 9 1/2 years of himself, osama bin laden watching himself on tv. and you can see his beard is gray. and, again, he's draped with the blanket and kind of rocking forward in his chair.

it looks like an amazing home video and insight into how he lived and what he did. the other four videos, one is a message to the united states that they think was made in october or november of last year. they didn't play the audio saying it would be inappropriate. but in that video, you see him made up, his beard has been dyed black, et cetera. the other three videos are kind of practice sessions for videos that he apparently was planning on releasing to the world. >> so interesting. these videos were released during this pentagon briefing. you got a chance to see them. everyone in the room, reporters, producers, writers, et cetera, got to watch these videotapes. does that also mean that the pentagon is willing to release these video samples, these five videos to media outlets that can be broadcast? >> correct. that's the plan. i just slipped out of the briefing. it's still going on. they're asking the senior intelligence official who's providing this background information additional questions about the raid, about this cache

of intelligence that he described as the most significant amount of intelligence collection ever from a senior terrorist. obviously they're pumping up the value of that. they say a special task force has been formed to triage it to find out what's the most important so they can take quick action. and he rattled off a collection of agencies, cia, dhs, fbi, national terrorism center, et cetera, that are all working together to comb through this material. and to answer your question, yes, they are going to release those videos at the end of this briefing in the next half hour or so. >> was it explained -- the real strategy here of why to release this video? is this to show the world that this is the closest thing we can show you to the guy that we just targeted, the man that we just killed is indeed that of osama bin laden? this is his cache? or does it have more to do with

trying to intimidate or weaken the al qaeda network as a result of the leader of that network being killed? >> i think that there are a variety of things going on. i think they want to rattle the situation of other senior al qaeda leaders and say, we have information, we're taking action on it. they want to say to the world, this was unquestionably osama bin laden. not only do we have all these materials, but they gave new details of how they identified him using facial recognition procedures and dna. and then he had one amazing statistic. he said the dna is unquestionably him. the chance of a mistake is 1 in 11.8 quadrillion, infinitesimally small.

there's an enormous hunger for details about the raid and aftermath. they want to say, yes, this was osama bin laden and, yes, this treasure trove of intelligence is being acted on quickly. >> what more were they able to reveal or willing to reveal on the dna? >> that the dna tests on osama bin laden proved that it was unquestionably him. >> it had also been mentioned earlier in the week from the white house and from the department of defense that there were other family members, direct family members of osama bin laden were dna matches, were also involved. did they reveal any more about that during this briefing? >> not the time that i was there. there may be more that came out in the questions i'm going to go back in in a second. there's the opportunity for reporters to drill down on that issue, dna, identity, these videos, et cetera. >> all right. thanks so much. we're going to check back with you, charlie.

appreciate that. we're going to allow you to go back into that briefing. we're going to check in with stan grant who's in kabul, afghanistan. he's learning a little bit more about the sound waves that come from this kind of information coming out of the intelligence briefing taking place simultaneous right now. and other reports that have trickled out over the past couple of days that perhaps people in afghanistan are also responding to, particularly that a phone call between this courier and osama bin laden may have been really that key, stan, to intelligence being able to nail osama bin laden at that compound at that time. >> reporter: yeah. and the more information we get, fredricka, the more we're learning about this operation. people are starting to peete piece it together. from the afghanistan side, the more it would seem to implicate pakistan. because you have osama bin laden clearly living there for some years, it seems. out walking around inside his

compound. the compound itself, from the information that we've been able to receive and the video that's being posted, is obviously a significant structure. and being as it was positioned near military installations, near where many pakistani general s or retired military officers lived, again, would lead afghans to point the finger at pakistan and say, look, is pakistan a real partner for peace? president barack obama has made a lot of the af-pac strategy that afghanistan and pakistan really are linked. that pakistan needs to work with afghanistan to try to bring an end to the taliban and actually allow u.s. troops ultimately to be able to pull out of here. now questions are certainly being asked in afghanistan both by people in the street, by politicians and others saying, if pakistan were shielding bin laden or were colluding with bin laden in any way, then what does that say about pakistan's real commitment to bringing a

resolution to the problems here in afghanistan? as they say, afghanistan is the place where the war is being fought, where foreign troops are and where thousands of people have died over the past ten years in this battle between the u.s.-led force and the taliban, fredricka? >> stan, too, what is hamid karzai or anyone else at the higher level of government in afghanistan saying about osama bin laden's killing in pakistan? >> reporter: yeah, they, again, have been saying -- in terms of what happened to bin laden, that he is someone who brought it on himself. that's what hamid karzai has said, essentially if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. but clearly there have been strains in the past between hamid karzai and pakistan. there have been concerns within pakistan that perhaps india may be able to have a close relationship with the karzai government. that, of course, would very much concern pakistan.

the real test here in afghanistan is to how effective karzai can be in being able to match these own forces, the security forces here, the military here, to be able to take on this fight with the taliban. because we know there is a drawdown of troops coming from the u.s. we know there are calls from within the u.s. to pull out of afghanistan entirely. now, the government here is saying that will be premature, that will be giving an opportunity for the taliban to regroup and perhaps be able to launch an even stronger attack on the government here. but certainly there is a lot of pressure on karzai to be able to deliver. this is someone who in the past has been accused of being corrupt and incompetent, not actually being able to be the strong leader that's needed to unify the country. a lot of pressure on him. >> i guess i'm asking, too, whether it be hamid karzai directly or other members of leadership or perhaps even ordinary afghans who are saying, was this military operation, the

concentration of this war on terror in afghanistan all for naught when he is found, located and killed in pakistan, if people feel like there in afghanistan from top all the way through other levels whether this effort in their country was worth it in the end knowing that the end or pinnacle of this mission takes place in neighboring pakistan? >> reporter: yeah. i don't think anyone's been under any illusions about the role that pakistan has played in this. we know it's a very porous border between pakistan and afghanistan. militants have been moving back and forth across the border. there's been speculation the leader offend taliban is himself in pakistan. there are no illusions about the challenges that the country faces. there's also been a lot of concern amongst people that i've spoken to about why afghanistan has been singled out here and

the number of -- thousands of deaths of people here in afghanistan over the past ten years, when they see that the leadership, in this case, bin laden, and the leader of taliban, are also living in pakistan. but two things here. one is al qaeda and the hunt for osama bin laden, which is now over. but there's also the ongoing battle with the taliban. now, remember, the taliban once ruled afghanistan. the taliban is a hire hi hierarchical structure. it shielded bin laden and refused to give him up. osama bin laden didn't make a home here. he found a home here with the taliban. and to the extent the taliban is still a force, that battle continues. people i've spoken to on the street and also in government here are saying, look, the united states should not look at pulling out too soon. this isn't all for nothing. ultimately this is not just

about securing afghanistan but it's also about securing the united states and limiting any possibility of a further attack there if they, in fact, did pull out sooner and gave the militants an opportunity. >> and, stan, u.s. troop withdrawals scheduled for july of this year. any rumblings there on the ground about whether people are that much more nervous about that taking place, if they're anxious or feel like the withdrawal should take place that much sooner now that osama bin laden has been killed? >> reporter: there's really a mixed message when you speak to people here, depending on who you speak to. some people on the street that i've had the opportunity to talk to about this have said they don't want foreign forces here at all. they think that the foreign-led invasion here after 2001 has actually brought misery to this country. this is a country that's been at war in one way or another for the past 30 years. the war with the soviets, the civil war that followed, then of

course, since 9/11. they actually -- they say they want to be able to run their country themselves. as one woman said to me, we don't go to other countries and tell them how to run their governments, their countries. we want to be able to run afghanistan for itself. but there are others who are far more realistic about this and say, without the foreign force here, without that support, the taliban would be able to regroup and would present a much more potent threat. still there are others who say that ultimately the resolution here is going to be some form of negotiation, some form of power-sharing agreement with elements of the taliban that can be brought into the fold, brought in from the cold, if you like, to be able to form some sort of a unity government, a power-sharing arrangement. but all of that is still some way off. of course, the taliban is now beginning its spring offensive. and there is a long way to go in this battle to try to bring this situation under control. fredricka? >> stan grant in kabul, afghanistan. thanks so much.

pentagon briefing still under way right now behind closed doors. reporters, writers, producers are there. we have our own reinforcements there as well. if you're just now joining us, what has been learned from this briefing at the pentagon is that there was an elaboration of the kind of dna tests that were involved to prove that this was indeed osama bin laden. in addition, at this raid in pakistan, upon the killing of osama bin laden, also discovered were at least five different videos that were seized from that compound. those videos were played in this briefing and we know just as a quick synopsis that one of them showed osama bin laden kind of wearing a wool cap, doing some rather ordinary things, watching television, but watching a bank of televisions via satellite presumably. and also it kind of showed his demeanor, the graying of his beard, that he was wearing a blanket. and another video which intelligence believes was going to be an intended message to the

u.s. which osama bin laden may have recorded sometime last fall. we're going to get more information on the videos and the kind of intelligence in other realms that were seized from that osama bin laden compound. we'll be right back after this break. to get her masters in healthcare administration. by choosing a university that connects working students to faculty who are also leaders in their fields... she was able to apply her studies to the real world... and help more people, much quicker. ♪ my name is diane wilson, i deliver the best gifts on earth, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] learn more about the college of nursing at phoenix.edu.

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when you're resonsible for this much of the team, you need a car you can count on. ♪ nearly a week after the killing of osama bin laden, the head of the al qaeda network, now an intelligence briefing is taking place right now at the pentagon with reporters, writers, journalists in the room getting a chance to hear from the pentagon from sources there about the kind of intelligence that has been gathered as a result of the killing of osama bin laden, intelligence gathered at that compound in pakistan, including elaborating on the dna samples that were taken of osama bin laden, proving that it indeed was the man that was killed. also videos that were taken from that compound, videos that show a possible message that was going to be sent to the united states that he may have, osama

bin laden may have recorded in the fall of 2010. and also video showing his surveillance of television networks and stations around the world, showing just kind of his ordinary, very casual demeanor, wearing a blanket around his shoulders, a wool cap and that he was wearing very much a grayed beard. just a little bit more about his demeanor. we don't know -- hasn't been revealed to us just yet what was on the other three tapes. but we understand from our producer that was in the room, that's kind of a synopsis of two of the videotapes. our stan grant is in kabul. we're checking back with him. we also have our producers in london -- from london all the way to the pentagon that we're going to check in with as well, what this intelligence-gathering really means, the significance of all of it. stan, to you in afghanistan, where the focus of this war on terror has been, it had been suspected that in any time of this ten years passing since the

9/11 attacks that osama bin laden would be hiding out in afghanistan. come to find out, he was hiding out next door in pakistan. but you've been telling me that from the high-ranking officials of afghanistan on down, there had always been some suspicion that perhaps he was bouncing around from country to country, pakistan to afghanistan? >> reporter: there really has. speaking to abdullah abdullah who was a former presidential candidate at the last presidential race and also a long-time politician here. he said he had been saying for some time, the past couple of years, that he is actually -- bin laden was actually in pakistan. he, again, is one of the officials here who is raising questions about pakistan's commitment to actually the ongoing fight against the taliban here in afghanistan. so certainly there were suspicions. some even believe they had more than just suspicions, they had real information that bin laden was in pakistan.

and they're feeling vindicated right now. they're able to point the finger and say, why didn't pakistani officials know more? if they didn't know more, why not? if they did, why didn't they do something about it? that's a discussion that's not just happening at the higher levels here, but it's also now seeping through to the public here as well. they are looking at it and saying, well, if pakistan really isn't helping this situation, how can we rely on them and why should there be this focus from the united states on a so-called af-pak solution? also the death of bin laden, asks these questions about pakistan and the ongoing fight with the taliban, ask questions about the commitment to international troops, how long the u.s. is going to remain here -- i suppose there's been a feeling here amongst some people

that this had gone on to the back burn aerolittle bit, that this had gone off the front pages and these questions weren't being asked. they have very long memories here. they remember that after the initial invasion in 2001, attention swung again to iraq with the invasion there. and that allowed the militants to regroup. in fact, that may have contributed to the fact that bin laden was able to evade capture for such a long period of time. they also point back a long way to the battle with the soviets and after the soviets left that the u.s., who were supporting, inadvertently supporting the mujahideen here and funding the mujahideen through pakistan, the u.s. again turned away and allowed the militants to regroup and regather strength. so a lot of concern here that that situation not repeat itself. and all of this being brought to light after the death of osama bin laden because it is shining a new light on this situation and provoking people to ask these very important questions, fredricka? >> if there's even a sense of

relief that washes over afghanistan, ultimately he was not found and killed in afghanistan and that perhaps people can really see that perhaps whatever their normal is there, that perhaps they might be able to resume to some normalcy there? >> reporter: you know, the ongoing battle here really is with the taliban. you speak to some people, they say, bin laden perhaps wasn't the potent factor that he was prior to 2001 after the u.s. invasion here and the toppling of the taliban government and bin laden fled across the border into pakistan, that he wasn't the presence that he had been before that. but the taliban remain a real presence, a really viable threat. we know that each time the u.s. and other forces go into certain areas of afghanistan, they're able to often drive the taliban out but not able to hold the area. and then when they move away, the taliban regroup and come

back in once again. that's been the taliban's strategy here is to wear down the international forces, to wait them out,knowing that at some point they're going to withdraw. and that's going to give the taliban the chance to try to lay seeds once again to this government, try to reclaim the country. that's why some are saying between now and then, it's important to try to build networks, to be able to talk to members of the taliban what they think they can negotiate with and bring them into the fold into some sort of power-sharing arrangement. yes, there is a sense of relief that bin laden has been captured and has been killed amongst some. but also no illusions about the fight that remains ahead. and that is a battle with the taliban, fredricka. >> stan grant in kabul, thanks so much. we'll check back with you momentarily. if you're just now joining us, at the pentagon is an intelligence briefing taking place right now. our report ersz and producers are there. and what is being revealed by source there is at the pentagon, a cache of videotapes that were

seized from the compound of osama bin laden upon his death last weekend, and also more information about the dna and what this intelligence-gathering as a whole means for the ongoing fight against terrorism. much more after this. hey!

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 a pentagon briefing is under way right now. what we're learning is that during that raid of the osama bin laden compound in pakistan, just shy of a week ago now, in

addition to killing osama bin laden, the leader of the al qaeda network, but also seizing dna from him, samples, as well as a cache of videotapes. apparently some sources are saying this is an incredible cache of intelligence information that will certainly help in the ongoing war on the terrorism. brigadier general is with us. mark, we're hearing that among the videotapes, besides showing a very casual, seemingly very cavalier osama bin laden in these videotapes watching a bank of satellite television -- so he's keeping a close watch of what is being said around the world -- that apparently also significant was a recorded message, likely intended for the united states, that may have been taped as early as last fall of 2010. how important is this kind of intelligence-gathering and to reveal this kind of intelligence that has been gathered as a result of his death?

>> well, any time you do an attack on a high-value targ, you're not only trying to go against the target, but you're also trying to go against the intelligence at that location. it's a virtuous cycle. if you can get intelligence from the target, that will lead you to other targets. it will give you more information on how the network operates. it will give you intelligence on other potential targets. in this virtuous cycle of intelligence, it's why our troops spend so much time on a targ, not only taking out the intended target but gathering up as much intelligence and information as possible for future operations. >> barbara starr, pentagon correspondent, was in that briefing. she's had an opportunity to step out and get in front of a microphone and explain to us further. barbara, what more are we learning about the intelligence gathering? >> reporter: that video will be

available very shortly. we'll bring it to you as soon as we turn it around. i think what americans will be absolutely surprised by is a very candid video of osama bin laden watching himself on investigation. i just want to describe because this is going to be really something for everyone to see. he will be sitting in a chair watching essentially himself on tv a number of video clips of himself on tv. he changes the channel. he gestures to someone off camera who is filming this. what is going to be most interesting in this very candid shot of osama bin laden is he will have gray hair and a gray beard. he will be wearing a blanket around his shoulders, a sort of knitted cap on his head. this is not the typical osama bin laden that the world has seen because in all the other four video clips that have been distributed that we will bring to you, he has a dyed beard. he apparently, by all accounts,

before he would appear on videos, would dye his beard black and dye his hair black before he would show himself to the world. this will be the candid osama bin laden, white/gray beard, white/gray hair. the government -- the obama administration in distributing these videos to the news media wanted to show the world what they had -- some of what they had found. but one of the things they did on these five videos is they do not show us or let us hear any of the audio. they have stripped the audio off these videos because they feel that it would have propaganda value, that they would be in the business of distributing the words of osama bin laden. the other four videos perhaps will be more recognizable, him standing in front of a wall, in front of an armoire, in front of a wrinkled sheet in one of the videos, making some of his message videos that we have been used to seeing.

one of them is actually an outtake, if you will. he misses the cue, gestures to someone off screen and starts over. what does all of this really tell us, besides being so fascinating to look at? the official who did the briefing tells us that they have come to the conclusion that osama bin laden was in operational control, strategic control of al qaeda and tactical control. that means he was involved in the day-to-day operations. he was directing things. he was intensity involved in what was going on in al qaeda, plotting, organizing, trying to get further plots going. that is something that americans certainly had been led to believe that he was at some distant location not involved in that day-to-day activity. the official tells us that is not what they think, that the whole, if you will, intelligence information they got leads them to believe that he was very much

involved. and this whole of intelligence information -- and we only have a snippet of it -- is being characterized as the greatest information hull they have gotten from any terrorist official. you had perhaps 50 reporters here in the pentagon in a background briefing with a senior intelligence official. we were not allowed to record it. we could take no pictures. we can broadcast nothing from this briefing in terms of what was said new york city audio, none of it. but the obama administration had an official in the room taking photographs of us. fred? >> that's interesting. so now of the five videotapes that you were describing that were revealed and shared with you and other reporters in the room, is this intelligence official saying that there is a host more of this kind of video and that they just selectively chose these items to reveal to

you all or is this --? >> right. no let me try and put some shape around that. you're absolutely right. they are not telling us -- other than it is a significant hull -- the volume, if you will, of what they gathered. it is videos, dvds, thumb drives, a lot of electronic media, some handwritten documents, all of it. there is every understanding that there is much more out there. i think we must assume that they have very selective live picked some snippets to show the world. why are they doing that? well, clearly, the u.s. intelligence community wants to make the case first and foremost that osama bin laden was there and that they killed him. and this is the material that they gathered. this is to show how involved he was in al qaeda's operations. but make no mistake, they know a lot more that they are not

telling us. they are going through all of this trying to determine what intelligence leads they can come up with, what information they may have about future plots. to some extent, this is a race against time. because if there are specific leads about plots, they need to get after them and they need to get after any hints about whether other al qaeda leaders may be hiding out before these people move. there's another fascinating detail. there is some concern that there are essentially electronic booby traps in some of this material. that if they play it, there will be some sort of electronic booby trap that will essentially erase the material. so you can be sure the u.s. government's finest electronic experts are involved in it. i see that we have up on our screen now, fred -- these are the -- what would you say, the thumbnails of the