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The Situation Room

Interview With Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers; New York City Targeted?

Aired April 25, 2013 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: The alleged marathon bomber claims he and his brother also had plans to bomb Times Square in New York. But the House Intelligence Committee chairman tells me he has different information about their next target.

Also in that interview, new details about the questioning of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and concerns that a big mistake may have been made. Stand by for this important interview.

Plus, a gathering of five American presidents. You're going to see who got emotional, who got laughs at the opening of President George W. Bush's library.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

It's a terrifying scenario. Imagine if the marathon bombing suspects had gotten out of the Boston area after the attack and headed straight to Times Square in New York with bombs ready to blow. New York City officials now confirming that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators what he and his brother had planned.

Let's go to Times Square right now. Mary Snow is standing by with the very latest -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, New York City's mayor and the city's police commissioner say the FBI told them there was talk of targeting Times Square. But few details were offered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): In the chaos of last week's manhunt for Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, officials say New York City's Times Square was on the radar of both suspects. The city's mayor and police commissioner say they were informed by the FBI Wednesday night about information learned during questioning of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: He told the FBI apparently that he and his brother had intended to drive to New York and detonate additional explosives in Times Square.

SNOW: But the plans, say officials, offered no specifics and was described as spontaneous. The brothers, according to New York officials, talked about going to New York while they were driving in the Mercedes SUV they had carjacked, after allegedly killing an MIT police officer. They were said to have a handful of improvised explosive devices, including a pressure cooker bomb like the two used at the Boston Marathon and a number of pipe bombs, according to New York officials.

When they stopped at a gas station, the carjacking victim escaped and put police on their trail. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed. His younger brother was captured hours later. Police say they believe Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made two previous trips to New York on or before April 18 of 2012, a photo from the trip obtained by police, and another trip in November of 2012.

But authorities say they don't know if there's any connection between the trips and their alleged plans. The information about targeting Times Square is a reversal from what police said just the day before, that the brothers were heading to New York to party. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the New York plan was revealed during a second round of questioning.

RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: The information we received is that he was a lot more lucid, and gave much more detailed information in the second questioning period.

SNOW: Still, New York Republican Congressman Peter King told CNN's Jake Tapper the city should have been informed earlier.

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: This may or may not have been spontaneous. For all we know, there could be other conspirators out there and the city should be alerted so it could go into its defensive mode, because no one does it better than the NYPD. And I think they should have been told earlier.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And, Wolf, the NYPD says as part of its investigation now, it's looking into Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trips to New York City and who he may have been with. And the police commissioner said that some of the suspect's acquaintances in that photograph have been I.D.ed. But he wouldn't provide any more information than that.

Again, it's unclear if there's any kind of link. But, of course, the commissioner and mayor said now that they have this information, it's something they must look into -- Wolf.

BLITZER: They have to. Mary Snow in Times Square for us, thank you.

A possible major twist in all of this, a lawmaker I spoke to just a little while ago says he's hearing that the brothers were actually planning another attack in the Boston area, not necessarily immediately in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Representative Mike Rogers is joining us, he's the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Chairman, thanks very much for coming in.

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-MI), CHAIR, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE:

Thanks for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: How serious is word now that these two brothers were actually planning on driving into New York City, and setting off a bomb at Times Square?

ROGERS: Well, that part I have not heard exactly that way, Wolf. Let me tell you what I know about that. So what we know happened is that we do believe they had a plan for another attack. They had actually built the devices, and not used them.

But from the investigators I've been talking to, they believe it was going to be probably more likely in the Boston area. They really did believe they weren't going to get caught. The notion that they decided to go to New York was a rushed event after this thing unraveled on them.

Their pictures were, you know, plastered all over the media, and the tips started flowing in. They knew they had trouble. So they needed to generate some cash, the hijacking, the theft of the credit cards -- or ATM cards and that kind of thing, the robbery. All of that was designed to get them ready, we believe at this point, to go to New York.

It's not clear to me that they were actually going to set those devices off, even though they had them with them. So it certainly would make it a plausible thing to have happen, but it's more plausible to me they were going to do another event in the Boston area, and they were hiding out in New York City was their plan.

BLITZER: Is it clear to you yet whether these two guys were acting alone, or that they were working with others, and perhaps even with some sort of organization?

ROGERS: There is no right answer on this yet. I believe after seeing everything that I've seen, we just don't know enough about that six months or so in Russia, what happened there. I think that's the time he flipped from being an extremist radicalization process to actually a violent jihadi.

And we also know there are persons of interest that we still need to talk to in this particular investigation, including areas -- in the areas of which he lived. So there are some questions we just don't know the answers to yet. I think it's too early to rule it out. And we've got a lot more work to do.

BLITZER: CNN's Drew Griffin has been reporting on two foreign students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, students from Kazakstan who were taken into custody last week. One of whom was pictured, actually, in a photograph together with the younger Tsarnaev brother at Times Square last year, when they were visiting New York. They're still being held.

Do you know anything about why these two students from Kazakstan are being held?

ROGERS: Not the particular charges of why they might be held. But, listen, when this is unraveling, you're seeing a lot -- there's persons of interest that haven't quite risen to the level of maybe media attention yet, let's say. And so that part of the investigation is ongoing.

I would not draw any firm conclusions yet. There's just too much we have to answer, and too much we have to get done in order to fill in all these blanks. And, again, a big part of this is what happened in those six months. The Russian government is not quite cooperating yet, Wolf, to the extent that I think is appropriate.

I know that Congress is going to have conversations with the Russian government. The administration is going to have conversations with the Russian government.

We believe, I believe, Mike Rogers believes that they have information that will be incredibly valuable to make their determination of how much we have to worry back here, who they talked to, who was involved in that. And we just haven't gotten that level of cooperation yet. That's going to be important.

Talking to the persons of interest back here is going to be important. And, again, that is kind of the unfolding part of the aftermath of last week's bombing.

BLITZER: Do you know if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- the 19-year-old who is in a hospital in Boston, he was given his Miranda rights, do you know if he's answering FBI or other questions since he was Mirandized?

ROGERS: Yes. And let me tell you something on this, Wolf, that I am very, very concerned of. I've never seen this before. So he's arrested Friday night. The magistrate, the judge intervenes into what is a legal activity, the interview, that was deemed so by a U.S. court decision. And that is the public safety exception to Mirandizing.

So you have to think about it. He's going through. He's obviously seriously wounded. He's losing a lot of blood. He has to get the medical attention. Early on in that weekend the judge calls to -- calls out and says, I'm going to show up for this particular event.

That is highly unusual for a judge to intervene so hastily, and make the decision not based on the facts of the interviews, and the public safety exception, but what they perceived was happening based on what they saw on television.

It's dangerous. It's precedent-setting that I think we need to change and correct right away. And we still need more answers on this particular question. Once they walked into the hospital room, and offered the lawyer, and Mirandized, they hadn't -- as sure as I'm standing here right now, the subject has not continued to cooperate with the authorities. And that's a huge problem. We didn't have all the answers, are there more devices? We didn't have answers on the persons of interest we'd like to talk to. All of that was left on the table and now they have to go back and take the very time-consuming effort to try to track this thing down in the interest of public safety.

BLITZER: So what I don't understand, if there was that public safety exception that they wanted to use, why would the judge -- the judge magistrate then come in and interrupt what clearly must have been a very frustrating period for FBI investigators who seemed to be getting a little bit of cooperation from him?

ROGERS: That's the million-dollar question, Wolf. And it's a problem we have to get answered. And we need to have a public dialogue about what this means.

Remember now, this happened earlier in the weekend. There was some misinformation that they stormed into the hospital and stopped the interrogation. That in fact didn't happen. But what they did do is pick up the phone and say, we're coming. We're coming to see you all.

So the DOJ didn't call, according to the senior DOJ officials to me today. The U.S. attorney didn't say, pick up the phone and call the magistrate and try to arrange it at the hospital. And certainly the FBI investigators said, we needed more time.

Now, remember, he's in and out of consciousness. He's going for medical treatment. So they didn't have enough time to start reconciling some inconsistencies in this conversation. And it takes a little time to build rapport, where finally somebody says, all right, I'm done lying to you, I'm going to tell you exactly how it happened.

I don't -- they don't believe they got there. Clearly I don't believe they got there. And I don't know to this -- today why a judge would intervene in that process when they were exercising what the U.S. Supreme Court said was a legal enterprise by using the public safety exception in those interviews.

BLITZER: So let me just get your sense on the Russian connection right now. Do you know why the Russians were concerned about these -- about the older brother to begin with, and why on two occasions they notified the FBI and later they notified the CIA?

ROGERS: Yes. And to be clear, they really weren't two separate instances. The FSB for years was a hostile intelligence service to the FBI and our CIA. So they gave limited notification. The FBI received that information. And from what they received, conducted a pretty thorough review of that case to see if there was any derogatory information of which they could do more with.

Could they go up on his phones, get a FISA, go get a court order, interception of his phones. None of that happened. No derogatory information. At the same time the CIA received exactly the same information in exactly the same form. So there wasn't -- it was more of a procedural thing than it was that they were so concerned that they notified two different places on two different dates. I don't believe that happened. I believe it was more of a process issue with the FSB.

Now the FBI writes back and says, hey, we need a little help here. We didn't really find anything. Can we have some clarification? No response. They ask again. No response. And so that was the problem that we ran into. So they cooperated a little. They didn't cooperate enough. I believe they have information that is valuable to our investigation here to determine, A, are there persons of interest here? What activities happened in Russia at the time? What training did he receive? Who did he talk to? Where did he go?

And remember where he was, Wolf. He was just at a short distance drive from very hardened terrorists, if you will, who have trained on bombs, who have engaged in regular convention forces, some wounded.

I mean, these are some pretty tough bunch of folks who had the ability to train anybody who was interested in getting that training. So we need to filter all of that out. The Russians can be very, very helpful.

To date I would not say they have been so helpful.

BLITZER: So, so far, they haven't given the answers that you're looking for?

ROGERS: They just haven't been open about it. Now they've come to some conclusions that they've been interested in peddling. I just argue that we need to see all the information. And if they were so inclined, they could do that, to give us the information that we would need, again, to make that determination.

Were there more persons of interest here that we haven't picked up on yet? And, what happened in Russia during those six months? A lot of questions there that they really haven't been willing to answer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Stand by for more of my interview with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers. I'll ask him what he knows about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's mysterious so-called friend, known only "Misha." We're learning that they say he caused tension within the Tsarnaev family.

Also, the suspect's mother speaking to both her sons only hours before their shoot-out with police. Right now she's clearly in denial and she's clearly also in deep, deep pain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZUBEIDAT TSARNAEV, BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECTS' MOTHER: I'm like sure that my kids were not involved in anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Every day, we get new pieces of the puzzle, but there's still a lot we want to know about the Tsarnaevs' friend, the so-called Misha, the mysterious man who apparently encouraged Tamerlan Tsarnaev's radical embrace of Islam.

We did get some new information today from the suspects' parents.

Brian Todd is in Boston. He's investigating for us.

What are you learning, Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this man still remains reclusive, but as you said, there is new information tonight on this mysterious figure who influenced Tamerlan Tsarnaev and that information comes from the suspects' family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): The parents of bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev give new details about a man named Misha, who the mother says brought more religion into their home.

TSARNAEV: When Misha visited us, we just opened our eyes very wide about Islam. He was really -- he is devoted and he is a very good, very nice man.

TODD: But a man whose full name they say they don't know.

The mother believes the first name might be Michael. Other relatives say they don't know the full name either. Through our searches and sources, we have not been able to locate the person. Zubeidat and Anzor Tsarnaev describe Misha as Armenian, a convert to Islam who came to the U.S. from Azerbaijan. They say he has a brother who is a history professor and a father who is an athletic instructor.

CNN has tried, but cannot independently verify that information. There's no evidence at the moment that Misha steered either of the brothers toward terrorism, but two other relatives have said it was Misha who made Tamerlan Tsarnaev toward a more radical brand of Islam. An uncle said he brainwashed the older brother.

The mother sees it differently. She describes the moment she and Tamerlan became truly inspired by Misha.

TSARNAEV: I was even ashamed when the one who converted was praying in our house, where we, the ones who were born, weren't even praying. So, of course after he left, we just decided to -- that it is really embarrassing for us to be not praying at least. So, that is probably yes. That is what happened. That's the moment.

TODD: But there were reportedly other moments involving Misha that created tension in the family. (on camera): Relatives say Misha lived near the Tsarnaev family apartment here in Cambridge and came to visit at least twice. An uncle and former brother-in-law have said in recent interviews that on one occasion the father came home late at night and saw Misha preaching to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. They say the father became angry and tried to get him to leave. They say that led to tension with the mother.

(voice-over): One law enforcement official doesn't think Misha has been located yet. CNN contributor Tom Fuentes says they would have serious interest in him.

TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: A guy that has been identified by family members as the one who turned him radical would be a key figure for them to want to talk to because how far did that radicalization go and how much involved was this Misha? Did he do more than just put these thoughts in Tamerlan's head or get Tamerlan to change his philosophy about his religion?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Those are questions that people also have at the mosque where the two brothers attended, the Islamic Society of Boston mosque in Cambridge. Tonight, officials there are still saying to their knowledge this man Misha was not connected to their mosque in any way -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd in Boston with the investigation, thank you.

BLITZER: I got some more on this mysterious figure from the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Mike Rogers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Yesterday I spoke to the ex-brother-in-law of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. He was in Kazakstan. And he said that he was brainwashed, the older brother, by some mysterious Armenian who had converted to Islam, known only as "Misha."

Do you know anything about this?

ROGERS: We can't find anything on that particular name or individual. I will tell you there are persons of interest that we're very concerned about. And, again, the Russians can be very, very helpful, we think, in helping us make that determination about who they talk to there, who they may have communicated there -- who they may have then communicated with back in the United States.

So that -- we're still working on that piece of it, the investigation is. And, again, there are persons of interest that we're very, very interested in. And, again, getting back to that public safety exception, wouldn't it have been great if they hadn't intervened in that case and he could've cooperated a bit into the circle of individuals that may, in fact, have led to the bombing in Boston. We don't know that. But we don't know it isn't so. And we do know that they had more than enough devices to have a second event. All of that is concerning.

BLITZER: Are those persons of interest that you're interested in over there in Russia or someplace? Or are they here in the United States?

ROGERS: You know, I would argue that they're here in the United States, and we just don't yet have a good list of persons of interest in Russia. We have people that we want to talk to, people we want to have some conversations with, we think that can further develop.

Again, you know, our investigators will go to every inch to cover every inch of this story -- or this investigation. But they will need a little help from the Russians. And I argue we could save ourselves a lot of time if we can get the Russians to cooperate fully. And I hope they do that. I think it would be the right thing to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up, the suspects' mother sends a message to the victims of the Boston bombings.

Also, new clues in social media. We're taking a closer look at some of the tweets the surviving suspect sent and what they may reveal about his mind-set.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Happening now: The mother of the Boston bombing suspects tells CNN about her final phone call with her sons only hours before one of them was killed.

Plus, the likely cause of a blinding explosion on the water.

And presidential laughs. Bill Clinton amuses the Bush family with a joke about being their black sheep son.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Meantime, we will get back to our top story, the Boston bombings investigation. While the world sees Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as suspected terrorists, their mother says she will never believe it's true.

She sat down with CNN's Nick Paton Walsh for a one-on-one interview in Russia. And she spoke at length about the Boston bombings, her last conversation with her sons, and her daylong interrogation by the FBI.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TSARNAEV: All questions were about Tamerlan and...

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And his trip here, two trips?

TSARNAEV: Yes.

WALSH: Two trips, right, one in 2011 and one in 2012?

TSARNAEV: No, only 2012.

WALSH: Only 2012?

And that was six months in which he was with...

TSARNAEV: Yes. Yes.

WALSH: And are you going to America?

TSARNAEV: I think so. I think so.

WALSH: You want to?

TSARNAEV: Yes, because I really want to see how it's going to end.

WALSH: Do you want to bury your son?

TSARNAEV: Of course. Of course, even though I don't know if they will let us to see Dzhokhar, but I want to go. I want to see my Tamerlan, if it's possible. Yes, I want.

WALSH: And there is an issue with this to do with an arrest warrant for you?

TSARNAEV: That, I don't even care. That's not something that is difficult. It wasn't a big deal and I don't care about it.

What I care is only this -- of my oldest son, who I think was killed, and the youngest one, who is -- really needs the support.

WALSH: He contacted you, right?

(CROSSTALK)

TSARNAEV: Tamerlan contacted me. I asked him...

WALSH: You said you're OK, right?

TSARNAEV: I said, "I heard this." Like everyone would ask whatever, you know, whatever something like this happened. So he said, "Mom, everything is OK. Don't worry." Because whether it would be a hurricane or rain or whatever, I would ask, right? So mother. So...

WALSH: And then there was that phone call the day before Tamerlan died.

TSARNAEV: Yes.

WALSH: Now, if you look back at that phone call, he was ringing to say good-bye. Right? He knew he was on the run.

TSARNAEV: He didn't. No, he was not -- he wasn't on the run. He just was talking to me.

WALSH: What was he saying?

TSARNAEV: Well, as always, "How are you, Mama? How are you doing?"

WALSH: Because by that stage on Thursday he would have either have been about to have been put into his car, as you say, or he was being chased by American officials or be somewhere completely different. Did he sound completely normal?

TSARNAEV: Yes.

WALSH: Did you speak to Dzhokhar, as well?

TSARNAEV: I did.

WALSH: They were together. And they were joking?

TSARNAEV: They were fine.

WALSH: Describe to me the pain.

TSARNAEV: It's -- I don't know how to describe it, you know. You know mother. You have a mother, right? So just because you are not mother, you won't understand it. I am mother. Loving mother of two kids. I don't know. This is really crazy. I can't -- I mean, I can't even describe it. I don't know. I have no strength. I have nothing. I have, like -- I have no sleep. I am just like dead. Like a dead person. How can I describe it?

WALSH: What would you say to families in Boston who lost people?

TSARNAEV: I -- I would say, "Oh, my God." I never, never would say anything good about it. And I have never said -- I really feel sorry for all of them. Really feel sorry for all of them. But I do not want to believe that this were my sons. OK? And I don't believe. I don't believe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Let's bring in Nick Paton Walsh. He conducted the interview in Dagestan for us. Nick, she told you wants to come to America. We reported yesterday the parents wanted to come ASAP, maybe even as early as today or tomorrow. What's the latest?

WALSH: Well, increasingly complicated this trip gets each time we seem to talk to them about it. She, whilst being quite confident in that interview that she's not troubled by the outstanding arrest warrant against her (ph), privately confided that she doesn't really need this extra issue at this time.

She does say in the press conference later, she has some assurances that she won't face any legal action on her arrival. But I'm sure those doubts are in the back of her mind. And that's the reason why the father is supposed to be going earlier ahead. It was originally said to perhaps be as early as today. Now that's Friday here in Russia.

But now I spoke to one of the representatives of the family, Aheda Surateida (ph), who said that, in fact, yes, he has been taken ill, and she thinks he's too weak to undertake the journey tomorrow. Certainly, maybe he might end up traveling at some point during the weekend. But his health a consistent issue when it comes to making that transatlantic journey, Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll certainly check back with you tomorrow, Nick. Thanks very much. Nick Paton Walsh on the ground in Dagestan.

Up next, the White House now believes chemical weapons were, in fact, used in Syria's civil war. I'll ask the House Intelligence Committee chairman whether the president's red line has now been crossed.

And on George W. Bush's big day, his mother throws cold water on the possibility of a third President Bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Could be a game-changer in Syria's long and brutal civil war. The Obama administration now saying it has evidence the Bashar al-Assad regime has used chemical weapons against its own people on a small scale, specifically the poisonous gas sarin.

Some senators who have been briefed say President Obama's red line for new U.S. action against Syria has, in fact, now been crossed. The Obama administration isn't saying how it will respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We cannot confirm the origin of these weapons, but we do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime. The president has made clear that use of chemical weapons or the transfer of such weapons in terrorist groups would be unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: U.S. officials have been very worried about Syria's chemical weapons arsenal for some time. CNN's Tom Foreman is in our virtual studio with more on this part of the story -- Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, chemical weapons can be deployed any number of ways. They can be introduced to the food or water supplies. They can be sprayed as an aerosol in an airplane. They can even be launched from artillery shells. A shell with liquid poison could be launched. It would hit the ground, and when it hit, that liquid would spread out and turn into a cloud, which would poison anything it came in contact with. This is what investigators now believe happened in a series of places in Syria, and they're looking deeper into that. Here is the insidious part, though. If, in fact, they are talking about sarin, this is very tricky, because sarin is colorless. It is odorless. It has no taste. They would not be able to see it, as we put in our model there.

But, people might feel the effects very, very quickly. Remember, this was developed originally as a pesticide. So on human beings, if they come in contact with enough of it, they can suffered blurred vision, rapid breathing, heavy sweating, confusion, headaches, nausea, and in the most severe cases, convulsions, paralysis and death, all in very, very short order.

Essentially what it does is attack the nervous system, shutting down all of the systems you need to run your body.

But here is the trick in all of this. Figuring out if sarin is to blame is not easy. Even if you had a massive dose delivered by something like a missile barrage, the evidence of it could disappear very quickly, Wolf, because even though it's lethal, it's not long lasting. It disperses very quickly.

That's the challenge here. Even if these investigators think they have some evidence that the Assad regime has been using sarin, proving it could be another matter -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting. Thanks very much, Tom Foreman.

I spoke about all of this just a little while ago with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, the Republican congressman, Mike Rogers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Have they crossed that so-called red line, the game changer, as the president has suggested? By -- by now the intelligence community, as you know, believing with some varying degrees of credibility that they have, in fact, the Syrian regime, used sarin gas, chemical weapons against the rebels?

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-MI), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, if you look at the body of intelligence over the last two years, Wolf, I think it is fairly indisputable at this point that some quantity of chemical weapons has been used.

So now you have the Brits have said it. The Israelis have said it. The French have said it. And now the White House and the secretary of defense has acknowledged that they believe that there's some chemical weapons used.

It's hard to make the statement on August 20 that the president said if they move weapons in a position to be used, or use them it would be a game changer, or red line.

You know, I argue that, if you're going to have credibility in the world, and that's important in a more destabilized world with more people trying to do harm to us and our allies, that a red line needs to be a red line. It can't be a dotted line, and it can't be some different color. It has to be held firm.

Now, that means we have to show leadership, Wolf. And it doesn't mean big military; it doesn't mean, you know, troops on the ground. It means none of that. But we have to regain the confidence of the opposition, who don't trust the United States anymore. And you have to regain the confidence of our Arab League partners, who are incredibly frustrated with us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Mike Rogers speaking with me earlier.

Coming up, disturbing messages about bullets, America and death. We're taking a closer look at the surviving suspect's Twitter account.

Plus, a rare gathering for all five living U.S. presidents in Dallas for the dedication of the George W. Bush Library. We'll take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're getting new information about some disturbing tweets by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. Our national correspondent, Deborah Feyerick, is working this part of the story for us. She's over at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, where he is inside.

What are you finding out, Deb?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we know is that investigators are looking into about two and a half years' worth of tweets that were sent by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and they're going over each and every one of them. Some of them are disturbing. Others just sort of seem random.

The picture that emerges is that the young man, deeply tied to his Chechen roots. He says, though, at one point he says, quote, "A decade in America. Already I want out." He says that about a year ago, March of 2012.

And as a 19-year-old college student, was planning to return to Dagestan last summer, arriving just as his older brother was leaving, following a six-month stay. The problem is that Dzhokhar never got there. His passport didn't arrive. Instead, he took a train trip from Boston to Washington via New York. He comments on the fact that New York up close is dirty. He's complaining about a child who won't stop crying, and so he can't get any sleep.

He also talks about his mother during that time, and apparently, she was trying to arrange a marriage for him over in Dagestan. And he's complaining, and he says, "You know, she needs to #chillout. I'll find my own honey." Now there's, as you read through them, you know, there's much that can be made of them. We know that about a year ago, he says, quote, "I'll die young." I will die young.

And then in August, he makes a reference to the Boston Marathon. Now, look, all of these separately may mean nothing. But investigators are looking at all of them as if they do mean something. And just before the bombing, he tweets out. He says, quote, "I got these -- I got those brothers that I take a bullet for, in the leg or the shoulder or something, nothing fatal though."

So he was very active on there. He talks about religion. He talks about his brother. And he talks a lot about Islam. And he says, "My religion is the truth."

So sort of a picture emerging of this young man.

We want to let you know that he is in fair condition. He's breathing on his own. He's no longer intubated -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Is he being moved or is he staying over there at Beth Israel?

FEYERICK: Yes, that's the big question. Initially we were told that there's a potential that he might be moved. Again, that's a decision that the doctors are going to have to make. They cannot move him until they are 100 percent sure that he's stable. And if it is done, it would, obviously, in conjunction with the U.S. attorney's office, the U.S. Marshals. You've got to find a place that has the same kind of quality care that he's getting right here, right now. He is getting the best care imaginable, Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick is over at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Thank you.

Coming up, what caused multiple massive explosions on two barges in Mobile, Alabama? Investigators now think they know the answer.

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BLITZER: Here's a look at this hour's "Hot Shots."

From Boston's Boylston Street, now open more than a week after the Boston Marathon, the finish line waits uncrossed by so many runners.

Down the block, running shoes adorn a memorial at Copley Square.

While a street band performs for people walking past the street's famous shops and restaurants.

And flowers mark the spot of the first bomb outside a marathon sports running store.

"Hot Shots," pictures coming in from Boston's Boylston Street. Take a closer look at some of the other stories making headlines right now, starting with huge explosions on two river barges in Alabama. Take a look.

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BLITZER: There were at least seven explosions like that on the two barges. The vessels were empty, but authorities believe vapors inside were ignited by a spark. Three people who were getting the barges ready to reload were injured, and they're in critical condition.

A desperate rescue effort in Bangladesh, where an eight-story building with thousands of people inside collapsed yesterday. Officials say more than 2,000 people have been pulled alive from the rubble along with more than 250 bodies. Witnesses say food and water are being dropped into areas where victims are still trapped.

Back in the United States, a key mortgage rate has dropped to a new record low. The 15-year fixed loan is now down to 2.61 percent, and the rate of the popular 30-year mortgage is down to 3.4 percent, just above its all-time low.

Police in Stockholm say they found illegal drugs on Justin Bieber's tour bus. They say an officer smelled marijuana, prompting a search that turned up a small amount of illegal narcotics, although they won't confirm it's pot. Bieber wasn't on board at the time. There are no charges so far.

Bill Clinton says he's the black sheep of the Bush family. He explains why at a rare gathering of all five living U.S. presidents. That's next.

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BLITZER: Certainly something we don't see very often, all five living U.S. presidents sharing the same stage. The occasion for this rare gathering, the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas. CNN's White House correspondent, Brianna Keilar, is there -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, graciousness was on full display here as the Democratic former presidents praised George W. Bush. Even President Obama, who has been so critical of the Bush legacy during his time in office, commended President Bush for his resolve after 9/11 and his attempt to pass immigration reform.

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KEILAR (voice-over): The five living presidents, together for the first time since President Obama's 2009 inauguration. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been called the world's most exclusive club, and we do have a pretty nice clubhouse. But the truth is, our club is more like a support group.

KEILAR: At the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, they put partisanship aside.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Starting with my work with President George H.W. Bush on the tsunami and the aftermath of Katrina, people began to joke that I was getting so close to the Bush family, I had become the black sheep son. My mother told me not to talk too long today. And Barbara, I will not let you down.

KEILAR: A frail George H.W. Bush received a standing ovation as he struggled to stand himself. A newly-unveiled statue at the library testament to this father-son political dynasty, as Barbara Bush poured cold water on the idea that former Florida governor Jeb Bush might join them.

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: There are other people out there that are very qualified. We've had enough Bushes.

KEILAR: Inside the museum, displays of the legacy Bush intended for himself quickly give way to the moment that defined his presidency.

(on camera): This is one of the most talked about part of this museum. Twisted steel beams from the World Trade Center -- Tower 2, to be exact -- what's thought to be the point of impact. And at many museums, you're told not to touch exhibits. Well, here, there will be employees encouraging museumgoers to reach out and touch this wreckage of the World Trade Center as a way to connect to what happened on 9/11.

(voice-over): The bull horn President Bush used to address workers at Ground Zero a few days later is on display, along with the gun Saddam Hussein was carrying when he was captured in 2003. An era of controversial decisions made by a controversial president.

But this day was for celebration, not for criticism.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whatever challenges come before us, I will always believe our nation's best days lie ahead. God bless.

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KEILAR: A very emotional day for President Bush and the thousands of his supporters who were here today. And while this museum and library, Wolf, was dedicated today, it will officially open to the public on May 1.

BLITZER: Along with a lot of people, Brianna, I'm looking forward to visiting that presidential library one of these days.

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.