Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Royal Son Arrives; Plane Lands Without Front Landing Gear; Snowden Didn't Access 'Crown Jewels' of NSA Intel; Zimmerman Helps Pull Family from Wrecked Car; William & Kate Get to Know New Son

Aired July 22, 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: I'm Wolf Blitzer. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

This is truly a joyous moment for the royal family and an historic event for Britain and the world, a baby boy, eight pounds, six ounces, born to Duchess Catherine and Prince William.

The palace made the announcement within the last few hours with old- fashioned pomp and modern-day technology. We're told the little prince and his mother are both fortunately doing well. We have a full team of correspondents and analysts standing by, including Max Foster. He's over at St. Mary's Hospital in London. Becky Anderson is over at Buckingham Palace.

Becky, let's go to you. Set the scene for us. What's going on?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a wonderful atmosphere here at Buckingham Palace.

What is it, just after 11:00, and you're all still here.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

ANDERSON: I have got people from all over the world, Wolf, and it really is an international occasion here. Lots of people from the U.K., as you can imagine, but lots of people from the States, for example.

You're from California. How excited are you?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: California.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all students, yay.

ANDERSON: Listen, how excited are you about being here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are so excited. We have been waiting all day for this. Even in class, we were watching the live feed for the baby to be born. ANDERSON: You're watching the live screen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was watching the live screen, yes.

ANDERSON: Did you want it to be a girl or a boy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were thinking it was going to be a girl, because Alexandra, her birthday is today. We were hoping it was going to be born today on her birthday.

ANDERSON: That's right, because Alexandra, there was a possibility, and a good possibility if it had been a girl, it was going to be called Alexandra. You must be a bit disappointed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's still fun to share my birthday with the royal baby.

ANDERSON: Fantastic.

This baby will be a Cancer by something like 32 minutes. There was much speculation, Wolf, about whether this would be a Cancer or a Leo, but according to astrologists, by a whip stitch, 32 minutes, this baby is a Cancer. And you are?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm also a Cancer.

ANDERSON: There it goes. So you share more than just the birth date. You share an astrological sign as well.

Where are you guys from? Here we go, from Dubai here this evening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Palestinian.

ANDERSON: Palestinian, but you live in Dubai.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live in London.

ANDERSON: Oh, you live in London.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My daughter is in Dubai. That's why I want to say hi to them. They're watching me now. That's right. And I'm so excited. I have been watching all day. The news, as soon as I heard it, I just came straight away here. Took me 10 minutes and I love it.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: And what would you like the baby to be called if indeed it is named tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe Edward.

ANDERSON: That's not bad. That's not bad.

What about you? I know you're from London. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe George or Henry.

ANDERSON: OK. The odds are pretty good on George, Henry, and on Edward. Who else have we got here tonight? You're from Canada, I know. What are you doing in London?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been living in London the past year. I actually just found myself down here by accident.

ANDERSON: Yes? Have you seen the gilded easel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did see the gilded easel, but it was hard getting there.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: The crowds here, Wolf, as I say, it's late at night, but the crowds are pretty thick still and I'm expecting them to be here for some time -- back to you.

BLITZER: I'm sure they're going to be very excited. It will be extremely exciting if we hear tomorrow what the baby boy's name is. Let's go over to St. Mary's Hospital in London right now. Prince William expected to spend the night there with his wife, his new child.

Our royal correspondent, Max Foster, is standing by.

Max, there are some indications we will learn the name maybe as early as tomorrow when hopefully they emerge from the hospital, the three of them?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: That's my sense. I get the impression they're going to go with the Prince Harry route, if you remember all those years ago, Prince William's name wasn't announced for several days.

Prince Harry's name though was announced when they left the hospital, Charles and Diana. And I have been led to believe basically that's what's going to happen tomorrow. The couple say they couldn't be happier. William is staying overnight. A very hands-on modern dad for a royal family, where, you know, there are all sorts of traditions. If you go back just a few generations, used to have the home secretary in the birthing room to make sure to confirm the birth, and now you just have the couple and the obstetricians, and he spent the day with his wife and his baby.

It was quite a long delay between the baby being born and the announcement because William and Kate wanted to have personal time with their new son, and he's staying overnight. So this is a modern couple. I do expect them to come out. It's probably going to be earlier rather than later tomorrow, Wolf, I would say, simply because everything seems to have gone so well.

The doctors have big smiles on their faces. Everyone in the family is thrilled. Prince Charles came out with a statement very quickly. So it seems as though everything went pretty smoothly. There wasn't an emergency operation to get the baby out. It was a natural birth in all intents and purpose. So I think we're going to see them on that doorstep tomorrow. And before they come out, I also think we're going to hear from Prince William on camera as well. He's going to have a few words with us. That's the impression I'm getting.

BLITZER: When you say with us, Max, does that mean with all of the news media, or with us narrowly defined CNN?

FOSTER: Well, no, it won't be -- the demand, as you can imagine, is huge. My phone is going to be placed about there, he will come up, we will all have access and he will say a few words. He will be really, really brief. He will just say he's thrilled, I'm sure, and maybe a couple of comments, but he won't take questions, just give a sense really a sense of how he's feeling.

And then shortly after that, I suspect you will see him and his new family on the doorstep in that iconic sort of setting where we saw Diana and William for the very first time all those years ago, 31 years ago now.

BLITZER: Who can forget that? Thanks very much, Max. We're going to check back with you shortly.

William and Kate are creating new traditions for a royal birth that could have an impact for generations to come.

Let's bring in our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour. She's in London along with CNN royal commentators Kate Nicholl also in London with Christiane. Victoria Arbiter, she is joining us as well.

Victoria, quick question to you. So far, give us a comparison between how the current birth has gone along compared to what we remember with the two brothers, almost 30 years ago.

VICTORIA ARBITER, ROYAL WATCHER: Of course the palace never gives too many details in terms of the nitty-gritty certainly because there are some elements of the birth that should remain private. But Diana's baby, when she had William, she was induced. She said the pressure had simply been too much, so she just wanted to get the show on the road.

We do know that Kate was not -- well, had a natural birth. We don't know whether she was induced or not, but it was certainly suggested this morning that everything was progressing naturally, so she had gone to the hospital as and when Mother Nature was ready for her to go to the hospital. I think really in terms of everything else it's been pretty similar. Hopefully Kate will leave the hospital tomorrow. Things have gone smoothly. And so I think she will probably leave some time early afternoon, in the same way Diana did. She left the next day.

BLITZER: One thing, Christiane, that's different this time as opposed to 30 or so years ago, there was always enormous media attention on any royal couple, but now all of a sudden we have got a whole new aspect of this, all the social media, everything else, it puts an enormous amount of additional pressure on this young couple.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does. And you know what was so interesting about this was that from the very beginning, the palace had come out with a very clear script about how things would go, and they particularly made a point of the fact or rather all the royal watchers and reporters and everybody had made a big point of the fact that even though we live in Twitter and Facebook and instant messaging and social media world, that this announcement was going to be done the old-fashioned way, by royal proclamation, on that easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

And, yes, it was, but that wasn't the first word. The first word came even quicker than that by press release, which obviously went out all over the wires, social media, and all of the rest of it. So at the very end of it, in fact the news did come out pretty quickly, and we didn't wait to see this incredibly theatrical display of people walking out of the hospital with the bulletin, into the car, and then it being put out in the forecourt.

But I what was really incredible and I'm sure everybody is delighted for the couple was they at least managed to keep it private for four hours before they decided to publicize it. I think anybody who's ever had a baby knows that much less if you're a royal and you have got the entire world's eyes on you, that those first few moments, those first few hours, even days are invaluable and you will never have them again, you will never live them again, and those were special moments, so they got at least four hours of that.

BLITZER: Christiane, hold on for a moment, because there's some breaking news I want to get to right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: And there is an incident happening right now at La Guardia Airport in New York City.

Mary Snow has been watching what's going on. It involves a Southwest flight from Nashville to New York. Take a look at this picture just getting in. This is runway four.

Mary, what do we know about what happened at La Guardia?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're hearing from the FAA that this plane that you're looking at right now, a Southwest flight from Nashville, had problems with its nose gear.

The plane did land around 5:45. No reported injuries. The FAA tells us, though, that passengers are still on board that flight and that La Guardia Airport here in New York, according to the FAA, is not accepting planes for now. We're monitoring the situation. As soon as we get more information, we will be back. But again, this is a Southwest flight from Nashville, nose gear problem, landing at New York's La Guardia Airport. Again, no reported injuries.

BLITZER: The good news, no reported injuries. Passengers still on that plane. Here are live pictures we're now getting in. We can see all the emergency vehicles surrounding this aircraft. Doesn't look like anything is obviously on fire or anything along those lines. But you do see -- I think you can see the stairs that hopefully people are getting off of.

The airport, La Guardia, the FAA, the spokeswoman Laura Brown says La Guardia has been shut down at least for now as they deal with this situation, is that right?

SNOW: That is correct. That's the latest that we have heard from the FAA, that the airport is not accepting planes for now.

BLITZER: And the problem, front landing gear, or some sort of or they call it the nose gear problem that clearly you can see the front of that plane obviously in a situation where it's not supposed to be. I'm sure we're going to be getting video at some point from La Guardia showing this plane coming in for a landing, but fortunately, it looks like, at least according to the FAA, they say no reported injuries, passengers still on board. I'm sure they're going to try to get everyone off that plane as quickly as possible into the terminal.

We have no idea what caused this problem. We're watching it. Let's take a quick break. We will resume our coverage of this right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Breaking news out of La Guardia Airport in New York. Look at that plane. That's a Southwest flight from Nashville to New York. If you see the front nose, that is all the way down. They had obviously a major nose gear problem coming in on landing. We're told by the FAA no reported injuries. Passengers were on board. I'm not sure if they still are on board.

But you see a lot of emergency vehicles surrounding the aircraft right there on the tarmac, the runway at La Guardia Airport. Mary Snow is in New York getting more information for us. I know we have a crew on the way over there.

Mary, what else are we learning about what happened at La Guardia Airport? What else can you tell us?

SNOW: Wolf, this is the latest information we're getting from the FAA's spokeswoman Laura Brown, telling CNN that the pilot's nose gear did not extend, which means it didn't come down, and that the back wheels did come down.

Again, you mentioned, I just want to reiterate, there were no reported injuries. The latest word we got from the FAA was that passengers are still on board this plane and that this plane landed on runway four at La Guardia Airport just around 5:45, just about a half-hour ago. And what the FAA is telling us is that La Guardia Airport is not accepting planes for now. And, again, that is from spokeswoman Laura Brown.

BLITZER: Have we gotten any word yet from Southwest Airlines? Have they issued a statement on this flight from Nashville to New York?

SNOW: We have reached out to Southwest Airlines. We have not gotten a statement just yet. But we have reached out to them.

BLITZER: And it looks like, what, the front landing gear obviously didn't open up, so we can only assume right now that the plane came in for a landing, the rear wheels were working OK, but the front were not, and so it must have sort of crash landed and slid along the way. I'm just saying that, Mary, as a result of this photo, this still photo that we're showing our viewers right now.

SNOW: Right. The wording that the FAA is using is a gear-up landing. Again, just to reiterate what you just said, the information we're getting from the FAA is that the nose gear obviously did not extend. The back wheels did come down. Again, this Southwest flight was coming from Nashville into New York's La Guardia Airport.

We're still trying to determine the flight number of this Southwest plane.

BLITZER: So we don't know -- they issued a statement a little while ago, the FAA, saying that all the passengers were still on board, but we don't know if that is still the case right now.

SNOW: Right. Correct. This statement came out about roughly 10 minutes ago. As you see, obviously, on these live pictures from La Guardia Airport that we're looking at right now, a number of emergency vehicles surrounding that plane. But the last word that we had from the FAA was that, again, no injuries, but that passengers were still on board that plane.

BLITZER: Stand by, Mary.

Mike Ahlers, our CNN producer, has been getting us information. He's joining us on the phone.

What are you learning, Mike?

MIKE AHLERS, CNN PRODUCER: This is a Boeing 737. Southwest's entire fleet is Boeing 737s.

It looks like from the pictures that they have slides deployed, the evacuation chutes. Laura Brown from the FAA tells us that at this time, there are no reported injuries. Passengers are still on board the plane. And it looks like they're trying to make arrangements to get the passengers to the terminal. Because of the emergency gear on the strip there, they have halted -- they put a ground stop on other planes headed towards that airport.

So that will tie up -- that always has some type of ripple effect across the nation when you take one of these major airports and you close down runways. But at this point right now, it's just -- again, we have this Southwest flight from Nashville. It reported a nose gear problem, landed on runway four, again, at about 5:45. No reported injuries. That's the early report. And we're trying to get additional news.

BLITZER: We see the water being sprayed at the top, at the front of that plane, the nose of that plane just to make sure that there would be no sparks. But explain, Mike, why the passengers would still be on this plane. That happened, what, 35 minutes ago, this landing. Why would the passengers still be on the plane 35 minutes later?

AHLERS: We saw that in the Asiana flight. The pilot was criticized for telling a flight attendant not to evacuate.

I think what they wanted to do, in that case and in this, is contact the control tower and just see what the conditions were outside the plane. In the Asiana flight, a flight attendant noticed flames, that's when one of the engines caught fire. In this case, I'm sure they have a lot of eyes on the plane and saw that there was no fire, there was no smoke, and they just made the determination to have a kind of controlled exit of the plane.

I'm sure the decision would have been different had they seen flames. But right now, from what it appears, it appears like everyone is still on that plane.

BLITZER: Hold on for a second, Mike. We just got a tweet from Southwest Airlines. And it says simply this. It says "Stand by for more information regarding Flight 345 from BNA to LGA." That's Nashville to La Guardia. "We are gathering details and we will post a statement soon."

That's a statement just tweeted by Southwest Airlines.

Our Mike Ahlers is working his sources. Mary Snow is working hers. We will stay on top of the story, once again, a serious incident at La Guardia Airport, the airport in New York City now shut down because this plane came in apparently on its nose. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're following the break news out of La Guardia Airport. You're looking at these live pictures courtesy of our affiliate WABC in New York.

La Guardia Airport is now shut down because this Southwest Flight 345 from Nashville to La Guardia had an emergency landing. Clearly, you can see what's going on. The front nose gear had a major, major problem, according to an FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. All this occurred at around 5:45 p.m. Eastern time. That's about 40 minutes or so ago in New York City, at La Guardia Airport.

The plane came in. The nose gear problem developed. The plane came in on runway four, we're told. And the airport for all practical purposes not accepting planes right now. Southwest Airlines tweeted just a little bit ago, "Stand by for more information regarding Flight 345 from BNA," that's Nashville,to La Guardia, "LGA." We're gathering details, we will post a statement soon. There you see this tweet from Southwest Airlines.

Fortunately, according to the FAA, no reported injuries. That's what they're saying on board. That's what they're saying at least for now. Passengers, according to the FAA, are still on board, but we see those chutes that have been lowered and hopefully folks are getting off that plane right now. It's a Boeing 737. Mike Ahlers, our CNN producer, tells us that all the aircraft of Southwest Airlines are Boeing 737s.

For some reason, the plane was coming in for a landing, they had a front nose gear problem, and as a result this emergency landing took place. You saw water being sprayed at the front of the plane, but fortunately, it doesn't look like there were any sparks or any flames or anything like that, and as a result, no reported injuries. So we will stay on top of this story for you. We will get more information.

In the meantime, once again, if you expected to meet someone or somebody is expected to fly into La Guardia, get ready, they're not flying in, at least for now. We will stay on top of this story for you.

I want to get back to the other story we're following out of London, the birth of a baby boy. Very exciting news for the royal family, indeed for people all over the United Kingdom and the world. And the president of the United States and the first lady have issued a statement.

Let's bring in our chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin.

Jessica, tell us the reaction from the president and the first lady.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.

The president has issued a statement from the White House here on paper to begin with. He says that: "Michelle and I are so pleased to congratulate the duke and duchess of Cambridge on the joyous occasion on the birth of their first child. We wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings. The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations. Given the special relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince."

You see he uses that phrase special relationship. That was made famous by Winston Churchill to describe the bond between the U.S. and Britain formed during the war, and it extends to today. President and Mrs. Obama first met with the duke and duchess of Cambridge in 2011 at Buckingham Palace.

And on a very light note, there was the question today of the baby gift, will the Obamas be getting one for the Duke and duchess. The history is spotty on this. The Reagans did get a gift for Prince William, but not for Prince Harry, so yes for the heir, no for the spare. I will have more on this history, Wolf, tomorrow.

BLITZER: I'm sure you will.

But you did hear the British ambassador, Peter Westmacott, tell us a little while ago that if you want to celebrate the birth of this little baby boy, don't send a gift, but make a contribution, a financial contribution. You don't have to, only if you want to, to a charity for children, a good charity for children. So maybe the president and the first lady might want to consider a charitable contribution to help kids, as opposed to an actual baby gift, if you will.

YELLIN: Maybe they will do both. We will see.

BLITZER: That would be good too. And I'm sure that the royal couple would accept a baby gift from the president and the first lady.

All right, thanks very much.

I want to get back to the other breaking news we're watching. La Guardia Airport right now is shut down, no planes coming in because of this. This is Southwest Flight 345 from Nashville to La Guardia. At around 5:45 p.m. Eastern, 5:45 p.m. Eastern, this plane landed, but there was a nose gear problem, and as a result, you see what's going on.

Once again, no planes coming in.

Mary Snow, you're getting more information. What else are you learning?

SNOW: This is what we have from the FAA, Wolf, is that obviously there was a problem with the nose gear not extending. The back wheels did come down. It's being called by the FAA a gear-up landing.

What the FAA has told us is that there are no reported injuries. And, as you mentioned, the airport at La Guardia has halted all arrivals in the 45 minutes since this plane came on to Runway Four at New York City's LaGuardia Airport.

Again, it's Southwest confirming it is Flight 345. We do expect shortly to hear from Southwest. They have confirmed the flight number coming in from Nashville to LaGuardia, but said that they would be coming out with more information.

Again, the FAA telling us at this point, the last we heard from them was that there were no reported injuries.

BLITZER: That's good, no reported injuries. But we're looking at these pictures that show a situation, a clearly problematic situation for Southwest Flight 345, a Boeing 737.

Peter Goelz is joining us on the phone right now, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board, senior vice president right now at O'Neill and Associates.

You look at this picture, Peter, what does it say to you?

PETER GOELZ, FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, NTSB (via phone): Well, Wolf, this -- this happens on occasion, for both commercial airlines -- airliners and for private planes. And it's always a challenging situation. The flight crew trains for it. They know what to do. And it appears as though the flight crew did the right thing.

BLITZER: So just correct me if I'm wrong. The plane is coming in, and the front nose -- the wheels in the front don't go down, but they still decide to go ahead with the landing, or they -- the wheel sort of collapsed after the plane touches down?

GOELZ: Yes, it could be -- it could be either one. But generally, what you try and do if you're the pilot, you try and hold your nose up as long as you can. And drop it down as gently as you can at the last moment, because you know there's going to be a lot of sparks. You want to put it right down on the center line. You don't want to probably throw too much thruster onto it, because that puts even greater pressure on your nose. And you've got enough road, you can do it. It's not a problem.

BLITZER: They would be -- I assume they would be -- if they had a problem coming in and landing, Peter, and you've investigated a lot of these problematic landings, if they had a problem with the nose gear, not necessarily going down, you would expect a lot of preparation from ground crews, if you will, emergency vehicles on the sidelines getting ready for some sort of emergency landing, right?

GOELZ: That's exactly right. You would expect that there would be crews lined up, and apparently whatever happens, took the -- took the emergency crews a little bit by surprise.

BLITZER: Hold on for a moment, Peter. I want to bring in Peter [SIC] Abtahi, an eyewitness who saw what was going on. Peter [SIC], where were you and what did you see?

BOBBY ABTAHI, EYEWITNESS (via phone): It's Bobby Abtahi. I was in the D terminal, and I saw the plane come in. And from what I heard other people say -- I didn't see the landing gear come down and the wheels come off, but someone else said they saw the wheels come off. I went over to another terminal, took a couple pictures, videotaped it. I saw the flags coming out and people getting off the plane. And then I got out of LaGuardia as quick as I could and got into a car so I could head back to the city, to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BLITZER: So Bobby, once again, because we lost a little bit of the communication, the connection not perfect. But let me just hear once again. Repeat what you saw. The plane coming in, and then what happened?

ABTAHI: Other people nearby me saying that they saw a wheel roll away, roll onto the runway. There was no emergency vehicles ready for it. They came out afterwards, after the plane started skidding, we started seeing a couple of vehicles and then the ambulance. It skidded to a halt.

BLITZER: I'm going to break this up, because unfortunately we have lost our collection with Bobby Abtahi. He saw what was going on.

Peter Goelz is still with us on the phone. I think you can make out the gist of what he was saying. What does that say to you?

GOELZ: What it says, if they saw a piece of the landing gear break loose on one of the tires. It means that it probably took the flight crew by surprise that a failure occurred suddenly and that he didn't have enough time to radio ahead to alert the rescue squad that he was coming in. So I think -- I think that's the issue. BLITZER: All right, Peter Goelz, I want you to stand by. We're going to continue to watch what's going on.

You can see this plane is Southwest Airlines Flight 345 from Nashville to New York. What, about 5:45, that's almost 50 minutes or so ago, the plane came in, and they had a major problem with nose gear. But the FAA telling us no reported injuries on that plane.

The airport at LaGuardia now shut down to incoming traffic and outgoing traffic, at least for now. We'll stay on top of this breaking news story. We're also going to bring you some other important news, top stories, including officials right now assessing the damage done by the NSA leaker, Edward Snowden. They say they have a much better idea right now of exactly which secrets he stole.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Getting new information now. Apparently, three people are reported injured in this emergency landing of the Southwest flight. This is a Boeing 737, a Southwest flight from Nashville to New York's LaGuardia Airport. It came in almost an hour or so ago, 5:45 p.m. Eastern. A problem with the nose gear in the front.

You can see that plane dipping down in the front, and as a result, the airport right now not accepting planes, and that's been going on for a while.

Earlier, the FAA had told us that there was -- there were no reported injuries, but now a source close to the situation is telling CNN three injuries. We don't know how serious. But we're getting more information. You can see the live pictures coming in from LaGuardia right now.

The other breaking news story we're following in London at the palace. The hospital there, a baby boy, has been born. A baby boy weighing eight pounds, six ounces. Mom and Dad doing fine. We're told the parents, including Prince William, are going to spend the night at the hospital in London and presumably, assuming everything goes smoothly, come out tomorrow with the baby.

We're going to go to London shortly for a complete update on what's going on there, so stand by.

But there's some other important news I want to share with our viewers here in the United States and around the world right now.

CNN has learned that U.S. intelligence, the United States intelligence community, now believes Edward Snowden did not -- repeat, not -- gain access to what one official calls the crown jewels of the National Security Agency, the NSA, programs that secretly intercept and monitor conversations from around the world.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is working this part of the story for us.

I know that it was a serious breach. How bad was the breach? What did Snowden get and what didn't he get? We're getting new information -- information now.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Wolf. What are the crown jewels of the NSA? Well, an official explains to us that would be the content of the actual intercepts that they collect. The recordings, the conversations that terrorists might have amongst themselves about planning an attack.

They now believe -- and this is their belief -- that Edward Snowden did not get access when he downloaded thousands of documents from the NSA. That as a contractor, he did not get access to that most sensitive information. They call it ECI, extremely compartmented information. This is the crown jewel of what the NSA has.

So where do we stand now? They say they are not downplaying what Snowden got, that he had plenty of information about some programs, how they worked, how they ran. They don't believe he has full understanding of some of the documents he has.

Now, we cannot independently confirm this. We don't really know. We know what we are told. Officials say they are not downplaying it and that they do believe terrorists have growing familiarity with what Snowden is saying. They are reacting to it by making more arrangements to keep their own information safe -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Barbara Starr working her sources over at the Pentagon.

And elsewhere, another important story we're following right now, including this one. Less than two weeks since being found not guilty in the shooting death of the unarmed American teenager, Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman is making headlines in his community again. This time, for helping pull a family from an overturned SUV just four days after his acquittal. We're only learning about this now.

CNN's Victor Blackwell is joining us from Sanford, Florida, with details.

What do we know, Victor?

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, no one was sure that George Zimmerman was even in Florida, but this happened less than a mile from where he shot Trayvon Martin in February of 2012.

The 911 calls from this night have just been released. I want you to listen to a portion of one of those, and then we'll explain what happened after. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ACCIDENT WITNESS (via phone): I just witnessed an accident on the off ramp coming off the 417 to get onto I-4 over in Sanford.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Mom, dad, and their two kids were in this blue Explorer that rolled as it was trying to go onto the interstate. Two people showed up to help them out. No injuries. One of those two persons, George Zimmerman. He did not witness the accident. But he was in the right place at the right time, at least, for that family.

Now, that unlikely will come up tonight. It probably won't be the topic of conversation at the AME church here in Sanford. The NAACP here is hosting a town-hall meeting to talk about how to move forward from this, especially how to urge the DOJ, the Department of Justice, to file those civil rights charges.

Now, to put this into context, I mean this state, Florida, is deeply divided over the verdict that came down two weeks ago. Just yesterday, the governor of Florida declared Sunday to be a day of prayer for racial unity. The name of this meeting, "George Zimmerman -- It Ain't Over." So two very different approaches to finding a way to move forward -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Victor. Thanks very much for that report. Victor Blackwell on top of the story for us in Sanford, Florida.

We're going back to London. Getting new information about the royal baby boy, who was born today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Royal insiders say Catherine is planning to be a hands-on mom. CNN's Brian Todd has more now on raising the royal baby.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This baby's grandfather, Prince Charles, didn't go to a regular school, royal experts say, until he was 8. The boy's father, Prince William, and his Uncle Harry, were the first generation of royal children to go to nursery school outside the palace, thanks to the determination of their mother to break with the tradition of raising and schooling children inside Buckingham Palace.

For William and Kate these days, a different set of challenges.

VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: When you're dealing with regular members of the public, all with a camera phone who are so excited to see William or Kate, they pop a picture up on Twitter, suddenly it's around the world, and boom, privacy out the window.

TODD: Commentator Victoria Arbiter, who lived at Kensington Palace when her father worked for the queen, says it will be nearly impossible for the royal couple to raise their newborn son in a non- fishbowl setting. Observers say they will likely send the boy to an outside school. They will take him on trips. But what about playing with kids who aren't royalty or aren't rich?

ARBITER: It will be key for the children, obviously, or their child, to have school friends that will come over to the palace. William and Harry had school friends come over for play dates and the such.

But I don't know whether it means that it's going to be automatic friends for the parents, as well, because William simply won't know whether he can trust them. TODD: The key to a well-adjusted child in the royal spotlight, experts say: good communication between Prince William and Catherine.

Child development specialist Robin Goldstein, contributor to "Washington Parent Magazine," says even very young children can quickly pick up tension between their parents.

(on camera): You deal with people in this town who are high-profile, both parents working, who may not be able to spend as much time physically with their children as they want to. Maybe much like this couple. How do you think they're going to balance that and what do they need to do?

ROBIN GOLDSTEIN, CHILD DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST: Everybody can probably tweak their schedules just a little bit, all new parents, whether we're talking about early morning, or talking about showing up at lunch or showing up on face time or through Skype.

And also in the evening. And the key in the evening is to really put one's attention to, "I want to be, we want to be with our baby."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Goldstein says that means showing it physically: actually getting on the floor with the child: no distractions, no cell phones, no computers. Physical attachment and focus are crucial in those moments to make up for the time away -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Presumably good advice for the royal family. Thanks very much for that, Brian.

An explosive scare as the pope arrives in South America. Details coming in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check back with Mary for a quick look at some of the other top stories in THE SITUATION ROOM right now -- Mary.

SNOW: Well, Wolf, the latest on the nose gear of a Southwest Airlines jetliner collapsing after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport. It was a Boeing 737. A source with knowledge of the incident says three people were injured and that all passengers are off the plane.

Some tense moments for Pope Francis back in his native South America for the first time as pontiff. A huge cheering crowd swarmed his car in Rio de Janeiro, nearly crushing it. And military police confirmed to CNN that a small explosive device was found yesterday near a religious sanctuary the pope is scheduled to visit this Wednesday.

And Major League Baseball star Ryan Braun has been suspended without pay for the rest of the 2013 season. Commissioner Bud Selig says Braun violated the league's drug policy. He admitted to wrongdoing and apologized in a statement for his actions, saying, quote, "I am not perfect." Braun is an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. That's the latest on the headlines. You're watching THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on the royal baby from Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The duchess may have delivered the baby, but the news was delivered mostly via smartphone, listening to an anchor gasp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, was safely delivered of a son.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (GASP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four twenty-four local time.

MOOS: And prompting confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop the presses: breaking news from London about the royal baby. Let's get to NBC's Jim Maceda.

MOOS: The baby came, but not the reporter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The crowd surging forward. It's a boy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big bouncing boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's royal baby time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just got goose bumps.

MOOS: What must have been a labor of love for the royal couple was downright laborious for the press: days of waiting and then finally --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kate's in labor. Kate's in labor.

GRETCHEN CARLSON, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: She's in labor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, she's in labor.

MOOS: Some thought the press belabored the story. And critics hailed a BBC correspondent for his on-air candor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plenty more to come from here of course, none of it news, because that will come from Buckingham Palace. But that won't stop us.

MOOS: The British paper "The Guardian" allowed readers to get rid of all the royal baby news on the home page with merely a click of the mouse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's on. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what we have been waiting for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you know what's exciting: if the baby sees its shadow, it's six more weeks of winter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kate did go into labor during a full moon.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": This is -- we are looking live at a door.

MOOS: Of course, there were fake Twitter accounts, written in the voice of the royal baby: "My first crowning is not going as smoothly as I'd like."

There were jokes making fun of the jokes: "I don't find these royal baby jokes very funny. Maybe it's just the delivery."

Even photographers hung joke notes on their wall of ladders outside the hospital: "Postpartum ladder sale."

Royal baby trivia was truly trivial.

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": Cloth diapers or disposable? Prince William was the first royal baby to use disposable diapers, and presumably this baby will, too. How could you have lived without knowing this? And I have more.

MOOS: Forget having a boy or a girl.

MICHAEL STRAHAN, CO-HOST, ABC's "LIVE WITH KELLY & MICHAEL": I am hoping, like on the show the "Game of Thrones," that she has a dragon.

MOOS: Now, the birth of a royal dragon would have been news.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That's it for me. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.