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CNN Live Today
Pope's Last Will and Testament Released; Rome Prepares for 5 Million Mourners; Gas Prices Hit Early Record High
Aired April 07, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We'll see you again tomorrow. Right now, want to get to Daryn Kagan up in D.C., Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center.
And good morning, Daryn, how are you doing?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: I'm doing great. Bill, thank you. We'll look forward to the coverage of the pope's funeral tomorrow.
Good morning, everyone. I am Daryn Kagan in Washington D.C. We'll talk a little bit about that why coming up, and my partner Rick Sanchez in Atlanta.
Good morning, Rick.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: I'm Rick Sanchez. Good morning in Atlanta, Daryn. Here's what's happening in the news right now.
The Vatican has reopened the lines for mourners packed into Vatican City to view the body of Pope John Paul II. St. Peter's Basilica is scheduled to close at 4:00 Eastern Time tonight to prepare for tomorrow's funeral. Live report from the Vatican, that's going to be coming up in just about one minute for you.
Also, Iraq has a new president and prime minister, Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani. He was sworn in this morning as the country's very first democratically elected president. Later, Iraqi Shiite, Ibrahim Jaafari is nominated to be prime minister. He's now considered Iraq's most powerful man in that position.
Pfizer says it will pull its painkiller Bextra off the shelves after an FDA request to do so. The agency says the drug increases the risk of a heart attack and a stroke. We're going to have more on that.
And all across the country, another day, another gas price hike. We've almost become accustomed to these. AAA says the average is now $2.25 a gallon. That's $2.25 a gallon. Two-cents more than yesterday, by the way, and it's likely to get worse before it gets any better. The federal government expects the price to rise another 10- cents, that's for the month of May, before finally starting to taper off, they say, slightly, over the summer.
SANCHEZ: So much to cover on this day. I'm Rick Sanchez. We welcome you back.
KAGAN: Good morning, Rick. I'm Daryn Kagan.
The will written by Pope John Paul II has been revealed. Details on the last will and testament are coming out, as the final public mourners view John Paul II's body. You are looking at -- I believe we're trying to get at some live pictures from St. Peter's Basilica. Yes, those are live pictures.
The line reopened for John Paul's mourners today. Officials previously closed it last night. And Rome officials expect five million people to visit the Vatican by the time of the funeral tomorrow.
CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is in St. Peter's Square where mourners from all over the world have come to pay their last respects.
Jennifer, hello.
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Well, it seems that Roman officials have re-evaluated the logistics of getting people through St. Peter's Basilica to see the body of Pope John Paul II. They have been reopened the lines. They've now been opened for several hours, after announcing last night at 10:00 a.m. that they would be closed.
And that's because the crush of people who have come to Vatican City to come view the body was numbered in the tens of thousands still. And they didn't think they were going to have the time to prepare the Basilica for the funeral, so they announced it would be closed at 10:00 p.m.
When they figured out that the crowds were actually moving a lot faster overnight, it's now taking people between four and five hours at the end of the line to get into the Basilica. Previously it had been taking them 10 to 15 hours to get in. When they determined that it was moving a lot quicker, they said that they would open up those lines.
And primarily because of the tens of thousands, some are saying hundreds of thousands of Polish pilgrims that have been coming into Rome over the last 12 hours.
I'm going to ask the cameraman to pan over to these crowds because what you're seeing are a sea of Polish flags. And yes, there's one American flag amongst them. That's because these majority of these people have now joined the line at about 8:00 this morning, having come in overnight from Poland. They were greatly disappointed while on the way down when they were hearing news reports that they wouldn't be able to get in to see the body of Pope John Paul II.
But now, as you can imagine, there is clear delight amongst the crowds. And it's astonishing just what a good mood people are in. They've been standing there for several hours. Right now, it's extremely warm. Overnight, it was very cold. It dipped down into the 40s and yet the spirits of high. And people are grateful that they're going to have this one last opportunity to pay their respects to say good-bye to Pope John Paul II. And as you said, Rome is expecting up to five million people in the city. Right now, they say some 2 million people have already gone through to see the body. And that five million number is actually more than the actual residents of the city -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Absolutely incredible. So at some point, Jennifer, they have to draw a line on the line. When and how do they intend to do that?
ECCLESTON: Precisely. They must, because they need several hours to prepare the basilica to get all of the chairs out so that they can have some 200 dignitaries and presidents, and kings and queens, and prime ministers from all over the world will attend tomorrow's funeral, as well as the millions of pilgrims who are here.
What they're going to do -- right now they had been saying they'll close the Basilica's doors at 10:00 p.m. this evening local time. They may have to reevaluate that. Because the line is moving fairly swiftly, they may give the pilgrims an extra hour to come through. And they'll determine whether or not those doors will close at 10 or perhaps a little later. Later on in the day, later in this afternoon, in the couple of hours because they're really gauging hour by hour just how quickly this crowd is moving.
And at this stage it's not bad. I can see here every now and again, it moves 30, 40 rows of people move up. Once they get beyond my position here and into the actual square it moves quickly. They're only given about 10, nine -- 10 seconds to actually view the body and they're passed through. So we are expecting an update as to when that official time will come in. When they close the basilica's doors, no more pilgrims will be allowed to come in and they prepare for the funeral -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Jennifer Eccleston, live from St. Peter's Square. And Jennifer, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to our CNN family. Good to have you aboard.
ECCLESTON: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Two hundred world leaders are expected to attend John Paul II's funeral tomorrow. President Bush is going to be among those. The president, the First Lady Laura Bush viewed the body at the Vatican yesterday. Also in the U.S. delegation, former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: In addition to world leaders and dignitaries, an estimated five million mourners are expected to pass through Rome this week.
CNN's Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci reports on how the city is handling security in light of this overwhelming challenge. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SIRENS)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The largest security challenge so far has been controlling a growing crowd trying to reach St. Peter's Square. Italian officials say they had a plan for the pope's death. But they had no idea millions would show up to pay their last respects to John Paul II, because they say up to five million people could be involved by the time the funeral ends on Friday, they only had a matter of days to adapt their security plan.
Despite the long wait to see the pope's body, officials say the crowd has not been hostile towards security forces, but they're not taking any chances. ACHILLE SERRA, ROME PREFECT (through translator): "I have no sign that could be in any way worrying," he says, "No sign. It is obvious that nobody is going to underestimate anything and above all, security."
VINCI: The defense shield will reach its peak Friday when close to 200 heads of state and government, including the current and two past U.S. presidents, will sit in St. Peter's Square attending the pope's funeral.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once they're in the Vatican, they're, of course, quite -- the security is quite safe, of course. But then we are to handle people coming into the square. Everybody will be controlled by metal detectors. So we have to get the whole place empty the night before, and then control everybody and put them back in the square. So that's going to be a very, very hard task. But we're ready to do that.
VINCI: Most dignitaries will have a security detail. But officials here say that the deployment of security forces will reach close to 15,000 men and women, including hundreds from the military.
It already seems as if every street, corner and piazza around the Vatican and beyond is being carefully watched. Key areas are being monitored with cameras linked to police headquarters. The river Tiber is patrolled 24 hours a day. If someone tries to reach the Vatican from here, these two officers tell me he has no chance.
(on camera): This is just one of many security measures being employed to protect Vatican City. As you can see, the basilica is very close to the river. However, the first line of defense is far away from here. High above Rome, NATO planes circle to protect the skies. And anti-aircraft missile defense systems have been deployed just outside the city-center.
(voice-over): The air space over Rome, in a range of 60 kilometers, has been shut to private aircraft. And commercial air traffic will be reduced drastically by Thursday night. And on Friday, the entire city of Rome has been declared a no driving zone.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And we'll have live coverage throughout tomorrow morning of the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Join us beginning at 3:00 a.m. Eastern.
SANCHEZ: We have a developing story, Daryn, that we're following for our viewers right now. It's taking place in West Miami Dade. Let's tell you what this is, as you see the helicopter with some of the water coming into this area. It's a fire in West Miami Dade. It's what's often referred to as just a brush fire. It usually happens about this time of the year. And as ominous as it looks it's not a major concern right now because it's not near any of the housing developments in the area.
As a matter of fact, many scientists will tell you that this is something that happens normally, that it's actually good for this part. Remember, Florida used to be a swampy area and not far from the Everglades; these pictures that you're looking at right now. And it's nature's way of clearing out the underbrush in those areas.
So we're going to keep an eye on it in case it spreads to an area near any residences. But right now, we're being we're told it's far removed from that area. The only think it may do is as the smoke goes back toward an easterly direction toward the highways, it can create a real hazard for people trying to drive through some areas, like the Florida turnpike, I-95, I-75 in that area. So we're going to keep an eye on it and let you know throughout this newscast.
Other stories that we're following on this day, just how will they go? Gas prices, they just keep going up. Ahead, be a smart shopper when you're trying to fill up your tank.
Also, will they play or will rain ruin it? We're going live to Augusta for Day 1 the Masters.
And Camilla is becoming the duchess of Cornwall. But is Cornwall ready for the new duchess? We're going to take you to the streets to find out. This, ahead right here on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Can you believe what's going on with gas prices? Traditionally they rise during the summer driving season, that's the period, April through September. Don't expect that to change this year, records at the pump. Earlier this morning, the U.S. Energy Information released its outlook for summer gas prices and supplies. Demand is expected to be up from last year, with prices expected to peak in May at -- ready for this? Two dollars and thirty-five cents a gallon.
AAA today is saying the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded, right now on this day, is $2.25 a gallon. Let's bring somebody in who can bring us -- give us some perspective on this.
He's Brad Proctor. He is the CEO and the founder of gaspricewatch.com. He is good enough to join us from Cincinnati. Two dollars and twenty-five cents is what they're saying it's at today. That's according to AAA. Is that the highest you've ever seen it?
BRAD PROCTOR, CEO, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: Oh, absolutely. That's the highest national average we've seen in quite some time. And the jump has been very rapid.
SANCHEZ: Did you expect it to go this high at this time?
PROCTOR: We did expect it to go high but not this soon. You know, we're about two months off the peak period and there's a lot of room for it to go up yet.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. The point is they usually bring it up because they know that in the summer, people are going to be -- well, demand is going to go up. People are going to be driving an awful lot. We're nowhere near the summer, are we?
PROCTOR: Absolutely not. We are months ahead of where we should be. You know, we should be having this conversation around May 15 or so. And the idea is we're almost 50-cents up from where we were last year.
SANCHEZ: So what gives? You know what? Let's do this. One of our producers, one of our intrepid producers has got a breakdown for us of where, when you go and pay for a gallon of gas, where your money goes. Can we put that up? Maybe you can help us kind of make some sense of this.
Taxes, 44-cents, distribution, about 6-cents, that's the marketing and the distribution I guess they've got to do to get people to buy their product. The refining is 52-cents. And the actual oil that we're bring something in about $1.19. What do you take away from that? What should we take away from that?
PROCTOR: Well, again. We've seen unprecedented highs in terms of what the price of oil has been in just this week alone. That is the major component that's out there. But you know, there's other factors that come in. And that's called oil futures. And the idea is the industry has to be able to ramp up capitol to be able to buy gasoline they expect to be more expensive in the future.
All of these things -- all of these components are coming together at a time when it's just very bad to be able to see this. This is a perfect storm for gasoline price.
SANCHEZ: Brad, is anybody to blame?
PROCTOR: You know, I don't think there's any one institution or individual or anything like that to blame. I think it's a combination. It's gasanoia. They're paranoid right now of where the possibilities. Supply is lower than it should be. Demand is much higher, international and global demand is higher. We have unrest in some of the major producing areas of the world that are there. All things they're factoring in are really an issue around where the price of oil will go, and ultimately where the price of gasoline will go.
SANCHEZ: Two quick questions before we let you go, since people are watching us from all over the country. Where is it worst? And what can people do in those areas to find some relief for themselves?
PROCTOR: Well, I think California typically is always paying the highest price. But if you go up and down the West Coast, you will see that that is typically the highest, Oregon, Washington. We're now seeing interestingly a trend, the Midwest is starting to mimic what's happening out in California. That's been unusual that the Midwest would start to catch California.
And you know, a couple of things you can do, take the most efficient vehicle when you can. Start to use the gas rebate cards that are out there for companies. But make sure you pay the full amounts off because they can be as much as 10 percent of the total cost of gasoline out there. Just be a little smarter. Combine your trips.
And this is starting to impact the economy. And I think in a serious way to the tune of somewhere about $5 billion a month being taken out of the economy, because of inflated gas prices with no new jobs being created and new products, and no new services, just so we can go to school and go to work.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And we didn't even talk about what the effect is going to be on some of those products and some of those services.
PROCTOR: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Greg Proctor, he's with gaspricewatch.com. He certainly knows his stuff.
And I have a feeling you and I are going to be talking again sometime this summer. Brad, we appreciate it.
PROCTOR: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's take you now to Washington and my colleague, Daryn Kagan -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, here's an idea for you, Rick. Some people here in Congress believe the U.S. would use less oil and gasoline if there were more daylight savings time. A proposal to add two extra months to daylight saving time was approved yesterday by a House committee, as part of a new energy bill.
Supporters say extending the time change from early March to late November could save 10,000 barrels of oil every day. Lawmakers hope to finish writing the energy bill next week so it can be sent to the House floor for a final vote.
If you have any money left after you filled up your car, do you have a dream about building your dream home? Gerri Willis is here with some advice.
Hi, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Daryn. You can get luxury at a decent price if you're building your own home. We'll tell you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Some people dream about castles. Others fantasize about, I don't know, a great loft. If you plan to make your dream home a reality, our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has today's "Top Five Tips" to help get you started.
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you from Washington. Tip No. 1 here. Make sure you and your spouse have the same dream. When you envision your dream house what do you see? You may want a fancy kitchen, while your husband dreams of a three-car garage. So before you build, have a clear idea what your dream house will be. And once you decide on the basics, then you can start designing.
KAGAN: OK. If you're not divorced after that conversation.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: can you design it yourself literally? Or do you have to pay the money for an architect?
WILLIS: You don't have to pay the money for an architect. You can actually go to the web to start designing. Check out eplans.com, where you can customize your building plans by entering the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want, the style of house you want and the Square footage.
Want to know how much your dream home will cost in your ideal location? Well, point your browser is dreamhomesource.com. Make sure you have the plans looked over though by a builder. You can check out that all the local codes and restrictions work with your plan.
If you're not a do-it-yourselfer, you can go the more traditional route with an architect or designer. For help in choosing someone to fit your needs, log onto the American Institute of Architects website at aia.com.
KAGAN: So Ger, it's one thing to have it on paper to have your dream house here. But how do you make it a reality?
WILLIS: Well, that's the big step. Unless you're an experienced builder you're going to need someone to execute your plans. Whether you choose an architect to head up the project or maybe a general contractor, you want someone with experience and a good reputation. Get as many references as you can, check them out.
And unless you're using a big construction company, ask to see profiles and plans of their past work. Most people in the industry are proud to show you the work they've done. For help in choosing a builder though, go to the National Association of Homebuilder's website, that's nahb.org.
KAGAN: If this is really a dream home, you probably spent years picking out some of the finest ideas. But how do you make that reality without breaking the bank?
WILLIS: Well, here's the good news. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get the look you want in your home. Affordable, low maintenance materials can give you a lux-look for less. Can't afford hardwood floors? Head to your nearest home improvement store and check out the laminate flooring. Some laminates have a wood veneer on top. But others are completely synthetic. You get the surface look and feel of the natural wood at a much lower cost. Also, installation is easier. Some laminates are made for the counter top and they look like granite, right down to the look and feel, and shiny finish of the real thing. Check out wilsonart.com for details.
KAGAN: We will do it. And we'll see you this weekend with more "OPEN HOUSE."
WILLIS: Well, more "OPEN HOUSE" not until the following weekend because we're covering Charles and Camilla.
KAGAN: Oh, that's right. OK. Well, someone's has got to go to that wedding. The queen is not.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: All right. Gerri Willis...
WILLIS: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: The wedding that almost wasn't. Thanks, guys.
Pope John Paul II took on tough issues as leader of the Catholic Church. What new challenges will the next pope face?
CNN LIVE TODAY rolls along for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. We're at the midpoint in this first hour from Atlanta. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan in Washington. Here's what's happening now in the news.
A short time ago, the Vatican released Pope John Paul II's last will and testament. The pope began writing his will back in 1979, the year after he became pope. He reviewed it annually. The pope wrote that he left no material possessions behind, and asked that his personal records be burned. Other than his family, he mentioned only two people, his personal secretary, and the former chief rabbi of Rome, as we look at a live picture from St. Peter's Basilica. The Irish Republican Army says that it's considered ger -- that it's considering Jerry Adams' appeal to lay down arms. The Sinn Fein leader yesterday called on the outlawed group to embrace politics. Today's statement from the IRA said it would respond to Adams' request in due time.
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Aired April 7, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We'll see you again tomorrow. Right now, want to get to Daryn Kagan up in D.C., Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center.
And good morning, Daryn, how are you doing?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: I'm doing great. Bill, thank you. We'll look forward to the coverage of the pope's funeral tomorrow.
Good morning, everyone. I am Daryn Kagan in Washington D.C. We'll talk a little bit about that why coming up, and my partner Rick Sanchez in Atlanta.
Good morning, Rick.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: I'm Rick Sanchez. Good morning in Atlanta, Daryn. Here's what's happening in the news right now.
The Vatican has reopened the lines for mourners packed into Vatican City to view the body of Pope John Paul II. St. Peter's Basilica is scheduled to close at 4:00 Eastern Time tonight to prepare for tomorrow's funeral. Live report from the Vatican, that's going to be coming up in just about one minute for you.
Also, Iraq has a new president and prime minister, Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani. He was sworn in this morning as the country's very first democratically elected president. Later, Iraqi Shiite, Ibrahim Jaafari is nominated to be prime minister. He's now considered Iraq's most powerful man in that position.
Pfizer says it will pull its painkiller Bextra off the shelves after an FDA request to do so. The agency says the drug increases the risk of a heart attack and a stroke. We're going to have more on that.
And all across the country, another day, another gas price hike. We've almost become accustomed to these. AAA says the average is now $2.25 a gallon. That's $2.25 a gallon. Two-cents more than yesterday, by the way, and it's likely to get worse before it gets any better. The federal government expects the price to rise another 10- cents, that's for the month of May, before finally starting to taper off, they say, slightly, over the summer.
SANCHEZ: So much to cover on this day. I'm Rick Sanchez. We welcome you back.
KAGAN: Good morning, Rick. I'm Daryn Kagan.
The will written by Pope John Paul II has been revealed. Details on the last will and testament are coming out, as the final public mourners view John Paul II's body. You are looking at -- I believe we're trying to get at some live pictures from St. Peter's Basilica. Yes, those are live pictures.
The line reopened for John Paul's mourners today. Officials previously closed it last night. And Rome officials expect five million people to visit the Vatican by the time of the funeral tomorrow.
CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is in St. Peter's Square where mourners from all over the world have come to pay their last respects.
Jennifer, hello.
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Well, it seems that Roman officials have re-evaluated the logistics of getting people through St. Peter's Basilica to see the body of Pope John Paul II. They have been reopened the lines. They've now been opened for several hours, after announcing last night at 10:00 a.m. that they would be closed.
And that's because the crush of people who have come to Vatican City to come view the body was numbered in the tens of thousands still. And they didn't think they were going to have the time to prepare the Basilica for the funeral, so they announced it would be closed at 10:00 p.m.
When they figured out that the crowds were actually moving a lot faster overnight, it's now taking people between four and five hours at the end of the line to get into the Basilica. Previously it had been taking them 10 to 15 hours to get in. When they determined that it was moving a lot quicker, they said that they would open up those lines.
And primarily because of the tens of thousands, some are saying hundreds of thousands of Polish pilgrims that have been coming into Rome over the last 12 hours.
I'm going to ask the cameraman to pan over to these crowds because what you're seeing are a sea of Polish flags. And yes, there's one American flag amongst them. That's because these majority of these people have now joined the line at about 8:00 this morning, having come in overnight from Poland. They were greatly disappointed while on the way down when they were hearing news reports that they wouldn't be able to get in to see the body of Pope John Paul II.
But now, as you can imagine, there is clear delight amongst the crowds. And it's astonishing just what a good mood people are in. They've been standing there for several hours. Right now, it's extremely warm. Overnight, it was very cold. It dipped down into the 40s and yet the spirits of high. And people are grateful that they're going to have this one last opportunity to pay their respects to say good-bye to Pope John Paul II. And as you said, Rome is expecting up to five million people in the city. Right now, they say some 2 million people have already gone through to see the body. And that five million number is actually more than the actual residents of the city -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Absolutely incredible. So at some point, Jennifer, they have to draw a line on the line. When and how do they intend to do that?
ECCLESTON: Precisely. They must, because they need several hours to prepare the basilica to get all of the chairs out so that they can have some 200 dignitaries and presidents, and kings and queens, and prime ministers from all over the world will attend tomorrow's funeral, as well as the millions of pilgrims who are here.
What they're going to do -- right now they had been saying they'll close the Basilica's doors at 10:00 p.m. this evening local time. They may have to reevaluate that. Because the line is moving fairly swiftly, they may give the pilgrims an extra hour to come through. And they'll determine whether or not those doors will close at 10 or perhaps a little later. Later on in the day, later in this afternoon, in the couple of hours because they're really gauging hour by hour just how quickly this crowd is moving.
And at this stage it's not bad. I can see here every now and again, it moves 30, 40 rows of people move up. Once they get beyond my position here and into the actual square it moves quickly. They're only given about 10, nine -- 10 seconds to actually view the body and they're passed through. So we are expecting an update as to when that official time will come in. When they close the basilica's doors, no more pilgrims will be allowed to come in and they prepare for the funeral -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Jennifer Eccleston, live from St. Peter's Square. And Jennifer, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to our CNN family. Good to have you aboard.
ECCLESTON: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Two hundred world leaders are expected to attend John Paul II's funeral tomorrow. President Bush is going to be among those. The president, the First Lady Laura Bush viewed the body at the Vatican yesterday. Also in the U.S. delegation, former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: In addition to world leaders and dignitaries, an estimated five million mourners are expected to pass through Rome this week.
CNN's Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci reports on how the city is handling security in light of this overwhelming challenge. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SIRENS)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The largest security challenge so far has been controlling a growing crowd trying to reach St. Peter's Square. Italian officials say they had a plan for the pope's death. But they had no idea millions would show up to pay their last respects to John Paul II, because they say up to five million people could be involved by the time the funeral ends on Friday, they only had a matter of days to adapt their security plan.
Despite the long wait to see the pope's body, officials say the crowd has not been hostile towards security forces, but they're not taking any chances. ACHILLE SERRA, ROME PREFECT (through translator): "I have no sign that could be in any way worrying," he says, "No sign. It is obvious that nobody is going to underestimate anything and above all, security."
VINCI: The defense shield will reach its peak Friday when close to 200 heads of state and government, including the current and two past U.S. presidents, will sit in St. Peter's Square attending the pope's funeral.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once they're in the Vatican, they're, of course, quite -- the security is quite safe, of course. But then we are to handle people coming into the square. Everybody will be controlled by metal detectors. So we have to get the whole place empty the night before, and then control everybody and put them back in the square. So that's going to be a very, very hard task. But we're ready to do that.
VINCI: Most dignitaries will have a security detail. But officials here say that the deployment of security forces will reach close to 15,000 men and women, including hundreds from the military.
It already seems as if every street, corner and piazza around the Vatican and beyond is being carefully watched. Key areas are being monitored with cameras linked to police headquarters. The river Tiber is patrolled 24 hours a day. If someone tries to reach the Vatican from here, these two officers tell me he has no chance.
(on camera): This is just one of many security measures being employed to protect Vatican City. As you can see, the basilica is very close to the river. However, the first line of defense is far away from here. High above Rome, NATO planes circle to protect the skies. And anti-aircraft missile defense systems have been deployed just outside the city-center.
(voice-over): The air space over Rome, in a range of 60 kilometers, has been shut to private aircraft. And commercial air traffic will be reduced drastically by Thursday night. And on Friday, the entire city of Rome has been declared a no driving zone.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And we'll have live coverage throughout tomorrow morning of the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Join us beginning at 3:00 a.m. Eastern.
SANCHEZ: We have a developing story, Daryn, that we're following for our viewers right now. It's taking place in West Miami Dade. Let's tell you what this is, as you see the helicopter with some of the water coming into this area. It's a fire in West Miami Dade. It's what's often referred to as just a brush fire. It usually happens about this time of the year. And as ominous as it looks it's not a major concern right now because it's not near any of the housing developments in the area.
As a matter of fact, many scientists will tell you that this is something that happens normally, that it's actually good for this part. Remember, Florida used to be a swampy area and not far from the Everglades; these pictures that you're looking at right now. And it's nature's way of clearing out the underbrush in those areas.
So we're going to keep an eye on it in case it spreads to an area near any residences. But right now, we're being we're told it's far removed from that area. The only think it may do is as the smoke goes back toward an easterly direction toward the highways, it can create a real hazard for people trying to drive through some areas, like the Florida turnpike, I-95, I-75 in that area. So we're going to keep an eye on it and let you know throughout this newscast.
Other stories that we're following on this day, just how will they go? Gas prices, they just keep going up. Ahead, be a smart shopper when you're trying to fill up your tank.
Also, will they play or will rain ruin it? We're going live to Augusta for Day 1 the Masters.
And Camilla is becoming the duchess of Cornwall. But is Cornwall ready for the new duchess? We're going to take you to the streets to find out. This, ahead right here on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Can you believe what's going on with gas prices? Traditionally they rise during the summer driving season, that's the period, April through September. Don't expect that to change this year, records at the pump. Earlier this morning, the U.S. Energy Information released its outlook for summer gas prices and supplies. Demand is expected to be up from last year, with prices expected to peak in May at -- ready for this? Two dollars and thirty-five cents a gallon.
AAA today is saying the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded, right now on this day, is $2.25 a gallon. Let's bring somebody in who can bring us -- give us some perspective on this.
He's Brad Proctor. He is the CEO and the founder of gaspricewatch.com. He is good enough to join us from Cincinnati. Two dollars and twenty-five cents is what they're saying it's at today. That's according to AAA. Is that the highest you've ever seen it?
BRAD PROCTOR, CEO, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: Oh, absolutely. That's the highest national average we've seen in quite some time. And the jump has been very rapid.
SANCHEZ: Did you expect it to go this high at this time?
PROCTOR: We did expect it to go high but not this soon. You know, we're about two months off the peak period and there's a lot of room for it to go up yet.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. The point is they usually bring it up because they know that in the summer, people are going to be -- well, demand is going to go up. People are going to be driving an awful lot. We're nowhere near the summer, are we?
PROCTOR: Absolutely not. We are months ahead of where we should be. You know, we should be having this conversation around May 15 or so. And the idea is we're almost 50-cents up from where we were last year.
SANCHEZ: So what gives? You know what? Let's do this. One of our producers, one of our intrepid producers has got a breakdown for us of where, when you go and pay for a gallon of gas, where your money goes. Can we put that up? Maybe you can help us kind of make some sense of this.
Taxes, 44-cents, distribution, about 6-cents, that's the marketing and the distribution I guess they've got to do to get people to buy their product. The refining is 52-cents. And the actual oil that we're bring something in about $1.19. What do you take away from that? What should we take away from that?
PROCTOR: Well, again. We've seen unprecedented highs in terms of what the price of oil has been in just this week alone. That is the major component that's out there. But you know, there's other factors that come in. And that's called oil futures. And the idea is the industry has to be able to ramp up capitol to be able to buy gasoline they expect to be more expensive in the future.
All of these things -- all of these components are coming together at a time when it's just very bad to be able to see this. This is a perfect storm for gasoline price.
SANCHEZ: Brad, is anybody to blame?
PROCTOR: You know, I don't think there's any one institution or individual or anything like that to blame. I think it's a combination. It's gasanoia. They're paranoid right now of where the possibilities. Supply is lower than it should be. Demand is much higher, international and global demand is higher. We have unrest in some of the major producing areas of the world that are there. All things they're factoring in are really an issue around where the price of oil will go, and ultimately where the price of gasoline will go.
SANCHEZ: Two quick questions before we let you go, since people are watching us from all over the country. Where is it worst? And what can people do in those areas to find some relief for themselves?
PROCTOR: Well, I think California typically is always paying the highest price. But if you go up and down the West Coast, you will see that that is typically the highest, Oregon, Washington. We're now seeing interestingly a trend, the Midwest is starting to mimic what's happening out in California. That's been unusual that the Midwest would start to catch California.
And you know, a couple of things you can do, take the most efficient vehicle when you can. Start to use the gas rebate cards that are out there for companies. But make sure you pay the full amounts off because they can be as much as 10 percent of the total cost of gasoline out there. Just be a little smarter. Combine your trips.
And this is starting to impact the economy. And I think in a serious way to the tune of somewhere about $5 billion a month being taken out of the economy, because of inflated gas prices with no new jobs being created and new products, and no new services, just so we can go to school and go to work.
SANCHEZ: Yes. And we didn't even talk about what the effect is going to be on some of those products and some of those services.
PROCTOR: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Greg Proctor, he's with gaspricewatch.com. He certainly knows his stuff.
And I have a feeling you and I are going to be talking again sometime this summer. Brad, we appreciate it.
PROCTOR: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let's take you now to Washington and my colleague, Daryn Kagan -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, here's an idea for you, Rick. Some people here in Congress believe the U.S. would use less oil and gasoline if there were more daylight savings time. A proposal to add two extra months to daylight saving time was approved yesterday by a House committee, as part of a new energy bill.
Supporters say extending the time change from early March to late November could save 10,000 barrels of oil every day. Lawmakers hope to finish writing the energy bill next week so it can be sent to the House floor for a final vote.
If you have any money left after you filled up your car, do you have a dream about building your dream home? Gerri Willis is here with some advice.
Hi, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Daryn. You can get luxury at a decent price if you're building your own home. We'll tell you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Some people dream about castles. Others fantasize about, I don't know, a great loft. If you plan to make your dream home a reality, our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has today's "Top Five Tips" to help get you started.
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you from Washington. Tip No. 1 here. Make sure you and your spouse have the same dream. When you envision your dream house what do you see? You may want a fancy kitchen, while your husband dreams of a three-car garage. So before you build, have a clear idea what your dream house will be. And once you decide on the basics, then you can start designing.
KAGAN: OK. If you're not divorced after that conversation.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: can you design it yourself literally? Or do you have to pay the money for an architect?
WILLIS: You don't have to pay the money for an architect. You can actually go to the web to start designing. Check out eplans.com, where you can customize your building plans by entering the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want, the style of house you want and the Square footage.
Want to know how much your dream home will cost in your ideal location? Well, point your browser is dreamhomesource.com. Make sure you have the plans looked over though by a builder. You can check out that all the local codes and restrictions work with your plan.
If you're not a do-it-yourselfer, you can go the more traditional route with an architect or designer. For help in choosing someone to fit your needs, log onto the American Institute of Architects website at aia.com.
KAGAN: So Ger, it's one thing to have it on paper to have your dream house here. But how do you make it a reality?
WILLIS: Well, that's the big step. Unless you're an experienced builder you're going to need someone to execute your plans. Whether you choose an architect to head up the project or maybe a general contractor, you want someone with experience and a good reputation. Get as many references as you can, check them out.
And unless you're using a big construction company, ask to see profiles and plans of their past work. Most people in the industry are proud to show you the work they've done. For help in choosing a builder though, go to the National Association of Homebuilder's website, that's nahb.org.
KAGAN: If this is really a dream home, you probably spent years picking out some of the finest ideas. But how do you make that reality without breaking the bank?
WILLIS: Well, here's the good news. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get the look you want in your home. Affordable, low maintenance materials can give you a lux-look for less. Can't afford hardwood floors? Head to your nearest home improvement store and check out the laminate flooring. Some laminates have a wood veneer on top. But others are completely synthetic. You get the surface look and feel of the natural wood at a much lower cost. Also, installation is easier. Some laminates are made for the counter top and they look like granite, right down to the look and feel, and shiny finish of the real thing. Check out wilsonart.com for details.
KAGAN: We will do it. And we'll see you this weekend with more "OPEN HOUSE."
WILLIS: Well, more "OPEN HOUSE" not until the following weekend because we're covering Charles and Camilla.
KAGAN: Oh, that's right. OK. Well, someone's has got to go to that wedding. The queen is not.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: All right. Gerri Willis...
WILLIS: Thank you.
KAGAN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: The wedding that almost wasn't. Thanks, guys.
Pope John Paul II took on tough issues as leader of the Catholic Church. What new challenges will the next pope face?
CNN LIVE TODAY rolls along for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. We're at the midpoint in this first hour from Atlanta. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan in Washington. Here's what's happening now in the news.
A short time ago, the Vatican released Pope John Paul II's last will and testament. The pope began writing his will back in 1979, the year after he became pope. He reviewed it annually. The pope wrote that he left no material possessions behind, and asked that his personal records be burned. Other than his family, he mentioned only two people, his personal secretary, and the former chief rabbi of Rome, as we look at a live picture from St. Peter's Basilica. The Irish Republican Army says that it's considered ger -- that it's considering Jerry Adams' appeal to lay down arms. The Sinn Fein leader yesterday called on the outlawed group to embrace politics. Today's statement from the IRA said it would respond to Adams' request in due time.
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