Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Bush Meets with Maimed Iraqis, Promises June 30 Handover; Hundreds Evacuated for Fire at Georgia Chemical Plant; Web Site Tracks Cheapest Gas
Aired May 25, 2004 - 11:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Let's check the headlines at this hour.
President Bush's plan for the future of Iraq draws praise and criticism. Supporters say the president put forth a comprehensive strategy for returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people.
But critics say the president's speech last night was short on specifics.
The Midwest gets battered by another wave of storms and tornadoes. Twisters touched down in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri yesterday. Much of the area is still reeling from the strong storms that struck over the weekend.
Thick smoke billows from a chemical warehouse fire in Conyers, Georgia. That is just east of Atlanta. The facility is owned by a company that makes pool chemicals and cleaning products.
Authorities evacuated nearby homes and businesses. The smoke and fire also shut down portions of Interstate 20.
The California Supreme Court hears arguments next hour in the dispute over gay marriage. At issue, whether San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom abused his authority when he sanctioned marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
California laws define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
It is just after 11 a.m. in Conyers, Georgia, 8 a.m. in Portland, Oregon. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
There are just 36 days until the handover in Iraq. Here is the latest on what is happening there.
An explosion damaged in a mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. But it's not clear who or what caused that blast. The U.S. military says no coalition forces were involved in fighting near the shrine.
A car bomb exploded outside a Baghdad hotel this morning. A U.S. military official says that five Iraqis were injured. Iraqi police say four people were killed. The bomb went off near the Australian embassy and buildings housing the World Food Program. And President Bush has announced plan to build a new prison to replace Abu Ghraib, the site of the alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops. He says Abu Ghraib would be demolished as a symbol of the country's new beginning.
And we begin with the president. He also said that terrorists will not determine the future of Iraq. But he did warn of difficult days ahead, as he outlined his transition blueprint.
Details from our senior White House correspondent John King.
John, good morning once again.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again to you, Daryn.
On the morning after that big speech, the president having another symbolic event, a very important event, the White House would say, in the Oval Office, greeting some Iraqi citizens who had their hands amputated during the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Brutality under the Saddam Hussein regime was how the president put it. Those Iraqis now in the United States because they have been given new prosthetic hands by a doctors in Texas.
The president holding that example out as what he said is a sign of the compassion the Americans are showing the Iraqi people. All of this part of an effort on the president's part to change public opinion of the current occupation in Iraq and to change public opinion here at home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): At the Army War College, the commander in chief confronting mounting doubts about his war plan and his leadership.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must keep our focus. We must do our duty.
KING: One new promise was aimed at easing the pain of the prisoner abuse scandal.
BUSH: With the approval of the Iraqi government, we will demolish the Abu Ghraib prison as a fitting symbol of Iraq's new beginning.
KING: That new beginning is detailed in a new United Nations resolution the United States and Britain circulated Monday.
The draft resolution calls for a sovereign interim government by June 30 and elections to pick a transitional government no later than January 2005; promises to train new Iraqi military and police forces and in the meantime gives U.S. and other coalition troops authority to take all necessary measures to maintain security.
BUSH: I sent American troops to Iraq to defend our security. Not to stay as an occupying power. I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free. Not to make them American.
KING: The nearly 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now will stay after the transfer of sovereignty. And...
BUSH: If they need more troops, I will send them.
KING: The War College atmosphere was much more sober than the president's dramatic carrier visit a year ago to declare major combat in Iraq over. One hundred thirty-nine Americans had been killed in Iraq at this point. The death toll is nearly six times that now.
And Mr. Bush's political standing has declined as doubts about his Iraq policy have mushroomed.
Forty-seven percent of Americans now approve of how Mr. Bush is handling his job, down 13 points since January and down 22 points from a year ago.
This was the first of a series of speeches planned in the five weeks until the transfer of sovereignty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And in those five weeks, it is critical for the Bush administration to build support once again at the United Nations Security Council, a bit of a sense of deja vu here. France among the nations raising some objections to the draft distributed by the United States and Great Britain yesterday.
But President Bush spoke by telephone to President Chirac this morning. It was a 20-minute conversation. Aides here at the White House say they are in broad agreement on that new resolution. Although Daryn, officials here also say that Mr. Bush conceded that, quote, "further adjustments would have to be made" to the currency draft -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, one thing the president is sticking to, both in his speech last night and comments we've heard coming out of the White House earlier today, that the U.S. will stick to that June 30 handover date.
However, we have a sound bite from last night. This was Joe Klein on CNN. And John, stand by with us and listen in to this. He has information that perhaps the U.S. won't be able to meet that deadline.
Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE KLEIN: The president said that Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy, was going to announce the transitional government this week. Well, that was the plan. But I am told by high-ranking, diplomatic sources at the U.N. that Brahimi is having a very difficult time getting the Iraqis to agree on a roster of candidates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And when you do look at the jobs that need to be filled, it is a roster. President, vice presidents, prime minister. And a number of different groups that need to be mollified in this.
John, what are you hearing in terms of those announcements coming out?
KING: Well, White House officials say there is considerable difficulty and that Mr. Brahimi is having problems, in part, because the Turks are insisting if they don't get the presidency, which they will not get, they get one of the two vice presidencies.
They don't go further down the list there. There's a president, two vice presidents, a prime minister and the cabinet department.
The White House concedes there is a problem right now getting agreement. But they insist they will push to have that roster filled out by the end of this week. Although some officials do concede it could slip into next week.
KAGAN: John King at the White House. John, thank you for that.
Well, what about the Democratic rival, John Kerry? He says it is time for President Bush to turn his words about Iraq into action.
Here's a quote from Senator Kerry. He said, "That's going to require the president genuinely reach out to our allies so the United States doesn't have to continue to go it alone and to create the stability necessary to allow the people of Iraq to move forward."
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relation Committee said that he was disappointed by the lack of specifics in the president's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: He didn't say who was going to send more troops. He didn't say who's going to pay more money.
Now, maybe we're going to hear it in the next speech that he has done what many of us have called for, that he's actually used presidential leadership, actually talked to the heads of state, actually talked to Mr. Putin, actually talk to our allies, actually talked to NATO, actually got those heads of state on the phone and gotten actual commitments.
If he's gotten more money, more troops, than I think that's very, very good. If he hasn't done that, if he hasn't personally invested himself with a sense of urgency in that, then I think it's a serious mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Biden calls the resident's plan a goal rather than strategy. Now I want to tell you a little bit more about that meeting President Bush heard, held in the Oval Office earlier today. You saw John King talked about it.
You saw some videotape in the last hour. It showed the president meeting with Iraqis who are here in the U.S. getting medical treatment.
The men had their hands cut off when they defined Saddam Hussein nearly ten years ago. Now they'd been fitted with some very expensive prosthetic limbs, donated by a German company, and attached by doctors in Texas.
Our Ed Lavandera has that story from Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When seven Iraqi men first landed in Houston, it was hard to tell they were hiding scars left by Saddam Hussein.
DAVID BATY, DYNAMIC ORTHOTICS & PROSTHETICS: When you first meet them, all their right hands are in their pockets because that's the way they walked around for nine years, with the end of their limb stuffed in their pockets.
LAVANDERA: It was a subtle, yet poignant behavior that prosthetic specialist David Baty noticed. Muslim tradition views the left hand as dirty and disrespectful. The right hand is virtuous.
BATY: The stigma that was associated with not having a right hand affected not only these guys, but their family, their children.
LAVANDERA: Nine years ago, these men were accused of illegally using U.S. dollars in Iraq. Saddam Hussein ordered their hands be cut off and that the men be sent back to their neighborhoods as an example of what would happen if you defied the regime.
(on camera) What these men have been through has become a well- documented saga. Saddam Hussein videotaped their hands being cut off. And now a filmmaker is turning their story of loss and redemption into a documentary.
(voice-over) The filmmaker found the men in Baghdad and started enlisting the help of reporters, doctors, prosthetic specialists, rehabilitation experts and anyone else who could help.
All the work paid off a few days ago when each man put on a new hand for the first time.
TOM DIBELLO, DYNAMIC ORTHOTICS & PROSTHETICS: When they first got their hands, they all cried. The uniqueness of the situation, and the barbaric nature of the act that was performed against these men, galvanized the individuals involved to do something.
LAVANDERA: In less than six weeks, they've learned what takes more people months to master. What may seem simple, like rolling a ball, actually requires difficult muscle coordination.
BATY: He's got to combine all the motions of his arm and then tell this muscle to open at the right moment to let go of the ball. It's extremely complicated. And not all of them can do it, actually.
LAVANDERA: Each hand is a $25,000 gift. But to those that made this happen, each hand symbolizes much more.
One man said it's about family.
BATY: Once he got his hand, he said, "You know what? I'm really looking forward to, is going home, holding my son in my left hand and my daughter in my right hand and walking down the street."
LAVANDERA: One of the men joked that when they look at their left hand, they'll say made in Iraq. When they look at the right hand they'll think made in America. As you look now, these men aren't hiding their hands in their pockets any more.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: That story originally ran a few days ago here on CNN. But when you saw the men at the White House, we thought we -- you'd like to hear their story once again. So thanks to Ed Lavandera for that. We appreciate it.
Up in smoke and possibly some very dangerous smoke. We are staying on top of a developing story right here in Georgia, just about 25 miles east of CNN Center. A chemical plant is on fire. How long will it burn? A live report is up next.
Also, another day of severe weather possible across the Midwest. We are following that.
And later, everything you probably never knew about our country's history of nominating presidential candidates when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A warehouse filled with chemicals caught fire in suburban Atlanta this morning. David Mattingly is on the scene and he joins us from Conyers, Georgia, using the phone -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone is still looking skyward right now, keeping an eye on this massive plume of smoke that continues to billow out of a burning warehouse, where tens of thousands of pounds of chlorine products are stored.
It is run by the biolab -- it is a biolab company chemical warehouse. They make pool chemicals.
We're told that inside, the substances in there include hypocalcium chloride tablets. These are the tablets that people throw in their swimming pools and their hot tubs to treat the water.
They are notoriously difficult to extinguish once they're on fire, and they are very slow burning. In past fires involving these tablets, depending on how large the fire is, the fires have burned for days, as these things tend to smolder for quite some time.
Now right now, so far, the evacuations are continuing. And so far, only ten people have been treated at area hospitals for respiratory distress. That's remarkable, considering how huge this plume of smoke is in the area.
One hospital right now is in lockdown. The Rockdale Medical Center closing its doors, asking that patients go to other facilities around the area, because they are now directly in the path, directly under this plume of smoke.
This plume, at one time extending 20 to 40 miles eastward, away from Conyers, and away from the city of Atlanta, away from all metro areas, in fact.
The evacuations, so far, we've seen about 100 people seeking refuge at local shelters, including residents of an assisted living facility. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to any sort of respiratory problems associated with chlorine in the air that is here.
Evacuation plans are changing by the minute, however. Everyone watching where this smoke is going to go next as the winds are fluctuating somewhat from the east to the southeast.
It has crossed Interstate 20 at some times, going into areas that were previously not affected. In fact, we had to pull back from our original location when the wind shifted. Our eyes began burning, and we began to have a strong smell of chlorine in the air.
But again, it smells like a very strong odor that would come from a swimming pool. And that's what people are being particularly aware of right now, to find out if their area is being affected.
So very much in flux right now. The fire still burning. A huge amount of smoke billowing into the air, Daryn, just as it has since very early this morning.
KAGAN: Well, David, what are officials saying about just how dangerous this smoke is to breathe?
MATTINGLY: It is not recommended that you get caught in the areas where the smoke is very close to the ground. That's why they're evacuating people a mile away from the plant. And then they are watching where this plume goes from there.
Fortunately, the plume is rising up off the ground, and the winds are carrying it away, diluting it as it is carried away. So at this point, the people that have been treated have been treated for respiratory distress. No one with severe problems like chlorine gas poisoning or anything like that.
But again, this is something they are being concerned about and something that the hospitals are prepared for in case -- in case something worse does happen down the road.
KAGAN: All right. David Mattingly in Conyers, Georgia, we will check back with you.
There are more dark and stormy nights in the Midwest. A funnel cloud touch down near Topeka, Kansas, several times yesterday. It brought golf ball-sized hail that did even more damage than a twister.
Two so-called supercell storms launched five to ten tornadoes in northwest Missouri. And it caused extension damage.
And after four days of heavy rain, the ground in eastern Iowa is saturated. Some homes in Independence are surrounded by four feet of water.
Those people -- those folks in the Midwest especially wanting to know what is on the way. For that we check in with Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Jacqui Jeras, thank you for that.
So a lot of folks thinking about hitting the road on this Memorial Day weekend. Ready to fork out a big bundle of money at the gas pump? Well, up next we'll have our price guru telling us what you can expect to pay, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Planning on getting away, driving away for Memorial Day? You might want to gas up. Before you do that, you might want to check out our next segment.
Brad Proctor is the CEO and founder of GasPriceWatch.com. Stops by every once awhile. Scouting the best gas prices around the country.
Brad, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
BRAD PROCTOR, CEO, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: I think last week, since I gassed up, it's gone up about 10 cents here in Atlanta. Is that about the national average?
PROCTOR: Yes, we're seeing $2.07. It actually has dropped a penny in the last 24 hours for our national average. But in the last 30 days, we've seen a 25-cent increase in the United States across the board. Just 30 days. And in one year, almost 60 cents.
KAGAN: Incredible. Looking at that map we have up on the screen now, it looks like San Diego would be the worst at $2.36. And Charleston, South Carolina, the best at $1.87.
PROCTOR: Yes. There -- You know, the average across the United States, and the individual stations can swing as much as -- some days, almost $1 in a day. So...
KAGAN: Incredible.
PROCTOR: I mean, it's huge.
KAGAN: As you look ahead to Memorial Day, things are going to get worse? You said it dropped a penny, the national average, but for most folks?
PROCTOR: Yes. We've seen, in just 24 hours, about a one-cent drop. I think we're very close to the top. Obviously, Memorial Day weekend is the single largest day for travel. So that's typically when we see the highest prices.
I think we'll see in the weeks that follow, maybe a six- to seven-cent drop-off. And around the third week of June, maybe a 10- or 15-cent drop-off, as the -- that new oil starts to get into the market and also the -- the oil companies start to report their quarterly profits for the second quarter.
KAGAN: And once again, the free service your web site provides, GasPriceWatch.com. You log on, you put in your city, and folks on the road are reporting in where they're finding the best gas prices.
PROCTOR: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Very good. Well, for the record being was determined when I filled up on Sunday I wasn't paying over $2 a gallon here in Atlanta. I made it for $1.97.
PROCTOR: Fantastic. That's what -- Again, encourage by buying from the low price leaders. That's the whole message you want to send the oil companies.
KAGAN: I'm holding on by mere pennies.
Brad, thanks for stopping by.
PROCTOR: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: And cheap driving ahead for you. Appreciate that.
President Bush takes his plan to the people. But the people are becoming increasingly worried. Complete poll results are up next in your complete political wrap-up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines at this hour.
A car bomb went off near the Australian embassy in Baghdad today, killing four people. Officials believe the embassy was the probable target. Australia has been the strong supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq.
A warehouse filled with chlorine pool products caught fire in suburban Atlanta this morning, filling the air with noxious fumes. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Several went to the hospital complaining of respiratory distress.
Terry Nichols' lawyers are presenting closing arguments in his state murder trial this morning. The jury is expected to get the case once they're done. Nichols could get the death penalty if convicted at this trial for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
And rocker Courtney Love goes on trial in Los Angeles today on a misdemeanor drug charge. This one stems from an incident last fall when she allegedly tried to break into her former boyfriend's home. She could go to jail for a year if convicted. Love might avoid a trial altogether by going into rehab.
President Bush is now focusing his attention on problems at home after last night's speech on the handover of Iraq and this morning's meeting with Iraqi citizens at the White House. Judy Woodruff has out campaign update this morning.
Judy, good morning.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, the president plans to discuss health care this afternoon in Ohio, his 17th visit to that battleground state since taking office. But the situation in Iraq is likely to come up, as well.
This morning, Bush echoed some of the themes of his Iraq speech last night during a White House meeting with Iraqis receiving medical care in the U.S. he promised, again that America wants a real and complete transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis.
Bush's Democratic rival John Kerry is moving on to other issues after dismissing the president's Iraq speech as mostly a rehash. Senator Kerry is heading to the showdown state of Oregon today for a fund raiser and to promote his plan for lowering record high gas prices. Look for Kerry to return to national security themes later this week.
The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds Bush and Kerry remain locked in a very tight race. Forty-nine percent of likely voters chose Kerry while 47 percent backed the president. And when Ralph Nader is included, Kerry has a one-point lead and Nader picks up 4 percent. As for how the president is handling his job, 47 percent say they approve, 49 percent say they disapprove.
From now on, John Kerry will be traveling the campaign trail in high style. This morning, he showed off his campaign's new plane, a Boeing 757. Among other things it has five cabins, two conference tables and a stand-up bar for socializing.
The plane has been dubbed "Hair France," for the ribbing Kerry has taken over his French connections and his hair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just to reassure all of you who will be flying on it at one point or another, particularly the press, I want you to know we contracted with absolutely the lowest bidder we could find.
(LAUGHTER)
KERRY: And not only did we contract with absolutely the lowest bidder, but we made a guarantee that in the event of an emergency, my hair can be used as a flotation device.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Sense of humor. Recently, Kerry had been sharing a chartered jet with the band Fleetwood Mac.
Iraq will be in the spotlight in our "Campaign Clash" this afternoon. Bush/Cheney's senior strategist Matthew Dowd faces off against senior Kerry strategist Tad Divine.
Plus, call it popcorn politics. Will the new movie "The Day After Tomorrow" heat up the campaign fight over global warming? Find out when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern.
I'll see you then. Now back to Daryn now Atlanta.
KAGAN: Judy, question for you. For those who would like to see Kerry take better advantage of the president's political woes at this point, is it surprising or is there criticism that after the president's big speech all he did was give out a paper statement and not come out and give his own speech?
WOODRUFF: I think, Daryn, the Kerry campaign has let it be known Kerry is going to make a speech on Thursday of this week addressing Iraq.
And, frankly it depends on who you talk to. There are Republicans out there like former Senator Allen Simpson who are saying what have you got to show, and others. And then there are people supporting John Kerry who say the president is the president and he's the one that needs to come up with a plan. But we will hear from John Kerry on Thursday.
KAGAN: All right, looking forward to that. Judy Woodruff in Washington. Look forward to seeing more of you later today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 25, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Let's check the headlines at this hour.
President Bush's plan for the future of Iraq draws praise and criticism. Supporters say the president put forth a comprehensive strategy for returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people.
But critics say the president's speech last night was short on specifics.
The Midwest gets battered by another wave of storms and tornadoes. Twisters touched down in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri yesterday. Much of the area is still reeling from the strong storms that struck over the weekend.
Thick smoke billows from a chemical warehouse fire in Conyers, Georgia. That is just east of Atlanta. The facility is owned by a company that makes pool chemicals and cleaning products.
Authorities evacuated nearby homes and businesses. The smoke and fire also shut down portions of Interstate 20.
The California Supreme Court hears arguments next hour in the dispute over gay marriage. At issue, whether San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom abused his authority when he sanctioned marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
California laws define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
It is just after 11 a.m. in Conyers, Georgia, 8 a.m. in Portland, Oregon. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
There are just 36 days until the handover in Iraq. Here is the latest on what is happening there.
An explosion damaged in a mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. But it's not clear who or what caused that blast. The U.S. military says no coalition forces were involved in fighting near the shrine.
A car bomb exploded outside a Baghdad hotel this morning. A U.S. military official says that five Iraqis were injured. Iraqi police say four people were killed. The bomb went off near the Australian embassy and buildings housing the World Food Program. And President Bush has announced plan to build a new prison to replace Abu Ghraib, the site of the alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops. He says Abu Ghraib would be demolished as a symbol of the country's new beginning.
And we begin with the president. He also said that terrorists will not determine the future of Iraq. But he did warn of difficult days ahead, as he outlined his transition blueprint.
Details from our senior White House correspondent John King.
John, good morning once again.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again to you, Daryn.
On the morning after that big speech, the president having another symbolic event, a very important event, the White House would say, in the Oval Office, greeting some Iraqi citizens who had their hands amputated during the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Brutality under the Saddam Hussein regime was how the president put it. Those Iraqis now in the United States because they have been given new prosthetic hands by a doctors in Texas.
The president holding that example out as what he said is a sign of the compassion the Americans are showing the Iraqi people. All of this part of an effort on the president's part to change public opinion of the current occupation in Iraq and to change public opinion here at home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): At the Army War College, the commander in chief confronting mounting doubts about his war plan and his leadership.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must keep our focus. We must do our duty.
KING: One new promise was aimed at easing the pain of the prisoner abuse scandal.
BUSH: With the approval of the Iraqi government, we will demolish the Abu Ghraib prison as a fitting symbol of Iraq's new beginning.
KING: That new beginning is detailed in a new United Nations resolution the United States and Britain circulated Monday.
The draft resolution calls for a sovereign interim government by June 30 and elections to pick a transitional government no later than January 2005; promises to train new Iraqi military and police forces and in the meantime gives U.S. and other coalition troops authority to take all necessary measures to maintain security.
BUSH: I sent American troops to Iraq to defend our security. Not to stay as an occupying power. I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free. Not to make them American.
KING: The nearly 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now will stay after the transfer of sovereignty. And...
BUSH: If they need more troops, I will send them.
KING: The War College atmosphere was much more sober than the president's dramatic carrier visit a year ago to declare major combat in Iraq over. One hundred thirty-nine Americans had been killed in Iraq at this point. The death toll is nearly six times that now.
And Mr. Bush's political standing has declined as doubts about his Iraq policy have mushroomed.
Forty-seven percent of Americans now approve of how Mr. Bush is handling his job, down 13 points since January and down 22 points from a year ago.
This was the first of a series of speeches planned in the five weeks until the transfer of sovereignty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And in those five weeks, it is critical for the Bush administration to build support once again at the United Nations Security Council, a bit of a sense of deja vu here. France among the nations raising some objections to the draft distributed by the United States and Great Britain yesterday.
But President Bush spoke by telephone to President Chirac this morning. It was a 20-minute conversation. Aides here at the White House say they are in broad agreement on that new resolution. Although Daryn, officials here also say that Mr. Bush conceded that, quote, "further adjustments would have to be made" to the currency draft -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, one thing the president is sticking to, both in his speech last night and comments we've heard coming out of the White House earlier today, that the U.S. will stick to that June 30 handover date.
However, we have a sound bite from last night. This was Joe Klein on CNN. And John, stand by with us and listen in to this. He has information that perhaps the U.S. won't be able to meet that deadline.
Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE KLEIN: The president said that Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy, was going to announce the transitional government this week. Well, that was the plan. But I am told by high-ranking, diplomatic sources at the U.N. that Brahimi is having a very difficult time getting the Iraqis to agree on a roster of candidates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And when you do look at the jobs that need to be filled, it is a roster. President, vice presidents, prime minister. And a number of different groups that need to be mollified in this.
John, what are you hearing in terms of those announcements coming out?
KING: Well, White House officials say there is considerable difficulty and that Mr. Brahimi is having problems, in part, because the Turks are insisting if they don't get the presidency, which they will not get, they get one of the two vice presidencies.
They don't go further down the list there. There's a president, two vice presidents, a prime minister and the cabinet department.
The White House concedes there is a problem right now getting agreement. But they insist they will push to have that roster filled out by the end of this week. Although some officials do concede it could slip into next week.
KAGAN: John King at the White House. John, thank you for that.
Well, what about the Democratic rival, John Kerry? He says it is time for President Bush to turn his words about Iraq into action.
Here's a quote from Senator Kerry. He said, "That's going to require the president genuinely reach out to our allies so the United States doesn't have to continue to go it alone and to create the stability necessary to allow the people of Iraq to move forward."
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relation Committee said that he was disappointed by the lack of specifics in the president's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: He didn't say who was going to send more troops. He didn't say who's going to pay more money.
Now, maybe we're going to hear it in the next speech that he has done what many of us have called for, that he's actually used presidential leadership, actually talked to the heads of state, actually talked to Mr. Putin, actually talk to our allies, actually talked to NATO, actually got those heads of state on the phone and gotten actual commitments.
If he's gotten more money, more troops, than I think that's very, very good. If he hasn't done that, if he hasn't personally invested himself with a sense of urgency in that, then I think it's a serious mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Biden calls the resident's plan a goal rather than strategy. Now I want to tell you a little bit more about that meeting President Bush heard, held in the Oval Office earlier today. You saw John King talked about it.
You saw some videotape in the last hour. It showed the president meeting with Iraqis who are here in the U.S. getting medical treatment.
The men had their hands cut off when they defined Saddam Hussein nearly ten years ago. Now they'd been fitted with some very expensive prosthetic limbs, donated by a German company, and attached by doctors in Texas.
Our Ed Lavandera has that story from Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When seven Iraqi men first landed in Houston, it was hard to tell they were hiding scars left by Saddam Hussein.
DAVID BATY, DYNAMIC ORTHOTICS & PROSTHETICS: When you first meet them, all their right hands are in their pockets because that's the way they walked around for nine years, with the end of their limb stuffed in their pockets.
LAVANDERA: It was a subtle, yet poignant behavior that prosthetic specialist David Baty noticed. Muslim tradition views the left hand as dirty and disrespectful. The right hand is virtuous.
BATY: The stigma that was associated with not having a right hand affected not only these guys, but their family, their children.
LAVANDERA: Nine years ago, these men were accused of illegally using U.S. dollars in Iraq. Saddam Hussein ordered their hands be cut off and that the men be sent back to their neighborhoods as an example of what would happen if you defied the regime.
(on camera) What these men have been through has become a well- documented saga. Saddam Hussein videotaped their hands being cut off. And now a filmmaker is turning their story of loss and redemption into a documentary.
(voice-over) The filmmaker found the men in Baghdad and started enlisting the help of reporters, doctors, prosthetic specialists, rehabilitation experts and anyone else who could help.
All the work paid off a few days ago when each man put on a new hand for the first time.
TOM DIBELLO, DYNAMIC ORTHOTICS & PROSTHETICS: When they first got their hands, they all cried. The uniqueness of the situation, and the barbaric nature of the act that was performed against these men, galvanized the individuals involved to do something.
LAVANDERA: In less than six weeks, they've learned what takes more people months to master. What may seem simple, like rolling a ball, actually requires difficult muscle coordination.
BATY: He's got to combine all the motions of his arm and then tell this muscle to open at the right moment to let go of the ball. It's extremely complicated. And not all of them can do it, actually.
LAVANDERA: Each hand is a $25,000 gift. But to those that made this happen, each hand symbolizes much more.
One man said it's about family.
BATY: Once he got his hand, he said, "You know what? I'm really looking forward to, is going home, holding my son in my left hand and my daughter in my right hand and walking down the street."
LAVANDERA: One of the men joked that when they look at their left hand, they'll say made in Iraq. When they look at the right hand they'll think made in America. As you look now, these men aren't hiding their hands in their pockets any more.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: That story originally ran a few days ago here on CNN. But when you saw the men at the White House, we thought we -- you'd like to hear their story once again. So thanks to Ed Lavandera for that. We appreciate it.
Up in smoke and possibly some very dangerous smoke. We are staying on top of a developing story right here in Georgia, just about 25 miles east of CNN Center. A chemical plant is on fire. How long will it burn? A live report is up next.
Also, another day of severe weather possible across the Midwest. We are following that.
And later, everything you probably never knew about our country's history of nominating presidential candidates when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A warehouse filled with chemicals caught fire in suburban Atlanta this morning. David Mattingly is on the scene and he joins us from Conyers, Georgia, using the phone -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone is still looking skyward right now, keeping an eye on this massive plume of smoke that continues to billow out of a burning warehouse, where tens of thousands of pounds of chlorine products are stored.
It is run by the biolab -- it is a biolab company chemical warehouse. They make pool chemicals.
We're told that inside, the substances in there include hypocalcium chloride tablets. These are the tablets that people throw in their swimming pools and their hot tubs to treat the water.
They are notoriously difficult to extinguish once they're on fire, and they are very slow burning. In past fires involving these tablets, depending on how large the fire is, the fires have burned for days, as these things tend to smolder for quite some time.
Now right now, so far, the evacuations are continuing. And so far, only ten people have been treated at area hospitals for respiratory distress. That's remarkable, considering how huge this plume of smoke is in the area.
One hospital right now is in lockdown. The Rockdale Medical Center closing its doors, asking that patients go to other facilities around the area, because they are now directly in the path, directly under this plume of smoke.
This plume, at one time extending 20 to 40 miles eastward, away from Conyers, and away from the city of Atlanta, away from all metro areas, in fact.
The evacuations, so far, we've seen about 100 people seeking refuge at local shelters, including residents of an assisted living facility. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to any sort of respiratory problems associated with chlorine in the air that is here.
Evacuation plans are changing by the minute, however. Everyone watching where this smoke is going to go next as the winds are fluctuating somewhat from the east to the southeast.
It has crossed Interstate 20 at some times, going into areas that were previously not affected. In fact, we had to pull back from our original location when the wind shifted. Our eyes began burning, and we began to have a strong smell of chlorine in the air.
But again, it smells like a very strong odor that would come from a swimming pool. And that's what people are being particularly aware of right now, to find out if their area is being affected.
So very much in flux right now. The fire still burning. A huge amount of smoke billowing into the air, Daryn, just as it has since very early this morning.
KAGAN: Well, David, what are officials saying about just how dangerous this smoke is to breathe?
MATTINGLY: It is not recommended that you get caught in the areas where the smoke is very close to the ground. That's why they're evacuating people a mile away from the plant. And then they are watching where this plume goes from there.
Fortunately, the plume is rising up off the ground, and the winds are carrying it away, diluting it as it is carried away. So at this point, the people that have been treated have been treated for respiratory distress. No one with severe problems like chlorine gas poisoning or anything like that.
But again, this is something they are being concerned about and something that the hospitals are prepared for in case -- in case something worse does happen down the road.
KAGAN: All right. David Mattingly in Conyers, Georgia, we will check back with you.
There are more dark and stormy nights in the Midwest. A funnel cloud touch down near Topeka, Kansas, several times yesterday. It brought golf ball-sized hail that did even more damage than a twister.
Two so-called supercell storms launched five to ten tornadoes in northwest Missouri. And it caused extension damage.
And after four days of heavy rain, the ground in eastern Iowa is saturated. Some homes in Independence are surrounded by four feet of water.
Those people -- those folks in the Midwest especially wanting to know what is on the way. For that we check in with Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Jacqui Jeras, thank you for that.
So a lot of folks thinking about hitting the road on this Memorial Day weekend. Ready to fork out a big bundle of money at the gas pump? Well, up next we'll have our price guru telling us what you can expect to pay, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Planning on getting away, driving away for Memorial Day? You might want to gas up. Before you do that, you might want to check out our next segment.
Brad Proctor is the CEO and founder of GasPriceWatch.com. Stops by every once awhile. Scouting the best gas prices around the country.
Brad, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
BRAD PROCTOR, CEO, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: I think last week, since I gassed up, it's gone up about 10 cents here in Atlanta. Is that about the national average?
PROCTOR: Yes, we're seeing $2.07. It actually has dropped a penny in the last 24 hours for our national average. But in the last 30 days, we've seen a 25-cent increase in the United States across the board. Just 30 days. And in one year, almost 60 cents.
KAGAN: Incredible. Looking at that map we have up on the screen now, it looks like San Diego would be the worst at $2.36. And Charleston, South Carolina, the best at $1.87.
PROCTOR: Yes. There -- You know, the average across the United States, and the individual stations can swing as much as -- some days, almost $1 in a day. So...
KAGAN: Incredible.
PROCTOR: I mean, it's huge.
KAGAN: As you look ahead to Memorial Day, things are going to get worse? You said it dropped a penny, the national average, but for most folks?
PROCTOR: Yes. We've seen, in just 24 hours, about a one-cent drop. I think we're very close to the top. Obviously, Memorial Day weekend is the single largest day for travel. So that's typically when we see the highest prices.
I think we'll see in the weeks that follow, maybe a six- to seven-cent drop-off. And around the third week of June, maybe a 10- or 15-cent drop-off, as the -- that new oil starts to get into the market and also the -- the oil companies start to report their quarterly profits for the second quarter.
KAGAN: And once again, the free service your web site provides, GasPriceWatch.com. You log on, you put in your city, and folks on the road are reporting in where they're finding the best gas prices.
PROCTOR: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Very good. Well, for the record being was determined when I filled up on Sunday I wasn't paying over $2 a gallon here in Atlanta. I made it for $1.97.
PROCTOR: Fantastic. That's what -- Again, encourage by buying from the low price leaders. That's the whole message you want to send the oil companies.
KAGAN: I'm holding on by mere pennies.
Brad, thanks for stopping by.
PROCTOR: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: And cheap driving ahead for you. Appreciate that.
President Bush takes his plan to the people. But the people are becoming increasingly worried. Complete poll results are up next in your complete political wrap-up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines at this hour.
A car bomb went off near the Australian embassy in Baghdad today, killing four people. Officials believe the embassy was the probable target. Australia has been the strong supporter of U.S. policy in Iraq.
A warehouse filled with chlorine pool products caught fire in suburban Atlanta this morning, filling the air with noxious fumes. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Several went to the hospital complaining of respiratory distress.
Terry Nichols' lawyers are presenting closing arguments in his state murder trial this morning. The jury is expected to get the case once they're done. Nichols could get the death penalty if convicted at this trial for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
And rocker Courtney Love goes on trial in Los Angeles today on a misdemeanor drug charge. This one stems from an incident last fall when she allegedly tried to break into her former boyfriend's home. She could go to jail for a year if convicted. Love might avoid a trial altogether by going into rehab.
President Bush is now focusing his attention on problems at home after last night's speech on the handover of Iraq and this morning's meeting with Iraqi citizens at the White House. Judy Woodruff has out campaign update this morning.
Judy, good morning.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, the president plans to discuss health care this afternoon in Ohio, his 17th visit to that battleground state since taking office. But the situation in Iraq is likely to come up, as well.
This morning, Bush echoed some of the themes of his Iraq speech last night during a White House meeting with Iraqis receiving medical care in the U.S. he promised, again that America wants a real and complete transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis.
Bush's Democratic rival John Kerry is moving on to other issues after dismissing the president's Iraq speech as mostly a rehash. Senator Kerry is heading to the showdown state of Oregon today for a fund raiser and to promote his plan for lowering record high gas prices. Look for Kerry to return to national security themes later this week.
The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds Bush and Kerry remain locked in a very tight race. Forty-nine percent of likely voters chose Kerry while 47 percent backed the president. And when Ralph Nader is included, Kerry has a one-point lead and Nader picks up 4 percent. As for how the president is handling his job, 47 percent say they approve, 49 percent say they disapprove.
From now on, John Kerry will be traveling the campaign trail in high style. This morning, he showed off his campaign's new plane, a Boeing 757. Among other things it has five cabins, two conference tables and a stand-up bar for socializing.
The plane has been dubbed "Hair France," for the ribbing Kerry has taken over his French connections and his hair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just to reassure all of you who will be flying on it at one point or another, particularly the press, I want you to know we contracted with absolutely the lowest bidder we could find.
(LAUGHTER)
KERRY: And not only did we contract with absolutely the lowest bidder, but we made a guarantee that in the event of an emergency, my hair can be used as a flotation device.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Sense of humor. Recently, Kerry had been sharing a chartered jet with the band Fleetwood Mac.
Iraq will be in the spotlight in our "Campaign Clash" this afternoon. Bush/Cheney's senior strategist Matthew Dowd faces off against senior Kerry strategist Tad Divine.
Plus, call it popcorn politics. Will the new movie "The Day After Tomorrow" heat up the campaign fight over global warming? Find out when I go "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern.
I'll see you then. Now back to Daryn now Atlanta.
KAGAN: Judy, question for you. For those who would like to see Kerry take better advantage of the president's political woes at this point, is it surprising or is there criticism that after the president's big speech all he did was give out a paper statement and not come out and give his own speech?
WOODRUFF: I think, Daryn, the Kerry campaign has let it be known Kerry is going to make a speech on Thursday of this week addressing Iraq.
And, frankly it depends on who you talk to. There are Republicans out there like former Senator Allen Simpson who are saying what have you got to show, and others. And then there are people supporting John Kerry who say the president is the president and he's the one that needs to come up with a plan. But we will hear from John Kerry on Thursday.
KAGAN: All right, looking forward to that. Judy Woodruff in Washington. Look forward to seeing more of you later today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
