Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Protests Brew Around Boston Priest; Hussein Views Talabani Election
Aired April 11, 2005 - 08:00 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: Good morning.
Spring suddenly snatched away. A full out blizzard putting parts of the Midwest back into the freezer today.
The cardinals in Rome getting ready to elect a new pope. And now there's a controversy brewing over one of their own today.
And trouble piling up for Congressman Tom DeLay. Even a leading Republican turning on him, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer is back.
We missed you.
HEMMER: Well, thank you.
O'BRIEN: You did a great job in Rome.
HEMMER: Very...
O'BRIEN: It's nice to have you back, though.
HEMMER: Great to be back, too...
O'BRIEN: We're going to talk...
HEMMER: ... and a privilege to witness and see it all last week.
O'BRIEN: I bet it was. It must have been amazing.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So we'll talk about that a little bit later this morning.
Also, we're going to talk about a wild scene in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was told to watch the new Iraqi president coming into office. The man who had that idea is going to chat with us this morning. HEMMER: Also this hour, what's so bad about daylight savings time? It's something we haven't really considered. Something must be wrong with it, for all the argument over a bill in Congress, apparently, that would change forever the way we reset our watches in the spring and the fall. We'll talk about that.
You see they're tackling all those big issues down there.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, they want to extend it. And the theory is that it could save a lot in gas and energy costs.
HEMMER: It could. It could. Energy, that's right. And electricity.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this daylight savings time is going to solve the energy problem.
HEMMER: That's right.
CAFFERTY: What a collection of -- what a mensa meeting...
O'BRIEN: Did I say...
CAFFERTY: ... we have going on in Washington, D.C.
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Did I say daylight savings time...
CAFFERTY: I mean...
O'BRIEN: ... was going to solve it?
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: No, I said it could save...
CAFFERTY: No, but this is what they're debating.
O'BRIEN: ... some energy.
CAFFERTY: This, I guess the deficit is all taken care of, the Medicare...
HEMMER: No, not yet.
CAFFERTY: ... the under funded Social Security.
HEMMER: Not exactly.
CAFFERTY: All of that stuff is handled. Those troops are coming home from Iraq. So we're going to debate daylight savings time as a solution...
HEMMER: Think about the...
CAFFERTY: ... to our energy problems.
HEMMER: Think about the extra hour of sleep, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'm going to run for office (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Yes.
What's up in "The File?"
CAFFERTY: Oh, in "The File?"
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: "The File." I forgot why I was here. I got carried away.
A spammer gets a long stretch in the slammer. And some would say it's about time. The royal wedding proves to be a royal bore, comparatively speaking. That was pointed out by several people before the nuptials actually happened. And a way to kill things on the Internet. Seriously, somebody has come up with a way that you can go online and kill things.
O'BRIEN: Kill things online?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK, I'm not the only one who's confused with that.
HEMMER: We're going to do research...
O'BRIEN: Don't act like...
CAFFERTY: Do you want to talk about daylight savings time?
HEMMER: No, no, no.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: No, we're done.
Thanks.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.
You look confused by that, too.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, well, we're not quite done, because my first story is about oil prices. But I won't mention daylight savings time.
Now in the news, liquid gold, Texas tea, gas prices have jumped nearly $0.20 a gallon over the past three weeks. The latest national survey shows the average price for unleaded gas is up to a record $2.29. It's more expensive there, though. The only possible good news is that some experts say the prices are so high, they just can't get any higher. Right.
President Bush is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at his Texas ranch this morning. The president is expected to criticize Israel's plan to build 3,500 new housing units in the West Bank. The two allies set to meet in just about two hours.
A Republican congressman is calling on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to resign from his post. Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays says DeLay's ethics problems are harmful to the GOP. Shays is the first Republican to break ranks over the issue. Among the questions raised, whether DeLay received funding from special interests to cover overseas travel and campaign payments to members of his family.
In California, an autopsy could be performed as early as today on a pro football player, Al Lucas. They'll try to find out if a spinal cord injury killed the former NFL defensive lineman Sunday during an arena football game in Los Angeles. It happened during the first quarter, while Lucas was trying to make a tackle. The 26-year-old was taken to a hospital, but it was too late.
The Food and Drug Administration is debating whether to lift the ban on silicone breast implants. The restrictions were put into place 13 years ago because of health concerns over leaky implants. Now, two manufacturers want to convince the FDA the implants are safe for the U.S. market. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us what's different, coming up, because, as you remember, there were so many lawsuits over silicone breast implants that it really sunk Dow Corning. So why are they healthy now?
O'BRIEN: Right. Why has it changed?
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll see ahead.
All right, Carol, thanks.
COSTELLO: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Well, controversy is overshadowing this week's mourning period for Pope John Paul II. Some Americans arriving in Rome to protest a mass being performed in just about three hours by Cardinal Bernard Law, a key figure in Boston's priest sex abuse scandal.
CNN's Chris Burns is in Rome for us this morning -- Chris, good morning to you.
What's the goal, the ultimate goal of this group, Chris?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, this group is called SNAP, Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests. It's led by a woman who is among those who were abused by priests when she was younger. And this group wants to -- is trying to, at least, in the next hour, in their protest here, over my shoulder, in St. Peter's Square, pressure the church into doing something about this.
They would like, in the best case, that Cardinal Law not give his sermon, not give a homily today in honor of the pope, because they say that is tainting the whole mourning process.
But take a listen to what the head of that group had to say when she was on her way to Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BLAINE, SNAP SPOKESWOMAN: I think that it's important to recognize that it's not about punishing Cardinal Law. We really are not even making an issue of him personally. Our concern is that at this painful time, we just think it's wrong to put Cardinal Law's face and image out there in such a prominent place, that too many victims have been hurt and are hurting, and that this just is like rubbing salt into their wounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Not make an issue of him personally, well, take a look at the leaflet they're going to hand out today in the Square an hour from now. And it does say that -- it accuses him of being a poster child for complicit bishops who are protecting some of these priests who are accused of sexual abuse. And they say that at worst it does rub salt into the wounds, as she said.
So they are definitely attacking him and they would like him to step aside, at least today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Chris, any reaction from the Vatican on their request?
BURNS: No, the Vatican right now is being very quiet about that. The cardinals themselves are, of course, in a media blackout. They're not allowed to speak to anybody between now and the time of the Conclave that chooses the new pope on Monday. So they're very quiet.
The Vatican itself is very quiet. But people, analysts and insiders, say that the Vatican has pretty much decided this is protocol, that the cardinal is head of a church here in Rome who has to give a homily during the pope's mourning. So they really had no choice, from that standpoint. And, also, they say that Cardinal Law has a lifelong service for the Catholic Church, he did apologize for what happened in Boston. He stepped down as archbishop them, so he has paid his penance, according to -- in the eyes of the Vatican.
O'BRIEN: Chris Burns in Rome for us this morning.
Of course, we're going to continue to monitor this story. And later this morning we'll be talking to Barbara Blaine. She's the founder and the president of the group that's protesting the cardinal giving that mass in Rome -- Bill.
HEMMER: Now to Iraq, where Saddam Hussein and 11 of his top aides might be behind bars, but they know now there is a new government ruling Iraq. The country's outgoing human rights minister had a television signal brought into the detention center last Wednesday so Saddam Hussein could see his former Kurdish enemy, Jalal Talabani, elected president by the new national assembly.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Bekhtiyar Amin is the human rights minister of Iraq and he is my guest in Baghdad.
Sir, thank you for your time.
Why did you want Saddam Hussein to see the newly elected president on television? BEKHTIYAR AMIN, HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER OF IRAQ: Thanks for having me.
It's a pleasure.
We gave them a choice, Saddam Hussein and the 11 other henchmen associated to his crimes, to have the possibility to look at the end of their era. They realized that their rule came to its end and that a democratic process is taking place in Iraq.
And people comes to power today in Iraq through elections, through peaceful way to transfer power, not like their era, where twice they came to power through military coups, in 1963 and in 1968; through bloody takeover the power in Iraq and they raided the radio and television station in Baghdad, in Salariyah (ph) and declared the Decree Number 1.
That era has come to its end. It's an era of democracy and elections. And for the first time, a president was elected in Iraq.
HEMMER: It is likely he would hear the news anyway.
Did this give you and others a sense of revenge because he watched...
AMIN: No, he doesn't...
HEMMER: ... because he watched it on TV?
AMIN: No, he doesn't hear the news because he is not allowed to see television nor radio, to listen to radio or read newspapers. And it's not a matter of revenge. It's basically a new era in Iraq. It's a democratic era. And we gave them that chance and of their choice to watch the nomination ceremony.
HEMMER: There is also a suggestion from your new president that amnesty could be offered to insurgents who may have been involved in wounding or even killing Americans in order to end the insurgency sooner rather than later.
Do you think this is a good idea?
AMIN: I don't think that anyone has suggested that killers, rapists, terrorists should be amnestied. There is an amnesty idea which was launched by President Talabani, and that will be discussed further in details with the government, and it will be discussed, certainly, within the national assembly and when the government is established.
But we are willing to turn a new page in Iraq and to look at the possibilities of creating a national unity government and to heal the wounds of this country and to start a reconciliation process, a dialogue. The dialogue is taking place right now, but based on justice.
Those, President Talabani was very clear about the idea of amnesty. That doesn't include terrorists and those who are against the democratic and political process, who are taking arms and killing our innocent people.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: That is the outgoing Iraqi human rights minister, Bekhtiyar Amin, from Baghdad earlier -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A look at some weather now.
In Colorado this morning, schools are closed, flights delayed after a weekend blizzard dumped close to two feet of snow over parts of the state. The snow kept coming down into the morning hours today.
CNN's Sean Callebs live in Denver for us -- Sean, good morning to you.
You know, I've got to tell you, I'm surprised, because it looks like the cars are moving behind you. I would have thought the commute would be much rougher.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, a couple of things about that. You're exactly right. Denver is pretty flat. It's basically at the bottom of the foothills. And where we are, temperatures right around freezing. You can see I25 behind me, the morning commute. Drivers are -- I don't have a radar gun with me, but I would imagine they are pushing the limits of the speed limit.
But to quote the Fed chairman, I think it's a little irrational exuberance. The concern, there's going to be some black ice out there, and, also, the overpasses and bridges have a good deal of slush on them, as well. All it takes is one person spinning out and it's going to be a commuter's nightmare.
We're still about an hour or so from complete daylight and the teeth of rush hour. So it's probably going to get worse as it -- as the morning moves on.
But further up in the foothills, it is icy up in that and people driving through there are using much more caution. Now, Interstate 70, that goes east to west across the state, is really shut down from Denver all the way to the Kansas border. Very hideous driving conditions on Sunday. I25, which goes north and south, was closed down to Pueblo, which is about two and a half hours south of Denver, all the way to the New Mexico border. That has been opened. I70 still shut down.
And, Soledad, commuters, the airport, boy, what a tough day yesterday. United Airlines' major hub is here. They had no flights yesterday. So legions of people sat around the airport all night. The airport says it plans to have a full day today, but they're going to be busy. They are going to be busy.
O'BRIEN: Never good when they go ahead and cancel the flights. But then the taxi drivers won't come and get you from the airport anyway.
CALLEBS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs in Denver for us this morning.
CALLEBS: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Sean, thanks for that update.
That brings us right to Chad.
He's at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us -- hey, Chad, good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, politics making for some strange bedfellows. The current President Bush and former President Clinton -- why suddenly do they sound like old pals? We'll talk about that.
O'BRIEN: And we hope you're enjoying your daylight savings time. Well, thanks to Congress, there could be even more on the way. We'll explain just ahead.
But first, which of the following states does not observe daylight savings time? Is it, A, Arizona; B, Alaska; or is it C, Colorado?
We've got the answer right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Before the break, we asked you which of the following states does not observe daylight savings time? The answer is A, Arizona. Arizona, Hawaii and portions of Indiana have exempted themselves from the national system.
So, is saving more daylight an idea whose time has come again? Daylight savings was extended in the 1970s. Now Congress wants to spring forward a month earlier, fall back a month later, to help Americans become more energy efficient.
Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey co-sponsored the measure.
He's in our Washington bureau this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thank you.
Thanks for having me in.
O'BRIEN: Well, you're welcome.
The idea is that it would start in March and it would go through November as opposed to October.
What are the advantages to extending daylight savings time?
MARKEY: Well, the advantages are that it saves energy. It saves the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil a day, because when people get home in the evening, they don't have to turn on their lights, their electricity, as soon, because it's still light. It helps on crime because criminals actually don't really begin their criminal activities until after dark and the further you can push it back, the better. And that has been proven statistically. And people can start to garden and do cookouts and softball and job and just generally people just smile and they feel a lot better.
O'BRIEN: And they can also go out and shop, because everything would be lighter. More people would shop, say the critics, which means they'd get in their cars to go shop and that would kind of offset the up sides of saving energy, because people will be doing more running around and doing errands and things like that.
How do you answer critics who pose that, basically say it might be a wash?
MARKEY: Well, just think of last night. In the 1980s, I passed an amendment which moved daylight savings time to April. Until 1986, it really didn't begin until the beginning of May. If daylight savings time didn't occur beginning last weekend, people would not have been able to see Tiger Woods hit those winning shots last night, because it would have been too dark and the overtime hole would have been some time today.
So, that's just one of the many, many benefits that people in our country have already begun to derive from the fact that daylight savings time started last weekend.
O'BRIEN: It's a debate, really, that's gone on for 100 years, sort of the nuances of daylight savings time.
If it's such a great idea, why have we been fighting over it for 100 years?
MARKEY: Well, you know, we were an agricultural economy 100 years ago and most people did get up right at the crack of dawn. But now we've moved. It's a different society. People are driving home from the office in the evening, unfortunately, for a large percentage of the time, in the dark. And it just makes people feel so much better if, when they're driving home, it's light out; if when they get home they can spend a little bit of time outdoors.
So our society has changed and with it, I think, the need to have the daylight there where the human beings are going to be, rather than where the birds are, which is very early in the morning.
O'BRIEN: There are certainly people who would also say why is Congress even dealing with this? Aren't there like 10 zillion more important issues than whether or not people are going to get to spend a little more time out in the daylight hours?
MARKEY: I think that for tens of millions of people who get locked up in an office all day long, having a little bit of sunshine, having a little bit of light in the evening is a very important issue. It makes them just feel a little bit better.
But, in addition, as I pointed out, it does save 100,000 barrels of oil a day and when the price of oil is approaching $60 a barrel, that's not a bad thing. It helps with crime. And actually people exercise more. It starts to get people in the mood where they say I think I'm going to start moving around a little bit more so I can look better at the beach during the summer.
O'BRIEN: Well, we'll see if your colleagues buy in.
Congressman Ed Markey, Democrat from Massachusetts, joining us this morning.
MARKEY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, sir.
MARKEY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you for your time -- Bill.
HEMMER: One of the most powerful Republicans in Washington under fire again this weekend, this time from his own party. Are his days numbered? We'll talk about that a bit later here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: For the fourth time now, Tiger Woods is seeing green again. How about this show stopper yesterday? Final round, par three, 16th hole, Woods is trying to get it close, and did he ever, leading Chris DeMarco by a stroke after this shot here went toward the hole, stalled, kind of winked at the audience hanging out there and then just got one more revolution, and in.
Woods eventually went on to win it with a birdie putt on the first play-off hole. They had to play the 18th hole twice. Here's the winner from high above the hole, maybe 10, 12 feet away.
Afterward, Woods says he was not quite sure this was going to happen this time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I didn't quite feel comfortable with my game this afternoon. My warm-up session wasn't very good. I felt beautiful every day until this warm-up session. And then all of a sudden it was like, you know, I don't really feel comfortable with this.
So I'm out there with a little bit of doubt in my game and somehow I hit some bad shots starting out. Then all of a sudden I turned it around, hit beautiful shots for a while. And then 17 and 18 wasn't pretty, but come play-off time, I hit two of the most beautiful golf shots I've hit all week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: His fourth Masters.
Look at that thing just hang and then drop.
Wow!
Did you see him, what was it, the Butler cabin? Is that what they call it down there in Augusta?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: Did you see Phil Mickelson putting on the jacket with Tiger Woods? And they never made eye contact.
CAFFERTY: You know, that...
O'BRIEN: Do they hate each other?
HEMMER: The whole, I don't think there's a whole lot of love going on down there.
O'BRIEN: Really? Why? Is there like an out and out fight?
CAFFERTY: That chip shot that went in was the result of a terrible T shot. DeMarco hit a much better shot on 16 off the tee, knocked it on the green about 12 feet away.
HEMMER: Sure. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CAFFERTY: Woods yanked his tee shot to the left...
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
CAFFERTY: ... and hit it over the green. And the test necessitated that miracle chip. If you're DeMarco and that big curlicue thing goes up and sits on the edge of the hole, just walk over to the lake and throw your clubs in the water.
HEMMER: Yes, sure. CAFFERTY: Because it ain't going to happen again.
HEMMER: And leave them there.
To answer your question, though, yes, it seems like there's a lot of competition between them, and that's now playing out publicly, Mickelson and Woods.
O'BRIEN: Comp -- but they're all competing, so they hate each other.
HEMMER: Sure. But, well, I mean these are two of the best golfers in the world and so you've got that rub.
CAFFERTY: Mickelson always smiles, though. So...
O'BRIEN: Hey...
CAFFERTY: He went to a surgeon and he had a...
O'BRIEN: Oh...
CAFFERTY: ... cosmetic (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: I think that's, you know, that's a good thing. Maybe he's behaving gentlemanly. He's a sporting gentleman, right?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: That's how you play golf, right, Jack?
CAFFERTY: I don't play anymore.
Republican colleagues have begun turning on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
Can you move that thing, because there's a light in my -- thank you.
You went and found it on purpose, didn't you?
On Sunday, Senate leader Rick, Santorum, the number three Republican in the Senate, said DeLay needs to explain his conduct to the public. And perhaps more ominously, Christopher Hays, a powerful House member, called on DeLay to resign as House majority leader.
DeLay was admonished by his Health Essex Committee last year -- I've caught the Soledad O'Brien disease -- but new reports continues to...
O'BRIEN: That is cruel, thank you.
CAFFERTY: I know.
New reports continue to surface. DeLay says the allegations are just attacks by House Democrats. The question is, is it time for him to resign as House majority leader?
Not a lot of support for Mr. DeLay coming in on the old mail bag this morning.
Marty in Florida: "What goes around comes around. Tom DeLay was the leader of the pack trying to cloud the Clinton presidency with concerns over ethical and moral behavior. Now we see DeLay for who he really is. He has become a significant liability."
Peter in Texas writes: "I live in Tom DeLay's home district. He takes care of his constituents very well. Any time you want something done, Tom is there to do it. His constituents will vote him in until Methuselah dies of old age."
John in New York writes: "As astonishing as Tom DeLay's ethical lapses have been, they have paled in comparison to his utter disrespect for the doctrine of separation of powers. The question is not whether DeLay should resign, but how he was able to rise as far as he did."
And John in Wisconsin: "Now that the pope cycle is over, the GOP should move on without DeLay."
O'BRIEN: That's witty. I thought that was witty.
CAFFERTY: Well, it was witty. That's, yes, I thought it was quite witty.
O'BRIEN: And I thought that was mean to say the Soledad O'Brien disease...
CAFFERTY: Well, I just...
O'BRIEN: ... because I couldn't say my own last name.
CAFFERTY: You were mumbling earlier and...
O'BRIEN: That's certainly...
CAFFERTY: It's O'Brien. It's those Irish names.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. Yes, I know.
CAFFERTY: They're very difficult.
O'BRIEN: Very different.
CAFFERTY: I know this from experience.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Well, there's word this morning about how soon thousands of U.S. troops could be coming home from Iraq. We're going to take you live to the Pentagon, up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 April 11, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Spring suddenly snatched away. A full out blizzard putting parts of the Midwest back into the freezer today.
The cardinals in Rome getting ready to elect a new pope. And now there's a controversy brewing over one of their own today.
And trouble piling up for Congressman Tom DeLay. Even a leading Republican turning on him, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer is back.
We missed you.
HEMMER: Well, thank you.
O'BRIEN: You did a great job in Rome.
HEMMER: Very...
O'BRIEN: It's nice to have you back, though.
HEMMER: Great to be back, too...
O'BRIEN: We're going to talk...
HEMMER: ... and a privilege to witness and see it all last week.
O'BRIEN: I bet it was. It must have been amazing.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So we'll talk about that a little bit later this morning.
Also, we're going to talk about a wild scene in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was told to watch the new Iraqi president coming into office. The man who had that idea is going to chat with us this morning. HEMMER: Also this hour, what's so bad about daylight savings time? It's something we haven't really considered. Something must be wrong with it, for all the argument over a bill in Congress, apparently, that would change forever the way we reset our watches in the spring and the fall. We'll talk about that.
You see they're tackling all those big issues down there.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, they want to extend it. And the theory is that it could save a lot in gas and energy costs.
HEMMER: It could. It could. Energy, that's right. And electricity.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this daylight savings time is going to solve the energy problem.
HEMMER: That's right.
CAFFERTY: What a collection of -- what a mensa meeting...
O'BRIEN: Did I say...
CAFFERTY: ... we have going on in Washington, D.C.
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Did I say daylight savings time...
CAFFERTY: I mean...
O'BRIEN: ... was going to solve it?
CAFFERTY: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: No, I said it could save...
CAFFERTY: No, but this is what they're debating.
O'BRIEN: ... some energy.
CAFFERTY: This, I guess the deficit is all taken care of, the Medicare...
HEMMER: No, not yet.
CAFFERTY: ... the under funded Social Security.
HEMMER: Not exactly.
CAFFERTY: All of that stuff is handled. Those troops are coming home from Iraq. So we're going to debate daylight savings time as a solution...
HEMMER: Think about the...
CAFFERTY: ... to our energy problems.
HEMMER: Think about the extra hour of sleep, Jack.
CAFFERTY: I'm going to run for office (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Yes.
What's up in "The File?"
CAFFERTY: Oh, in "The File?"
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: "The File." I forgot why I was here. I got carried away.
A spammer gets a long stretch in the slammer. And some would say it's about time. The royal wedding proves to be a royal bore, comparatively speaking. That was pointed out by several people before the nuptials actually happened. And a way to kill things on the Internet. Seriously, somebody has come up with a way that you can go online and kill things.
O'BRIEN: Kill things online?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK, I'm not the only one who's confused with that.
HEMMER: We're going to do research...
O'BRIEN: Don't act like...
CAFFERTY: Do you want to talk about daylight savings time?
HEMMER: No, no, no.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: No, we're done.
Thanks.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.
You look confused by that, too.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, well, we're not quite done, because my first story is about oil prices. But I won't mention daylight savings time.
Now in the news, liquid gold, Texas tea, gas prices have jumped nearly $0.20 a gallon over the past three weeks. The latest national survey shows the average price for unleaded gas is up to a record $2.29. It's more expensive there, though. The only possible good news is that some experts say the prices are so high, they just can't get any higher. Right.
President Bush is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at his Texas ranch this morning. The president is expected to criticize Israel's plan to build 3,500 new housing units in the West Bank. The two allies set to meet in just about two hours.
A Republican congressman is calling on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to resign from his post. Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays says DeLay's ethics problems are harmful to the GOP. Shays is the first Republican to break ranks over the issue. Among the questions raised, whether DeLay received funding from special interests to cover overseas travel and campaign payments to members of his family.
In California, an autopsy could be performed as early as today on a pro football player, Al Lucas. They'll try to find out if a spinal cord injury killed the former NFL defensive lineman Sunday during an arena football game in Los Angeles. It happened during the first quarter, while Lucas was trying to make a tackle. The 26-year-old was taken to a hospital, but it was too late.
The Food and Drug Administration is debating whether to lift the ban on silicone breast implants. The restrictions were put into place 13 years ago because of health concerns over leaky implants. Now, two manufacturers want to convince the FDA the implants are safe for the U.S. market. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us what's different, coming up, because, as you remember, there were so many lawsuits over silicone breast implants that it really sunk Dow Corning. So why are they healthy now?
O'BRIEN: Right. Why has it changed?
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We'll see ahead.
All right, Carol, thanks.
COSTELLO: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Well, controversy is overshadowing this week's mourning period for Pope John Paul II. Some Americans arriving in Rome to protest a mass being performed in just about three hours by Cardinal Bernard Law, a key figure in Boston's priest sex abuse scandal.
CNN's Chris Burns is in Rome for us this morning -- Chris, good morning to you.
What's the goal, the ultimate goal of this group, Chris?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, this group is called SNAP, Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests. It's led by a woman who is among those who were abused by priests when she was younger. And this group wants to -- is trying to, at least, in the next hour, in their protest here, over my shoulder, in St. Peter's Square, pressure the church into doing something about this.
They would like, in the best case, that Cardinal Law not give his sermon, not give a homily today in honor of the pope, because they say that is tainting the whole mourning process.
But take a listen to what the head of that group had to say when she was on her way to Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BLAINE, SNAP SPOKESWOMAN: I think that it's important to recognize that it's not about punishing Cardinal Law. We really are not even making an issue of him personally. Our concern is that at this painful time, we just think it's wrong to put Cardinal Law's face and image out there in such a prominent place, that too many victims have been hurt and are hurting, and that this just is like rubbing salt into their wounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Not make an issue of him personally, well, take a look at the leaflet they're going to hand out today in the Square an hour from now. And it does say that -- it accuses him of being a poster child for complicit bishops who are protecting some of these priests who are accused of sexual abuse. And they say that at worst it does rub salt into the wounds, as she said.
So they are definitely attacking him and they would like him to step aside, at least today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Chris, any reaction from the Vatican on their request?
BURNS: No, the Vatican right now is being very quiet about that. The cardinals themselves are, of course, in a media blackout. They're not allowed to speak to anybody between now and the time of the Conclave that chooses the new pope on Monday. So they're very quiet.
The Vatican itself is very quiet. But people, analysts and insiders, say that the Vatican has pretty much decided this is protocol, that the cardinal is head of a church here in Rome who has to give a homily during the pope's mourning. So they really had no choice, from that standpoint. And, also, they say that Cardinal Law has a lifelong service for the Catholic Church, he did apologize for what happened in Boston. He stepped down as archbishop them, so he has paid his penance, according to -- in the eyes of the Vatican.
O'BRIEN: Chris Burns in Rome for us this morning.
Of course, we're going to continue to monitor this story. And later this morning we'll be talking to Barbara Blaine. She's the founder and the president of the group that's protesting the cardinal giving that mass in Rome -- Bill.
HEMMER: Now to Iraq, where Saddam Hussein and 11 of his top aides might be behind bars, but they know now there is a new government ruling Iraq. The country's outgoing human rights minister had a television signal brought into the detention center last Wednesday so Saddam Hussein could see his former Kurdish enemy, Jalal Talabani, elected president by the new national assembly.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Bekhtiyar Amin is the human rights minister of Iraq and he is my guest in Baghdad.
Sir, thank you for your time.
Why did you want Saddam Hussein to see the newly elected president on television? BEKHTIYAR AMIN, HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER OF IRAQ: Thanks for having me.
It's a pleasure.
We gave them a choice, Saddam Hussein and the 11 other henchmen associated to his crimes, to have the possibility to look at the end of their era. They realized that their rule came to its end and that a democratic process is taking place in Iraq.
And people comes to power today in Iraq through elections, through peaceful way to transfer power, not like their era, where twice they came to power through military coups, in 1963 and in 1968; through bloody takeover the power in Iraq and they raided the radio and television station in Baghdad, in Salariyah (ph) and declared the Decree Number 1.
That era has come to its end. It's an era of democracy and elections. And for the first time, a president was elected in Iraq.
HEMMER: It is likely he would hear the news anyway.
Did this give you and others a sense of revenge because he watched...
AMIN: No, he doesn't...
HEMMER: ... because he watched it on TV?
AMIN: No, he doesn't hear the news because he is not allowed to see television nor radio, to listen to radio or read newspapers. And it's not a matter of revenge. It's basically a new era in Iraq. It's a democratic era. And we gave them that chance and of their choice to watch the nomination ceremony.
HEMMER: There is also a suggestion from your new president that amnesty could be offered to insurgents who may have been involved in wounding or even killing Americans in order to end the insurgency sooner rather than later.
Do you think this is a good idea?
AMIN: I don't think that anyone has suggested that killers, rapists, terrorists should be amnestied. There is an amnesty idea which was launched by President Talabani, and that will be discussed further in details with the government, and it will be discussed, certainly, within the national assembly and when the government is established.
But we are willing to turn a new page in Iraq and to look at the possibilities of creating a national unity government and to heal the wounds of this country and to start a reconciliation process, a dialogue. The dialogue is taking place right now, but based on justice.
Those, President Talabani was very clear about the idea of amnesty. That doesn't include terrorists and those who are against the democratic and political process, who are taking arms and killing our innocent people.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: That is the outgoing Iraqi human rights minister, Bekhtiyar Amin, from Baghdad earlier -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A look at some weather now.
In Colorado this morning, schools are closed, flights delayed after a weekend blizzard dumped close to two feet of snow over parts of the state. The snow kept coming down into the morning hours today.
CNN's Sean Callebs live in Denver for us -- Sean, good morning to you.
You know, I've got to tell you, I'm surprised, because it looks like the cars are moving behind you. I would have thought the commute would be much rougher.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, a couple of things about that. You're exactly right. Denver is pretty flat. It's basically at the bottom of the foothills. And where we are, temperatures right around freezing. You can see I25 behind me, the morning commute. Drivers are -- I don't have a radar gun with me, but I would imagine they are pushing the limits of the speed limit.
But to quote the Fed chairman, I think it's a little irrational exuberance. The concern, there's going to be some black ice out there, and, also, the overpasses and bridges have a good deal of slush on them, as well. All it takes is one person spinning out and it's going to be a commuter's nightmare.
We're still about an hour or so from complete daylight and the teeth of rush hour. So it's probably going to get worse as it -- as the morning moves on.
But further up in the foothills, it is icy up in that and people driving through there are using much more caution. Now, Interstate 70, that goes east to west across the state, is really shut down from Denver all the way to the Kansas border. Very hideous driving conditions on Sunday. I25, which goes north and south, was closed down to Pueblo, which is about two and a half hours south of Denver, all the way to the New Mexico border. That has been opened. I70 still shut down.
And, Soledad, commuters, the airport, boy, what a tough day yesterday. United Airlines' major hub is here. They had no flights yesterday. So legions of people sat around the airport all night. The airport says it plans to have a full day today, but they're going to be busy. They are going to be busy.
O'BRIEN: Never good when they go ahead and cancel the flights. But then the taxi drivers won't come and get you from the airport anyway.
CALLEBS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs in Denver for us this morning.
CALLEBS: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Sean, thanks for that update.
That brings us right to Chad.
He's at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us -- hey, Chad, good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, politics making for some strange bedfellows. The current President Bush and former President Clinton -- why suddenly do they sound like old pals? We'll talk about that.
O'BRIEN: And we hope you're enjoying your daylight savings time. Well, thanks to Congress, there could be even more on the way. We'll explain just ahead.
But first, which of the following states does not observe daylight savings time? Is it, A, Arizona; B, Alaska; or is it C, Colorado?
We've got the answer right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Before the break, we asked you which of the following states does not observe daylight savings time? The answer is A, Arizona. Arizona, Hawaii and portions of Indiana have exempted themselves from the national system.
So, is saving more daylight an idea whose time has come again? Daylight savings was extended in the 1970s. Now Congress wants to spring forward a month earlier, fall back a month later, to help Americans become more energy efficient.
Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey co-sponsored the measure.
He's in our Washington bureau this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thank you.
Thanks for having me in.
O'BRIEN: Well, you're welcome.
The idea is that it would start in March and it would go through November as opposed to October.
What are the advantages to extending daylight savings time?
MARKEY: Well, the advantages are that it saves energy. It saves the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil a day, because when people get home in the evening, they don't have to turn on their lights, their electricity, as soon, because it's still light. It helps on crime because criminals actually don't really begin their criminal activities until after dark and the further you can push it back, the better. And that has been proven statistically. And people can start to garden and do cookouts and softball and job and just generally people just smile and they feel a lot better.
O'BRIEN: And they can also go out and shop, because everything would be lighter. More people would shop, say the critics, which means they'd get in their cars to go shop and that would kind of offset the up sides of saving energy, because people will be doing more running around and doing errands and things like that.
How do you answer critics who pose that, basically say it might be a wash?
MARKEY: Well, just think of last night. In the 1980s, I passed an amendment which moved daylight savings time to April. Until 1986, it really didn't begin until the beginning of May. If daylight savings time didn't occur beginning last weekend, people would not have been able to see Tiger Woods hit those winning shots last night, because it would have been too dark and the overtime hole would have been some time today.
So, that's just one of the many, many benefits that people in our country have already begun to derive from the fact that daylight savings time started last weekend.
O'BRIEN: It's a debate, really, that's gone on for 100 years, sort of the nuances of daylight savings time.
If it's such a great idea, why have we been fighting over it for 100 years?
MARKEY: Well, you know, we were an agricultural economy 100 years ago and most people did get up right at the crack of dawn. But now we've moved. It's a different society. People are driving home from the office in the evening, unfortunately, for a large percentage of the time, in the dark. And it just makes people feel so much better if, when they're driving home, it's light out; if when they get home they can spend a little bit of time outdoors.
So our society has changed and with it, I think, the need to have the daylight there where the human beings are going to be, rather than where the birds are, which is very early in the morning.
O'BRIEN: There are certainly people who would also say why is Congress even dealing with this? Aren't there like 10 zillion more important issues than whether or not people are going to get to spend a little more time out in the daylight hours?
MARKEY: I think that for tens of millions of people who get locked up in an office all day long, having a little bit of sunshine, having a little bit of light in the evening is a very important issue. It makes them just feel a little bit better.
But, in addition, as I pointed out, it does save 100,000 barrels of oil a day and when the price of oil is approaching $60 a barrel, that's not a bad thing. It helps with crime. And actually people exercise more. It starts to get people in the mood where they say I think I'm going to start moving around a little bit more so I can look better at the beach during the summer.
O'BRIEN: Well, we'll see if your colleagues buy in.
Congressman Ed Markey, Democrat from Massachusetts, joining us this morning.
MARKEY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, sir.
MARKEY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you for your time -- Bill.
HEMMER: One of the most powerful Republicans in Washington under fire again this weekend, this time from his own party. Are his days numbered? We'll talk about that a bit later here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: For the fourth time now, Tiger Woods is seeing green again. How about this show stopper yesterday? Final round, par three, 16th hole, Woods is trying to get it close, and did he ever, leading Chris DeMarco by a stroke after this shot here went toward the hole, stalled, kind of winked at the audience hanging out there and then just got one more revolution, and in.
Woods eventually went on to win it with a birdie putt on the first play-off hole. They had to play the 18th hole twice. Here's the winner from high above the hole, maybe 10, 12 feet away.
Afterward, Woods says he was not quite sure this was going to happen this time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: I didn't quite feel comfortable with my game this afternoon. My warm-up session wasn't very good. I felt beautiful every day until this warm-up session. And then all of a sudden it was like, you know, I don't really feel comfortable with this.
So I'm out there with a little bit of doubt in my game and somehow I hit some bad shots starting out. Then all of a sudden I turned it around, hit beautiful shots for a while. And then 17 and 18 wasn't pretty, but come play-off time, I hit two of the most beautiful golf shots I've hit all week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: His fourth Masters.
Look at that thing just hang and then drop.
Wow!
Did you see him, what was it, the Butler cabin? Is that what they call it down there in Augusta?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: Did you see Phil Mickelson putting on the jacket with Tiger Woods? And they never made eye contact.
CAFFERTY: You know, that...
O'BRIEN: Do they hate each other?
HEMMER: The whole, I don't think there's a whole lot of love going on down there.
O'BRIEN: Really? Why? Is there like an out and out fight?
CAFFERTY: That chip shot that went in was the result of a terrible T shot. DeMarco hit a much better shot on 16 off the tee, knocked it on the green about 12 feet away.
HEMMER: Sure. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CAFFERTY: Woods yanked his tee shot to the left...
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
CAFFERTY: ... and hit it over the green. And the test necessitated that miracle chip. If you're DeMarco and that big curlicue thing goes up and sits on the edge of the hole, just walk over to the lake and throw your clubs in the water.
HEMMER: Yes, sure. CAFFERTY: Because it ain't going to happen again.
HEMMER: And leave them there.
To answer your question, though, yes, it seems like there's a lot of competition between them, and that's now playing out publicly, Mickelson and Woods.
O'BRIEN: Comp -- but they're all competing, so they hate each other.
HEMMER: Sure. But, well, I mean these are two of the best golfers in the world and so you've got that rub.
CAFFERTY: Mickelson always smiles, though. So...
O'BRIEN: Hey...
CAFFERTY: He went to a surgeon and he had a...
O'BRIEN: Oh...
CAFFERTY: ... cosmetic (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: I think that's, you know, that's a good thing. Maybe he's behaving gentlemanly. He's a sporting gentleman, right?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: That's how you play golf, right, Jack?
CAFFERTY: I don't play anymore.
Republican colleagues have begun turning on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
Can you move that thing, because there's a light in my -- thank you.
You went and found it on purpose, didn't you?
On Sunday, Senate leader Rick, Santorum, the number three Republican in the Senate, said DeLay needs to explain his conduct to the public. And perhaps more ominously, Christopher Hays, a powerful House member, called on DeLay to resign as House majority leader.
DeLay was admonished by his Health Essex Committee last year -- I've caught the Soledad O'Brien disease -- but new reports continues to...
O'BRIEN: That is cruel, thank you.
CAFFERTY: I know.
New reports continue to surface. DeLay says the allegations are just attacks by House Democrats. The question is, is it time for him to resign as House majority leader?
Not a lot of support for Mr. DeLay coming in on the old mail bag this morning.
Marty in Florida: "What goes around comes around. Tom DeLay was the leader of the pack trying to cloud the Clinton presidency with concerns over ethical and moral behavior. Now we see DeLay for who he really is. He has become a significant liability."
Peter in Texas writes: "I live in Tom DeLay's home district. He takes care of his constituents very well. Any time you want something done, Tom is there to do it. His constituents will vote him in until Methuselah dies of old age."
John in New York writes: "As astonishing as Tom DeLay's ethical lapses have been, they have paled in comparison to his utter disrespect for the doctrine of separation of powers. The question is not whether DeLay should resign, but how he was able to rise as far as he did."
And John in Wisconsin: "Now that the pope cycle is over, the GOP should move on without DeLay."
O'BRIEN: That's witty. I thought that was witty.
CAFFERTY: Well, it was witty. That's, yes, I thought it was quite witty.
O'BRIEN: And I thought that was mean to say the Soledad O'Brien disease...
CAFFERTY: Well, I just...
O'BRIEN: ... because I couldn't say my own last name.
CAFFERTY: You were mumbling earlier and...
O'BRIEN: That's certainly...
CAFFERTY: It's O'Brien. It's those Irish names.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. Yes, I know.
CAFFERTY: They're very difficult.
O'BRIEN: Very different.
CAFFERTY: I know this from experience.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Well, there's word this morning about how soon thousands of U.S. troops could be coming home from Iraq. We're going to take you live to the Pentagon, up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
