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CNN Live Today
Runaway Bride; Bush Visits Hydrogen Fuel Station; Bench Press
Aired May 25, 2005 - 10:59 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, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Private planes will soon be allowed back at Reagan National Airport. An official announcement is expected later today. General aviation and charter flights were banned after the September 11 attacks. A source says there will be a number of restrictions once those flights resume.
A truck driver -- actually, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington today. He meets with President Bush tomorrow. Abbas says he wants more support from the U.S. on the so-called roadmap for peace. The White House says President Bush will urge Abbas to live up to his promises to crack down on militants.
Now to the truck driver story. The truck driver is in a hospital in serious condition. Take a look at these pictures.
It was a fiery crash, took place in Dallas, Texas. The accident stalled traffic on two interstates yesterday. Authorities are investigating whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Top European and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Geneva today. They are discussing Iran's nuclear prom. The talks are aimed at preventing Tehran from restarting its uranium enrichment program. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. An Iranian negotiator says the chance for success of these talks, about 50-50.
It's the time of day we like to check the clock. 8:00 a.m. in Santa Maria, California; 11:00 a.m. in Lawrenceville, Georgia; and it's 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
We do expect to find out any moment whether so-called runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks will face charges. Let's go to Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta, where officials are calling a news conference. It hasn't started quite yet, so let's check in with our Sara Dorsey.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Daryn.
We are waiting for that press conference, as you said. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter does have a few options in this case, as we told you earlier. He can decide, A, to just not charge Jennifer Wilbanks with any crime at all. Or he can go with the charge of filing a false report, with -- which is a misdemeanor, rather, or a felony charge of making a false statement. Now, there have been some questions as far as jurisdiction in this case, because as everyone knows, Wilbanks was actually found in New Mexico. It was there that she made the call to 911 and she made up that story that she gave to authorities about being abducted and sexually assaulted. But the D.A. here says, because she furthered that lie by telling it over the phone to Gwinnett County law enforcement agencies, this county can indeed charge her if it sees fit.
Now, Wilbanks' attorney has said the whole time they don't believe she is guilty of doing anything criminal and she doesn't deserve to be charged with anything. But many people in Gwinnett, in this county, that went through the search for her and waited -- and, you know, really, many believed that possibly she wouldn't be coming home alive -- many of them feel that she should be charged for something once it was discovered that she was indeed OK and she did fabricate that story about being abducted.
Danny Porter, the D.A., got many, many e-mails from people in the community, many leaning towards prosecution in this case. Whether or not that happens, we are hearing that Wilbanks will be asked to pay some sort of restitution to the community, of course.
We're going to go now and send it back into you, Daryn, so we can go to that press conference.
KAGAN: OK. Actually a little bit delayed in the beginning. We will get back to you when it does begin.
Meanwhile, President Bush making a visit to a hydrogen fuel plant earlier today. Let's listen to what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Energy bill? What was your question?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
BUSH: Yes, working it hard in the Senate to get a good energy bill out. They need to get it to my desk.
I appreciate you asking about the energy bill, part of the hydrogen initiative. And part of the diversification away from hydrocarbons is a part of an energy bill. And Congress has been talking too long about the energy bill. And now is the time to get it to my desk.
And so we are working with the senators. Senator Domenici is intent upon getting an energy bill out. Once they get out of the Senate, they've got to work out their differences with the House.
And, you know, I think the American people are tired of waiting. I know they are. And I submitted a plan to Congress four years ago. And I'm getting a little tired of waiting on an energy bill. For the sake of energy independence, they've got to get me a bill. And it's a comprehensive bill. It talks about encouraging conservation, environmentally friendly ways to explore for hydrocarbons, money to diversify away from a hydrocarbon economy we live in, and ways to modernized the electricity grid. And I'm hopeful they'll get it done, but we're going to push hard to make sure they do.
Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Do you sense bipartisanship?
BUSH: We'll see. It's all going to be in the results. I'm a results-oriented person. I want to see the bill to my desk. That's the definition of people committing themselves to get something done.
The American people expect them to get something done. I do, too, because we're too dependent on foreign sources of energy.
And -- go ahead. What was your question?
QUESTION: How much did you fill up with? And how much did it cost?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. We filled up .183 kilograms because it's gas. And now the cost factor, right now it's in demonstration mode.
So when it rains, I jack up the coast. And when it's sunny I'll bring it back down. Today...
BUSH: But how is -- what is the -- what he wanted to know was the equivalency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now the quality (ph) is $4.75. And what we're looking at is...
BUSH: And what's the equivalency to a normal tank?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's twice as much as premium, because the core (ph) is two times more efficient...
BUSH: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... in it's energy, and it's a quality fuel.
BUSH: It's also the beginning of technology. In other words, a new product generally is more expensive until there's more volume and more distribution.
Part of the reason we're spending money is to see if we can't encourage technology to enable the industry to extract hydrocarbon at a more reasonable -- I mean, hydrogen at a more reasonable price. There's a couple of -- a couple of bottlenecks, it seems. And maybe you can help me out here.
One obviously is the -- is the manufacture of vehicles that use hydrogen. Secondly, is the ability to produce hydrogen. It requires energy to produce hydrogen, and, therefore, we are trying to use our research dollars to figure out how best to do that in efficient ways. And finally, to make sure that the infrastructure is such that consumers can buy hydrogen in an convenient way.
We've got work to do. No one thinks this technology is going to overwhelm our society in an immediate term.
This is a 10-year project, as I -- when I announced it to the United States Congress. But the key is, that we are now putting things in place today, making investments today, encouraging development in alternative sources of energy today that will help transform our energy mix for tomorrow, so that 10 years from now hopefully we can look back and say thankfully Congress finally acted and President Bush led so that we were able to diversify away from oil and gas. And we need to do it for the sake of our energy security and national security.
Thank you, all.
KAGAN: A bit of a science lesson there from President Bush. He's visiting a hydrogen refueling station in Washington, D.C. That's a DaimlerChrysler station, working on alternative forms of energy.
The president fielding questions mainly about his energy bill, and also explaining how the technology works. This on a day where a lot of energy is going into what's happening on Capitol Hill.
For all of that, let's go check in with our Bob Franken, who is at the White House today.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I'm a little curious about whether he got his windshields cleaned while he was there.
KAGAN: If it was full service.
FRANKEN: If it was full service hydrogen energy plant. And believe me, when the president comes, it is full service.
KAGAN: Yes.
FRANKEN: But Congress is talking about other things today. We are looking to the vote in the Senate on the first of those judicial nominees, part of that compromise on filibusters reached the other night.
Priscilla Owen is expected to be confirmed by the Senate in an- up-or down vote. Later in the day, there's going to be discussion about John Bolton, a highly controversial nominee to the United Nations ambassador.
And, of course, there's still a lot of controversy reverberating after the House of Representatives vote yesterday with quite a bit of Republican support to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. You heard the president talk about that.
The Senate is expected to pass legislation also. And then it gets to the president's desk. You heard him basically avoid the question of whether there would be a veto or not, saying he wants to see what form the legislation takes. Of course he has said in the past that the legislation that passed the House would get a veto.
One other piece of news, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes?
FRANKEN: I mentioned in the last hour about the tests of the alarm system here. It did not work properly at the White House when that airplane came very close to the White House on May 11, had not worked at all in the press area. I'm told by my colleagues here that it did work this time but the volume was very low.
KAGAN: Turn up the volume.
FRANKEN: Still some work to do -- yes.
KAGAN: Something that's not usually a problem for you, Bob. Thank you.
Let's check on those many topics also, of course, having a big impact on Capitol Hill. Our Joe Johns covering that angle of the story for us.
Hey, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn.
Well, about an hour from now, just 24 hours after she was cleared through on the filibuster issue, Priscilla Owen is expected to get a vote up here on Capitol Hill. It's been four years coming.
As you know, she was nominated once four years ago by the president. That nomination blocked. Then brought back again by the president for a second try. This time, pushed through.
It won't be a unanimous vote. Democrats call her a judicial activist.
Just a little while ago, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was out there talking about what he believes is her record of judicial activism. On the other side of the coin, Republicans say Priscilla Owen is an exemplary candidate for the federal bench and that is why they brought her up first in the filibuster fight -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Let's get to some of the other topics, the nomination of John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That's also supposed to get a vote today.
JOHNS: That's right. Well, actually, they are planning on bringing it up for debate out on the floor of the Senate, but we don't expect a vote on it until probably tomorrow. That's at least what we are hearing.
The Senate majority leader saying he'd like to finish that nomination by the end of the week. There'd been some question as to whether Democrats actually might try to block the nomination of Bolton because it has been controversial.
He's been accused of essentially being a bureaucratic infighter, not playing nice with his colleagues. And a lot of Democrats have opposed him for that reason. But on balance, a lot of them telling us that they do think at the end of the day, whenever the vote comes, he'll get through.
KAGAN: Now, give us a background on what's happening in the House with this vote on stem cell research and increasing federal funding. What's a conservative body like the House doing to find what is promised to be a presidential veto?
JOHNS: Right. Well, this is a very hot issue, and conservatives have strong feelings on both sides, in fact.
As you know, Nancy Reagan some time ago came out saying that she supports the notion of stem cell research. The fact is, the House of Representatives really took two votes.
One was a vote on the controversial stem cell research of the type the president opposes and he says he'd veto. They also took a vote on cord blood stem cell use, and that passed by a huge margin.
Of course, at the end of the day, the question is, what happens over here in the United States Senate even before it gets to the president's desk? And there are a lot of conservatives who disagree.
Senator Brownback of Kansas has suggested he might even filibuster the bill to keep it from going through. So there are a lot of questions here on Capitol Hill about actually what will happen with that should it hit the floor of the Senate.
KAGAN: Keeping you very busy today. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill. Joe, thank you.
Well, that emotional debate over stem cell research will now move to the U.S. Senate, as Joe was telling us. The House has approved this bill to expand federal funding of research. It passed on a vote of 238 to 194. That is short of the two-thirds needed to override a threatened presidential veto. The debate over using embryos for research touches on politic, science and religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA REEVE, CHRISTOPHER REEVE'S WIDOW: I really would applaud anyone who stands by their convictions. What I find troubling is when in congressional hearings senators will avoid the question, if you don't oppose in vitro clinics, which are big money-makers in this country, then why do you oppose stem cell research? Because you have to point to that central argument.
But absolutely. And in terms of -- that's what makes this country great, is the democracy. There are people who stand by their religious convictions and are permitted to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARILYN MUSGRAVE (R), COLORADO: I'm proud to stand here today with my colleagues that have stood so strong. I have to admit that I am disappointed, but I'm encouraged by the number of "no's" that we had, knowing that we will stand with our president. We will stand with him when he stands for the culture of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And that's the latest on the stem cell debate.
The bill would override limits on stem cell research set by President Bush. He promises to veto the measure. These are all topics we got to with Bob Franken and Joe Johns.
We are standing by, once again, waiting to see this news conference begin. This is Gwinnett County, Georgia. The distract attorney expected to come out and announce whether or not there will be criminal charges against runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. That is still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We go live now to Gwinnett County, Georgia. This is District Attorney Danny Porter talking about runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks.
DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA, D.A.: Gainesville Police Department, Hall County Sheriff's Department, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, all of these folks contributed to this case, as well as the FBI and the GBI. They all contributed to the investigation of the case. They provided me with information that allow me to make an expeditious decision in this case.
The investigative work was first-rate. And I want to thank all of those agencies.
This morning, the grand jury of Gwinnett County met and heard evidence from approximately 9:15 to almost 10:30. They returned an indictment charging Jennifer Carol Wilbanks with one count of the offense of false statements and one count of the offense of false report of a crime. There were two witnesses called before the grand jury, Chief Randy Belcher of the Duluth Police Department and investigator Jeff Lamfir (ph) of the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office. The decision to bring these charges before the grand jury was based on a review of all the evidence that's been obtained to date, including the evidence that was obtained after the return of Jennifer Wilbanks. We believe that this is a reasonable next step in the case. And we believe that the grand jury made the appropriate decision.
That's all the news that I have. I'll be happy to take questions if you want to ask questions.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No. The first count of the indictment, false statements, which is a violation of OCGA-161020 (ph), is a felony. The second count, which is false report of a crime, is the misdemeanor.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: The maximum -- the punishment ranges for the felony are one to five years. And the punishment range for the misdemeanor is up to 12 months in confinement.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Any order of restitution, or any other condition of the sentence would be up to the court at the time of the disposition of the case.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: All -- it's set out in the indictment, but it's based on the to totality of the evidence, including the statement that was made by telephone to Chief Belcher.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: The tape -- the call to the house of John Mason was recorded.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: She gave information regarding the claim of abduction, as well that she had been abducted, as well as descriptions of the perpetrators.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I have not interviewed her. She has been agents of the GBI and FBI.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I don't know her location.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No. No, she has not. Her...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I can't discuss any negotiations. I can only say that I've been in contact with the defense attorney.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I can't comment on what was heard in the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are secret, and the evidence that's presented in the grand jury is secret.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I think that's going to be more up to the sentencing agency, the court, than it is going to be to me.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, a false report of a crime is to actually report a violation of the law under Georgia law. And in this case, the indictment allegations that it was kidnapping.
The false statement is a more generalized statement that basically says that if you make a false, material false statement in any matter to a government agency, then you can be charged.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: All criminal offenses carry fines. In this particular case, the fine on the felony is up to $1,000. And the fine -- excuse me, the fine on the felony is up to $10,000. And the fine on the misdemeanor is up to $1,000.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: That's unknown at this time. At this point, the next step in the process would be the issuance of a bench warrant for her arrest.
I feel confident that arrangements can be made for her to turn herself in. And then we will take the next step from there.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, this is a case -- this is a case that the decision was made that it was appropriate to present evidence to the grand jury. I think -- I think it's appropriate if there's a message that at some point, you just can't lie to the police.
QUESTION: She's been admitted to the hospital. Would you go to the hospital to get her, or would you wait for her to come back?
PORTER: The actual -- the actual details of her -- of her arrest will probably be worked out with her attorney.
QUESTION: Will she turn herself into the Gwinnett County Jail?
PORTER: That's where she'll be booked in once -- once the arrest warrant is signed by a judge and transmitted.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No, I have not been in touch with her attorney this morning.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, I can only say that after a review of all the facts that were provided by the investigative agencies, including Duluth and the FBI and the GBI, and a review of the statute, it appears to me that there was probable cause and a reasonable belief that a crime had been committed. And I proceeded forward. And there was no reason presented not to.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I don't know the answer to that. I'm not involved. And I can't be involved in the civil suit. That's an -- I don't represent the city of Duluth.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: At this point, if you don't mind, the chief is part of the law enforcement structure that's brought the indictment. And we can't discuss specifics of the evidence now that an indictment has been returned.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: That's correct. The content -- it's based on the single act, but the entire content of the phone call.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Her actions haven't had any impact on my decision (INAUDIBLE).
KAGAN: And there you have it. The Gwinnett County, Georgia, district attorney announcing, Danny Porter, announcing that Jennifer Wilbanks, runaway bride, being indicted.
It sounds like they're trying to throw the book at her. One count of false statements. One count of false reporting of the crime. One of those is a felony. One is a misdemeanor. Very severe.
Let's check in with our Sara Dorsey, who is covering this from Gwinnett County -- Sara.
DORSEY: Well, Daryn, Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter saying in that press conference, "You just can't lie to police." And that apparently is what they say Jennifer Wilbanks did when she made up that false story about being abducted and sexually assaulted.
A grand jury seemed to believe also that she did lie in saying that they came back charging her with one count of false statement, as you said, which is a felony, and one count of making a false report. That felony, in this press conference we heard, can carry from one to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The misdemeanor of making a false report can carry up to 12 months in jail and also up to $1,000 fine.
So that's the news coming out of there.
Also, we are hearing that Jennifer Wilbanks will be asked to pay restitution by the city of Duluth. The mayor there has asked for $43,000. They sent that over to her attorneys.
Wilbanks' attorneys, though, are saying, wait a second, you know, we are offering to pay $14,300, that would cover the overtime spent by the city during the search for her. But the mayor saying, no, no, no, we need something like $43,000 to cover the 1,600 man hours used to look for her.
So it looks like Jennifer Wilbanks will be in some hot water from here. A bench warrant will be issued for her arrest. But Danny Porter says they will try to work out something so she can turn herself in -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Sara Dorsey. I'll have a chance to talk with the mayor of Duluth coming up, and you'll hear that interview here on CNN LIVE TODAY.
Right now a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we want to tell you what's happening in Santa Maria, California, today. The defense in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial does plan to rest today.
There's Michael Jackson arriving at the courthouse just a few minutes ago.
Comedian Chris Tucker expected to be the last witness for the defense. The prosecution will have a chance to offer up some rebuttal witnesses. And then it's expected to go to the jury some time next week.
On to New York City. It is Fleet Week. And we have pictures, I believe, of the -- there we go, live pictures.
The USS John F. Kennedy will be going by the site of Ground Zero. There you go, live pictures of that. And as they go by, we're expecting sailors to salute the site where the World Trade Center used to -- used to be, and now, of course, considered Ground Zero.
This is, by the way, the 18th annual Fleet Week. The weeklong event will honor the U.S. military, including there'll be a tribute on Memorial Day to those who have died serving their country.
We're going to get back to the runaway bride story in just a bit. As you were hearing, as you were watching live, the district attorney of Gwinnett County announcing he is filing charges against Jennifer Wilbanks. What does the mayor of Duluth, the city where she's from and paid all that money in overtime, what does she think of the charges and Jennifer Wilbanks? I'll have a chance to talk with the mayor in just a moment.
Right now a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are getting very close to the half-hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's what's happening "Now in the News."
An arrest warrant is expected in the case of so-called runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. Just moments ago, you saw live here on CNN the Gwinnett County prosecutor saying that a grand jury indicted her on two counts of making a false statement and filing a false report. Danny Porter says he expects arrangements will be made for Wilbanks to surrender to authorities.
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Aired May 25, 2005 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Private planes will soon be allowed back at Reagan National Airport. An official announcement is expected later today. General aviation and charter flights were banned after the September 11 attacks. A source says there will be a number of restrictions once those flights resume.
A truck driver -- actually, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington today. He meets with President Bush tomorrow. Abbas says he wants more support from the U.S. on the so-called roadmap for peace. The White House says President Bush will urge Abbas to live up to his promises to crack down on militants.
Now to the truck driver story. The truck driver is in a hospital in serious condition. Take a look at these pictures.
It was a fiery crash, took place in Dallas, Texas. The accident stalled traffic on two interstates yesterday. Authorities are investigating whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Top European and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Geneva today. They are discussing Iran's nuclear prom. The talks are aimed at preventing Tehran from restarting its uranium enrichment program. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. An Iranian negotiator says the chance for success of these talks, about 50-50.
It's the time of day we like to check the clock. 8:00 a.m. in Santa Maria, California; 11:00 a.m. in Lawrenceville, Georgia; and it's 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
We do expect to find out any moment whether so-called runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks will face charges. Let's go to Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta, where officials are calling a news conference. It hasn't started quite yet, so let's check in with our Sara Dorsey.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Daryn.
We are waiting for that press conference, as you said. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter does have a few options in this case, as we told you earlier. He can decide, A, to just not charge Jennifer Wilbanks with any crime at all. Or he can go with the charge of filing a false report, with -- which is a misdemeanor, rather, or a felony charge of making a false statement. Now, there have been some questions as far as jurisdiction in this case, because as everyone knows, Wilbanks was actually found in New Mexico. It was there that she made the call to 911 and she made up that story that she gave to authorities about being abducted and sexually assaulted. But the D.A. here says, because she furthered that lie by telling it over the phone to Gwinnett County law enforcement agencies, this county can indeed charge her if it sees fit.
Now, Wilbanks' attorney has said the whole time they don't believe she is guilty of doing anything criminal and she doesn't deserve to be charged with anything. But many people in Gwinnett, in this county, that went through the search for her and waited -- and, you know, really, many believed that possibly she wouldn't be coming home alive -- many of them feel that she should be charged for something once it was discovered that she was indeed OK and she did fabricate that story about being abducted.
Danny Porter, the D.A., got many, many e-mails from people in the community, many leaning towards prosecution in this case. Whether or not that happens, we are hearing that Wilbanks will be asked to pay some sort of restitution to the community, of course.
We're going to go now and send it back into you, Daryn, so we can go to that press conference.
KAGAN: OK. Actually a little bit delayed in the beginning. We will get back to you when it does begin.
Meanwhile, President Bush making a visit to a hydrogen fuel plant earlier today. Let's listen to what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Energy bill? What was your question?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
BUSH: Yes, working it hard in the Senate to get a good energy bill out. They need to get it to my desk.
I appreciate you asking about the energy bill, part of the hydrogen initiative. And part of the diversification away from hydrocarbons is a part of an energy bill. And Congress has been talking too long about the energy bill. And now is the time to get it to my desk.
And so we are working with the senators. Senator Domenici is intent upon getting an energy bill out. Once they get out of the Senate, they've got to work out their differences with the House.
And, you know, I think the American people are tired of waiting. I know they are. And I submitted a plan to Congress four years ago. And I'm getting a little tired of waiting on an energy bill. For the sake of energy independence, they've got to get me a bill. And it's a comprehensive bill. It talks about encouraging conservation, environmentally friendly ways to explore for hydrocarbons, money to diversify away from a hydrocarbon economy we live in, and ways to modernized the electricity grid. And I'm hopeful they'll get it done, but we're going to push hard to make sure they do.
Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Do you sense bipartisanship?
BUSH: We'll see. It's all going to be in the results. I'm a results-oriented person. I want to see the bill to my desk. That's the definition of people committing themselves to get something done.
The American people expect them to get something done. I do, too, because we're too dependent on foreign sources of energy.
And -- go ahead. What was your question?
QUESTION: How much did you fill up with? And how much did it cost?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. We filled up .183 kilograms because it's gas. And now the cost factor, right now it's in demonstration mode.
So when it rains, I jack up the coast. And when it's sunny I'll bring it back down. Today...
BUSH: But how is -- what is the -- what he wanted to know was the equivalency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now the quality (ph) is $4.75. And what we're looking at is...
BUSH: And what's the equivalency to a normal tank?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's twice as much as premium, because the core (ph) is two times more efficient...
BUSH: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... in it's energy, and it's a quality fuel.
BUSH: It's also the beginning of technology. In other words, a new product generally is more expensive until there's more volume and more distribution.
Part of the reason we're spending money is to see if we can't encourage technology to enable the industry to extract hydrocarbon at a more reasonable -- I mean, hydrogen at a more reasonable price. There's a couple of -- a couple of bottlenecks, it seems. And maybe you can help me out here.
One obviously is the -- is the manufacture of vehicles that use hydrogen. Secondly, is the ability to produce hydrogen. It requires energy to produce hydrogen, and, therefore, we are trying to use our research dollars to figure out how best to do that in efficient ways. And finally, to make sure that the infrastructure is such that consumers can buy hydrogen in an convenient way.
We've got work to do. No one thinks this technology is going to overwhelm our society in an immediate term.
This is a 10-year project, as I -- when I announced it to the United States Congress. But the key is, that we are now putting things in place today, making investments today, encouraging development in alternative sources of energy today that will help transform our energy mix for tomorrow, so that 10 years from now hopefully we can look back and say thankfully Congress finally acted and President Bush led so that we were able to diversify away from oil and gas. And we need to do it for the sake of our energy security and national security.
Thank you, all.
KAGAN: A bit of a science lesson there from President Bush. He's visiting a hydrogen refueling station in Washington, D.C. That's a DaimlerChrysler station, working on alternative forms of energy.
The president fielding questions mainly about his energy bill, and also explaining how the technology works. This on a day where a lot of energy is going into what's happening on Capitol Hill.
For all of that, let's go check in with our Bob Franken, who is at the White House today.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I'm a little curious about whether he got his windshields cleaned while he was there.
KAGAN: If it was full service.
FRANKEN: If it was full service hydrogen energy plant. And believe me, when the president comes, it is full service.
KAGAN: Yes.
FRANKEN: But Congress is talking about other things today. We are looking to the vote in the Senate on the first of those judicial nominees, part of that compromise on filibusters reached the other night.
Priscilla Owen is expected to be confirmed by the Senate in an- up-or down vote. Later in the day, there's going to be discussion about John Bolton, a highly controversial nominee to the United Nations ambassador.
And, of course, there's still a lot of controversy reverberating after the House of Representatives vote yesterday with quite a bit of Republican support to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. You heard the president talk about that.
The Senate is expected to pass legislation also. And then it gets to the president's desk. You heard him basically avoid the question of whether there would be a veto or not, saying he wants to see what form the legislation takes. Of course he has said in the past that the legislation that passed the House would get a veto.
One other piece of news, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes?
FRANKEN: I mentioned in the last hour about the tests of the alarm system here. It did not work properly at the White House when that airplane came very close to the White House on May 11, had not worked at all in the press area. I'm told by my colleagues here that it did work this time but the volume was very low.
KAGAN: Turn up the volume.
FRANKEN: Still some work to do -- yes.
KAGAN: Something that's not usually a problem for you, Bob. Thank you.
Let's check on those many topics also, of course, having a big impact on Capitol Hill. Our Joe Johns covering that angle of the story for us.
Hey, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn.
Well, about an hour from now, just 24 hours after she was cleared through on the filibuster issue, Priscilla Owen is expected to get a vote up here on Capitol Hill. It's been four years coming.
As you know, she was nominated once four years ago by the president. That nomination blocked. Then brought back again by the president for a second try. This time, pushed through.
It won't be a unanimous vote. Democrats call her a judicial activist.
Just a little while ago, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was out there talking about what he believes is her record of judicial activism. On the other side of the coin, Republicans say Priscilla Owen is an exemplary candidate for the federal bench and that is why they brought her up first in the filibuster fight -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Let's get to some of the other topics, the nomination of John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That's also supposed to get a vote today.
JOHNS: That's right. Well, actually, they are planning on bringing it up for debate out on the floor of the Senate, but we don't expect a vote on it until probably tomorrow. That's at least what we are hearing.
The Senate majority leader saying he'd like to finish that nomination by the end of the week. There'd been some question as to whether Democrats actually might try to block the nomination of Bolton because it has been controversial.
He's been accused of essentially being a bureaucratic infighter, not playing nice with his colleagues. And a lot of Democrats have opposed him for that reason. But on balance, a lot of them telling us that they do think at the end of the day, whenever the vote comes, he'll get through.
KAGAN: Now, give us a background on what's happening in the House with this vote on stem cell research and increasing federal funding. What's a conservative body like the House doing to find what is promised to be a presidential veto?
JOHNS: Right. Well, this is a very hot issue, and conservatives have strong feelings on both sides, in fact.
As you know, Nancy Reagan some time ago came out saying that she supports the notion of stem cell research. The fact is, the House of Representatives really took two votes.
One was a vote on the controversial stem cell research of the type the president opposes and he says he'd veto. They also took a vote on cord blood stem cell use, and that passed by a huge margin.
Of course, at the end of the day, the question is, what happens over here in the United States Senate even before it gets to the president's desk? And there are a lot of conservatives who disagree.
Senator Brownback of Kansas has suggested he might even filibuster the bill to keep it from going through. So there are a lot of questions here on Capitol Hill about actually what will happen with that should it hit the floor of the Senate.
KAGAN: Keeping you very busy today. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill. Joe, thank you.
Well, that emotional debate over stem cell research will now move to the U.S. Senate, as Joe was telling us. The House has approved this bill to expand federal funding of research. It passed on a vote of 238 to 194. That is short of the two-thirds needed to override a threatened presidential veto. The debate over using embryos for research touches on politic, science and religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA REEVE, CHRISTOPHER REEVE'S WIDOW: I really would applaud anyone who stands by their convictions. What I find troubling is when in congressional hearings senators will avoid the question, if you don't oppose in vitro clinics, which are big money-makers in this country, then why do you oppose stem cell research? Because you have to point to that central argument.
But absolutely. And in terms of -- that's what makes this country great, is the democracy. There are people who stand by their religious convictions and are permitted to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARILYN MUSGRAVE (R), COLORADO: I'm proud to stand here today with my colleagues that have stood so strong. I have to admit that I am disappointed, but I'm encouraged by the number of "no's" that we had, knowing that we will stand with our president. We will stand with him when he stands for the culture of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And that's the latest on the stem cell debate.
The bill would override limits on stem cell research set by President Bush. He promises to veto the measure. These are all topics we got to with Bob Franken and Joe Johns.
We are standing by, once again, waiting to see this news conference begin. This is Gwinnett County, Georgia. The distract attorney expected to come out and announce whether or not there will be criminal charges against runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. That is still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We go live now to Gwinnett County, Georgia. This is District Attorney Danny Porter talking about runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks.
DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA, D.A.: Gainesville Police Department, Hall County Sheriff's Department, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, all of these folks contributed to this case, as well as the FBI and the GBI. They all contributed to the investigation of the case. They provided me with information that allow me to make an expeditious decision in this case.
The investigative work was first-rate. And I want to thank all of those agencies.
This morning, the grand jury of Gwinnett County met and heard evidence from approximately 9:15 to almost 10:30. They returned an indictment charging Jennifer Carol Wilbanks with one count of the offense of false statements and one count of the offense of false report of a crime. There were two witnesses called before the grand jury, Chief Randy Belcher of the Duluth Police Department and investigator Jeff Lamfir (ph) of the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office. The decision to bring these charges before the grand jury was based on a review of all the evidence that's been obtained to date, including the evidence that was obtained after the return of Jennifer Wilbanks. We believe that this is a reasonable next step in the case. And we believe that the grand jury made the appropriate decision.
That's all the news that I have. I'll be happy to take questions if you want to ask questions.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No. The first count of the indictment, false statements, which is a violation of OCGA-161020 (ph), is a felony. The second count, which is false report of a crime, is the misdemeanor.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: The maximum -- the punishment ranges for the felony are one to five years. And the punishment range for the misdemeanor is up to 12 months in confinement.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Any order of restitution, or any other condition of the sentence would be up to the court at the time of the disposition of the case.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: All -- it's set out in the indictment, but it's based on the to totality of the evidence, including the statement that was made by telephone to Chief Belcher.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: The tape -- the call to the house of John Mason was recorded.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: She gave information regarding the claim of abduction, as well that she had been abducted, as well as descriptions of the perpetrators.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I have not interviewed her. She has been agents of the GBI and FBI.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I don't know her location.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No. No, she has not. Her...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I can't discuss any negotiations. I can only say that I've been in contact with the defense attorney.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I can't comment on what was heard in the grand jury. Grand jury proceedings are secret, and the evidence that's presented in the grand jury is secret.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I think that's going to be more up to the sentencing agency, the court, than it is going to be to me.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, a false report of a crime is to actually report a violation of the law under Georgia law. And in this case, the indictment allegations that it was kidnapping.
The false statement is a more generalized statement that basically says that if you make a false, material false statement in any matter to a government agency, then you can be charged.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: All criminal offenses carry fines. In this particular case, the fine on the felony is up to $1,000. And the fine -- excuse me, the fine on the felony is up to $10,000. And the fine on the misdemeanor is up to $1,000.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: That's unknown at this time. At this point, the next step in the process would be the issuance of a bench warrant for her arrest.
I feel confident that arrangements can be made for her to turn herself in. And then we will take the next step from there.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, this is a case -- this is a case that the decision was made that it was appropriate to present evidence to the grand jury. I think -- I think it's appropriate if there's a message that at some point, you just can't lie to the police.
QUESTION: She's been admitted to the hospital. Would you go to the hospital to get her, or would you wait for her to come back?
PORTER: The actual -- the actual details of her -- of her arrest will probably be worked out with her attorney.
QUESTION: Will she turn herself into the Gwinnett County Jail?
PORTER: That's where she'll be booked in once -- once the arrest warrant is signed by a judge and transmitted.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: No, I have not been in touch with her attorney this morning.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Well, I can only say that after a review of all the facts that were provided by the investigative agencies, including Duluth and the FBI and the GBI, and a review of the statute, it appears to me that there was probable cause and a reasonable belief that a crime had been committed. And I proceeded forward. And there was no reason presented not to.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: I don't know the answer to that. I'm not involved. And I can't be involved in the civil suit. That's an -- I don't represent the city of Duluth.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: At this point, if you don't mind, the chief is part of the law enforcement structure that's brought the indictment. And we can't discuss specifics of the evidence now that an indictment has been returned.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: That's correct. The content -- it's based on the single act, but the entire content of the phone call.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
PORTER: Her actions haven't had any impact on my decision (INAUDIBLE).
KAGAN: And there you have it. The Gwinnett County, Georgia, district attorney announcing, Danny Porter, announcing that Jennifer Wilbanks, runaway bride, being indicted.
It sounds like they're trying to throw the book at her. One count of false statements. One count of false reporting of the crime. One of those is a felony. One is a misdemeanor. Very severe.
Let's check in with our Sara Dorsey, who is covering this from Gwinnett County -- Sara.
DORSEY: Well, Daryn, Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter saying in that press conference, "You just can't lie to police." And that apparently is what they say Jennifer Wilbanks did when she made up that false story about being abducted and sexually assaulted.
A grand jury seemed to believe also that she did lie in saying that they came back charging her with one count of false statement, as you said, which is a felony, and one count of making a false report. That felony, in this press conference we heard, can carry from one to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The misdemeanor of making a false report can carry up to 12 months in jail and also up to $1,000 fine.
So that's the news coming out of there.
Also, we are hearing that Jennifer Wilbanks will be asked to pay restitution by the city of Duluth. The mayor there has asked for $43,000. They sent that over to her attorneys.
Wilbanks' attorneys, though, are saying, wait a second, you know, we are offering to pay $14,300, that would cover the overtime spent by the city during the search for her. But the mayor saying, no, no, no, we need something like $43,000 to cover the 1,600 man hours used to look for her.
So it looks like Jennifer Wilbanks will be in some hot water from here. A bench warrant will be issued for her arrest. But Danny Porter says they will try to work out something so she can turn herself in -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Sara Dorsey. I'll have a chance to talk with the mayor of Duluth coming up, and you'll hear that interview here on CNN LIVE TODAY.
Right now a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we want to tell you what's happening in Santa Maria, California, today. The defense in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial does plan to rest today.
There's Michael Jackson arriving at the courthouse just a few minutes ago.
Comedian Chris Tucker expected to be the last witness for the defense. The prosecution will have a chance to offer up some rebuttal witnesses. And then it's expected to go to the jury some time next week.
On to New York City. It is Fleet Week. And we have pictures, I believe, of the -- there we go, live pictures.
The USS John F. Kennedy will be going by the site of Ground Zero. There you go, live pictures of that. And as they go by, we're expecting sailors to salute the site where the World Trade Center used to -- used to be, and now, of course, considered Ground Zero.
This is, by the way, the 18th annual Fleet Week. The weeklong event will honor the U.S. military, including there'll be a tribute on Memorial Day to those who have died serving their country.
We're going to get back to the runaway bride story in just a bit. As you were hearing, as you were watching live, the district attorney of Gwinnett County announcing he is filing charges against Jennifer Wilbanks. What does the mayor of Duluth, the city where she's from and paid all that money in overtime, what does she think of the charges and Jennifer Wilbanks? I'll have a chance to talk with the mayor in just a moment.
Right now a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are getting very close to the half-hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's what's happening "Now in the News."
An arrest warrant is expected in the case of so-called runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks. Just moments ago, you saw live here on CNN the Gwinnett County prosecutor saying that a grand jury indicted her on two counts of making a false statement and filing a false report. Danny Porter says he expects arrangements will be made for Wilbanks to surrender to authorities.
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