Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

President Bush Visits Louisiana, Mississippi Today; Road To Recovery

Aired September 15, 2005 - 06:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us.

President Bush returns to Louisiana and Mississippi today, his fourth visit to the hurricane-devastated area. He'll address the nation on Katrina from New Orleans tonight.

But first, "Now in the News."

Another rash of attacks in Iraq today has left at least 30 people dead and more than 50 hurt. Among those killed, 20 police officers in suicide car bombings. Attacks yesterday killed at least 153 people and injured more than 300.

Hurricane Ophelia is bringing a lot of flooding to the North Carolina coastline right now. The eye of the category 1 hurricane is forecast to remain over the Outer Banks through much of the day.

It is a baby boy for Britney Spears and hubby, Kevin Federline. The baby was born by C-section in Los Angeles. According to the "New York Post," his name is Preston Michael Spears. That's PMS Spears. PMS Federline, Chad. I just thought of this initials.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I was trying to figure out earlier whether it made a name. I didn't get that part though.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I do have the average price for a gallon of gas, and we always like to tell you this every single morning. AAA is reporting self-serve regular fell 2 cents, to $2.91 a gallon. That's down 14.2 cents from the high reported on Labor Day, which was $3.05 per gallon. Now you know.

President Bush heads back to Mississippi and Louisiana today. It is his fourth visit to the region. Tonight, he'll address the nation from New Orleans about Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin talked to CNN's Larry King about what he wants to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: Well, I want to hear that he's continuing to focus on this particular tragedy. I want to hear that he's going to provide the resources that we need to rebuild New Orleans, and to what he said, a shining example for the nation. And I want him to basically assure the nation that whatever it takes, there will be a full analysis of this situation and this will never happen ever again in this country's history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's ask CNN's Bob Franken if Mayor Nagin will be satisfied. Bob joins us live from Washington.

Good morning -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's see. Will he be satisfied? Probably not.

Will he get what he just specified during that interview? Yes. The president is going to go to the site -- as you pointed out, it's his fourth time down there -- to establish again that he wants to be perceived as a chief executive who has taken over after a botched beginning. He's going to be looking forward. We've heard that a lot of times.

He's going to be talking about spending huge amounts of money. As a matter of fact, in Washington some are saying it's going to break the bank here. Talking about initiatives in housing, talking about health care, tax health, talking about tax credits for relocation, for jobs, that kind of thing. He's going to be talking about plans to encourage businesses to come back to New Orleans as opposed to going elsewhere.

He's going to be talking about what some are comparing to a Marshall plan for New Orleans. And, of course, he's going to be talking about his administration. As we know, the other day he accepted blame, the same blame that, frankly, the polls are showing he's been getting pretty much around the nation. But he says now he wants to recover, recover New Orleans. And implicit in that is to recover the credibility and legacy of his administration.

COSTELLO: Will he say it more certain terms that the federal government is as much to blame as the state and local authorities are?

FRANKEN: Well, he has...

COSTELLO: You know, he mentioned it, but it wasn't a strong statement.

FRANKEN: Well...

COSTELLO: Or will he just look forward?

FRANKEN: What we have now is everybody is saying we share the blame. And, of course, that's really the leaders following the perceptions that were already out there. Poll after poll after poll shows that the United States, largely a great percentage, blame the president and his administration for messing things up, and blame the state governments. So, at the moment, you have a number of officials hoping that they can capture the imagination of their constituencies by saying, OK, although we made mistakes, give us a chance to make them right.

COSTELLO: All right. Final question. You said all of the money that's going to pour into New Orleans to rebuild and the rest of the Gulf Coast may break the bank. Where are we going to get all of this money?

FRANKEN: Well, that's the question that many are asking in town, particularly conservatives. And the answer that everybody gives is offsets. That's meaning that you'll have to get the money from somewhere else. But that, of course, is very, very hard to do in a political environment.

Interesting, polls are showing that people are resigned here for an increase in taxes, something that nobody is saying in the administration that he wants. But there is a clear indication that it's going to be a little bit more difficult, a lot more difficult for the president to get the tax cuts that he was going to make permanent.

COSTELLO: Bob Franken live from Washington. I know you'll be watching the president's speech tonight. It's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Of course, CNN will cover that live.

New Orleans is starting to dry out. As much as a foot of water is being pumped out every day. But experts agree that most of those water-damaged homes will have to be torn down.

CNN's J.J. Ramberg is in New Orleans.

Tell us about the cleanup, J.J.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's really actually sad to be going through some of these neighborhoods, because you see that the water has gone away, and there's so much focus spent on that water being pumped out. But when you drive through the neighborhoods, they're still so destroyed. There is just this much mud if you drive through some of those areas that weren't even hardest hit, covering tires. There is so much destruction that the water is just the first step. There is still so much more cleanup to be done.

COSTELLO: The mayor wants people to start coming back into the city -- some to live, some to open up their businesses again. Are you seeing signs of that already?

RAMBERG: Not quite yet. There's a little bit more activity on the street, but still it's mostly cleanup crews, military. He says, though, by next Monday if an EPA report comes in clean, he'll start letting people in. And he's hoping to get a third of the residents back in within the next two weeks.

If you drive through some of the areas that weren't hardest hit, places like the French Quarter, which everyone knows about because it's the most touristy area, the Central Business District, those look like they're ready to be opened at least superficially. They're cleaned up. They weren't hit by floods, so there's not as much destruction.

And so, it makes sense seeing those that it looks like they could be opened. But still, they need to test the water. They need to make sure the power is working. And they need to make sure sewage systems are working.

COSTELLO: J.J. Ramberg live in New Orleans this morning. Thank you.

Millions of people across the country have offered time, money and even their homes to the victims of Katrina. But it appears at least two people tried to take advantage of that generosity.

An Arkansas couple has been arrested for claiming to be hurricane victims. You knew this was coming. Authorities say they may have received food and money from donation centers and even got a $2,000 relief check from FEMA. The alleged scam fell apart when the couple couldn't give a Louisiana zip code when they attempted to get additional aid.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, you have heard the complaints. Gas prices are high. Home heating bills are about to get higher. Is another refinery in this country the answer? One business tycoon may soon find out. Does the name Branson ring a bell?

And they kept listeners tuned in during a disaster and plugged into the government's response afterward. How is the staff of WWL Radio doing now?

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are in mixed territory this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is up big time, more than 152 points, the London FTSE up nearly 20, the German DAX falling 15.

Both Delta and Northwest Airlines say the skyrocketing price of oil is a key reason they were forced to file for bankruptcy. But Virgin Atlantic Airlines founder Richard Branson has his own plan to drive prices lower. He wants to open and build his own oil refinery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BRANSON, VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS: We've got to a storm team of people at Virgin pulling it together, talking to people, talking to other airlines and saying, look, you know, why don't you put, you know, 50-100 million in, because, you know, if you don't, you know, you're going to -- it's going to cost you that much at least in fuel hikes. If you do, it will actually bring your -- the cost of your fuel down. And actually we think you could make some money out of the refinery as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, a billionaire to the rescue. Can this be done? And would it really help ease the price crunch?

Let's check in with Peter Beutel. He's the president of Cameron Hanover and the author of "Surviving Energy Prices."

Good morning, Peter.

PETER BEUTEL, PRES., CAMERON HANOVER: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, if Mr. Branson does decide to build a refinery, where would he put it?

BEUTEL: Well, of course, that's the big question. And it will take a couple of years for him. He's going to learn to dance if he does this. But, you know, it sounds like a great idea. But you're absolutely right. Where do we put it? And we've got to get through a lot of hurdles before we actually can start building it.

COSTELLO: Has there really not been a refinery built in 29 years?

BEUTEL: That is correct. We have added to the existing refineries. We've expanded them. We've made the units more efficient. But no new grassroots refinery has been built here in nearly 30 years.

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's say he cuts through all of the red tape, finds someone willing to let him build this big oil refinery. I mean, wouldn't it still take a long time to bring gas prices down?

BEUTEL: Well, it would. And, of course, what he is looking for is jet fuel, which accounts for roughly 6 percent of the barrel. Even if he concentrates on jet fuel, he probably isn't going to be able to get more than about 10 or 11 percent.

And, of course, refinery runs are notoriously fickle. You do get a situation where some days you can buy the crude at a good price and make a good living in the refining sector, but there are plenty of times when you're just barely scraping even.

For him not to have some oil in the ground makes it a more risky proposition. But I do applaud him for his effort at least.

COSTELLO: Wouldn't these big companies that dominate these -- that own these oil refineries and sort of dominate the business shut him out?

BEUTEL: I don't think so, no. There are plenty of refineries that are owned by smaller companies. There are companies that just do refining and don't actually have any oil in the ground. So, no, I don't think they'd be able to, and I don't think they have any reason to want to.

You've got to remember, where the big companies make most of their money and they'll make their best buck is by selling crude oil, because they've got that in the ground at a very low price. So, they'd be quite happy to sell them crude oil if he wants to refine it. COSTELLO: All right. Well, let's hope he gets busy on that soon, because, you know, it couldn't hurt. Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover. Thanks for joining us this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a radio station that provided life- saving information, familiar voices and an outlet for hope in the midst of hopelessness. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A fourth presidential visit and a repopulation plan for the city of New Orleans. Those are the big headlines affecting the Gulf Coast disaster zone this morning. And what's where we find CNN's Miles O'Brien.

Good morning -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning from Bourbon Street, Carol. You know, this morning it's kind a story of three politicians. Governor Blanco, the governor of Louisiana, number one, saying she takes responsibility for what happened here, at least part of the lack of response to Katrina. And she pleads with the million or so Louisianans who have had to evacuate to come back home eventually.

The mayor, Mayor Nagin, here in the city of New Orleans has a plan to begin that process. He'd like to -- he's going to announce it today. He'd like to get 180,000 people resettled quickly here in the city in places like the French Quarter.

And then the president of the United States will be here in the Louisiana tonight, an address, which will offer some initiatives, which is to say some aid, to try and help these people with this unprecedented disaster.

So, lots of things happening in the wake of Katrina. We're live in the French Quarter all morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll join you then. Thank you, Miles.

New Orleans radio station WWL stayed on the air throughout the Katrina crisis. It's where the mayor turned to issue that desperate cry for help to save his people.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

NAGIN: I'm, like, you've got to be kidding me! This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their (EXPLETIVE DELETED) moving to New Orleans! That's their thinking small, man, and this is a major, major, major deal.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That aired on WWL and then across the country. The news director, David Cohen, joins me live from Baton Rouge now.

Good morning, David.

DAVID COHEN, NEWS DIRECTOR, WWL 870 AM: It is a good morning. Each morning is a little better for us.

COSTELLO: Oh, I hope so. It seems to be getting better at least. You know, WWL really was the voice of New Orleans during this crisis. In fact, many people who were trapped in their homes were calling your radio station, begging for help. What was your most vivid memory?

COHEN: It is those calls. You know, after the storm had come and gone, after we managed to stay on it at least four of our six radio stations at all times through the entire landfall and arrival and destruction that followed, it was after we verified that the levee was broken, after we begged our listeners to get out of the city of New Orleans, those who had not evacuated, once we knew that levee was broken on 17th Street Canal we knew the water was going to fill the city like a bowl.

And as we begged people to leave, they started calling us, desperately telling us how they couldn't. Hearing from a mother holding a 2-month-old and chest-deep water with her other child on top of furniture, asking us, what should she do? How could she get out? Telling us the water outside was deeper, because her home was raised, and she couldn't go out. And trying to get her to get on her roof.

COSTELLO: I can't imagine what that would be like to hear, because truly you're helpless; 911 wasn't responding to emergency calls anymore. What could you do except listen and offer some comfort?

COHEN: You know, it was a position as a broadcaster I never anticipated being in, never thought I'd be talking to people who were in such desperate situations, who could very well be living the final moments of their lives. And here they are calling us on the radio, asking for our help. We just case by case tried to help these people.

That woman I spoke of specifically, we tried to get her to open a window, stand on the windowsill. There were two men who were nearby, she said. So, we tried to get so that they could push her, boost her up onto her roof from her windowsill and hand her children and climb up after. I don't know if it worked, because they had to hang up the phone to go try and save their own lives.

We got a call from a blind man, who was alone in a neighborhood. He didn't know if the water was coming up. He didn't know how high the water was. He was afraid.

It was just call after call like this, of entire families in their attic waiting to be rescued. And we are now the beacon, saying there's a family at this location. There's a family at this location. Please. And we know that the authorities were listening to us for some guidance. And we were trying to pass the information on to them.

It was like no broadcasting we ever thought we'd do, but we were thrust into the position, and we did what we had to. COSTELLO: One of the most compelling interviews that one of your -- I guess he was a talk show host did was with Mayor Nagin. I mean, it came at New Orleans' most desperate time. Mayor Nagin used profanity. I mean, there was anger. There was clearly emotion and sadness in his voice on both parties' part. And then in the end, both cried, and they had to stop for a while.

You must have been listening during that time. What went through your mind?

COHEN: I was in the control room. I was watching as Garland Robinett (ph) began crying as his co-host began crying, as the mayor was crying to a point where he said, I've got to go, and just hung up the phone, because he was so emotionally involved in this. And he just couldn't go on.

People in the control room were crying. For us, we're trying to tell this story at the same time we're living it. So many of my staff, their homes are still under water. I suffered significant damage. But we'll be OK.

But to try and live it and tell it and be in the middle of it all at the same time has been very challenging for us and very emotional. We've had a lot of people break down. And sometimes it happened on the air, because when we're talking to people about their disparity, we realize it's our disparity too. We're telling the story, but we are the story. And it's very difficult for us.

And one of the things that we did, we made sure you got that sound from the mayor, because we knew that it was a cry for help, not only for Mayor Nagin, but for all of us. We made sure that every network, radio and television got that sound. We did everything we could to make copies of it available to send it out, so that people would hear our cry and our plea.

COSTELLO: Well, you got it out very quickly. And I know we aired it in its entirety. David Cohen, I know you're going to be looking back on this experience, and I don't know, learning from it and taking so much away. Thank you for joining us this morning.

COHEN: We're going to be OK.

COSTELLO: And I'm glad. Thank you. David Cohen, the news director of WWL Radio in New Orleans.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, with Ophelia out there, there's bound to be some delays in travel this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Here is what will be making news today. The Vatican is reportedly hunting for gays. "The New York Times" reports Roman Catholic leaders have appointed investigators to review each of the church's 229 seminaries in the United States. They're looking for -- quote -- "evidence of homosexuality and for faculty members who dissent from church teaching."

This is the third and final day of questioning for chief justice nominee John Roberts. He has so far refused to answer questions about controversial issues that could come before the Supreme Court in his confirmation hearings.

And Prince Harry turns 21 today. He tells CNN he'd love to have his own column in a newspaper so he can give the real story. Harry refuses to talk about his private life, but he is talking about his new step-mom, Camilla Parker Bowles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY: It was Camilla and my father, my father (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was telling me (INAUDIBLE).

PRINCE HARRY: No, she isn't -- she's a wonderful woman. And she's made our father very, very happy. She's the most important thing. William and I love her to bits (INAUDIBLE). And as far as I say, nothing has changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And the horse agrees. Harry says he's very close to his big brother, William, too.

From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.