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American Morning

Troubled Nomination?; Toxic Trash; Strapped for Cash

Aired October 05, 2005 - 07:59   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. As this year's extremely busy hurricane seasons fires off, yet another storm in the Atlantic. Tropical Story Tammy suddenly appears off the coast of Florida. We're tracking Tammy as it grows stronger this morning.
More bad news out of New Orleans. As many as 3,000 city workers are losing their jobs, too, in the wake of Katrina. The mayor says he's asked for help, there's just no money.

And in Washington, D.C., the president with a tough sell to some key members of his own party. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers back on Capitol Hill and looking for support on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Oh. Look at that, Long Beach, Mississippi, where the sun is rising. A beautiful day, but we can hear from our reports that Rob's been bringing us this morning, that is a city full of trouble. They have a lot to deal with this morning as they clean up and try to move forward in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Miles is off today.

We also mentioned New Orleans laying off employees there just beyond the city center. St. Bernard Parish facing a similar funding crisis. It's actually happening obviously across three states.

Well, this morning, we talked to the sheriff of St. Bernard's Parish about the tough choices that he's facing and how he says he can maintain law and order when there is just no money.

And cities in financial crisis could be and probably will be the next phase of this story. As we mentioned, Rob Marciano reporting from Long Beach, where it is a similar story.

Hey, Rob. Good morning again.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

Like you -- like you mentioned and showed that picture of the sunrise, that is a beautiful shot actually coming up over the eastern horizon, beaming through what were stripped old, old oak trees. But another sign of life here across the Mississippi coastline as those old live southern oaks are beginning to sprout again after stripped of their leaves from Hurricane Katrina.

We are in Long Beach, Mississippi. It is part of our three-day tour of the Gulf Coast, stricken by not only Rita but Katrina.

We were in Port Arthur two days ago, Texas. We made a trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where the eastern eye wall of Rita made landfall 13 days ago. And then we drove the 240 miles east over the Atchafalaya swamp, over the Mississippi River and into Mississippi itself.

And here we are in Long Beach, Mississippi, where they are still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall five weeks ago. A tremendous storm surge just pummeling this community.

Schools are in a shambles as well, Soledad. We're going to talk with the superintendent of schools here. We'll talk with some of the students and see how they are coping. It's got to be difficult for them as well.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh. One would bet. All right, Rob. Look forward to that. Thanks.

Headlines now. Carol Costello has a look at that.

And you're talking really about FEMA, which is kind of the centerpiece of this whole story in a big way.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hasn't it been? Yes.

Good morning, Soledad.

Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," the disaster agency FEMA is pledging to move Hurricane Katrina evacuees out of temporary shelters by mid October. That is the deadline President Bush set before Hurricane Rita struck. Some 68,000 evacuees are still living in Red Cross emergency shelters.

In the meantime, New Orleans is laying off 3,000 city workers. Mayor Ray Nagin says the move will save up to $8 million. Police and fire jobs are not affected.

Former President Bill Clinton is touring hurricane-effected areas Mississippi. The former president met with some evacuees and aid workers Tuesday in Louisiana. He urged U.S. officials to move relief experts into the areas to help clear red tape and help thousands of people displaced by the storms. Clinton is set to visit parts of Alabama later today.

Federal investigators in upstate New York say extra weight may have caused a tour boat to sink. The Ethan Allen was virtually full at the time of the accident. Plus, many people had wheelchairs or walkers.

Officials are planning to test a similar boat today. They want to see how it handles the extra weight, and what might happen if that weight is shifted to one side. Twenty-two people died in that tour boat tragedy.

Two Americans and a French scientist share this year's Nobel Prize for chemistry. The announcement coming down earlier from Stockholm, Sweden. The scientists won for their findings in organic chemistry, how chemical bonds are made between carbon atoms. The process is now in use by the chemical industry to develop drugs and plastic materials, and apparently is more environmentally friendly.

So, now you know, kind of.

And a new study shows mother knows best. British research suggests toddlers under 18 months old develop best at home when looked after by their moms. But, once a child turns 3, a group setting is better.

The study took seven years and tested 1,200 British children under the age of 3. The study did not into account the role of the father.

O'BRIEN: And that would be...

COSTELLO: Can you believe that?

O'BRIEN: That would be because?

COSTELLO: I don't know!

Chad, doesn't it...

O'BRIEN: That's lame!

COSTELLO: Chad -- Chad is a new father. Doesn't that make you mad?

O'BRIEN: That's a lame study!

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know what? When it comes to child-rearing I defer to my wife, because she knows best. She just tells me what to do. That's all I'm -- that's all I'm there for.

COSTELLO: Hey -- hey, you change diapers, don't you?

MYERS: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Then you get a vote, you know? You change a diaper, you get a vote, is what I say.

MYERS: Fair enough.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks.

MYERS: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Today, President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, likely is going to face some tough questions when she meets with two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, a new CNN "USA-Today"-Gallup poll is showing that initial public support for Miers is weaker among conservatives than it was for John Roberts.

Bob Franken live at the White House for us.

Bob, good morning to you. So skeptics within the president's own party. How big of a problem is that?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the problem with Harriet Miers is, is that the conservatives who wanted -- card- carrying conservative have somebody who doesn't have many cards, which is to say not much of a track record. So, there's a real hard sell going on for skeptics and conservatives who are worried that they're not going to get the person they want to turn the court to the right.

Among them was very anxious Senator Sam Brownback, who would be the first to admit that he is on the right side of the political spectrum. He put out a statement saying, "I am not yet confident that Ms. Miers has a proven track record." And that seems to be a generally widespread opinion in the conservative community, at least among some of the leaders.

And, of course, the issue is the one that always is, abortion. In his news conference yesterday, the president spoke very carefully about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Harriet Miers will stand on her own. I made my position very clear in the course of my campaigns -- my position. And I'm a pro-life president.

Harriet Miers is going to go up to the Senate, and they're going to look at her and determine whether or not she's got the temperament, the intelligence, and the philosophy to be an excellent Supreme Court judge. And she will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, when pressed, the president said that even though he has known Harriet Miers a long time, he could not recall ever speaking to her about abortion. He also would not say whether he favors the repeal of the Roe versus Wade decision.

As I said, this is an incendiary issue and one that they're treading very carefully about. But, of course, it's the conservatives who seem to be the ones, Soledad, who need to be convinced.

O'BRIEN: Yes. They clearly are shouting the loudest, at least just a couple of days in.

Bob, I want to ask you about this meeting that the president is going to have with the secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Obviously the war on Iraq is going to be on the agenda, but what else? FRANKEN: Well, that -- the question is, the contentions that have been now made that progress in getting Iraqi security forces formed and in operation has not gone as quickly as many thought they would. The president at his news conference yesterday expressed satisfaction at the way things are going in Iraq, but Iraq is another of those issues that has really dragged down his approval numbers.

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken is at the White House for us this morning.

Bob, thanks for the update.

Back to Rob Marciano now this morning. He is, as we mentioned, in Mississippi, where cleaning up is just going to be a huge, huge massive problem.

And really one of a number of things they have to do -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Yes. But that's the first order of business. For the past several weeks, they're just trying to clear the roads so they can get work crews in to continue the cleanup.

I mean, look at the debris. It's just this used to be a Rite Aid. And it's just been completely hollowed and wiped out, cinderblocks just pummeled.

You know, and this -- and this is echoed along the Mississippi coastline, down across southeast Louisiana as well, from Hurricane Katrina. Debris everywhere, especially in The Big Easy, where there are concerns with hazardous debris. And the EPA is being challenged with that.

Live for us this morning is Dan Lothian in New Orleans with that story.

Hi, Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.

Indeed, it is a big job. You know, there are tens of millions of tons of garbage out there. Even on the side of the road or in front yards.

Environmental officials less concerned about the wood and other garbage. They are more concerned about what might be hidden underneath the pile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice over): Tony Angolia's (ph) House on Eden Isles in Slidell was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything that was in the back of the House was all the way up the front.

LOTHIAN: Now, it's all in a pile of debris, including some household items that may be harmful to the environment. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, paint cans, propane, paint thinner, any kind of household hazardous chemicals.

LOTHIAN: That's why crews hired by the Environmental Protection Agency are searching around the large pile in Angolia's (ph) front yard and driving from block to block in this battered neighborhood northeast of New Orleans, picking up hazardous materials so they won't end up in the wrong place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can affect the ground water. It can affect the environment. So there are several different impacts.

LOTHIAN: But officials say disposing of hazardous household waste is a monumental task.

CHUCK BROWN, LOUISIANA DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: We've got data that there are as much as five million gallons of that particular waste stream.

LOTHIAN: With so much waste and not enough people to dig deep into debris, crews can only get what they can see.

DAVID ROMERO, EPA FIELDS SUPERVISOR: If we're lucky, we'll probably get maybe 20 percent, 30 percent, somewhere right around there.

LOTHIAN: Hoping to get some help, the EPA is re-releasing this public service announcement aimed at residents in the devastated areas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mark the containers and set them aside until they can be properly disposed of through debris programs that are being established.

LOTHIAN: Environmental officials are also trying to dispose of another potential hazard, all those refrigerators, some with rotting food left by the side of the road. They are picked up, taken to decontamination centers. Freon and other potential harmful components are removed before the ice box is recycled.

BROWN: We don't want to create future environmental problems by trying to solve this one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN: Environmental officials are still going out and scouting for additional sites to process those refrigerators, to decontaminate them. They're also training additional workers to take on this massive job -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Thanks, Dan. That's AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian, live for us in New Orleans.

Soledad, problems everywhere obviously up and down this coastline, and we'll continue to report live from right here in Long Beach, Mississippi, throughout the next hour and a half. O'BRIEN: Yes, I know. I feel like you're giving us sort of the long list today of all the things that they face ahead, not only where you are in Mississippi, but, of course, where Dan is in New Orleans, and elsewhere.

Thanks, guys.

Still to come this morning, a look at how Hurricane Katrina could shift the balance of political power in Louisiana. CNN political analyst and Louisiana native James Carville will join us in just a little bit.

Plus, the very latest from St. Bernard Parish. Remember we took you there? Money problems there as well. Is that going to shut down recovery efforts in that community?

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: New Orleans laying off about 3,000 city employees. The mayor says there's just not enough money to keep paying them.

And neighboring St. Bernard Parish also running out of funds. It might have to lay off some workers soon.

Jack Stephens is the sheriff of St. Bernard Parish, and he's in New Orleans this morning.

It's nice to see you, Sheriff. Thank you for talking with us.

SHERIFF JACK STEPHENS, ST. BERNARD PARISH: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Well, you told me last time we spoke, last week, October 5, today, was the drop dead date. That was the day when you run out of money, you can't pay your deputies. Are you out of money? You can't pay your deputies?

STEPHENS: Yes. We notified the state and the federal government about three or four weeks ago that we would be able to make our September 20 payroll, but October 5, we wouldn't be able to do that.

And we really haven't received any help from the federal or state government with regards to that. Now I have 182 enforcement personnel that have been working under the most extreme conditions for the past few weeks, then in danger of not getting a paycheck today.

I mean, it just -- it's a continuing series of inadequate responses to an emergency situation. It keeps on happening.

I mean, I talk to people on the street every day, and their primary comment is that this seems to be an absence of leadership in this whole event. No one has stepped up yet at the federal or state level to address urgent and immediate needs, like meeting the payroll of first responders and -- I mean, it's just... O'BRIEN: So what happens today? I mean, so you have 182 -- your deputies, are they going to stay on the job and basically work for free until things are figured out? Or are they just -- what are they going to do? What are you going to do?

STEPHENS: Well, I mean, it seems certainly unfair to ask men and women who have lost everything they have, and who are separated from their families and the people that they care about and love to work for nothing under these conditions. We went from a department of approximately 400 people, we're down to 182. And 90 percent of those are enforcement personnel.

And While I was waiting to come on the air with you, a representative of one of our local banks called and said he had been following our plight in this thing and was going try today to maybe put together a consortium of local banks that to business in our community and maybe float us a loan for a half month, which will get us past the October 5 deadline. But still, that money is not there.

The only other alternative I have is to use FEMA funds that have been provided for temporary housing for deputies. I've been told clearly that that is a violation of regulation and law.

So, it's a predicament that you put the chief law enforcement official in, where he is almost forced to violate laws intentionally just to make his payroll. It's just unacceptable. And again, it's a continuing void in leadership in this whole thing.

O'BRIEN: Are there no options? I mean, you've seen and you've heard Mayor Ray Nagin sort of saying the same thing, we're out of money, got to lay off 3,000 employees. Are there no state funds available anywhere that they could at least pay for a short period of time, you know, at least the law enforcement officers?

STEPHENS: I'm sure there are, Soledad. And that's my disappointment with state government.

The Louisiana budget, I understand, was based on $28-a-barrel oil. Oil hadn't been below $50 a barrel yet this year. You can't tell me that there's not $500,000 in the state budget to help meet the salaries of deputies in our parish.

And we have been the hardest-hit area here. We are wiped out levee to levee. We have absolutely no business activity.

And these people have been asked to perform under the most extreme conditions. They have been loyal and gallant. You met some of them. They're good people.

And we're just looking for someone to take the lead in this thing and start to address these critical issues as they come up. This is a crisis management situation every day. And I am very, very disappointed in the action of state government and the federal government at this point.

They keep rolling the blame back and forth. Well, that's no solution for my people. You know, they need to -- they need to keep their kids in school and pay the rental where their families are in other states, and just survive. And this is -- this is -- this is unbelievable.

O'BRIEN: Every time we talk, you say, "I don't want to play the blame game," but, you know, I'm going to ask you. Do you blame the president, do you blame Governor Blanco? I mean, that's federal and state, which you're mentioning there.

Who is most responsible in your mind?

STEPHENS: I blame them all. They're all part of this situation.

You know, we're at the bottom of the food chain at the local level. We've done our job. We evacuated people, we protected our parish.

I mean, we've been working under harsh conditions. No one has bugged out during this event. We have a very, you know, gallant citizen population. But we are completely wiped out.

And here we are facing a payday that I cannot make to pay first responders. And no one from the state has stepped up.

They keep saying they're going to ask the federal government to help. You can't make me believe that the state of Louisiana doesn't have $500,000 to help us make the payroll today. And that's where we are right now.

It's disappointing. And, you know, I'm telling everyone on the street that to grade their politicians very hard in this national disaster. Following this weather event, you're going to see what they're made of, you're going to see what kind of leaders they are. And so far, not many people at the federal and state level are getting passing grades.

O'BRIEN: Yes. It doesn't sound like it. Sheriff Jack Stephens, thank you for talking with us. It's always nice to see you. And we'll continue to check in what's going on in St. Bernard Parish. Appreciate it.

Oh, it's tough there.

Still to come this morning, President Bush hit with a tough question about race at his Tuesday's news conference. We will take a look at whether he can regain the trust of African-American voters.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: During Tuesday's White House news conference, President Bush was questioned about poverty and race, two polarizing issues that have been making headlines in recent weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) APRIL RYAN, AMERICAN URBAN RADIO NETWORKS: How are you going to bridge the divide of poverty and race in this country beyond economics and home ownership after Hurricane Katrina and also the Bill Bennett statements?

BUSH: You mentioned poverty. And there is a divide in our country when it comes to wealth. And one way to bridge that divide is to encourage economic growth, vitality, jobs that pay well and small business. You can't divorce bridging divides, April, from economic vitality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: It was radio journalist April Ryan who asked that question. She is with American Urban Radio Networks, and she joins us from Baltimore this morning.

Nice to see you. Thank you for talking with us.

RYAN: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: You covered a lot of ground in your question. You talked about poverty, you talked about race, you talked about Bill Bennett.

Were you satisfied -- you talked about Hurricane Katrina. Were you satisfied with the president's answer to your question? And we should mention he went on and on in a fairly long answer after that little bit that we showed.

RYAN: And Soledad, I also threw in religion, if you remember the top of as well. But he answered, but he didn't answer. And it's typical of President Bush.

But one thing I can definitely say. He gave us news that we hadn't heard before. Specifically about the GOP party and the outreach to the African-American community for 2008.

He said he was disappointed with his numbers. Now, mind you, in 2004, he received 11 percent of the black vote over 9 percent from 2000. And he said, you know, he put people in place in his cabinet and his sub-cabinet to make a difference, and that didn't help him. And he was very disappointed about that. That was one thing.

And talking about tone and action, and how the tone comes from leadership as it relates to the race issues in America.

O'BRIEN: But he gave answers about jobs and ownership and about education. Do listeners of your network agree with those sort of solution to the problems of poverty, combined with race in America?

RYAN: It's interesting. I got a couple of calls last evening after the question, and many of the civil rights leaders in the African-American community said he has the best words, but it's all about action. And that's what everybody is waiting to see, where the action is. O'BRIEN: You had a reference to Bill Bennett in your question as well. And the president actually didn't answer that part this time around. The former Education secretary said last week, for those who do not know, he said this on the radio -- let's listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

WILLIAM BENNETT, FMR. EDUCATION SECRETARY: I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: "If you would abort every black baby in this country, your crime rate would go down."

The president has previously said that that was not appropriate. So why ask for a clarification again in your question?

RYAN: Well, just a couple of days ago, I believe it was Monday, I asked Scott McClellan about that again. And he said he followed -- it seemed like the White House was following the same line of all the Republicans, that Bill Bennett has done some great work as former Education secretary, but for all walks of life. And -- but they did not classify the fact that it was reprehensible or denounce the statement. They just uplifted what he has done in the past.

So that's where the clarification, the issue, the question of the clarification came in.

O'BRIEN: Were you disappointed that he didn't tackle it in this press conference?

RYAN: Well, I believe he did indirectly when he spoke of racism. He said the tone comes from leadership. And I believe he was indirectly pointing that to Bill Bennett and other leaders in the Republican Party as well.

O'BRIEN: Final question for you. As you mentioned just a moment ago, the president said, as part of your question, follow-up, 11 percent was his support in the African-American community. If you look back at the past five weeks now, from your listeners, do you feel that that number is going to grow as we head into the next election, or shrink as we head into the next election?

RYAN: The actions have shown that 11 percent might be where it's going to stand for the Republican Party at this point. Katrina was a devastating blow to the African-American community, and this is something that people really need to take into account, that 70 percent of African-Americans feel that race played a part in the response to Katrina.

Now, African-Americans all did not come together and say let's have a meeting about this. They felt this because of the pervasive difficulties that they've had in the past. History has shown -- the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and slavery, those are just two examples of things that they hearken back to, and that's what they are linking Katrina to. So it's going to be a hard sell in 2008.

O'BRIEN: April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks joining us.

Nice to talk to you. Thanks.

RYAN: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Still to come, much more on Katrina's political impact. We'll take a look at how the storm could cause a power shift in Louisiana. CNN political analyst and Louisiana native James Carville will join us just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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