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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wilma Aftermath; 9th Ward Tour

Aired October 28, 2005 - 06:30   ET

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

(WEATHER REPORT)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Florida Governor Jeb Bush says there are plenty of supplies at the more than 75 distribution centers in the state. But people are still lining up for food, water, ice and gasoline.

President Bush joined his brother in Florida. The president toured some of the damage left behind by the hurricane.

He also met with volunteers who are helping to hand out relief supplies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Things don't happen instantly, but things are happening. Right here on this side people are getting fed. Soon, more and more houses will have their electricity back in, and life will get back to normal.

In the meantime, the federal government working with the state and local governments are responding as best as we possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Millions of homes in south Florida still don't have electricity. Excuse me. Florida officials say people near Miami and Fort Lauderdale may not have power for another month.

Well, here's a twist of irony for you. The stadium that's home to college football's Miami Hurricanes is now being used for hurricane relief.

CNN's J.J. Ramberg in Miami.

Good morning, J.J.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, I'm at the Orange Bowl here. And this stadium actually will be hosting a football game on Saturday. But today, the main function here is still distribution of ice and water.

Now, trucks have already started coming in this morning, even though it doesn't open until 12:00 today. We saw a couple of people come by asking to see when it's going to be open. But there aren't long lines like there were yesterday. Yesterday, things finally got organized. There were long lines, but they did move very quickly. There were adequate supplies. And so, some of those tempers that had really flared up earlier in the week when there was so much confusion about, (a), where to go, and, (b), when stuff was going to get here, because in so many cases the supplies were either late or didn't come at all. Those tempers really cooled down by yesterday, even by Wednesday in some cases.

So, today they expect a lot of people to come through here. But, again, they expect it to be very organized. They expect to have adequate supplies.

Now, the real problem here, the place where people are still incredibly frustrated, is when they're going to get gas. The lines there are so long. I spoke to people yesterday who waited in line anywhere from an hour to four hours just to get gas.

And the problem is not necessarily the supply. There's enough gas here. The problem is that there's not enough power to get that gas into the cars. They can't pump it.

So right now, the electricity has been restored to more than 40 percent. There are still about 1.7 million customers who don't have power.

And as power comes on, all of these issues will go away, because people won't need to come here to get ice, because their refrigerators and freezers will be working again. And gas won't be a problem, because they will be able to pump that out.

So, the real issue here in Miami and throughout the southern part of Florida right now is still power -- Carol.

COSTELLO: J.J. Ramberg reporting live from Miami this morning.

The Red Cross is borrowing money for its disaster relief fund. Agency officials say they need $340 million to cover costs wiped out by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They say of the $2 billion needed for the Gulf Coast relief effort, they received 1.3 billion. And all of that money has already been spent.

This comes as Congress and some relief agencies have started questioning the Red Cross' response to Katrina. It's the first time in the charity's 124-year history that it has sought a loan for disaster relief.

The State Department is helping to bring home Americans stranded in Mexico by Hurricane Wilma. Officials say they brought home more than 8,000 tourists this week. But several thousand more Americans are still stuck in Cancun.

State Department officers are visiting shelters and hotels to make sure Americans have the food, supplies and medicine they need. And they are trying to arrange flights home for them.

American aid may soon be sent to Cuba. Parts of that country were badly damaged by high winds and severe storm surges brought on by Wilma. It's a big change for the communist country since leader Fidel Castro has refused disaster aid in the past. A three-man disaster assessment team will be sent in to determine how to best help Cuba.

Castro went on television to tell citizens that he had not asked for assistance, but believes that countries should help each other during disasters.

Prison officials in Louisiana fortunately intercepted checks sent by FEMA to two inmates. That makes 52 people charged so far with Katrina-related federal crimes. More than half the charges involved fraud to obtain the $2,000 payments in disaster relief funds. The two inmates claimed they had homes in New Orleans, but asked FEMA to send the checks to the prison. And FEMA caught them.

In this DAYBREAK follow-up story, nothing to go back to. A look- and-leave bus tour of New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward provides flooded-out residents just a glimpse of what used to be.

Daniel Sieberg rode along.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is for you. It's your opportunity to at least see your area.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Pat Simon and her mother, this is not the homecoming they had in mind. They're among the dozens of lower 9th Ward residents who will soon see their devastated homes, some for the first time.

PAT SIMON, LOWER 9TH WARD RESIDENT: I don't like this. I didn't want to -- I am only here because of my mama. And I know her house is gone. It was over there where the breach was at and everything. So I'm only here because of her.

SIEBERG: As the bus drives up and down streets destroyed by flooding, we also meet Bishop George Albert and his wife, Vernette (ph).

GEORGE ALBERT, JR., LOWER 9TH WARD RESIDENT: Yes, man. Well, I'm over here now, and I'm telling you, man, it's like nothing we've never seen before, man.

SIEBERG: Home after home, unrecognizable. At times, no one says anything.

ALBERT: We've weathered many storms here in New Orleans, and as always, we packed a few clothes to go and come right back. There's nothing to come back to.

SIEBERG (on camera): For a few minutes, people were allowed to get off the bus, but just to see an example of what the houses look like here in the Lower 9th Ward.

(voice-over): Under the ground rules for this trip, people aren't allowed to get out and inspect their homes. They aren't happy about that restriction, but officials say it's necessary, because the houses are not structurally sound, and because bodies are still being recovered.

SIMON: Wait, wait, wait. Just one minute. This is my house. This is my house.

SIEBERG: Pat strains to make out a few belongings, and reminders of what was once normal life.

SIMON: I got mail in the box.

SIEBERG: She's determined to get whatever remains in her home.

SIMON: And I think about it all the time. There is something. I think of what some of my things are made of, the material that it's made of. It survived. And I want to go in there to retrieve it. I wouldn't care if I come out with one item, I want it. It's mine.

SIEBERG: But George manages to persuade the driver to briefly pull over at his home.

ALBERT: It's hard, man. I mean, you know, we invested a lot in our home. Our memories are here. Raised our children here. My wife and I built this home, and to see it devastated like this is just heartbreaking.

SIEBERG: As the tour wind down, George still believes he'll come back.

ALBERT: And as you know the song says, only the strong survive. And we will survive.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: More on our top story this morning. The White House waits for possible indictments in the CIA leak investigation.

Miles O'Brien joins us now for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol Costello. How are you? It's Friday. We're pleased to report that.

And it's a very important day in Washington. Could it be indictment day in Washington? Could a top administration official receive an indictment? And is it possible -- there's Scooter Libby, the White House -- excuse me -- the vice president's chief of staff. Is it possible there will be an extension to all of this; that the grand jury will continue on, continue its focus, and this story will just go on and on and on?

What do you think about that -- them apples? That would be something.

And Ann Coulter. We'll ask her about that. Senator Orrin Hatch will also be here. Senator Pat Leahy will talk about Harriet Miers suddenly being withdrawn on her nomination. What's next for the White House? What does this mean when the right wing of the president's own party has toppled his nominee?

And finally, Carol, the big question I have in my mind is: What's that smell in the air here in New York?

COSTELLO: I'm telling you...

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... is it the weirdest thing?

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know. I wonder if there is -- you know, Mrs. Butterworth has come to haunt us all.

COSTELLO: Well, let's explain to our viewers.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Early this morning, outside it smelled like maple syrup in all of Manhattan, or hazel nut coffee.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. I mean, it's a good smell. It's a good smell. But in this post-9/11 world, of course, immediately we think what bad thing smells like maple syrup. But maybe it's just maple syrup.

COSTELLO: Yes, somebody spilled really a lot of maple syrup maybe in the Hudson River, and it's like...

M. O'BRIEN: It means we're all a pancake.

COSTELLO: Yes. Anyway, we're going to explore that issue. And they've investigated the smell, and it's safe. It's just weird.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes, we're going to get to the bottom of it one way or another.

COSTELLO: OK.

M. O'BRIEN: And one thing is certain. I'm hungry just talking about it.

COSTELLO: I know. I'm going to drink some hazel nut coffee now.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK...

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll see...

COSTELLO: Bye, Miles. M. O'BRIEN: OK.

COSTELLO: The connection between the Chicago White Sox and Venezuela, why it is inspiring the country's love affair with the windy city. Venezuela is even offering some Chicagoans cheaper gas.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's take a look at the international markets now. They are lower across the board. Tokyo's Nikkei is down 70-and-a-half points, the London FTSE losing 10 points right now, the German DAX off by almost 25 points.

And futures are trading. Let's take a look at the price of oil. It's up 11 cents at $61.20 a barrel this morning.

It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

Millions of Americans are getting in the Halloween spirit this weekend. And they're spending billions of dollars on candy and costumes.

Carrie Lee has scared up some of the numbers for us. And everyone is in costume in here. And we'll be showing people that later. And it's kind of scary.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: We're definitely getting into the spirit here, Carol. This is a great holiday. It's also a very lucrative one -- $3.3 billion, that's the big number, the total amount Americans will spend on Halloween this year, according to The National Retail Federation.

That's up 5.5 percent over last year at a time when some consumers are pulling back spending on a lot of other things. But this is a priority.

Most of the increase is expected to come, though, from young adults, who are less affected by things like rising home heating costs. And this puts Halloween in sixth place among holidays for spending, but not bad considering it's not a gift-giving holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.

Some other numbers: Over 50 percent of us will celebrate Halloween this year. Almost as many will decorate our homes, making Halloween the number two decorating holiday after Christmas.

We'll spend nearly 50 bucks each, 18 of that on candy. Eighty percent of the candy will be bought -- 80 percent of the candy bought will be chocolate, the best.

And, of course, there are the costumes. So, what are some of the costume trends this year? Well, Halloween Express says it's seeing more family costumes, parents dressing along the same theme as their kids. This year, Star Wars costumes are very hot for boys. And anything sparkly like a princess or fairy is good for girls.

COSTELLO: Oh!

LEE: And the good folks at Halloween Express, Carol, have also sent us this creative costume, modeled by our floor director, Jay. It's a beer keg. And it can actually pour real beer. Now, we weren't able to get beer, but he's sampling it. He probably wishes he had some beer right now.

COSTELLO: I think he looks more like the Tin Man. OK, but...

LEE: It does look like the Tin Man, but very clearly here it says "beer keg." So there you go.

COSTELLO: Very clearly it says "beer keg," for those who couldn't figure it out.

LEE: For people who couldn't see that. Some other costumes here, let me just lean over and get this very cute sparkly witch for a little girl. It's a hat...

COSTELLO: Very cute.

LEE: ... and the costume, a little dress.

COSTELLO: That's very cute. You should have had Jay in that.

LEE: We tried. We tried. And here is something for us, Carol. And I know you have your makeup on, so you might not want to put it on right now. But just a little cat mask. And they match our outfits.

COSTELLO: They do.

LEE: So happy Halloween. Here's our makeup artist, Jill.

COSTELLO: Jill!

LEE: Something else (INAUDIBLE) pretty.

COSTELLO: She makes us beautiful each morning. And you look beautiful in those little angel wings.

LEE: And here is our floor director, Jack. Nice enough to wear a Darth Vader mask, looking pretty scary. He's usually a very nice guy, though.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie. And thank you all for the fashion show. And...

LEE: Thanks to Halloween Express as well.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning. "The New York Times" is reporting lawyers in the CIA leak case expect Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Scooter Libby, will be indicted today on charges of making false statements to the grand jury.

In money news, Microsoft's first quarter earnings rose 24 percent, just about 29 cents per share. The results included a charge for a legal settlement with RealNetworks. The earnings beat Wall Street estimates by a penny.

In culture, Elizabeth Edwards survived breast cancer, and now she's writing a book about it. Edwards is the wife of former Senator John Edwards. Of course, John Edwards was John Kerry's running mate in the last presidential election.

In sports, Mark Martin is coming back. The veteran driver will stay in the NASCAR's top series next year, even though he had already announced plans to retire. Martin plans to run one more year in the number six car before moving fulltime to the truck series.

To the forecast center and Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, why Venezuela is in love with Chicago, and it goes deeper than just the White Sox win and Ozzie Guillen.

But first, it's time to say happy birthday. Happy birthday to Angel as well this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All hail the conquering heroes. It's tickertape parade time in Chicago today for the World Series champion White Sox. Thousands of fans gathered at the Midway Airport to welcome the team back from Houston.

The Sox beat the Astros Wednesday night, breaking an 88-year drought. The mayor called it a special moment for the city of Chicago.

But beyond the Windy City, other places are celebrating the World Series champs. One place where they're tasting the sweet victory is Venezuela. The team's manager, Ozzie Guillen, who is from Venezuela has been proclaimed a national hero. But Guillen says he and his team had a lot of backup.

He wrote in a recent column: "These guys deserve to wear a world championship ring. The team deserves it. The city deserves it. And so does everyone in Venezuela, who expressed their unconditional support."

Let's talk about the strong Venezuelan ties in Chicago. Martin Sanchez is the country's consul general. Good morning, sir. Can you hear me? Can you hear me, sir?

MARTIN SANCHEZ, CONSUL GENERAL OF VENEZUELA: Yes. Good morning. Yes, I can hear you.

COSTELLO: I got a little nervous there. There you are. We had the wrong live shot up. Welcome. Martin Sanchez, Venezuela's consul general joining us this morning.

Tell us how the people in Venezuela are reacting to the White Sox win.

SANCHEZ: Well, there were celebrations. There were (INAUDIBLE), caravans of people with Venezuelan and White Sox flags. So, you know, Venezuela is a country in which baseball is the most popular sport, and then basketball and soccer is the third most popular sport. So baseball is king.

So, people were celebrating like it was a victory of the country and national team.

COSTELLO: And Venezuelans are taking it a step forward. The country itself is talking with elected leaders in Chicago about possibly providing cheaper gas for poor people in the city. Is that right?

SANCHEZ: Well, yes. President Hugo Chavez, you know, extended an oil assistance program that we have with Caribbean countries to include poor communities in the United States. So initially we were going to talk to not-for-profit organizations about distributing heating oil.

As you know, Citgo Petroleum is owned by the government of Venezuela. So, we have many refineries here in the United States, including one in the southwest of Chicago. And we would like to use that to, you know, help poor people with the high oil prices.

COSTELLO: So, how would that work? And what elected officials have you talked to in Chicago?

SANCHEZ: Well, there was a proposal by a city council member to maybe use diesel fuel, because in Chicago we don't use heating oil. You know, Citgo produces diesel. So that would be a way to maybe provide diesel for public transportation in Chicago and help with the rising fares. So, you know, poor people are having hard time paying the high fares in the buses in Chicago.

So, you know, at a time in which oil companies are making record profits, you know, Citgo is lending a helping hand to poor Chicagoans.

COSTELLO: You know that there is a contentious relationship between the United States and the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Hugo Chavez has called America a terrorist state. And he also claims that there's a secret plot to go to war with Venezuela.

Let's listen to what President Chavez had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA (through translator): I asked God, did it not occur to Mr. Bush and his hawks to invade Venezuela? Because the same way they have gotten into Iraq, here they will sink into the Caribbean and bite the dust of defeat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You know, it's very strong rhetoric. And some people might say that your offer to give people a break in Chicago is just a way to embarrass the Bush administration.

SANCHEZ: Well, Carol, you know, oil companies are making record profits, as we saw earlier on DAYBREAK, you know. So Citgo is trying to mimic, you know, the spirit of solidarity we're trying to create in Venezuela. And, you know, Citgo is making record profits in the United States.

So, the company normally gives a lot of donations to the United Way, to the Red Cross. So, we think that using donations in oil products, it's a way to help the poor people in the United States.

COSTELLO: But, again, the...

SANCHEZ: So other companies...

COSTELLO: Oh, I understand.

SANCHEZ: Other companies help the poor. You know, Venezuela is singled out when we're doing the same.

COSTELLO: But there is always political underlinings in these things. Don't you think? And, I mean, if the president of another country calls America a terrorist state, I would say that 99.9 percent of Americans would be upset by that. I mean, do you find people in Chicago welcoming this help?

SANCHEZ: Yes. People in Chicago that we have talked to are very happy about the prospect of receiving some aid, you know, with lower oil prices. It's something that anybody would welcome.

And, you know, just as some Americans might be upset that, you know, President Chavez making those statements, you know, those statements are in reaction to things like the coup in 2002 in which, you know, we have evidence that the United States was involved in. So, you know, trying to overthrow our president or going to Latin America and trying to, you know, demonize President Chavez is something that upsets Venezuelans. You know, President Chavez has more than 70 percent of popular support approval ratings in Venezuela.

So, obviously, you know, what Chavez is saying is in reaction to the policies of the Bush administration. Venezuela has the highest, the biggest reserves of oil outside of the Middle East. So, obviously, you know, we might be a target because of our oil resources. COSTELLO: Well, we could talk about this forever. But it's a very interesting premise. And thank you so much for joining us live from Chicago this morning, sir.

SANCHEZ: Thank you.

COSTELLO: When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. You're watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's give way a mug.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. All right, here are the answers to Thursday's coffee quiz. When was the last time the White Sox played in the World Series? And the answer is 1959. And the second question, according to "Women's Health" magazine, what's the best drink to help you recover from a workout? The answer is fat-free chocolate milk.

And the winner for today's DAYBREAK morning coffee quiz is Michael Glover from Wilson, North Carolina. He wins one of these. Congratulations.

COSTELLO: Congratulations, Michael. It's in the mail.

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