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President Bush Wrapping up Visit to Southwest Border Region; A Party Divided

Aired November 29, 2005 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In New York, a bankruptcy court is hearing more testimony in Delta Airline's bid to void its contract with its pilots union. The company says it's losing $2 billion a year and it has to find a way to stop the bleeding or it will go out of business. The pilots agreed to a pay cut last year of nearly 33 percent, and they're fighting a plan to trim their pay an additional 19 percent.
The first federal case over Vioxx goes to (AUDIO GAP). A man who died after taking Vioxx is suing the drugmaker Merck. The company faces thousands of other lawsuits over the once popular painkiller. Merck pulled the drug from the shelves after a study found it could cause heart problems or strokes after several months of use.

The wintry storm that has hammered the nation's midsection is heading east. Among its latest targets, Minnesota.

This is the scene (AUDIO GAP) from North Dakota to the Texas panhandle is blamed for at least six deaths.

Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY.

It is 9:00 a.m. in El Paso, Texas; just after 1:00 a.m. already in Tokyo, Japan; and 11:00 a.m. right here in Atlanta, GA.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Daryn Kagan.

And up first, President Bush is in El Paso this morning for a second day. He's pushing his plan to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. It's a critical issue that can impact everyone, your security, your job, your taxes, even your child's education.

CNN's Kathleen Koch joins me now from the White House with more.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

Today's event in Texas, just as yesterday's in Arizona, is designed to show that President Bush is serious about getting tough on illegal immigration. The president has taken a lot of flack for a program that he's introduced, a guest worker program that would let immigrants, noncitizens, work legally in the United States for a limited period of time, doing a job that Americans don't want. Now, critics, many of them conservative Republicans, members of the president's own party, feel that the proposal would coddle illegal immigrants, would basically put people who have broken the law on the path to citizenship. But President Bush, in his speech yesterday, said this is a vital part of his comprehensive plan to tackle the immigration problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to secure the border by catching those who enter illegally and hardening the border to prevent illegal crossings. We're going to strengthen enforcement of our immigration laws within our country. And together with Congress, we're going to create a temporary worker program that will take pressure off the border, bring workers from out of the shadows, and reject amnesty.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, President Bush says since coming into office he has boosted spending on border security by some 60 percent. Now, President Bush, in his speech, says he wants to increase border guards, guards along the U.S. border, by some 1,000, also increase the use of very sophisticated surveillance technology.

And the president, as we speak right now, is getting a firsthand look at where those measures would be put into place. He's taking a tour of the border security that's in place right now near El Paso, Texas -- Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Kathleen, let's follow up on something you mentioned just a moment ago. What about those concerns that are voiced by critics of the president's plans here that it would reward people who have broken the law?

KOCH: Well, Tony, the way the program is designed to work is that immigrants, noncitizens, would apply, as long as they could prove that they -- they had a job that was offered to them that no American wanted, and then they will get a special card and they will be able to work in the United States, but it would only be temporary. They haven't decided exactly how long it would be, but only three years is the time frame most people are talking about, unless Congress extended it.

So the president says, no, we're not going to put anyone on a fast track to citizenship, but then immigration experts say, well, once you let people in...

HARRIS: Yes.

KOCH: ... once you give them any kind of legal status, then how are you going to make them leave? That's unrealistic and unworkable.

HARRIS: Yes. Kathleen Koch at the White House for us. Kathleen, thank you.

KOCH: You bet.

HARRIS: That guest worker program certainly is dividing Republicans. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): On the immigration issue, President Bush has to pull off a political balancing act worthy of the flying Wallendas. Can he do it? On the one hand, the president has always made Hispanic outreach a priority.

BUSH: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

SCHNEIDER: On the other hand, conservatives are in open revolt against President Bush's call for a guest worker program, which they regard as amnesty for lawbreakers. A president who's in political trouble can't afford to alienate his base. They're all he's got.

How far apart are Hispanics and conservatives? In June, the Gallup poll asked whether the U.S. should make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens. Seventy percent of Hispanics said yes. Eighty percent of conservatives said no. Where was the American public as a whole? Closer to the conservative position. Seventy percent, no.

FRANK SHARRY, NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM: The big question, the elephant in the middle of the room, is the 11 million here illegally.

SCHNEIDER: By nearly two to one, the public opposes a guest worker program that would allow illegal immigrants to apply for work permits. The only way President Bush can sell his guest worker program is to balance it with more effective enforcement.

SHARRY: Tough on the border, tough on employers, legal channels for the future and a solution for the 11 million. How do you put that together?

SCHNEIDER: Because on the third hand -- see, we told you this was a complicated balancing act -- President Bush has to worry about keeping his party behind him.

As of this month, nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the president's handling of immigration. It's the only issue on which most Republicans oppose their president.

(on camera): It's also the only issue on which republicans and democrats agree, they don't like president bush's policies and they don't want to make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens. Bipartisanship at last.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Well, it's called Miami Shield. Police are planning high-profile surprise security checks all over the city. The in-your- face approach, as the department describes it, is designed to keep terrorists guessing.

A spokesman gave this scenario: Police might swoop in and surround a bank and check the I.D. of everyone going in or out. Miami's police chief told CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" the operation would also help the public stay vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE: It's meant to be spontaneous, unpredictable. Clearly, police departments, ideally you'd have a police officer at every strategic location 24/7. It's impossible. You couldn't sustain that in the long term. And so what this is meant to do is to kind of keep the pressure up by surprise visits to vulnerable locations throughout the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, this kind of police activity almost always raises concerns for civil libertarians. But the Florida ACLU says the program appears to ensure civil rights are not violated.

Police in Oakland are looking into an apparent arson fire that heavily damaged a liquor store. Investigators wouldn't say whether they thought the fire is related to last week's bizarre incident at the same store. That's when authorities say a group of well-dressed men trashed the place.

Security cameras captured the episode. Police say the vandals questioned why a Muslim would sell liquor. The suspects allegedly told the clerk to stop selling alcohol to African-Americans. Police are looking six suspects. They plan to charge them with making terrorist threats, along with vandalism and robbery.

A Chicago expressway reopened for rush hour this morning after a water main was sealed. Drivers were caught off guard by the gush of water that turned the road into a river just after midnight.

A few people had to be rescued, and a couple dozen cars towed. Everybody certainly got wet, but no one was hurt.

The National Zoo's giant panda cub is getting a taste of the limelight. Reporters and camera crews were allowed to get a peek at Tai Shan. Tai Shan. The cub was about the size of a stick of butter, you'll remember, when he was born just over four months ago. Now he ways a whopping 21 pounds.

When they cast the roles of a popular book-turned-movie, little did producers know what a controversy they would unleash in Asia. Coming up, a critic's take on "Memoirs of a Geisha" and why the film is ruffling feathers from China to Japan.

Three months ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. Coming up, a look back at the damage and a progress report.

And later, have heart and save a life. The American Heart Association has new guidelines for CPR. We'll demonstrate what they are, still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Exactly three months ago today Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the death toll is still rising. It's now at 1,067 in Louisiana after the discovery of more bodies. In Mississippi, the death toll stands at 228.

Levees remain a serious concern in New Orleans, and Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu now has a warning for the Senate. She's threatening to try to block the chamber from taking its Christmas and New Year's break until the federal government agrees to fund flood protection projects in Louisiana. Three months after Katrina and Hurricane Rita, that followed, Congress has approved $62 billion in disaster aid for storm victims. Most of that money has gone to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

While the hurricane-battered zone tries to move forward, it's difficult for the region to forget the horror that washed in from the Gulf of Mexico on that day in late August. A look back from CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK ANDERSON, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Luke, you want some apple juice?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mark and Summer Anderson know they are lucky. Their little boy Luke has a backyard to play in. Their home has a roof and power. An island in the midst of destruction.

Down the block, around the corner, everywhere here in New Orleans, are painful reminders of Katrina on that last Monday in August. Reminders in the shape of debris piles and high watermarks.

ANDERSON: Come hurricane season, you know, we're probably are going to be a little apprehensive, you know, when the first hurricane gets in the Gulf. But, you know, we'll just -- this is home, you know? You got to stay here.

ZARRELLA: The Andersons, like so many people from Texas to Florida, were victims of the most ferocious, destructive hurricane season on record. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insured losses alone from this year's storms are $56.8 billion. That's more than double last year's record amount.

Katrina left nearly 1,300 people dead. The Gulf Coast hadn't witnessed this much death from a hurricane in more than 100 years. And the destruction was unprecedented. Between Katrina and Rita, which struck the Texas/Louisiana border a month later, 300,000 homes were lost and more than 290,000 jobs lost.

As Rita approached, the haunting images of New Orleans and Mississippi were still raw. The people of Houston wanted no part of this one. Millions rushed to leave by car, only to be stalled in highway gridlock. Twenty-four people died before the storm ever hit when the bus evacuating them caught fire. In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, Cliff and Lloyd Choate (ph) captured these images as storm surge surrounded their home.

By late October, there was only one letter left in the hurricane alphabet, W. Wilma raced across south Florida, three million left without power, mobile homes destroyed. And thousands like Juanite Bilek and her family spent weeks in shelters after their roofs collapsed.

JUANITE BILEK, FLORIDA RESIDENT: He saw the pictures and he said, mommy, look at our house, it's ruined!

ZARRELLA: Every storm brought tears. A young girl in Pensacola. A boy at New Orleans Convention Center. So much heartache, so many futures still uncertain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That report from CNN's John Zarrella.

Now, tomorrow, this record-setting hurricane season draws to a close, at least officially. Right now, as we can see in these live pictures, several agencies that keep an eye on the weather have gathered in Miami and in Washington, D.C., to review the season and hold kind of an end of the Atlantic hurricane season news conference.

Officials from NOAA -- that's the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center -- you can see Max Mayfield there, who did such a wonderful job for us all this hurricane seasons -- are all taking part in this news conference. There were 26, 26 named storms this year, surpassing the record of 21 set in 1933. Thirteen of the storms were hurricanes, edging by one the previous record set in 19 -- Chad Myers, what was that, 1969?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

HARRIS: And even as we speak, there is something -- there's another storm.

MYERS: There's still Tropical Storm Epsilon out there.

To give you an idea of how professional Max Mayfield is now with television, I was just kind of -- I was sneaking over to the satellite feeds over here, and I was listening to him. And he was getting that reverberation in his ear. It was going from him to the satellite and back. And so he could hear himself a second and a half later than when he was speaking.

That's known as mixed minus. He goes, "Yes, I need the mixed minus thing fixed in my ear." So he's already talking TV speak. I mean, he just -- he's been on the air so many times and so many storms, and now obviously so many years, the guy's such a pro.

And obviously we'll dip in and out of the admiral talking about the season. Probably, I hope, talking about how they're going to fund the next season and how they're going to need more money to fund that as they ran out of money at some point in time and actually running into other budgets.

There's the storm. That is Epsilon, the E storm. There's kind of a joke up here. Once we lose the -- the Gamma, Epsilon, Zeta, Phi, whatever, the Greek alphabet, we have to go to the Clingon alphabet. Hopefully we don't get there, Tony.

HARRIS: That's good.

MYERS: There has been -- there's been six, though, tropical storms in the past 50 years in December. So this one probably will last until December. So maybe this will make seven.

Nonetheless, it isn't a switch. We can't just say, oh, it's December, hurricane season is over. It's when the water gets cold enough. That's when hurricane season gets over.

Right now, it's still a little bit out there. Not affecting the U.S., and it will not affect the U.S.

This is a line of severe weather that fired up a couple days ago in Kansas. Yesterday, in Alabama, seven tornadoes yesterday in Alabama. And it may push into D.C. and into New York City today. Look how warm it is there. Almost spring-type weather.

If you walk outside in Philadelphia, in Lancaster, in Harrisburg, all the way down even into Delaware, it feels like spring out there today. Well, behind it, it does not feel like spring. There's where the cold air is pushing into this spring-type air, and that clash between the warm and the cold is where the severe weather will be. Possibly as far north as upstate New York, right through Pennsylvania, down into Richmond, Virginia, as well -- Tony.

HARRIS: I tell you what, "TIME" magazine is going to name its man of the year soon. What about Max Mayfield?

MYERS: Absolutely.

HARRIS: What a good job he did.

MYERS: What a good idea.

HARRIS: All right, Chad. Thank you.

MYERS: He kept us up to date all year long.

HARRIS: That's right.

Note to self, note to "TIME.". An American author, a Japanese movie, and Chinese stars? Controversy in Japan over the new blockbuster that portrays the life of a unique class of Asian women. I'll speak to a critic who just saw the premier in Tokyo of "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Plus, it's just peanut butter. How bad can it be for some? Well, it could be the kiss of death. Stay with us, we'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA": A true geisha can stop a man in his tracks with a single look. You are ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA")

HARRIS: OK. Fans of the best-selling novel "Memoirs of a Geisha" have waited years for a movie. The film finally hits U.S. theaters December 9. It premiered last night in Tokyo, where it's creating some cultural anxiety.

A Japanese story directed by an American, starring Chinese actors, based on a book by a man from Tennessee? Earlier this morning I spoke with an American movie critic who lives in Japan and attended the premiere.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, David, good to talk with you. You've actually had an opportunity to the see the film. What do you make of it?

DAVE SPECTOR, FILM CRITIC: Yes, you can tell by what I'm wearing, I guess, that I was just at the premiere. And it's the first time that anybody has seen it, really, including the cast members.

And I must say off the bat that it was much better than I had thought it would be. I was a little bit worried about the way they portrayed Japan and geishas in general. But it was pretty well done, pretty -- pretty authentic. You couldn't hear a pin drop in the theater.

HARRIS: Wow.

SPECTOR: They had a real captive audience, Tony.

HARRIS: David, there is a bit of a controversy surrounding this film. And why don't you lay it out for us. Who is upset about this film and why?

SPECTOR: Well, some of the Japanese are upset only because their own actresses were not used. But the reason for that is, A, there weren't even powerful actresses who would fit the role who could also speak English enough that it would be -- that it would be easy to understand. And that -- you know, I mean, that's just a fact. So there's nothing you can do about that. The other issue is that some of the Chinese people who are somewhat nationalistic in nature are upset that Chinese actresses would cross over to the Japanese side and participate in such a Japanese film.

HARRIS: Yes.

SPECTOR: And in a way, you know, right now there's a lot of political friction. But in a way, the movie did beautify the geishas to the extent that all the men were decent people and everybody was kind to each other, basically. But in reality, I mean, you had -- and during the war, the comfort (ph) woman issue, which of course is not mentioned, even though there are many war scenes.

There is a war period during the movie. Of course, that's not even mentioned. And none of the men were particularly, what you would call, crude.

HARRIS: Yes.

SPECTOR: Or mean.

HARRIS: Right.

SPECTOR: So when you go back into history, especially if you're Chinese or Korean or other -- from other parts of Asia, people have such vivid memories of Japanese activities during the war...

HARRIS: Yes.

SPECTOR: ... that they might find the movie a little bit too soft in most areas.

HARRIS: Well, then let me ask you this. David, let me ask you this one last question. If you're an American audience, this is -- this is coming from an American book by an American author. I would think it is being made by an American director, primarily, principally, for an American film-going audience.

How much should we care about this controversy?

SPECTOR: I would say that there is nothing to be concerned about when you think about the American audience.

HARRIS: Yes.

SPECTOR: They will love it, they will like it. It's an epic Oscar-type of movie. And the historical era during the war I don't think will be an issue. It's not really that well known.

HARRIS: Right.

SPECTOR: The geisha world itself is such an unknown entity to Americans, they'll find it very enticing and mysterious. And, you know, the Japanese, of course they know about it already. So it's a different -- a different approach to the movie. But I think, as you say, it's really made for the American audience. And I don't think they will have any problem with the fact that Chinese actors are playing it.

As a matter of fact, no one in the theater really seemed that it was unnatural after about five minutes of everybody speaking English.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

SPECTOR: And half of them being Chinese. After a while, it really made absolutely no difference at all to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

HARRIS: OK. And David, let's leave it there. Appreciate your time today.

SPECTOR: OK. Very good. Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And here are some other stories making news overseas this morning.

Word just in from Paris this morning France's lower house of parliament overwhelming passed a tough new antiterrorism bill. The bill calls for increased video surveillance, and it also gives French police more time to question terror suspects. The legislation will be examined by the senate next month before final adoption by the end of the year.

The Vatican's long-awaited document on gays in the priesthood is officially out today. The document says that men with "deep-seated gay tendencies" should not be ordained as priests. This was the pope's first major ruling since beginning his reign. And the issue has divided leadership in the Catholic Church. Some say the document risks alienating good men who would be able to honor a celibacy vow.

From Canada, a reminder that peanut allergies can be deadly. Authorities say a 15-year-old Canadian girl with peanut allergies has died after kissing her boyfriend who had just eaten a peanut butter snack. About 1.5 million Americans are severely allergic to even a trace amount of peanuts, and peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths in the U.S. each year.

Secret prisons allegedly tucked away in foreign lands and purportedly used to keep terror suspects out of America. Those may sound like ingredients for an action film, but accusations are swirling in Europe that the scenario is real. And one high-ranking European politician is in Washington today looking for some answers.

But first, on December 18, "TIME" magazine will announce its "Person of the Year." And here's a look at a potential candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMESH RATNESAR, WORLD EDITOR, "TIME": I think Pope Benedict, partly because of the tremendous anticipation that surrounded his rise to the papacy and the fact that he is following someone who I think most people would call one of the real giants of the 20th century. It makes him a great candidate for "Person of the Year."

I think there's a tremendous amount of interest in him and the direction in which he's taking the church at a time when the church is facing a lot of issues that are difficult for, I think, the catholic Church to take on in the world. And I think how this pope handles those challenges will be very central to not only the future of the Catholic Church and Catholics around the world, but also the way in which the world handles a lot of major problems.

And so Pope Benedict, I think, is a very interesting character, interesting thinker, and represents an important voice in dealing with moral questions. And therefore, I think would be a candidate for "Person of the Year."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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