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CNN Live Sunday
Bush Administration Calls Energy Problem a Crisis; Rally for Darfur in Washington D.C.; Time Magazine's Influential People
Aired April 30, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Gas prices definitely a pain, but have they now reached the crisis level? We'll tell you what the White House has to say.
Immigrants impact, businesses brace for another big walk out, plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Where is the great white hunter? I am sorry Vice President Cheney couldn't be here tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Will the real President Bush please step forward?
Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.
Americans speak out against the killing in Sudan. Thousands of people have gathered in Washington and in other cities calling for more international action to stop the killings. A live report coming up.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Iran is playing games by offering snap inspections of its nuclear sites. She tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tehran is isolated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The international community is completely of one mind, that no one wants, needs, or really can tolerate a nuclear armed Iran in the midst of the world's most volatile region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A U.S. government audit says thousands of schools have been fixed and hundreds of police stations built in Iraq, but the report says oil and gas production have yet to return to pre-invasion levels.
A roadside bomb hits a U.S. patrol in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. There are no reports of U.S. casualties. At least seven people were killed today in Iraq in bombings and drive-by shootings. Brush fires damaged two dozen homes in southwest Florida. The fires in Lee County have blackened more than 1,500 acres. Firefighters are worried that rising winds could make things worse.
First this hour, the energy crisis. That's right, a crisis. Not our word, it's what the Bush administration called it today. What's more, the administration warns there is no quick fix. We get the latest now from CNN's Ed Henry at the White House. Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. That's right, for the first time we have a senior official in the Bush administration declaring that the nation's energy problem is a crisis. Also, really raising the political stakes even higher than they have been, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman made that declaration about the crisis but also had some bad news for consumers, as you noted, saying that it could take up to three years for these gas prices to come down. Democrat Barbara Boxer appearing on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer, pounced on those remarks, charged that this shows President Bush's energy plan released last week falls short. Take a listen to Bodman and Boxer sparring on the Sunday shows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL BODMAN, ENERGY SECRETARY: We're here today, that would say there's apparently some evidence that we have a crisis. There's a lot of concern about this and so the president is looking at everything, every tool at his disposal to put to work on it. I'm not embarrassed by that.
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Well all you had to do was look at Mr. Bodman's body language and what he said. We think we have a crisis. I'm not embarrassed. What is that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: And the White House is facing new pressure from a conservative Republican, Trent Lott, who now says he's open to this Democratic idea of taxing the windfall profits of oil companies -- the huge profits we've seen come in in recent weeks. Take a listen, Senator Lott appearing on CNN's "LATE EDITION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: This may come as a shock to you, but I'm going to keep my options open. The message to the oil companies is hold down your price of gasoline and it better start sliding back the other way. If they don't control it and if they continue to have prices go up, profits go up, and salaries go up, Congress will do something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: But experts point out that either raising taxes or this Senate Republican plan that would give consumers a $100 gas rebate really is not going to do very much in the short term. This is a long-term problem, the foreign dependence on oil that the United States has right now. White House officials say they realize this is a long-term problem, that's why they're not promising a short-term fix. That's obviously cold comfort for consumers looking kind of a fix in the short term, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Ed, further complicating the energy debate, Iran, how?
HENRY: Well, basically today an Iranian oil official came out and said that because of the high energy prices in the United States, it will be impossible for the United Nations to actually hit Iran with sanctions. That will only raise the price of oil around the world.
This just shows according to the experts like former CIA director James Woolsey how perilous the situation is, the fact that the United States is vulnerable right now, not just on the energy front but potentially on the national security front because of this dependence on foreign oil, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Ed Henry at the White House, thanks so much.
And visit CNN.com for the latest on the energy crisis. You can check the latest price of gasoline and see where it is headed. We've got money-saving tips, as well. All that and more on CNN.com.
An economic showdown, a show of solidarity. What do you call it? Immigrants and their supporters in cities across America are expected to skip work and school to join massive demonstrations tomorrow. It's being called a day without immigrants. Our Chris Lawrence has a preview.
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CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice over): Organizers say this is what Americans will see Monday -- millions of people staging the largest protests since the civil rights era.
NATIVO LOPEZ, MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION: Immigrants are losing their fear.
LAWRENCE: Activists have called for a national boycott.
LOPEZ: They don't go to school. They don't go shopping. They don't go selling.
LAWRENCE: Opponents say it's got one goal -- pressure Congress into legalizing millions of undocumented people.
BUSH: You know, I'm not a -- I'm not a supporter of boycotts. I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration.
LAWRENCE: Hundreds of small stores and big factories will all shut down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not sell any vegetables or fruits. LAWRENCE: By itself, L.A.'s 7th Street Market Association distributes food to 3,000 supermarkets, and its closure could put a million dollar dent in the economy.
ANGELICA SALAS, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The boycott is confrontational.
LAWRENCE: Some immigration rights activists say pictures of people walking off the job could backfire in middle America.
SALAS: Who is our audience? Who are we talking to? Who are we seeking to embrace and to be embraced by?
LAWRENCE: The Latino community has been active in the Catholic Church and church leaders continue to support the protests. But this time, they're urging students not to skip class. And school officials warn students they're expected to show up Monday.
JACK O'CONNELL, CALIFORNIA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: I do not intend to grant any waivers as a result of mass protests or students who leave school.
LAWRENCE: Organizers admit the boycott's a big step, but a needed one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we're not convinced, for example, that the representatives in Congress will really listen to the immigrant unless the immigrant imposes his will.
LAWRENCE (on camera): The boycott's biggest impact will be right here in California, where immigrants as a whole make up about one third of the workforce. But organizers say New York, Chicago, Phoenix -- the entire country will feel the effect.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WHITFIELD: Events are planned in more than 60 cities across the nation. To give you the best coverage, CNN has teamed up with the Spanish language television network Univision. Beginning in the east, we'll have live reports from New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Moving west, we'll be live in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles as well as Mexico City. And you can count on our local affiliates to provide coverage from other cities. CNN.com is preparing photo galleries and Web blogs.
And for streaming live footage of events, check CNN Pipeline. And watch reports by our Spanish language network CNN en Espanol. Our coverage goes throughout the day starting at 6:00 a.m. with "AMERICAN MORNING."
And right now, a live look at a rally going on in the nation's capital. Celebrities, activists and ordinary Americans are coming together to highlight the crisis in Darfur, a region of western Sudan. CNN's Brianna Keilar is live from Washington D.C. with the very latest. Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. The speakers at this rally come from all walks of life. Some of them have seen genocide firsthand. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, also Paul Rusesabagina, the man that "Hotel Rwanda" the movie was based around.
They are teaming up with people like George Clooney and Def Jam Records CEO Russell Simmons, trying to bring awareness to the dire situation in western Sudan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice-over): A woman from Darfur collects firewood outside a camp for displaced people. Like many other women, she risks being attacked and raped by an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, fighters that according to the U.N. are backed by the Sudanese government, an allegation the government denies. But food must be cooked. So they go, because men could face death if caught.
It began three years ago when black Muslim rebels from Darfur revolted against Sudan's Arab-Muslim government. The statistics complied by the U.S. government are staggering. More than two million people driven from their homes, at least 200,000 dead, many from starvation and disease. Others from the violence. All of this happening as much as the world stands idly by.
DR. BAROUDI FASHIR, SUDANESE EXPATRIATE: When you recognize genocide, there is a moral and legal obligation to protect the people (inaudible). We don't see any side of protection.
KEILAR: Now living in Canada, Dr. Baroudi Fashir and Taraji Mustafa (ph) have family in Darfur and at least two of Fashir's relatives have been killed. They are working with the coalition that is getting help from some of Hollywood's biggest names and Washington's biggest players.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR/DIRECTOR: What we cannot do is turn our heads and look away and hope that this will somehow disappear. Because if we do, they will. They will disappear.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: There have been times where the international community has been surprised about what is taking place and can excuse itself for inaction by saying "We didn't know." This is not one of those circumstances. This is being filmed. It's being documented.
KEILAR: President Bush has denounced the deaths of innocent civilians.
BUSH: Genocide in Sudan is unacceptable.
KEILAR: Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice says the international community needs to do more. RICE: There really must be a more robust security force. We stand ready to support that force.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: The organizers behind this rally have also put on a postcard campaign. They're passing out these postcards addressed to President Bush and they are hoping to get one million people to sign these so they can send them to President Bush and give him the message that they hope the U.S. will get involved in western Sudan. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Brianna Keilar, thanks so much from the Washington Mall.
Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek is taking part in the Darfur rally and he'll join us later today at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 Pacific, live right here on CNN.
Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. A cautious U.S. reaction to Mexico's proposed law to decriminalize some drugs. Mexican President Vicente Fox is expected to sign the measure passed Friday by lawmakers. The bill allows the possession of small amounts of drugs like cocaine and heroin for personal use.
The Chinese government has reportedly paid almost $9,000 to a woman whose son was allegedly killed during the Tiananmen Square demonstration 17 years ago. If true, it would be the first such hardship assistance payment doled out by the Chinese government.
And Rolling Stone's guitarist Keith Richards is recovering from a mild concussion. The band spokesman says the 64-year-old rocker was injured last week while vacationing in Fiji. The band had just played a few show dates in nearby New Zealand and Australia.
The gold stars are being handed out: ranking America's public high school. Find out which one came out on top and if your child's school is measuring up.
Also, what do Jennifer Lopez, Condoleezza Rice and Bill Gates have in common? "Time" magazine says they're the people who are shaping our world. "Time's" executive editor fills us in, straight ahead.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here it comes. Nuclear proliferation. Nuclear proliferation. Nuclear proliferation.
BUSH: Nukear proliberation (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Bush sharing the stage and laughs with someone bearing his likeness at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner. Mr. Bush on Mr. Bush, later on CNN SUNDAY.
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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, my mom always told me never to hate anything. But I hate allergies and I'm sure you do too. And people that have been living in the Central Plains and parts of the Gulf Coast, well they've got allergies pretty bad this time of year. Today is certainly not a good day for them. But in the Northern Plains, especially into parts of Montana and into the Dakotas, they are breathing easy. That is a look at today's allergy forecast. I'm Reynolds Wolf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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WHITFIELD: Other headlines making news across America today. An autopsy concludes accidental death in the case of 23-year-old army specialist Robert Hornbeck. The Fort Benning soldier had been missing for almost two weeks. His body was discovered Friday in a hotel's air conditioning system in Savannah, Georgia.
In California, mixed reviews on the promotion for the latest "Mission Impossible" movie. Some 4,000 "Los Angeles Times" newspaper racks play the movie's theme music when opened. Some like it, but a few readers have called police to report the paper racks as suspicious packages, noting the wiring inside.
The "Associated Press" is reporting the arrest of two 10-year-old boys in southwest Florida for allegedly setting a string of brush fires this weekend. More than two dozen homes have been either damaged or destroyed. A third juvenile is still being sought.
Parts of east Texas are still cleaning up from yesterday's storms and tornadoes. Texas authorities say hundreds of homes were either damaged or destroyed by high winds. Some areas reported baseball-size hails. There are no reports of any injuries.
Grading the nation's public high schools. "Newsweek" magazine does just that in its annual top 100 lists, on newsstand tomorrows. Schools are ranked by how many Advanced Placement tests they give each year and the number of graduating seniors.
So who came out on top? The High School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas. Last year's winner, the Jefferson County school in Irondale, Alabama finished second. Basis Charter in Tucson, Arizona, City Honors in Buffalo, New York, and Stanton Country College Prep in Jacksonville, Florida, rounded out the top five. Congrats to them.
Well they're the figures who's power and talent are shaping our world. "Time" magazine calls them the world's most influential people. That's next.
And today, these two men worked together to promote tolerance but it wasn't always that way. The remarkable story that brought them together coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Just imagine a world without AIDS. It's the subject of a new CNN special. Former President Bill Clinton and other medical experts, including our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta, explore what would be like if the disease were eradicated. Mr. Clinton explains why he chose to focus so much of his attention on AIDS.
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BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most children who get it in the developing world die because hardly of them get any medicine. And the health systems that exist around the world are so far incapable of getting the proper messages on both prevention and treatment to people. So all these people are dying for nothing, in my opinion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: New drug cocktails are helping AIDS patients live longer and more normal lives. But they are expensive and not everyone who needs them can afford them. Here's our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are more than one million people living with HIV or AIDS in the United States and John Paul Womble is one of them. Womble was diagnosed 14 years ago, just two years after his own father, an ex- Southern Baptist minister, died in the first wave of the AIDS epidemic.
JOHN PAUL WOMBLE, HIV POSITIVE: Lots of people have excuses. Lots of people have legitimate stories of they didn't know better. I knew better. You can be stupid, like I was, young and feeling invincible.
GUPTA: As gay white men, John Paul and his father were once considered typical AIDS patients.
WOMBLE: Tell me what you're scared about. You're scared that it's going to have what effect? Tell me.
GUPTA: But now, that's changed.
WOMBLE: The goal is, when you talk about a drug cocktail and treating with medications...
GUPTA: Today, John Paul works with victims of HIV like Antoine and Peaches Davis -- poor, married and in their 20s.
ANTOINE DAVIS, HIV POSITIVE: Sleeping on the street, trying to look for a job is a real hard task and we've done it for a while. And then also having the virus on top of that is extra hard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
How are you doing?
GUPTA: African-Americans are the hardest hit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just look at me.
GUPTA: While they represent only 13 percent of the population...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No pain with that?
GUPTA: ... they make up 40 percent of those diagnosed AIDS cases.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
Why don't you have a seat right here?
GUPTA: And consider this -- an African-American women is 14 times more likely to get HIV than a Caucasian woman. Fourteen times.
AIDS has moved beyond major metropolitan areas. The South had the greatest number of people living with and dying from AIDS in 2004.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'm going to do today...
GUPTA: Almost half of people living with the disease in this country do not get regular HIV care or treatment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it.
Thank you for coming and I'll see you back in a month.
EVELYN FOUST, SOUTHERN AIDS COALITION: If you make $13,000 a year, you can't afford your medication. So there are people that choose not to work. They want to work, but they can't or they'll lose their medication, which is keeping them alive.
GUPTA: And without insurance or assistance, the cost of treatment is anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000 a year.
But for Antoine, hope goes hand in hand with sharing his story.
DAVIS: If people just hide and close their doors, the more the infection is spreading around and people are dying off without being helped.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WHITFIELD: "CNN PRESENTS: The End of AIDS: A Global Summit with Bill Clinton." It begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
Demonstrators from coast to coast are hitting the streets tomorrow so how is a day without immigrants going to impact the U.S. economy? Our conversation with people who run businesses planning to shut down tomorrow.
And later, a story that sounds like the Oscar winning movie "Crash," only this is real.
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GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With gas prices averaging nearly $3 a gallon, it might feel like the oil companies already have one hand in your wallet before you even pull out of the garage.
But are these high prices fair? The government has launched a federal investigation into price manipulation. But of course, if you want to avoid being gouged, it's up to you to be vigilant.
For one, you'll likely pay more at isolated gas stations. The more competition a station has, the less you're likely to pay.
Also, stay away from stations that have large price swings. And if you do suspect price gouging, don't sure suffer in silence, do something. Fill out a form at the Department of Energy at gaswatch.energy.gov or you can call your state's attorney general's office.
We do have some good news for you. High fuel costs are not likely to stick around for too much longer. Prices are likely to fall after the 4th of July, that's what the experts say. So if you can hold off on that road trip, you'll spend less money on gas and more money on vacations.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look again at our top stories. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is calling the nation's energy problem a crisis. Bodman says it could take three years before gasoline prices decline. Some Democrats are calling for breaking up big oil companies to increase competition.
Thousands of people from across the country are rallying in Washington at this hour. They are calling on the international community to do more to help stop the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.
A European Union deadline for Serbia to hand over accused war criminal Ratko Mladic expires today. But no sign Belgrade intends to arrest the former army commander.
Renounced economist John Kenneth Galbraith has died. He advises Democratic presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton. His son says Galbraith died of natural causes. John Kenneth Galbraith was 97.
Back now to one of our top stories. It's being called a day without immigrants. Massive demonstrations are planned in more than 60 cities across the nation tomorrow. Some employers are shutting down so their workers can take part. Joining us by phone brewery owner Greg Schirf in Park City, Utah and Mark Klein spokesman for Cargill Meat Solutions in Minneapolis.
Glad both of you gentlemen could join us.
WHITFIELD: All right. So both of your businesses will be closed tomorrow because of the demonstrations. So Greg let me ask you first, are you closing down because you want to or you feel you have to?
GREG SCHIRF, OWNER, WASATCH BREWERY: Well, it's mostly voluntary. Some of our employees came to me and said would it be OK if the Latino group took off and participated and they were very polite and forth coming and I suggested that if they wanted to go ahead and participate that as co-workers we would support them and take the whole day off and I told them we would join hands with them and demonstrate in downtown Salt Lake City and I suggested that we might as well get a bottle of tequila and make a day of it.
WHITFIELD: In addition to supporting them you are calling it Latino Appreciation Day. Are you -- what benefits are you seeing out of this for your business?
SCHIRF: Well, I'm not sure if there's any benefits. We're welcoming and excited about is the country, the nation our politicians and leaders are finally talking about the issue. Some people here and for a long time everybody pretended there was no issue or no problem going on. We're delighted that finally it's in the forefront.
WHITFIELD: Will you still be paying your employees to miss work?
SCHIRF: Yes, we.
WHITFIELD: Mark; let me bring you into the picture out of Minneapolis. Was it a tough decision for your company to close down for the day tomorrow?
MARK KLEIN, SPOKESMAN, CARGILL MEAT SOLUTIONS: Not really. We've been talking with employees and in recent weeks and it became clear that there was a lot of emotion and passion behind May 1. And because we share some of our same concerns about immigration reform as a number of our employees we felt it was the right thing to do.
WHITFIELD: What are you hoping will happen from this event?
KLEIN: Well, it's definitely raising the visibility of this debate and perhaps measures can move ahead in Washington yet this session.
WHITFIELD: And so where are you on the subject of whether employers should face felony charges if they were to be found employing illegal immigrants?
KLEIN: I think the devil would be in the details of defining the knowingly. That's something now we wouldn't do -- well we --
WHITFIELD: Are you all certain that all of your employees are documented workers? KLEIN: We run it very tight. We go above what is required of us. Use a voluntary computerized program and in some cases where local Social Security offices will work with us we even do checks there.
WHITFIELD: OK. Mark Klein spokesperson for Cargill Meat Solutions out of Minneapolis and Greg Schirf owner of the Wasatch Brewery joining us from Salt Lake. Thanks very much to both of you gentlemen.
Events are planned at more than 60 cities across the nation. To give you the best coverage CNN is teamed up with the Spanish language television network. Beginning in the east we'll have live reports from New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta. Moving west we'll be live in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. As well as Mexico City. And you can count on our local affiliates to provide coverage from other cities. CNN.com is preparing photo galleries and web logs. For streaming live footage of events check CNN Pipeline. Watch reports by our Spanish language network. Our coverage goes throughout the day starting at 6:00 a.m. with "AMERICAN MORNING."
Turning now to the fight for Iraq. Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is speaking out about the number of troops sent to Iraq at the start of the war. In an interview on British television Powell says he advised President Bush before the invasion more troops will be needed.
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COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: And the president's military advisers felt that the size of the force was adequate. They may still feel that years later. Some of us don't. I don't. And I have said that but at the time the president was listening to those who were supposed to be providing military advice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the national security adviser during that time. Rice reacted to Powell's comments today on CNN's "LATE EDITION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Did Colin Powell the former retired chairman of the joint chiefs of staff make the case there should be a more robust U.S. military invasion?
RICE: I just want to underscore what Secretary Powell said which is that the president had military advisers who looked at the war plan, who decided that they had a certain number of troops that were need to he execute the war plan. The president listened to his advisers. He listened to those who were to execute the war plan and he made the decision on that basis. I do remember that the president had a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in which he asked are we adequately resourced to execute this plan? They said yes. That's the way it works. The president listened to the military advisers who gave him those numbers. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Rice says sending in more troops might have caused problems by leaving a big footprint of coalition forces.
More to George Clooney, President Bush, and Muqtada al-Sadr have in common? They are all on "Time" Magazine's list of the most influential people in the world; "Time" top 100 edition hits the newsstands tomorrow. Joining us now with a sneak preview the magazine's executive editor Adi Ignatius. Good to see you.
ADI IGNATIUS, EXEC. EDITOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Hi Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: What is the criteria in which you selected these most influential people?
IGNATIUS: The idea is influence. We try to define influence in its many, many facets. So you have world leaders. People with a lot of power and military might behind them. Then influence of a more subtle kind including entertainment figures.
WHITFIELD: Let's look a little more closely at some of the categories. Let's talk about those who were leaders. You name President George W. Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is the Iranian president. Just those to name a few all-polarizing figures, however.
IGNATIUS: Yes, I think that's true. This is not a list that everyone is going to be happy about. It's going to provoke arguments. George Bush is an interesting character. There are people who thought he should be off the list this year. Because he's not nearly as influential as he once was because the Republicans don't want to ride his coattails. On the other hand the president of the United States any president at any time has so many tools at his disposal that it's hard to imagine that any president wouldn't be among the top 100 influential people.
WHITFIELD: The leaders and revolutionaries you name is Bill and Melinda Gate. The Liberian's new president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. What might they have in common?
IGNATIUS: Again, it's influence. That's what we're trying to measure. Just to mention the art in drawing up a list like this is one, finding the 100 people and then finding 100 more people to write the profiles of them. That's some of the fun in this issue. For example you mentioned Johnson Sirleaf the president of Liberia. The person who wrote the profile of her is none other than the first lady Laura Bush. We tried to find interesting combinations like that to make the package more valuable.
WHITFIELD: In the entertainment category there had to be some incredible challenges on narrowing it all down. People have heard a lot about these names but maybe they don't know what they kind do behind their celebrity status. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Colbert, George Clooney and this selection was made before hearing about his efforts in Sudan, Wynton Marsalis, Angelina Jolie, Katie Couric, why these celebrities?
IGNATIUS: A big list. Some of them are examples of celebrity advocates who are effective. Angelina Jolie is someone who is taken very seriously by kind of international relief agencies as somebody who is not just a celebrity getting in the way but is somebody who is really making a difference, the piece about her was written by Mark Brown the number two at the U.N. who is a big fan of hers.
WHITFIELD: All right. Adi Ignatius the executive editor of "Time" Magazine. Of course folks can pick up their issue on newsstands tomorrow. "100 Most Influential People. Thanks so much Adi.
IGNATIUS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Can't get any closer to this. Closer to real life that is. The real life version of the movie "Crash" two people and the collision that changed them both. Plus comedian Stephen Colbert lampoons President Bush at the annual White House Correspondent Dinner in Washington. So was the president amused? CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry fills us in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON CHEADLE, ACTOR: I think we missed that touch so much. That we crash into each other just so we can feel something.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The voice of Don Cheadle from the Academy Award winning film "Crash." The controversial movie showed what can happen when people's lives collide in unexpected ways.
Now a real live crash story for you. It's an amazing tale of friendship indeed. Their paths first crossed about 25 years ago when one of them was a victim of a hate crime and the other was a neo-Nazi skinhead. CNN's Dan Simon has their story first reported on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Cross burnings, symbols of hate that once defined Tim Zaal.
TIM ZAAL, FORMER WHITE SUPREMACIST: In my mind I was saving my race. I was saving my country from destruction.
SIMON: Tim is a former neo-Nazi skinhead who served time in prison for committing a hate crime. Beating an Iranian couple he had mistaken for Jews. His enemy list was long. You were targeting African-Americans and Jews.
ZAAL: The perceived enemy. Whoever the enemy was.
SIMON: Matthew Boger would have made the list as a 14-year-old gay run away he would not have wanted to cross paths with Tim.
MATTHEW BOGER, VICTIM OF HATE CRIME: I would be going through trash cans just as any other homeless person or a kid living on the streets trying to survive and not end up a statistic and not end up dead on the street.
SIMON: They are sitting together is one thing, that they are now good friends is something more. The story begins in 1981. Matthew says he used to hang out with some friends at an old fast food place here in West Hollywood. One night he saw a group of teens clearly looking for trouble. Matthew says the next thing he knew he was laying in his own blood after being beaten, kicked and knocked unconscious.
BOGER: This is where the actual incident took place. I just remember a few of them yelling let's just get the faggot.
SIMON: There is no official record of the incident. Matthew feared a call to the police or hospital would land him in foster care but apparently there was a witness.
ZAAL: I remember maybe looks of fear.
SIMON: Tim Zaal says that was the area where he used to patrol. Attacking people like Matthew just for being gay.
ZAAL: It's like being intoxicated with rage.
SIMON: He said there were so many attacks so many victims he doesn't remember faces. But does believe he took part in beating up Matthew. Matthew remembers Tim being there.
Is there any doubt whatsoever that Tim is the guy who beat you.
BOGER: There is no doubt. On neither side of us there's no doubt absolutely.
SIMON: Matthew says the beating left him traumatized for years. Afraid of being in public places, afraid even of going to the movies. Tim Zaal eventually became a leading member of the National White Aryan Resistance Group.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have reached Aryan update a production of war.
SIMON: But then about ten years ago Tim says an incident at a grocery store with his then two and a half-year-old son made him start questioning his beliefs.
ZAAL: He actually pointed out African-American gentlemen and said the "n" word expecting a cookie. Expecting some sort of positive reinforcement.
SIMON: As people looked on with scorn and disbelief, Tim felt embarrassed and ashamed. Over time he says he became remorseful so much so he decided a couple years later to dedicate his life to abolishing hate that's what led Tim and Matthew to meet again. It was here at the museum of tolerance in Los Angeles. Matthew was organizing a high school talk on hate about a year ago and heard about a former skinhead named Tim who connected well with audiences.
Then over lunch while talking about their life experiences Matthew realized he knew Tim's face. What went through your mind when you realized this is the guy who caused you so much pain?
BOGER: Well, interestingly enough we're sitting in the museum of tolerance I was like, OK. What do I do with this? I was in shock.
ZAAL: I think we both kind of reflected on it for maybe a couple weeks.
SIMON: Matthew realized he didn't feel angry instead he felt inspired. He and Tim realized their connection could have an impact on others.
BOGER: When you look at a person it's a human being you are looking at.
SIMON: On this day to students at the museum.
ZAAL: I did have a lot of anger towards society in general.
SIMON: Tim and Matthew now speak to audiences together. They are a powerful combination.
BOGER: You have the perpetrator and you have the victim. It's unusual. It's a rare story.
SIMON: A story of how one bad night ended up showing the way toward something good. Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.
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WHITFIELD: That story comes to us from "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Watch it weeknights at 10:00 Eastern only on CNN.
Well you don't need to try to fix your TV for this next story. You're not seeing double. A look alike helps President bush get some pretty big laughs at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner.
The next hour of CNN SUNDAY is in your plans, fast wheels with the keys inside. Too good to be true? You bet. Bait cars catching crooks coming up.
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BUSH: As you know, I always look forward to these dinners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a bunch of media types hold liberals, Democrats like Joe Biden, how come I can't have dinner with the 36 percent of the people who like me?
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WHITFIELD: President Bush with a little help in the art of self- deprecation last night at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Our own Ed Henry enjoyed a few laughs and joins us live from Washington. Any favorite moments Ed?
HENRY: There were many. They call this Washington's version of the Academy Awards. You saw some of the funny moments right there but you had all these Hollywood stars and political celebrities out there on the red carpet. A lot of buzz this year about George Clooney who was here, the rapper Ludacris, but also Valerie Plame was there with her husband Ambassador Joe Wilson. They were sitting not far from Karl Rove. Dining in the same room, amid nearly 3,000 people.
The official entertainment for the evening was Stephen Colbert of "Comedy Central." He really pulled no punches at all in his routine directed at President Bush. He was a couple of seats away from him. In fact, through much of the routine you can see the president wasn't really laughing. Take a listen to some of Stephen Colbert's material.
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STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
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HENRY: But the man who really stole the show was the commander in chief or maybe I should say the commanders in chief as you noted. The president stood side by side with a Bush impersonator Steve Bridges who basically played the part of the president's subconscious. Take a look how they went back and forth.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking of suspects, where is the great white hunter?
BUSH: I am sorry Vice President Cheney couldn't be here tonight. I agree with the press that Dick was a little late. Reporting that hunting episode down in Texas. In fact, I didn't know a thing about it until I saw him on "America's Most Wanted."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cheney what a goofball. Shot the only trial lawyer in the country who is for me.
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HENRY: Now the president ended his remarks by saying it's really important to laugh in this job. Probably especially true right now given the fact that he's low on the polls. Have a little bit of fun. Seemed to be enjoying himself for the most part except during the Colbert routine.
WHITFIELD: All right Ed Henry a little bit of fun. That's great.
A check of your top stories in a few minutes. Also to catch a car thief. We'll show you how some criminals are taking the bait in our next hour.
First a quick look at our changing earth from CNN.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As the world's population continues to grow problems associated with urban growth are becoming more apparent. This image shows what Bangladesh looked like in 1972 and this is what it looked like in 2001. Urban sprawl, which is defined as uncontrolled growth, can destroy croplands. Some estimate China has lost 20 percent of its fertile farmland since the 1950s as a result. In the U.S. about 35 million acres of rural land have been developed since the '70s. The city of Atlanta averages 40 acres a day. Besides additional land use sprawl can also lead to pollution, both from run off and as a result of increased commutes.
Researchers believe that strict planning and adherence to zoning regulations can help keep these problems under control.
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