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Iraq: Fifth Year Begins; Snowy Easter in Ohio; President Bush to Inspect Border Fence in Arizona
Aired April 09, 2007 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Heidi Collins.
Watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live.
It is Monday, April 9th. Here's what's on the rundown.
Four years after Baghdad's fall, Iraqis rise up in Najaf. A firebrand clerk is absent but pulling the strings on an anti-U.S. protest.
HARRIS: Radio talk outrage. More calls for Don Imus to step down after racially insensitive comments. Hear what Imus has to say today.
COLLINS: Plus, gas prices climbing higher and higher. What's sparking the spike and how can you get the most mileage?
In the NEWSROOM.
The fall of Baghdad four years later. Stepped-up security is in place, and that milestone is marked in the Iraqi capital. And south of Baghdad, a big anti-American demonstration in the holy city of Najaf. The protest called for by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
To Baghdad now, where CNN's Kyra Phillips is keeping track of all of the latest developments -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's interesting. You look at these pictures and you think, well, this is what everybody wants to see in Iraq. Everyone wants to see a peaceful demonstration, thousands of people on the streets with Iraqi flags. It looks like they're unified.
They look like they're coming together as one, and this is what Operation Iraqi Freedom was all about. But actually, there's an underlying message.
This rally was called by Muqtada al-Sadr, the most powerful Shiite cleric, the individual that holds so much power among many Iraqis. He is able to sit back -- he's apparently in Iran hiding out -- and call for a rally like this, and say join together, Iraqi army, Iraqi police, all Iraqis. Go against the occupiers, as he calls the U.S. troops, and come together and rally peacefully.
So, in many ways, Heidi, this is a message to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki here in Iraq, and also a message to U.S. troops that, look at how much power I have, look what I can do. It doesn't have to be about death and destruction. I can gather everybody and also conduct this peaceful process. So, it's interesting to watch this sort of political theater taking place on the street.
COLLINS: And Kyra, as we think about everything that happened four years ago, so many images come to people's minds. But specifically, this is also the day where we saw the Saddam statue get torn down -- or knocked over, I should say.
What's there now? What's in its place?
PHILLIPS: Yes, that's a great question. It's one of the first things I noticed when I got here to Baghdad.
I actually passed Firdos Square and had to take a double take. And I even asked the producer -- I said, "Isn't that where the Saddam statue once stood? What is that there now?" And it's this huge sculpture, Heidi, put together by a group of artists.
They call themselves the survivors. They actually call this sculpture Najin (ph), which means survivor. And it's of an Iraqi family, a man, a woman and a little boy, and they're holding up a moon and the sun. And it's supposed to represent the new Iraq and the ancient Iraq.
So, quite a contrast from what used to be there. We will never forget that day, today four years ago, when we saw U.S. Marines and Iraqis pulling down that statue of Saddam.
COLLINS: Boy, that's for sure. All right.
CNN's Kyra Phillips, live from Baghdad this morning.
Kyra, thanks.
HARRIS: And despite stepped-up security across Iraq, more deadly violence to report today in Baghdad. Reports say a sniper killed a civilian and a police officer. And a mortar round killed one person and wounded two others. Both attacks in the southern part of the Iraqi capital, just north of Baghdad.
Police say clashes broke out between unknown gunmen and an al Qaeda fighter. More than two dozen people were injured.
COLLINS: Today's anti-American rally in Iraq's holy city of Najaf, how concerned is the U.S. military about it? We'll be talking with Major General William Caldwell. He'll join us right here in the NEWSROOM live from Baghdad.
HARRIS: Dreaming of a white Easter? Who dreams of that? That's what many people got in Ohio.
It made the Easter egg hundreds a little more challenging. You know, it's tough to pick up eggs with mittens.
CNN's Reggie Aqui is live in Chardon, Ohio, right there in the snow belt, just a few miles southeast of Cleveland.
Reggie, good morning. I see, yes, a bunch of snow on the ground there in Chardon.
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You got it. And what else do I have in my hand, Tony?
HARRIS: What is that? Oh, an Easter egg.
AQUI: That's right. Yes, this was left over from the Easter egg hunt they had this weekend.
And imagine coming out here to the town square. Usually at this time of year just all green. And probably pretty hard to hide some of these eggs. This weekend wasn't hard at all. You just had to basically throw it into the snow and it disappeared.
We're talking about two and a half feet of snow in just three days. You mentioned this is the snow belt of Ohio. They're used to getting all this lake-effect snow from Lake Erie. They're not used to getting it that fast, this late in the season.
Take a look at the clock here. Just downtown here, a town of 5,000 we're talking about, and you can see the big icicles hanging from the clock. This is definitely not the sort of spring weather these folks were hoping for having to dig out.
I want to tell you that it's been pretty interesting in Cleveland this weekend because they were supposed to have their home opener, the Cleveland Indians were, against Seattle. It didn't happen Friday. It didn't happen all weekend long.
They're going to try again today to play a double header and try and catch up on some of those games. They're also supposed to play against Los Angeles here in Cleveland over the next few days. And the commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, is having meetings today to discuss whether or not they should bring all those games to California, just go ahead and cancel the games here and play them in L.A., where they know they're going to have some good weather.
The people around here, I mean, they're used to wearing their snow boots, getting out the shovels.
HARRIS: Sure.
AQUI: In fact, let me bring you around over here. You can see the woman in front of the State Farm insurance building doing what everyone is having to do this morning, dig out the front door and get ready for business.
But, Tony, this late in the season, April, Easter, as you mentioned, dreaming of a white Easter, not exactly what these folks wanted to have. HARRIS: They should be thinking about the Maple Tree Festival there, the Woolly Bear Festival there, not digging out snow.
AQUI: You know about the Maple Tree Festival?
HARRIS: Yes, yes, I sure do. That's like six or seven -- no, nine years in Cleveland. Absolutely. And that Woolly Bear Festival as well, yes.
AQUI: Well, Tony, they had to cancel it because it's supposed to be happening in the next few days. It was supposed to happen right here, and they can't. So...
HARRIS: Yes.
AQUI: ... one of the few times they had to cancel that Maple Tree Festival. I know you're going to miss it.
HARRIS: That's right. And I will, too.
Reggie Aqui for us in Chardon, Ohio.
Reggie, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: I think you rendered him speechless.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Chad Myers standing by now in the weather center to get a better look for us all across the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Immigration, the volatile issue divides Washington, and the controversial fence now rises along the U.S.-Mexican border. Today President Bush comes face to face with both. He will use the border fence as a backdrop to a much-awaited speech pushing his immigration reform plan.
CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry has a preview for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After spending the Easter weekend at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, the president on Monday heads to Yuma, Arizona, to deliver a speech on immigration reform. The president will be meeting there with U.S. border officials showing him the latest technologies, the tools they use along the U.S.-Mexico boarder to track down illegal immigrants.
Then the president's speech will be focused on trying to get ahead of the U.S. Senate debate that's coming up in mid May on the highly charged, emotional debate over immigration reform here in the United States. Now, ironically, with Democrats now running Congress, the president's comprehensive immigration plan actually has a better chance, because the president's plan is more in line with what the Democrats have been calling for, basically border security, plus a guest worker program that will put illegal immigrants who are here in the United States, some 12 million of them, on a path to U.S. citizenship.
The problem for the president, the reason why this will be an uphill battle, is that many conservatives in his own party believe that that's amnesty. The president has denied it, but that is the rub, and, in fact, there may be some Republican senators planning a filibuster against the president's plan.
Ed Henry, CNN, with the president in Crawford, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's speech in Yuma, Arizona. It is scheduled to get under way at 1:25 Eastern. That is 10:25 Pacific Time.
COLLINS: Today's anti-American rally in Iraq's holy city of Najaf -- how concerned is the U.S. military? Major General William Caldwell will join us in the NEWSROOM live from Baghdad.
HARRIS: Gas prices just keep getting higher. Refineries, OPEC, or drivers, who's to blame?
That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Outrage over Don Imus. The longtime radio host apologizing for racial remarks. Is it too little, too late? We'll talk about that ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And running naked through the neighborhood. Streakers caught in the act. A mother fights back in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Thousands of protesters on the march in Iraq's holy city of Najaf. The target of their anger, American forces.
Along with that rally, a major milestone in Baghdad. Four years ago today, the Iraqi capital fell to coalition forces. And the situation there still very much unsettled.
With us now from Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell.
General, thanks for being with us on the program today. Appreciate your time.
I want to begin, if I could, with the demonstration that we just mentioned going on in Najaf.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: OK.
COLLINS: It comes one day after Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers to actually focus on something that we haven't quite heard before, Americans rather than Iraqis.
How concerned is the military when they hear words like that?
CALDWELL: Well, obviously, our major concern was for just the people themselves as they're out there peacefully demonstrating. There's about 5,000 to 7,000 of them today out there, and as we watch that, it's going peacefully.
They're expressing their will. I mean, that's something that we came here to give hem the ability to do. Four years ago it was not possible. Today it is. But there's only about 5,000 to 7,000 out there today.
COLLINS: And so, in your view, and as we look at the pictures to the left of you there, this is a good thing. This is OK?
CALDWELL: Well, it's OK in the sense that the reason we came here was to give the people the ability to freely express their will, to get out and demonstrate if they want to like this. This is a representative government of all the people. And if 5,000 to 7,000 people want to come out on their Iraqi Freedom Day and express their view on a certain thing, they should be able to do that, just like we can back in our country.
COLLINS: All right. Let's go ahead and talk a little bit about that.
There's an article in "The New York Times" today. I want to read you just a small portion of it and ask you your thoughts.
It says, "There is little sign that the Baghdad push is accomplishing its main purpose, and that is to create an island of stability in which Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can try to figure out how to run the country together."
Is this in your mind the main purpose of the Baghdad push?
CALDWELL: It is. The intent is to create the climate so that the political leadership here can, in fact, reconcile their differences and bring back the unity of this country so that Iraqis can all move forward together.
COLLINS: And that being said, we know that a little more than half, I guess, or so of those additional troops are in place in the Baghdad area. Tell me what will look different when the rest of those troops arrive. Are we going to see a major shift in the environment there?
CALDWELL: Not really, because General Petraeus has been very clear he's going to leave open the option as these additional forces to flow in to position them either in Baghdad or around Baghdad, or in other pars of the country, as to wherever he sees they're needed to help the overall political situation to be able to take hold. But I can tell you, I was just down in Baghdad two days ago walking through the city, and I can tell the difference from two months ago to today in terms of the environment. You can just sense and feel there is a difference amongst the people and how they see things.
COLLINS: How exactly, sir? How exactly? What is that change, General, that we might notice if we were to talk there, and the pictures that we see when we look at them every day here?
CALDWELL: Right. Well, you know, I get the opportunity to go down there all the time. And so, where I was walking around down on the east side of the river on Thursday with my -- one of my Iraqi counterparts, what I found was the stores were open, the people were out.
I mean, we still have challenges. I don't want to minimize that at all. And there's still a long ways to go. And there are still the threats out there. But the people are moving on with their lives, and they're seeing hope for the first time. And so our job is we have to secure this progress that we're starting to see take place and maintain that hope and give that back to the people here.
COLLINS: So, if I were to ask you sort of a simplistic question, if you will, give you a scale from one to 10 and talk about the security of this country and particularly Baghdad -- and we've talked about Anbar Province quite a bit as well -- from a scale on one to 10, 10 being the most secure, they're completely in charge of their own country, and one being the wild, wild West, which we have heard before, where would you put Baghdad security at this point?
CALDWELL: That's a great question, because every -- every area in Iraq is so very different, which makes this whole situation so complex. But let's take Baghdad itself. And I would tell you that we were probably on a scale of four to five two months ago, and we've probably moved up around six or seven at this point, just really in the last two months.
COLLINS: I knew you were going to say that. All right.
General Caldwell, we certainly appreciate your time here today. Thanks so much, coming to us live from Baghdad.
CALDWELL: Well, thank you for having me.
HARRIS: Flags at a Canadian base in Afghanistan flying at half- staff today. Six Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar Sunday. The worst one-day death toll for Canadian troops since the Korean War. The Canadians were providing security for British and American convoys. It is part of a NATO offensive against resurgent Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan.
COLLINS: Looking for one of the latest Hollywood blockbusters? How does two bucks per DVD sound? Well, pirates of China -- uh-oh -- ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Gas prices just keep getting higher. Refineries, OPEC, or drivers, who's to blame?
That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he wasn't planning to talk nukes while in North Korea, but that's exactly what happened. This morning, the top nuclear negotiator telling Richardson's delegation that North Korea would have a difficult time shutting down its main nuclear reactor by Saturday's U.N.-imposed deadline.
Richardson is there trying to secure the remains of U.S. soldiers missing since the Korean War ended. Today they were promised the remains of six servicemen. President Bush's top adviser on North Korea is also part of that delegation.
COLLINS: You've heard of the Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm sure. But have you heard of the pirates of China? Well, they're costing Hollywood big bucks.
John Vause explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You find them on Beijing's busy street corners, the pirates of China.
(on camera): OK. What do you have? Wow.
(voice over): And in back rooms, selling the latest Hollywood blockbusters for a fraction of the retail price.
(on camera): So, how much for these? How much?
Twenty? Twenty each?
(voice over): That's 20 yuan, about $2.50 U.S. And it's not just lone sellers working from a suitcase. At this government-owned store, there's no shortage of choices.
(on camera): Well, these are just some of the more recent releases which are available here. There's "Bobby". There's also the DiCaprio movie "Blood Diamond". Over here, "Little Miss Sunshine," just to name a few.
All of these available for just a couple of bucks.
(voice over): Total cost of our DVDs...
(on camera): Eighty-five?
(voice over): ... a little more than 10 U.S. dollars, cheaper than the guy (ph) in the back room.
(on camera): So, for the cost of an average cinema ticket, or thereabouts, we ended up with seven DVDs, most of them fairly new or recent releases. And all of them pretty good quality.
(voice over): And all totally legal here, because under Chinese law, prosecutors must show vendors have made a profit of around 13,000 U.S. dollars from the pirated goods. In most cases, impossible to prove.
"We can only warn them and let them go. After that, they'll continue selling again," says the official in charge of enforcing China's copyright laws.
On state-run television, confiscated pirated DVDs, CDs and software are often shown being sent through the wood chipper or crushed by a steamroller. But prosecutions are rare, which is why Hollywood and Washington wants tougher laws and better enforcements.
MICHAEL ELLIS, MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION: The criminal threshold to bring a criminal case are far too high, so people are not being prosecuted through a criminal process.
VAUSE: But for now, the pirates of China seem free to sell, and in the process costing U.S. business more than $2 billion a year.
John Vause, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: In the U.S., under arrest when immigration issues come home to roost in your neighborhood. A closer look ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Trouble with special treatment? Should the 15 freed British troops be allowed to sell their stories?
That's coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hey, welcome back, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Good to see you, lady. Good to see you.
COLLINS: Just lovely to be here...
HARRIS: Well now...
COLLINS: ... off the beaches of Florida.
HARRIS: To be back in the NEWSROOM?
COLLINS: Absolutely.
HARRIS: All right.
COLLINS: Good morning to you, everybody. Want to get straight to the news this morning.
Of course, Iran announcing this morning another bold step toward becoming a nuclear power. Just minutes ago, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad applauded Iran's announcement it has begun industrial- scale production of enriched uranium.
A live shot there.
Enriched uranium is the fuel necessary, of course, for operating nuclear reactors. This latest step comes despite U.N.-imposed sanctions on Iran.
The U.S. and its allies fear Iran is moving toward building nuclear weapons. President Ahmadinejad says Iran has "an undeniable right to nuclear energy." The U.N. Security Council has set a new deadline of late May for Iran to suspend its enrichment program.
HARRIS: The fall of Baghdad four years later. Stepped-up security is in place as that milestone is marked today in the Iraqi capital.
And south of Baghdad, a big anti-American demonstration in the holy city of Najaf. The protest called for by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. He is now calling for his followers to stop killing Iraqi forces and focus instead on driving U.S. troops out of Iraq. So far, no word of any violence during today's demonstration.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: On this fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, a battle in Washington being fought in the media. President Bush vowing not to allow a timetable tied to war funding. Here now is CNN's Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two presidents named Bush posing with a female sergeant at Ft. Hood in Texas.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a rose between two thorns.
HENRY: The current president was joined by his family for Easter Sunday services with troops at the army base.
BUSH: I had a chance to reflect on the great sacrifice that our military and their families are making. I prayed for their safety. I prayed for their strength and comfort and I prayed for peace.
HENRY: A far more diplomatic version of the blunt attack in Saturday's radio address, accusing Democrats of jeopardizing the safety of troops by stalling the war funding bill with provisions calling for withdrawal.
BUSH: This emergency war spending bill is not a political statement. It is a source of critical funding that has a direct impact on their daily lives. HENRY: The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee insisted Democrats will not cut off funding for the war but will continue to try and find levers to force the president's hand.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D) ARMED SERVICE CHMN: We're going to fund the troops. That's not going to be the issue. The question is how can we put pressure on the president to put pressure on the Iraqi leaders to reach a political settlement.
HENRY: But that contradicts the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has now signed on to legislation that would cut off most funding for the war next year.
SEN. HARRY REID (D) MAJORITY LEADER: I do not believe there should be a single drop of American blood, additional blood, shed in Iraq.
HENRY: The maneuvering is drawing fire from independent Democrat Joe Lieberman who wants General David Petraeus to get a chance to succeed.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D) CONNECTICUT: This is particularly wrong to call for a withdrawal now as the new plan under the new general with new troops is beginning to show encouraging signs.
HENRY: The president, meanwhile, has problems in his own party. Some of his supporters in the funding fight are growing weary about a lack of progress in Iraq.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R) PENNSYLVANIA: Congress is not in the position to micromanage the war, but we do not have any good alternative. Right now, you can't see the end of the tunnel let alone the light at the end of the tunnel.
HENRY: The president is playing hardball, charging that if he doesn't get the money soon, the army will have to cut back funding for critical equipment and training needs. The Democrats insist there's enough money to last at least until July. The only thing that's certain is that the clock is ticking and neither side wants to give in. Ed Henry, CNN, with the president in Crawford, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And President Bush on the road and soon on the border. He is on his way to Arizona to rally support for his immigration reform plan. Serving as the backdrop, the controversial border fence that stretches across 125 miles of Arizona and California and separates the U.S. from Mexico. But an even deeper division is entrenched in Washington. The White House is trying to rally votes on what the president calls comprehensive reforms. The proposals include tougher security measures bus leniency for illegal workers already in the United States. Ironically, President Bush is more likely to win congressional support from Democrats than his fellow Republicans.
COLLINS: The immigration issue more than a political football in border states like Arizona. In fact, it's a problem that can lurk right next door in secrecy and in squalor. We get the details from reporter Adele Nelson (ph). She's with CNN affiliate KPHO in Phoenix.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KUMARI GUMMADI, NEIGHBOR: I was completely shocked.
ADELE NELSON, KPHO CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After Easter dinner at a relative's home, Kumari Gummadi and her family arrived to find police cars camped out next door.
GUMMADI: It was vacant for less than a week and then the next thing we know, this.
NELSON: Our camera is the only one there to capture police and ICE agents lead the suspected illegal immigrants out of the house near 83rd Avenue and Thomas. About 40 men, women, and children. The conditions inside described as barren, just bottles of water and potato chips. Police, along with immigration will now investigate if there are child endangerment or neglect issues, but they first have to get the people to trust them.
LT. JOHN WHITE, PHOENIX POLICE: They have to realize that, OK, you're here illegally, we understand that, but you are a victim. You are a victim of a kidnapping. You're a victim of an abuse and we're going to show you the same respect.
NELSON: Police think they were probably smuggled here and we found that these drop houses are popping up more and more.
WHITE: I've been doing this for 21 years and it is very prevalent.
NELSON: Just last Thursday, they discovered another one after reports of gunshots. More than 50 suspected illegal immigrants were sent running from a house near 91st Avenue and Thomas.
GUMMADI: Well, it's happening everywhere, so it's all over this state. I feel sorry for the people because they just want to come here and have a better life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Over the last several days, Phoenix police have found more than 100 suspected illegal immigrants. They've all been stashed at these called drop houses used by smugglers.
HARRIS: Spring surprise to tell you about. Record-setting lows, putting the deep freeze on Easter weekend to be sure. In Ohio, more than a foot of snow fell in some places and just forget about opening- day baseball in Cleveland, Ohio. Forget about Jacobs Field. The entire weekend was snowed out. The cold snow also threatening produce farmers in South Carolina. Some of the peach trees looked pretty icy. One of the state's biggest growers says he lost at least 5 percent of his crop strawberry and apple crops also taking a hit.
COLLINS: Makes it expensive at the grocery store, doesn't it? Hey there, Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure can, although it depends on how much they got on those things. The ice actually gives off warmth, not heat, but some warmth, the latent heat of fusion there. That latest heat is actually put into the orange itself or any fruit actually it's spread onto and it creates a little insulating blanket and it keeps the cold off of there so maybe they were able to save some of that there.
Other than that, we have snow coming down in Buffalo, a light snow. This is really the last of the cold days. It gets better from here, but some of the long-range models for next week. The same type of thing is going to happen here with this big cold outbreak next week. So if you're thinking about going and replanting those plants that died or going out and planting some for the first time, don't do it because it's going to get cold again.
Painesdale, Michigan, 64 1/2 inches of snow and from Chardon, Ohio, almost three feet. Cold air though yesterday in the south from Nashville through Augusta, Augusta was 26 in the morning. That's why those azaleas look so bad. (INAUDIBLE) yesterday at the Masters. They were beautiful on Friday, Thursday and Friday and they got frozen and they really just wilted on the vine there or on the bush. Sioux City, Iowa, 14, Kansas City, 20 and Islip, New York yesterday was 26. A couple of live shots this morning from places that are not doing so well, airport or driving-wise. There you go, Cocoa Beach, not a huge rush hour in Cocoa Beach WFTV, our affiliate there, there are some showers through Orlando, Lake Mary and right up into Lady Lake and the villages as well this morning and then on up toward Atlanta, Georgia, WSB looking downtown.
The ceiling is still pretty well, which mean that we're not seeing clouds to the top of those buildings which means the airport is at least at this point is still doing OK. Plenty of time for the pilots to see the runway as they break through the cloud cover and get down to the ground.
Cool across the northeast, call it cold, but whatever, by this afternoon it will be 50. That's really just cool, tomorrow, another one. We warm up though for the middle of the weekend. Friday and Saturday, Atlanta will be back into the 70s, maybe to around 80 degrees, and by Monday and Tuesday morning, New York City could be 20 again as the cold air rushes back down in the same place that it was over the weekend.
COLLINS: I just like to keep showing the live shot of the traffic at Cocoa Beach.
MYERS: Yeah, yeah. We can go back to that because I could be the traffic reporter in Cocoa Beach.
COLLINS: I know.
MYERS: And there goes a blue pacer going down the street and it turns left. OK.
COLLINS: I like it. MYERS: There's still a Pacer running out there.
COLLINS: All right Chad, thank you.
HARRIS: What do you say we take everyone to the New York Stock Exchange this morning, traders getting back to work today. The good people there at Broadridge Financial Solutions ringing the bell. Thursday's close, all right, the Dow closed down 30 points so Thursday, markets were closed of course on Friday for Good Friday observances. Business headline of the day, the last couple of weeks, really gas prices continue to jump, 18 cents over the last couple of weeks. Prices are now up more than 60 cents since late January due to refinery outages. Gotcha. We'll check all of the day's business headlines with Susan Lisovicz coming up right in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And as you just heard, those gas prices just keep getting higher and higher. Refineries, OPEC or drivers? Who's to blame? We're finally going to figure it out apparently right here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Running naked through the neighborhood. Streakers caught in the act. Hello, a mother fights back. Details in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, in case you hadn't noticed, gasoline prices still rising, some already looking for a repeat of last year. The national average price for self-serve regular unleaded is $2.79 a gallon. That is up more than 18 cents in just the past two weeks and 60 cents over, well, what, less than three months? Around the country, prices range from a low of $2.54 a gallon in Charleston, South Carolina to the highest price, $3.30 in San Francisco. Lundberg survey points to rising demand, OPEC production cuts and da, da, da, da. We can't do much about that stuff, but what we can do to get the most out of every drop of gasoline, let's get some advice on that. Lauren Fix is with us. She is with Car Care Council. What's the name of your radio show? Where can we find it Lauren?
LAUREN FIX, CAR CARE COUNCIL: We're on the talk to DIY network and its talk to DIY automotive and welfare on Saturday mornings.
HARRIS: Beautiful.
FIX: The car care counsel is here to help us. That's our job.
HARRIS: Well, let's get some help from some folks. OK, the summer driving season really begins what May, June, the kids out of school. What are your thoughts? Where's gas prices going?
FIX: They're going to go up higher before they drop off. There's a lot of things we can do to be car care aware to do the little things that some of them actually cost nothing to help improve fuel economy.
HARRIS: OK. Give us some examples, please.
FIX: The first thing is, believe it or not, tighten down your gas cap. Last year 147 million gallons of gas evaporated because of a broken or just no gas cap at all. The extra clicks really do make a difference. That's free, of course.
HARRIS: OK. That's great, didn't know that.
FIX: Check your tire pressure once a month using the number that's inside your driver's door on that door placard. Never use the number that's on the tire because that tire could fit 12 different vehicles. And of course that wouldn't make sense to do that. So get what's right for your car. And those basic car care things like, change your air filter can improve your fuel economy three to four miles per gallon. Filters are as low as $4 and go all the way up into the $20 range. You know what, you're going to make up that money by improving your fuel economy. Every six months, replace it.
And then you can do that basic things like spark plugs need to be replaced, change your oils, use synthetic oils. All those basic things need to be done. You have a check engine light, don't keep driving it. Get the car fixed. Find an ACE certified technician and get that stuff fixed. And the Car Care Council (INAUDIBLE) to the whole month of April, all around the country and they're also offering a free car care guide on their web site. There's no advertising, just trying to help everybody on the road.
HARRIS: Lauren, how much per gallon before folks really start to make some real changes in their driving habits, patterns, and really start to take to heart some of those tips?
FIX: Well, honestly I'm going to say around $4 a gallon.
HARRIS: $4 a gallon?
FIX: Yeah. Some people start to say, you know what, maybe I should get a hybrid car. Maybe I'll drive less. Maybe we can car pool or maybe I won't get in my car and go around the corner to get a cup of coffee. I'll walk it or just forget about it.
HARRIS: You mean, so between now and us peaking at somewhere around $4 a gallon in your analysis, we will still continue just to go to the pump and fill up and not make these real substantial changes and not consider changing the kind of vehicles that we're driving?
FIX: I think we will make a change if your car is due for it's up on lease or it's time to get a new vehicle, you might consider, (INAUDIBLE) an SUV this time, maybe we'll look at a hybrid vehicle or if you don't live in an area where that makes sense, maybe look for something that gets better fuel economy. Those are things that people are starting to do. Instead of using premium gas, what's recommended for their car, they might use a lower-grade gas. You should always use what's appropriate for your vehicle. Again, if you take care of your car, you'll get the most out of your miles percent gallon.
HARRIS: Hey, Lauren, you were at that big auto show in New York last week. Did you see any game changers there?
FIX: Oh, yeah. I actually had an opportunity to drive the only drivable concept car that was there. It was a hydrogen fuel cell car. Obviously, as you've been talking about, they're funded partially by the U.S. government, so Ford actually put together this Escape. We drove it. It goes 25 miles on electricity, 200 miles on hydrogen and after speaking with the engineer, we don't know when it will go into production, but my guess is within the next two or three years. That's just a guesstimation, but I'll tell you what, I was extremely impressed. It had pickup. It had torque. It was all-wheel drive. It had everything you could possibly want.
HARRIS: What's the price point on that vehicle? Do we know that yet?
FIX: There is no price point. It was a concept. But there was a lot of hybrids out there.
HARRIS: So, no one's talking about what that might come in at yet.
FIX: No, not even close. They've only got two vehicles produced and they've got a whole fleet of other hybrid cars that are being used by taxicab services. And they're saying the taxicab drivers are saving $6,000 a year and I say no, they're making $6,000 a year that they don't have to spend out of their pocket.
HARRIS: So national car care month, take care of your car and it's more than just sort of getting it washed and detailed right.
FIX: Absolutely, because you got to remember, the engine is the heart of your car. And if you've got something wrong with it, your tires are worn, take care of it because nine out of 10 cars on the road have something wrong with them.
HARRIS: Lauren, thanks, great to talk to you again, thanks for your time this morning.
FIX: Thank you.
COLLINS: Authorities in Houston say a nurse has confessed to starting a fatal fire. Misty Ann Weaver (ph) is charged with arson and three counts of murder. She's accused of starting a fire that killed three people in her office building last month. An arson investigator says Weaver was trying to protect her job with a plastic surgeon.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was concerned if they audited the doctor that she would lose her job. And I don't think she could even perceive the destruction here or what was going to happen.
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COLLINS: Weaver is due in court tomorrow morning. The March 28th fire spread through the fifth floor of a six-story building near a busy highway. In addition to the deaths, the fire injured three people. HARRIS: Outrage over Don Imus, the longtime radio host apologizing for racial remarks. Is it too little, too late? That's story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Trouble with special treatment, should the 15 freed British troops be allowed to sell their story? We'll talk about that ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon Eastern, but did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod? Isn't that comforting to know that? The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod.
HARRIS: We hope so. Backlash in Britain to tell you about, some now criticizing those freed British sailors and Marines unhappy with their special treatment. CNN's Matthew Chance has the story.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These latest images of the British sailors and Marines are only fuelling controversy. Broadcast on Iranian television they show the captured Britons together and relaxed, playing ping-pong and laughing. It's clearly meant to contrast with their own accounts of rough treatment in Iranian hands. But now, revelations that are being allowed by the British defense ministry to profit from their experience by giving media interviews, usually strictly banned.
BOB STEWART, FMR. BRITISH ARMY COMMANDER: It really does compare very badly against the six people that have died in the last week, against the Royal Marines who currently are fighting a very serious battle in Helman (ph) province in Afghanistan and because quite frankly, vast sections of the armed forces feel it's not fair.
CHANCE: There's been a strong reaction, too, from families of British service personnel who died in combat, fathers like Mike Aston, whose son, Russell, was killed in Iraq four years ago.
MIKE ASTON, FATHER OF CPL. RUSSSELL ASTON: I know how I felt three years, 10 months after the event watching the rejoicing. I couldn't watch it for a second time, very upsetting. And now to find out that they can sell their story, it's tacky and sordid.
CHANCE: And it may be lucrative. Faye Turney, the only woman captive singled by the Iranians, is reported to have agreed a six- figure sum for her story. Not everyone thinks that's necessarily bad, especially if it's shared with the other former captives.
PHIL HALL, PUBLIC RELATIONS EXEC: She's going to suffer for years to come I suspect because they were talking about at one time they thought they were going to be shot. They're going to have to live through those nightmares. And I think if it means it buys them a holiday for her and her family, I have no problem with that. CHANCE: The British defense ministry says it's allowing the interviews because of the exceptional media interest in the event. But the fact that those embroiled in a less than glorious episode for the British military should get special treatment, has riled the many whose tales of heroism in combat may never be told. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
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COLLINS: An anti-American rally in Iraq's holy city of Najaf, as protesters march in Baghdad. It marks the fourth anniversary of its fall to coalition troops. The latest in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: Today could be a turning point for radio personality Don Imus under attack for controversial race-based comments. He meets today on air with one of his biggest critics, the Reverend Al Sharpton. CNN's Jim Acosta explains.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a restrained form of protest on Easter Sunday as Rutgers women's basketball coach Vivian Stringer (ph) sat in church and let her pastor make the case for talk radio host Don Imus to step down.
DEFOREST B. SOARIES, JR., FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF LINCOLN GARDENS: We intend to at the very least demand the resignation or termination of Mr. Imus.
ACOSTA: That followed louder criticism from the Reverend Al Sharpton who warned of continuing protests outside the broadcaster's studios.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: If he stands down, (INAUDIBLE) we will leave this rally and we will head down to that station and we will picket that station and we will picket that station as long as Don Imus is on that station.
ACOSTA: Imus ignited the fire storm that now threatens his 40- year career last week when he and his executive producer ripped into the Rutgers women's basketball team.
DON IMUS, FROM MSNBC: That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that.
ACOSTA: It took two days for Imus to apologize.
IMUS, FROM MSNBC APRIL 6: Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid. We're sorry.
CLARENCE PAGE, CHICAGO TRIBUNE: I'm just disappointed.
ACOSTA: Columnist Clarence Page was understandably disappointed. Six years ago, he had asked Imus to stop making racist humor a part of his program.
PAGE: I had him hold up his hand and take a pledge like in AA or 12 step program and he went along with it. Unfortunately, as we can see now he has fallen off the wagon, which I think is unfortunate.
ACOSTA: If Imus survives, the big question is whether his show can still draw political heavyweights such as presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Barack Obama and John McCain, who is a frequent guest.
PAGE: I think that any candidate who goes on his show now has to answer for it, just like if they belong to a country club that discriminates.
ACOSTA: CNN tried to contact several of the major presidential candidates over the weekend. So far, only one no comment from Mitt Romney's camp. Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: How about this, college kids suspected of misbehaving in the neighborhood. What's a mother to do? Well, set up a surveillance camera of course and just look at what she caught on this Columbia, South Carolina street. Look closely, closely, closely, there you go, two guys streaking past her house, fully illuminated by the lights of a truck following closely behind.
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KERRY FLAKE, INSTALLED SURVEILLANCE CAMERA: Being a female having to witness something like that, I mean, it's just not something you want to see.
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HARRIS: Kerry Flake says things have just gotten out of control in her once-quiet neighborhood since the college kids moved in. So she installed surveillance cameras on here house and has called the cops a few times too.
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