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President Bush holds last news conference; President says it's up to the president-elect and Congress regarding remaining TARP funds; Salmonella outbreak continues

Aired January 12, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... there's an awareness in the briefings by the analyst to kind of help anticipate problems. And of course, you hope they don't arise, but you better be prepared when they do. And that in itself creates - gets your attention when you start thinking about what could happen.
And the key there, of course, is that to take these, you know, these different analyses seriously and then have a structure so that your team will be in a position to analyze and then lay out potential avenues for the president from which the president can choose.

I say all that because this has been this notion about being briefed and thinking about this issue or that issue has been just, you know, part of my life for eight years. People say well, there you are in Crawford on vacation. You never escape the presidency, it travels with you everywhere you go. And there's not a moment where you don't think about being president. Unless you're riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can trying to forget for the moment.

And so I wake up in Crawford Tuesday morning - I mean Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and, you know, go get it for her. And it's going to be a different feeling and it's going to be like I'll report back after I feel it.

Last question, since you've been there since day one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. I wanted to ask you about day one. You arrived here wanting to be a uniter not a divider. Do you think Barack Obama can be a uniter not a divider? Or is with the challenges for any president and the unpopular decisions, is it impossible for any president to be a uniter not a divider?

BUSH: I hope the tone is different for him than it has been for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C.. I try to do my part by not engaging in the name calling and by the way, needless name calling. I work to be respectful of my opponents on different issues.

We did find some good common ground on a variety of issues. No child left behind, Medicare prescription drugs, Petfar, and in the end, the funding for troops in Iraq. Tax cuts to a certain extent, got some bipartisan votes on. There had been areas we were able to work together. It's just the rhetoric got out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why? BUSH: I don't know why. You need to ask those who use the words they used. As I say, it's not the first time it's ever happened. I think I answered that to Jim there. It's happened throughout our history. And I would hope that frankly for the sake of the system itself that people disagree with President-elect Obama they treat him with respect.

You know, I worry about people looking at our system saying why would I want to go up there and you know work in that kind of environment? And so I wish him all the best. And no question he'll be - there will be critics. And there should be. We all should welcome criticism on different policies. It's a great thing about our democracy, people have a chance to express themselves.

I just hope the tone is respectful. He deserves it, and so does the country. It has been an honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your families all the best. God bless you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there you have it. President Bush's final press conference. There in front of the White House press corps. He started off the whole thing sharing a few memories that he has had with him over the past eight years, certainly and many, many other topics that he addressed.

Boy, everything from the Middle East to North Korea to the TARP package, of course, and I can't even think of everything he said quite frankly. Very informative news conference, pretty candid, as well. In fact, as the country prepares for a change in leaders, you just saw President Bush reflecting on his past eight years and the challenges facing his successor now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I have talked to the president-elect about this subject. And I told him that if he felt that he needed the $350 billion, I would be willing to ask for it. In other words, if he felt that it needed to happen on my watch. The best course of action, of course, is to convince enough members of the Senate to vote positively for the request. And you know, that's all I can share with you because that's all I know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he hasn't made the request yet?

BUSH: Well he didn't asked me to make the request yet, and I don't intend to make the request unless he specifically asks me to make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Pretty interesting information there as you recall I was talking about the TARP fund of $350 billion that is left in that package. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was in the room. The president had a little bit of fun with you, Suzanne. We'll get to that in a minute. But yes this was a pretty big headline here we thought. That he says he has not been asked by President-elect Barack Obama to get the necessary paperwork and sort of the ball rolling for this remaining $350 billion.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, that's actually something that they're still discussing. Obama's team still reaching out to Senate democrats to make sure that they're all on board first and of course to look out for the republicans, as well. We're going to be seeing in the next couple of days, and we expect that President Bush is probably going to ask for that money.

There's still a lot of back channels and discussions that have to happen to make sure that the democrats are on board. And I think that's when you'll see a Team Obama really look forward to that money and for President Bush to act to make a move on that. I have to say, Heidi, this really was kind of an extraordinary press conference. You saw at times a defiant President Bush, ultimately reflected in some ways.

He said there were some days happy, some days unhappy, but always joyous. He had warnings for Barack Obama. He said sometimes your so- called friends who will disappoint you the most. And he was quite reflective. We did hear some things that we hadn't heard before, some admissions in terms of his administration's dealings with certain things.

We know that he regretted the mission accomplished banner on the aircraft carrier saying it sent the wrong message that the war was over. But we heard some new details about how he had some regrets that Air Force One flew over Baton Rouge, New Orleans at that critical time during Katrina. But you also heard him defiant saying there were many people that were pulled out of the water.

He was most defiant, however, when he talked about what he believes are the threats, potential threats against the United States. He said, again, Barack Obama, you could almost see him becoming emotional that this is something the future president is going to have to deal with, that he is going to have to face.

He was unapologetic about saying that he felt that the United States had lost any kind of moral standing in the world. And he took us back to the time of September 11th in a very emotional and strident way, said remember those days, remember those times. Those press conferences when he faced a tough question, the administration faced tough questions after September 11th. Why didn't you, perhaps, see this coming? And putting the dots together? At one time you felt like the message was, well, I can't win either way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining us from Ford operating base in -

COLLINS: Forgive us there, we had a little interruption in our transmission. I'm not sure if you can still hear me, Suzanne. Please finish what you were saying.

MALVEAUX: You know, what was interesting, he took us back right after September 11th and he essentially said remember those times when he had those tough questions, why didn't you actually put the dots together? It was almost as if you can't win either way, connect the dots, don't connect the dots. But at the same time, he also said that self-pity was pathetic and it wasn't something he was going to engage in.

It was a very interesting look at President Bush really kind of grappling with all of these different things, the successes as well as the failures. Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. No question about that and I think Suzanne there might be some people out there saying they enjoy this president being this candid and taking the time to talk about things on a very honest level.

I was kind of struck by when he was talking about the tone in Washington, D.C. and how he had been disappointed by it. Kind of interesting on these very last few days where he may feel like he can say some things he hasn't been able to say before.

MALVEAUX: This is certainly the most reflective, the most open he has been about some of the failures of his administration. He said when asked the last question why this didn't work out as a uniter, he had talked about that being his main goal and really Washington politics, the country's very much still divided, looking for a message of unity here.

He said, well, he kind of put it on others. Blamed it on others. The rhetoric got out of control. But he also took some credit, some blame, and said that, you know, he could have changed his own rhetoric at times. So you get a sense here that he is looking at his legacy, that he's trying to come to terms with some of the things he did, his role in all of this, as well, Heidi.

COLLINS: No question about it. Suzanne, just in case, people didn't see him making fun - not really making fun of your name. I really think he thought your name was Suzanne for a long, long time, right?

MALVEAUX: It took a long time to get to a point where he pronounced my name correctly and it was funny because his press office would always remind him right before the press conferences. It's Suzanne, Suzanne. And I remember the first time when he first actually corrected himself at the podium. So it was very funny. It was actually funny that after six years, yes, we got it right.

COLLINS: Well, good for him. And he called himself George. Excellent.

MALVEAUX: My family would be happy.

COLLINS: Yes, I know they will.

All right. Suzanne Malveaux, sure do appreciate that on the president's last press conference today. Back now to the financial bailout. You heard the president talking about it. Congressional leaders say they want better oversight now before they release the rest of that money. CNN's Christine Romans is in New York with more on the money trail. I want to talk a little bit Suzanne before we get to some of the comments of the president there. Who has already benefited from this first chunk of that money?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting because the president was asked in this press conference, would he like to see better oversight of the next $350 billion? And he says I want to see whatever the president-elect and his Congress want to see. It's up to them. You know and they need to work something out that if they think there needs to be better oversight, then president that he was all for it.

We've already allocated more than half of that $700 billion. You know, we've already spent $250 billion for the banks, $40 billion to AIG, the auto industry, including GMAC up to $23 more billion, $20 billion for consumer lending, and $25 billion to Citigroup. All of that adds up to more than $350 billion. So that would suggest that someone soon here is going to have to go and ask Congress for the rest of that money or to tap the rest of that money and Congress then, of course, has 15 days when they can say no way.

So some very interesting verbage there from the president. He said that he's talked to Obama about the next trench of money, but Obama hasn't specifically asked for it yet. He will go ask for it if the president-elect says he needs it, but that hasn't technically happened yet. You heard Suzanne talk about the back channel discussions going on about how to best make that happen.

But I will point out that they've already in terms of what's been promised between Congress and this administration, they've already passed that $350 billion mark. So somebody is going to have to ask for that money here pretty soon.

COLLINS: What's the hold up?

ROMANS: Well, the hold up is that frankly the first half has to be approved by Congress and was, and there is this feeling that without more oversight or without more discussion, there could be trouble in Congress tapping the rest of that money because constituents, they can't see on the surface exactly what that first chunk of money has actually achieved.

The president there saying that it helped stave off complete unraveling of the American financial system. And so it was working, it is working, and that you're seeing the financial system start to thaw. I mean he is saying that it is working. And you know, I will say that we're looking at mortgage rates now, Heidi, that are at an all time low, just above five percent and you're seeing refinancing activity.

People who are refinancing are getting more money in their pocket. Some of the medicine that has been taken, it has been working and the president's right about that.

COLLINS: All right. Well, we continue to follow all of this. Even though that was the last press conference for President George Bush today. Thank you so much, Christine Romans. Appreciate that.

Meanwhile, also more ceasefire talk in the Middle East, yet the fighting goes on. The very latest live from the Israel-Gaza border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Snow plows working overtime in Massachusetts and other parts of the northeast after a weekend snowstorm. Some areas got up to nine inches of snow, which obviously can make roads a mess and driving pretty treacherous out there.

And a landslide is a problem in Washington state. A mountain neighborhood of about 200 people has actually been cut off. The slide is blocking a road which connects the residence with a highway and pretty much the rest of the world. Emergency management officials are coordinating efforts now to safely clear up that mess.

And Rob Marciano is standing by in the Severe Weather Center to tell us a little bit more about this. Yes, sounds like a snowstorm when you're talking about nine inches. My goodness.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we've got problems on the East Coast from the weekend as you pointed out. On the northwest for the weekend, as well. Those two coasts are going to kind of chill out for a little bit and calm down although it will be cold, it should be dry for the most part across the east.

This system is going to be the leading edge of a couple of punches of really cold air. I mea, we're setting records in Alaska last week. And now this Arctic invasion is going to make its inroads down into the mid-south, down to the deep south, as a matter of fact, and then drive its way all the way to the East Coast behind this system, which will bring in some cases blizzard conditions. So subzero temps certainly a good possibility.

At the very least, that will be the case during the overnight hours and in some cases, you'll be lucky to get that for a daytime high. Leading edge of the cold air, at least the first shot of the cold air is in the form of snow. Minneapolis will see a little bit of snow with this. Blizzard warnings are posted for a good chunk of the northern tier, with windy conditions. Not so much for heavy snow, but the cold, the wind, and the visibilities that will be very, very low.

Blizzard watch in effect for Chicago tonight, two to five inches. Again, not a whole lot of snow, but it will be blowing around and it will be overall just nasty. Take a look at the live shot. There you go. CLTV, we don't often get that shot. We appreciate that. Normally it's from our CNN bureau. So when we get our affiliate to give us that picture postcard of the snow on the ground and the skyline there in the background, we'll take it. It's only going to get colder for you, folks. Here's your five day forecast for Chicago, 11 Tuesday, 20 on Wednesday, so you warm up and then 6 on Thursday. So you can see the latter half of the week or the end of the week, actually, is when that second surge of cold air comes in, not only for Chicago, but for a lot of folks.

All right. Atlanta, 25-minute delays. It's good news. That only spot that we're seeing travel delays today or at least right now. Denver, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Chicago could see some delays as we go on through time. 12 and currently in Chicago. 26 in New York. So cold, yes, but really more seasonably cold right now. It'll be nasty cold, I think beginning tomorrow and then Thursday and Friday.

Here's tomorrow's forecast weather map, Heidi, with some snow, not a whole lot of rain. Got to go down to Florida where it'll be nice to see some sunshine and warm temperatures. But I suppose 60 or 70 degrees with a little bit of rain will be better than 6 for a daytime high.

COLLINS: I know. It was treacherous here and it was nowhere near 6. Well what was it when we came in? Like 36.

MARCIANO: This morning - that's you know, mall potatoes compared to what's coming this weekend.

COLLINS: I know. Super. All right, Rob, thanks so much.

MARCIANO: All right.

COLLINS: We'll gear up.

More explosions, amid word of progress to end the fighting. The "Associated Press" reports the framework for a ceasefire is in place. It quotes United Nations special mideast envoy Tony Blair who is in the region. CNN has not confirmed, but at this hour Israel does continue pounding Hamas targets in Gaza.

Dozens of homes and mosques in Gaza City are said to be rigged with explosives. The Palestinians report more than 900 people killed since the Israeli offensive began. Among the Israeli dead are 10 soldiers.

Earlier today Israel halted its attacks to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. CNN's Paula Hancocks is monitoring those developments just over the border in Israel now. So Paula, what have you been able to notice today so far?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, that lull was actually more of a lull it has been since Israel decided to call this three-hour ceasefire to let humanitarian aid in. There were a couple of explosions, but nothing like we have seen in the past. And actually today does appear to be slightly quieter than what we have seen recently.

In other words, one quite heavy gunfights just in the northeastern part of Gaza. We understand there were heavy fire fights on the outskirts of Gaza City, as well. This to be expected as the Israeli troops edge closer into the more populated area.

And certainly if they want to find every single rocket and stop every single rocket launch, then they have to go into these more populated areas because this is where the militants have pulled back to.

Now the Israeli defense forces say they've hit at least 25 targets today, including rocket launching pads, the areas, the rocket launching teams, and also, they say they came under fire from the vicinity of a mosque, from Hamas militants. When they went inside the mosque, they found a huge weapons cache. So they took care of that, as well.

And also, those tunnels, they are still bombing the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, which they believe Hamas is using to rearm. But the humanitarian situation still a huge worry for everyone. At least 3,800 people have been injured now and at least 400 of those according to Palestinian medical sources are in critical condition. Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, clearly still a developing story there that we'll keep a very close watch on. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much live from the Israel-Gaza border there.

House officials, we're going to get closer to what's behind a Salmonella outbreak.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The search for clues in the recent Salmonella outbreak, CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now with a little bit more on this. Because we have been talking about it for a few days here. What more have you learned?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has been a while. And what I've learned is there has now been a recall of peanut butter from a certain distributor. The distributor is called "King Nut." They distribute to nursing homes and schools and restaurants and places like that. And they have now recalled their product because it has been possibly linked to nearly 400 illnesses and one death.

Let's take a look at where those illnesses and deaths are. It's in 42 states. Here's some of the top cases. California you'll see has 52 cases of Salmonella illnesses, Michigan 20, Minnesota 30, Massachusetts 39, Ohio 53. Now, Heidi, I want to stress here that not all of these cases, all these Salmonella cases are necessarily from that peanut better from King Nut.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: That's not known for sure, but that's the outbreak that we've been looking at since October. And again, one death in Minnesota. And for more details, cnn.com has many more details about what's going on with this outbreak. COLLINS: Yes, because it's important to keep it all in perspective, too. I mean, we're talking about this. What can consumers do, though? I mean do we stay away from peanut butter now? No, not really --

COHEN: Not necessarily at all. You don't have to worry about buying the stuff at the store. King Nut does not sell directly to the consumer.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: They only sell to institutions. Now if grandma's in a nursing home or your child's in day care or you go to a restaurant and get peanut butter and you're worried. You can just ask hey did this come from a distributor called King Nut? I mean, you can always ask the question if you are concerned.

COLLINS: What about the symptoms. Remind us just in case people are you know learning more and more about it right now because they've been hearing about this over the last few days.

COHEN: Yes, the symptoms are really kind of similar to stomach flu. It's nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains and diarrhea. Now the very old and the very young can get extremely ill. It looks like a really terrible case of the of the stomach flu. So it's really important to get medical help if someone is sick like this.

COLLINS: What do you do? Just go and get tested?

COHEN: They can go and they can definitely test whether this is just a run of the mill stomach flu or whether it is this particular kind of Salmonella.

COLLINS: OK. Well, keep us posted.

COHEN: OK.

COLLINS: That's for sure.

Thanks so much. Elizabeth Cohen today.

Accused swindler may find his address changing today. A judge could tell Bernard Madoff and go directly to jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The final press conference at the White House for the commander-in-chief. The president again reported his stories of his eight-year presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The one thing about the presidency is that you can only make decisions, you know, on the information at hand. You don't - you don't get to have information after you've made the decision. It's not the way it works. And you standby your decisions and you do your best to explain why you made the decisions you made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The president did admit to making some mistakes while in office. When reporters asked him what his plans are after leaving office, he said, he's bowing off the stage because he believes only one person should get all of that attention in the spotlight.

The incoming administration working on plans to spend your money. We're talking about the so-called TARP bailout fund. So here's where we stand at this point. President Bush says he is willing to authorize the release of the remaining $350 billion if President-elect Obama asks him.

Congress would have to give its OK, of course, and then the money would be available 15 days later as Barack Obama begins his term as president. Members of Mr. Obama's team met privately with Senate Democrats yesterday about how best to spend that money.

It is that time of year when companies hand in their quarterly report cards, but the expectations are low. And weak earnings could spell further trouble for American workers.

Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange now with more details on this.

Hi there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi, and you know, last week we started hearing from some companies. They knew that the fourth quarter would be bad, but guess what? Even worse than they expected.

Among those companies warning that that would be the case, Macy's, Walmart, Time Warner, the parent company of this network, and Alcoa, the big aluminum maker, which reports quarterly earnings after the closing bell today. Traditionally the first of the Dow Industrials to report.

The street is expecting a loss. Why is that? Well, for among other reasons, commodity prices have plunged and Alcoa last week, remember, said it would slash 13 percent of its workforce.

Other things affecting corporate earnings. Well, obviously consumer spending has fallen off a cliff and the housing market remains a mess. And exports, which had been a resilient part of the U.S. economy, well, demands for them has waned because there is now a global recession. Alcoa shares right now down 9 percent, tied with Citigroup as the worst of the Dow 30 stocks.

Fortunately, stocks haven't fallen off a cliff the start of the trading week. Although, they're weaker today. The blue chips are down 57 points. The Nasdaq is down 14, and remember, the Dow fell nearly 5 percent last week. We had some promise for the January effect, Heidi...

COLLINS: I know.

LISOVICZ: ...but as it got a little bit deeper into the month, sentiment changed just a bit.

COLLINS: Everybody's trying to remain optimistic. I mean, these earnings reports are so important to the economy. Just gives everybody sort of an idea about the situation with jobs.

LISOVICZ: That is the bottom line, Heidi. You know, if a company's not doing well because people aren't buying products, you know, they're having problems staying afloat, you know that it affects jobs.

Also, you know, when companies are really having a hard time, they also don't spend; they don't invest. That's more jobs. And finally, it affects the stock price and that's very psychological to consumer spending, as well. You don't feel as wealthy, you're going to cut back, as well.

So, that is why it comes back to the stimulus package President- elect Obama talking about a massive stimulus that would among other things create jobs in health care, alternative energy, green energy, infrastructure, that's why it's of such interest here on Wall Street, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. No doubt about it, all right. CNN's Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: A few words from a Manhattan judge could send Bernard Madoff skidding from the lap of luxury right into a federal jail cell. He is looking to see if Madoff tried to hide some of his wealth by mailing jewels to friends and family.

CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is live now in New York where the disgraced financier could soon learn his fate.

Allan, the story just gets more bizarre every time we seem to do more on it.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, this is absolutely fascinating story. The man accused of running one of the biggest investment frauds in history remains right here in his penthouse apartment. On Manhattan's upper east side all the way on the top, 24 hours surveillance, and he's wearing an electronic monitoring device on his ankle.

But prosecutors say, that's not enough. They want him to go to jail right away. They say that he has violated terms of his $10 million bail.

Violated the bail by number one, trying to give away millions of dollars worth of his own assets. Inside of his office desk, they found about 100 checks written out in the amount of $173 million, checks to friends, family, and employees. On top of that, the effort to mail out jewels that you referred to. From this very apartment, Mr. Madoff and his wife on Christmas Eve mailed out five packages to their sons Andrew and Mark, to his brother Peter, to her sister, Joan.

They sent out diamond jewels, a diamond bracelet, diamond necklace, diamond Cartier watch, diamond Tiffany watch, many other watches, many other jewels, all of it worth well over $1 million.

The prosecutors say that shows clear intent, not only to violate the terms of the bail, but also to hide and dispose of assets that could be used to pay back some of the victims of the alleged fraud.

Now, the defense attorneys for Mr. Madoff say this was innocent, Mr. Madoff did not realize he was not permitted to mail these jewels, and he really was not trying to do anything that he was forbidden from doing.

Heidi --

COLLINS: Interesting. All right, Allan Chernoff, we know you're following this story, keep us posted. OK. Thank you.

COLLINS: The dispute over Barack Obama's Senate seat could be settled today. Roland Burris says his attorneys will be meeting with Senate lawyers.

And CNN's Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill now with the very latest. So, this has been kind of bizarre too. A lot of changes going on.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of changes. A very fluid situation, isn't that what we call it, Heidi?

Well, Democratic sources say it's very likely that Roland Burris or his lawyers will get a decision as to a what happened, whether he's going to be seated.

And of course, as we've been reporting now for some days here on CNN, things really looking up for Roland Burris. His lawyers are going to be here on Capitol Hill, meeting with Senate officials. This is a meeting that's going to take place early this afternoon.

And according to a senior Democratic senator who asked to remain nameless because of the sensitivities around this situation, the senator told my colleague Dana Bash that one of the main avenues Democratic leaders are looking at is seating Roland Burris in a way it's called without prejudice.

And what that would do is it would allow them the chance to revisit their decision of having seated him considering just that the situation around Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is so fluid. You know, if there was some reason they need to revisit it they could.

But the bottom line coming from the senator is that this is really just a mess that Democratic leaders want to get passed. And now at the same time, according to another Senate Democratic source, the details on how Burris is going to be seated still haven't been decided, Heidi.

So you can see, it is, as I said, a fluid situation. We're trying to figure out exactly -- exactly how this is going to proceed. But again, there's this meeting this afternoon. So we're hoping to find more details. And obviously, Roland Burris's, as well.

COLLINS: Yes, no question. It's certainly an interesting post to be at. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much. Coming to us from Capitol Hill this morning.

And in fact, (ph) right now from the Senate Ohio Republican George Voinovich, has just announced his retirement. Voinovich says he won't seek a third term after 2010 but that he will give someone else a chance to serve. Voinovich is the fourth GOP senator announcing he will not run for reelection in 2010.

Rehearsal for the big show. Stand-ins take the spotlight at the inauguration practice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to take a moment to get straight over the weather center, becuase it is not very pretty out there. In my producer's words, cold, cold, it's really cold.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEROLOGIST: What producer is saying that?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has been asked to give a prayer at one of President-elect Barack Obama's first inauguration events in Washington. Robinson is an outspoken, international gay rights leader. The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Robinson and gay rights groups over Obama's decision to have Reverend Rick Warren offer a prayer on inauguration day.

Warren has compared committed gay relationships to incest and polygamy. Robinson, an early Obama supporter, said the choice of Warren left him feeling as if he'd been slapped in the face.

Before the big day, a big rehearsal inauguration practice happening in Washington in preparation for the big day. Stand-ins for the president and other VIPs took their places on the stage and went through the motions. Everything being timed carefully to make sure there's little room for error next Tuesday.

Well, it has been one long tough slog for a marching band. But these band members have overcome obstacles to reach next week's inaugural parade.

CNN's Brooke Baldwin has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH COGDILL, BAND DIRECTOR: So, with that, we start our program. Here we go.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a few years ago, the South Cobb High School Blue Eagle Marching Band was admittedly not too impressive, only 30 members and leadership hard to find.

COGDILL: Five, six, seven, half way. You go one, two...

BALDWIN: Then came Zach Cogdill, a young man with a vision, a dream, and drive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We used to get bad reviews all the time, but since Mr. Cogdill's been here and we've grown so much, the school is actually responding to us.

COGDILL: This was our second competition...

BALDWIN: Now the band has more than 70 members and this year, it hit some high notes winning trophies everywhere they went.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

COGDILL: You know, we, we -- we're proud to have these here, but for me, these are memories about what our kids did.

BALDWIN: But Cogdill and his ensemble had some obstacles to overcome, as well.

COGDILL: In some cases, I have students that had to live with band parent (ph). I know that some of my students they have their utilities cut off for weeks at a time.

But at the end of the day, that student and that parent comes in here and they -- we work to afford them the same opportunity that they're going to have at any other school and they start to see hope.

BALDWIN: The Georgia high school football season is over. The band season marches on. Next appearance, the nation's Capitol, Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

Their musical talents have them marching toward a prestigious performance. The historic 56th presidential inaugural parade.

COGDILL: There will not be yard lines on Pennsylvania Avenue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I swear, he's the only one that believes in us from the beginning, and now he's here, and I think we all owe it to him.

BALDWIN: But, can they afford this rendezvous with history? The road trip and hotel stay won't be cheap. According to the school's principal, the cost $1,000 per band member. Grand total? $70,000.

GRANT RIVERA, SOUTH COBB PRINCIPAL: The very next morning, a band kid walked passed me. She was on her way to her first period class. I grabbed her and I hugged her and said, aren't you excited? And she looked at me, and her expression on her face didn't change one bit. And she said I'm not going. And I said why? She said I can't afford it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They hit the Lottery. They just hit the Lottery.

RIVERA: But thanks to a fundraising effort by local media, she and her band mates can now afford it. Donations quickly started flowing in from local businesses, other schools, even celebrities. Within days, the community raised $110,000. More than enough to participate in this presidential parade.

COGDILL: The story of our band is not just about the D.C. trip. The story of our band is the way in which they've grown. And now the story of our band will be the one in which they give back.

BALDWIN: It seems to me that you're above and beyond teaching music. You are teaching life.

COGDILL: Yes, we're teaching life every day.

BALDWIN: By instilling hope in his students whose lives outside this band room may have seemed hopeless.

COGDILL: So proud.

BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.

COLLINS: I love that story.

The hottest tickets in the country go to Congress today. The joint congressional committee of inaugural ceremonies will begin distributing the coveted tickets to congressional offices at noon. After they get them, the members of Congress will hand them out to their constituents.

CNN's live inauguration coverage kicks off Tuesday morning, January 20th, at 5:00 am Eastern. You can watch it on TV or online, CNN.com and Facebook invite you to share this historic moment with friends and family.

Watch it live on CNN.com, view comments and update your Facebook status all in one place. Be a part of history, go to facebook.com/CNN right now to RSVP.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, you've probably done it -- talk on the phone while driving. Well, a safety group wants to put a total ban on that. The National Safety Council says it's dangerous and leads to fatalities. The group's president says hands-free cell phones are just as risky. No state currently bans all cell-phone use while driving. But six states and the District of Columbia do ban the use of hand-held cell phones behind the wheel. Gas prices are down slightly today, ending 12 straight days of increases, but the overall trend could be up. Stephanie Elam has our "Energy Fix" now from New York. Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good.

STEPHANIE ELAM, BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know, right? We're giving everyone a little bit of fear, Heidi. But here's the latest. Triple-A says the national average for a gallon of regular is $1.79 today, down two-tenths of a cent from yesterday.

But in the past three weeks, gas has jumped nearly 12 cents. That's the first increase we'd seen in six months. Now, in fact, it's back above $2 in three states. Gas prices are reflecting a 40 percent jump in the price of crude oil from late December to early January, due mostly to OPEC production cuts and tension in the Middle East, as well as between Russia and Europe.

Analysts say gas will likely head a bit higher in the next few months, but here's the good news. They don't expect to a return to last summer's record highs, mainly because demand remains sluggish at the hands of the weak economy. So I have many talents, but I am not psychic and I cannot tell you exactly how much you'll be paying.

But I can promise you this: Whatever the price is, it will have nine-tenths of a cent tagged on. And if you're wondering why that is, well, we called the Petroleum Marketers Association to find out. And it says fractional pricing started in the 1930s, when the federal government started taxing gasoline in tenths of a penny.

As time went on, the prices never changed, probably because, well, it's pretty good marketing. After all, Heidi, when you go to the gas station, doesn't it sound a little bit better if it's $1.79-9 rather than $1.80? It sounds a little cheaper, right?

COLLINS: Well, absolutely. so, are gas stations kind of ripping us off a little bit, then?

ELAM: You might think so, but -- that sounds like what it would sound like, right? But industry experts insist that's really just not the case. The National Conference on Weights and Measure says gas pumps always round to the nearest whole cent. That means sometimes it's up, and that means sometimes it's down. So, statistically neither the seller nor the buyer should actually come out ahead.

But we'll have to take that one on faith. Of course, if you need more of a fix, you can head to cnnmoney.com, Heidi, and that's where it all lives. You can get more fixes there.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thanks so much, Stephanie. Appreciate that.

To the next president and your money. Barack Obama's economic team focuses on that financial bailout fund and his stimulus package. We're following all of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has been asked to give a prayer at one of President-elect Barack Obama's first inauguration events in Washington. Robinson is openly gay and an outspoken international gay-rights leader. He's joining us now by telephone from Seattle.

So, Bishop, if you can hear me, tell me a little bit about what you've been asked and what the president-elect's transition team said to you.

GENE ROBINSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE EPISCOPAL BISHOP: Good morning, Heidi. Yes, this is a remarkable and humbling thing to have happen. I've been asked to give the invocation at the opening ceremony for the inaugural week's activities.

The most moving thing about that is that it will be at the Lincoln Memorial, of course, the site of the "I Have a Dream" speech. And being surrounded by Abraham Lincoln's great words is just an unspeakable honor.

COLLINS: Tell me, though, overall. When we look at what the big picture of what this means, what does it really say in your mind about this new president and including everyone, like he said he was going to be doing?

ROBINSON: Well, you have on sort of one end of the spectrum, you have Rick Warren, who supported Prop 8 in California and is very conservative, certainly, in many of his views. And me and others at the other end. I think it says that Barack Obama is exactly who he told us he is, and who he intends to be as the president, which is to have everyone at the table.

COLLINS: But I have to say, Bishop Robinson, you were very, very concerned at the president-elect's announcement he was going to be having Pastor Rick Warren at the actual inauguration and giving the prayer, the invocation on that day. How do you feel now?

ROBINSON: Well, I have always been supportive of this president- elect. But that does not mean we can't critique individual decisions that he makes, and I thought this was a very unfortunate and troublesome choice on his part, given the rather unspeakable things that Pastor Warren has said about gay and lesbian people and our relationships, comparing them to incest and child abuse. And so, it was very troubling, and I said so.

COLLINS: I believe that you also said, though, that Pastor Warren has done some pretty great things and that you would welcome conversation with him. Do you think something like that will happen during the week of inauguration?

ROBINSON: Well, I really hope so. Maybe someone will invite us to sit down together, and I would do so in a minute. You know, he has taken considerable criticism from some of his evangelical brothers and sisters for his compassionate response to AIDS and his working to alleviate global poverty. And I applaud him for that. And I think he's done some really wonderful things, and I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with him.

COLLINS: All right, well, you may not know off the top of your head right now, but we would be curious to hear what you will have to say to the nation on that day. Bishop Gene Robinson, thanks for your time. We sure do appreciate that, and we'll keep our eye on the story. Thanks so much.

ROBINSON: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: You bet.

And join us again tomorrow, everybody, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. For now, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris right after the break.