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North Korea's Latest Threats; President Obama in Nevada; Face of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'; President Obama LV Nellis Solar Power Plant: "What Happens in Vegas, Should Not Stay in Vegas" Green Energy Should Be Implemented Nationwide; Sotomayor Critics Cite Judge's Own Past Remarks

Aired May 27, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Pushing forward in the CNN NEWSROOM this afternoon.

North Korean leader Jim Jong-Il is refusing to get out of the international spotlight. After dominating the news for three days with nuclear weapons and missile tests, Kim is now threatening to attack U.S. and Southern Korean troops and ships. This after the South joined a U.S.-led effort to stop shipments of weapons of mass destruction.

Well, what most concerns President Obama right now is North Korea's test of a nuclear device on Monday. We'll hear from the white house press secretary and our CNN Pentagon correspondent in just a moment.

But, first, I want to tell you that the U.N. secretary council is also now considering a resolution that could include new sanctions against North Korea.

And this just in to CNN-- some very strong words from Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, just moments ago. Listen --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: With respect to North Korea -- North Korea has made a choice. It has chosen to violate the specific language of the U.N. security council resolution, 1718. It has ignored the international community. It has aggregated the obligations it entered into through the six party talks. And it continues to act in a provocative and belligerent manner toward its neighbors.

There are consequences to such actions. In the United Nations, as we speak, discussions are going on to add to the consequences that North Korea will face coming out of the latest behavior with the intent to try to rein in the North Koreans and get them back into a framework where they are, once again, fulfilling their obligations and moving toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But they have chosen the path they're on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, North Korea's also saying that the truce ending the Korean War in 1953 is no longer valid.

We've heard from the secretary of state. We've heard from Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesperson.

Let's hear now from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, just how concerned are Pentagon officials today about these latest threats and other actions by North Korea?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Don, I think that the focus here at the Pentagon and through much of the Obama administration remains twofold. Certainly, the diplomacy that the secretary of state is talking about, working through the United Nations, through the members of the six-party talks out in the region to try to find a way to pressure North Korea to ratchet back, you know, how can you pressure them? They're already one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, so additional sanctions may not, in fact, make much of a difference.

Here at the Pentagon, however, there's absolutely no interest in military action of any kind. This is not something that anybody wants to see happen.

The focus here is on trying to get the best information they can about what that nuclear test earlier in the week was all about. What did they really test? What was the size of it? What was the yield?

All of those air samples being collected, being analyzed. They hope to have an answer by the end of the week.

In terms of any military threat by North Korea, what sources tell us is they don't really see a lot of moving around unexpectedly of any North Korean military forces, so we're back to square one. A lot of rhetoric, and not really sure here in Washington why the regime is doing all of this.

LEMON: Yes, a lot of rhetoric. You know, and on top of all of this, Barbara, we're hearing reports North Korea may be restarting its nuclear reprocessing plant in Yongbyon. But what are sources telling you about that today? Are you hearing anything?

STARR: Right. You know, that would be very significant because, of course, it was a few months ago that we saw that very compelling video of the cooling tower at Yongbyon being dismantled, being destroyed because North Korea had made a promise to the international community that it was going to dismantle this reprocessing facility -- you see the destruction there -- as part of the negotiations, aid -- giving them aid to get away from nuclear weapons.

The assessment now -- we've talked to several officials. They tell us, even on background, they don't see any real evidence that North Korea is doing anything unexpected at this site, but they're going to continue to watch it. And we will be watching it as well to try and see if this is the place where North Korea might be making some shift -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, we appreciate it.

Washington's major ally in Asia, well, that's Japan. It isn't expressing too much concern over North Korea's latest threats, but the government is worried about those North Koreans living in Japan.

Here's CNN's Morgan Neill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Japan, public reaction to the test has been relatively muted, though people are certainly worried about a nuclear North Korea. Now, that's perhaps because it's been less than two months since North Korea launched a missile that overflew Japanese territory before landing in the ocean. And there's a sense among many we've talked to here that this is Pyongyang up to its tried and true old tactics.

Now, among Tokyo's small North Korean community, this week's nuclear test has sparked worries that they could become the target, the Japanese people's frustration with this ongoing situation. In one neighborhood we visited, police have stood guard outside a school for North Korean children since that test in April out of fear that those children could become targets of harassment.

I talked to one second-generation North Korean woman who says she gets worried every time Pyongyang is at the center of international attention.

"I know most Japanese people are wonderful people," she says. "But some have made cruel phone calls, spit at the walls of the school, and threatened the schoolchildren on the street. Every time after these things happen, the teachers walk with the students all the way to the station."

Japan's government, for its part, continues to insist that the U.N. Security Council must issue a strong response to what it's called intolerable behavior.

Morgan Neill, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Morgan.

A van packed with explosives flattens a police building in Pakistan. At least 24 people killed, more than 250 wounded in the blast in Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city.

Some, like this man, were trapped in the rubble. Most of the victims are police and staffers. That van broke through a barrier and exploded during a firefight between the attackers and police.

Three suspects have been arrested. No claims of responsibility yet. But the Taliban had threatened to target major Pakistani cities if a government offensive did not cease.

President Barack Obama is wrapping up a visit to Nevada at Nellis Air Force base just outside Las Vegas, but military issues aren't front and center. In just a few minutes he'll talk about the economic stimulus and solar energy.

But right now, CNN's Ed Henry is there in preparation for that talk.

Ed, what can we expect to hear?

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, today's the 100th day since the president signed the Economic Recovery Act into law, the largest economic stimulus package in American history. So, he's going to mark this anniversary by rolling out a new progress report. They're calling it "100 Days, 100 Projects."

The president trying to make the case here at Nellis Air Force Base that this package is helping to create jobs, it's putting money in people's pockets, injecting cash into the broader economy. And specifically, you mentioned solar energy. The president's going to be bearing a gift, $467 million in an expansion of use of solar panels around the country.

Specifically, here at Nellis Air Force Base, it resonates because they've got the largest system of solar panels in North America. Basically, 72,000 solar panels.

It produces more than 25 percent of the electricity here on the base. And so the president wants to use that as an example to say, look, you can do a lot more of this around the country, create some of those so-called new green energy jobs by having people install solar panels around the country, but also have cleaner energy as well.

And we expect the president may also, according to some of his aides, make some comments on that controversy, use this as a forum about the comments he made in February suggesting that companies that receive taxpayer funds shouldn't be going here to Las Vegas to spend the money on conferences. Some people misconstrued those comments and thought the president was saying don't go to Las Vegas at all.

A lot of people here say it's hurt the local economy. We're expecting the president may try to defuse the controversy by basically saying, look, everybody should come to Vegas if they want. He wants to try to pump up the economy not just here, but around the country, all kinds of tourist cities, obviously, as we head into the summer -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Ed Henry.

Thanks.

Ed Henry is there, and we are standing by as well. Don't forget, the president is due to speak at 2:40 p.m. Eastern, roughly 35 minutes from now, and you'll see it live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. You won't miss any of it. Well, he'd heard it over and over at West Point -- choose the harder, right, over the easier, wrong. So, really, 1st Lieutenant Dan Choi always knew what he had to do.

The Iraq War veteran and Arabic linguist came out as gay. He did that in March, and he was kicked out of the Army in April, one month later.

Well, today -- or tonight, I should say, Lieutenant Choi plans to face President Obama and urge him again to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

And Dan Choi joins us now live from Los Angeles.

Thank you very much.

So, you received a discharge. What did your discharge papers say?

1ST. LIEUTENANT DAN CHOI, DISMISSED FROM U.S. ARMY: Well, it basically says that my being honest and my being open about who I am, and my identity, ruined the good order and discipline of my entire unit. I think that's completely bogus, because when somebody is honest about who they are, when they have confidence in their unit, in their family, in their fighting force, it makes the unit stronger, because unit cohesion, because all of those things that are good for a unit to fight in a war, it's based off of honesty. It's based off of trust.

LEMON: You seem to be pretty emotional about it. I imagine this touches you to the core, especially being a military man here, Lieutenant.

You were never really in the closet in the Army, were you? Were you in the closet, or were you always out?

CHOI: Well, I served under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" for a decade. And I can tell you that living in the closet is the most crippling poison. It's a toxic poison that really we shouldn't be forcing on our soldiers.

I was in the closet. I never had a relationship of any kind, boyfriend or girlfriend, throughout my entire time at West Point and...

LEMON: And you said everyone around you, everyone who served with you, they were OK with it, they had no issue with it.

CHOI: Right. When I came out on TV after the forming of our group of West Point LGBT alumni, I thought a lot of people would have problems with it, because I almost believed some of the lies that people put out that, you know, unit cohesion will go down, or people will have an issue with it. Nobody had an issue with it.

In fact, nobody said anything, so I thought maybe they didn't know. But not only did people not have an issue with it, they actually came up -- some people came up and they said, "We support you because you're honest, because you trust us, because you have confidence in our group, in our unit."

LEMON: It's very interesting. I see here from some of the things that were written about you, that some people said -- this is what you said -- "It's like Rosa Parks refusing to go to the back of the bus."

You're going to speak with the president tonight, you hope. What are you going to say to him? Are you going to convey this same sentiment?

CHOI: Well, it's not about being in the back of the bus. It's not about me personally being discriminated against or being insulted. I've been insulted before.

It's about my unit. The unit is being thrown under the bus. And all around the Army, all around the military, when a soldier is lost, when a soldier is kicked out that has capabilities for the team, the unit is the one that suffers.

I also want to tell the president that this is a very urgent -- very urgent, issue, that they need to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." I'm getting e-mails from people that are in Iraq right now that say, "I would have committed suicide." Some people in Korea right now that are saying, "I wasn't eating for a week because I was so ashamed, because I was so depressed."

Now, this is not something that you force on our soldiers. And my speaking out, my not shutting up, it's for them. It's for all our soldiers.

LEMON: What do you plan to do tonight, Lieutenant?

CHOI: Well, I want to meet with President Obama as my commander in chief, and I believe it's my responsibility to let him know that this is so important. It's an American value not to lie. It's an American value not to hide.

LEMON: Lieutenant Dan Choi, thank you very much. And will you come back and update us on what happens?

CHOI: Of course. Of course.

LEMON: Thank you very much.

CHOI: Thanks for having me.

LEMON: All right.

Crime pays. Does it? Well, for this man's secretaries.

We will tell you how a prosecutor took confiscated cash and gave it to his office staff. He faces tough questions from our Gary Tuchman. And later, President Obama wants the Senate to act quickly to confirm his Supreme Court nominee, but conservative groups, well, they say hold on, Mr. Obama.

We'll take a closer look at what their concerns are.

And we want to call your attention to the bottom of our screen. Take a look right there.

If you want more information on Judge Sotomayor, her rulings, what she's done in the past, and her history entirely, take a look at that. And also, you can check out CNN.com. Go to CNN.com/sotomayor, and you can get all the information you need there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It has been called highway robbery. We've reported on questions about money and property seized from people traveling along a stretch of Texas highways. Now there are new questions about where that money goes, like into the bank accounts of secretaries.

Our national correspondent, Gary Tuchman, follows the highway money trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It literally paid to be loyal to this man, the former district attorney in Jim Wells County, Texas, who was extremely generous to three of his secretaries, who he says watched his back.

JOE FRANK GARZA, FORMER DISTRICT ATTORNEY: They were my eyes and ears in the community.

TUCHMAN: How generous was Joe Frank Garza? He admits that for years he wrote checks totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars that likely at least doubled their salaries.

Much of that money came from U.S. Highway 281 near Alice, Texas, where very often drug couriers, illegal immigrants and the people transporting them would rather escape into the brush than ever see their vehicles again. And that's just fine with the sheriff's department in Jim Wells County. Deputies bring the vehicles to this lot, auction them off, and the department keeps the money. Oscar Lopez is a longtime county sheriff.

(on camera): If you didn't get that money, what would happen to your department?

SHERIFF OSCAR LOPEZ, JIM WELLS COUNTY, TEXAS: We'd be on bicycles, riding on bicycles. And I'm not saying that in fun. It's the truth.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Under Texas law cops are permitted to seize certain valuables during investigations of possible serious crimes, and their bosses are then permitted to spend the forfeiture money for law enforcement purposes. As for the D.A., his office also gets a cut of the money.

All of this raises this question: doesn't this create an enormous temptation to seize valuables from citizens who are not suspected of serious crimes?

JUAN HINOJOSA, TEXAS STATE SENATOR: To me, it's just like theft. Highway robbery.

TUCHMAN: Juan Hinojosa is a Texas state senator. He was driving down U.S. 281 in Brooks County not far from the city of Alice. Police gave him a warning, not a ticket, for leaving and having windows too darkly tinted. He said the accusations were untrue.

HINOJOSA: The purpose of the stop was trying to see if they could find cash in my truck. One of the things that they were doing is profiling people.

TUCHMAN: Check out this police videotape. Another Latino man, this one not a state senator, stopped on 281 because his front license plate was on his dashboard, not on the bumper.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Large amounts of currency in the car?

TUCHMAN: Javier Gonzalez had about $10,000, most of it, he says, to pay for a funeral and a tombstone for a dying aunt. He was charged with money laundering, and deputies confiscated his cash. His attorney said there was no evidence of such a crime and sued.

MALCOM GREENSTEIN, GONZALEZ'S ATTORNEY: It happened on a highway, and we were robbed. And it just so happened that people had uniforms.

TUCHMAN: The county D.A. decided to settle the case. Gonzalez got his money back and $110,000 in damages. But the sheriff continues to stand by his men.

GARZA: They did everything correctly, sir.

TUCHMAN: So why did the D.A. agree to the settlement?

GARZA: I said, "Look, it's taking too much time. Let's just get rid of it."

TUCHMAN: Even without the money, Garza's office took in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. He got 30 percent of the county's forfeiture money.

GARZA: When I was there, there wasn't a single item in that office, down to the last pen there, that was paid with county money. It was all forfeiture money.

TUCHMAN: Under the law a D.A. can use his share of the seized assets for, quote, "official purposes." So that's what makes an accusation by this man, who beat Joe Frank Garza in his re-election bid, so notable.

ARMANDO BARRERA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, JIM WELLS COUNTY: Most of the money that was used by him was for three secretaries.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Most of his forfeiture money?

BARRERA: Most of it. It was approximately $3.8 million.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Over an eight-year period. It's a strong accusation...

GARZA: I saw nothing wrong with it.

TUCHMAN: ... which the former D.A. doesn't dispute, although he does say he also gave smaller amounts to other employees.

(on camera): The new D.A. tells us that the records show that you gave hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight years to three of your secretaries.

GARZA: Could be.

TUCHMAN: And do you think that's proper?

GARZA: As far as I'm concerned, it was. No. Take it back. As far as I'm concerned, it is.

TUCHMAN: The secretaries who worked with the old district attorney no longer work in the district attorney's office. The new D.A. has new secretaries. And he says they won't be getting extra pay from the forfeiture fund, no matter how good they are.

(voice-over): We were not able to talk to any of those secretaries on camera. We did ask their old boss if giving them all that money is truly an official purpose as envisioned under state law.

GARZA: There's no definition. Nobody can tell you what an official purpose is.

TUCHMAN: Indeed, even the new D.A. agrees the law is ambiguous, and that's the main reason why there's so much controversy with forfeitures here and elsewhere in the Lone Star State.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Alice, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The rain has robbed North Carolina of a highway. Part of it, anyway. The little crack that could -- that's what we're calling it -- it did grow into a big old sinkhole. Just one example of how the weather's beating up parts of the country today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. This is just in to CNN. You're looking at new video there of the president, and then also Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

They are touring the solar electric facility at Nellis Air Force Base. And you know the president is going to be giving a talk pretty soon, just a couple minutes. He's going to be talking about solar energy, green energy, and so we'll get that -- hear from the president.

These are live pictures now. When I say just a few minutes, we're right on, because there is the president of the United States.

Let's listen in.

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you. Thanks very much. Thank you so much.

Everybody, please have a seat. Thank you so much.

I've got some special acknowledgements that I have to make.

First of all, we've got some members of the congressional delegation of Nevada who are doing outstanding jobs not only for Nevada, but also for the men and women in uniform. And so, please, give a warm welcome to Congresswoman Shelley Berkley...

(APPLAUSE)

... Congresswoman Dina Titus...

(APPLAUSE)

... and we're in his district, he couldn't be here, but Congressmen Dean Heller.

Please give them a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

I also want to thank the state comptroller, Kim Wallin, for her great work.

(APPLAUSE)

The Nevada secretary of state, Ross Miller.

(APPLAUSE)

Nevada state treasurer, Kate Marshall.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank the Brigadier General Stanley Kresge for the wonderful, outstanding work that he does, as well as colonel Dave Bolote (ph), who just gave me an outstanding tour of the solar panel facility out here.

But mainly, I want to thank all of you, the men and women in uniform, for your service to our country. We're grateful for you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

I just spoke to a handful of your commanders here. I know some are about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Many have just come back.

The fact that you serve each and every day to keep us safe is something that every American is grateful for. And so if I don't do anything else as your commander in chief, I'm going to make sure that we're there for you just as you've been there for us.

So, thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

Finally, let me acknowledge Senator Harry Reid, not just for the generous introduction, not only because he's been a great friend, not only because he's been an outstanding majority leader, but also because of everything that he's done for the people of Nevada and for the armed services. He is somebody who has never forgotten his roots after all these years. He still brings the voices and values of Searchlight, Nevada, to the nation's most important debates in Washington, D.C. And we are better off because he does so.

So, please give Harry Reid a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, it's always a pleasure to get out of Washington a little bit. Washington's OK, but it's nice taking some time to talk to Americans of every walk of life outside of the nation's capital. And there's nothing like a quick trip to Vegas in the middle of the week.

(APPLAUSE)

Like millions of other Americans, we come to this beautiful city for the sights and for the sounds, and today we come for the sun, because right now we're standing near the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the entire Western Hemisphere -- the entire Western Hemisphere. More than 72,000 solar panels built on part of an old landfill provide 25 percent of the electricity for the 12,000 people who live and work here at Nellis.

That's the equivalent of powering about 13,200 homes during the day. It's a project that took about a half a year to complete, created 200 jobs, and will save the United States Air Force, which is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, nearly $1 million a year.

It will also reduce harmful carbon pollution by 24,000 tons per year, which is the equivalent of removing 4,000 cars from our roads. And most importantly, this base serves as a shining example of what's possible when we harness the power of clean, renewable energy to build a new, firmer foundation for economic growth. Now, that's the kind of foundation we're trying to build all across America.

One hundred days ago, in the midst of the worst economic crisis in half a century, we passed the most sweeping Economic Recovery Act in history, a plan designed to save jobs, create new ones, and put money in people's pockets. It's a plan designed not only to revive the economy in the short term, but to rebuild the economy over the long term.

It's a plan that we passed thanks to the tireless efforts of Harry Reid and Congresswoman Berkley and Congresswoman Titus and all the other outstanding public servants in Washington. But if it hadn't been for Harry Reid -- because the Senate is tough -- moving this Recovery Act through Congress with the skill and tenacity and urgency of somebody who knows the struggles that millions of people are going through -- we would have not gotten it done. So, I'm eternally grateful to him and the other members of the congressional delegation for helping to pass this plan.

One hundred days later, we're already seeing results. And today we're releasing a report that details the progress that we've made in every region of the country.

In these last few months, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs, jobs building solar panels and wind turbines, making homes and buildings more energy efficient. They're the jobs of teachers and police officers and nurses who have not been laid off as a consequence of this recovery act. They're the jobs fixing roads and bridges, jobs at start-ups and small businesses, and jobs that will put thousands of young Americans to work this summer.

Also in the recovery act, by the way, is all sorts of construction taking place on bases, just like Nellis, to support military families. And I know that that is something that Michelle Obama has taken a lot of time looking into. That's something I'm spending a lot of time thinking about. We want to make sure that our bases and our facilities are the best in the world for our best troops.

(APPLAUSE)

Ninety-five percent of all working families saw their take-home pay increase because of the tax cut that we provided in the recovery act. Fifty-four million seniors received $250 extra in their Social Security checks. Laid-off workers have received greater unemployment benefits and paid less for their health care. For the thousands of families whose homes have been made more energy efficient, it's also saved them about $350 on their energy bills.

Other Americans saved thousands by taking advantage of the tax credits the recovery act has provided for the purchase of a new home or a new fuel-efficient car or energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, windows, and insulation. And all of this has helped to fuel demand that is helping businesses put more Americans back to work. But this is just the beginning. There are still too many Americans out of work and too many who still worry that their job may be next. There are still too many families struggling to pay the bills and too many businesses struggling to keep their doors open.

That's why we will continue to implement the recovery act as quickly and effectively as possible over the next two years. We're just at the start of this recovery act. We are going to keep on going through this year and into next year because we are going to make sure that, not only are we putting people back to work, but we're laying the foundation for a better economy. And that's why my administration will continue an unrelenting, day-by-day effort to fight for economic recovery on all fronts.

Now, I just want to emphasize: Even as we clear away some of the wreckage and debris of this extraordinary recession, I've also said that our next task is making sure that this doesn't happen again. We can't return to the same bubble-and-bust, borrow-and-spend economy based on maxed-out credit cards, and overleveraged banks, and financial profits that were only real on paper.

See, that young lady agrees with me.

(LAUGHTER)

We have to lay a new foundation for prosperity, a foundation constructed on the pillars that will grow our economy and help America compete in the 21st century. And a renewable energy revolution is one of those pillars.

We know the cost of our oil addiction all too well. It's the cost measured by the billions of dollars we send to nations with unstable or unfriendly regimes. We help to fund both sides of the war on terror because of our addiction to oil.

It's the cost of our vulnerability to the volatility of the oil markets. It's the cost we feel in shifting weather patterns that are already causing unprecedented droughts and more intense storms. It's a cost we can't bear any longer.

Today, projects like the one at Nellis are still the exception to the rule, unfortunately. America produces less than 3 percent of our electricity through renewable sources of energy like wind and solar, less than 3 percent.

In contrast, Denmark produces 20 percent of their electricity through wind. We pioneered solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in generating it, even though they get less sun than we do. They certainly get less sun than Nevada.

So we've got a choice. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, sending our money and our wealth away, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy.

We can hand over the jobs of the future to our competitors or we can confront what they've already recognized as the great opportunity of our time: the nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy. And that's the nation I want America to be, and I know that's the nation you want America to be.

(APPLAUSE)

Already we've made more progress on this front in the last four months than we have in the last three decades. Last week, I brought auto executives, labor unions, environmental groups, Democrats, and Republicans together to set the toughest-ever national fuel-efficiency standard for our cars and trucks, a standard that will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years.

In Congress, leaders like Harry Reid are also working to pass a historic energy plan that will help end our dependence on foreign oil while preventing the worst consequences of climate change. It's a system -- it's a plan that will create a system of clean-energy incentives that will create good, American jobs and crack down on polluters who pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Finally, by the end of the next two years, the recovery act will have enabled a doubling of our nation's capacity to generate renewable energy by investing in projects just like the one on this Air Force base. And today I'm announcing the availability of funding for two recovery act programs that will help us reach that goal.

The first is a solar energy technologies program that will help replicate the success of the Nellis project in cities and states across America, because in this case, what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas.

(APPLAUSE)

We want everybody to know what we're doing here in Vegas. We'll invest in the development and deployment of solar technology wherever it can thrive, and we'll find the best ways to integrate solar power into our electric grid.

The second program I'm announcing will help develop the use of geothermal energy in America. As many of you in Nevada know, geothermal energy is literally defined as heat from the earth. This heat can then be harnessed as a clean, affordable, and reliable source of energy.

And already Nevada has 17 industrial-scale geothermal plants, and your capacity to generate this type of power is expected to increase in the next few years. The program we're announcing will help accelerate this process here and across America. So this is something that we expect will...

(APPLAUSE)

This will create more jobs. It'll create more businesses and more affordable electricity for the American people. Now, from where we stand today, the road to economic recovery is still long. We've got a lot of work to do. There are a lot of folks who are still hurting out there. And the road to a new, clean-energy economy is even longer. We're not going to do it overnight.

But after four months of this administration and 100 days of this recovery act, we have carved out a path toward progress. It's a path that begins in places just like this Air Force base, where ordinary citizens tap into their sense of innovation and ingenuity to reinvent the world around them.

This base has been known as "The Home of the Fighter Pilot." Now it's the home of the largest solar energy installation of its kind in the western hemisphere. And...

(APPLAUSE)

And, by the way, the two concepts are connected, because it is good for our national security if we've got more control over our own energy use. And that's the story that will be told all across America, in cities and towns where a shuttered factory re-opens to build wind turbines, where a hospital treats patients with new technology and pulls up their history with new electronic records, where a young entrepreneur with a nest egg and a good idea starts a business and creates more jobs.

That's how we move America forward. This is how we've always moved forward. It happens slowly, in fits and starts, but it always happens surely when we are dedicated to bringing about change. It happens not by chance or by luck, but because the American people keep pushing ahead, persevering through hardship, growing through challenge, building something firmer and stronger in place of what was.

That's the work we've begun in these last few months. And with your help, that is the work we'll continue to do in the days and months ahead.

For all of you who are serving in our armed forces, we want to make sure that our civilians are mobilizing and working on behalf of this country just as ably as you are. We salute you. We thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

God bless you. God bless the United States of America.

Thank you.

LEMON: In Nevada today, saying what happens in Las Vegas should not stay in Las Vegas, and he's doing this at the Nellis Solar Power Plant, because Nellis is the larger photovoltaic system in North America located at Nellis Base in Clark County, Nevada. The president there talking about what he's going to do.

And here's what he's saying. He's going to announce - he announced two programs. He said, among the programs, solar technologies program that replicates Nellis' success, and also a program to help develop the use of geothermal energy, which is energy from the Earth.

The president saying, again, what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas, talking solar energy and touting his recovery plan.

Meantime, we have some breaking news to tell you about here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It's out of Poughkeepsie, New York, where there is a report of a shooting inside the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department and a person may be holed up in there. We'll bring you the details on that.

Plus, General Motors has had until Monday to restructure its debt or file bankruptcy, but it looks like the inevitable will happen before then. The company couldn't strike a deal with bond holders to swap debt for stock. Details on that coming up moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, an update on the details of the breaking news that I got in just before we went to break here.

We are hearing and CNN is confirming that the Poughkeepsie, New York, police say that there was a shooting inside the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department - we're showing you exactly where Dutchess County is in New York - inside the sheriff's department, today. Unclear if anybody was injured, but emergency officials there have surrounded the building. And that's pretty much all the details I have, except to say that they don't believe, at this time, that there's anyone in danger.

And again, this information is just coming in. One newspaper there is reporting that a person is barricaded inside the sheriff's department according to the Web site there. People there were visiting their relatives at the jail, and they said that they kicked everyone out who was in the visiting room and then told them to get out of the building. Get out of the building. City police cars, ambulances, could be seen speeding toward - east on Mansion Street toward the jail, and that happened just a short time ago.

We'll update you on the breaking news, Poughkeepsie, New York, where there's been a shooting inside the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department as soon as we get more information on that.

In the meantime, we want to tell you about the White House, what the White House says about Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She's already working the phones, they say, appealing to senators who will pass judgment on her nomination to the highest court in the land. President Obama says she is a perfect fit, but critics don't like what they've heard from Sotomayor herself.

CNN's Jim Acosta has some cases in point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses, and governments.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The case before the court of public opinion: Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court. Conservatives are already preparing their briefs.

WENDY LONG, JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION NETWORK: What we've seen since she's gotten on the bench is that she is very much a liberal judicial activist.

ACOSTA: Exhibit A, according to conservatives, is this 2005 panel discussion at Duke University, where Judge Sotomayor was extolling the virtues of sitting on the appellate court.

SOTOMAYOR: The Court of Appeals is where policy is made. And I know, and I know this is on tape, and I should never say that, because we don't make law. I know.

ACOSTA: Sotomayor's critics say that's judicial activism, in other words, legislating from the bench.

For exhibit B, conservatives refer back to 2001, when Sotomayor told a symposium at Berkeley, "I wonder whether by ignoring our differences as women or men of color, we do a disservice both to the law and society."

Which takes conservatives to their exhibit C, Sotomayor sided with an appellate court decision against a group of mostly white firefighters who say the City of New Haven, Connecticut, discriminated against them when it came to promotions.

Add it all up, and it's case closed for Rush Limbaugh, who's sounding a familiar battle cry.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Do I want her to fail? Yes. Do I want her to fail to get on the court? Yes. She'd be a disaster on the court.

ACOSTA: Objection, says the White House. Sotomayor's defenders say the judge has made other statements and rulings that show she is no ideologue.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: She is a rule of law person above all. And let me say, I think this nomination process is going to be more a test of the Republican Party than of Judge Sotomayor.

ACOSTA: The president points to Sotomayor's ruling that ended a baseball strike in 1995.

OBAMA: Judge Sotomayor saved baseball.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

TOM GOLDSTEIN, SCOTUS BLOG: It's a very balanced record. Conservatives are going to call her an activist just the way liberal groups called the last nominees activists. It's just what they do. But I think the record doesn't bear it out.

ACOSTA (on camera): Republicans have had a chance to what in on Judge Sotomayor back in the past. In 1998, several GOP senators voted in favor of elevating Sotomayor to the Court of Appeals. Her nomination had been held up for a year. The reason? Some conservatives feared she would one day make it to the Supreme Court.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A lot of people are wondering what happens now. Here's what happens now.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings and votes. If the vote is in favor, in the nominee's favor, the full Senate votes and Sotomayor becomes the next Supreme Court justice, or not.

The House has no role in this process. No role in the process.

Hearings can be as short as a few days or drag on for weeks or even months. The committee hears from the nominee, of course, along with colleagues, supports and opponents. Questioning usually zeros in on controversial topics, such as abortion and the death penalty.

And if you want more information on the judge and her decisions, well, keep an eye on the scroll right at the bottom of your screen here and check out CNN.com/Sotomayor.

Saving energy and protecting the environment are key priorities for the president, President Barack Obama. You heard him just moments ago in Nevada. So, where does the Supreme Court pick, his Judge Sonia Sotomayor, stand on those issues? We'll find out when we head live to New York for our "Energy Fix" in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: General Motors has until Monday to restructure its debt or file bankruptcy, but it looks like the inevitable will happen before then. The company couldn't strike a deal with bondholders to swap debt for stock, and that was pretty much the last chance to avoid Chapter 11.

The company is paying workers suppliers today and tomorrow. That's earlier than usual, and it's a signal that the bankruptcy filing will follow soon after, possibly Friday. Once the company files Chapter 11 it would need court approval to make payroll.

Finally, light at the end of the recession tunnel? A bunch of economic experts say they can see it. I want to bring in our Susan Lisovicz now, she's at the New York Stock Exchange.

Hello, Susan. So, when are the economists saying things will get better?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Soon. Right around the corner.

This is from the nation's leading economists, Don. The National Association for Business Economics say - most of them say that the recession will end in the third quarter. Well, the third quarter begins in July.

But it's a flickering light at the end of the tunnel. Why is that? Because economic growth will be anemic. They expect 4.5 million jobs to be lost by the end of this year. The jobless rate, as many of you know, is expected to rise to nearly 10 percent. And, that our behavior will change for quite a while. Seventy percent of them say more thrifty behavior is here to stay.

Another good aspect, though, of this with this recovery, anemic though it may be, Don, is they expect the housing market to recover, to hit the bottom sometime soon, midyear. So, that's also right around the end of the corner.

LEMON: Before we get to the housing market, real quickly, so they said the economy's going to get better. But we won't feel it for any time soon, correct?

LISOVICZ: That's right . You know, the jobless rate is going to continue to rise. Things are - we're showing some improvement and some sectors, but this economy is huge. And it is going to take a while to right this ship.

So, we may not feel it. It's almost like a technical pronouncement that the economy is out of recession. It may not feel like it's healthy...

LEMON: Yes.

LISOVICZ: ... for, really, several years.

LEMON: Let's talk about the housing market. I mean, at one time, the backbone of the economy. So you say, there's reason for optimism in the market, today, right now?

LISOVICZ: Well, we got existing home sales, which as you know, is the bulk of the housing market, they rose nearly 3 percent in April. Just from March. That was better than expected.

The downside of this is, at what cost? Prices continue to be under pressure. Down 15.5 percent basically year over year and nearly half of these sales were foreclosures or distressed sales.

One other thing about this report that's interesting is that inventory rose. It rose 9 percent in one month, and that is not good. We have a 10-month backlog of unsold homes. If you really want the housing market to improve, you got to move many more homes. You really got to half that. You got to get - a healthy housing market would have about five months' supply. So there's too many homes on the market, that continues to put pressure on prices, Don.

LEMON: We'll take what we can get if there's optimism.

Thank you, Susan Lisovicz.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome, Don.

LEMON: That's it for me. I'm Don Lemon.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM with Rick Sanchez starts right now.