Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Explorer's Club Dinner Features Some Surprise Entrees; NASA To Test Experiemental Aircraft Today

Aired March 27, 2004 - 14:30   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here what's happening at this hour.
In Texas this weekend President Bush credits his tax cuts for the surge in housing market. Sixty eight percent of Americans own homes, the highest rate on record. But Democratic challenger John Kerry says the president still does not get it, pointing to millions of lost jobs during the Bush administration.

Gunmen attacked city hall in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul today killing two Iraqi civilians. Authorities say the attackers also used one or more rockets. Also a roadside bomb in Baghdad wounded five Iraqis.

Under pressure from protesters, Taiwan's president says he will meet Monday with his election opponent and will accept the results of a recount. A half million people clogged Taiwan's streets today to protest last weekend's presidential vote.

This election year should bear a high voltage warning, sparks fly on every issue from the 9/11 hearings, the war in Iraq to the economy. And speaking of economy we want to take you quickly to Kansas City, Missouri for a quick peek at Democratic contender John Kerry there in the middle of an economic roundtable. He has promised that he would help produce 10 million jobs in four years if elected. Let's talk a little bit more about both candidates, the incumbent and the leading Democratic candidate.

For our discussion Former Justice Department spokesman Barbara Comstock is in Washington. Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman is in New York. Good to see both of you.

BARBARA COMSTOCK, FMR. JUSTICE SPOKESMAN: Good to be here.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara we begin with you, both candidates are talking about the economy. Kerry is focusing on jobs, Bush on homeownership. Are the voters out there listening right now?

COMSTOCK: Well sure. I mean you look at the -- they're very stark records, different between Bush and Kerry. John Kerry has supported almost every major tax increase over the 19 years he has been in the Senate. He has supported 350 tax increases; he opposed President Bush's tax cuts. And now wants to increase taxes when he comes in. We know that...

ZIMMERMAN: Barbara, that's a deceitful statement and you know that.

COMSTOCK: If you could let me finish.

ZIMMERMAN: If you have the facts it might be helpful to make your point. What you are saying is deceitful. John Kerry is advocated in this campaign the strongest...

COMSTOCK: He is advocating...

ZIMMERMAN: The strongest tax cut for the middle class. Further more it was John Kerry and Bill Clinton were the architects for the greatest economic recovery our nation has ever seen. These are important issues to debate. But let's be honest about them.

WHITFIELD: All right hold on Barbara, let me let you finish. And then Robert you can continue.

ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.

COMSTOCK: John Kerry has very clearly said he wants to raise taxes on the American people. And the people he wants to raise taxes on are small businesses. He calls them the rich, what they are is small businesses. And that's where you get the jobs. The jobs that we have lost almost half of them came in the few months following September 11, this economy took a hit from September 11, and that's why the president is fighting the war on terrorism is an important part of our economy.

And the president understands that you don't raise taxes when you have an economy getting back on its feet.

ZIMMERMAN: You know Barbara, I need dramamines to go with that spin. Because even the White House does not agree with you. The most recent jobs report from the White House showed that the 21,000 jobs that were created were all public sector jobs. In fact, for every month of the Bush administration, every month we have lost manufacturing jobs to the point where we are in a manufacturing depression.

George Bush promised us tax cuts that would produce jobs. Just the opposite, he is the first president since Herbert Hoover who will end his term in office with a record loss of jobs.

WHITFIELD: OK, I'm not surprised that you disagree on that because of course President Bush and John Kerry disagree on that. In fact, we have seen their disagreement on television ads, radio ads, on Web sites, but now we're seeing a lot more of them making face time in various cities across the country.

Robert is this the beginning of this type of strategy of campaigning that both of these candidates are really going to need to be in the faces of the voters out there? ZIMMERMAN: Well you know its not just being in the faces of the voters, it is also being out there with a positive message. And Senator Kerry's most recent economic proposal, which is, really stands in opposition to the Bush administration's endorsement of outsourcing jobs.

George Bush's chief economic adviser said out sourcing of jobs, sending jobs overseas, were good for the economy. John Kerry wants to change that. He wants to close the tax loopholes so companies don't outsource jobs and wants to give corporations the tax breaks so they can reinvest in jobs in America.

WHITFIELD: OK.

ZIMMERMAN: It is the message that counts.

WHITFIELD: OK Barbara, all this week we have been seeing an awful lot time being devoted to the 9/11 hearings. And of course the White House is a bit concerned that perhaps these hearings might undermine the president's stance, his position on the war on terror.

And so given that, do you suppose that the White House is going to change its strategy a little bit, focus more on the economy and other issues and less on terrorism as his first ad campaign focused on initially?

COMSTOCK: Well listen, the president is focusing on both of these very important issues. But I think in a week where you have Ted Kennedy start hysterically attacking Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" and then you had people like Howard Dean and Al Gore this week out there supporting John Kerry, but again being very hysterical and then in contrast you see the very serious and sober foreign policy team that this White House has with Colin Powell, with Condi Rice, that's a good week for us.

And you had -- and we are very clearly understanding that there is still a war here. There are still people in this country who want to kill us. The president understands that. John Kerry is saying this is a law enforcement area.

WHITFIELD: OK.

ZIMMERMAN: No, the president has got to keep the September 11 commission above partisan politics. And using the White House smear machine to attack Dick Clarke's character as opposed to Condi Rice testifying under oath as to why Iraq was chosen as the target, and this administrations row, truly is a disservice to all the American people...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Robert you get the last word. Barbara you had the first word.

ZIMMERMAN: OK.

COMSTOCK: It would be a disservice...

ZIMMERMAN: Good to be with you Fredricka. Good to be with you Barbara.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Barbara Comstock and Robert Zimmerman.

Of course we will have to try to have you back, because we have eight months yet to talk more about all of this.

COMSTOCK: OK.

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.

ZIMMERMAN: Look forward to it.

WHITFIELD: Well in a couple of hours, NASA will try to reach Mach 7, roughly 5,000 miles an hour, or seven times the speed of sound. Technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg previews the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): NASA is preparing for takeoff today with the x-43 aircraft. You can see it over my shoulder there. X being the operative part of that standing for experimental. The technology is a ways off in the future in terms of being adopted by commuters, or commercial aircraft, but they are testing it out today.

(voice-over): And we can show you sort of how it is going to work. This is some test video that NASA sent to us. If you can see here right under the wing of this B-52 aircraft there's a pegasis (ph) rocket that is strapped to it. And on the very front of that, on the nose of the pegasis (ph) rocket is the x-43 aircraft. It's actually fairly small. It looks a bit like a flying surfboard.

It is only about 12 feet long. This is the Pegasus rocket right there. And this is the flying surfboard or the x-43 aircraft on the front of it. Now what is going to happen is this B-52 aircraft is going to take off from Edwards Air Force Base, get up to 40,000 feet. At that point it will release the Pegasus rocket, which will be going at a very high rate of speed.

It will get up to about Mach 5. Now when it gets to Mach 5 or so, it will release the X-43 aircraft. At that point the x-43 aircraft, what is an air-breathing vehicle, will then have air rushing in at an enormous rate of speed going through this part of the aircraft. When it goes through there, it will be mixed with some hydrogen and it will create this high-powered thrust and they hope to get it to five times the speed of sound or Mach 7.

Now the reason they are doing this is because liquid oxygen, which would be needed if it was traditional type of spacecraft, is very heavy. For example, the space shuttle weighs ten times what it normally does just because of this liquid oxygen. Without those liquid oxygen tanks it's much lighter. Now here's how it is going to work. It is going to take off from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California on runway four as a matter of fact. The B-52 will take off along this runway. As it takes off, again this Pegasus rocket is strapped to the wing. The x-43 flying surfboard or little wedge-shape is rammed on the front of it there. It will take off, go out over the ocean about 400 miles away, go out over the ocean. And they hope, if everything goes according to plan, again it gets up to this higher attitude about 100,000 feet eventually.

And if everything works, then it will perform some air maneuvers for about six minutes. They have some really tiny windows; milliseconds when they hope everything will work with this air rushing into the engine. It will fly around for a bit. Regardless, it plunges into the ocean successful or not. And NASA is trying to say a sense of humor with all of this. They say that unlike the Mars mission they know that they will discover water. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And CNN brings you live coverage at the Mach 7 test this afternoon. It's scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 1:00 p.m. out West.

From the pros to high school playing fields now. Straight ahead, we will examine how some high school athletes are turning to steroids to gain an unfair advantage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's some stories making news across America today. A Tacoma area man faces 44 counts of child rape and molestation. Police say Ronald Young photographed six foster children engaged in sexual activity with an adult. Three of the boys are five years old the other three are seven years old. Authorities say the snapshots were posted on the Internet.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants state officials to commute the sentence of Pamela Martinez to time served. Martinez went to prison under California's three strikes law. But she was apparently released 65 days too early. Schwarzenegger says Martinez has been a model citizen and should not go back to prison.

And New York is threatening to fine Donald Trump over a banner he hoisted on his 5th Avenue building. It reads "You're Fired." His signature line from "The Apprentice" hit TV show. The city says Trump did not get permission to hang the banner.

Allegations of illegal steroid use have rocked the world of big league baseball and other pro sports. But now the problem has reached the high school ranks. Sometimes with tragic consequences. CNN's Ted Rowlands reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Since his days in little league, Rob Girabaldi was a gifted baseball player. By high school he was told by his coaches and pro scouts that he had real major league potential. If he could just put on some more weight.

RAY GIRABALDI, ROB'S FATHER: I was told out of five tools he was lacking one and it was size. And they said he had to keep on working on this until he was able to achieve the appropriate size.

ROWLANDS: His parents say at age 15, Rob started taking over the counter supplements to help him achieve his baseball dreams. By the time he was in college and playing for USC, his parents say Rob was injecting himself with steroids. At age 24, he committed suicide. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says depression is a known side effect of steroid use. Don Hudton of Plano, Texas blames steroids for his 17-year-old son Tyler's suicide. Hutton says Tyler who was trying to earn a spot as a pitcher on his high school baseball team was also told that he needed to get bigger.

DON HUDTON, PARENT: The kids, when they find that just plain old working out and changing eating routines do not get it, they have a short-cut that is easily available to them. And it is called antibiotic steroids, and they work.

ROWLANDS: The National Football League banned steroid use in 1997. Kwame Harris a member of the San Francisco 49's says while he has never used steroids, he had felt the pressure to succeed, what he thinks is one reason why some kids shoot up.

KWAME HARRIS, PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER: Intense pressure, intense. It is immense. It's everywhere. It comes from all sides. And especially is you are expected to do something with your skills.

ROWLANDS: In Florida, there is a bill in the works to start randomly testing 5 percent of the state's high school student athletes for steroids. Cost of steroid testing is five times the cost of testing for other drugs. Educators say that's why most school districts don't do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coaches continue --

ROWLANDS: Lawmakers in California conducted a hearing to consider mandatory testing and other ways to curb teenage use of supplements and steroids in their state. Studies show it's not just athletes who take the drugs, according to researchers; some young people who don't even play sports are taking body enhancers just to make themselves look better. Ted ROWLANDS, CNN, Sacramental, California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Americans are digging deeper these days at the gas station. So is there any relief in sight for the prices at the pump? We will find out.

And dinner anyone? We will show you a few meals you may want to reconsider with this group.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: What are we to do about the high cost of gassing up? With me now is Geoff Sundstrom with the American Automobile Association or AAA and he joins us from Orlando, Florida. Food to see you Geoff.

GEOFF SUNDSTROM, AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, well gas is at an all-time high so far. How long is it expected to go up?

SUNDSTROM: AAA believes this is going to be another difficult year for gasoline prices. While it's impossible to say what exactly the high price for this year is going to be, we think we could well see the most difficult period later in April and May when the U.S. starts to switch from winter fuels to summer fuels in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

WHITFIELD: And in the spring and summer of course a lot more vacations, people hitting the road. Certainly that's a contributor, isn't it, to the continuing growing gas prices?

SUNDSTROM: Yes, it is. And quite frankly every year America is consuming more and more gasoline. And we frankly don't produce enough here domestically to meet our own needs.

WHITFIELD: So the administration says it is not likely to dip into the U.S. reserves. Do you think they can keep that promise?

SUNSTROM: Yes, AAA's position with regard to the statistic petroleum reserves is that it really should be used only for national emergencies. Frankly, the answer to our gasoline price problems lies in long-term thinking and resolving a number of critical issues.

One is of course reliable access to affordable crude oil. But secondly, we need to be able to produce, distribute clean gasoline throughout the United States without all of the regulatory burdens and barriers that we have now.

WHITFIELD: So what are the short-term solutions?

SUNDSTROM: Well in the short-term, of course, you know, motorists can do things like make sure their vehicles are properly maintained, try to consolidate trips, eliminate excess weight in their vehicles. And certainly if they are in the market for a new car, make fuel efficiency the top of your priority list in valuating the new models.

WHITFIELD: What are some of the other things people can do if they are not in the market of being able to buy a car, a more fuel- friendly vehicle right now; there are things they could do at home besides your suggestion of car pooling, perhaps?

SUNDSTROM: Um-hum. Well a technology that is available to us now that we have not had during other periods of high-energy prices is telecommuting. Quite frankly, there are many work situations where employees may be able to spend, you know, a day not commuting back and forth to the office but staying home and working off the Internet and using their telephone.

We are seeing that more and more in the workplace. And perhaps these high prices will encourage that trend.

WHITFIELD: And right now there's still certain parts of the country that are enjoying the lower end of the high prices of gas, while places like Honolulu and L.A. are still at the top of the list of those who are paying the most. Is that kind of geographical disparity likely to continue?

SUNDSTROM: Yes, I mean that's a pattern that has held true for many years. Prices on the West Coast have been higher because their gasoline taxes are higher and their clean fuel standards are the most strict in the nation. Generally we see lower prices in the southeast. That has to do with their tax situation in Georgia, in particular.

WHITFIELD: All right, Geoff Sundstrom of the American Automobile Assn., AAA. Thanks very much for joining us from Orlando, Florida.

SUNDSTROM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well it's called the explorer's club. And you may want to think twice if you are considering dinner plans there. The story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well some of you may be enjoying lunch right now. We are going to put a stop to that right now. Ready for something wildly different our Jeanne Moos has reactions to a menu that could give Indiana Jones indigestion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Instead of getting bitten, take a bite of tarantula tempemporo (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little chewy. But great.

MOOS: Or maybe would prefer succulent roasted beaver or steamed and roasted rattlesnake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you get the rattle, it's like a happy meal.

MOOS: Forget a big Mac attack, these appetizers really could attack. From Louisiana alligator to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mealworm scorpions on a pastry.

MOOS: What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Explorer's Club.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your going to explore quite a bit tonight. MOOS: Maybe the madder gas car hissing cockroach kabob would go down better with a cocktail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A martini with the eyeball in here.

MOOS: Hog eyeball or cow eyeball fritters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we try to do is not be gross.

MOOS: Couldn't fool her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is the shrimp?

MOOS: The Explorer's Club boasts members like Sir Edmond Hillary who conquered Mount Everest, so why make a mountain out of an eyeball.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slimy but satisfying.

MOOS: The explorers say don't confuse our tarantulas in brandy with fear factor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go you got to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You live from it, this is substance, and this is not gross material.

MOOS: Makes regular food seem like a bore. Oh, oh a snake, some of the reviews sounded like faint praise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I was stuck out in the woods I would eat it.

MOOS: Pass the gator.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does kind of taste like chicken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tarantula taste a bit like fried shrimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought my own fork, I just want to be prepared for anything that might crawl or creep, or run away on the plate.

MOOS: Don't bother complaining waiter there is a fly in my soup here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Waiter there is a grasshopper in my sushi.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.

WHITFIELD: Oh no way. Oh god it is nasty. All right, so much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a matter of minutes "Next @ CNN."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 27, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SATURDAY: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here what's happening at this hour.
In Texas this weekend President Bush credits his tax cuts for the surge in housing market. Sixty eight percent of Americans own homes, the highest rate on record. But Democratic challenger John Kerry says the president still does not get it, pointing to millions of lost jobs during the Bush administration.

Gunmen attacked city hall in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul today killing two Iraqi civilians. Authorities say the attackers also used one or more rockets. Also a roadside bomb in Baghdad wounded five Iraqis.

Under pressure from protesters, Taiwan's president says he will meet Monday with his election opponent and will accept the results of a recount. A half million people clogged Taiwan's streets today to protest last weekend's presidential vote.

This election year should bear a high voltage warning, sparks fly on every issue from the 9/11 hearings, the war in Iraq to the economy. And speaking of economy we want to take you quickly to Kansas City, Missouri for a quick peek at Democratic contender John Kerry there in the middle of an economic roundtable. He has promised that he would help produce 10 million jobs in four years if elected. Let's talk a little bit more about both candidates, the incumbent and the leading Democratic candidate.

For our discussion Former Justice Department spokesman Barbara Comstock is in Washington. Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman is in New York. Good to see both of you.

BARBARA COMSTOCK, FMR. JUSTICE SPOKESMAN: Good to be here.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara we begin with you, both candidates are talking about the economy. Kerry is focusing on jobs, Bush on homeownership. Are the voters out there listening right now?

COMSTOCK: Well sure. I mean you look at the -- they're very stark records, different between Bush and Kerry. John Kerry has supported almost every major tax increase over the 19 years he has been in the Senate. He has supported 350 tax increases; he opposed President Bush's tax cuts. And now wants to increase taxes when he comes in. We know that...

ZIMMERMAN: Barbara, that's a deceitful statement and you know that.

COMSTOCK: If you could let me finish.

ZIMMERMAN: If you have the facts it might be helpful to make your point. What you are saying is deceitful. John Kerry is advocated in this campaign the strongest...

COMSTOCK: He is advocating...

ZIMMERMAN: The strongest tax cut for the middle class. Further more it was John Kerry and Bill Clinton were the architects for the greatest economic recovery our nation has ever seen. These are important issues to debate. But let's be honest about them.

WHITFIELD: All right hold on Barbara, let me let you finish. And then Robert you can continue.

ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.

COMSTOCK: John Kerry has very clearly said he wants to raise taxes on the American people. And the people he wants to raise taxes on are small businesses. He calls them the rich, what they are is small businesses. And that's where you get the jobs. The jobs that we have lost almost half of them came in the few months following September 11, this economy took a hit from September 11, and that's why the president is fighting the war on terrorism is an important part of our economy.

And the president understands that you don't raise taxes when you have an economy getting back on its feet.

ZIMMERMAN: You know Barbara, I need dramamines to go with that spin. Because even the White House does not agree with you. The most recent jobs report from the White House showed that the 21,000 jobs that were created were all public sector jobs. In fact, for every month of the Bush administration, every month we have lost manufacturing jobs to the point where we are in a manufacturing depression.

George Bush promised us tax cuts that would produce jobs. Just the opposite, he is the first president since Herbert Hoover who will end his term in office with a record loss of jobs.

WHITFIELD: OK, I'm not surprised that you disagree on that because of course President Bush and John Kerry disagree on that. In fact, we have seen their disagreement on television ads, radio ads, on Web sites, but now we're seeing a lot more of them making face time in various cities across the country.

Robert is this the beginning of this type of strategy of campaigning that both of these candidates are really going to need to be in the faces of the voters out there? ZIMMERMAN: Well you know its not just being in the faces of the voters, it is also being out there with a positive message. And Senator Kerry's most recent economic proposal, which is, really stands in opposition to the Bush administration's endorsement of outsourcing jobs.

George Bush's chief economic adviser said out sourcing of jobs, sending jobs overseas, were good for the economy. John Kerry wants to change that. He wants to close the tax loopholes so companies don't outsource jobs and wants to give corporations the tax breaks so they can reinvest in jobs in America.

WHITFIELD: OK.

ZIMMERMAN: It is the message that counts.

WHITFIELD: OK Barbara, all this week we have been seeing an awful lot time being devoted to the 9/11 hearings. And of course the White House is a bit concerned that perhaps these hearings might undermine the president's stance, his position on the war on terror.

And so given that, do you suppose that the White House is going to change its strategy a little bit, focus more on the economy and other issues and less on terrorism as his first ad campaign focused on initially?

COMSTOCK: Well listen, the president is focusing on both of these very important issues. But I think in a week where you have Ted Kennedy start hysterically attacking Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" and then you had people like Howard Dean and Al Gore this week out there supporting John Kerry, but again being very hysterical and then in contrast you see the very serious and sober foreign policy team that this White House has with Colin Powell, with Condi Rice, that's a good week for us.

And you had -- and we are very clearly understanding that there is still a war here. There are still people in this country who want to kill us. The president understands that. John Kerry is saying this is a law enforcement area.

WHITFIELD: OK.

ZIMMERMAN: No, the president has got to keep the September 11 commission above partisan politics. And using the White House smear machine to attack Dick Clarke's character as opposed to Condi Rice testifying under oath as to why Iraq was chosen as the target, and this administrations row, truly is a disservice to all the American people...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Robert you get the last word. Barbara you had the first word.

ZIMMERMAN: OK.

COMSTOCK: It would be a disservice...

ZIMMERMAN: Good to be with you Fredricka. Good to be with you Barbara.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Barbara Comstock and Robert Zimmerman.

Of course we will have to try to have you back, because we have eight months yet to talk more about all of this.

COMSTOCK: OK.

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.

ZIMMERMAN: Look forward to it.

WHITFIELD: Well in a couple of hours, NASA will try to reach Mach 7, roughly 5,000 miles an hour, or seven times the speed of sound. Technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg previews the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): NASA is preparing for takeoff today with the x-43 aircraft. You can see it over my shoulder there. X being the operative part of that standing for experimental. The technology is a ways off in the future in terms of being adopted by commuters, or commercial aircraft, but they are testing it out today.

(voice-over): And we can show you sort of how it is going to work. This is some test video that NASA sent to us. If you can see here right under the wing of this B-52 aircraft there's a pegasis (ph) rocket that is strapped to it. And on the very front of that, on the nose of the pegasis (ph) rocket is the x-43 aircraft. It's actually fairly small. It looks a bit like a flying surfboard.

It is only about 12 feet long. This is the Pegasus rocket right there. And this is the flying surfboard or the x-43 aircraft on the front of it. Now what is going to happen is this B-52 aircraft is going to take off from Edwards Air Force Base, get up to 40,000 feet. At that point it will release the Pegasus rocket, which will be going at a very high rate of speed.

It will get up to about Mach 5. Now when it gets to Mach 5 or so, it will release the X-43 aircraft. At that point the x-43 aircraft, what is an air-breathing vehicle, will then have air rushing in at an enormous rate of speed going through this part of the aircraft. When it goes through there, it will be mixed with some hydrogen and it will create this high-powered thrust and they hope to get it to five times the speed of sound or Mach 7.

Now the reason they are doing this is because liquid oxygen, which would be needed if it was traditional type of spacecraft, is very heavy. For example, the space shuttle weighs ten times what it normally does just because of this liquid oxygen. Without those liquid oxygen tanks it's much lighter. Now here's how it is going to work. It is going to take off from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California on runway four as a matter of fact. The B-52 will take off along this runway. As it takes off, again this Pegasus rocket is strapped to the wing. The x-43 flying surfboard or little wedge-shape is rammed on the front of it there. It will take off, go out over the ocean about 400 miles away, go out over the ocean. And they hope, if everything goes according to plan, again it gets up to this higher attitude about 100,000 feet eventually.

And if everything works, then it will perform some air maneuvers for about six minutes. They have some really tiny windows; milliseconds when they hope everything will work with this air rushing into the engine. It will fly around for a bit. Regardless, it plunges into the ocean successful or not. And NASA is trying to say a sense of humor with all of this. They say that unlike the Mars mission they know that they will discover water. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And CNN brings you live coverage at the Mach 7 test this afternoon. It's scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 1:00 p.m. out West.

From the pros to high school playing fields now. Straight ahead, we will examine how some high school athletes are turning to steroids to gain an unfair advantage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's some stories making news across America today. A Tacoma area man faces 44 counts of child rape and molestation. Police say Ronald Young photographed six foster children engaged in sexual activity with an adult. Three of the boys are five years old the other three are seven years old. Authorities say the snapshots were posted on the Internet.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants state officials to commute the sentence of Pamela Martinez to time served. Martinez went to prison under California's three strikes law. But she was apparently released 65 days too early. Schwarzenegger says Martinez has been a model citizen and should not go back to prison.

And New York is threatening to fine Donald Trump over a banner he hoisted on his 5th Avenue building. It reads "You're Fired." His signature line from "The Apprentice" hit TV show. The city says Trump did not get permission to hang the banner.

Allegations of illegal steroid use have rocked the world of big league baseball and other pro sports. But now the problem has reached the high school ranks. Sometimes with tragic consequences. CNN's Ted Rowlands reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Since his days in little league, Rob Girabaldi was a gifted baseball player. By high school he was told by his coaches and pro scouts that he had real major league potential. If he could just put on some more weight.

RAY GIRABALDI, ROB'S FATHER: I was told out of five tools he was lacking one and it was size. And they said he had to keep on working on this until he was able to achieve the appropriate size.

ROWLANDS: His parents say at age 15, Rob started taking over the counter supplements to help him achieve his baseball dreams. By the time he was in college and playing for USC, his parents say Rob was injecting himself with steroids. At age 24, he committed suicide. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says depression is a known side effect of steroid use. Don Hudton of Plano, Texas blames steroids for his 17-year-old son Tyler's suicide. Hutton says Tyler who was trying to earn a spot as a pitcher on his high school baseball team was also told that he needed to get bigger.

DON HUDTON, PARENT: The kids, when they find that just plain old working out and changing eating routines do not get it, they have a short-cut that is easily available to them. And it is called antibiotic steroids, and they work.

ROWLANDS: The National Football League banned steroid use in 1997. Kwame Harris a member of the San Francisco 49's says while he has never used steroids, he had felt the pressure to succeed, what he thinks is one reason why some kids shoot up.

KWAME HARRIS, PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER: Intense pressure, intense. It is immense. It's everywhere. It comes from all sides. And especially is you are expected to do something with your skills.

ROWLANDS: In Florida, there is a bill in the works to start randomly testing 5 percent of the state's high school student athletes for steroids. Cost of steroid testing is five times the cost of testing for other drugs. Educators say that's why most school districts don't do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coaches continue --

ROWLANDS: Lawmakers in California conducted a hearing to consider mandatory testing and other ways to curb teenage use of supplements and steroids in their state. Studies show it's not just athletes who take the drugs, according to researchers; some young people who don't even play sports are taking body enhancers just to make themselves look better. Ted ROWLANDS, CNN, Sacramental, California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Americans are digging deeper these days at the gas station. So is there any relief in sight for the prices at the pump? We will find out.

And dinner anyone? We will show you a few meals you may want to reconsider with this group.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: What are we to do about the high cost of gassing up? With me now is Geoff Sundstrom with the American Automobile Association or AAA and he joins us from Orlando, Florida. Food to see you Geoff.

GEOFF SUNDSTROM, AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, well gas is at an all-time high so far. How long is it expected to go up?

SUNDSTROM: AAA believes this is going to be another difficult year for gasoline prices. While it's impossible to say what exactly the high price for this year is going to be, we think we could well see the most difficult period later in April and May when the U.S. starts to switch from winter fuels to summer fuels in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

WHITFIELD: And in the spring and summer of course a lot more vacations, people hitting the road. Certainly that's a contributor, isn't it, to the continuing growing gas prices?

SUNDSTROM: Yes, it is. And quite frankly every year America is consuming more and more gasoline. And we frankly don't produce enough here domestically to meet our own needs.

WHITFIELD: So the administration says it is not likely to dip into the U.S. reserves. Do you think they can keep that promise?

SUNSTROM: Yes, AAA's position with regard to the statistic petroleum reserves is that it really should be used only for national emergencies. Frankly, the answer to our gasoline price problems lies in long-term thinking and resolving a number of critical issues.

One is of course reliable access to affordable crude oil. But secondly, we need to be able to produce, distribute clean gasoline throughout the United States without all of the regulatory burdens and barriers that we have now.

WHITFIELD: So what are the short-term solutions?

SUNDSTROM: Well in the short-term, of course, you know, motorists can do things like make sure their vehicles are properly maintained, try to consolidate trips, eliminate excess weight in their vehicles. And certainly if they are in the market for a new car, make fuel efficiency the top of your priority list in valuating the new models.

WHITFIELD: What are some of the other things people can do if they are not in the market of being able to buy a car, a more fuel- friendly vehicle right now; there are things they could do at home besides your suggestion of car pooling, perhaps?

SUNDSTROM: Um-hum. Well a technology that is available to us now that we have not had during other periods of high-energy prices is telecommuting. Quite frankly, there are many work situations where employees may be able to spend, you know, a day not commuting back and forth to the office but staying home and working off the Internet and using their telephone.

We are seeing that more and more in the workplace. And perhaps these high prices will encourage that trend.

WHITFIELD: And right now there's still certain parts of the country that are enjoying the lower end of the high prices of gas, while places like Honolulu and L.A. are still at the top of the list of those who are paying the most. Is that kind of geographical disparity likely to continue?

SUNDSTROM: Yes, I mean that's a pattern that has held true for many years. Prices on the West Coast have been higher because their gasoline taxes are higher and their clean fuel standards are the most strict in the nation. Generally we see lower prices in the southeast. That has to do with their tax situation in Georgia, in particular.

WHITFIELD: All right, Geoff Sundstrom of the American Automobile Assn., AAA. Thanks very much for joining us from Orlando, Florida.

SUNDSTROM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well it's called the explorer's club. And you may want to think twice if you are considering dinner plans there. The story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well some of you may be enjoying lunch right now. We are going to put a stop to that right now. Ready for something wildly different our Jeanne Moos has reactions to a menu that could give Indiana Jones indigestion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Instead of getting bitten, take a bite of tarantula tempemporo (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little chewy. But great.

MOOS: Or maybe would prefer succulent roasted beaver or steamed and roasted rattlesnake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you get the rattle, it's like a happy meal.

MOOS: Forget a big Mac attack, these appetizers really could attack. From Louisiana alligator to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mealworm scorpions on a pastry.

MOOS: What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Explorer's Club.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your going to explore quite a bit tonight. MOOS: Maybe the madder gas car hissing cockroach kabob would go down better with a cocktail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A martini with the eyeball in here.

MOOS: Hog eyeball or cow eyeball fritters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we try to do is not be gross.

MOOS: Couldn't fool her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is the shrimp?

MOOS: The Explorer's Club boasts members like Sir Edmond Hillary who conquered Mount Everest, so why make a mountain out of an eyeball.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slimy but satisfying.

MOOS: The explorers say don't confuse our tarantulas in brandy with fear factor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go you got to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You live from it, this is substance, and this is not gross material.

MOOS: Makes regular food seem like a bore. Oh, oh a snake, some of the reviews sounded like faint praise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I was stuck out in the woods I would eat it.

MOOS: Pass the gator.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does kind of taste like chicken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tarantula taste a bit like fried shrimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I brought my own fork, I just want to be prepared for anything that might crawl or creep, or run away on the plate.

MOOS: Don't bother complaining waiter there is a fly in my soup here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Waiter there is a grasshopper in my sushi.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.

WHITFIELD: Oh no way. Oh god it is nasty. All right, so much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a matter of minutes "Next @ CNN."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com