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CNN Live Saturday

Police Clash With Protesters in Paris; Kenneth Hinson Denied Bond in Rape, Kidnapping Case; Some Drivers Resort to Dummies in Order to Use HOV Lanes.

Aired March 18, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead in this hour, tension on the streets of Paris. Thousands of protesters clash with police in demonstrations against new labor laws.
Plus, addiction to oil -- just what could happen if the world's oil supply runs dry?

And then online shopping -- for sperm? we're going to take a look inside this growing trend.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

I'm Carol Lin.

All that and more after this check of the headlines.

In South Carolina, bond denied for Kenneth Hinson. Police say he rasped two teenaged girls and tied them up in a dungeon and that it was on a shed, or at least under the shed, on his property. The teens escaped and called police. Coming up, I'm going to talk to a reporter who's been in that underground room.

And people marching in Paris today, protesting a plan to fire anyone under the age of 26 without cause. Police say a half million of people marched in the streets of Paris and other cities today to let the government know how they feel. A report from Paris coming right up.

And two U.S. Navy warships trade fire with suspected pirates off the coast of Africa today. The Navy says no Americans were hurt, but one suspect was killed and five others were wounded. The Navy says the suspects were carrying what appeared to be rocket propelled grenade launchers.

Getting ready for smallpox -- that's what members of the Bush administration were doing today. The closed door, tabletop exercise looked at what officials would do if terrorists tried to use the disease as a weapon.

Anger over a plan that's supposed to get more companies to hire people. Students and union workers filled the streets all over France today. They broke windows, set fires and pelted police with whatever they could find.

To find out what's going on right now, I've got Eric Pape of "Newsweek" magazine on the phone from Paris.

Eric, this is not just a group of thugs. I mean these are schoolteachers, students, ordinary people.

ERIC PAPE, "NEWSWEEK": Well, I think we really have two separate groups here. The vast majority, the hundreds of thousands of people are people who are upset about a new contract that they don't find to be acceptable. You don't need that many people, really, to cause quite a bit of discord inside of a crowd like that.

So I think you have a few hundred or maybe a few thousand in all, all over France, who were looking for confrontations with police, who, in Paris, lit a couple of cars on fire and basically threw, as you said, whatever they could at the police.

LIN: Yes, and they're planning more protests. So tell us a little bit more about why they're so upset.

How did the government come up with this idea to allow companies to fire people, young people, without cause?

PAPE: Well, no, the government is doing it out of a goodwill. Youth unemployment in France is a huge problem. It's over 22 percent. It's been a problem in France for years, if not decades, as well as in much of Western Europe. So the government trying to address it is a good thing.

The question is whether this solution is the one. They've introduced a contract that would allow anyone working on it to be fired for two -- within the first two years at their job, really without any explanation by their employers.

LIN: Well, how is this supposed to create jobs?

PAPE: The idea is if it's easier to fire people, it's easier to hire them. Of course, for people who are looking for jobs being told suddenly that they're going to get a job that they can be fired from at any time makes it hard to, you know, get a good apartment, to get a stable life, to try -- to think of having kids. You know, if you want -- if you have a job, you want to know that you're going to have your job for some time.

LIN: Right.

And in France, Eric, I mean what is the labor culture there? Are the unions pretty strong?

PAPE: Unions are quite strong and some of them are quite radical. A certain number of fringe unions that are probably somewhat supportive of the most passionate responses to this measure. But the vast majority of people out there are students who are going to be going out into the job market in the coming years. They made up hundreds of thousands of the people that I saw today out in the protests.

And I think the core issue is really that young people are looking ahead to a future that will be less prosperous, less stable and less secure than their parents'.

LIN: All right.

PAPE: We can compare this in the United States to maybe several decades ago. We went from being a country where people often dreamed or hoped of having a job from the time they finished their studies to retirement. And now, of course, it's -- the United States is a place where you can expect to have three or four careers, if not three or four different major employers in your life.

In France, that represents a huge sea change and this is the generation that is seeing it up close.

LIN: I see.

I see.

Eric Pape, thank you very much.

Eric with "Newsweek."

All right, to another big story here in the United States. A child molester, Kenneth Hinson, had a bond hearing about an hour ago. He is accused of raping two teenaged girls and leaving them tied up in an underground room. They escaped and Hinson, a convicted sex offender, spent four days on the run.

Chris Huffman is on the telephone with me with more on this story.

He is with CNN affiliate WPT -- WBTW -- Chris, give us an idea of what happened in court.

What was Hinson's demeanor?

CHRIS HUFFMAN, WBTW-TV REPORTER: Well, about an hour ago, Kenneth Hinson did meet with the magistrate judge and that bond was denied. Now, the chief of the sheriffs department told the judge that the victims are very afraid of Hinson and they begged to keep Hinson behind bars until this trial.

Now, because of an additional burglary charge, South Carolina state law says that Hinson also has to meet with a circuit court judge on Monday for one more bond hearing. The chief testified that Hinson locked two 17-year-old girls in an underground dungeon and raped them. And once he left them, there was no way for those girls to get oxygen while they were in the bunker.

LIN: So the intent, he's also charged with intent to kill.

Chris, I asked you about his demeanor. And the reason why I asked you is because if he had served his full sentence on the previous charge, when he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old, he would not have committed this crime.

So how did he appear to you in court? HUFFMAN: He was actually a little hostile toward the magistrate judge. He was most interested in making sure that he had a public defender. But the point that was brought to him was that this is a Saturday afternoon and the clerk of courts office doesn't open until Monday morning. And so a public defender wouldn't -- can't be appointed to him until then. So he was very angry about that.

LIN: Chris Huffman, we're going to talk more about this in the 6:00 Eastern hour, but thank you very much for bringing us the latest from the courtroom there.

Now, coming up tonight at 10:00 Eastern, we are devoting much of the hour to kids in danger.

As you know by now this week the Justice Department charged 27 people with online child pornography. The youngest victim was 18 months old.

So how do you protect your children?

Tonight at 10:00, I'm going to talk with one of the women behind this recent crackdown. She was the lead investigator.

Now, a new GAO audit blasts the FBI's spending habits, especially the $535 million spent upgrading its computers, computers that still don't work. Members of Congress want to know what the FBI is doing with taxpayer money.

Our Gary Nurenberg live in Washington -- Gary, this sounds like an outrage.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Carol.

The cost to renovate the FBI's computer system right now stands at more than half a billion dollars and projected to reach nearly a billion dollars.

A new report by the congressional research arm just obtained by CNN says FBI and General Services Administration lax oversight of the huge project may have resulted in millions of dollars in improper spending. The Government Accountability Office study, not yet released, questions $17 million in spending on the project, saying more than 1,200 pieces of equipment simply can't be accounted for. The price hike for that? More than $7.5 million.

The FBI threw up its hands last year and stopped development of part of its Trilogy computer system. Its new system is called Sentinel, a new contract awarded this week. But the GAO report concludes that millions could be wasted on that project if the accounting isn't tightened up.

The 9/11 Commission reported to the Bureau's antiquated computer system as one reason that the FBI may have missed important clues about the 9/11 attacks. And without a state-of-the-art system online now, well, those concerns are magnified.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RASCH, COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT: We're talking about information the FBI already knows, but they don't know that they know. And so they can't act on it, they can't work with it. And so they've collected the information and they can't work with it effectively. And that's what we're paying the FBI to do -- to know what they know and act on it to protect the American public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: The FBI says that it has learned from the Trilogy experience and has made big changes to tighten accounting in its new computer project. It says: "You have to remember what the atmosphere was like post-9/11, as much of this computer work was being done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pressure certainly came to bear on the Bureau to launch a computer system that was capable of connecting the dots and to do it quickly. And under that pressure, sometimes -- not in every instance, but sometimes the message was get it done. And if an obstacle came up, to move it out of the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: The FBI has been trying to fix its computer problems for years. And if everything goes perfectly, without a hitch, if the new contract time demands are met, those systems won't be where the FBI wants them to be for another three years -- Carol.

LIN: Time lost.

Gary, thank you.

Now, more now on what the Navy describes as a pirate attack. It happened earlier today off the coast of Somalia. The Navy says two warships immediately returned fire on an attacking pirate vessel, killing one and wounding five on board. Now, no U.S. sailors were injured.

CNN's Barbara Starr was tipped off to this brazen attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two warships, the Cape St. George and the Gonzalez, were patrolling in the waters off Somalia. They approached a suspicious vessel. There were pirates on board brandishing shoulder-fired grenade launchers and those pirates opened fire on the U.S. Navy. And immediately sailors on board the decks of both of those U.S. Navy warships returned fire with a variety of machine guns and weapons. They killed one pirates, wounded five. A number of people have been taken into custody. The Navy now investigating this entire incident, trying to determine why these pirates thought they could possibly win opening fire against U.S. Navy warships.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Coming up, what does it mean to lose a child in combat?

Straight ahead, two very different views from two very different parents.

And then, to the soldiers wounded in Iraq -- how do they fit back into society? I'm going to talk with someone who tries to help.

And what would you do in a real oil crisis, if there were no oil or if you couldn't afford gas?

Frank Sesno is on the road looking at how other countries are solving that question and asking a tough one of his own.

FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm driving a Chevrolet in the middle of Brazil on ethanol, pure ethanol. Not a drop of oil, imported oil, in this tank. And here's the stuff growing all around us that is the fuel. And I'm thinking why can't I do this in America?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Monday marks the third anniversary of the Iraq war. Today, President Bush said it was the right decision. But many around the world don't agree. And they made that clear in a number of war protests today.

This was the scene in Sydney, Australia, one of America's coalition partners. A much larger protest was held in Britain, Washington's closest ally in the war. And about 15,000 people took part in a march and rally in London with speakers demanding coalition forces be brought home.

In Washington, a silent vigil led by Quakers was held on the West Lawn of the Capitol. They've been holding a vigil every week for the last several years. Demonstrations were also held in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

And while support for the war has dropped dramatically over the last three years, many Americans maintain the invasion was justified, and, in fact, critical for U.S. security. Two radically different opinions found not just among Americans as a whole, but also among families of U.S. troops who paid the ultimate price.

Here's CNN's Chris Huntington.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lieutenant Seth Dvorin was a platoon leader in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. Lieutenant J.T. Wroblewski a platoon leader for the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Marines. Two young men from the New Jersey suburbs who were killed in action in Iraq in 2004.

Dvorin's mother Sue and Wroblewski's father John carry similar burdens of a parent's tragic loss. Both are passionately outspoken about what their sons died for -- from completely different points of view.

SUE NIEDERER, LOST SON IN WAR: What did my child -- I have to use the word child -- die for? If you can't think of something that your child died for or was killed for, then your child has died in vain.

JOHN WROBLEWSKI, LOST SON IN WAR: My son -- not only my son, but all of those heroes that fell, all of the wounded that are in hospitals and lost limbs and so forth and so on, they did not die in vain. They died honorably.

HUNTINGTON: Wroblewski, a high school athletic director and father of four, is proud his oldest son was a Marine and fervently believes the war in Iraq is necessary.

WROBLEWSKI: It's a war that if we're not in it and we're not on the offensive, all right, we will be fighting it here on these shores. I think 9/11 proved that.

HUNTINGTON: Sue Niederer, a real estate broker, has actively protested that premise since her son was killed while leading a search for improvised explosive devices, a mission she believes he was under trained and under equipped to do.

NIEDERER: How the heck did a piece of shrapnel get up and under my son's helmet and blow the back of his head off? Somebody explain that one to me.

HUNTINGTON: Niederer says her son told her he'd lost confidence in the U.S. mission in Iraq, but was committed to leading his soldiers. Now, she says, he is leading her.

NIEDERER: I will continue speaking, marching, being arrested.

Until my son tells me to stop, I'm not stopping.

HUNTINGTON: John Wroblewski does not consider himself a pro-war activist. But last fall, he spoke at a rally to honor military families.

WROBLEWSKI: And thank you to our commander-in-chief.

HUNTINGTON: And last summer, Wroblewski traveled to Crawford, Texas to confront Cindy Sheehan, who had also lost her son in Iraq and was protesting the war outside President Bush's ranch.

WROBLEWSKI: And I understand Cindy Sheehan. I feel her loss. But I think that, you know, there's a line that's drawn, you know? And she -- she -- at one point in time I think she crossed that line.

HUNTINGTON: Lieutenant J.T. Wroblewski died in a firefight outside Ramadi. But his father visits with him many mornings at a small memorial where a poem is etched into a stone: "If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk right to heaven and bring you home again."

Sue Niederer says that's one thing that she and John Wroblewski completely agree upon.

Chris Huntington, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: And then there are the wounded, the thousands of men and women who leave Iraq with permanent devastating disabilities. The transition back home can be difficult.

So joining us now from Dallas, a war veteran who made it through those tough times and is now helping others do the same.

Tracy Reep is with the Coalition To Salute America's Heroes.

Tracy, good to have you.

TRACY REEP, SALUTE AMERICA'S HEROES: Thanks for having me today, Carol.

LIN: You do so much for the veterans and their families -- building homes, trying to find them jobs. You know what it feels like to be in their shoes. I mean you were ambushed several years ago, two years ago. You were blinded in one eye. You lost fingers.

What did you need at the time when you came home?

REEP: Well, most importantly, Carol, what I needed was the camaraderie that I found and the support I found through the Coalition To Salute America's Heroes, which is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that serves to support the wounded soldiers and their family members through five primary initiatives, as well as serves also as a clearinghouse for a number of different support services.

LIN: Hey, Tracy, while you're talking...

REEP: So, primarily I said...

LIN: ... I want to show some of the -- I want to show some of the photos that are so compelling, from your Web site, some of the homes that you rebuilt and stories of some of the families who needed that help. Because you say that coming home, you really end up fighting an even tougher battle here.

What is that fight?

REEP: Well, you know, it is a difficult transition. Many of these soldiers have only known the military. Now they're being -- they're being brought home, obviously physically different than when they went to war. And that is difficult.

Oftentimes they've gone from a two income family to half or a portion of one income because the caregiver is oftentimes the spouse. And they have to quit their primary job.

So that's where, again, the Coalition To Salute America's Heroes comes in to help support these wounded soldiers and their family members.

LIN: So what do you tell them? You know, because they are going to believe you because you've been there, all right? What are you going to tell them about the uncertainty and what their life is going to be like and what the life will be that's worth living?

REEP: Well, I'll tell you, I urge them to stay focused on the positives. Obviously they have physical challenges that they are growing accustomed to. And I just tell them to keep their head up and their feet moving and that there are people there to support them. There are organizations like the Coalition there to support them in this transition period. They're not alone.

LIN: What do you think was the hardest thing for you coming home? What struck you?

REEP: You know, well, early on, when I was injured, in early 2003, the support systems and the processes weren't totally in place. And so, you know, the organization that I became involved with, the Coalition, really served a significant purpose in my life by providing me that support and that camaraderie.

LIN: Right. Right. And also telling you that, you know, you're wounded. You needed to come home. Because I'm sure there must have been guilt in leaving your brethren behind.

REEP: Yes, definitely. To a person, I guarantee any soldier that has been wounded and subsequently retired medically would tell you, they'd go back in a heartbeat. There is a gap that, you know, we are missing in our lives, you know, that we left back in Iraq, not only physically, but psychologically.

LIN: Right. Right.

Tracy Reep, you are the face of the future.

I'm sure it offers a lot of families comfort to know that you and your organization are there.

Thanks for joining us today.

REEP: Thank you for having me, Carol.

LIN: So who do you think make the best and worst drivers? You might be surprised, because we were.

And, yup, you can't miss this picture. We've got an implosion. It's Saturday.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A frat party shooting in South Carolina, that is what is topping our "News Across America" right now. Police say a man kicked out of a fraternity party in Columbia, South Carolina this morning returned with a gun and starting shooting. Five people were hurt. He left and then came back with several other people and three of them shot up the front of the building.

More time behind the wheel doesn't make people safer drivers. Allstate Insurance looked at its accident claims and gives driver discounts to judges, veterinarians and chemists. But police and firefighters, you know, the people who are trained in high speed driving aren't considered to be as safe.

It was a rainy morning in Fort Worth, but the storms stopped long enough for this. Look at this -- the implosion of a 30-story landmark tower. Thousands of people came out early to watch. Now this is a future parking lot. Once all that rubble is cleared, that's where you're going to park, there.

All right, a squabble over a strait-jacked statue in Britain, the so-called Mountain Oyster Festivals in the States and surprising news about widows. That's just a few of the wild stories our Tony Harris checks out in today's Water Cooler.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Was Winston Churchill crazy? No, but some Britons think the folks who commissioned this statue might be. A charity says it meant no disrespect to the former prime minister, it just wanted to raise awareness of mental health. Churchill's grandson, a member of parliament, calls the statue "absurd."

If you think that's nuts, try wrapping your head around this annual testicle festival in Virginia City, Nevada. This weekend's event at the Bucket of Blood Saloon is just one of many Mountain Oyster events across the West this time of year. If you have to ask what that is, you might want to skip it.

Here's more food for thought from the bad idea department. It's a new Web site that encourages celebrity stalking. Anyone who spots a famous person can post the location on Gawker.com within minutes, including a street map.

Also from the dubious concept file, a townhouse for sale, owner included. The middle-aged bachelor behind Townhousewithgroom.com is sweetening the deal by offering to marry the lucky lady who buys his home. Better think it through before making an offer.

Even if he does land a bride, don't expect her to be a grieving widow some day. A new study finds that nearly half of widows over age 65 get over their spouse's death pretty doggone quick. About 10 percent actually cheer up.

And finally, an idea out of Germany so obvious, you wonder why they didn't think of it sooner -- ex-prostitutes recruited as geriatric nurses. Early reports are glowing. Who knew that hookers have the hands-on experience and bedside manner to be natural caregivers?

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: OK.

All you need to know right here on CNN.

Now, take a look at this. What do all these children have in common?

Well, they share the same father, but they don't know who he is.

And then searching for a sperm donor online -- it's a last resort for many women and a growing trend.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lower your energy costs by weatherizing your home. You can save as much as 15 percent on your utility bills by sealing up those drafty windows and doors. Materials like caulk and weather-stripping can stop air leaks. And don't forget to insulate your home's exterior walls and areas like the garage, which are also common sources of energy loss.

Also, check out the Department of Energy's Web site for information about their weatherization assistance program. Now, this program is available to lower income families.

And remember, caulk and weather-stripping only cost about $50 for the average home and you can save two to three times that in one heating season.

I'm Gerri Willis with your energy tip.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

Here's what's happening right "Now in the News."

Bond was denied at a hearing today in South Carolina for this man, Kenneth Hinson. The convicted rapist is accused of kidnaping two teenaged girls and assaulting them in an underground dungeon at his home.

Another tense standoff on the streets of Paris. Student and labor workers are protesting a new labor law. The demonstrations have turned violent. Students say the new legislation will make it easier for employers to fire younger workers.

Piracy on the high seas. Two U.S. Navy ships come under fire from suspected pirates off of the coast of Somalia. The Navy returned fire, killing one suspect and wounding five others. No U.S. sailors were injured.

Smallpox drill. Top government officials took part in a drill today in Washington. Its goal, to identify gaps if federal, state and local plans in the event of a smallpox outbreak.

All right, imagine this picture. He is six feet four. Was a college football star. Got his master's degree. And now he has more than a dozen children. None of them know him. Even their mothers only know him by a numbers, 401. But their bonds to this sperm donor has now extended to each other. CNN's Dan Simon has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Carla Schouten knew what she was looking for in a man.

CARLA SCHOUTEN, MOTHER: I wanted somebody that had a quick smile and a nice life.

SIMON: Former Rugby player, Lisa Weix, describes her ideal guy as athletic.

LISA WEIX, MOTHER: He loves sports. He loves the outdoors.

SIMON: And Leann Mischel wanted a guy with height.

LEANN MISCHEL, MOTHER: So I screened for over six feet tall.

SIMON: The ladies hit the Internet. No, not match.com. This wasn't about dates and dinner. The women were looking for a sperm donor and logged onto a site that lets them choose the perfect DNA.

The website was for the Fairfax Cryobank, a sperm bank in Virginia. And when they came across the profile for 401, they knew they had their match. 401 sounds like a heck of a guy, 6'4", college football all-American, a master's degree, someone you wouldn't mind introducing to your parents.

And by all accounts, 401, who wishes to remain anonymous, helped produce some beautiful children. This is Carla's son Tice (ph). Lisa delivered twins, Eliza (ph) and Julia (ph). And Leann got Ethan (ph).

But there are more. 401's sperm produced at least 14 children and as many as 20 from at least 11 mothers. Many of them gave us photos.

WEIX: It is a little strange . . .

SCHOUTEN: It is strange.

WEIX: But it's strangely wonderful. You know, I mean, we have what we always wanted, which is kids, and they're, you know, happy and healthy and they're doing great.

SIMON: But how do these mothers know each other? Sperm banks usually operate confidentially. The site donorsiblingregistry.com is connecting women who have the same sperm donor. The site allows mothers to log on to the site, type in the number or profile of their donor and see if there are any matches. That's how Carla and Lisa met online. Then the two women from northern California met face-to-face and since then have become close friends.

WEIX: I think we're close.

SCHOUTEN: Yes. Yes. It's -- I really couldn't feel closer to you.

SIMON: Julia and Eliza also have a half siblings.

SCHOUTEN: They're going to know each other when they grow up. I always think of it as sort of cousins. We go camping in the summer. We do birthdays. We have playdates.

SIMON: The sperm bank industry is largely unregulated and the banks vigorously protect donors identities. But some say the donors shouldn't be able to remain anonymous, depriving families of knowing their own background. They say sperm banks should require donors to agree that their children can contact them when they turn 18. That's the law in some European countries. But there's a fear that could significantly reduce the number of willing donors like 401.

SCHOUTEN: I would love to meet him just to say hi and see what it really looks like to see him smile.

SIMON: There's no indication 401 wants to emerge from the shadows. In fact, he's now out of the baby business. He no longer wants to donate his sperm. Well, that left Leann Mischel in a lurch who wanted to have a second child with his DNA.

MISCHEL: If you're smart, you're buying in bulk for extra. I was not that forward thinking.

SIMON: It just so happened, though, that Carla had an extra vial of 401 sperm and gave it to her.

SCHOUTEN: And I felt really good about being able to give it to somebody that needed it so desperately. That felt good.

SIMON: Carla's gift created another, baby Emma (ph), 401's newest addition to the world.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: All right. So is that all that it takes, just a mouse click? Well, not really a mouse click, because there are so many sites now where you can look at all these pictures online and say, hey, that's the guy for me or at least that's the guy for my baby. So, of course, we're talking about safety concerns and expectations and that's why I thought of Richard Blue. He is an Atlanta-based psychologist and a relationship expert.

RICHARD BLUE, PSYCHOLOGIST/RELATIONSHIP EXPERT: Hey, Carol.

LIN: Dr. Blue, good to have you.

BLUE: Carol, good to be here.

LIN: All right. So the whole process. Hmm, I want to have a baby.

BLUE: Right.

LIN: I like that guy, click. This is going to be my sperm donor. What sort of expectation does that set up for this mother to be about what parenting is going to be like?

BLUE: Well, a lot of times maybe it's too high. But, you know, people are desperate to have children and they look at a picture and they think, oh my goodness, an expectation of something wonderful and fantastic. You know, you never know what you're getting into til you're in it.

LIN: Right.

BLUE: So people have hope and optimism but that's no different than dating and getting married with all the hope that a marriage . . .

LIN: Oh, but a baby. OK. I like to describe a baby as the relationship. It's sort of the adult relationship you don't want to have. I mean it's someone who's completely dependent upon you. It's a one-way street for a long time.

BLUE: Absolutely.

LIN: "The New York Times" is coming out with a story tomorrow and one of the people that it profiles is this woman who has the photo of her sperm donor in her wallet. She lives in a studio apartment. She's working overtime to afford the procedure. Does this sound like a woman who has unrealistic expectations of what parenting or even what this child is going to look like? There's no guarantee.

BLUE: Well, you'd have to really talk to her. Yes, she's hopeful. She's optimistic. She thinks, oh my goodness, what my baby is going to be like. I mean I always think, she really needs to talk to somebody about some realistic expectations because they're very high. I mean, once again, she's got to go through the process, have a child and see child rearing is difficult. But, you know, in the moment, she's excited and thinking, this can happen and I'm going to have this wonderful, perfect baby.

LIN: Right. So do you think there should be mandatory counseling, then, for women, single women who are about to embark on this journey on their own, all right, with an anonymous donor?

BLUE: Yes, I think so. I think it's too complicated. Marriage is difficult enough. I mean the whole thing, divorce, and single parenting, you know, under normal circumstances, is difficult. Because this is so extreme and genetic engineering and pushing this envelope, yes, I think somewhere between six and eight sessions to just really talk about what you're getting into.

LIN: And why you're getting into it, right?

BLUE: And why you're getting into it. And letting it settle. And think about it. And then after that time, if somebody wants to do it, it's a free country. They can certainly choose to try it.

LIN: Right. And there's no guarantee genetically that -- I mean you might like his blue eyes and brown hair and his athletic skills, but the baby could come out inheriting, you know, Uncle Harry's wimpy features.

BLUE: That's right. Or alcoholism. Or, you know, you don't know what you're getting. But, see, hopefully what this screening process would do would determine, does a woman really want to have a child? Not a perfect child.

LIN: Or does she want a relationship?

BLUE: That's right. Does she want to have a relationship with this child? Because she's going to be a single parent probably. And then you've got the whole aspect of telling other people about where did this child come from.

LIN: Right.

BLUE: You know, is society ready to hear that this was a sperm donor. This is genetically engineered.

LIN: Or the guy she may want to marry some day. I mean if a woman embarks on this journey, what are the realistic expectations for that woman, because she's not only a single mom, but she's a single mom who went through, you know, the scientific route. How does a guy, you know, receive that kind of information?

BLUE: Well the other issue is, blended and step families are very difficult. Between 55 and 64 percent of second and third marriages end in divorce because of the blended and step issues. You know, blood is thicker than water. It's your child. So whether this is a sperm donor or whether this is through first marriage, you're talking about the difficulty of relationships.

LIN: Right. But at least the guy won't have to deal with the ex, right?

BLUE: You know what, that's -- that's a great . . .

LIN: Sperm donor 401 is not going to come calling.

BLUE: Excellent. Absolutely true.

LIN: Thanks, Dr. Blue. Good to meet you.

BLUE: Enjoyed it, Carol. Thank you.

LIN: All right. Up next, we hear all the time that we cannot run the country without oil, but Frank Sesno has gone around the world looking at countries and talking to people who do just that.

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FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This place has a rhythm all its own. But what brings me to Brazil is this. Sugarcane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Can the U.S. learn from its neighbors?

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LIN: America's dangerous addiction to oil. We've been warned about it again and again. What if the spigot were cut off? Where would we turn for our sources of energy? We could learn a lesson from Brazil. It's already come up with a sweet alternative. Here's CNN's Frank Sesno.

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FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This place has a rhythm all its own. But what brings me to Brazil is this, sugarcane. Mile after mile of it. They make sugar with it, of course. But also something that makes Brazil a world leader. Sugarcane ethanol. Clean-burning, high-octane.

Ethanol now accounts for nearly 40 percent of Brazil's transportation fuel. In a dangerous world, this stuff is sweet in more ways than one.

Eduardo (ph), this stuff goes on forever.

EDUARDO JUNKERA (ph): Yes, it's a green ocean. Only sugarcane.

SESNO: I meet Eduardo Junkera in the fields near his mill four hours north of Sau Palu (ph). It's one of the largest operations in the region.

JUNKERA: So they're unloading the sugarcane here and with this sugarcane we produce sugar and ethanol.

SESNO: You can smell the sugar, smell the molasses.

JUNKERA: It smells very good.

SESNO: Here nothing's wasted. The fiber from the cane is burned, which generates enough power for the entire mill.

This is renewable energy in the real sense, isn't it?

JUNKERA: Renewable energy in a real sense. And we are able to produce ethanol that's enough to fuel about 11,000 or more cars per day.

SESNO: Eleven thousand cars a day of ethanol from these tanks.

JUNKERA: Yes. Exactly.

SESNO: Day after day?

JUNKERA: Day after day.

SESNO: Brazil is experiencing a sugar boom. Three hundred mills produced four billion gallons of ethanol in 2005. Fifty-one new mills are under construction. And they'll need 130 more in the next seven years. Why? Because ethanol in Brazil is not an experiment, it's a way of life. You see it at just about every gas station. Alcool, they call it. And it's a lot cheaper than gasoline, although it doesn't deliver quite the mileage. Here, even regular gas contains 25 percent ethanol.

Brazil's ethanol program has its roots in the 1970's oil shocks. Jose Goldenberg (ph), one of the early ethanol promoters, remembers how the crisis nearly brought his country to its knees.

JOSE GOLDENBERG: The Brazilian economy was coming to a halt because you couldn't get fuel.

SESNO: In 1975, Brazil's government, a military government, decreed a national ethanol program, pouring billions into it. But the big break didn't come for nearly 30 years. Flex fuel cars introduced only in 2003 can run interchangeably on pure ethanol or a gas/ethanol mix. An inexpensive sensor analyzing the fuel and instantly adjusts the engine. Three quarter of all new cars now sold in Brazil are flex. Brazilians say the ethanol they make, together with the oil they pump, are about to make Brazil energy independent. They won't need oil imports.

If there's a disruption in the Middle East, life will go on here as normal.

GOLDENBERG: Exactly. Exactly. And that was very clear in 1975. That's the reason why we supported the ethanol program strongly.

SESNO: Ethanol helped Brazil beat its oil addiction. And with sales and exports grow, its profitable. No more government money.

GOLDENBERG: I think that we won. A good, scientific idea was adopted by a large country in the world.

SESNO: I'm driving a Chevrolet in the middle of Brazil on ethanol. Pure ethanol. Not a drop of oil, imported oil, in this tank. And here's the stuff growing all around us that is the fuel. You know what I'm thinking, why can't I do this in America?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, right here in America, $8 for a gallon of gas? Rationing groceries? Sounds pretty drastic but it could be a reality the next time a major hurricane strikes. Just how vulnerable is the world's oil supply? Can America handle a system that is at its breaking point? Find out on "CNN Presents" "We Were Warned" tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN. And meet Tillie. She was one man's ticket to a ride until a minor speed bump. The rest of the story next.

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LIN: Checking out the most popular stories on our website right now.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams paid a visit to the White House yesterday, but he couldn't make it to an event in upstate New York last night. He was detained at the airport because his name is on a TSA terror watch list.

And readers are getting an earful on a "Desperate Housewife's" love life. Actress Eva Longoria revealed some surprising tidbits about her relationship with NBA star Tony Parker. Click on to cnn.com's most popular icon for more details.

All right, so how smart is it to have a dummy riding shot gun. It's a popular ploy for some solo drivers who want to drive in the HOV lanes. Well, to have a passenger mannequin. But as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, not following the rules of the road can lead it an rather unwelcomed destination.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Her name is Tillie, but don't let that serene face fool you. Tillie has lived life in the fast lane with Greg Pringle.

GREG PRINGLE, MOTORIST: Oh, well, I knew I was doing wrong from the get-go. I was nervous.

MOOS: Pringle got bust a month and a half ago using Tillie as an extra occupant to sneak into the HOV lane for car poolers and this is his punishment.

PRINGLE: Almost halfway done.

MOOS: Four hours by this Colorado highway holding a sign saying "HOV lane is not for dummies." Not since the automatic pilot in a spoof "Airplane."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There it is.

MOOS: Has a dummy gotten this much attention. But dummies in HOV lanes are nothing new. From the Netherlands to California, drivers have been nabbed for propping them up to fool the police. But the best excuse came from this Arizona woman when she was pulled over for driving alone. The officer asked her how many occupants she had and she said two.

SGT. DAVE NORTON, PHOENIX POLICE: And she pointed to her obvious pregnancy.

CANDACE DICKINSON, PREGNANT DRIVER: An unborn child is defined as I person. MOOS: The judge didn't buy her argument.

This dummy, known as Safe-T-Man, was meant to be used by women to scare off potential attackers. Now that's a dummy that might pass for real. But Tillie was homemade, consisting of a Styrofoam head from a beauty supply store, hangers for shoulders and newspaper stuffing. For about a year she saved Greg half an hour a day.

PRINGLE: I had a summer outfit and a winter outfit and I had legs. I added legs later so that the truckers wouldn't look down and see that I had a person with no legs.

MOOS: Greg had to pay $125 in fines and court costs. As for his public punishment . . .

PRINGLE: It's been kind of fun.

MOOS: Tillie will be auctioned off on eBay with proceeds going to Alive at 25, a driver-ed organization. If a fetus doesn't help your HOV count, how about the body in the back of a hearse? No way, say cops. That's cargo, you dummy.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: OK, we're really worried now.

There is still much more ahead on CNN. Coming up in the next hour, I'm going to be interviewing New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. We are going to talk about a host of issues. Controversial ones, as well as ones very close to home. So stay with us.

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LIN: This is CNN SATURDAY and I'm Carol Lin.

Straight ahead in this hour, the shed could be out the movie "Silence of the Lambs." Police say it was a torture chamber for two girls. Both allegedly kidnaped and raped.

And violence and fires light up the night in the city of light as thousands of students and workers shout "no."

And keeping him honest. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin answers our questions as he joins me live. He's here making news tonight.

And here's what's making news right now.

A wanted man caught in South Carolina. Police say 47-year-old Kenneth Hinson imprisoned two teenage girls in an underground bunker and sexually assaulted them. One of Hinson's family members turned him in. You're going to hear from her in just 60 seconds.

And an emergency drill in Washington. Top White House officials held an exercise today to test the government's response to a potential smallpox attack. A live report from Washington is coming up.

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